Street Fighter II for Super Nintendo being reissued
Capcom and iam8bit producing new run of playable cartridges for $100 each, warn that they will be a fire hazard
The recent retro gaming renaissance has been largely powered by emulation, but gamers may want reproductions of games in their original format as well. Capcom and iam8bit will test those waters, having just announced that they are producing a new run of Street Fighter II Super Nintendo cartridges and have set the price at $100 a pop.
The cartridges are billed as a "30th Anniversary Edition," referring to the age of the franchise rather than the Super Nintendo version of Street Fighter II, which debuted in 1992. That release sold 6.3 million copies, but the print run for the 30th Anniversary Edition will be considerably smaller, limited to 5,500 cartridges. They will be easily distinguishable from the original cartridges as they will be colored either red (4,500 copies) or translucent glow-in-the-dark green (1,000 copies). Iam8bit is also promising deluxe foil embossed packaging that folds out to feature Street Fighter II artwork, as well as a "premium" instruction booklet and other pack-in bonuses.
As appealing as this new version of the game may be to look at, purchasers may want to think twice before actually playing it. A warning on the product page states, "Use of this reproduction game cartridge (the 'Product') on the SNES gaming hardware may cause the SNES console to overheat or catch fire. The SNES hardware is deemed a vintage collectible, so please exercise extreme caution when using the Product and make sure there is fire extinguishment equipment nearby." The warning goes on to note that Nintendo of America has nothing to do with this release, and Capcom and iam8bit make no representation as to the cartridge's fitness for any particular use.
Iam8bit explained through its Twitter account that the fire hazard warning was "a precautionary wanrning [sic] regarding the age of SNES compatible retro hardware. We're only making the cart, not the system."
The Street Fighter II 30th Anniversary Edition cartridges are expected to begin shipping in late November.