Q] Were Studio 8 closed because of the poor sales and reception of this game?

A] There doesn't seem to be a clear answer on this. Some sites state that the failure of Final Fight Streetwise was what caused the development team to be shut down, but apparently this may not have been the case. Some places state that it had already been decided that Studio 8 would close, and Final Fight Streetwise would be their last game. But then there are articles like this that state the opposite, and that the news of the studio's closure came after Final Fight Streetwise had been completed.

In 2008, a blog post went up about how Capcom wanted to hire more staff to make new games. The post had this line in it:

"Don’t worry, we’re leaving Final Fight and Maximo in hibernation… those were the olden days…"

Basically calling out the games Studio 8 had worked on! Final Fight has managed to make a comeback, with Final Final Double Impact, along with several characters from the series making appearances in games like Super Street Fighter IV, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken. The Maximo series hasn't done so well -the original game has been re-released on the Playstation Network, but that's all.


Q] Wasn't there a promotional comic for the game?

A] The comic was a pre-order bonus that was only available for the American version of the game. The comic's story goes up to the point in the game where Stiff knocks out Kyle. The art for the comic was drawn by Trent Kaniuga, who also voices Kyle in the game.


Q] Was this game released in Japan?

No. Of the 6 Final Fight games, this is the only one not see a Japanese release.


Q] Were there things cut from the game?

The pre-order comic contains a section with some concept sketches of characters, including some who don't appear in the game! Sodom and Poison both feature:

Even though Poison has red hair, which was the color Roxy had in the original game, she's still labeled as "Poison". Andore also appears in the concept art, wearing a completely different outfit on than what he wears in the game. You can see the words "Tommy's Gym" on his shirt -perhaps early on in development, Andore was a guy you could learn moves from or spar with? In the game, he only appears as someone you can fight in Little Italy.

There is apparently some unused dialogue of a guy speaking broken Japanese on the game disc. I haven't been able to find this myself (I found a trailer!), but if it is there, then it most likely would have been meant for Sodom, as he speaks this way in the Street Fighter Alpha series and Final Fight One.


Q] Are there any differences between the Playstation 2 and Xbox versions of the game?

A] The Xbox version was ported by Secret Level. The two versions are the same content wise, but there are some minor differences between them, such as the Xbox version having a different loading screen. One major difference is near the end of story mode, during the section where you need to get to Barfly to rescue Vanessa. The PS2 version would sometimes struggle here, with the framerate occasionally dipping. But in the Xbox version the section runs in slow motion practically the entire time.


Q] Why is the unlockable version of the original Final Fight so lousy?

A] Studio 8 did not have access to the original game's code. In the game's credits, UltraCade are mentioned, so I imagine the team ended up working with them instead? What made things worse was that the year before Streetwise came out, Capcom had released Capcom Classics Collection Vol .1, which included a much better version of Final Fight than the one included with Streetwise.


Q] What are the plot holes?

A] There are a few things that don't make sense:

-When Kyle meets Haggar, Haggar eventually tells him that he still has friends in Metro Vice, and he'll try and get them to help. This is never mentioned in the game again.

-Who caused the explosion at the hotel? Sims doesn't bother looking into it, and Kyle doesn't seem to care either.

-After the drug manufacturing plant is blown up, Kyle asks Guy if he saw Chang. Guy says he saw nobody. And then in the very next cutscene, Chang is suddenly with them back at Haggar's place, giving Kyle first aid. How did she get there?

-Dr. Chang seems to get off incredibly lightly for someone who created monsters like Pestilence. The ending states she was free to go after being questioned!