Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Preview

For those who lived through the era of the Super Nintendo, Street Fighter II means much more than just a game: it was for many the point of contact between what happened in the arcades with what was in the living room, as well as representing perhaps the most celebrated third party title ever on a console for Nintendo aficionados. A little more than 25 years later, and on the occasion of the release of switch, Capcom has seen fit to dust off the old brand and deliver it to posterity in the latest (for now) final version: Ultra Street Figher II the Final Challengers.

The name Street Fighter II it causes in those who read it the feeling of being in front of something royal. The fighting game of Capcom, progenitor of a genre (as opposed to the two in the name) that sowed the first seeds of what would later become the 2D fighting game: among characters that have now entered the collective imagination, complicated inputs such as "charges" or various phases of the moon between quarters, half, 360 ° and the classic weak / medium / strong blows with different properties depending on the type of punch or kick that is sent. We often forget that even in a seemingly "small" game like the Capcom classic is actually full of facets that leave you amazed by the care and detail in the creation, a real bomb for the time.

This reiteration of the brand brings to 7 versions of this title, and by detachment becomes the game of the series with more re-propositions, even ahead of Street Fighter IV, which also had its "fair" success both in competitive play and in the public. in general. It is therefore not coincidental that Ultra Street Fighter II, a seal of quality for the house of Mega Man and Resident Evil, opens the dances on Switch on behalf of Capcom, also because in this case there is a main reason for what the experience on Nintendo's latest console can offer: portability. Yes, because there is not a single game in the current Switch library, with the historical importance of Street Fighter, which can also be enjoyed in total freedom even away from the sofa.

We therefore have the roster of the 17 characters already present in Street Fighter II Turbo, redesigned for the occasion by the very talented guys of Udon, and the addition of two fighters, Evil Ryu and Violent Ken, previously seen in other Capcom fighting games. It should be noted that the roster is taken in weight by the Turbo version and not by the last release on PS3 and 360 in 2008: this means that certain possible moves in the HD Remix, such as Ryu's "fake" Hadoken or the Spinning Piledriver of Zangief achievable with a half moon are not present. So expect the essence of the real fighting game: few technical virtuosities, apart from the possibility of hastening the recovery of a character after being caught, a few AT (Advanced Techniques), the game that introduced the concept of reading, spacing, neutral among others will ask for a lot of dedication.

Because even if your muscle memory perfectly remembers the inputs of the various movesets, learning the various combos will certainly not be easy. The most interesting aspect of the offer is undoubtedly the heterogeneity of the roster, there are more balanced characters, the powerhouse, rushdown fighters, those who are better at zoning and even the glass cannons, a variety therefore that still today can have its say on today's productions, often with roster with enviable numbers but with very little depth. In addition, Capcom has promised to work on the balance of the game, including the addition of the characters mentioned above, which can only be good for the longevity of the game within the community of fans.

For a more consistent opinion on the quality of the operation made by Ono and company, which also includes a consideration on the technical aspect of the title, we refer you to our review near the release of the game scheduled for May 26, but for now Ultra Street Fighter II looms as an experience of the highest level belonging to a franchise that is always a pleasure to return to dusting, and that therefore will be able to entertain even if the game is still the classic of 1991. And God forbid, we would add.