Ultra Street Fighter 2 - The Final Challengers

Developer Capcom
Publisher Capcom
Distributor Core
Where we got our copy Core
Genre Fighter
Game modes Single Player, Multiplayer, Co-op
Players 2
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

MJ Khan

Published May 30, 2017

Some of my earliest and strongest video game memories were linked to five arcade titles – Sunset Riders, Simpsons, Ninja Turtles, Final Fight and Street Fighter 2. While the other four (including TMNT) have failed to evolve and endear themselves to gamers appetites, Street Fighter 2 is still going strong. 25 years later (and 30 years since the first Street Fighter), Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers arrives on Nintendo’s wonder machine. But is it any good? Let’s find out

Despite being able to distinguish between my hadoukens and sonic booms, and clocking up hours of gametime on my inferior Golden China console-port Street Fighter 2 cartridge and the significantly better 16bit Super Street Fighter 2, I still feel very much like a novice, and the 20 hours I spent on this game did little to shake this feeling. This serves more than an admission, but rather as a temper to preface my review – I approach it as a fan, albeit not a devotee.

The game feels like a throwback, or nostalgia act, rather than a reinvention. You can switch between shiny high-definition graphics or retro (new style or classic), which is like buying a Blu-Ray/ DVD combo, or in this case Blu-Ray and VHS. I can see why the old-school look is endearing, but I prefer shiny (like a certain crustacean in Moana).

Strangely, the game had significant slow-down and constant frame-rate issues. This was quite disconcerting considering it isn’t as graphic intensive as say Street Fighter 5. Coupled with the twitch-hyper speed, characters often look like they are on tik- jerky and agitated. It’s perhaps wrong to compare this game to Ultra Street Fighter 4, but that games meaty roster makes this title seem spartan by comparison. My novice tendencies come to the fore as I couldn’t figure out what the major difference was between the two new characters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken) and presumably Good Ryu and Pacifist Ken. Add Akuma for consistency and you essentially have a quarter of the roster that sort of feel and fight in a similar manner (purists are welcome to argue the merit of Ken over Ryu in the comments).

The game does not have any bonus stages, which is disappointing if you enjoy jumping between beating up E.Honda, and then a Honda (I apologise for that line) and while that omission is glaring, the additions are mostly pointless add-ons, worth mentioning as much as you would advertise a windscreen or a side-view mirror as features in a car ad. Even the much-touted ‘Way of the Hado’ mode which utilises the Joy-Con’s motion controls is terrible, akin to playing Fruit Ninja with a bag of cement tied to your wrists.

I don’t have a Pro controller so could not test it with that, but the Joy-Con, while adequate, isn’t that great and I found it difficult to pull off the more complex specials. You can display the specials on your screen if you’re playing on the go, although it isn’t great in tabletop mode as you might drop the screen in your excitement. Being able to hand a friend a Joy-Con for some quick two-player gaming is fantastic, and is arguably the best reason to consider this. It is almost always better to play against a human opponent, and I found online play to be quite satisfying, with the charm of someone placing a 50 cent coin next to the start button at the arcade carried through to the online experience.

Most of the issues with the game would be forgiven if the price was reasonable. I recently purchased Samurai Shodown 6 on the Playstation store for 95 Rands, and while it was a simple port of the PS2 version instead of a fair overhaul ala Ultra Street Fighter 2, it scratched that nostalgic itch, without feeling like a heavy investment. This game is priced at R479, which granted is not full-price, is still too much to ask for the game. You could pick up Street Fighter 5 for cheaper, and it is arguably better in every way. Sure, the Switch allows you to take your game with you and easily challenge your friends on the go, but the price of admission is simply much too high to make that scenario compelling.

Perhaps the only thing that will influence the score is if they cut the price by 70 percent. It’s odd to type that as price isn’t held up in as high regard as gameplay, but I really think it’s a dealbreaker for this game.

Some of my earliest and strongest video game memories were linked to five arcade titles - Sunset Riders, Simpsons, Ninja Turtles, Final Fight and Street Fighter 2. While the other four (including TMNT) have failed to evolve and endear themselves to gamers appetites, Street Fighter 2 is still going strong. 25 years later (and 30 years since the first Street Fighter), Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers arrives on Nintendo's wonder machine. But is it any good? Let's find out Despite being able to distinguish between my hadoukens and sonic booms, and clocking up hours of gametime on my inferior Golden China console-port Street Fighter 2 cartridge and the significantly better 16bit Super Street Fighter 2, I still feel very much like a novice, and the 20 hours I spent on this game did little to shake this feeling. This serves more than an admission, but rather as a temper to preface my review - I approach it as a fan, albeit not a devotee. The game feels like a throwback, or nostalgia act, rather than a reinvention. You can switch between shiny high-definition graphics or retro (new style or classic), which is like buying a Blu-Ray/ DVD combo, or in this case Blu-Ray and VHS. I can see why the old-school look is endearing, but I prefer shiny (like a certain crustacean in Moana). Strangely, the game had significant slow-down and constant frame-rate issues. This was quite disconcerting considering it isn't as graphic intensive as say Street Fighter 5. Coupled with the twitch-hyper speed, characters often look like they are on tik- jerky and agitated. It's perhaps wrong to compare this game to Ultra Street Fighter 4, but that games meaty roster makes this title seem spartan by comparison. My novice tendencies come to the fore as I couldn't figure out what the major difference was between the two new characters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken) and presumably Good Ryu and Pacifist Ken. Add Akuma for consistency and you essentially have a quarter of the roster that sort of feel and fight in a similar manner (purists are welcome to argue the merit of Ken over Ryu in the comments). The game does not have any bonus stages, which is disappointing if you enjoy jumping between beating up E.Honda, and then a Honda (I apologise for that line) and while that omission is glaring, the additions are mostly pointless add-ons, worth mentioning as much as you would advertise a windscreen or a side-view mirror as features in a car ad. Even the much-touted 'Way of the Hado' mode which utilises the Joy-Con's motion controls is terrible, akin to playing Fruit Ninja with a bag of cement tied to your wrists. I don't have a Pro controller so could not test it with that, but the Joy-Con, while adequate, isn't that great and I found it difficult to pull off the more complex specials. You can display the specials on your screen if you're playing on the go, although it isn't great…

Video Game Review: Ultra Street Fighter 2 – The Final Challengers

2017-05-30

MJ Khan

Good thrills, expensive pricetag

Total - 6.4

64 6.4

While providing a fun albeit flawed experience for fans of the franchise, it's hard to recommend to casual fans or the price conscious gamer.

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MJ Khan

Gaming / Entertainment Author at Geek Node

A veteran gamer and award-winning strategist, MJ enjoys eating chocolate eclairs and watching WWE. He completed his Masters coursework on videogame theory and enjoys writing about representation in games.