SNES vs Genesis: Street Fighter II Versions

Game: Street Fighter II                                                   Game: Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
Console: Super Nintendo Entertainment System              Console: Sega Mega Drive
Developer: Capcom                                                        Developer: Capcom
Release Date: January 1992                                           Release Date: January 1994

As a disclaimer before I start the review, I won't be taking into account any preference between the Mega Drive and SNES other than anything directly featured in either version of the game. Also as a console comparison, this is somewhat unfair on the SNES since I have the original version of Street Fighter II for it, and a slightly updated version for Mega Drive.

With that out of the way, Street Fighter II's many home versions were derived from their constantly updating arcade counterparts. As new machines came out in the arcades, so too did new home versions. There are 4 versions of the game in this console generation;

Street Fighter II (SNES and Mega Drive) - this is the version I am using on SNES
Street Fighter II Turbo - (SNES)
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition - (Mega Drive) - The version I am using on Mega Drive
Street Fighter II: The New Challengers - (SNES and Mega Drive)

(SNES version pictured)

The overall game in both versions is pretty similar, its a one on one fighting game where you progress through 11 stages (12 for Mega Drive) in single player mode, or battle another player in v.s. mode. There are 12 characters in game, all playable on the Mega Drive version, with only 8 playable on the SNES original version. It's hard to say how many characters is the ideal amount in a fighting game, a balance needs to be struck between learning movesets and having a clear choice of varied characters.

8 characters seems too few, especially considering that Ken and Ryu's movesets are the same; the 12 characters of the Mega Drive version make for a slightly more varied roster, especially considering that the players added are the 4 "masters" of the game. Between characters, there's a good amount of variation in moves and techniques, and special moves are present if a little hard to pull off.

(Mega Drive version pictured)

Graphically both games have inferior visuals to the arcade version as they had to be scaled down. Between the two games, I'd say the Mega Drive version looks slightly sharper with better animation, but the original SNES game looks artistically better. The animated backdrops in both games are a nice touch with spectators rooting on the fight on some levels. Also Ken and Ryu's movements and movesets were tweaked to differentiate for them on the Mega Drive version.

The music differs between the two versions, with the Champion Edition featuring a remixed soundtrack of the original game. The SNES version sounds a little tinny and not as grand as the remixed tracks, but that of the original game was markedly better on SNES. The music itself in both games is energetic and doesn't detract from the overall mood of the game. The Champion version also features an announcer who vocalises various options throughout the game.

(Champion Edition for Mega Drive on top, SFII for SNES on the bottom)

As a fighting game overall, no matter which version you get Street Fighter II plays nicely, with it's own style of doing things, control-wise. When you face the computer, it does fall into strategy loops sometimes and can be predictably frustrating on certain difficulty levels but as it lets you adjust how hard it is, that's not so much of a problem. With 8 or 12 playable characters depending on the version you pick up, it has enough characters to find a favourite but not an overwhelming amount. Its a classic fighter which takes some getting used to if you're used to modern games, but can be quite rewarding.

Version-wise the SNES can suffer from slower processing than the Champion Edition on Mega Drive, especially since the Champion Edition has "Hyper Mode" which features a faster fighting experience and processing (Turbo Mode on the Turbo Edition for SNES was much the same). The music is better on the Mega Drive, and the visuals are a matter of opinion. The real value in the Champion Edition is the addition of the 4 masters are playable characters, as their various movesets and specials improve the game experience.

Street Fighter II for SNES                                    Street Fighter II: Champion Edition for Mega Drive
Rating: 67/100                                                    Rating: 71/100
Grade: C                                                            Grade: C