...the definitive version of the definitive puzzle game!
First releasing in the Arcades in Japan and then later on the PS1 and Sega Saturn, this game has gone through many incarnations. It even saw a release on the Gameboy Advance and a Japanese only online version on the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast version was probably closest to SPF2T: HD Remix but the new game features a number of improvements along with some tweaks and fixes that make this game feel fresh and new again.
This game has a long history. The folks at Capcom decided to make fun of themselves back in 1996 when the original game was developed. They took characters from Street Fighter II, Darkstalkers, and Cyberbots (Japan only fighting game) and drew them in typical deformed anime style. They gave each character their own gem pattern in order to attack their opponent during play (more on attacks later). Furthermore, they decided to take the multiple Street Fighter II titles and put them all together to form a ridiculous game title for their new puzzler; Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. Don't bother looking for Super Puzzle Fighter 1 or something without the Turbo... it doesn't exist.
For those who have never played the game before, here's the lowdown; colored gems fall in pairs from the top of the player's screen and it is your jobs to match up the gems to their corresponding color. There are four types of gems which are the standard gems, bomb gems, counter gems, and diamond gems. Standard gems just fall and as you bring them together with their like color, they grow into larger gems. The bomb gems are sometimes coupled with colored gems and you are to match the bomb gem's color with the same colored gems that you have gathered together. This is how you attack your opponent. Now, once you have delivered an attack, counter gems will fall in your opponent's column. They will be colored as well and will have a number inside them. They count down as each new gems is placed and then turn into standard gems to fill the column of your opponent. Lastly, a diamond gem will be the twenty fifth gem to fall and what ever color you place it on, all of the accumulated gems of that same color in your column will immediately explode. This can execute a devastating attack to your opponent. The fun thing is there is always an opponent. If you play in one player mode, the computer is your opponent. But let's be honest here, this game was made for multiplayer competition. And it is a multiplayer dream come true.
The additions to this version are online play (present only in the Dreamcast version in Japan until now), redrawn HD graphics, and a gem pattern edit mode for customization. Online play takes an already great game and catapults it to perfection. You will lose hours of your life playing this game with all those fighter puzzlers around the world and it is executed flawlessly. There is no hint of lag anywhere to be found with this game. The HD part of the title is no little extension to an already huge mouthful of words. The graphics have been completely redone. This game looks beautiful! All of the character sprites look just as you might remember them from previous versions accept this time around they are crystal clear and sharp. The gems also look much better and are a lot more crisp. The backgrounds have also been touched up quite a bit. The gem pattern edit mode is a nice addition because it lets you customize the pattern for your character of choice. In doing this, playing against others will throw them off because they think they know which strategy to use against a character, say Ken, and the new customized gem pattern makes for a completely different fight. Also, the X+ Mode has taken the players and rebalanced them in order to make each one more accessible. What this all adds up to is a beautiful multiplayer game that is fully customizable and makes crack look like soda pop.
Musically, this is just as you remember it. Think of each character's music from their respective fighting games and remix the tunes in a cutsie way that doesn't drive you insane and you get the idea. The gem explosions have been given a great sound overhaul and sound fantastic when they explode. The controls are largely what you would expect from a puzzle game. Nothing needed to be done with the controls as they were already amazing in each previous version. All in all, this game should be in every puzzle fan's collection. Anyone that has online capabilities with Xbox Live or the PS3 should have this game in their library. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD ranks right up there with the best of games ever made and it is certainly one of the best games to be released on Xbox Live Arcade.
As stated before this game is full of charm. It would be just another standard puzzle game were it not for the Street Fighter, Darkstalker, and Cyberbots characters. Don’t get me wrong; the game on its own is brilliantly done. But without the additions of Capcom’s fighters in their super deformed states, their fighting moves displayed for show when an attack is executed, their remixed music, and the uttering of “Shouryuken” and “Hadouken” thrown into the mix, this would not be the same game. My only complaint is a trivial one but one that is noticeably absent; In the PS1 and Saturn versions of the game, Dan had a wonderful tutorial designed to show how the game was played. It added more charm to an already delightful game. It’s just something missing from the original that would have been nice to see again. However the fun intermission scenes and clever endings are all here so the charisma still remains. The whole game has a very Japanese feel and delivers heavy on the cute without overdoing it in a Hello Kitty kind of way.
I cannot recommend this game enough. Anyone that has an affinity for Capcom fighters or for good puzzle games should be playing this game. If you were looking for something new to play on Xbox Live Arcade or if you are looking for a great multiplayer game, this is your game. If you have played any version of this before then you owe it to yourself to relive the experience as it was truly meant; in HD and online. This truly is the definitive version of the definitive puzzle game!