Best version of Street Fighter 2?

joe8

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Does anyone agree that the arcade Champion Edition of Street Fighter 2 was the best SF2 game ever made?
CE had the features that everyone wanted, like playing as the bosses, character vs same character, and faster game speed (it was faster than World Warrior- hence the "Dash" name, but didn't have too much speed, like in Turbo). The arcade CE was the only game where Capcom actually gave the fans what they wanted.

CE also had bosses that were still powerful compared to how they were in WW. In the arcade SF2 Turbo the bosses (specifically Balrog (boxer) and M. Bison (dictator)) were toned down a lot. So, in Turbo the attraction of playing as the bosses was no longer there as much. CE had new/re-drawn graphics from WW, whereas Turbo was really just a ROM update of CE, released by Capcom because bootlegs like CE Rainbow Edition were making a lot of money.

Also, in Turbo the re-dizzy combos were removed. But the SF2 games were never going to have much gameplay balance anyway, as long as Ryu & Ken had invincible dragon punches. The home versions of CE weren't as good as the arcade game, as gameplay-wise they were based on SF2 Turbo (except, to some extent, the PC Engine version of CE), in that the bosses were weakened, and again, no re-dizzies.
 
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HDRchampion

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Hyper Fighting is the best...Champion Edition is just too slow.
 

oliverclaude

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Hyper Fighting is the best...Champion Edition is just too slow.

I'm in. Still vividly remembering how the speed blew me away the first time I played it. I thought the game was broken. After a while I couldn't go back, it felt like slow motion. The ordinary reaction, guess.
 

F4U57

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I'm in. Still vividly remembering how the speed blew me away the first time I played it. I thought the game was broken. After a while I couldn't go back, it felt like slow motion. The ordinary reaction, guess.

I love Hyper Fighting and agree that it’s hard to go back, that said, I love The World Warrior because it was the last Street Fighter game I would come across in the wild when arcades were still a thing. Even now, with Barcades popping up here and there, in the back there hiding, there’s The World Warrior. The OG and deservedly, the best.
 

joe8

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I love Hyper Fighting and agree that it’s hard to go back, that said, I love The World Warrior because it was the last Street Fighter game I would come across in the wild when arcades were still a thing. Even now, with Barcades popping up here and there, in the back there hiding, there’s The World Warrior. The OG and deservedly, the best.
The World Warrior had bosses that weren't easy to beat (as they were in later versions of SF2). And Guile wasn't weakened yet, so he was more fun to play as. So, I guess all the versions of SF2 had their advantages and disadvantages.
 

Dr Shroom

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Atari ST

actually HF is pretty good, it's also the only version where I can play Zangief somewhat properly.
 
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roker

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I think Turbo is my favorite, but these days I play a ton of the PC Engine version of CE. I dunno, I just enjoy the gamplay and the cool sprites.

I disagree with you on one key point though:

The arcade CE was the only game where Capcom actually gave the fans what they wanted.

You should read the story on how Turbo came to be:

https://www.polygon.com/a/street-fighter-2-oral-history/chapter-4

The feedback from people along with the shitty rainbow version made that game happen.
 
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100proof

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It's Super Turbo unless you're not counting the CPS2 versions. Then it's Hyper Fighting. You can never go back to the slow ones. Plus the balance on those original ones are baaaaad.
 

bulbousbeard

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The balance in all of them is bad. Actually, the balance in basically every competitive game ever made is bad other than maybe Starcraft BW.

Champion Edition is the best one. It was never meant to be faster. The CPS2 ones are trash with neutered audio samples and art drift that doesn't match the original sprites at all. The CPS2 ones weren't even made by the original team.

You should read the story on how Turbo came to be:

https://www.polygon.com/a/street-fighter-2-oral-history/chapter-4

The feedback from people along with the shitty rainbow version made that game happen.

Turbo and the CPS2 games were heavily influenced by Capcom USA (explaining much of their crapulence). The original designer of SF2 never liked the faster speed and washed his hands of the games with turbo.

And he was right. Fighting games moving too fast is partially what transformed them from a mainstream genre that basically everyone loved and could play into the current e-sports gaylord shit fest we're living through right now.

See, the real genius of SF2 was that it made "special" moves normal and easy to do. It normalized everything so moves were just moves. The idiots who made the CPS2 games tossed the entire design philosophy out the window with their stupid ass super move and attempts to bring harder to do "special" moves back in. SSF2 and SSF2T are basically the anti-SF2. They're pieces of shit.
 
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fake

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The balance in all of them is bad. Actually, the balance in basically every competitive game ever made is bad other than maybe Starcraft BW.

Champion Edition is the best one. It was never meant to be faster. The CPS2 ones are trash with neutered audio samples and art drift that doesn't match the original sprites at all. The CPS2 ones weren't even made by the original team.



Turbo and the CPS2 games were heavily influenced by Capcom USA (explaining much of their crapulence). The original designer of SF2 never liked the faster speed and washed his hands of the games with turbo.

And he was right. Fighting games moving too fast is partially what transformed them from a mainstream genre that basically everyone loved and could play into the current e-sports gaylord shit fest we're living through right now.

See, the real genius of SF2 was that it made "special" moves normal and easy to do. It normalized everything so moves were just moves. The idiots who made the CPS2 games tossed the entire design philosophy out the window with their stupid ass super move and attempts to bring harder to do "special" moves back in. SSF2 and SSF2T are basically the anti-SF2. They're pieces of shit.

