Original ad published in the January 1994 of EGM (no. 54)
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Jab-Strong-Fierce. It’s a hit!
The most popular arcade game of all time arrived with a massive bang for the SNES in 1992 and it was an earth shattering event. Sega fanboys expected just as much and, fortunately, Capcom delivered a great game just one year later in the updated Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition for Genesis.
The original Street Fighter II for the SNES is still one of the best arcade ports ever. Save for a few backgrounds, everything was identical to the arcade experience (with less bullies and cigarette smoke). The sound, graphics, and most importantly gameplay, were as faithful to the arcade as you could possibly ask for. Then came Street Fighter II Turbo, also on Nintendo’s console. So Genesis players would have to wait until later in that same year for the arrival of Champion Edition.
The wait actually worth it. In essence, Champion Edition was just a modified Turbo release and that was a very good thing in itself. It featured playable boss characters, selectable colors for every fighter and a higher speed level selection gauge for insanely quick fights. It also had a cool “Group Battle” and of course a modified version of the original arcade intro. As practically every Genesis cart of the era, it had terrible sound, but the graphics could stand proudly against the SNES version of the game.
The intro screen became somewhat famous only after Capcom modified it. I never heard anyone berate the company or the game in the actual arcades. And I played against all types of dudes back in the day, not just caucasians.
In the Genesis port, unlike previous SNES versions of the game, you see two men fighting each other on the street. In the original arcade version, the white dude hits the black one with a nasty right-handed jab that knocked him down. The Genesis version of the intro removed the black sprite an replaced it with another white dude. Check the pics below (on a side note, compare the awesome color bit-depth of the arcade to the Genesis)
All in all, Champion Edition was a landmark game for the Genesis. It even forced Sega to produce an excellent six-button controller for Genesis to actually play the game (this was not an issue on the SNES port and the console’s six-button gamepads).
Fortunately, the marketing campaign that accompanied the game was very well thought out. There’s lots of white in the page, the typography is classy and you actually see the awesome selectable boss characters at your disposal. The copy is childish, but in a cocky sense. I liked quite a lot and I believe it still holds up nicely today. The TV ad, well, let’s just say it’s not my style.
Street Fighter lore can get very confusing very quickly. If you’re interested in the complete series, check out this excellent Street Fighter wiki.
Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition for Genesis print ad copy
Now Genesis players can kick some real
__________________
(fill in the fighting word of your choice.)
Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition. Only on Genesis.
The Ultimate Fight At Home.
The most popular arcade game of all time—Capcom’s Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition is now on Sega Genesis.
You’ve Met Your Match.
The exclusive Group Battle mode is found only on Genesis. And the Turbo mode gives you the speed you need.
The Best Moves Win.
New moves in this Special Champion Edition make the fighting more exciting than ever.
Kick Some _____________________.
Hit the streets to you nearest store.
One of the highest rated Sega games of all time.