GAMES
.: REVIEW
GAMEBOY ADVANCE
June 2002
by Jae Lurman
SUPER
STREET FIGHTER II : TURBO REVIVAL
Hailed
as one of the greatest achievements in video-game history thus far,
Capcom's Street Fighter II : The World Warriors received widespread
fanaticism and acclaim. Deservedly so. The franchise literally kicked
off the fighting genre of games we now hold in such high regard. Sadly,
it took a title such as Sega's Virtua Fighter in 1993 to almost completely
alter the future direction of these fighters. With the mega success
of hits such as Tekken, Dead or Alive, Soul Calibur,(and ironically
to a lesser extent - the Street Fighter EX installments) it seems
as if the vigilant Street Fighter series has created a monster it
can no longer control. Yet even today, Street Fighter 2 stands defiant
as one of the last strongholds of true 2D gaming existence. Take away
from the flashy 3D graphics of its modern rivals and their robotic
singular button moves, its clear to see that Street Fighter II continues
to be the most playable and well-balanced fighting game out there.
Capcom capitalised on this incredible success, quickly following up
with Championship and Hyper Fight arcade models. From there Street
Fighter stems out to a number of offshoot franchises like the Alpha
and VS series - the inevitable invasion of all major gaming platforms
- and now, the Gameboy Advance.
Super Street Fighter
2 : Turbo Revival, besides being a mouthful to say, is essentially
a direct port of the well-known Super Street Fighter II game (Arcade,
Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis) with Turbo (Super Nintendo, Sega genesis)
elements and a touch of the Alpha series thrown in for good measure.
The first obvious and major concern is how Capcom were going to translate
the desired 6 button setup of the arcade down to the GBAs' 4 button
layout. It works out remarkably well, though Street Fighter 2 fans
may find reaching for the shoulder buttons mid-combo a little daunting
at times. But just as shown through the excellent ports of the Tony
Hawk series to the handheld, once you adapt it becomes almost second
nature. You'll be pulling off all your favourite moves and executing
combos very quickly. The 4 button system works like this: a quick
button tap performs a light strike, while a longer press performs
a medium attack. The two shoulder buttons are assigned to your heavy
strength blows. This of course can all be reconfigured to best suit
your playing style.
The game
is brief in terms of storyline as its always been about just plain
old ass kicking. However, each character has their own history, rivalry
and reasons for entering the tournament. All of the 16 fighters (including
2 unlockable versions of Akuma, Ryu's rival of the dark hadou) possess
unique skills, special moves and powers. Much like its more recent
Street Fighter counterparts, as you battle during the 3 rounds a special
gauge builds up and you can unleash various degrees of super attacks
upon your opponents. Making contact with your enemy, these moves deliver
a devastating blow to their health, often ending the match in your
favour.
The overall
visuals are outstanding, Capcom somehow managed to squeeze down all
the levels (and some new ones) and characters to the Gameboy Advance's
160x140 screen resolution with surprisingly excellent results. It's
much like plugging your SNES into a miniature monitor but experiencing
it on this totally portable system feels revolutionary from a veteran
standpoint. With most of the processing power focused on keeping the
game top-speed and the storage memory holding all of the lush graphics
and animations, something had to give. We all know the Gameboy Advance
sound capabilities; just listen to Castlevania : Circle of the Moon
or Golden Sun for reference. However, the audio in Turbo Revival suffers
greatly. Our most memorable tunes and "hadooooken"'s are
intact, but the actual quality of the sound samples are degraded at
best. Obviously this is due to the cartridge size restrictions - the
emphasis on the visuals rather than sound is clearly evident, and
thus forgivable.
One of the
unspoken laws of remaking a classic game is to include enough extra
features, secrets and unlockable options to warrant its resurrection.
If enjoying a mix of Super and Turbo edition Street Fighter II's by
simply reaching for your GBA isn't attractive as it is, Capcom included
a few extras for your hard earned (and well spent) dollars. Survival
mode consists of a series of tasks like the completing the bonus stages
(break the car or barrels) in the fastest possible time. Also included
in this mode is an interesting and extremely difficult battle challenge
where you must defeat an allotted number of opponents with one energy
bar. 10 yeah. 30 maybe. But 100? Deadly! Time Attack mode sets you
against a series or group of opponents, including the dark Akuma.
Although these modes seem like a last-minute throw in, they do provide
a valuable training facility in which to hone your fighting skills.
While playing through the main game you collect VS points and when
you reach a certain number these features become available, including
the chance to play as Akuma himself or unlock viewable galleries of
brand-new character artwork.
Last but certainly not least is the Multiplayer aspect of Turbo Revival.
Requiring an extra GBA and game cartridge, you can duke it out with
a friend / foe. This really is where the game shines, and it's a shame
that the majority of people purchasing this title will not experience
this feature. The variety and balance among the contenders makes for
some fierce competition which extends the lastability of this game
tenfold.
Final word:
Super Street Fighter 2 : Turbo Revival proves not only that the SFII
legacy is as effective today as it was a decade ago, but also that
the Gameboy Advance is capable of such an excellent translation. The
game boasts multiple modes of play, a huge cast line-up, additional
graphical tweaks and extra moves - combining teh grandaddys of the
fighting genre, Super Street Fighter II and Street Fighter II Turbo
perfectly into one handheld package. While not ground-breaking, Turbo
Revival is a must for fans of the series and anyone looking for some
serious fighting action on the run.
IMAGE
SOURCES
Screenshots
are from Video Game
Museum.
GBA
Wishlist (Part 2)
