The greatest fighting innovator reborn, although somewhat marred by control limitations
User Rating: 9.3 | Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition PS2
I was raised on this game. Those days of perfecting the art of the dragon punch, spinning piledriver and sonic boom are still etched in my gaming sub-concious, never has a game been more deserving of a restrospective collection than this. Here Capcom has collected every stage and every character together from the Street Fighter 2 series along with every move variation between the different editions. The collection is done with a loving translation that restores the sharp vivid arcade images to the mind, and makes you remember how much money was spent trying to beat that arrogant poser who claimed supremecy over all comers.. it is brilliant to be able to have a hard copy to keep along with everything of this generation. The historical significance means that this is an essential part of anyone who has played this game, and especially anyone who has not.
The only thing that I would take issue with in this collection are the means in which I have to play it, with a PS2 pad, which other sorts have also pointed out. It is quite simply not the same visceral experience that was to be had with a SNES d-pad, it is too imprecise and clumsy and takes a lot of getting used to, the buttons are also an odd hurdle to overcome. People who have not had the experience of playing this game on a Super Nes probably wont even notice it however, and it did eventually become just a minor gripe.
The game itself is as fresh and as potent as ever, still retaining the artistic vitality that turned it into one of the most important and significant games in the history of this industry.
