Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix review

Even though Street Fighter IV is almost upon us in February, and Street Fighter II has appeared to gamers in several forms over many platforms since its first release, Capcom have decided to release yet another version you can download over Xbox Live or from the PlayStation Network. This remixed edition not only provides an arcade perfect version of the game fighting fans know and love, but also a whole new remixed version with a complete makeover from Udon, the guys who currently make the Street Fighter comics. Not only that, but those familiar theme tunes have been given a tweak to bring them up to date.

So, if you’ve ever played Street Fighter II before, you’ll know what to expect. You can choose from old favourites including Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Sagat, Cammy and Zangief and pit them against each other in locations around the world. You can play the game vs the computer, locally against mates and over the internet and it’s all a very perfect package. They’ve even tweaked some of the moves to make them slightly easier in the remixed version. If you’re a purist you can play the original, but the remix is a bit more forgiving when trying to pull off super moves. You’re more likely to time them correctly, rather than mistiming them and jumping into an enemy’s fist or one of Chun-Li’s chunky thighs.

Of course, with all this thumb rolling you’ll need the right tools for the job. The d-pad on the PS3 controller lends itself better to this. Unfortunately, the Xbox 360 d-pad is a little but clunky and may give you blisters after a while. If you really want to get ahead of the rest of the pack and thrash people online, I suggest you get yourself an arcade stick - especially if you’re also planning on getting Street Fighter IV.

So is it worth the money? I downloaded this for the 360 and it cost 1200 gamer points. If you’re an absolute Street Fighter nut then of course, this is an essential purchase. If you’re more casual about it then it may not be for you and you may wish to wait until Street Fighter IV hits the shelves in a couple of months.

Street Fighter II Turbo HD remix is a stunning addition to the classic fighting game and although not for me, I can see why it will get the fans really excited, so it gets an almost perfect 9 out of 10.

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