Elaine Garbarine

Street Fighter Anniversary Collection

December 9, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Elaine Garbarine Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/sfac/cover.jpg[/floatleft]When I was 10 years old, I would go to the arcade in the mall with one dollar in quarters. I would park myself in front of the newest [i]Street Fighter[/i] machine and would not leave until that dollar was gone. (I could make those four quarters last until my parents dragged me out of the mall.) The game created so many childhood memories for me, especially when I beat the “big kids” round after round. [i]Street Fighter[/i] still remains as my favorite series of video games. The anticipation that I have for each new game in the series matches the excitement [i]Halo 2[/i] created for the thousands of people who stood in line at midnight waiting for its release.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/sfac/ss12_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The [i]Street Fighter Anniversary Collection[/i] from Capcom brings back all my arcade memories and uncovers the [i]Street Fighter[/i] freak that I try so desperately to hide. The disc includes [i]Hyper Street Fighter II[/i] and [i]Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike[/i] on one glorious disc. [i]Hyper Street Fighter II[/i] is a blend of five different [i][i]Street Fighter II[/i] games, complete with all the characters, costume colors, sounds, and battle locations that I still have memorized to this day. Like the old arcade classics, the games play with clean graphics and all the original music and sound effects. The different versions of [i]Street Fighter II[/i] are integrated seamlessly-the creators even kept intact the ability to customize the PlayStation 2 button layout fully to each player’s personal preference.

Despite my affinity towards [i]Street Fighter II[/i], the real jewel of this collection is [i]Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike[/i]. I missed the first console version of this game (released on Dreamcast), so I was thrilled that it was included in the [i]Anniversary Collection[/i]. All the great arcade characters and features are present in [i]3rd Strike[/i], including the excitable (and borderline annoying) announcer. Even though [i]3rd Strike[/i] has the button customization feature just [i]like Street Fighter II[/i], the whole experience would be more complete with a quality joystick instead of the PS2 controller.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/sfac/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Besides more costume colors and a couple of characters, I will acknowledge that there is nothing remarkably new here. The [i]Anniversary Collection[/i] includes a version of [i]Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie[/i]-a nice thought-but the video is really not the best quality, and any fan of the series (like me) probably has a copy already sitting on his or her DVD shelf. Another important thing to note is that while the PS2 version does not support online play, the Xbox version (to be released in February 2005) will. This was not a necessity for me, but I understand that many gamers want online competition.

All in all, despite the lack of bonus material on the new [i]Anniversary Collection[/i] disc, it is still a solid purchase if you are a [i]Street Fighter[/i] fan, or if you simply enjoy video games with 2D fighters. It should be a big incentive to buy this disc if you have a quality joystick, which helps sell the genuine arcade feel of the game. Priced at only $29.99, it is almost like stealing an arcade machine, except not as heavy-and you don’t need four quarters to play.

Street Fighter Anniversary Collection Controller

December 7, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Elaine Garbarine Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/sfaccontroller/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I am a well-known [i]Street Fighter[/i] nut. I own the games, the anime, the horrible Van Damme movie, the comics, the works. Naturally, when I heard that Sony- and Capcom-licensed special edition controllers were being released in parallel with the PS2 launch of [i]Street Fighter Anniversary Collection[/i], I was already bookmarking funds to purchase at least one controller. So I bought one, indeed, and I was not disappointed.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/sfaccontroller/ss05_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The controller itself will make any 2D fighting fan extraordinarily happy. It has a six-button layout like the Genesis controllers of old with two additional shoulder buttons. Moving two of the buttons onto the face of the pad was brilliant and makes playing any 2D fighter (especially [i]Street Fighter[/i]) a much more enjoyable experience. The D-pad is well-crafted and feels quite responsive and much better than the D-pad on the Dual Shock. The controller is thick but not heavy and honestly feels a bit “cheaper” than I was hoping for. Lastly, on the face of the controller is a three-image lenticular display featuring a three-frame animation of the one of four characters: Akuma, Chun-Li, Ken, or Ryu. My purchase was Ryu, but with the recent price drop from $25 to $20 I will be acquiring the remaining three controllers in short order. Collectors should note that the Akuma version is extremely difficult to find, and you may need to venture online to obtain it.

To be honest, the packaging rather than the controller is the real selling point. The box is absolutely beautiful with special artwork for each character. Opening up the front flap reveals a certificate with a message from Nuby Tech and the familiar seal that has accompanied all of the 15th anniversary goods. Also included is an edition of the [i]new Street Fighter[i/] comic series (currently 12 editions in), which has some of the most beautiful [i]Street Fighter[/i] artwork that I have seen in quite some time.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/sfaccontroller/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]All in all, this is a solid controller that will make all of your PS2 2D fighters feel brand new again. The packaging is so exceptional that any collector or fan of the series will appreciate it. With the $20 price point, there really isn’t a strong reason not to snatch one of these up. Be warned, you may never want to take it out of the box.

