VGR The Street Fighter 2 series

It's finally time to have a look at the classic Street Fighter 2 games.
I wasn't really planning on doing them while starting this FIGHTING MARATHON. The original plan was to skip SF2 over the more underrated SF3, alpha and ex games... But then, it wouldn't look like a complete marathon review, right?

How to review Street Fighter 2? Should I be reviewing a single or many Street Fighter 2 games?
Here's a part-article, part-review look at SF2 and and some specific SF2 games ones.

Let's dig into this Street Fighter 2 sub-series and its multiple sequels inside the overall larger SF franchises.

Game: Street Fighter 2 series
By Capcom
Originally released on Arcade

Type Fighting game
From March 1991

Finally, some years later, after the not quite successful SF1 (reviewed here!), Ryu and Ken wereback into the arcade scenes!
Street Fighter 2 was finally ready to come and shake all the arcades over the world.
Around the early 90s, fighting games were starting to grow as a gaming genre.
SF1 became the template for most fighting games, it may not have been a huge success commercially but the general ideas and design were perfect as the standard for new entries of the genre.

Capcom knew they had something great to work with and shouldn't let this occasion go.
This sequel came some years later, keeping all the rules and the established overall structure but with a whole new graphic engine and gameplay feeling.
The game was now a 16 bit arcade game running on the brand new CP System (which would stay Capcom main hardware for most fighters for a while until it was upgraded around the mid-90s to the CP System 2).

From a distant point of view, the general Street Fighter 2 series might look quite confusing, having spawned so many "sequels" or updates during the 90s (and 2000s). So, let's have a look at the different variations of SF2 first, with some quick explanations:

So many Street fighter 2 games to reach SF3...

It has since then become a inside joke for fighting games!

Now, don't worry, the Street Fighter 2 series isn't that confusing to understand...
The real problem is some confusing titles/variations have been used for occidental or oriental releases.

Ryu and Ken were back. This time, they weren't the only playable characters.

First of all, came  Street Fighter II The World Warrior in 1991.
The original sequel to Street Fighter 1.
It was a very impressive sequel to the original SF, the graphics were all redone, the game used a new and more natural gaming mecanic, the engine was pretty amazing.
You weren't restricted to only play as Ryu (or Ken) this time around, but had access to a total of 8 characters from all over the world (well, from places known for their martial arts).

The playable roster was made of:
- Ryu and Ken. The original street fighters. Re-entering the SF tournament to become great warriors.
- Chun-Li, a chinese martial artist trying to understand and avenge her killed father.
- Representing japanese sumo wrestling, Honda.
- Representing russian pro wrestling, Zangief.
- Blanka, a green-electric-mutant-like Brazilian monster.
- Guile, a military guy in search for the killer of his pal Charlie. Designed to be identified as a hero character for american players.
- And Dhalsim, an indian yoga fighter.

Now, I know plot isn't that important for fighting games.
But SF2 wouldn't be a success without this variety of colorful characters...
All of this isn't meant to be taken as a complex story but it describes a motivation for the player.
It is a competitive arcade game, knowing what/who a character is and why he's in this game is the usual required motivation that will fill the players' imagination (or Udon current comics).

You played until you lost your credits in 2-wins rounds.
The game had the player confront all the other participants until the bosses. Much like SF1 original idea of having Ryu against a boss each country, then a sub boss and finally the ultimate boss, SF2 redesign the concept of fighting bosses.
When the last rival was defeated, came in the boss fights. 3 sub-bosses:
- Balrog, a boxer. (Mike Bison in the original Japanese version, probably the returning Mike from SF1)
- Vega, a spanish fighter using "wolverine-like claws". (Balrog in the Japan)
- The last sub-boss was Sagat. The final boss from SF1 now bearing a scar from Ryu's shôryuken.
- And finally M. Bison. Leader of Shadaloo, who's trying to conquer the world under the guise of a "simple tournament". (called Vega originally)
As you can see, and probably already knew, the names of the bosses were swapped around, probably to avoid a complaint or problems from Mike Tyson due to the parody "Mike Bison". Sagat, being a returning character, kept his name.

The original game was later released on many systems, the most well known being the pretty faithful SNES port.

Shadaloo. Founded in 1991, and trying to conquer the world since then. OF COURSE!

The original game was far from perfect but it's classic and simple gameplay made it an instant classic.
Arcade games lived a second boom in the 90s following the release of SF2. (the first one being during the pacman/donkey kong/space invader era).

Capcom needed to stay competitive and in the market. They kept on releasing various fighting games, original arcade games and console exclusives alongside various upgrades of SF2.

Street Fighter II Dash / Street Fighter II Champion Edition came out in 1992.
This first "upgrade" wasn't a real sequel but more of an update of the original game.
It introduced minimal new features in the gameplay (but corrected various glitches such as Guile's handcuff)

The real new feature was to be able to play with the bosses, play against the same character (Ryu vs Ryu) and use alternate colors depending on the button used for the selection.

