i would say that this is definitely an improvement over any of the SFII games, but there's some lost potential here. i want to like this a bit more than i actually do, and i expect that will be amended in the sequels to this game.
to start off with the good, this game is gorgeous. i wouldn't say SFII was an ugly game by any means, but it was rough in some respects. here, all the animations feel very fluid and vibrant, and it's difficult to imagine that this ran on the same hardware as SFII did. it feels like it's a completely different console (well, to be fair and nitpicky, this game didn't see the SNES, but alpha 2 did) and was one of the most striking things about the game for me.
in terms of the feel, i really enjoy how satisfying on a visceral level it is to fight in this game. the hits have a much meatier sound to them and make a more significant impact to me when i get one. i also have this really strange fondness for the sound that a blocked hit makes. it's just neat, never get tired of hearing it. supers are also handled better here. SSFIIT established them but they were typically a rare sight considering how long they took to build up and that they felt like they were too valuable to use. in this game, you can use multiple supers per match and at varying levels, so you get more self-expression and options in what you want to while fighting. it's a simple yet elegant way to deepen the combat, and it's something i think a lot of us take for granted now. this was a great design choice.
the characters themselves are cool too, with more variety in inputs than i was expecting from a nearly 30 year old fighter (oh god we're all getting so old oh christ). the presentation of this game is crisp and a huge step up for the SF series overall. i'm a little eh on the soundfont used here, but there are still some great tracks in the OST (rose's theme is just perfect mid 90s nostalgia for me).
unfortunately, since we're talking about the characters, there's a huge downsizing in the roster. well, maybe huge is an overstatement, considering you're going from 17 to 13, but with more than half of the 13 being characters from the previous game, it is a bit of a letdown for me. it doesn't help that 3 of those characters aren't even selectable without putting in a code, so you're really just looking at 10 without using a guide. i like the new characters that we get, but i'm left wanting more.
my other major complaint is bison. good christ, bison in this game is ridiculous. i'm not exaggerating when i say that this iteration of bison is the single worst and hardest boss in any fighting game i've played. i know worse exist in games i haven't played, but still, this is excessive. his AI is far too aggressive and he has too many options (he has: one of the best projectiles in the game (if not the best), supers that do an obscene amount of damage, a teleport, great air mobility, and his AI never needs to charge to pull off any of his charge moves (this was an issue in previous SF games but it's glaring here)). i cannot imagine how long it would've taken me to beat this fucker had i not been using save states, no less with the half of the cast that has him as a final boss. i know he's not even like a high tier character like ken, but i still struggled greatly against him and can't help but wonder if it's just me or if he needed a nerf. either way, it ruined a lot of my enjoyment of the game.
i do like this game and it's probably where the series has finally started to approach "oh man i'm actually having a great time" for me, and i'm excited to play the sequels to see how they build on this foundation. that said, i don't think there's much of a reason for me to revisit this one when it's just going to leave me wishing i had gotten a bit more on my plate.
to start off with the good, this game is gorgeous. i wouldn't say SFII was an ugly game by any means, but it was rough in some respects. here, all the animations feel very fluid and vibrant, and it's difficult to imagine that this ran on the same hardware as SFII did. it feels like it's a completely different console (well, to be fair and nitpicky, this game didn't see the SNES, but alpha 2 did) and was one of the most striking things about the game for me.
in terms of the feel, i really enjoy how satisfying on a visceral level it is to fight in this game. the hits have a much meatier sound to them and make a more significant impact to me when i get one. i also have this really strange fondness for the sound that a blocked hit makes. it's just neat, never get tired of hearing it. supers are also handled better here. SSFIIT established them but they were typically a rare sight considering how long they took to build up and that they felt like they were too valuable to use. in this game, you can use multiple supers per match and at varying levels, so you get more self-expression and options in what you want to while fighting. it's a simple yet elegant way to deepen the combat, and it's something i think a lot of us take for granted now. this was a great design choice.
the characters themselves are cool too, with more variety in inputs than i was expecting from a nearly 30 year old fighter (oh god we're all getting so old oh christ). the presentation of this game is crisp and a huge step up for the SF series overall. i'm a little eh on the soundfont used here, but there are still some great tracks in the OST (rose's theme is just perfect mid 90s nostalgia for me).
unfortunately, since we're talking about the characters, there's a huge downsizing in the roster. well, maybe huge is an overstatement, considering you're going from 17 to 13, but with more than half of the 13 being characters from the previous game, it is a bit of a letdown for me. it doesn't help that 3 of those characters aren't even selectable without putting in a code, so you're really just looking at 10 without using a guide. i like the new characters that we get, but i'm left wanting more.
my other major complaint is bison. good christ, bison in this game is ridiculous. i'm not exaggerating when i say that this iteration of bison is the single worst and hardest boss in any fighting game i've played. i know worse exist in games i haven't played, but still, this is excessive. his AI is far too aggressive and he has too many options (he has: one of the best projectiles in the game (if not the best), supers that do an obscene amount of damage, a teleport, great air mobility, and his AI never needs to charge to pull off any of his charge moves (this was an issue in previous SF games but it's glaring here)). i cannot imagine how long it would've taken me to beat this fucker had i not been using save states, no less with the half of the cast that has him as a final boss. i know he's not even like a high tier character like ken, but i still struggled greatly against him and can't help but wonder if it's just me or if he needed a nerf. either way, it ruined a lot of my enjoyment of the game.
i do like this game and it's probably where the series has finally started to approach "oh man i'm actually having a great time" for me, and i'm excited to play the sequels to see how they build on this foundation. that said, i don't think there's much of a reason for me to revisit this one when it's just going to leave me wishing i had gotten a bit more on my plate.