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42-649: Arika was founded in November 1995. During the first month of its existence, the company was focused strictly on research. In July 2011, a video from an Arika 3DS test project, called Fighting Sample , was released, featuring Hokuto and Kairi from the Street Fighter EX series. Further screenshots were released, showing characters Blair, Doctrine Dark and Shadow Geist, but the project was later cancelled. Later in May 2016, another video showcasing Nanase, Allen, Darun and Skullomania

84-531: A Tetris the Absolute: The Grand Master 2 PLUS port to the PlayStation 2 was shown to be in development. However, due to unknown reasons, the port was not licensed and was never released. Arika collaborated with Bandai Namco Entertainment to help co-develop Tekken 8 . This collaboration also lead to them handling update patch(es) on Tekken 7 . Street Fighter EX Street Fighter EX

126-511: A definition above 256 lines until the release of Street Fighter IV (which also has 3D graphics) in 2008. Both Allen Snider and Blair Dane appear in Arika's arcade exclusive fighting game, Fighting Layer , released in Japan by Namco in 1998. In early 2017, Arika announced that a new fighting game was in development with the working title "Arika EX". On April 1, 2017, a teaser for a new title featuring

168-432: A passion project for the studio, he said that his primary goal was to keep the company healthy financially. Nishitani noted that he was searching for potential partnerships with publishers and investors to secure additional funding, which would allow the development team to expand the game's scope and character roster. The game's official title was announced in November 2017. A public beta featuring six playable characters

210-410: A port to Nintendo Switch titled Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash was released in 2021. Fighting EX Layer is a fighting video game played in a 2.5D environment. Battles take place in closed arenas, which vary in size and width. The gameplay retains many of the mechanics from Arika's previous fighting games, such as Super Cancels and juggling, while adding a new running mechanic. Additionally,

252-486: A sequel, Street Fighter EX2 , in 1998. The Street Fighter EX fighting system uses fighting systems from the Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Alpha series, but also has some original ones. In many ways, EX still plays like a 2D fighting game, but the linear plane in which characters fight often changes along a 3D arena. The game uses special moves and super combos familiar or similar to previous games in

294-460: A single Street Fighter series. Several of these characters would appear in other games produced by Arika, such as Fighting EX Layer . Alongside new characters developed exclusively for the game, several mainline Street Fighter characters also appear in the game: Ryu , Ken Masters , Chun-Li , Zangief , and Guile . A few months after the original version of Street Fighter EX was released, an upgraded version titled Street Fighter EX Plus

336-441: A single-player Arcade Mode would be added to the game in a future update, along with additional Street Fighter EX characters Pullum Purna and Vulcano Rosso being added to the game for free. The Arcade Mode update was released two weeks later on 27 July. At Evo 2018 , Arika announced Pullum and Rosso would be added in an update on 5 September, along with a further revision to the game's Arcade Mode, and that they would be developing

378-484: A total of 18. ^a Added via free in-game update ^b Guest character, paid downloadable content Fighting EX Layer was developed by Japanese video game development studio Arika . The studio previously developed the Street Fighter EX series and the arcade game Fighting Layer , which are spiritual predecessors to Fighting EX Layer . Following the release of Street Fighter EX3 (2000),

420-403: A trailer on April Fools' Day in 2017. The positive reaction from fans led Arika to turn the project into a full-fledged game, which they officially confirmed at Evo 2017 . Arika self-funded the development of the game. Arika's president Akira Nishitani remarked that the company had just enough funds to see the project through to completion without external help. While he viewed the game as

462-496: A version of the game for arcades in collaboration with Taito . Arika also teased three more forthcoming characters: returning Street Fighter EX characters Sharon and Area, and guest fighter Terry Bogard from SNK 's Fatal Fury series. Sharon and Terry were added to the game in March 2019, while Area was added the following July. On 27 September, Arika announced a port of the game for release on Microsoft Windows via Steam . Both

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504-464: A warm-up for their first polygonal Street Fighter game, Arika did not consult with the Star Gladiator team in making Street Fighter EX . Arika vice president Ichiro Mihara explained, "In specific terms, it's a different development line. In addition, technically, it's completely different. The know-how we're using for this 2D/3D fighting game has no relation to Star Gladiator . Fundamentally, Arika

546-575: A whole lot better." GamePro similarly said that it "adds a cool polygonal 3D look to the classic game while keeping the fun, basic gameplay that's made the series one of the fighting genre's all-time best." Critics also overwhelmingly liked the new characters the game introduced, with Next Generation describing them as "very playable and distinct" and Ed Lomas writing in Computer and Video Games that they "start to grow on you before long - especially Skullo." The most common reservation critics had

588-608: Is a 1996 fighting game originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware. It is a spin-off of the Street Fighter series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the series to feature 3D polygon graphics , although retains the 2D plane gameplay. An updated arcade version was released subtitled Plus , as well as a PlayStation -exclusive home console version titled Street Fighter EX Plus α , both released in 1997 . The game received

630-429: Is a spiritual successor to Fighting Layer (1998) and the Street Fighter EX series (1996–2000), which Arika had developed, and features many of the same characters from the latter. The game was released originally for PlayStation 4 , with ports for Microsoft Windows and arcades following. A mobile version of the game, titled Fighting EX Layer -α , was later released for iOS and Android devices in 2019, and

672-472: Is as recognisable as the Taj Mahal", and that it was "the most fun we've ever had with Streetfighting since Turbo ", rating the lifespan as 10/10. They concluded "this is like a second honeymoon. The true master of martial arts games remains unrivalled." IGN ' s Jason Boor stated "this is one of the best Street Fighters I've ever played, and I think it's a good switch. It's still a 2D fighter, but it looks

714-399: Is called "Super Canceling" and can be done with Super Combos. This allows a player to string multiple super combos together for monumental damage. The original Street Fighter EX features 17 characters, growing to 23 for the home release. With a total of 18 new characters in the three games of the Street Fighter EX series, this represents the largest original set of characters introduced in

756-588: Is not a subsidiary company of Capcom. ... Some people may be under the impression that as we came from Capcom, there's some sort of link between us but in reality it's a different team making a different game. The concept is new and the know-how is new." A Nintendo 64 port was also announced for release in 1997, but later cancelled. The music was written by former Namco composers, Takayuki Aihara, Shinji Hosoe , and Ayako Saso. The themes are predominantly jazz fusion , with rock and electronic dance music elements. Entitled Street Fighter EX－SCITRON 1500 SERIES ,

798-465: The Street Fighter EX characters was released, which was initially believed to be an April Fool's joke. It was later revealed that the game was indeed in development and that more information would be revealed during EVO 2017 . The game was released in June 2018 under the name Fighting EX Layer . Fighting EX Layer Fighting EX Layer is a 2018 fighting video game produced by Arika . It

840-725: The Arcade and Windows versions were released on 29 November 2018. A limited version of the game for mobile phones, Fighting EX Layer -α , was released on April Fool's Day 2019. Since the game's launch, characters from the Fighting EX Layer have made crossover appearances in other titles: a female version of Skullomania is playable via downloadable content in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy , while costumes based on Fighting EX Layer characters have appeared as additions to Street Fighter V . Heidi Kemps of GameSpot gave

882-476: The EX-Dash, EX-Arrow, EX-Illusion, Cancel Break, and Super Cancel, and cost one bar of the player's gauge per use. Fighting EX Layer was released with 13 playable characters, all of whom made appearances in the Street Fighter EX series of games. Four additional characters have been added via free post-launch updates, along with a guest fighter from SNK 's Fatal Fury series as paid downloadable content, for

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924-537: The block and makes the opponent dizzy. The Guard Break can be used at any time with one level of the Super Combo gauge. This is also a SF mechanic but in Alpha, the guard break simply results in an opening, while EX guard break is more like a stun. A special move can be done after a regular move or another special move; this is called "Canceling". In the process of doing a Super Combo, another Super Combo can be performed. This

966-534: The characters are evenly balanced and have a handful of innovative moves, "The game plays more like a distant cousin to the Street Fighter series" and is simply not as fun. He also found the animations and backgrounds to not be up to Street Fighter standards. The expanded PlayStation version was much more positively received. Next Generation explained that it had far exceeded the arcade version by adding new characters and new gameplay modes, as well as correcting

1008-493: The complete 20-track CD album was released on February 21, 1997 by Pony Canyon , complete with a 19-track voice collection. The 13-track live band CD Street Fighter EX Arrange Sound Trax was released on March 5, 1997, with a drama CD released on March 21 of the same year, all by Pony Canyon. A reviewer for Next Generation commended Capcom for bringing the Street Fighter series into 3D, but judged Street Fighter EX to be an ultimately failed attempt. He remarked that while

1050-467: The content from the light version, along with the playable character Hokuto and ten additional Gougi decks. The light version was later phased out in February 2019 and the standard edition became the primary release. Arika also stated their intentions to add four more characters from Street Fighter EX as downloadable content if their first-month sales targets were met. On 11 July 2018, Arika announced that

1092-421: The feel, and called it "an outstanding title even non-SF devotees will enjoy." Both Next Generation and GameSpot assured readers that the look of the old characters had been faithfully translated to polygonal form, and critics generally approved of the series' transition to polygonal graphics. Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly said it was "What should've been called Street Fighter III" rather than

1134-496: The game an 8/10 rating, praising the fighting mechanics and implementation of the Gougi system while criticizing the game's spotty netcode. Chris Carter of Destructoid gave the game a 7/10, praising its colorful character design and naturally flowing combat but criticizing the small number of game modes and the roster's lack of diversity in terms of gameplay style. He was divided on the Gougi system which he found an intriguing idea but

1176-523: The game features ground chain combos, an auto-combo system, and an optional Progressive mode which simplifies command inputs. Fighting EX Layer also introduces Gougi Boost, which grants players additional bonuses and enhancements during a match. These boosts can be customized by selecting different Gougi decks before the match begins. In Fighting EX Layer Another Dash , however, the Gougi decks are unavailable, while new mechanics have been introduced, replacing some older ones in exchange. Those new mechanics are

1218-481: The game's publisher Capcom halted the series. Over the years, Arika pitched multiple ideas to Capcom for a new entry in EX series, including a demo they created for a Nintendo 3DS game. However, none of the pitches were successful. Staff at Arika had been working on a 3D fighting game prototype to familiarise themselves with Unreal Engine 4 . They decided to record some footage of the then-untitled prototype and release

1260-399: The game, titled Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha and promoted as Street Fighter EX Plus α , was released on July 17, 1997. All of the characters from the arcade version of EX Plus are included, along with two characters exclusive to this version, increasing the total number of characters to 23. Alongside new final boss Garuda, several returning Street Fighter characters were also added to

1302-409: The player witnesses a match between two computer-controlled characters. The PlayStation version also includes an arranged soundtrack and CG animated endings for all of the characters. Development of the game was headed by Akira Nishitani , best known for his work on Street Fighter II . Though the gaming media had widely perceived Capcom's first in-house polygonal fighting game, Star Gladiator , as

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1344-428: The roster: Dhalsim , Sakura , Akuma , and M. Bison . In addition, there is a hidden bonus stage where the player has to smash barrels, similar to one of the three bonus stages from Street Fighter II . The PlayStation version also includes several game modes in addition to the Arcade mode: a dedicated two-player Versus mode, Practice mode, Team Battle mode, Survival mode , Time Attack mode, and Watch mode where

1386-509: The second most-successful arcade game of the month. Game Machine also listed Street Fighter EX Plus on their May 15, 1997 issue as being the sixth most-successful arcade game of the month. In North America, the arcade version saw limited distribution. The PlayStation version sold over 400,000 total copies worldwide after its first year on sale, qualifying for the Platinum Range . A sequel to Street Fighter EX , Street Fighter EX2 ,

1428-523: The series. Unlike in the Street Fighter Alpha titles or Darkstalkers , the EX series features a super meter with three separate sections, not levels, which is unique to this spinoff game series. Aside from throwing the opponent or wearing away their health by using special moves, a way to fight blocking is the "Guard Break". The Guard Break is a move that, if it connects with the blocking opponent, breaks

1470-405: The sprite-based game released under that name, and co-reviewer Howard Grossman said it "has the attraction of 3-D looks, 2-D playability and great options!" GameSpot described it as "a fun game with great gameplay, better than average aesthetics, and a large number of characters" and "a 3D Street Fighter game worthy of its heritage." The Official UK PlayStation Magazine said that the "gameplay

1512-618: Was a runner-up for "Fighting Game of the Year" (behind Street Fighter Collection ) at Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s 1997 Editors' Choice Awards. In 1998 PlayStation: The Official Magazine listed it as number 9 on their "best PlayStation games of all time". The PlayStation version also received a nomination for " Console Fighting Game of the Year " during the AIAS ' inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards . In Japan, Game Machine listed Street Fighter EX on their February 15, 1997 issue as being

1554-465: Was cancelled later on due to various reasons, including copyright infringements with regards to emulation and various fan-developed clones of TGM , most notably Texmaster2009 . TGM4 has been uncancelled again recently; The Grand Master 2015 was announced and playtested in both Japan and the United States in June 2015. This playtest was not licensed by The Tetris Company. Not long after completion,

1596-490: Was made available to download on the PlayStation 4 on 11 December 2017 and ran for two weeks. The developers used the beta to test online connectivity and gather player feedback. The game was released for PlayStation 4 on 28 June 2018. The game was available in two versions: a lower-priced "light" version of the game that included twelve playable characters and five Gougi decks, and the standard edition, which included all of

1638-544: Was released as a sample test video, with no plans for a future release. In April 2017, Fighting EX Layer , which seems to be the "evolution" of Fighting Sample was announced as a video for April Fools, and later confirmed to be actually a game in development. Fighting EX Layer is a spiritual successor to both Street Fighter EX series and Fighting Layer , an arcade-only fighting game by Arika. Tetris: The Grand Master 4: Masters of Round has been shown to be in development multiple times since as early as 2009. However, it

1680-400: Was released in arcades on March 31, 1997. In this version, all of the hidden time-released characters are available by default. This version also adds four new hidden characters, increasing the total number of characters to 21: Evil Ryu from Street Fighter Alpha 2 , an alternate version of Hokuto named Bloody Hokuto, and two cyborgs named Cycloid-β and Cycloid-γ. The PlayStation version of

1722-434: Was released on May 26, 1998. It was also followed by an upgraded version titled Street Fighter EX2 Plus , which was released in arcades and ported to the PlayStation in 1999. The third game in the series, Street Fighter EX3 , was released exclusively for the PlayStation 2 on March 4, 2000. The Street Fighter EX games all run at a vertical resolution of 480 lines, which made them the only Street Fighter games to run at

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1764-435: Was that the game did not do quite enough to change up the technique from previous Street Fighter games. Hsu said that while there were enough changes in the moves and timing to challenge Street Fighter veterans, he was disappointed that the new characters all used the traditional fireball and dragon punch joypad motions, and GamePro likewise opined that it made them feel like "Ken and Ryu clones." The PlayStation version

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