It’s time for some amiable internet discussion as JM Crofts has taken a recent crack at ordering just about every main line Street Fighter game on a tier list.
This isn’t just “Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 3, Street Fighter 4, etc” but instead includes the sub versions that each entry evolved through during their production windows. That means, for instance, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike and Street Fighter 3: Second Impact will be individually placed.
One would think that, at least in regards to the various versions of each game, latter versions would naturally be better than earlier ones. This makes enough logical sense as developers aim to specifically build upon strengths and patch up mistakes, but then the infamous case of Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Alpha 3 comes to mind.
Alpha 2, despite having obvious issues, is often regarded by competitive crowds as better than its successor. We look forward to hearing what JM has to say about this instance, in particular, but also have to wonder if there are any other potential examples where things got worse instead of better.
The Street Fighter EX series is not represented here as Crofts hasn’t actually played them (they’re rather tangential, anyway) but even without them there are no fewer than 18 different versions of games to rank.
Crofts places them among four tier levels: Don’t bother, worth trying, seriously good, and all-time GOAT. Give his video a watch as he reasons through each pick and then let us know in the comments where you agree and disagree.
