‘Here Comes A New Challenger: Championship Edition’ Blu-Ray Review – The Ultimate Deep-Dive Into Street Fighter II

Here Comes A New Challenger details the origins of the gaming phenomena that is Street Fighter II and how it impacted the Arcades and the lives of kids worldwide. It explores not just the video games but the merchandise, the anime, the live action movie and more! Here Comes A New Challenger celebrates what made it special to a generation who still play it to this day! This deluxe “Championship Edition” features new deleted scenes, behind the scenes interviews, new audio commentary by Audun Sorlie & John Linneman of Digital Foundry in addition to a new featurette on the home ports of Street Fighter II.

For thoughts on Here Comes a New Challenger: Championship Edition, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Here Comes a New Challenger: Championship Edition comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with a rock solid HD master which presents this documentary as well as one would hope. This feature is a mixture of newer talking head interviews along with a plethora of archival photos, clips, and more to help solidify the legacy of the franchise. Any older material from the original creation of the game appears to be derived from the most stable source available at the time of this film’s completion. Some of the old commercials and gameplay footage can look somewhat rough but most of this looks very nice. The more recent talking head interview segments look consistently clear with natural skin tones and some exceptionally detailed facial features from the normal filming locations. The colors observed in the footage have a lovely vibrancy to them. The encoding is in great shape when it comes to compression artifacts and other such digital shortcomings. This Blu-Ray emerges victorious. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a favorable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that replicates the film as intended. There are no unwanted digital anomalies, drop-outs, or other issues spotted. The music from the film comes through with a stellar fidelity that fills the room. Dialogue springs forth from the center channel as you get engaging stories shared in a calm environment. This is an interview showcase with a significant amount of talking heads to go along with some vintage commercials, movie clips, and other odd sources. This track steps up in a big way. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentaries: Two commentary tracks are provided with the creative team that delivers a ton of great insights into how this film became a reality. 

• • Audio Commentary #1: Director Oliver Harper, director of photography Chris Stratton, and editor Robert James

• • Audio Commentary #2: Audun Sorlie & John Linneman of Digital Foundry

• Behind The Scenes

• • Making The Title Sequence: A six-minute look at how the team created the inventive opening. 

• • Meet The Cinematographer/Editor Christopher Stratton: A seven-minute conversation with one of the key creative figures behind the project. 

• Deleted Scenes: There are eight unused segments totaling 26 minutes of fresh material provided. 

• Featurette – The Home Ports: A 70-minute expanded look at the home versions of Street Fighter II. 

• Official Trailer (2:21)

Final Thoughts

Here Comes a New Challenger: Championship Edition is a thorough and entertaining look back at a franchise that helped shape a generation of video game fans. Even if you do not have a history with the game, you can still appreciate all of the behind-the-scenes dealmaking that went into meeting consumer demand and delivering an iconic gaming experience. The documentary ostensibly covers everything you could want from such a deep dive, almost to a fault as you begin to feel the mammoth runtime in the back half of the feature. The movie scores some exciting interviews with people directly involved with the creation of this landmark title. This is a must for fans who have long loved the series as well as newcomers who want the juicy details of an important cultural touchstone. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a wonderful amount of additional footage. Recommended 

Here Comes a New Challenger: Championship Edition is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.