Super Street Fighter II Turbo
    

    
REVIEW:  Super Street Fighter II Turbo is the final arcade update to Capcom's long-running and hugely successful Street Fighter II series. Commonly dubbed "Super Turbo" (for short) in competitive circles, this installment also released under the title of Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service on Dreamcast and arcades. Super Street Fighter II Turbo brought back everything that made the SF2 series so successful since its debut in 1991. New character colors, reworked stages, new moves for returning characters, and brand new gameplay mechanics such as Super Moves and Air Combos. While casuals might've overlooked the "minor" changes and improvements over the prequel (Super SF2), returning fans were treated to solid gameplay enhancements that would extend the competitive lifespan of Street Fighter for years to come.

    

Super Street Fighter II Turbo adds a Super Meter for the first time ever in the series, enabling characters to perform a powered-up Super Move when full. SSF2T also adds a handful of new moves & animations for returning characters — enabling new combo possibilities. Super Turbo features four gameplay speed settings. Super Turbo also hosts the debut of a new shoto character (and one who would become one of the most iconic Street Fighter characters of all time)... Akuma ("Gouki" in Japan). In the arcade version, players had to input a secret code on the character selection screen in order to play as Akuma. (The secret code for Akuma: On the character select screen, highlight Ryu, wait three seconds. Then highlight T. Hawk, Guile, Cammy and Ryu, waiting three seconds between each selection. Finally, highlight any character, press Start and all three Punch buttons simultaneously.)

 

 

Super Turbo's Super Meter allows fighters to unleash powerful super combos when the gauge is full. The Super Meter slowly increases as characters perform and connect with special moves and attacks. This single element alone adds quite a bit of replay value to the classic gameplay, as smart players can save and strategically use their ultra-powerful super move to turn the tide of battle. Even though the graphics look a bit aged compared to other fighters in 1994, Super Turbo still holds its own. Besides, SSF2 Turbo's gameplay is widely regarded as the best version of Street Fighter 2, and that's what matters most. 

 

 

In this final revision of the arcade smash hit, Capcom refined many things, including balancing the roster to make the game fun again. The new moves, new combos, character rebalancing, and fun addition of Super Moves / Super Meter redefined SF2's tried-and-true gameplay to keep players coming back for decades to come. The Super Meter would later evolve and become more interesting in the new anime-visuals-inspired Street Fighter Alpha series, which was the new direction Capcom moved in following Super SF2 Turbo closing out the SF2 series.

 

 
In 2008, an enhanced version of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, fourteen years after the game's original launch. Super Street Fighter II HD Remix introduces redrawn character sprites and backgrounds created by the talented folks at UDON comics, along with new BGMS for all stages and online netplay.
 

