Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Review

What can be said about Street Fighter II that hasn’t been said already? The original Street Fighter while by no means a horrible game, was mediocre in a few ways. It had some sluggish movement. Special moves did a ridiculous amount of damage. However, performing special moves was inconsistent. Sometimes the hit detection seemed off. The soundtrack wasn’t very good. It had grainy audio. Yet there was a ton of promise in it. It had wonderful characters, pretty cool graphics, and it was still a cut above earlier games like Karate Champ. But it still could have become just an obscure one-off.

Thankfully, Street Fighter II scrapped the parts that didn’t work, fine tuned everything that did. Then added a bunch of new features. You could play as characters other than Ryu, and Ken. Plus you could really compete with other people for something other than score. Every iteration of the game added, and refined more. You could play as the bosses. You could play at a faster speed. You could play as newer characters. You could do finishers. Every iteration also changed character attributes to try to bring everyone just that much closer. Not only was it leagues ahead of Street Fighter, it became a phenomenon. So now there’s an even newer version of a twenty-six year old game to play on the Switch. With a collection around the corner, should you still get this?

PROS: It’s Street Fighter II. One of the best games of all time. On the Switch.

CONS: Doesn’t add all that much bonus content to the package.

I’VE GOT NEXT: It does bring a taste of the arcade era in portable form.

Ultra Street Fighter II is a pretty awesome game. It’s Street Fighter II. That’s already pretty awesome. That’s a given. But what makes this iteration worth playing over another? Chances are you own at least some version of the game. If you don’t, and you have a Switch, well then this is a no brainer. For a lot of other people though, they’ll need more than that. For the five of you who were around in the 90’s, and somehow never played the game, what you do is simple. Pick a character, beat the other characters in two-out-of-three bouts, until you get to the final boss, and beat him too. Beyond that, you can play against other people for supremacy.

But if you’re a long time Street Fighter fan, you’ve played this before. So again, you’re going to ask “Why play this over my Super NES Game Pak, or my Anniversary Collection for my PlayStation or my Anniversary Collection on my Xbox 360? Or any other version for that matter?” Well, there a few reasons. A few of which are pretty compelling. The Nintendo Switch being a tablet means convenience. It also means you can recreate some of that bygone era of arcades in a public space. For instance, one of the first things I did when I purchased my copy was go out for coffee. While there I played the game, and a couple other people noticed. They inquired about the system, and we talked about playing Street Fighter II after school in the arcade as teenagers. These kinds of moments lend themselves to rekindling some of that. Strangers can challenge you in person now as you can give them a joycon, you have a joycon, and before long someone shows up with a quarter to say “I’ve got next.”

It’s also great for a game night. Street Fighter II, in spite of the technical aspects of it, is still an approachable game. Newcomers who weren’t around for it when it was new, can still pick it up, and have a good time. It has a fair amount of depth, and complexity. But it isn’t going to look impossibly daunting to someone who has never touched a fighting game before. At least not compared to something like Guilty Gear Xrd. We all have that friend who insists the party starts with something like Guilty Gear Xrd.  Anyway, It’s a lot of fun for newcomers, and veterans alike which is a big reason why Capcom likely chose to update this game for the Switch.

In terms of new additions, the obvious one is the ability to play with either the original coin-op graphics or to play with the newer HD Remix inspired graphics. There isn’t any difference in game play between them. When playing in either style everything looks terrific. The HD style looks crisp, vibrant, and detailed. All of the art assets from Udon, are completely on point. The coin-op graphics are also crisp, vibrant, and detailed. They also display in 4:3 aspect ratio which is great. Sometimes a retro release still comes out these days, that zooms or stretches everything into 16:9 by default, and looks just awful. Not the case with Ultra Street Fighter II. Now sadly, there isn’t anything in the way of CRT simulation filter options with this game. So if you do play with the older graphics, you’ll see every last pixel. Personally, I always preferred sharper images. So even in the 90’s playing crisp Super Street Fighter II for MS-DOS on a monitor looked nicer than blurred Super Street Fighter II for the Super Nintendo on a TV. But I know not everyone feels the same way. If you don’t, and seeing all of the squares bugs you, you may want to stick with the new style.

