Cert: 12
Formats: Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Fighting
Back in the mid-90's, this once amazing franchise got caught up in a slew of dead-horse-flogging titles like Super Alpha Street Fighter II Hyper Dash Champion Edition, and frankly, everyone lost interest. But now, over a decade later, developing company Capcom went back to basics and decided to do what they do best, make 2-D characters look good while they fireball the crap out of each other.
Starting off with 16 characters, 12 of which are old school, 4 are brand new, with a further 9 to unlock if you manage to figure out how, there are two ways to play this game. One is to go in blind, mashing buttons madly, hoping that you accidentally hit the right combination to make your character do something awesome. The other is to take your time, read the manual, practise special moves in the S.F.'s version of a HoloDeck, so that in time, even a thumb-cracking 42-button combo will be second nature. But where's the fun in that? It's ALL about the joypad mashing!
The graphics and sound-effects are great (at times it feels like you're playing an interactive Manga movie), the one-player is fine to pass a couple of minutes, but everyone knows that this is a game built for two or more, so when it comes to sticking a game on for a laugh with your mates or to play against some stranger on the other side of the world, this one is hard to beat. But like Buzz or Guitar Hero, you may well find yourself only putting it on when you've had a few too many and decided to have a house party.
Rent or Buy: Buy
Graphics: 4/5
Game Play: 5/5
Replay Value: (one player) 2/5 (two-player) 5/5
Overall: 4/5
Reviewed By: Rory Cashin
