An old classic on our new systems. This game has a great look, and is great for anyone to pick up and play.
The gameplay is similar to Tetris or Columns in that you have the falling blocks formula. 2 blocks of various colors fall connected to eachother at a time, and you can rotate them. You want to link up the same colors together to get large concentrations of blocks.
On occasion, a circular orb will drop in place of one of the two blocks. When the orb lands, if it is ever touching any blocks of the same color all of them are destroyed - and a set number of blocks drop on your opponent. This is where the fighting comes in.
This game is all about speed. You and your opponent all have the same sequence of blocks falling, so you want to bring your blocks down fast to create more ammo to use against them. The game is also about creating combos of destroying one set of colors and then having orbs fall onto other sets and destroying them in sequence. The pick up and play ability and depth allow all types of players to enjoy the game.
The Capcom fighters used to display the battles in this game are only branding and there for cute purposes. The fighting really has nothing to do with anything. The fighters react - loosely used - to what you do on your screen.
Most games can be completed in 60 seconds in my experience, and are fairly intense. You can do a great job and destroy a lot of blocks, but if you don't KO your opponent, you leave them with a lot of ammo to send your way. I usually have to lay on little after little combo to keep the pressure up if I don't succeed on my first knock out punch.
I really enjoy this game because it is one I can play online, which has been easy to find opponents and has been lag free. (Though my opponents sometimes have quit out before the end of the match so that rankings aren't affected) lame It is also a game I can play with my wife, she loves it more than I do. I guess what's great is that you can pick up the game and play 2 best out of 3 sessions in about 5-10 minutes. Arcade gaming at its best.
Super Puzzle Fighter HD has several modes - most of which you can forget about aside from X or X' mode. They offer minor variations to gameplay that aren't very worthwhile.
Overall, I feel that this game has already warranted its $10 spent on it. I enjoy it very much.