Wow, never seen anyone triggered by the phrase "super turbo" before...
 

joe8

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The balance in all of them is bad. Actually, the balance in basically every competitive game ever made is bad other than maybe Starcraft BW.

Champion Edition is the best one. It was never meant to be faster. The CPS2 ones are trash with neutered audio samples and art drift that doesn't match the original sprites at all. The CPS2 ones weren't even made by the original team.



Turbo and the CPS2 games were heavily influenced by Capcom USA (explaining much of their crapulence). The original designer of SF2 never liked the faster speed and washed his hands of the games with turbo.

And he was right. Fighting games moving too fast is partially what transformed them from a mainstream genre that basically everyone loved and could play into the current e-sports gaylord shit fest we're living through right now.

See, the real genius of SF2 was that it made "special" moves normal and easy to do. It normalized everything so moves were just moves. The idiots who made the CPS2 games tossed the entire design philosophy out the window with their stupid ass super move and attempts to bring harder to do "special" moves back in. SSF2 and SSF2T are basically the anti-SF2. They're pieces of shit.
I think the super moves worked in the Alpha games, as the alpha games were more complicated in terms of aerial blocks, the number of moves for each character, and the three-part super bar. But in SSF2T you only have one super move, and it was difficult to perform. The SF2 games were supposed to be simpler gameplay, which doesn't really suit that feature. I prefer the Alpha and SFIII games to the SF2 games, as they are more balanced, and the fireballs and dragon punches don't dominate so much.
I think the best solution for the speed is to have it being selectable, like in the Alpha games. The speed in CE is about right, IMO.

A lot people think SSF2T was the best, but Guile was toned down from SSF2, and Zangief's pile driver could miss when you used it in SSF2T (or SSF2), which was annoying. Perhaps they thought the pile driver was too powerful. Personally, I think it might be that Zangief is the most powerful character in the first three SF2 games (when controlled by an expert, using a joystick), as his pile driver can grab people from a distance, and he has low jumps and good moves for close-quarter combat.
 
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neojedi

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Not sure where the CE love is coming from... that was back before the Psycho Crusher nerf and M. Bison was a cheeseball in that game. It's Super Turbo all the way for me.
 

LoneSage

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Not sure where the CE love is coming from... that was back before the Psycho Crusher nerf and M. Bison was a cheeseball in that game. It's Super Turbo all the way for me.

Fags like me who are shit at fighting games but have nostalgic soft spot for the most popular SFII.
 

joe8

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Not sure where the CE love is coming from... that was back before the Psycho Crusher nerf and M. Bison was a cheeseball in that game. It's Super Turbo all the way for me.
Bison was cheesy in arcade CE.. re-dizzy combos, could pin opponents in the corner using the scissor kick and other kicks, the psycho could hit up to six times (if blocked) in some versions of the arcade CE. But, whether he was the most powerful character in the game was debatable, as there was still Ryu and Ken with their invincible dragons, and Guile, who was still powerful after being weakened from WW.

In Turbo, they changed the psycho crusher to only hit up to 4 times (that's what it was in every every version of the game from arcade Turbo, even the home versions of CE), also, they included a split-second pause into the scissor kick, so you couldn't use it as effectively in combos, and of course removed all of Bison's re-dizzy combos, as they did for all other characters too.

Vega was the weakest character in the game from CE onwards, and Balrog had the power of his punches toned down in Turbo. So, basically, in all versions of SF2 after the arcade CE, all of the bosses except Sagat are so weakened as to be useless, if you're playing against a fireball/dragon punch (Ryu/Ken/Guile) player who knows what they're doing.
 
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HDRchampion

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Bison was cheesy in arcade CE.. re-dizzy combos, could pin opponents in the corner using the scissor kick and other kicks, the psycho could hit up to six times (if blocked) in some versions of the CE ROM. But, whether he was the most powerful character in the game was debatable, as there was still Ryu and Ken with their invincible dragons, and Guile, who was still powerful after being weakened from WW.

In Turbo, they changed the psycho crusher to only hit up to 4 times (that's what it was in every every version of the game from arcade Turbo, even the home versions of CE), also, they included a split-second pause into the scissor kick, so you couldn't use it as effectively in combos, and of course removed all of Bison's re-dizzy combos, as they did for all other characters too.

Vega was the weakest character in the game from CE onwards, and Balrog had the power of his punches toned down in Turbo. So, basically, in all versions of SF2 after the arcade CE, all of the bosses except Sagat are so weakened as to be useless, if you're playing against a fireball/dragon punch (Ryu/Ken/Guile) player who knows what they're doing.

Bison/Dictator - sucked in Hyper Fighting but was mid tier in ST

Vega/Claw - sucked in Hyper Fighting but tops in ST

Sagat - Top tier in Hyper Fighting & Tops in ST

Balrog/Boxer - Mid in Hyper Fighting & Tops in ST
 

LoneSage

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I want to see hdrchamp vs grave

And then whoever wins would face the Grandmaster, SonGohan
 

100proof

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Vega was the weakest character in the game from CE onwards, and Balrog had the power of his punches toned down in Turbo. So, basically, in all versions of SF2 after the arcade CE, all of the bosses except Sagat are so weakened as to be useless, if you're playing against a fireball/dragon punch (Ryu/Ken/Guile) player who knows what they're doing.

You have no idea what you're talking about.
 
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