Street Fighter Alpha 2 Review

I wouldn't call this the best fighting game on the SNES, but it's definitely the one that'll make your jaw drop the most. The Street Fighter Alpha series was the next iteration in the saga after Street Fighter II, and brought along with it much more visual flair in the form of animation and flashing effects. Thanks to a special chip that allowed for massive data compression, Capcom and Nintendo were able to port Alpha 2 over to the SNES as the console entered its final Christmas in 96.

Anyone who's played the arcade/Playstation/Saturn versions of Alpha 2 will immediately notice the cuts that have been made here. Many frames of animation have been removed, and there is constant slowdown throughout the fights. Music and effects, though accurate, are not as full-bodied and rich as they've otherwise sounded. Secret characters are missing. And perhaps most surprising of all, the game actually freezes for a few seconds before the start of each round, allowing the SNES to decompress and process all the data.

If all this sounds like a bust, it's actually not. The production team made wise decisions about where to cut, and the result is a game that feels very complete compared to other companies' attempts (Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, I'm looking at you). All 18 original fighters are intact with their moves, custom combos, and levels. The intro and ending sequences are here, and yes the shadow effects and screen flashes from the combos are well-represented. Slowdown takes a bit of getting used to (the original arcade was a very fast game), but overall the speed is comparable to the original Street Fighter II installments. Really, the only nitpick is the loss of extra tournament and training modes, but the cartridge was probably at the limit of what could be squeezed in.

If you're looking for an arcade-perfect port, this isn't the version to get. But if you're looking for a rare/novelty game that also happens to succeed on its own terms gameplay-wise, Street Fighter Alpha 2 is a must-have. I'd give Super Street Fighter II the slight edge over it as the latter is a stronger direct port, but overall Alpha 2 is still one of the top fighting games on the SNES.

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Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting Review

Street Fighter 2 was the first fighting game I owned on my SNES and is still one of my favorites.I skipped Champion Edition but when Turbo came out (the one with E Honda fighting Sagat on the cover) I knew it was good enough to buy again.This version features all the original 8 characters plus the 4 bosses, and the ability to fight with each character against himself, but does not include the 4 "new fighters" who are mostly cheap or ... (I really hate T Hawk).This is in my opinion the superior version of Street Fighter 2 on the best system.It seems like the SNES controller was made for this game, and the action so so smooth and beautiful.I had some fun playing this game against the computer but it really shines in versus mode.I cant tell you how many hours my brothers and I played this game but it became as much of a male bonding activity for us as anything.I think i still remember the code to jack up the turbo from the usual 3 stars to 10 (the matches are over in a matter of seconds) up down left right L Y R B or something like that.Man i really want to play this game again, hopefully my copy will arrive soon.It really is the most balanced and accurate fighting game of all time....Hadoken

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT Tournament Fighters [Nintendo Super NES] Review

There's been quite a few Street Fighter II clones, and most have been pretty shoddy. TMNT: Tournament Fighters holds up quite well, especially for Turtles fans. There are 10 selectable characters plus two playable bosses, for a total of 12. Besides the four turtles, characters are drawn from the cartoon, original comic books, and Archie series, making for a unique blend. The most interesting inclusion is Karai, who was established in the comics but only entered the mainstream with the 2003 animated series.

Graphics are well-realized and detailed, the fighters animate smoothly. Some more background animation and activity would've been appreciated, as well as unique finishing poses (instead of simply being a freeze of one of the character's moves). Music is forgettable but unobtrusive. The games' biggest letdown is that it only uses 4 buttons instead of the Street Fighter 6, but the fighting engine is still pretty good. There are even chargable super moves that can quickly turn the tide of battle.

TMNT fans will want to track this game down. Fans of the genre should also feel safe adding it to their collection.

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