Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo is the last in the line of Street Fighter 2 updates and it has the more stages than all games before it. Let’s check them out!

Transcript:

Street Fighter 2 changed the fighting game landscape forever. It introduced so many iconic characters that would become legends. Join me, as we visit these fighters’ home countries and bask in their beauty.

Welcome world warriors, to Video Game World Tours. And this… is Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo.

Our first stop on our globe-trotting tour takes us to Japan. Home of Ryu.

Ryu’s stage takes place in Suzaku Castle. He’s both trained and lived here for a long time.

The dark sky slowly fading into a lighter color the further you go down the horizon makes me think this fight takes place in the early morning. Both fighters got up early to have a little sparring match before their real training begins.

Traditional Japanese roofing occupies the first few layers of the background. Note this interesting design on the roofing closest to the stage.

And in the distance we have what I can only assume to be the titular Suzaku Castle. It’s raised up high above the stage, imposing on you. Bats fly around it, truly making this feel like an a fight at the break of dawn.

This stage truly embodies Ryu. It’s calm… subdued.

(Interlude)

Also in Japan, is E. Honda’s stage. Kapukon Yu is a bathhouse that E. Honda frequents. A peculiar but memorable place for a fight.

Water drips from the ceiling and the bathtub. A beautiful mural adorns the back wall. There’s this beautiful lantern. The bright florescent lighting perfectly illuminates everything.

I imagine this would be a nice place to hangout. Maybe not when people are fighting, but otherwise, it’s great. This feels like a place a sumo wrestler would go to relax.

(Interlude)

Vega hails from Spain. His stage takes place in a club. Musicians are playing, dancers are dancing, people are clapping.

That’s one of my favorite tropes in a fighting game, I love when people are in the background, cheering you on. It gives the stage a light-hearted feel. These people aren’t fighting for their lives, they’re fighting to entertain a crowd.

The music, the stage performers, the people watching the fight, this whole stage has a very upbeat feel. Vega seems like a cocky guy, so I’m sure the crowd is feeding into his energy.

(Interlude)

Ken’s stage takes place on a harbor in the United States.

You’re fighting on a dock with a boat nearby. Just like Vega’s stage, they’re cheering on the fight. Since a character’s home stage is the one you fight them on during the arcade mode, I like to imagine the people in the background are cheering that character on. They probably show up to every Ken fight and keep his spirits up.

I like how this stage is subtly American. Some stages are very blatant when it comes to representing the culture of that country, and we’ll definitely get into some of those. But this one feels understated.

Though, I guess there is nothing more American than a bunch of people partying on a private boat.

(Interlude)

Let’s visit a stage that’s a little more in your face.

Guile’s stage takes place on an American Air Force base. And this is as American as it gets. Jets, the military, and the red white and blue. Hell, Guile has an American Flag tattoo. It all evokes Top Gun vibes.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate this jet. The detail they put into this is insane.

Oh, and the music is godlike. But that goes without saying.

(Interlude)

Zangief’s stage is in a factory. Cyrillic characters are all over the place and a giant hammer and sickle symbol is painted on the floor, so there’s no confusion where this takes place.

Out of all the places to fight, a factory doesn’t seem like the safest. Looks like there’s some pretty big drops, this random lever, and these people… I think that’s too many people to be on that thing.

The audience here is particularly rowdy. I have a hunch they might be a little tipsy. Well, more than a hunch, this guy is drinking straight out of a bottle… on an endless loop. I’ll call him a taxi, gimmie a second.

(Interlude)

We’re heading to India, to visit Dhalsim’s home stage.

Maharaja’s Palace is representative of India’s culture. There’s all these extravagant designs on the carpet and walls, elephants are lined up on the side, and a beautiful painting of the Hindu deity Ganesha is displayed prominently.

It’s a very dignified stage compared to Ken’s dock or E. Honda’s bathhouse. It almost feels too important a place to fight in. All I can say, is watch where you throw those fireballs Ken. Don’t want to hurt those innocent elephants.

(Interlude)

Next up is one of my favorite stages. Fraserburgh Castle is located in England and it’s home to Cammy.

I really appreciate the artistry of this stage. The pixel art is beautiful.

The northern lights are stunning. Notice the dithering on them to give the illusion of more color.

I love the scale here. Look at how far out they drew the background, its miles away. The shimmering of the water. The flickering of this little pixel, representing the lights in someone’s house. That’s attention to detail.

And this building… ugh, it’s great. This texture looks like a mess when you’re really up close to it, but when you take it in as a whole, it all comes together.

Finally, we have this cute little crow. How adorable.

(Interlude)

The final stage in the game’s arcade mode takes you to a temple in Thailand. There, you fight the vicious M. Bison.

This is another location that feels really regal. The spires stretching out into the distance give this place a sense of importance. The intricate design of the roof looks like it was designed with surgical precision. These large statues feel culturally significant, and you should be very careful when fighting around them.

