Review: Hyper Street Fighter II - The Anniversary Edition (PS2)

Chances are if you have ever owned a console, at some point you have played and loved a version of Street Fighter 2. Now we have reached the fifteenth anniversary of the fighting classic, and Capcom, never one to let a good franchise die, has released this rather nice special edition to celebrate (and make a few quid).

This version of the game contains all seventeen characters from the Street Fighter 2 universe. What makes this a joy for fans of the series is the fact that every version of the characters is present. If you want to put the classic version of Ryu up against the later Hyper version of Ken with his new moves and super Finisher combos you can. A nice idea and one that lets you see if as the characters developed through the different versions of the series the new moves and techniques they acquired (or not) made them stronger combatants or simply had them left behind on the developers drawing board (Guile anyone?).

Needless to say the graphics are detailed if a little dated, but then you could hardly expect them not to be coming from a game fifteen years old. Anyone who thinks 2D fighting games look as good as they always have should put this along side Guilty Gear X2 or Street Fighter 3 and see how later technology can add colour and background detail to bring youth back to an ageing genre. The game itself moves along at whichever pace you choose from the options menu giving you an all-familiar range.

While the series may be getting on the gameplay still manages to hold up fairly well to the test of time. Everything is as responsive and intuitive as you remember it being. Ironically after years of being spoilt by ever more colourful and vibrant Super, Hyper, Turbo, finishing combo moves in the Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter 3 series the older less spectacular Super moves seem a bit flat now. Ryu’s triple fire ball (three dark blue fireballs shooting across the screen) just is not as impressive as his later whirl wind hurricane kick (the whole screen darkens and Ryu drags people towards him into a whirl wind of strikes, before sending them across the screen with a final kick), but then in the heat of battle you will be pleased to have anything at your disposal.

What is questionable is how long you are actually going to spend playing this game. When the Street Fighter Series has moved on both in terms of arcade action (Street Fighter 3, Marvel Capcom) and Tactically (Street Fighter Alpha) then it is highly plausible that after a couple of goes on this the novelty value will wear off for most people. Yes it is a complete version of a classic game but by now that classic game has evolved into something better, and while that sort of misses the point of this package, in terms of long term appeal it is bound to have an impact.

There is no denying this package achieves the goal of creating a historical account of the Street Fighter 2 series, and apart from the main game the dedication to cramming in all the Street Fighter 2 goodness is apparent throughout. The option screen lets you listen to the music of any stage, intro screen or credit sequence from any version of the game. Although this is not the most exciting prospect in the world it shows the effort has been made.

The Street Fighter 2 Anime is also included making the special edition even more of a ‘complete’ article. Annoyingly, it is slightly cut. Nothing of major importance is taken out (a small section with Chun Li in the shower) but when you are presented with what seems like a complete and final version of a product, the fact it has a small section unnecessarily removed does grate ever so slightly. The film itself is of a pretty high standard and still looks good, something every Street Fighter fan should have in they’re collection.

When looking at the Street Fighter Anniversary Edition it is hard to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to how it should be judged. In terms of the gaming market now, the action while still playing like a dream feel basic. Looking at it from the point of view of a fan however, apart from the issue with the editing in the movie you could not really ask for anything more than what is present. This is the definitive Street Fighter 2 experience, though it is certainly no longer the definitive fighting experience. If you’re looking for a complete retro package of one of gaming histories greats then this is for you, anyone else would be better served finding a latter version of the Street Fighter Series.

Rating: 6 / 10

Words by Gareth Chappell