Game review: Ultra Street Fighter II – The Final Challengers is a remake that misses the mark

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers

Capcom

2.5/5 stars

While the Nintendo Switch represents the gaming giant’s console future, its early line-up features a jump into the fighting genre’s past. Fighting games don’t get more classic than Street Fighter II, which is why Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers looks like such an enticing package for old-school gamers. However, the classic fighting is pretty much all this game has going for it, as most of its newer features don’t hit the mark.

Ultra Street Fighter II is a classic game, collected in two distinctly different time capsules. Those familiar with the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix game, released on Xbox 360 in 2008, will recall the visually upgraded version. That version of the game is fully intact, with sleekly painted artwork, re-recorded voice-overs, remixed stage tracks, and a 16:9 widescreen presentation. Those looking for a more classic experience have the option to switch to retro graphics, which uses a pre-HD era aspect ratio, old-school music, and stages as they were originally designed.

There’s also the option to switch the voice-overs to their original garbled grunts and shouts.