Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers

Wed 24th May 2017

Nintendo Life said:

If the only question you have prior to playing Ultra Street Fighter II is "I want to know if this is the ultimate version of Street Fighter II", then chances are you're going to come away impressed. The gameplay is as tight and enjoyable as ever, and there's a simplicity to the game engine which makes it incredibly appealing – while it lacks some of the improvements seen in recent fighters, this simplicity somehow makes for a purer experience and one which is more accommodating to genre newcomers to boot. Sadly, Capcom's attempts to add value to this likeable yet aging template fall totally flat. Buddy Mode is so brief it borders on being pointless, while Way of the Hado – complete with its laughable motion controls – is something you'll only fire up for your own twisted amusement. Neither feature is worth buying the game for, and unless you consider online play as a major selling point there's little on offer here which allows Ultra Street Fighter II to claim superiority over the likes of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Hyper Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II HD Remix.

We usually avoid citing cost as a reason for marking down a game, but the simple fact is Capcom is attempting to hawk this product as a proper retail release, albeit one which costs a little less than other major Switch titles. Even at £35 / $40 – the price at the time of this review – Ultra Street Fighter II doesn't offer true value for money and represents Capcom at its most lazy and exploitative; this really should have been a low-cost digital download. It's still a fantastic one-on-one fighter, but before making a purchase you need to seriously ask yourself if you need another version of this game in your life – and if you do, you should perhaps explore cheaper options.

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6/10

Sun 19th Jan 2025

JJtheTexan said:

Judged entirely on its own merits, Ultra Street Fighter II is a solid package that can serve as a perfect introduction to the legendary fighting game series and its seminal title. There are, however, many more ways to play Street Fighter II these days, including at least five different collections on the Nintendo Switch alone. Bearing this in mind, USF2 is today at best a nice item for collectors in its physical form, and an unnecessary novelty for almost everyone else. Having said that, it's my favorite version of my favorite fighting game, and I love it.

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