Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition Walkthrought
On Sega Genesis (Mega Drive), “Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition” got all sorts of nicknames: “Street 2 on Mega,” “Special Champion,” you name it. Labels aside, this is the proper Champion cut where you climb the whole ladder from the World Warriors up to the Dictator. From here on, it’s pure matchup meat: how to squeeze results out of the arcade and knock down every opponent in order, no frills.
Before you hit Arcade
In Champion mode the AI feels more “classic”; in Hyper (everyone called it “Turbo”) it reacts faster and loves to trade. For a smooth clear, set medium game speed and drop difficulty a notch or two below your norm: in Turbo the punish windows shrink and jump/anti-air timing shifts. The fundamentals are already in the gameplay, so let’s go opponent by opponent.
World Warriors: one by one
Ryu. His hadouken is telegraphed by stance. Sit at mid-range: tiny walk in, block, instant sweep—AI loves tossing a fireball into your gap and eats the trip. After a blocked shoryuken, don’t get greedy: quick string, back off. Only jump from far space—close jumps get uppercutted. Bait fireballs and roll into a cross-up—he hates blocking the side switch.
Ken. Ryu-ish, but jumpier and more air-kick happy. Catch empty jumps with a micro step back into a medium anti-air. Blocked tatsumaki? Immediate sweep. In fireball wars, don’t flinch: throw a shot, half-step forward, be ready to block his reply.
Guile. Versus Sonic Boom, don’t mid-screen jump or you’ll eat Flash Kick. Inch forward, pausing under each boom. When he’s charged, park at tip range and clip his toe with a low kick if he steps—the AI reflex-jumps back and you reclaim screen. Blocked Flash Kick is guaranteed: fast string or throw.
Chun-Li. Spinning Bird is only safe at max tip. Block it—take a throw or low string. Cut her far jumps with a standing punch; at mid, meet her with a late anti-air. After her air double-kick, don’t press—she loves to throw. Micro step back and whiff-punish.
Blanka. Blocked ball = free sweep. If he sails in with jumping ball, neutral jump, press down-attack late, land plus, go low-low-throw. Don’t let him corner you: if pinned, vertical jump out then drift back to mid. AI Blanka will “electric” in place—don’t bite; stay crouched and sweep the tail.
E. Honda. Headbutt is easy food: block—step—sweep, repeat. Don’t hover point-blank: his standing slaps beat a ton. Fireballs (if you’ve got them) are king: toss a shot, watch the jump, keep anti-air cocked. Blocked Butt Slam? Walk a step and throw.
Dhalsim. Flip the plan: don’t zone—get in. Hop his Yoga Fire with a far jump, plant a cross-up, and bully with throw loops—the AI struggles with side switches. Blocked slide? Your sweep. Yoga Flame in place gets tagged by a far kick or a jump-in, but only with the latest possible button so you don’t eat the long limb anti-air.
Zangief. No hugs. Keep max screen: back jump—poke, step—fireball (if you have one), back jump again. Lariat eats a shot, but he’s exposed on landing—your sweep wins. If you’re cornered, neutral jump, late button, then bail. Don’t hit early from the air or you’ll get spun. If he walks up empty, stuff him with standing medium kick to the gut—it breaks walk-forward SPD attempts.
Chun/Ken/Ryu mirrors. Champion lets mirrors rock, and the AI loves throw attempts after block. Don’t overextend: two hits—step back—whiff-punish the grab. Cross-ups work way more often than they should—abuse them.
The boss four: close them out by the book
Balrog (Boxer). Park a half-step outside Rush Punch. Block straight rush—low kick; block swing or upper—throw. Headbutt is punishable even from afar: wait for the drop, sweep. Never jump first: his standing uppercut punch swats early attempts. Safe pressure is two lows and a step back—he often fires into nothing, and you scoop the whiff punish.
Vega (Claw). Slippery one. Against Barcelona, neutral jump with a late button, then sprint to the landing spot—AI gets lost and gifts a throw. Ground roll (slide) is block into sweep. Don’t chase the wall—intercept instead. When you go in, mash fast lows; his anti-air is flaky, and in the clinch he gives up throws more than most.
Sagat. High/low Tiger Shots alternate on a rhythm. Catch the beat: crouch—step—far jump over the low, run a quick string, bounce out. Never land on Tiger Uppercut: hit as late as possible in the air or don’t jump if spacing’s off. In a fireball duel, throw your shot and micro-walk to clip him during a height switch with a sweep. Blocked Tiger Knee? Guaranteed medium-button punish.
M. Bison (Dictator). Psycho Crusher on block—step in throw if you caught it near center; in the corner, sweep is steadier. Bait Head Press by standing your ground: sidestep at the last moment, he whiffs, punish the landing. Scissor Kicks are scary pressure: hold block, don’t press between hits—answer only after the second blade. Best plan is corner him and loop short low strings plus throw, no risky jumps.
Little things that save the run
SCE’s AI loves “reactive” anti-airs, so cross-up is your master key: far jump, last-frame button, straight into low pressure. Chip damage from fireballs or safe specials closes out pixel rounds—don’t force a risky finish. After your far normal, “micro step—throw” often lands—the computer tries to swing and hands you the window. In Group Battle (team gauntlets in SCE) the same tricks apply: the game doesn’t change AI patterns, so keep your gameplan tight and don’t spend risk on early opponents.
If you stall, take a step back: drop speed in Turbo, drill anti-airs on easy matchups, then hop back into Arcade. In Special Champion Edition it all comes down to timing: step—stop—strike. The AI is predictable, and that’s your edge. We already dug into boss origins and version order in the history; here it’s all about the climb. Stick to it, and “Street 2” on Sega folds without the stress.