Without Capcom’sStreet Fighter 2, fighting games as a whole wouldn’t be the same as they are today. They might not even have caught on as a genre, and certainly wouldn’t have led to tournaments like Evo being big televised events worthy of developer announcements and big cash prizes.
Related:The Impact of Street Fighter 2
Capcom just didn’t know when to quit their cash cow, however. They made four more official arcade updates within three years of the original’s release, as well as multiple ports on the SNES, Genesis, Playstation, Sega Saturn, and more. There are so many that it can be difficult to tell every version ofStreet Fighter 2apart, let alone decide which of them is the best one.
10Rainbow Edition and other Pirate Games
Obviously, these are going to be at the bottom of the totem pole. They’re rubbishy editions of the real deal either made for 8-bit machines or ROM-hacked to oblivion. TheRainbow Editionis infamous for a reason though. Named after its rainbow-pattern logo, the game messed up the characters’ moves to ridiculous degrees.
Ryu’s Hurricane Kick travels across the screen at lightning speed. Guile can throw multiple Sonic Booms in a row and in mid-air. Plus, players can automatically change their characters mid-match by hitting the Start button. It also cranks up the game’s speed, which Capcom kept in mind when they made their nextSF2port.
9Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo Revival
This entry may be low, but that doesn’t mean it’s not respectable.Turbo Revivalis no mere port. It’s a remake designed specifically forthe Game Boy Advance. The music was remixed, and many of the stages were changed to ones from other games, like Ryu moving from hisSF2castle to hisThird Strikeone.
Akuma can also be selected, complete with Raging Demon super. The game also features new, moody artwork that’s still quite impressive today. Still, it’s not quite the same as regularSuper Turbo. Commands were simplified for the GBA’s limited buttons, and it has curious additions like Air Combos andAlpha 3-style juggles
8Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior
The originalStreet Fighter 2was a revolution in 1991, but not so much 30+ years later. The character artwork and animations are rather awkward compared to its updates (poor Eliza in Ken’s ending). Players can’t have mirror matches either and it was fairly buggy too, with glitches like ‘Guile’s Handcuffs’ becoming legendary over the years.
Related:Street Fighter 2 Turns 30: Cool Things You Didn’t Know About the Original Game
Plus, only 8 of its 12 characters are playable. The four bosses Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M.Bison are CPU only. It is possible to play as them via hacking, but they’re prone to bugging out or crashing the game entirely. If only there was another version ofSF2that had them available by default.
7Street Fighter 2: Championship Edition
If older fans don’t remember Orange-Dress Chun Li or Derpy Ryu & Ken, chances are they playedChampionship Edition. It has better artwork and more refined animations and makes the four bosses playable. Now, players can finally figure out what to do with Balrog or Bison without hacking the game.
It also made mirror matches possible by introducing different colors for characters. So, players can all choose their favorites without having arguments. Still, it might’ve annoyed SNES owners who got theWorld Warriorport only to miss out onCE’s upgrades. Luckily, they received another port to make up for that.
6Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers
Capcom decided to show off their new CPS2 arcade board by making this entry. The tech would become the basis for more famous fighting games, like the entirety of theStreet Fighter Alphaseries,theDarkstalkersgames, and theMarvelgames up to the firstMarvel Vs Capcom. Still,Super Street Fighter 2was a bit of a disappointment upon its 1993 release.
Sure, it had newly remixed music, new stages to go with the redrawn classics, and four new characters, including fan favorite Cammy. However, afterHyper Fightingsped up the action,SSF2brought the speed back down toCElevels. Capcom just wasn’t sure if speed was the way to go, making it an option in future ports and games before keeping the action fast.
5Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting
AfterRainbow Editionintroduced speed, Capcom followed suit withHyper Fighting. The game was much faster thanCE, playing at a pace more familiar to modern fighting game players. It also offered even more costume colors for characters and added new moves. Chun Li got her Kikōken fireball for the first time, and Ryu & Ken could do their Hurricane Kicks in midair.
Related:Street Fighter: Most Satisfying Victory Animations
The game was ported to the SNES and Genesis asSF2 TurboandSF2: Special Champion Edition, though they’d soon be succeeded by ports ofSuper SF2. If the fatigue over its different releases hadn’t set in earlier, these home versions would’ve certainly done so. Capcom would have two more in them too, including one so nice it was remade twice.
4Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers
Made to celebrate theStreet Fighterseries’ 30th anniversary,Ultra SF2was a Nintendo Switch exclusive; at least for now, anyway. It is essentially another port ofSuper Street Fighter 2 Turbowith a few adjustments. Players can switch between the classic graphics orHD Remix’s new sprites and widescreen aspect ratio.
The roster received two new additions as well: Evil Ryu and Violent Ken, stretching the definition of “new character.” The game also features a 2-on-1 Dramatic Mode, and a first-person mode called ‘Way of the Hadō’ that doesn’t really work. It’s a more attractive deal now than on launch. Back then it cost $40, which was quite excessive.
3Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix
Especially when its predecessor had been out on the PS3 and Xbox 360 since 2008. It only offered the redrawn graphics, didn’t have the extra modes, and cost just $14.99 on launch. Knowing that, it’s no wonderUltra SF2annoyed people. Was ‘Way of the Hadō’ worth the extra $25? Not thatHD Remixwas warmly received on release either.
The new sprites exposed the originalSuper Turbo’s limited animation, and the new artwork looked worse thanTurbo Revival’s moody shadow pieces. At least the music was nice, even if it was all taken from the Overclocked Remix website.Super Turbo HDis a fine enough game, and better than most. It just should’ve been its own thing instead of being anHD paint jobon sprites from 1994.
2Hyper Street Fighter 2: The Anniversary Edition
Made for the franchise’s 15th anniversary,Hyper Street Fighter 2isn’t just anotherSuper Turboport. In a quirky move, it gave players the chance to test every version of every character against each other. They had tested the waters with it before, withAlpha 3using X-Ism to replicateSuper Turbo, and a Classic Mode to replicateCE’s balance.
On paper, the fasterSuper Turbocharacters would wipe the floor with theWorld Warriorcast. However, theWorld Warriorcharacters dealt more damage with each attack. Each version has their own quirks and unique moves. It made for a fascinating game and one that’s now available on modern machines through theCapcom Fighting Collection.
1Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
When it comes toSuper Turbo, accept no substitutes. Sure, the CPU is very hard even on the lowest difficulty setting, it’s in 4:3, and the debuting super boss Akuma is really broken to fight against (and really finicky to select). Yet it’s still more pleasing to play in its original 1994 form, and easier on the eyes too. Even if it was justSuper SF2with speed, a secret boss, and the new Super Combo mechanic.
Once the meter filled, characters could pull off one big, high-damage move. It took what theArt of Fightingseries introduced and refined it into something more balanced and enjoyable to pull off. Despite theHDcoat of paint orUltra SF2’s additions, they couldn’t improve on whatSuper Turboalready offered. Capcom took the hint at the time and moved on toStreet Fighter Alphain 1995. Still, they can’t quite let the series go.