Page Updated: May 5th, 2025 Developer(s): Capcom Publisher(s): Capcom Designer(s): Noritaka Funamizu, Haruo Murata  Planners Artwork by: Bengus (CRMK), Akiman, Kinu Nishimura Platform(s): Arcade, 3DO, PC DOS, Amiga, PS2  (in SF: Anniversary Collection) Dreamcast   (  SSFII X for Matching Service: Grand Master Challenge) Gameboy Advance   (as Super SFII Turbo Revival) Release Date(s): February 23rd, 1994             Arcade Nov. 7th, 1994                            3DO Nov. 14th, 1994                         3DO Nov. 21st, 1994                          3DO Nov. 23rd, 1994                         Arcade May 5th, 1995                            PC June 1st, 1995                            PC June 2nd, 1995                           PC 1995                                                 Amiga Dec. 22nd, 2000                        Dreamcast July 13th, 2001                           GB Advance - as SSFII Turbo Revival Oct. 30th, 2001                          GB Advance - as SSFII Turbo Revival Nov. 1st, 2001                             GB Advance - as SSFII Turbo Revival Nov. 2nd, 2001                           GB Advance - as SSFII Turbo Revival Characters:  Ryu, Ken Masters, Chun-Li, Guile, Dhalsim, Blanka, Zangief, E. Honda, Balrog, Vega, Sagat, M. Bison, Cammy, Fei Long, Dee Jay, T. Hawk, Akuma, Shin Akuma Featured Video: Related Games: Ultra Street Fighter 2, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo Revival, Super Street Fighter 2, Super SF2T HD Remix, Street Fighter 2, SF2 Champion Edition, SF2 Turbo, Street Fighter, SFIII: New Generation, SFIII: 2nd Impact, SFIII: 3rd Strike, SFIII: 3rd Strike Online Edition, Street Fighter 4, Super SF4, SSF4: 3D Edition, SSF4: Arcade Edition, Ultra SF4, Street Fighter V, SFV: Arcade Edition, SFV:CE, Street Fighter 6, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, SFA3 Upper, SFA3 Max, SFA: Anthology, SF: Anniversary Collection, Street Fighter EX, SFEX2, SFEX3, SF: The Movie, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, Pocket Fighter, Samurai Shodown 2, KOF '94, Killer Instinct, Art of Fighting 2, X-Men: Children of the Atom, MVC2, Fighter's History: Dynamite    Gameplay Engine  8.5 / 10 Story / Theme  8.5 / 10 Overall Graphics  8.5 / 10 Animation  8.5 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  9.0 / 10 Innovation  7.5 / 10 Art Direction  8.5 / 10 Customization  9.5 / 10 Options / Extras  8.0 / 10 Intro / Presentation  9.0 / 10 Replayability / Fun  9.5 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  9.0 / 10 Characters  10 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  9.2 / 10  Review based on Arcade version       Final Words: There's no denying the Street Fighter II series, in particular, when talking about the grassroots growth and evolution of the fighting genre early on. This was it. Not Fatal Fury, not Mortal Kombat, it was Street Fighter, buddy. Yes, those games definitely had an impact on what was to come in the future of the genre... but all around the world, 100s of people were actually lining up for Super Street Fighter II Turbo tournaments, whether official or unofficial. SF2 as a series was a global phenomenon, and it never stopped. This was an unplanned competitive masterpiece that only Street Fighter could accomplish in the 90s. Not many other fighting games or series would ever obtain this level of community and competition until many years later, and most of them still can't quite reach Street Fighter's level. The success and decades-long hype comes as no surprise to me... just a lucky fan who played SF1 and SF2: The World Warrior at the arcades and got to experience the full evolution of the genre. I remember the crowds around all the SF2 machines throughout the series lifespan, and no other game would draw those types of crowds until the likes of MVC2 (and maybe TEKKEN 3), in my experience. I can only tell you what I saw with my own eyes, at 100s of different arcades. ST (Super Turbo) was a monumental fighting game that showed the world, yes... people will still play the same old Street Fighter because they want to, year after year. The roster, the music, the variety, the action, the many different match-ups, evolving strategies, and styles... and to think the series had so far to evolve from this point. It's a beautiful thing. While some 1994 "gamers" with short attention spans immediately deemed Super Turbo to be another rehash or "old" at the time of its release... the continued support from players proved that Street Fighter 2 is timeless. People actually wanted to keep playing the game (and still do), even with all of its interesting-but-frustrating gameplay flaws. Most true fans of arcade games weren't complaining about this upgrade because it really was the best version of SF2 to date, and introduced Akuma, of course. The hype for Akuma / Gouki was real at the arcade scene. Secret characters mattered back then! Super Turbo is well known for being a title that ignited the tournament scene and FGC in the early days. However, it's worth mentioning the ST is not a "perfect" game. There are several major gameplay engine issues that are considered "broken" by today's standards. There are plenty of character-specific examples of this and even universal mechanics contribute to ST being, well... "unfair". Indeed, there are some 8-2 match-ups, meaning certain characters will win 8 out of 10 matches against certain characters (on average) by using certain moves or strategies. Unblockable set-ups, movement restricting block-stun tactics induced by air attacks, big combo damage, arguably difficult inputs for advanced moves & combos, spamming actually being effective, etc. Similarly to MVC2, the fact that Super Turbo is so broken can make playing the game fun (or at least addictingly competitive) at times... and the proof is in the pudding because it's a timeless game and people still play it. It proves that perfect game balance doesn't always matter the most in the end. Personally, Super Turbo was never one of my top favorites. Although I always held it in high regard, especially compared to many other 2D clone fighting games out there in the 90s. Once the Zero / Alpha series was in full swing, I never really had the urge to return to SF2 or ST all that often. And once Street Fighter III arrived (especially its sequels), the pace, standards, and complexity of Street Fighter was taken to a new level and finally felt "right". Once you absorb and experience the fundamentals and parrying system in SFIII: 3rd Strike for example, it's difficult to go back to the fast-paced / spamming / cheating energy and broken rules of ST. Although I don't particularly like to play ST, watching the pros is another experience entirely. It's fun to watch, but this game has jank, son! As a player, it can be super frustrating. Either way, I still love ST and will always will have a special place in my heart for this game and Capcom era. It was the end of an era. And Super Turbo really was just the humble beginnings of what Capcom was about to do in the mid and late 90s. ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen      Click Here for all Animated Stages! Click Here for all Posters / Arcade Flyers! Click Here for all Character Sketches! Click Here for all Screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES