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Street Fighter II follows several of the conventions and rules already established by its original 1987 predecessor. The player engages opponents in one-on-one close quarter combat in a series of best-two-out-of-three matches. The objective of each round is to deplete the opponent's vitality before the timer runs out. If both opponents knock each other out at the same time or the timer runs out with both fighters having an equal amount of vitality left, then a "double KO" or "draw game" is declared and additional rounds will be played until sudden death. In the first Street Fighter II, a match could last up to ten rounds if there was no clear winner; this was reduced to four rounds in Champion Edition and onward. If there is no clear winner by the end of the final round, then either the computer-controlled opponent will win by default in a single-player match or both fighters will lose in a 2-player match.

After every third match in the single player mode, the player will participate in a "Bonus stage minigame" for additional points. The bonus games includes (in order) a car-breaking event similar to another bonus round featured in Final Fight; a barrel breaking bonus game where the barrels are dropped off from a conveyor belt above the player; and a drum-breaking bonus game where drums are flammable and piled over each other. The bonus games were removed from the arcade version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo (although they are featured in the Game Boy Advance version).

Like in the original, the game's controls uses a configuration of an eight-directional joystick and six attack buttons. The player uses the joystick to jump, crouch and move the character towards or away from the opponent, as well as to guard the character from an opponent's attacks. There are three punch buttons and three kick buttons of differing strength and speed (Light, Medium and Heavy). The player can perform a variety of basic moves in any position, including grabbing/throwing attacks, which were not featured in the original Street Fighter. Like in the original, the player can perform special moves by inputting a combination of directional and button-based commands.

Street Fighter II differs from its predecessor due to the selection of multiple playable characters, each with their distinct fighting styles and special moves. Unintentionally, a "bug" in the game's code enabled the player to "cancel" during the animation of some moves by performing another move, allowing for a combination of several basic and special moves. The "combo" system all fighting games would subsequently use as standard was, in fact, entirely accidental. Both of these features would be expanded upon in subsequent installments.
[edit] Characters

The original Street Fighter II features a roster of eight playable characters that could be selected by the player. The roster initially included Ryu and Ken—the two main characters from the original Street Fighter game—plus six new characters from different nationalities. In the single-player tournament, the player faces off against the other seven main characters, before proceeding to the final opponents, which are four non-selectable CPU-controlled boss opponents, known as the "Four Grand Masters".

Playable characters

Ryu, a Japanese martial artist seeking to become a "true warrior."
Dhalsim, a yoga master from India.
E. Honda, a sumo wrestler from Japan.
Blanka, a beast-like man from Brazil who was raised in the jungle.
Guile, a former special forces operative from the United States, seeking to defeat the man who killed his best friend.
Ken, Ryu's former training partner and rival, from the United States.
Chun-Li, a female martial artist and policewoman from China seeking to avenge her missing father.
Zangief, a pro wrestler from USSR.

Computer-only bosses

Balrog (M. Bison in the Japanese version), an African-American boxer, designed with a similar appearance to Mike Tyson.
Vega (Balrog in the Japanese version), a Spanish cage fighter who uses a unique style of ninjutsu.
Sagat, a one-eyed Muay Thai master and the final boss in the original Street Fighter, who was scarred by Ryu in the end of the previous tournament.
M. Bison (Vega in Japan), the leader of the criminal organization Shadaloo, who uses a mysterious power known as "Psycho Power", and the final boss of the game.