1992
Perhaps the most infamous of all the April Fools jokes was the Sheng Long trick for Street Fighter II. It was said that if one could get through Street Fighter II's grueling 11-character roster without taking a hit, and then get nine "draws" in a row vs. final boss M. Bison, the player could supposedly fight against a special character called Sheng Long, who was said to be Ryu's master.
An ad suggesting gamers look for the April Fool's joke in the issue of EGM was placed on the same page as the Sheng Long trick. Despite this, most readers didn't catch on to the gag.
The name W.A. Stokins ("waste tokens") from Fuldigen, HA ("Fooled again, ha!") also appears on the page as a runner-up.
Ironically, several of Sheng Long's attributes (the Flaming Dragon Punch, air throws, red fireballs, high-powered spin kick) are actual moves that were added to Ken and Ryu's repertoire in later games. This joke is often credited with inspiring the creation of Akuma, although Capcom has never officially confirmed this. Capcom has in fact created a Sheng Long figure, as a token of goodwill and fun.
In the January 2008 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono mentioned the possibility of adding Gouken, Ryu and Ken's sensei in Street Fighter canon, to the character roster, citing EGM's previous April Fools pranks as a source of inspiration. In fact, Gouken was included in the Street Fighter IV cast as an unlockable character.
Read more about this topic: EGM April Fools' Jokes