Super Street Fighter II Review

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(More customer reviews)Note:If you like Street Fighter ("SF") and have a GBA, you'll probably get this no matter what I say.This review of the Japanese version is for those not necessarily familiar with Street Fighter and those who want to be sure that this title lives up to its potential _before_ they order it.However, I'll include some info that hardcore players will find useful as well.
This game is an excellent port of Super Street Fighter II Turbo (SSFIIX in Japan).Although several years old in the arcades and on the ill-fated 3DO console, it is still widely considered to be one of the best SF2 variants by die-hard SF players.The characters are fairly well-balanced against each other, and the play mechanics are some of the most refined (if not too flashy or sophisticated) of any Capcom fighting game.It is the first SF game to introduce the super meter (a meter which is charged up by damaging your opponent and performing special moves, for performing super combos), making it a major stepping-stone towards Capcom's modern 2-D fighting games.If you are a novice 2-D fighting game player, this is a great game for learning fundamental skills, because it is devoid of a lot of other gimmicky features that modern fighting games offer nowadays.If you are an expert, this game is awesome for refining your timing (this game is the first to introduce the vulnerable Dragon Punch, for example).
This GBA version, in particular, is quite impressive.It packs the entire cast of playable characters from the arcade original (including Gouki/Akuma...), with moves & combos intact.You can choose between four speed settings, ranging from Normal to Turbo 3, so it can be played at whatever pace feels comfortable.Graphically, it's about as good as it could get on GBA, meaning it looks as good as Super Street Fighter on the Super Famicom/SNES.The character sprites are reasonably large for a game on a portable system, with Ryu standing about half the height of the screen.Some characters even get new background locations.Sound is well-done too, with all your favorite recognizable tunes, sound effects, and voices from the arcade (even the annoying announcer voice) faithfully reproduced within the GBA's limits.Since the GBA's sound capabilities aren't the equal of those of the SNES, you will notice a clear difference in the quality of the audio, but it's not distinct enough to detract from the enjoyment of the game.
Control is where this version starts to fall short.Call it a shortcoming in the GBA's design, but I found the controls difficult to handle for a game that requires quick, precise, sweeping movements such as Street Fighter.The GBA's D-pad is small, so diagonal movement (such as for a crouching block, or a left-facing Dragon Punch) can be somewhat tough.Also, the lack of a full complement of buttons means that you have to choose your control options carefully.(The GBA has four main buttons, while SF is a 6-button game with 3 punch and kick levels -- weak, medium, and strong.)You can choose between two methods of switching your buttons:wait mode and simultaneous mode.The first allows you assign one button to two strength levels -- pressing the button quickly will register one level of punch or kick; pressing slightly longer will register another another level.Unfortunately, fine control between short and long presses is difficult.The second mode allows you to assign the simultaneous press of two buttons to register as one, although that is also a little hard to pull off unless you're adept at chording buttons accurately.The two modes can't be mixed.This button-assigning madness may be old-hat to some Gameboy and Gameboy Color players who are used to only 2 main buttons, but it will definitely take a little time for others to get used to it.Also, if you're not accustomed to using the left trigger button in fighting games for SNES and Playstation, expect that trend to continue here on GBA.
Options are where this port gets interesting.There are the typical Arcade, Versus, Training, and Option modes.In the Option screen, you can adjust all the standard settings, including lengthening the time it takes for a special move or super combo to register on the controller and adjusting the amount of damage the characters produce.In addition, the game keeps track of VS points, which you earn by winning matches.By earning VS points, you can unlock new game modes such as Survival mode (where you can play the bonus rounds against a timer or fight a single round consisting of your character defending his one health meter against random teams of characters with low health -- from 5 to 100 characters, one after another!) and Time Attack mode (where you can fight a round against several line-ups of fully-healthy characters in succession using only one health meter).After earning enough VS points, you are also treated to one (or should I say two?) special hidden character(s).
All in all, I recommend this game to any GBA owner who wants a solid fighting game.For experienced Street Fighter fans, I have one caveat:You're not going to get arcade perfection on this platform because of the controls, but what you do get is a very impressive conversion that's as close to arcade SF quality as has ever been seen from any portable system in history.

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Product Description:
With a name like SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO: Revival Edition, you know this game has some history behind it. Possibly the most popular hand-to-hand combat series ever, STREET FIGHTER makes its GBA debut in fine form. Choose from a long list of classic brawlers like Ryu and Bison, and then try to make your way through the most intense tournament ever. Updated graphics make this one of the most heated handheld events ever, and simplified controls make it easy for all gamers to jump right into the action, regardless of prior STREET FIGHTER experience. Select light, medium, or heavy attacks for your kicks and punches, and use button combinations to unleash the truly dangerous moves. Blending the background art of such installments as STREET FIGHTER TURBO with new character animations, SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO: Revival Edition delivers the most comprehensive visual scope in the series. Play alone or link up with a friend.

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