An HD remake of Street Fighter II is making its way to Nintendo Switch with the upcoming release of Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers. Although a release date has not yet been announced, Capcom has unveiled the game as part of the series’ year-long 30th anniversary celebration.
Ultra Street Fighter II has been remade for the Nintendo Switch with brand new art and graphics to accommodate both modern televisions and the Switch’s handheld screen. Those who would prefer to relive their childhood with the classic 16-bit version of the game can also do so, since a classic mode is included; it gives players the option to play the original version in its original 4:3 aspect ratio. During the Nintendo Treehouse presentation, both versions are described as handling “like Super Street Fighter II Turbo” from back in the day.
Capcom has confirmed more changes will be coming to Ultra Street Fighter II in the form of new multiplayer game modes and single-player modes, with additional details on the specifics of those modes forthcoming. For now, it is known that the game supports the Switch’s TV, Tabletop, and Handheld modes. Plus, “utilizing the system’s unique Joy-Con controllers, players can challenge each other in Arcade Mode, or team-up to both fight against the CPU at the same time.” Giving players the option to play either competitively and cooperatively could fit in nicely with the Switch’s emphasis on creating social gameplay experiences depending on how Capcom implements these features in the final game.
There are also some new challengers in Ultra Street Fighter II. As noted by Capcom on their blog, Evil Ryu and Violent Ken are the first characters added to the Street Fighter II roster since Akuma entered the fray in Super Street Fighter II. What happened to turn Ken and Ryu into these angry-looking alter-egos? In Ken’s case, M. Bison has something to do with it.
“Violent Ken is the result of M. Bison kidnapping and brainwashing Ken, enhancing his abilities with Psycho Power and twisting his brotherly rivalry with Ryu into hatred. Violent Ken is more ruthless, aggressive, and fearless with moves that feature purple flames instead of his signature fire.”
In Evil Ryu’s case, the transformation is a bit more self-indulgent and follows the scenario of Ryu choosing to embrace the path of darkness.
“This version of Ryu has succumbed to the Satsui no Hado and is now obsessed with fighting in order to prove he is the strongest. His former honorable self has been purged, allowing him to enjoy absolute power and embrace an unquenchable bloodthirst for battle.”
Series fans will recognize Evil Ryu, who made his debut in Street Fighter Alpha 2. Meanwhile, Violent Ken first came on to the scene in the SNK vs. Capcom series. How players will get to unlock these two characters on the Nintendo Switch, or if they’ll be part of the roster from the start, has not yet been detailed.
Street Fighter series executive producer Yoshinori Ono followed up the fanfare of the Ultra Street Fighter II announcement with a special presentation held in New York City. Those in attendance took in a hands-on demo of the game on the new console in addition to a meet-and-greet opportunity with Mr. Ono. As the Street Fighter series is celebrating its 30th anniversary throughout 2017, the release of Ultra Street Fighter II on the Nintendo Switch is just one part of the celebration with more surprises still to be revealed.
