9 Elaborate Video Game Urban Legends Everyone Believed
4. Street Fighter II - Unlocking Sheng Long
The legend: Sheng Long sent Street Fighter II players into full-blown Sherlock mode trying to uncover his or her whereabouts when the fighter muscled its way into arcades.
Who was this elusive entity? What connection did they have to Ryu and, most importantly, how did one go about unlocking them? The combined investigative prowess of fans in their thousands failed to yield results until, a year after launch, the method was finally revealed.
In order to bring Sheng Long out of hiding, players needed to reach the final battle against M. Bison and force a draw 10 times on the trot without taking damage. Only then would the mystery fighter reveal themselves.
Complete hokum.
Where it came from: Gaming mag Electronic Gaming Monthly ran a 'Tricks of the Trade' piece in its April 1992 issue with the completely fabricated unlock method as an April Fools' piece.
The joke, as it so often does, promptly escalated out of control when other publications began running the piece as fact, resulting in swathes of irate fans that had spent countless hours attempting the challenge.
As for Ryu's very reference to Sheng Long, it amounted to nothing more than a mistranslation and should have read: "If you cannot overcome the Shoryuken, you cannot win!"