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The highly anticipated 2D fighter hits Xbox Live Arcade. The Street Fighter II series is often regarded as one of Capcom’s greatest achievements. Though the series has seen updates and sequels since its original release, fans have always had a special fondness for the original. Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting on the Xbox 360 is faithful to the arcade original and the new additions make it relevant to a new generation gamers.
SF2HF includes a number of single-player and multiplayer modes. The game’s Arcade mode lets you play as one of the 12 characters as you progress through the story and eventually become the best. Beating the Arcade mode unlocks a CPU Battle mode which makes your opponents much harder than they were previously. Training mode lets you practice by giving you an opponent who will block but not attack you. Versus mode lets you play against someone else on the same Xbox 360. The game includes many achievements, found both offline and online, that total to 200 GamerScore points.
A much touted feature of the game is the inclusion of Xbox Live support. You can participate in both ranked and unranked matches online, though playing in ranked matches will allow you to move up the game’s Leaderboard. The game also includes the Quarter Match. This mode recreates the arcade experience as best as it could. Basically, there are two people fighting at any given time and other people are waiting around to take on the winner of the match. Like in the arcade, you can watch the matches to get a feel for the player before it is your turn to take him on.
Street Fighter II plays like an old-school fighter. The game has 12 characters including favorites like Ryu and Blanka. Each of these characters has three punches and three kicks, a throw, and many have projectiles. You’ll use these buttons to pull off three-hit combos with ease, which is timed right, may just let you dominate the match. The game’s controls are right-on. Even though the Xbox 360 only has four face buttons, and the original Street Fighter II was designed for six face buttons, you’ll be able to pull off combos with ease. The heavy punch and kick are assigned to one of the triggers. Although not instantly familiar, it is an expected compromise and one that doesn’t distract from the game.
Visually, the game looks much like did it nearly 15 years ago. The 12 characters are made up of sprites and animation is serviceable although not excellent. That said the game is faithful to the original with no slowdown or technical glitches to speak of. The game does technically run at 720p, although it is letterboxed. You can stretch it to fit a widescreen display if you want. Aurally, the game is just as faithful. The sound effects and soundtrack seems identical to the original.
Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting is a perfect addition to the Xbox Live Arcade library. The game faithfully recreates one of the all-time greats while adding new features to make it fit in with the new console. The addition of Xbox Live and HD gameplay will surely entice many to give the game a download. If you never played the original, this is still a blast. Be warned, though, it’s hard. Very hard, like many old-school games. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Aug 4, 2006
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