Later that same year, came out Street Fighter II Turbo / Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting / Street Fighter II Dash Turbo.
This one was again mostly another update of the same game.
Hyper Fighting, or SF2Turbo as it is known nowadays, offered new techniques to keep SF2 competitive against the other fighting games of 92.
The gameplay was also made a lot faster. (Thus making it one of my favorite SF2 entries to play actually)
New color swaps were created and the default characters used the alternate palette from the go.

Then came in late 1993 the first real sequel to SF2, Super Street Fighter II The New Challengers.
SSF2 changed the gaming engine (SF2 was running now on the CP System 2).
The whole feel of the game was redone, being remade from scratch.
The game offered new graphic details, new techniques for characters and a whole new soundtrack (and sounds).
This huge update redefined the SF2 series! You could play a newly introduced tournament mode (with multiple arcade cabinets interconnected).
Finally it introduced new characters to the roster:
- Cammy, a secret agent from England which became a new SF classic for gamers.
- Dee Jay, a Jamaican kick boxer.
- Thunder Hawk, a native american Mexican trying to fight against the invasion of Shadaloo.
- And one of my favorites, Fei Long. An action movie star and homage character to Bruce Lee. (which in itself became a standard for most fighting games)
My only complaint was that the game felt a bit slower than SF2Turbo, and it was. The new engine kinda lost the dynamism from the last entry.

Here comes a new challenger!!

In 1994 came an upgrade/update to SSF2, Super Street Fighter II X / SSF2X Grand Master Challenge / Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
I personally prefer to call this one SSF2X over SSF2 Turbo, to avoid confusion with the original SF2Turbo.
This one was meant to be the ultimate SF2 release. It introduced many little variations of the gameplay, Super Combos, a power gauge, there were new techniques to use...
This release was the closer in gameplay to where the SF franchise would go into in later games (SF Alphas...)
It was possible to juggle the opponent, use air combo ... Playing as Ken started to really feel a bit different from Ryu.
The game was also called Turbo because it reintroduced a speed a lot closer to pre-SSF2 and better than SSF2.
This game also introduced a brand new feature that would later return in the SF series. A secret boss:
- Akuma/Gouki in Japan. Someone using the same kind of martial arts as Ryu and Ken.

In 2003, SF2 add another brand new sequel thanks to Hyper Street Fighter II / SF2 Anniversary Edition.
This version allowed to choose and mix styles a bit (not far from what later games like Marvel VS Capcom or Capcom vs SNK would offer). You could use Ryu and be playing in "normal", "turbo", "champion", etc.. (Newer characters like Thunder Hawk couldn't use older gaming styles!)
Not a full sequel like SSF2 back in its day, but more like another upgrade of SSF2X.

Finally came in 2008 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, mostly based on Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
This new version wasn't released for the arcades like past SF2 entries but only on newer gaming systems.
It used its engine and gameplay mecanics but changed all the art and music. New HD sprites and brand new remixed sountrack.

Let's directly have a look at and review some key SF2 console releases:

Game: Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition
By Capcom
Played on Megadrive
Type Fighting game
From 1993

Let's just skip the original and turbo home releases of SF2 on the SNES, which were good in my book, but not that interesting in reality. To be honest, the SF2 games alwayslost kind of their extra punch while being ported to 16 bit home systems (this includes this SF2 on the Megadrive), since the original arcade cabinet used some extra Ram and more colors.
On the Snes, SNES was pretty much indentical to its original arcade version, including the bugs and glitches the original game had. Then was ported SF2 Turbo to the SNES, which was a lot better in gameplay and visuals.

Don't ne fooled by this MD game title. This Special Champion Edition wasn't a port of the 1992 SF2Dash/Champion Edition, nor a port of SF2Turbo/Hyper Fighting in disguise.
Like the name implies, "Special Champion Edition" was a special edition.
This SF2 game sold a lot of Megadrive systems across Europe back in the day. It was a pretty original pack containing both Champion edition and Turbo in one big cartridge!

Selectable from the menu were a mode called Champ - the original SF2 Dash / champion edition - and Hyper - the SF2 Turbo arcade mode.
The game looked pretty close to the arcade versions (minus details in the visuals and sound part).
Fans of the SNES or the MD always prefered their own sound quality compared to the other system, but with Street fighter 2 ports, the music has alwayy been very close to the arcade and not that different on the SNES nor the MD. Playing the Hyper mode looked very similar to the SNES port of Turbo.
Plus their a brand new Group Battle mode. This one allowed to play some great tournament up to 6 players against 6 others!
The original part of SF2 Special Champ Edition is that it allowed to increase speed a lot more than the arcade version (going from 0 to 11 stars in the speed setting).

A great port, that is, if you have the Megadrive 2 6-buttons pad!
This Megadrive release is a great recommendable home release of the original pre-Super Street Fighter 2 games!

