I’m going to assume several things from you the loyal GameZone reader.  I’m going to assume that your life was changed, as mine was, with the Street Fighter series.  I’m going to assume that Street Fighter isn’t “just a game” but it’s something much more personal then the average person will understand.  But the biggest assumption I’m going to make that either you, or someone you know, knows at least a little bit about the Street Fighter series. 

The reason I’m making these assumptions is because the Street Fighter series is without a doubt one of the most influential games ever released in the gaming market.   I would rank Street Fighter II as one of the 10 greatest games of all time and it would probably rank close to the top on my personal list.  It created a frenzy within the gaming industry by becoming one of the biggest games of all time.   I can recall going to an arcade waiting in line just to get my butt kicked by the reigning king of Street Fighter II.  I remember the unbridled excitement I had when I picked up my copy of Street Fighter II for SNES.  I screamed out “ HADOKEN” and my brother was hiding from embarrassment.  There are some games that will always anchor someone’s memory to a certain time and place; Street Fighter is one of those games for me. 

Since it is the 15^th Anniversary of the Street Fighter series, Capcom has decided to put together a PS2 collection that is sure to please all Street Fighter fans.  The Anniversary Collection is composed of two games; Hyper Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III: Third Strike.  Hyper Street Fighter II is what I would call the Street Fighter II buffet.  It’s the Street Fighter II game but with a mixture of ingredients from the different versions of Street Fighter II that were released.  There were a total of five different versions of Street Fighter II released: Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Champion Edition, Street Fighter II Hyper Fighter, Super Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II Turbo. 

Yes you read that right, five different versions of Street Fighter II!  Gamers couldn’t get enough of Street Fighter II and Capcom would release updated versions just to satisfy the demands of the gamers.  Championship Edition was released so players could finally select the same player and fight each other.  With each additional release Capcom would update the game with either new characters (Super Street Fighter II) or faster game play (Street Fighter II Hyper Fighter).  But with the Hyper Street Fighter II Anniversary Collection game Capcom has decided to mix everything together into one game.  Instead of having all six versions of the game included Capcom gives players the opportunity to select a version of a character from the appropriate version. 

For instance, let’s say you’re itching to play Ryu from the original version of Street Fighter II.  Well Capcom gives you the option of selecting Ryu and then choosing which version Ryu you want to use: Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Hyper Fighter, Street Fighter Championship Edition, Super Street Fighter II, etc.  Depending on which version you select determines the moves and abilities of the character.  But the computer (or the second player) can choose a different version for each character.  So it’s possible to have a showdown between the original Street Fighter II Ryu and Super Street Fighter II’s version of Ken.  This is a great mix up for gamers wanting to see the differences between the different versions of Street Fighter II.

The other game included is Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike.  As the name states this is the third incarnation of Street Fighter III and one of the last true Street Fighter games released (notwithstanding the Capcom vs. SNK series).  By the time Capcom finally got around to releasing Street Fighter III gamers were getting used to different games and were expecting more than just another 2D, side scrolling fighting game.  But it’s a shame because Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike is a fantastic game on its own.  You can choose up to three special moves and pick from two different characters to fight before each round.  It might not have been the most revolutionary fighting game released at the time but 3^rd Strike still stands up as a great game, even today.

Whether you know everything there is to know about Street Fighter or you’re new to the series, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is an incredible package for gamers.  You get two amazing fighting games that helped shaped the gaming industry, as we know it on one disc at an amazing price, $29.99.  The game even includes some bonus features such as the original Street Fighter II anime.  If you’re looking for a challenge or wanting to reclaim past glories, then Street Fighter II Anniversary Collection is a must have for gamers.

Gameplay 8.7 

In case you’ve never played Street Fighter before the game is played out in a 2D layout.  Each fighter starts off on one side of the stage and it’s a best two out of three falls battle.  Moving the directional pad (or the analog stick) in a certain direction and then pressing a punch or kick button performs all of the moves.  You also have three different levels for the punch and kick buttons, Heavy, Medium and Light.  Most of the moves are simple to use but can take hours to master.  Thankfully both versions play just as accurate as the arcade versions.  The controls are very tight and responsive, which means all of the combos you learned over the years will still work in this collection.  The controls have always been a blessing in the console versions of the Street Fighter series.  Capcom has always tried to make sure the game responds at the same speed and pace of the arcade versions.  The only problem that someone might have with the game is the PS2 controller.  You can control the characters with the analog stick but this might feel too loose for some players.  The directional pad on the PS2 controller has never been the top choice for a majority of fighting game fans.  Be on the look out for the limited edition Street Fighter II Anniversary Collection controllers: they’re designed just for Street Fighter fighting games.