A couple of other things were thrown in too. You can play the game in a Co-op version of the arcade ladder. Basically turning the bouts into handicap matches. It’s definitely something to try to see if you’ll like it. But it isn’t as fun as the core game you come into a Street Fighter II release for. The same can be said for the Way Of The Hado mode they’ve included. Now to be perfectly honest, I really like this mode. It’s a really fun mini game that you can break out at parties because of two reasons. First, (at least for me) the motion controls were spot on. Second, after you use the trainer to figure out how to hold the joycons for each move (Kind of like the Wiimote, and nunchuck for gestures in some Wii games) you can go into one of two modes. A story-like mode, or an endless mode. The story-like one has an ending you can make it to if you’re good enough. The endless is there more as a high score arcade game. It uses some of the graphics from Street Fighter IV to make a first person mini game. In it you throw fireballs, dragon punches, and other signature attacks as Ryu to beat up M.Bison/Dictator’s goons. Over time they can shoot fireballs back at you, and do other moves. Fortunately, you can also block. Again, it’s honestly a fun distraction. But, also again, it’s just that. It isn’t going to keep you engaged nearly as much as the core game you buy USFII for.

The game does have online play, and it seems to be fine most of the time. It’s about as good as Ultra Street Fighter IV‘s is. 85% of the time you’re going to get a good to great connection, and have an awesome match. 15% of the time, you’re going to get a jittery mess of a match, possibly a disconnection. I tried this mode at home where I have a good internet connection, at hotspots where things are mixed, and a relative’s, which has a good connection. I had pretty much the same experience everywhere. If you find you don’t have a great wireless connection to your router, you can buy the wired, USB Ethernet connector for the Switch. That can improve things a bit. In the case of the game though, it really comes down to the net code.  Again, most of the time it seems fine.

Some of the other bonus content in the game includes some in-house Street Fighter series art from Capcom. These were taken from a now out of print book. It’s really great stuff. You can’t use the Switch’s photo function on it though, likely out of piracy concerns. Still, it’s worth thumbing through it, particularly if you love art. Separate from the gallery is the option to add background themes to the menus. Nothing you’ll be excited about though. Some will love the included sprite editor though. It works a lot like the one that came way back in Capcom Vs. SNK 2. You can change the colors of three different sections of any given character, and save them in added color slots. This works in both graphical styles, and subsequently these edits will be playable in the game.

In spite of some of the bonus content, and the inclusion of online battles this feels like a barebones release though. The extra stuff here does give you a little break from the mainline arcade, versus, and online battles. But that’s just it. They’re minor diversions. Even though they’re fun, they’re not really fleshed out enough to keep most people engaged. Most players will likely try them, and then go back to the one on one fights. Had there been even more graphics options, like a simulated CRT filter, or more characters or backgrounds it would give old-time fans more to get excited about.

The three new characters you do get are ramped up versions of Ryu, Ken, and Akuma. And they’ve appeared in other Capcom fighting games before. Evil Ryu, Violent Ken, and Shin Akuma (whom you need an old school sequence code to use) are all fun to use. But they all have insane damage potential. Shin Akuma is even barred from online competition. So some of the top-tier players who play in tournaments have their concerns. For the rest of us, they also take a lot of damage. So average to good players who don’t need to bother with tournament level stuff like obsessing over frame data or lists won’t care. As is the case with most Capcom fighters, the trainer does let you see inputs, and some other information.

