Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Written by Tom Clare in PS3 Game Reviews, Wednesday 23 September, 2009

Released: 2009
Developer: Backbone Emeryville
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: 2D Beat 'em up
Platform: PS3
Version: 1.10

Having ridden the wave of hype and expectation for a seemingly endless period in the run up to its release, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix appears to have become very much a victim of its circumstances. On paper at least, it seemed like a game that could hardly fail; a reboot of a revered 2D beat ‘em up, the chief lure of this iteration is a glossy new HD paint-job and online features. Surely the perfect recipe for fans, what could go wrong?

Surprisingly, quite a lot as it turned out, with conservative design decisions and negligence on the part of publisher Capcom proving the primary offenders. As the title alludes to, this download-only title was based on Super Street Fighter II, an arcade beat ‘em up ported to the SNES and Mega-Drive in 1994. Yet despite the increased character rosters and greater variety of game modes that have strengthened the longevity of modern beat ‘em ups, HD Remix ironically chooses not to reprise a host of the game modes that SSF2 helped pioneer. The more notable absentees include Group Battle (particularly enjoyable with a friend) and Time Challenge – cast aside so as to leave a bare-about-the-bones selection of a single-player arcade mode and on or offline multiplayer.

Thus in terms of content, you get the distinct impression that SSF2THDR is like a stripped version of a game that’s already rather long in the tooth, and it’s a bit of a slap in the face for fans expected to part with £11.99. All eyes were inevitably focused on its online potential, but due to a virtually unfathomable sequence of decisions concerning the games release date, Capcom almost managed to scuttle the main selling-point before it was even released.

It was released as a download in virtually all major territories for both the PS3 and Xbox360 in November 2008. Everywhere that is, except if you’re a European PS3 owner. Quite what was being ‘optimised’ in the three months that followed is anyone’s guess – though it certainly wasn’t the developers adding Trophy support, as they disappointingly remain absent. Delays are a common problem in gaming, but generally not for titles that are already finished, and when Capcom eventually choose to make the game available to European gamers via the PlayStation Store, they shot themselves in the foot by releasing it a day before Street Fighter IV launched. Thus SFIV predictably lapped up quantities of SSF2THDR’s would-be online community as many inevitably jumped ship or simply bypassed the game altogether.

The harsh truth is, admirable as the variety and balance of its gameplay still is, it’s getting harder to keep returning to such base revisions of Street Fighter II and continue to recommend them against the current crop of fighting games. There are a number of superior alternatives available for those who want an inexpensive slice of retro beat ‘em up fun – not least the acclaimed PSOne favourite Street Fighter Alpha which is also available to download from the PlayStation Store, itself set at the slightly cheeky price of £4.99. Better still though, Street Fighter Alpha Anniversary for the PS2 contains several excellent beat ‘em ups that each individually offer a greater array of characters, moves and modes than HD Remix. And it doesn’t play as well as these older offerings either. Whilst it looks razor sharp and runs smoothly, HD Remix plays too quickly, leading to hyper-sensitive controls, and if you have any plans on being competitive online, a joystick is a must. Performing special moves is strangely under-encouraged, with standard punches and kicks usually dealing almost as much damage to a foe as one of Ryu’s fireballs or Chun-Li’s Spinning Bird Kick.

The high-definition visuals make for a marked change from the series norm, as stylistic modifications distance it considerably from the traditional Street Fighter look. This isn’t necessarily a criticism as such, more a matter of personal taste. It’s more westernised and cartoon-like, as every square-inch of screen is saturated with bright colours, whilst the brawlers and backgrounds have a rounded, clean look to them. The iconic settings are easily identifiable; from Chun-Li’s memorable Chinese street stage complete with bicycles, to Dhalsim’s arena with trumpeting elephants and Vega’s intimidating cage. Staying true to the source material, the background animations remain simplistic, though importantly the fighters themselves are as individual and distinct as ever. The soundtrack is one area that hasn’t suffered with age and is just as great now as it was all those years ago, and luckily the Remix treatment has done it great service, with some nice but not overt updates to the background music.

And that’s pretty much it. The online mode runs pretty well if you can find people to play against, and if your sole want is to challenge other retro SF nuts then it’s worth consideration. However, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix’s underwhelming single-player experience makes it difficult to recommend to the wider public, especially given the wealth of alternatives available across all consoles. Visuals aside, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, and due to Capcom’s kamikaze tactics with its release date, it’s destined to be forgotten in the shadow of Street Fighter IV.

 

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