Graphics 8.4 

The graphics within the Anniversary Collection are faithful to the arcade versions.  All of the graphics are presented in a 2D layout, from the characters to the stages.  The graphics range from extremely detailed to, what might appear to be to younger players, crude graphics that lack detail.  This is especially noticeable on the Hyper Street Fighter II game since the game is composed of really two different games.  The graphics from the first three Street Fighter games (Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Championship Edition, and Street Fighter II Hyper Fighter) just don’t look as detailed as the graphics from the Super Street Fighter series.  The Super Street Fighter series features more detailed stages and character animations than the first three games.  But the graphics really shine with Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike.  Imagine watching a cartoon that you’re in control of and this is a close description of the graphics in Street Fighter III.  The animation for all of the characters is amazing with each character moving around fantastically.  The sprites are fantastic as well with a great amount of detail for all of the characters.  Capcom decided to keep the sprite detail unchanged from the original arcade versions, which means these are not high-resolution sprites (such as the latest edition of Guilty Gear).  This isn’t a big issue but for games with HDTVs the old 2D sprites might not look as amazing as they do on a regular TV.

Sound 8.5 

The game has set the default music on Hyper Street Fighter II to a remixed version that sounds great.  But if you want the actual music from the original Street Fighter II you have that option available.  Or if you want to hear the music from one of the other versions you can select them as well.  The music from 3^rd Strike remains unchanged from the arcade version.  But what would the game be without all of the classic sound effects from the arcade versions?  Thankfully all of the sound effects are duplicated accurately from the original versions.  This isn’t a Surround Sound test game and most of the music & sound effects will come through in regular stereo sound.

Difficulty Medium to Difficult 

I have to admit that my Street Fighter skills were rather rusty when I first tried the game.  I started off by selecting Hyper Street Fighter II and selecting the regular version of Ken.  To my surprise I was getting beat up repeatedly and didn’t seem to stand a chance.  Things did improve when I selected the Super Street Fighter Turbo version of Ken.  The move set was expanded and the power balance of the character was different as well.  But it still took me a LONG time to finish the game.  A good fighting game always tries to balance the easy to pick up but lifetime to master parts equally.  For Street Fighter veterans this might be a wake up call that this game does require skill and patience.  Younger players might be turned off only after a few rounds since the game won’t let up, even on some of the lower difficulty settings.

Concept 9.3 

Two great games at an amazing price are always a nice idea, especially for gamers.  It’s so hard today to justify spending countless amounts of money on all of the new games that are released.  Street Fighter Anniversary Collection gives players an impressive array of features at an amazing price.  By updating the original Street Fighter II to encompass the entire Street Fighter II collection, gamers can see all of the subtle differences that made up Street Fighter II.  Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike could be for some the lost gem in the Street Fighter legacy.  If you never played 3^rd Strike before now you don’t have to worry about having to purchase it separately.  The collection even includes the original Street Fighter II anime that can be watched immediately, there’s no need to unlock it.  For hardcore Street Fighter II fans the Hyper Street Fighter II game is what I would consider the crown jewel.  You won’t have to jump back and forth between games to see how the original Street Fighter II series advanced from the first game to Super Street Fighter II Turbo.  Now if only Capcom would have included the original Street Fighter game in the collection just to show everyone just how much the games advanced.  Let me tell you from someone that played the original Street Fighter that it would probably surprise you just how far Capcom was able to advance the game.

Multiplayer 8.5 

The game was always designed as a multiplayer game, but just player vs. player.  I remember having arguments with roommates about which player was going to be the 2^nd player because no one enjoyed playing from the right side of the screen.  There is a versus mode in the game that allows up to two players to take turns fighting out who’s the real champion.  But while playing the arcade mode the 2^nd player can press the start button at any time to get into the game.  There is no online mode for the PS2 version but an online version is being released at a later date for the Xbox.  Why oh why Capcom must the PS2 owners not have online multiplayer?

Overall 8.7 

Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a must have title for fighting game fans.  Whether you want to take a stroll down memory lane or just test your skills again you won’t be disappointed with Street Fighter Anniversary Collection.  The classic gameplay is here, the great graphics and sound effects are here as well.  Even with all of this you’re only paying a small price compared to a majority of the other games released today.  The hardcore Street Fighter fans will probably want to look for another controller then sticking with the PS2 controller.  This is probably the only big issue that I would have with the game, but even then the PS2 controller and 2D fighting game opinion vary wildly.  Now I just can’t wait until Capcom decides to give us a Street Fighter Alpha collection. HADOKEN!!!