On that note, I do want to talk about controllers with this one. Playing the game with the joycons on the console or in the grip is fine. For the most part. It feels pretty close to using a standard game pad, though I found sometimes the analog stick would read a forward jump, as a jump. Playing the game with the joycons as two separate mini controllers is not that bad. It’s not great, and you’ll have to get used to rounding your index fingers to press the Z buttons. But it works. It basically follows the format of the Super NES controller. So if you’ve played any version of the game on the Super NES, you’ll know what to expect. That said, while it’s something you’ll live with when playing other people at Starbucks, you’ll probably want another option for home. There are a host of options for the Switch. The pro controller, aftermarket controllers, and even an arcade tournament joystick by Hori. Depending on your preference, and budget you’ll probably want to invest in one of these options at some point if you haven’t already.

In the end Ultra Street Fighter II is worth getting for a number of scenarios. Bringing the aforementioned arcade experience to a public setting. If you’re a fan of the game who no longer has an old console or computer version knocking around. Or if you’re getting back into it for the first time in years. Or if you’re just a big fan of fighting games in general, and you’re building a Switch collection. It’s a really fun version of Street Fighter II. With SFII being as timeless as classics like Pac-Man, Centipede, and Space Invaders it’s also a pretty safe bet. Just don’t expect much more out of it than a really fun update of Super Street Fighter II Turbo. The other stuff is nice to try, but isn’t the headline act. Also remember this version of the game isn’t included in Capcom’s upcoming collection.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

 

 

 

 

 

Ultra Street Fighter IV Review

(Edit: “Final” was changed to “Latest”. Why? Well as the Otaku Judge pointed out in the comments, it isn’t a guarantee that this is the last version of SFIV. It was an oversight on my part, and I’m sorry. So it’s been corrected.)

The latest revision to Capcom’s flagship fighter hit consoles earlier this year. It recently landed on Steam. So is Ultra Street Fighter IV a worthy upgrade? It depends.

PROS: Additions to the fighting system. More refinements.

CONS: Most of the new content is recycled from Street Fighter X Tekken.

DEVO: Apparently Hugo is a spudboy.

It’s hard to believe, but Street Fighter IV is already almost six years old. It came out back near the end of 2008 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows. It was a smash hit receiving critical acclaim. Older fans loved it because it brought back the feel of Street Fighter II. Newer fans liked it for taking chances with newer characters with new play styles. It even officially brought in Gouken. Ryu, and Ken’s master. Before SFIV, he was little more than an April Fool’s joke by the editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Street Fighter IV was then followed up with Super Street Fighter IV which added a lot of beloved characters from Street Fighter III, and Street Fighter Alpha. This updated version wasn’t released on Windows, but it did start the trend of expansion packs in Street Fighter. Previous buyers could buy the added content at a much lower price than repurchasing an entire game.

Super Street Fighter IV was followed up with Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition. This release did come out on Windows in addition to the console versions. SSFIVAE once again took community feedback to heart. By rebalancing the characters’ attacks, defensive moves, and frame data. On top of that, it gave fans Evil Ryu, Oni, Yun, and Yang.

So now we come to Ultra Street Fighter IV. This is supposed to be the final version of the game. Street Fighter games have always seemed to follow this trend of updated versions. Most notably Street Fighter II, which is probably the most popular fighting game ever made. SFII gave us SFII Championship Edition (which made bosses playable), SFII Turbo (Gave us faster gameplay, refined characters with buffs, and nerfs), and Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (added Cammy, Dee Jay, Feilong, and T. Hawk). Then it all culminated with Super Street Fighter II Turbo. A game that did some more balancing, and added the desperation super combos we love to the series.

Ultra Street Fighter IV feels a lot like Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Not in the game play. This is still decidedly Street Fighter IV. But in terms of the new content it is pretty light. USFIV is not a bad game by any stretch. The refinements to the characters are definitely thought out well. If you’ve played all of the various versions of SFIV before hand you will notice some combos have different timings. Or changes to the amount of damage a lot of moves do. The really in-depth players who enter tournaments will definitely be happy with these changes, as most of them do make all of the characters a little bit more viable.

