Street Fighter 2, the premier retro fighting game, has arrived on what’s arguably the premier retro game subscription service, Nintendo Switch Online — but, oddly, not in any of its Super Nintendo incarnations.
Despite its close association with the Nintendo console over multiple releases, including the iconic Street Fighter 2 Turbo, the classic Capcom fighter has been added to Switch Online’s Sega Genesis collection in its Genesis version, Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition.
This version is a decent choice: it includes both the Champion Edition and Turbo: Hyper Fighting rulesets, making it relatively comprehensive as home console versions go within the incredibly convoluted Street Fighter 2 release history. (Seriously, there have been so many versions of this game.) Special Champion Edition was the first incarnation of Street Fighter 2 to be released on a Sega system.
Would it be cynical to suggest that Nintendo opted for a Genesis rather than a SNES version of Street Fighter 2 so it could put it in the additional, more expensive Expansion Pack subscription tier of Nintendo Switch Online? Maybe.
Joining Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition in the latest, all-Genesis Nintendo Switch Online update are a trio of platform action games. Expansion Pack subscribers get access to the cultish nostalgia objects Flicky and Kid Chameleon, as well as the lesser-known Pulseman.