Street Fighter Anniversary Collection Xbox
Published
by Capcom
Developed by Capcom
Release Date: Out Now
Price : £29.99
Not long ago we reviewed Hyper Street Fighter II - The Anniversary Edition for PlayStation 2 and all things considered, it was a great collection of Street Fighter II games. Now it's time for Xbox gamers to own a slice of gaming history with the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. This package comes with more than Hyper Street Fighter II and in addition you also get Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and an Xbox Live mode so you can finally take on the world. On loading the game you'll get a choice of 3rd Strike or Hyper Street Fighter II.
Hyper Street Fighter II gives you the choice of Arcade, Versus, Training, Gallery and Xbox Live modes. Rather than the compilation having every Street Fighter II game in it's original state (split into the separate games), Capcom have decided to empty the full contents of the games (including World Warriors, Champion Edition, Turbo, Super and Super Turbo) into one large game. I think this decision is going to cause a split of opinion amongst fans of the Street Fighter II series. Personally I would have preferred the games to have remained in their original state but it's not to be. You do have the ability to mix and face-off the characters from the different games but it does kind of throw the game play's balance out of the window but nevertheless I sure it's something fans of the series have always wanted to do and now you can.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike gives you the choice of Arcade, Versus, Training and Xbox Live modes. The Arcade Mode is an arcade perfect conversion and you'll have to fight your way to the final boss and you get to choose from two fighters for your next opponent. The game also includes a Grade Judge System where your performance is evaluated at the end of a fight. Super Arts Move choices can be made too, three are available for each player, and they add extra diversity to the 19 different characters that are available in the game. The game also offers a progressive hit frame system, parrying and leap attacks which make the game more advanced than the Street Fighter II games. Xbox Live play can be found in both modes and it allows you to play against your friends wherever they are. The usual OptiMatch, Create Match and Quick Match options are here and there is also an online ranking so you can see how good you really are.
Graphically all the included games are arcade perfect. Those not old enough to remember the games in the arcades might look at them and think they could have been a lot better but then to have improved the graphics would have been to tarnish the authenticity of the product and it's good news, as far as I'm concerned, the games have retained their original appearance. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike naturally looks better with more defined characters and graphically superior backgrounds to those found in Hyper Street Fighter II. Once you begin playing the games, any negative thoughts you might have on the graphics will quickly be forgotten.
The Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, just like the Hyper Street Fighter Collection on the PlayStation 2, is fine for deaf gamers. We commented on the fact that Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie was not subtitled on the PlayStation 2 game and sadly, although the film has again been included on this Xbox version, it is once again unsubtitled. In effect this makes the film a worthless inclusion for deaf gamers. The games themselves have text comments in between matches from the different characters but all comments made within the fights are not subtitled. This doesn't matter at all though and you'll have no problem enjoying the games in this collection.
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is one for enthusiasts of these classic games. If you're a fan of 2D fighting games you'll also want to own this compilation. From a purists point of view it's a shame the Street Fighter II games hadn't been kept separate and not combined but as all the content is here I suppose that's a minor point. Xbox Live play adds value to the game but I suspect most will opt to fight rivals who they can see and liberally tease when they win. That said though it's a good inclusion to have. With the Street Fighter II movie not being subtitled it does devalue the package somewhat for deaf gamers but the chances are that if you are interested in the games this disappointment won't deter you from buying what is arcade gaming history.
Overall
Game Rating: 8.0/10
The Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a must for
fans of these classic games. The inclusion of the film without
any subtitles is pointless for deaf gamers though.
Deaf
Gamers comment:
Once again the film isn't subtitled which takes the shine
off the package somewhat.