Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Reviews
There's no argument that the gameplay in Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is timeless. It strikes the right balance between technical flash and grounded mechanics to provide an experience that captivates all types of fans, whether they're jumping into fighting games for the first time, stopped playing from Street Fighter III onward, or never stopped playing fighting games. The various extras, however, feel half-heartedly done. From the Buddy Battle mode to the abysmal Way of the Hado, few things feel fully fleshed out, while parts of the presentation fare worse than the work Backbone Entertainment did almost 10 years ago. At least the online works fine this time around, which may be enough to entice some players. With a price tag of $40, the game represents a very steep cash grab, so unless you're adamant about getting Street Fighter II on the Switch, it's best to wait for a sale or a price drop.
If you are looking for a tried and true fighter, you can't get anymore classic than Street Fighter II. The addition of two new fighters adds some content, but not a whole lot. The real draw is the mobility of the game with the Nintendo Switch. If you are down on your luck with fighters on the new platform, there is only one choice right now and it's not half bad.
Ultra Street Fighter II is an admirable effort; a pitch-perfect version of Street Fighter II on the Nintendo Switch. Capcom has re-balanced the game from its Super Turbo release, thrown in the Super Turbo HD Remix art, and added some additional Switch-only modes. Unfortunately, the whole package just feels adequate. Ultra Street Fighter II doesn't feel like it goes above and beyond for the series' 30th anniversary and the asking price is steep for what's there.
Beyond its core, though, The Final Challengers' value prop is pretty bad, and with no real modes outside of Arcade to makes this edition particularly appealing, there's little reason to need it. It's true there's online play, which does feature a clever point-based ranking system, but the former is not new and the latter is not so compelling as to drive player investment. Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers will make a fine gift for a youngster or acquaintance Street Fighter celibate, but it's probably not worth your time until the price goes down otherwise.
Capcom's latest take on its seemingly forever-popular Street Fighter 2 is an enjoyable version of the game on Nintendo Switch that allows fans to take the fight with them.
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.
Ultra Street Fighter 2 looks like a love letter to fans such as myself who spent tons of time and even more quarters at the arcades during SF2's heyday. While classic mode remains fun and modern mode looks nice, a lack of extra features and a poorly implemented first-person mode with waggle controls sours what should have been a celebration of Street Fighter 2's legacy. It's still a solid title but also represents a missed opportunity.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is certainly a competent game at what it does best: classic 2D fighting gameplay and plenty of online possibilities to extend the game's lifespan. It also adds two modes that bring no added value whatsoever and its selling price is completely out of line with what is to be expected from a new version of a game that is over twenty five years old.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Overall, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is an impressive port for fighting game and Street Fighter fans. This addition to the Nintendo Switch library is much-needed and proves that the Switch can handle the rigors of a fighting game, especially in portable mode. It's going to be great to get more fighting games in the future on this platform.
A classic that is still enjoyable today, with optional enhanced visuals, and additional features, not all of which are successful. Some fun can be had with it, but at its current price it's hard to recommend.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Ultra Street Fighter II is a more than competent release, but if you’re a seasoned veteran it’s very difficult to recommend the move over to this update… even if the Switch hardware is perfect for this game.
This game hardly presents anything worthy of its price tag. The HD version released on previous console generation is almost the same at half price.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
It's still amazing that such an old game can remain so playable after all these years, although it's equally incredible that Capcom still insist on charging full price for it.
While Way of the Hado feels tacked on and ultimately a pointless gimmick, this is still a great version of Street Fighter II and currently the best way to experience the classic game on today's hardware. The additions to the main game are minor at best for the astonishing price tag, with Evil Ryu and Violent Ken just being amped up clones of existing fighters, but it still plays like the classic arcade fighter. Just don't expect anything revolutionary.
Ultra Street Fighter II tries to add a robust package around its tried-and-true Arcade mode, but much of that package doesn't pan out. All that leaves is the Arcade and Versus modes and for as great as Street Fighter II is, it's a game that also shows its age after a while.
An overpriced package that offers little new content, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers isn't a marvelous return for this venerable series. Being mobile is great, and the game looks good, but everything else about this release is skippable for all but the most die hard SF fans.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is nice for fans of the series, but anyone else might feel ripped off paying full retail price for a game with so little new content. Great for online play, bad for basically everything else.
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