You know that feeling when you revisit a childhood home and everything feels smaller, but also strangely more polished? That’s basically the vibe when you fire up Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a weird game. It’s an expensive game. Yet, somehow, it remains one of the most interesting artifacts in Capcom’s long history of milking the Street Fighter II cow until the udders are sore.
Let's be real. Street Fighter II has been re-released more times than I’ve had hot dinners. We had the original, Champion Edition, Turbo, Super, and the definitive Super Turbo. So when Capcom announced Ultra Street Fighter II in 2017, the collective internet groaned. People asked, "Do we really need another one?"
The answer is complicated.
Honestly, if you’re a purist, you probably hate the "Way of the Hado" mode. You might find the Udon-style HD graphics a bit soulless compared to the gritty original sprites. But there is a mechanical depth here that makes it a fascinating competitive beast, even if it feels like a fever dream at times.
What Actually Makes This Version "Ultra"?
Most people assume this is just a port of HD Remix from the PS3 and Xbox 360 era. It’s not. While it uses the same art assets from Udon Entertainment, the underlying engine has some tweaks that change the competitive landscape.
The biggest addition? Evil Ryu and Violent Ken.
Violent Ken is a deep cut. He first appeared in the SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos crossover, representing a brainwashed version of Ken under M. Bison’s influence. In Ultra Street Fighter II, he is a glass cannon. He’s fast. He has a teleport. He can cross the screen in the blink of an eye, but if you sneeze on him, his health bar vanishes. It’s a high-risk, high-reward style that feels very different from the standard shoto gameplay.
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Then you have the balance changes. Capcom didn't just copy-paste the Super Turbo logic. They added tech throws—the ability to escape a grab. For some veterans, this is sacrilege. In the old days, getting "ticked" into a throw was just part of the pain. Now, you have a fighting chance. It makes the game feel a bit more modern, a bit more like Street Fighter IV or V, without losing that 1991 DNA.
The Visual Tug-of-War
You can toggle between "Classic" and "New" graphics. This is where things get divisive.
The Classic mode gives you that beautiful, pixelated 4:3 aspect ratio. It looks right. It feels right. The New mode uses the high-definition assets that were originally designed for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. While they are crisp, some of the animations feel stiff. When you take a 2D sprite designed for 16-bit hardware and blow it up to 1080p, you notice the missing frames of animation.
It’s sorta like watching a classic movie that’s been aggressively "AI upscaled." It’s cleaner, sure, but does it have the same soul? Most competitive players I know stick to the classic pixels. It’s more than just nostalgia; it’s about visual clarity in a game where every frame counts.
The Weird Stuff: Way of the Hado and Buddy Battle
Capcom clearly felt they needed to justify the $40 price tag at launch, so they threw in some... experimental modes.
"Way of the Hado" is a first-person motion-control mode where you use the Joy-Cons to throw fireballs at Shadaloo grunts. It’s janky. It’s basically a tech demo that belongs in 2006 on the Wii. You’ll play it once, realize your Hadoken gesture only registers 60% of the time, and never touch it again.
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But then there's Buddy Battle.
This is genuinely cool. It’s a 2-on-1 mode where you and a friend can take on a CPU opponent simultaneously. It’s chaotic. It’s unbalanced. It’s a blast. It harkens back to the secret dramatic battle in Street Fighter Alpha, and it’s arguably the best reason to own this specific version of the game if you have friends over.
Is the Online Play Actually Functional?
Here is the kicker. Ultra Street Fighter II uses a different netcode implementation than the 30th Anniversary Collection.
In my experience, and the experience of many in the FGC (Fighting Game Community), the online play in Ultra is surprisingly stable for a delay-based system. It’s not rollback—don't get your hopes up—but because the game is less demanding than something like Street Fighter 6, it holds up well over a decent Wi-Fi or wired connection.
The ranking system is simple. You win, you get points. You lose, you lose points. It’s the Wild West out there, though. You will run into Ryu players who have done nothing but throw fireballs for thirty years. They are masters of the "zoning" game, and they will frustrate you.
Why the Competitive Scene Is Torn
If you go to a major tournament like EVO, you’re going to see Super Street Fighter II Turbo (ST) on the main stage, not Ultra Street Fighter II.
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Why?
- The Roster: Evil Ryu and Violent Ken are considered "broken" by many top-tier players. They mess with the delicate balance that ST took decades to refine.
- The Tech Throws: As mentioned, being able to tech throws changes the "tick throw" meta entirely.
- The Speed: Ultra feels slightly slower than the "Turbo" setting most people use for ST.
However, for a casual or semi-competitive player, Ultra is much more accessible. The inputs are slightly more forgiving. Performing a 360-degree motion for Zangief’s Spinning Piledriver feels less like you’re trying to break your thumb and more like a deliberate game mechanic.
The Art Book: A Hidden Gem
If you buy the physical version or look through the menus, you’ll find a massive digital art book. It contains over 250 pages of high-resolution scans from the out-of-print SF20: The Art of Street Fighter.
For a Capcom nerd, this is worth the price of admission alone. Seeing the original concept sketches for characters like Blanka and Dhalsim is a trip. It reminds you that these icons weren't just "cool designs"—they were the result of a very specific era of Japanese arcade culture where every character had to be a silhouette that stood out in a smoky, crowded room.
Fact-Checking the "Ultimate" Claim
Is this the "Final" challengers? Probably not. Capcom loves a re-release. But as of now, this is the most feature-complete version of the Street Fighter II engine.
- It has the full roster of 19 characters (including Akuma).
- It features a Color Editor, allowing you to make Ken wear neon pink or give Chun-Li a gothic makeover.
- It includes the rearranged BGM from the 3DO and FM Towns versions, which some people (me included) think is the superior way to hear the soundtrack.
How to Get Better at Ultra Street Fighter II
If you’re picking this up today, don't just mash buttons. This game is about space. It’s about "footsies."
- Learn your ranges. Know exactly how far Ryu’s standing heavy kick reaches.
- Don't jump. In modern games, jumping is common. In SFII, jumping is a death sentence if your opponent knows how to anti-air.
- Use the Color Editor to hide. Seriously, some players make their characters dark colors to blend into certain stages. It’s a cheap tactic, but hey, it’s a competitive advantage.
- Master the Tech Throw. Practice the timing of pressing the throw command exactly when your opponent grabs you. It will save your life.
Ultra Street Fighter II isn't a perfect game. It’s a weird mashup of 90s nostalgia and 2010s design sensibilities. It’s got a motion-control mode that nobody asked for and a 2-on-1 mode that everyone should try at least once.
It exists in this strange vacuum—too different for the hardcore purists, but too "old school" for the younger crowd raised on Drive Gauges and V-Triggers. But if you want a version of the most famous fighting game of all time that looks sharp on a modern screen and lets you play as a teleporting Ken, this is the one.
Actionable Steps for New Players
- Check your controller: The Switch Pro Controller’s D-pad is notoriously bad for fighting games. Consider an 8BitDo controller or a dedicated arcade stick if you plan on playing seriously.
- Switch to "Classic" Audio: The New audio is okay, but the Classic FM-synth tracks are legendary for a reason. They have more "bite."
- Find a Buddy: Head straight into Buddy Battle mode. It’s the most unique part of this package and the best way to introduce a non-fighting game fan to the mechanics without them getting frustrated by losing to you constantly.
- Study the Frame Data: While the game doesn't show it to you in-game, most of the frame data from Super Turbo applies here. Look up move properties on community wikis to understand which moves are "safe" and which will get you punished.