Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers Switch Review
Summary: Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers is a fun yet dated game on the Nintendo Switch...
3.5
Fun yet dated!
The Street Fighter series is a staple in the diet of many gamers from around the world, especially those who love fighters and one of the classics has arrived on the Nintendo Switch with Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers which keeps the classic gameplay but updates it for this console. At its core, Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers is almost a carbon copy of the original with the inclusion of some new modes and of course the ability to use the Joy Cons which opens up the title for some multiplayer fun on the go. There’s also a host of classic characters from the series, including the new additions of Evil Ryu and Violent Ken! Unfortunately Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers on the Nintendo Switch feels dated and after finishing the amazing Injustice II on the PlayStation, it really compounded this feeling and I REALLY wanted to love this game.
This is not to say that Ultra Street Fighter II is a bad game on the Nintendo Switch but the gameplay feels a little limited in the grand scheme of things because it doesn’t deliver much new. It’s still a classic and fun game but where this fighter shines on the Nintendo Switch is through its multiplayer component which allows the game to be played in a variety of different ways, both locally and online. For me it was the ease of playing the game locally with two players via the Joy Cons. Sure, it’s not as accurate as a pro controller but it was fun nonetheless. With that said, there are two control systems that include Lite and Pro. Lite allows the player to pull off special movies and combos by using the touch screen or just a single button, while Pro is pure hardcore.
For gaming modes, this title features Arcade, Buddy Battle, Versus, Online, Training and Way of the Hado. There’s also a gallery of art and illustrations from the entire gaming series, a colour editor that allows you to tweak the colour of the costumes, player data for your statistics and even an online game manual. For those wanting something more serious, the online component does offer ranked matches with a decent system of finding opponents to fight. Although we had an embargo on this game, I still managed to find players from around the world to fight and for the majority, it was a lag free experience. However I found that a pro controller was needed while playing online as it gave you much more accuracy on controlling your characters and more importantly, performing those special moves.
For new comers the training mode really teaches you the ins and outs of this game with some great statistics to help fine-tune your fighting prowess. One of the new modes in the game is Way of the Hado which literally puts you in the shoes of Ryu in this first-person mini-game as you use the motion controls of the Switch to perform a variety of cool moves in the real world, including the dragon punch, hurricane kick and his super fireball combo, the Shinku Hadoken. Another new mode was Buddy Battle that allows you to team up with a friend or AI controlled character as you attempt to outfight your enemy which does require some strategy in order to fine-tune your team-work. It’s definitely an interesting take on multiplayer.
Graphics/Audio
Graphically, Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers is screaming retro from its intended simple animations to flawless rendition of 2D graphics. It definitely pays homage to the original game from its stylised graphics and ‘special effects’ which was a walk down memory lane for me. However one cool feature of the game is the ability to select between pixel-art graphics for that classic-retro look or a revamped modern interpretation which does look quite good. To complement this, the sound effects and musical score is also pure olds chool that does lend itself well to this Nintendo Switch version. All in all, Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers is a classic looking and sounding game with a few twists here and there.
Final Thoughts?
In the end, I was a little underwhelmed with Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers on the Nintendo Switch and given the technological advancements in fighters since this game was released, it did feel like it was stuck back in the day. Sure there are some new modes and new control systems for the Nintendo Switch but it just felt dated at times. Overall, this game is definitely one for the purists and although not a bad game per se, it doesn’t offer anything new either which is a shame. However, if you’re looking for that classic fighting experience, then Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers delivers in that area!
Game Details
Primary Format – Games – Nintendo Switch
Game Genre – Fighting
Rating – M
Consumer Advice – Violence, online interactivity
Game Developer – Capcom
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