A fitting place for a character that holds themselves in such high-regard.

(Interlude)

Sagat’s home stage is also in Thailand.

Instantly noticable, is the giant reclining Buddha statue. This pose is commonly found in Buddhist art and this particular scene seems to be inspired by a real life reclining Buddha statue in Thailand.

While some of the stages have a lot of moving parts in the background, such as crowds or flashing lights, this stage is very still. There are no animations in the background.

I like the vibe that gives. The sun is setting, people are starting to head inside and wind down, and these two are left to fight amongst themselves.

I particularly love the framing here. The sun peaking out from behind some trees and buildings. Ugh, the coloring is beautiful.

(Interlude)

From a calm, serene scene to perhaps the most busy stage of the whole bunch, welcome to Las Vegas, USA. Home of the all-American boxer, Balrog.

These two locations really showcase the extremes of Street Fighter 2 stages. On one hand, you have the peaceful, zen-like atmosphere of what we just looked at. And here, there’s a massive crowd of people losing their mind over two guys fighting. So many flashing neon signs and light strands. This dapper gentleman.

Compared to Guile’s stage, that seemed to emphasize the part of the United States that likes to work hard, this stage focuses on the part that likes to play hard. Casinos, cars, and dancing women. This is a Japanese person’s take on American culture, and I gotta say… they really hit the nail on the head.

(Interlude)

Heading south of the border, we can visit T. Hawk’s home nation of Mexico.

Much in a similar way to Balrog’s stage in Las Vegas, this feels like a very busy place. These guys drawing all the attention to themselves. There’s this girl awkwardly hanging off a horse, and this guy is constantly taking pictures.

Something I like about this particular stage, and something we’ll see more of later, is the people in the background who don’t seem to care about the fight. Most of the people drawn into these scenes are cheering on the fighting, but occasionally, there’s some guy in the background minding his own business.

Like here, this dude is just sitting down with this piece of cloth. This girl is sewing. And it looks like these two people are haggling.

Little animations like that make these 2d backgrounds feel like a real place.

(Interlude)

Blanka is a… human, I think? He fights you alongside the Amazon river in Brazil.

Front and center is this large tree. It stands out against the blue waters and the brown wooden planks. And there’s also an… abnormally large snake twisted around it? Weird…

On the dock, there’s the usual people cheering for the fight. Something I kinda find charming about the Street Fighter world as a whole, is that EVERYONE loves fighting. Stages will have these HUGE crowds in the background and they love watching two people beat each other up. Even the kids here love it.

There’s such a… pureness to it. Some of the characters fight to gain power or whatever, but a lot of them fight just because they love it. There’s an art to fighting that draws people. And in this world, that attracts people of all ages and nationalities. Everyone. appreciates a good fight.

(Interlude)

I’m not really sure what to say about Fei Long’s stage, it’s very bizarre.

It’s located in Hong Kong, and it seems like it takes place in some pit? There’s what looks like buildings on the layer behind these rocks. Maybe this is just a rock formation in a park or something, but for some reason, my first thought was that this takes place in a large hole.

The fighters meet on this nice platform. There’s some… creatures In the background? Not sure what to make of that, they don’t move so I guess they might be statues?

On this side there’s what appears to be ice poking out from underneath the rock??? I have no idea what it’s actually supposed to be.

I can’t make heads or tails of this situation. If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments. I need to hear another perspective or I’m gonna go crazy.

(Interlude)

Our penultimate stop takes us to the shores of Jamaica and brings us face-to-face with the kickboxer-musician extraordinaire… Dee Jay.

What a lively scene. People are dancing all over, this guy’s relaxin’ and having a drink, and the band is rockin out. This is my favorite of the upbeat stages. The vibes it gives off are just great.

I especially like the sky in the background. The sun faintly illuminating the clouds, the water shimmering, the purple sky, it’s all beautiful.

Of all the stages in the game, this is the one I’d like to visit the most.

(Interlude)

To close out this world tour, we’ll take a stop at a much more understated stage. But one that speaks to the core of the series’ identity.

Welcome to China, home of Chun-Li.

This is what I think of when I think of a Street Fighter stage. People watching a fight, an urban environment, and of course, street fighting.

I can’t believe I just realized this, but Chun-Li’s stage is the only one in the whole game that features fighting on a street.

I love this place. I love the people minding their business in the back. I love the bicyclists that occasionally ride by. I love this guy holding a chicken.

This stage IS Street Fighter.

(Interlude)

YouTube seems to think you’ll like this other video of mine . Hey, if they showed you the one you just watched and you liked it, they must know what they’re doing.

Also, lemme know what you thought of the video in the comments. I tried a more rapid-fire style with this one and I’m curious if you guys liked it.

Thanks for watching, see you on the next… Video Game World Tours.