We caught up with Klein to ask him about the new movie, the original movie, the new Street Fighter IV game and his love of the Street Fighter games in this exclusive interview.
When did you first get introduced to the Street Fighter game franchise?
I didn't get introduced to Street Fighter until Street Fighter II with the Super Nintendo. That was the first version I played that wasn't in the actual arcade.
Who was your favorite Street Fighter character?
I always felt most comfortable with Dhalsim. Although I've played a lot, I'm certainly not the best or most avid gamer out there, and so for me Dhalsim, I appreciated him because his kicks and punches stretch across the screen so you can keep your opponent at bay. Plus, you can keep them away from doing some of those special moves that you have to be close in on to perform. I had a lot of success with him.
Did you memorize all the combos for the game?
Yeah, dude. You had to. If you played against an opponent that had the special moves, you were dead in the water. So you'd better know how to take some power away in a hurry. It's also more fun once you know all the special moves. Especially in this Street Fighter IV because of all the nuance and camera angles, it's really phenomenal looking.
So you've played Street Fighter IV?
Bar none, Street Fighter IV is absolutely the coolest version of Street Fighter, and I think the most ultimate one-on-one action game there is.
As an old school gamer, do you like that Capcom retained the 2-D gameplay for this new game?
I think as far as keeping it classic, I really appreciate they kept it in 2-D. I think the style of the game lives up to the people who appreciate the classic's expectations. I think the 2-D will allow some novice gamers to get more involved in it than they otherwise would.
Which new Street Fighter do you like to play as?
Seth, obviously, is amazing. But Seth is almost a bit of a cheat because he has so many bad ass moves that you can do with him. He's almost unstoppable and almost unfair. I think they made him a bit too powerful. I really get a kick out of Rufus too. I think he's a character.
Street Fighter IV Screens
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 1 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 2 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 3 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 4 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 5 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 6 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 7 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 8 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 9 of 292)
Street Fighter IV has returning favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. The traditional six-button controls for the game will return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter 4 brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. (Screenshot 10 of 292)
The first Street Fighter movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme was pretty bad. Was it your job to rid the world of that video game adaptation?
Our job is not to erase the previous version of the movie. Our idea for this movie, what we're telling is an origin story. This is the legend of Chun-Li, who I think is the absolute most famous video game character in the history of video game ... aside from Lara Croft, who came a little later. This is where she comes from. You see who she was as a little girl and how she grows up to become a badass street fighter. It's a really cool story. We kept the kick-ass action and adventure that the video game has to offer, while dialing in the character depth and emotion of these characters to bring them down to earth so everybody can relate to them.
Did you play any games during filming?
Dude, we didn't have any time, man. We were in Bangkok and Thailand and it was all about shooting the film. It was 24/7 Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.
As Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 offer more detailed virtual game worlds, where do you see classic 2-D games like Street Fighter fitting in down the line?
I think there's always going to be a love for classic 2-D animation. At the same time, we all need to move forward. The programmers and people designing these new games, what they're putting out there is too mind-blowing to ignore. I know as technology advances, which it can't help but, the games will always get better. But the classics will live on. They have to.
Where do you think the Street Fighter franchise ranks among others like Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur and Tekken?
As far as Street Fighter goes, it's an amazing franchise. This year is the 20th anniversary of Street Fighter coming out. In a market as competitive as video games, and to get more specific the one-on-one action fighting games, it has to be the most famous title of any video game.
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