Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Reviews
Street Fighter 2's core gameplay remains as fundamentally strong and compelling as ever, with the Switch breathing new life into it. Fans of the franchise, and of fighting games, would be remiss if they didn't pick this up.
It might sound strange to call an anniversary repackaging of a decades old title a "must own" for a new system, but Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is just that well produced.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is a tribute to a classic. Street Fighter II made the fighting genre what it is today, and this game certainly celebrates it.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is getting a lot of attention as a release for the Nintendo Switch and for good reason
With remasters being such a well-defined entity in today’s world, there is plenty of titans for Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers to measure up against, and sadly it falls short against all of them
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers does a great job of scratching that nostalgic itch and has a few bonus features but overall the package feels like a misstep. At $15 to $20 I’d have no problem recommending this to everyone out there. However at $40 for physical or digital download it feels like Capcom got a little greedy and put minimal effort into this port but is an attempt to extract a premium price. With classic Neo Geo fighters appearing on the Nintendo eShop for $7.99 this price difference seems even more glaring.
In the end, I was a little underwhelmed with Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers on the Nintendo Switch and given the technological advancements in fighters since this game was released, it did feel like it was stuck back in the day. Sure there are some new modes and new control systems for the Nintendo Switch but it just felt dated at times. Overall, this game is definitely one for the purists and although not a bad game per se, it doesn't offer anything new either which is a shame. However, if you're looking for that classic fighting experience, then Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers delivers in that area!
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers for Nintendo Switch is a great tribute to a perfect videogame, probably the greatest beat 'em up of all time. Happy 30th birthday, Street Fighter!
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers feels like a lazy afterthought from a developer reluctant to commit fully to the Switch. It's so frustrating given that Street Fighter II is itself a classic game, but Ultra does little to provide reason to purchase it yet again. Way of the Hado and an Art Gallery are nice touches, but ultimately superficial and fail to justify the game's price tag.
There are no drastic changes, just smudges at its corners, and the failure of any apparent dramatic variations feels disappointing in its own right. Capcom could very well have tried something different and experimental, and I think that attempt would have had more virtue than simply a good, portable version of an existing game. Ultra Street Fighter II is indeed fun to play, but I can't help but feel sad to see a legend retire by aiming for the middle.
If you're a fan of fighters, you've no doubt been spoiled of late by high-quality offerings that come with a range of extra features and — perhaps most importantly — engrossing, engaging story modes that help to create an attachment to characters. Ultra has none of this.
Ultra Street Fighter II - The Final Challengers packs the punch of the 1991 original arcade release, and the inclusion of two new modes and all the SFII characters helps make the experience unique, but the price doesn't justify the package. There's just not enough here worth the asking price for the release.
All in all, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is an impressive title for the Nintendo Switch. Sadly, the fact that we've seen this game several times before heavily negates its appeal. Short of adding two new characters, and the disappointing Way of the Hado mode, this is still Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. The title is worth picking up if you enjoy fighting games, but not its current price. Definitely, wait for a sale.
Quote not yet available.
Review in French | Read full review
As an exercise in nostalgia, or an introduction to one of the most seminal fighting games, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is great. Its new modes, characters, and features are ultimately disappointing though, making the definitive edition of Street Fighter II less meaningful than it should be.
I've loved this game since I was a child, and I've always felt that it was in need of only minimal tweaks to bring it up to date. And Ultra Street Fighter 2 is exactly that – familiar territory but with better graphics, plus a few nice-to-have but non-essential extras. My biggest concern are the controls, since the Switch clearly isn't built for fighting games. The Switch Pro controller is an effective fix, but it's expensive. If you don't already have one and invest in one just for this game, you're looking at £95 – which is quite steep for a game that's nearly 30 years old.
The idea of bringing a Street Fighter game on the go is great, specially when you have the possibility to share the experience with someone else. While not perfect it offers a fun an addictive experience while playing with friends.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ultra Street Fighter II doesn't offer true value for money and represents Capcom at its most lazy and exploitative; this really should have been a low-cost digital download. It's still a fantastic one-on-one fighter, but before making a purchase you need to seriously ask yourself if you need another version of this game in your life – and if you do, you should perhaps explore cheaper options.
The Final Challengers isn't the deluxe reissue that it should've been, but it's still a solid enough version of Street Fighter II that lends itself well to portable play.