Why Ultra Street Fighter II is a great idea


Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers was one of the most perplexing game-announcements of the January Nintendo Switch Event. An old, 2D game that looked like a lazy port of the ugly HD Remix really made me not interested. But as I dug deeper and discovered more information about it, like the option to use the old sprites and the inclusion of online play, I realized that this game could be a blessing in disguise - a hidden gem.

Street Fighter V is not in a good place right now. The competitive scene is a mess, the online-play is still not great, and despite their efforts, the game is not attracting non-competitive players.

Street Fighter II was the pinnacle of the series, both in popularity and overall balance, so it's great that it's making a comeback, on the newest successor (Nintendo Switch) of the home-console that helped elevate it to enormous success beyond the coin-op (Super Famicom).

Street Fighter II was very innovative and mind-blowing in the arcade, but it rose to a greater plateau of success when it was brought to the Super Famicom and people could practice Hadoukens and Shoryukens at home. I don't know if Nintendo realizes this, but Street Fighter II sold their consoles. I know it did in Japan, and I know it did in the USA. I had a Genesis before the Super Nintendo, and the game I was envious about the most was Street Fighter II; it was a timed exclusive. In fact, it wasn't clear that Sega Genesis could handle a game like Street Fighter II with its large sprites and voice-clips. Street Fighter II on Super Famicom and Super Nintendo is the fourth-best-selling game of that platform at 6.3 million. Having that balance of games that are friendly for everyone, like Super Mario World, and cool, cutting-edge, hip games like Street Fighter II was essential. I wish Nintendo would realize this.

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers won't be a system-seller like Street Fighter II was, but as an enhanced port of the most beloved game in the series, it will be great to have on the Nintendo Switch.

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