Street Fighter II (Retrospective)

Capcom's Street Fighter II was first released in the arcades in 1991. Since then, Street Fighter 2 branched off four updated versions in the 90's. Also, a 15th anniversary edition was released in 2004 collaborating all five games in one. In 2006, Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting was released for Xbox 360 (XBLA) given the classic access to Xbox Live for online multiplayer. Lastly, an HD Remix of Super Street Fighter II Turbo was released in 2008.

Read on, as we go through each SF2 game in the series noting the many overlooked differences of each release and seeing which one has left the greatest impact today!

Street Fighter II The World Warrior (1991)

• Pioneer of the Street Fighter II series
• 8 unique playable characters + 4 computer-only bosses

In Retrospect: the game is considerably slow when compared to the updated versions i.e. Street Fighter II' Turbo Hyper Fighting

Street Fighter II' Champion Edition (1992)

• 12 playable characters, 4 bosses now playable
• Refined character balance
• Mirror matches

In Retrospect: being able to play as the four previous bosses was a major difference at its release, especially after being such a success without this feature

Street Fighter II' Turbo Hyper Fighting (1993)

• 12 playable characters
• Increased game speed
• New special moves
• New color palettes

In Retrospect: Hyper is regarded as the best in the Street Fighter II series, the character re balancing still holds up today and the speed boost sets it apart from its previous versions. There's a reason why Microsoft for the Xbox 360.

Buy Street Fighter II' HF at Xbox Live Marketplace

Super Street Fighter II - The New Challengers (1993)

• 16 playable characters
• Better Graphics (slightly) 
• Tournament mode
• Noticeable difference in voice/music audio
• Character balancing
• Equal speed to Street Fighter II' Champion Edition

In Retrospect: new characters were a plus but the rebalancing of the charcters took away from the game this time around

Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994)

• Akuma (Gouki) debut as boss & playable character
• 17 playable characters
• Increased game speed to Street Fighter II' Turbo Hyper Fighting
• Introduction of Super Combos
• Air Combos

In Retrospect: the speed is a welcoming to the series but its HD Remix is a better substitute

Hyper Street Fighter II The Anniversary Edition (2004)

• Select from all playable incarnations of all five Street Fighter II games
• 65 playable characters
• Choose game play speeds
• Includes the Street Fighter II Animated Movie

In Retrospect: adds great depth to change characters from different versions

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (2008)

• Online Play via XBLA/PlayStation Network
• Redrawn sprites in High Defenition
• Includes all of the Super Street Fighter II series (3 games in 1)
• Choose between old and HD graphics (stage remains HD)
• Drastic re balancing for tournament play
• Easier command inputs
• Selectable game play speeds
• Music remixed + original

In Retrospect: SSF2T HD Remix is one of the best Street Fighter II games due to its re balance and new command inputs. The game includes both Super Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and of course its HD revision.

Buy Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix at Xbox Live Marketplace
Buy Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix at PlayStation Store

In opinion, Street Fighter II' Turbo Hyper Fighting & SSF2T HD Remix are the best of the bunch. They're also the most accessible today. Both can be played online via XBLA and PSN.