Easy
Medium and Medium Hard) setting - making losing to such a crappy character like
DeeJay even worse.
What looks to be a cool idea from a company
trying to give fans a bit of a fantasy (re: Sega's Fighters MegaMix) comes
off as an idea lazily implemented and kind of forgotten about. After a few hours
of playing, all of what the compilation could have been becomes evident, as does
what it is. Why not just limit who the player fights, thereby conveniently breaking
the games up by their actual releases? All the intro movies, with their very minor
differences, are in a cinema mode to view, so it isn't like the pieces aren't
already in place to make this a true compilation. All of this could have been
in addition to this faux mix mode. Unfortunately, it's really up to the player
and a friend to relive yesteryear by both agreeing to pick characters of the same
level, which pretty much negates much of the gee-whiz factor.
However,
even with a more robust selection, as a compilation, Street Fighter Anniversary
Collection would still be lacking. For whatever reason, the Alpha series
was completely ignored. Yes, this package is focused more on Street Fighter
II rather than of the series itself, but Third Strike has as much to
do with the story's continuation as Alpha does with its origins - and it
certainly couldn't have been because of the possible eyesore it could create,
since Capcom vs SNK 2 has shown that the company isn't afraid of throwing
in horribly mismatched sprites to save itself some time. To make it a true celebration,
why not also add a little Pocket Fighter or Super Puzzle Fighter II
Turbo? This would be the umpteenth Street Fighter I've bought, give
me a little something to show you still care - and you do still care, don't you
Capcom?
A slight indulgence on Capcom's part was the inclusion of the
animated movie. Despite the compression not being too great, it being tucked away
in the gallery menu (both the titles are selectable on the first screen, whereas
the movie, touted on the back of the box, isn't), and it doesn't control using
the standard button scheme, it's still an appreciated addition - and one along
the lines that I would expect in an affair like this. It's still surprisingly
entertaining, and it's always nice to see Vega be the deranged Spaniard that we
all know and love.
The gallery mode, aside from housing the movie and
intros, also has the various soundtracks and sound bites to check out. There is
actually on substantial inclusion, and that's a training mode for Hyper Street
Fighter II. It may seem unnecessary, with the systems seeming limited by their
own predecessors, but it's a nice addition - even if it's a few years too late.
The real reason to pick up Street Fighter Anniversary is for Street
Fighter III: Third Strike. After the Alpha series had such a successful
run-culminating with Alpha 3's bombardment of modes and an extremely strong,
large roster of characters-the original III met with a lukewarm reception.
I, myself, didn't really like it the first time I had tried it. Slowly, with Double
Impact, the second version, the developers smoothed the title out. With Third
Strike, Street Fighter III has become one of the most elegant and well
designed-by being immediately playable to newcomers and absolutely rich to those
who put in the time-fighters ever made. Both Double Impact (released with
the original) and Third Strike (released with Double Impact) were
released on the Dreamcast, but it is only now that any version of III has been
released on any of the newer consoles. Considering many never picked it up for
the Dreamcast or sold the console some time ago, this is the perfect opportunity
to pick it up, especially since the MSRP is fairly low.
What I particularly
enjoy about SFIII is how it shows the series evolving from projectiles
to close combat. Granted, the abundance of fireballs and whatnot has been on the
Versus series for some time, but in the earlier days, fireballs, flames, and sonic
booms where relied on heavily. Now the over-the-top moves have given way to grapples
and a system of fisticuffs that include limited blocking, parrying, and counters.
The Alpha series found a comfortable mix of extravagant moves and a toned
down approach, while III is going towards the later. The cast of characters
takes some time getting used to, and I would argue still isn't as strong as the
other releases, but returning characters like Ken, Ryu, and Chun Li fit well with
the new cast, including a duo of quick youngsters and a one-armed genetic mishap.
The controls and moves will come to pretty much any newcomer, as it has
only been with the strong turn to 3D that the methodology created by Capcom in
performing moves hasn't been a strong influence. The timing needed to perform
parries adds an incredible amount of replay value because they aren't easy to
do, but incredibly satisfying when pulled off correctly. The animation is also
some of the most fluid I've seen, with large sprites and color contact effects
giving the title a little liveliness. The music is still kind of 'eh' and it lacks
the zesty announcer of the Alpha series, but it's up tempo enough to not
be distracting. Third Strike is just a strong release all-around.
The Virtua Fighter series pulled me away from pretty much every other fighter,
including Street Fighter, the series I tended towards when I felt the need
to slap some sprites around, but Third Strike has renewed my interest in
the series in such a way that Hyper Street Fighter II didn't come close
to. It isn't that Hyper is completely useless, it just seems more haphazardly
put together rather than an actual tribute to a great series; and, in contrast
to the other goodies (movies, soundtrack, the film), it seems like a way of skipping
out on a true collection in favor of something that just sounds interesting rather
than actually being so.
Overall:
7.5/10
Buy Street Fighter Anniversary
Collection for Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Just think of Hyper
Street Fighter II as a kind-of-interesting bonus. For those with friends who
love the series, the classic matches will contain great nostalgia-filled rounds,
but those who will be going solo will be disserved if buying it for the idea of
fantasy matches alone. For those wanting a true celebration of the Street Fighter
series (since collections on the PSOne and Sega Saturn include all of these titles
actually playable by release), you'll have to wait a little longer - and Alpha
fans need to look elsewhere. Definitely give Street Fighter III a try,
though, it's an amazing fighter that's priced reasonably (considering its age)
and well worth your time, and it is this release's saving grace.
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