Dead or Alive Ultimate

December 7, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Elaine Garbarine Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doau/cover.jpg[/floatleft]3D fighters have become so prolific in the recent past that it seems ridiculous to invest in yet another game. With my current disappointment in the 3D [i]Mortal Kombat[/i] games and the sheer volume of [i]Soul Calibur 2[/i], I was a bit on the fence about another 3D fighter, especially one that was in fact a remake.

That’s right. [i]Dead or Alive Ultimate[/i] is a remake. More specifically, it is a repackaging of one game and a remake of the other. The set includes the Sega Saturn version of the first [i]Dead or Alive[/i] and a completely remade version of [i]Dead or Alive 2[/i], which now has beautifully updated graphics and a plethora of neat unlockables. It is true that there is no new story here nor has any of the content from the original games been fleshed out in any way. Despite this, I still found myself pleasantly surprised with [i]DOAU[/i].

First, the game packaging is exceptional. I was extremely excited that each game had its own hard case instead of just throwing both games into a single case. Both game cases are then placed inside a very pretty, collector-worthy sleeve that is now sitting happily on my game shelf. If you’re lucky, you might also acquire some limited edition, collector trading cards with the set.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doau/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The collection excels well beyond the packaging. The graphics from the Sega Saturn version of [i]Dead or Alive[/i] have been ported and exceptionally rendered. It is interesting to note that this is the first time North America has ever seen this version of [i]Dead or Alive[/i]. The only thing added to this game is the addition of Xbox Live online play, which-while fun-loses its shine very quickly, especially next to the beautifully remade version of [i]Dead or Alive 2.[/i]

Team Ninja truly went the extra mile when updating [i]Dead or Alive 2[/i]. The graphics are jaw-dropping gorgeous. The backgrounds have been updated, and many are now interactive with multiple levels and locations inside of a single battle stage. Character design is flawlessly updated and beautifully rendered, and a new intro movie has been added to show off the overall prettiness here. In truth, a game cannot survive on graphics alone, so how does it play?

It plays nearly exactly like the PS2 version of [i]Dead or Alive 2[/i] but only tighter. The controls feel more responsive and a bit more precise. I can’t be sure if that is due to my personal preference for the Xbox controller S over the Dual Shock or if the Team Ninja went the extra mile to solidify the controls. Either way, it works and feels better than the original. A good arcade stick makes this game feel so good to play that you would think you were actually in the arcade.

The arcade experience is really what a fighting game has always been about, and it is apparent that Team Ninja is aware of that fact. The sense of online community when playing on Xbox Live is excellent. Playing online creates a sort of virtual arcade where up to eight players can join a game. These players then take turns playing in one of the many online modes-Winner-Stays, Loser-Stays, Kumite, Survival, Tournament, and Team Battle-while the other players watch from the comfort of their couches. It almost feels like putting a quarter up on the arcade machine and then waiting your turn in line without having to deal with big sweaty guys who have developed joystick claw from too much arcade time.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doau/ss09_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Online play is definitely a selling point, but single player is brilliant as well. I have played so many fighting games that it would make most gamers physically ill, and I can say without hesitation that the single player experience here is pretty darn good. A player is rewarded for playing story mode on the numerous difficulties with a ridiculous number of new costumes for every character. Other games modes include Time Attack, Survival, Tag Battle, Team Battle, Versus, Sparring, and Watch-all of which have appeared in one or another of the Dead or Alive games, with nothing new included this time around. Despite the lack of new single player modes, I still find myself coming back to this game over and over to see how many costumes I can unlock and just to get a glimpse of all of the perfectly rendered battle arenas.

With all of the “fighters” out there right now, why bother with the D[i]ead or Alive[/i] series at all? Well, [i]Dead or Alive[/i] has a certain amount of beginner appeal that other fighters don’t really have. Much like [i]Soul Calibur[/i], it is pretty easy to pick up and play and sort of learn combinations and moves without memorizing pages of button combinations. On top of that, there is a great deal of depth here for those who are already fans of the series. There are quite a good number of combinations and moves to pull off and tons of costumes to unlock.

The bottom line here is that if you already hate the [i]DOA[/i] series this set is probably not going to make you suddenly fall in love with it. Adversely, if you are a [i]DOA[/i] freak, then you must have this game. Other people who should pick this up are 3D fighting lovers and gamers who are fans of fighters in general. You should probably avoid this one if you hate 3D fighters, and it might not warrant the $50 price tag if you don’t plan on taking the game online. If you only want it for the single-player experience, you should still grab it; but wait until the price drops a bit. This one comes with my recommendations. It has made both me and my arcade stick very, very happy.

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