Street Fighter II - Super Nintendo - SNES

Street Fighter II for Super Nintendo SNES

Street Fighter II for Super Nintendo SNES brings one-on-one fighting to your own screen. You choose from eight fighters, including Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile and Blanka. Each has a distinct reach, pace and special attacks. You try to empty your opponent's life bar by combining punches, kicks and throws. A fight consists of short rounds in which you constantly decide whether to keep your distance, apply pressure or wait for an attack.

The six action buttons divide punches and kicks into three strengths. A light jab comes out quickly, while a heavy attack does more damage but takes longer. Directional movements combined with an attack button perform techniques such as Ryu's fireballs or Guile's Sonic Boom. Holding back blocks high attacks; defending low requires a diagonal input. Constant jumping simply gives an attentive opponent time to prepare a counterattack.

Playing alone, you face the other fighters and then the four bosses. Those bosses are not normally selectable characters in this original World Warrior release. With two controllers, you can play locally against a second player in V.S. Battle. The settings let you change difficulty, the time limit and button assignments, among other things. There is no saved campaign or password to resume halfway through later: each new session begins again with choosing your fighter.

Region and language

Our Super Nintendo SNES games are PAL editions, unless stated otherwise. This product contains a loose cartridge for the European market. A box is only included if explicitly stated in the product details. We note any different region in the product details. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.

Manual

With Street Fighter II for Super Nintendo SNES, you receive a loose cartridge. A box and manual are not included unless we explicitly state otherwise in the product details. This is the standard way we supply this copy.

The history of Street Fighter II

Capcom brought Street Fighter II to arcades in 1991 and converted it to Super Nintendo in 1992. The Japanese console release arrived in June, followed by other markets. The arcade game had built its fighting around characters with markedly different techniques. A wrestler needed to get close, a projectile fighter could control space and a fast opponent could move between those distances. The SNES adaptation brought that struggle for position into the living room.

The Super Nintendo controller offered four face buttons and two shoulder buttons. Capcom used them for the arcade game's three punches and three kicks. This preserved the choice between quick, light attacks and slower, heavy hits. Individual backgrounds, music and special moves helped make each fighter instantly recognisable. Alongside progressing through the tournament, a second player could join, turning the same game into a direct contest between two people.

This cartridge belongs to the first SNES version, usually called The World Warrior. Street Fighter II Turbo and Super Street Fighter II were released separately later, with different features and more selectable fighters. The original eight fighters and four computer bosses form the foundation here. Capcom describes the game as a major console success in its own company history. The series subsequently grew with new characters and systems, but this release preserves the earliest SNES design without later Super Combos.

Similar games for Super Nintendo SNES

Street Fighter II Turbo on SNES builds directly on the same fighters, arenas and six-button controls. Among other additions, the four former computer bosses become playable, and you can fight at a higher speed. The original Street Fighter II sticks to eight choices and the slower basic pace. Distance, blocking and timing remain important in both, but Turbo gives you more characters to learn and speeds up the exchange of attacks.

Super Street Fighter II for SNES adds Cammy, Dee Jay, Fei Long and T. Hawk to the already expanded roster. The familiar punches, kicks and directional commands remain, alongside refreshed presentation and extra contest formats. Street Fighter II starts with the original eight fighters and a simpler tournament structure. Both teach you the reach of each attack; Super also asks you to account for more combinations of opponents.

Mortal Kombat II on SNES also pits two fighters with distinct special techniques against each other. It uses digitised actors, a separate block button and violent finishing moves. Street Fighter II shows drawn characters and lets you defend by holding away from your opponent. Both reward anticipating a jump or projectile, but defending and entering special attacks require a different habit on the controller.

Killer Instinct for SNES combines one-on-one fights with long attack chains and the ability to interrupt them with a Combo Breaker. Its pre-rendered figures give it a different appearance from Capcom's drawn fighters. Street Fighter II works with shorter exchanges of punches, kicks and special moves. One bad judgement can hurt badly in either game; Killer Instinct then places more emphasis on extending or breaking a combination.

Super Punch-Out!! on SNES also revolves around timing, reading an opponent and striking when their defence opens. You view the boxer from behind and learn the set movements and signals of computer opponents. Street Fighter II shows both fighters side-on and offers a direct duel between two players. Recognising patterns helps in both, but a human Street Fighter opponent can deliberately change their approach during the same round.