Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Review for Xbox 360

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix box art

System: X360 (XBLA), PS3 (PSN)	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Backbone Entertainment	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: CAPCOM	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Nov. 26, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Perhaps more than any 2D brawler, Street Fighter II illustrates the importance of movement economy. Since fights are constricted to a dimensional plane with distinct walls, you're forced to always think about every move you make and how it will unfold. Likewise, you're trying to stay one step ahead of your opponent and guess what he is going to do as well.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix screenshot

In essence, it's one big pixel push - your focus is always on how to keep your opponent at arm's length, within range of an invisible box that surrounds you horizontally and vertically. That's why strategies that seem cheap - for example, Ryu's "spamming" of fireballs - actually aren't. You realize you have to get over to Ryu and assess your options. Do you have an unblockable attack that can break through? Do you do little bunny hops and slowly make your way over? Maybe you have a slide attack that can scoot you under his shots? Again, it's all about making each pixel on the screen matter; it's why fighting fans always stress over animations and moves that potentially "break" their games. When you balance the equation right - as in Street Fighter II's case - the result is an experience that goes from one extreme to another, resembling a war of attrition one moment and an all-out combative press the next.

For those with friends nearby, Turbo HD Remix has the standard, one-on-one versus option, but most players are going to be more interested in the online play. You can setup matches with up to seven other players in a tournament style. Much like huddling around an arcade cabinet, the rules are simple: the winner stays, the loser goes. When you first join a match you'll just see a lobby and energy bars resembling the in-progress fight. Once the next round starts, you get to be a spectator. From this vantage point you can get an overview of the victor's fighting style, a nice prepping for the match ahead. Once in a fight, you'll be surprised at how smooth everything is. Lag is nearly non-existent. The settings menu has a section for Network Smoothing, and cranking it up to high eliminated the minimal lag problem that was noticed during the first play test.

At first glance, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix gives the impression that it's simply a prettied up version of a fighter you may have bought before or still own. However, there's more than meets the superficial eye here. If anything, it's a reminder of how keeping fighting games as simple and well balanced as possible results in play that feels nearly timeless. Established fans and newcomers alike will find a lot to appreciate in this downloadable title.

By Jason Lauritzen
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.7

Graphics
The character sprites and backgrounds look better than ever and it all animates beautifully.

4.0

Control
It's hard for the analog stick and D-pad to compare to the proper feel of an arcade stick, so expect to mess up a few special moves.

4.5

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The folks over at OverClocked ReMix have done a fantastic job of taking classic midi tracks and breathing new life into them.

4.6

Play Value
Solid arcade play, great one-on-one local matches, and a multiplayer mode that is almost lag free - this adds up to one of the best gaming values fighting fans could ask for.

4.5

Overall Rating - Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

New graphics: All-new 1080p high definition art for the Street Fighter characters and backgrounds created by Udon Entertainment, creators of the Street Fighter comic books.

Classic characters: The game features all 17 of the original Super Street Fighter II Turbo characters including Ryu, Guile, M. Bison, and Akuma.

Multiplayer: New multiplayer modes are provided including Quarter Match, Ranked Match, and Tournament. The network code has also been improved for the best possible online game experience.

Remixed or Classic Mode: The new optional Remixed Mode provides massive changes across the board to all Street Fighter characters as created and tested by some the world's top-ranked professional Street Fighter players. Or try the original Super Street Fighter II Turbo mode, which is built-in for those who want to revisit the game's classic gameplay. You can even choose from classic game tunes or newly remixed music.