Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Review (Xbox 360)

Back in the 90s, Capcom cranked out Street Fighter 2 upgrade kits one after another. Championship Edition, Hyper Fighting, Super SF2, and it all culminated with Super Turbo; a version of SF2 that both sped the basic gameplay up and added new characters plus some extra moves for the old ones. It has been a tournament standard for over a decade in both America and Japan, kept alive by a very dedicated crowd of players. At the head of this effort was a Street Fighter expert and noted game designer, David Sirlin. The basic premise is a one on one fight between two martial artists, and you get several different ones to pick from. Your goal is to hit your opponent until he’s knocked out and avoid letting him do the same to you. This is accomplished through a variety of punches, kicks, throws, anime-style ’chi fireballs’, and so on. That summary belies just how deep the game is, however.

Sirlin and his team were given the chance to take the decade-old game and breathe new life into it recently. At its core, this is still Street Fighter; it’s two characters fighting on a 2D stage, trying to control space, predict one another’s attacks, and apply a general gameplan that lets them win. If you went anywhere near an arcade during the 90s, you know this game formula and it’s still a lot of fun. And with a roster of 17 characters, there should be at least one that fits your style of play. People who like a cerebral, chess-like battle will enjoy long range defensive characters like Dhalsim and Guile, aggressive players will enjoy Ken’s mix of fast aerial attacks and ground combos, and those who enjoy reaping huge rewards for playing a very smart, patient game will be thrilled with grapplers like Zangief and T.Hawk.