I give it:

 2 / 3 BonusKun!

  
Game: Super Street Fighter II
By Capcom
Played on SNES
Type Fighting game
From 1994

Next up, there's another SF port I recommend you to give a try.
Super Street Fighter II a fantastic port of the arcade going by the same name.
It is available for both SNES and MD, I have a little preference for the SNES version since it was the first SNES game I ever played! (true!)

This version looked a lot closer to the original arcade version than previous ports, both on the MD and SNES.
Both versions are actually very similar in sound and graphics (let's be honest), the only real difference is the main menu presentation. The SNES version offers you all the options in one single screen, while the MD has a scrolling up-and-down Virtua Fighter-like menu.

My main problem with SSF2 still is its speed decrease, but overall it's a fantastic SF2 game!
The four new characters are a great addition, the engine much better...
The port adds up a Tournament Battle, just like in the arcades, but a bit different also. It takes a bit from the MD SF2 Special Champion Edition.
There's also a neat new feature, Time Battle.

I'm not gonna repeat what I wrote about all the different games above.

I also give it:

 2 / 3 BonusKun!

Game: Super Street Fighter II X (from the Sreet Fighter Collection)
By Capcom 

Played on Saturn

Type Fighting game (compilation)
From 1997

The Street Fighter Collection is actually a compilation available on both the Playstation and Sega Saturn. Though I honestly don't recommend the PSX version since the Play' always lacked the extra punch to run smoothly 2D games the Saturn had. Just check any retro gamer opinion on other websites or forums!

This compilation contains actually two discs. One only has Street Fighter Alpha 2 (but that will be detailed in a future Street Fighter Alpha review).
The other disc has both the original arcade version of Super Street Fighter 2 and Super Street Fighter II X.
Both games runs 100% exactly just like the arcade versions.
SSF2 lacks the tournament mode from the MD and SNES versions, but it isn't that bad overall.

Street Fighter II X, being the ultimate original SF2 upgrade (before anniversary and HD remakes) is just like you imagine it to be.
It runs perfectly smooth, is a lot of fun to control and play.
The new features such as super combos, power gauge, Akuma and improved gameplay simply make this version the ultimate definitive version of SF2!

Since this Saturn port is actually featured in a compilation with both the original SSF2 and a Street Fighter Alpha game I really recommend finding this one! If you have a Saturn, that is.
Almost a must have,
I give it:

 2,5 / 3 BonusKun!

Game: Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival
By Capcom 

Played on Game Boy Advance

Type Fighting game
From 2001

If you don't own a Sega Saturn, the next best thing to have is Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival!
It's not an exact port of Super Street Fighter 2X but actually an original game based on it. It uses its own engine.
The bonus stages, which weren't available no more in later SF2 games are back! (both barrels and car bonus stage).

The game was made to be easily playable on a GBA, so there's only 10 characters to fight in arcade mode, over the original 12 stages.
There's an option to enter "easy commands" for the attacks. Neat feature if you're playing outside.
There's a ton of artworks to unlock this time (much like in SNK fighting games).
The backgrounds aren't taken from the SF2 series, but from the Alpha and SF3 series!

It really is the next best thing to play!
If you have a gamecube with the GBA player and a Hori Gamecube pad, this really is a must have!
Of course the graphics were a bit simplified, but it isn't a bad thing. It actually gives the game a little cartoony look.

I give it:

 2,5 / 3 BonusKun!

Overall, the Street Fighter 2 sub-series is a classic gaming franchise. Over the years, the games have been ported to almost every system ever made!
Xbox, Gamecube, PS2 (Capcom compilations, ports, remakes...), Xbox 360, PS3, Wii (digital download...), IPhone, etc..
SF2 is everywhere!

Above, those are the games I really wanted to talk about, the best ports (Saturn), more easily available in retro stores (the SNES and MD ones) and that one truly underrated original port (GBA).
Of course there's more of those. Like the other older SNES ports, which actually are correct. But the MD port offers a bit more for example.
And Super Street Fighter 2 made those kinda obsolete afterall...


I didn't really talk about the little upgrade called Hyper Street Fighter 2, which is in fact an anniversary remake. But it's a bit gimmick-y (playing as past games styles, crossing over gameplays from various SF2 games).
And I still haven't played Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix as of today.
I'm sorry Capcom, I love Street fighter, but I'm still not really into digital releases... Maybe if Capcom includes it in some compilation someday...
From what I've seen, I'm not missing a lot. It's based on SSF2X, only the sprites have been redone in HD and a new soundtrack added (+the online support).
They haven't remade the engine, gameplay, nor techniques, just remake the sprites in HD over the original ones. No new animation/frame/details... It's probably a fantastic opportunity for younger gamers.

That's all I had to say!
'Hope you liked this article/review of Street Fighter 2!
Next up in our FIGHTING MARATHON will be Street Fighter Alpha, or a little surprise,
but before that some non-Street Fighter reviews! ; )