Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Score: 88% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Fighting
Graphics & Sound: One of the oldest jokes in the game world (at least those not involving the fabled Duke Nukem Forever) was Capcom’s ability to milk Street Fighter II for everything they could. First there was Street Fighter II, then came the Championship, Turbo and Super editions. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection manages to cram all versions of the series into one package, all the while adding another edition in the game. Anyone hoping for a graphical upgrade in the Hyper will be disappointed. Both games are arcade-perfect renditions of both Street Fighter II and 3rd Strike. Of the two, 3rd Strike obviously looks better since it is the newer of the two, but Hyper does sport a few minor upgrades. The coolest aspect of Hyper is that it features every version of each character. There’s not too much of a difference in looks, but it’s still neat to see how the original characters look and animate in comparison to later versions. Backgrounds have been touched up and combine familiar aspects of both the arcade and console versions. More casual fans may not notice it, but it’s cool to see Capcom throw in a little extra to acknowledge all versions of the game. 3rd Strike features higher-resolution characters and cleaner animations. New arrangements of the classic Street Fighter II tunes have been included, but the original versions are also around for purists. The new songs are pretty good and worth giving a chance.
Gameplay: The name Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, which featured around 10 Mega Man games, the Street Fighter edition only features an amalgamated version of Street Fighter II and 3rd Strike. There’s no hint of the original Street Fighter, the Alpha series, or the Movie versions of the game (although the latter omission is understandable). The two included games are great in of themselves, but it still doesn’t feel like a true celebration of the Street Fighter series without the other games. Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition may add a new adjective, but doesn’t really add anything new to the game. Regardless, it’s still a pretty neat idea. The big draw to Hyper is that it includes every Street Fighter II version possible thrown into one game -- from the original right on to Super -- for a total of five different Street Fighter II versions. If you’re itching for an old school Street Fighter II game, you can jump into Arcade mode, select the Street Fighter II version of a character and go nuts. What’s better, you can pit different versions of the characters against each other, and see which version of the character really is the best. So, if you select the Championship Edition Ryu and your friend selects the Super edition, each will have their own set of moves from whatever version of the game they come from. This is a fun little setup for gamers who want to see the evolution of characters throughout the series. Street Fighter III: Third Strike is the third edition of Street Fighter III. Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right since it was released at a time when gamers were being dazzled by 3D brawlers, so it was never able to gain quite the following as its predecessor. In my opinion, this is a shame since it ranks as one of my favorite fighters of all time. Third Strike is arguably the best of the three versions of Street Fighter III, and is worth the play. As an added bonus, the Street Fighter II animated movie is hidden somewhere in the menus of Hyper Street Fighter II. The video quality isn’t the best, but it’s a nice little bonus.
Difficulty: Get ready to brush off all your old Street Fighter skills, you’re going to need them. The inclusion of all versions of each character helps to give players a comfort level, but at the same time, picking an earlier version of a character can lead to defeat. All characters are included as they were in each version of the game, meaning some versions of moves and characters may be a little out of balance against others. Even on the easier difficulty levels, both games pose quite a challenge. Older gamers will probably get into the swing of things a little quicker, but younger gamers shouldn’t feel too left out after a few round of practice.
Game Mechanics: One thing is for sure -- the old school Street Fighter mechanics still stand up against today's standards. The system still feels as solid as it did 13 years ago and works wonderfully. Every move and combo is here and at your disposal. I was amazed with how responsive the Dual Shock was when pulling off the moves. I'm usually not a fan of using the D-pad in fighting games (I prefer my arcade stick), but found the setup comfortable after a few rounds. The most daunting task is that the Hard punches and kicks are mapped to the Right shoulder buttons, which can break up the flow in some combos. Thankfully, all of the button assignments can be reset in the options menu, allowing gamers to set the game up to fit their playing style. For anyone who can't get used to the Dual Shock and doesn't want to shell out the money for an arcade stick, Capcom is planning to release a set of special Street Fighter themed game pads, so keep an eye out for them. The lack of online gameplay options is one of the few disappointments in the Anniversary Collection. This is the biggest knock against the PS2 version since the game is perfect for online play. Gamers who also own an Xbox are in luck since that version, planned for release later this year, does support Xbox Live -- so if you want online play, it’s probably best to hold out. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a must have for fans of the series as well as fans of the genre.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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