Street Fighter 6 isn't far away now, and potential combatants around the world are trying out the demo available on all the game's platforms. After a period of controversy concerning Street Fighter 5’s rough launch, Capcom is poised to reclaim the fighting game throne with its most expansive Street Fighter title to date. With a new style of story mode backed by loads of player customization, Street Fighter 6 should be able to attract new fans while pleasing existing ones.
It's a little unfortunate that this major entry in the Street Fighter franchise won't come to the Nintendo Switch, but there are good reasons. Rollback netcode can be intensive, and Street Fighter 6 already sports cutting-edge graphics. There can't be any performance compromises in a fighting game, so Nintendo's portable platform will have to sit this entry out for now. However, it hasn't missed out on Street Fighter's festivities in the lead-up. Thanks to a new addition to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, Switch owners still have a way to get ready for Street Fighter 6.
Nintendo Switch Online’s Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition is a Great Port
An April 18 update to NSO’s Expansion Pack brought four Sega Genesis titles. Kid Chameleon and Flicky may elicit some recognition in old Genesis owners, while Pulseman is a Genesis title by Pokemon creator Game Freak. However, the final title in the set, Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition, was a head-turner given it is technically two games in one.
Special Champion Edition is based on Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition, but with some extra features. Like the regular Champion Edition, this works as the first major title update for Street Fighter 2, which means various balance changes, but also playable versions of the Shadaloo bosses: Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison, as well as mirror matches. It was superior to the original World Warrior release in every way, and a six-button Genesis controller was even created specifically for the Special Champion Edition.
There’s More to Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition Than Meets The Eye
There was one more version of Street Fighter 2 before it made the iconic jump to Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers. Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting released for arcades in December 1992, and came to SNES in July 1993. Champion Edition was originally meant to arrive on Sega Genesis sometime around July as well, but upon the Turbo announcement for the SNES, Sega ordered Special Champion Edition to be delayed to September so that all of Turbo's content could be included alongside Champion Edition.
For those looking to experience Street Fighter 2 before it became Super Street Fighter 2, this may be the ultimate package. Both of these titles will probably feature in Street Fighter 6’s Battle Hub arcade, so it's worth trying them now - especially with the Nintendo Switch Online's multiplayer features. There's even a Group Battle mode exclusive to Special Champion Edition, in which teams of up to six characters fight using Match Play or Elimination rules. Street Fighter 6 will include a similar mode, making its own package deal even more promising. Before 6 becomes the dominant Street Fighter of this generation, going back to experience something like Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition might demonstrate how far the franchise has come.
Street Fighter 6 will be released on June 2 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