Lapsed players, or folks who only pop it in when their buddies come over may not notice the under the hood stuff. For them, the newer additions, and content are going to be more interesting. On the plus side, There has been a new type of Focus Attack added in, as well as a new Ultra Combo finisher option. The Focus Attack addition is actually quite nice. In order to use it you must have at least two of the combo meter segments full.  It allows you to absorb much more damage during an attack. It also fills the revenge meter for your Ultra Combos faster. It adds a little bit more strategy in doing so.

You’ll be debating whether you should hang on to your combo meter for an Ultra combo, or use some of it on an EX attack, or if you should use the enhanced Focus Attack. Players can also use the enhanced Focus Attack as a cancel. During an EX attack, players can use the enhanced Focus Attack to cancel the move. It can also be used to delay the wakeup time when getting up from being knocked down. The newest Ultra Combos (marked with a “W”) are an option that allow you to use either one of your standard Ultra Combos. This is handy in the sense that you may find your opponent can easily get around your favorite one. So you can surprise them by using the second one instead. Or vice versa. The drawback is that this option does less damage than sticking with one of the two Ultra Combos.

Other new features were added as well. One of them being an online training mode. This is actually a really cool feature, as you can have higher level players teach you things, rather than fighting an NPC aimlessly. Or having the game bark inputs at you, and then giving a pass or fail. In the past, if you wanted to learn online it meant rematch after rematch as there was either a time limit, or a life bar running out.

Online fighting retains everything from SSFIVAE. You can still save replays. In fact, you can now upload your matches to your YouTube account. You can still opt for a quick match, or a ranked match. Ranked matches again involve Battle Points. Depending on who you defeat or lose to, you will win or lose Battle Points. Wins will also go a long way to updating your report card. Going against other people online you will run into D’s C’s,B’s, and A’s. you can choose to fight people in your report card rank, or people with a higher rank. Beating someone with a higher rank will certainly help you more than beating someone with the same or lower rank.

Net code has been refined as well. Overall things seem smoother, and matches usually go swimmingly. Though on the PC version there are still the occasional lag filled matches. Even when the indicator reports a solid connection. This may be due to the recent change over from Microsoft’s Games For Windows client to Valve’s Steam Client.  It doesn’t happen enough to make the game unplayable, but it can be annoying when it gets in a funk. During these times, you may attempt to get into a match 3 or 4 times before it finally decides to let you connect.

One thing players of the Windows version will appreciate is that Capcom’s benchmarking utility is still included, along with many options. The PC settings allow for resolution changes, lighting effects, rendering effects, and added texture effects for the characters once again. The game also still supports keyboards, game pads, and arcade sticks. So there are options for everyone. For offline multiplayer, you can now choose versions of each character. So if you want to pit the super Sagat from the original SFIV against the current Ryu, you can. This feature has been used in previous Street Fighter Collections, and so now it shows its head here.

The rest of the content is pretty thin though. The new characters, and backgrounds have almost all been regurgitated from Street Fighter X Tekken. And while playing with some of these characters is welcome, none of them will feel new. Almost every die-hard Street Fighter fan has at least tried SFxT. They’ve seen the Jurassic Park knock off stage. They’ve seen the Cosmic Elevator. They’ve played as Elena, Hugo, Poison, and Rolento. All of the move sets from these characters are pretty much the same. But they have been readjusted for the different speed of SFIV. The only stand out character of the new additions is Decapre. Decapre is still a little bit disappointing though as she is a re-skinned model of Cammy. To be fair, none of her moves are shared with Cammy, and instead of quarter circle style special moves, she has charge attack style special moves.

In the end, buying this is going to come down to how deep into Street Fighter you are. Dyed in the wool fans who want to play with the latest balances, and who study frame data will want this. Average fans who want a complete roster might want to buy the upgrade if they happen to own Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition. As a standalone game it isn’t going to be recommended unless you haven’t played a Street Fighter title in a very long time. If you have a previous Street Fighter IV title, and only play it a few times a year, you can skip this one. It isn’t going to make you a Street Fighter fiend.

Final Score: 6 out of 10