Street Fighter: Anniversary Collection

Has it really been 15 years since I first popped a quarter into the machine that would redefine fighting games and in essence an entire industry? The masterpiece that “shoryukened” competitors left and right to always come out on top is here along with a much-respected newer entry. For those who have been craving a complete version of the Street Fighter legacy, or for those who simply want to experience it for the first time, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a must buy. For $30 I can’t see a better deal coming your way this year. Superb ports of two of the most highly regarded fighters complete with 480p and Live support. Get yourself a copy and enjoy the 2-D goodness.

The big bang of fighting games is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and to pay homage to the popular 2D fighting series, Capcom bundled the game that defined a genre with the followup that redefined it into one fantastic package.

Last year Capcom graced the PlayStation 2 with Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, and it was good. So good, in fact, that we picked it as our fighting game of the year. It did have one major oversight, though, which was a decided lack of online features. The Xbox version looked to remedy that, but its release date was pushed back into 2005. Now here we are in the future, and, as promised, the Xbox version of SFAC is just getting around to sneaking its way into stores. It looks to have been worth the wait, as it's every bit as good as the PS2 version ... and the online play makes it even better.

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.

Capcom hit one out of the park with its PlayStation 2 translation of the old Mega Man titles in Mega Man Anniversary Collection and are looking to do the same thing all over again with its second classics compilation, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. But rather than hand this particular project off to the talented team at Atomic Planet like it did for Mega Man, Capcom has decided to handle this one internally to ensure its faithfulness to the original source material.

The most disappointing aspect of the whole package is the "bonus" Street Fighter 2 animated film. I was expecting it to come on a separate DVD, but instead it was squeezed onto the game disk and its video quality looks closer to VHS than DVD. Still, this is a fine package for fighting game enthusiasts and those who have fond memories of this classic series.

It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the Street Fighter hit the streets. I remember when I was a young kid, people cramming quarters in the arcade vying for a chance to get to play this fighting masterpiece. Since that time Capcom has milked the Street Fighter II and III series for all that it is worth, releasing countless variations of the same game. Each edition has a nice additional name tacked on in the end such as: turbo, championship, or something that made it sound different, and players were given slight tweaks. Yet in spite of this, millions of people purchased these games in droves over the course of several generations of console hardware.

Various gripes aside, the only good reasons to take a pass on Street Fighter Anniversary Collection are if you're sure you don't like fighting games or if you're waiting for the Xbox version to come out (which supports online play). Otherwise, if you do like fighting games and you own a PS2, this disc is a $30 no-brainer.

Capcom, once a publisher known solely for milking sequels, is at it again. Not surprisingly, it's milking its most famously exploited franchise, Street Fighter. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, the Xbox collection of arcade games including online play, is a massive reiteration of previous fighting games, five from the old, old, old school, and one from the newish one. It's a great collection of fighting games, regardless of the price, but this happens to be $29.99, which is a fantastic value for what is essentially six variations of Street Fighter all of which are online.

In 1991, Street Fighter II was released in video arcades all over the world, and it became an instant classic. This one-on-one 2D fighting game featured incredibly responsive controls and unprecedented depth with its eight memorable and highly complex playable characters. It ushered in a new era of arcades--a decade dominated by Street Fighter II-inspired fighting games. Street Fighter II itself saw several substantial upgrades over the years, which added new characters and new moves for the returning fighters. But the core gameplay never changed, and because of its timelessness, it didn't have to. Now you can experience the Street Fighter II series, as well as 1999's Street Fighter III: Third Strike, in a single volume in Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. Unfortunately, the name of this volume is misleading, since it's a missed opportunity to celebrate one of the greatest gaming franchises of all time.

In 1991, Street Fighter II was released in video arcades all over the world, and it became an instant classic. This one-on-one 2D fighting game featured incredibly responsive controls and unprecedented depth, what with its eight memorable and highly complex playable characters. It ushered in a new era of arcades--a decade dominated by Street Fighter II-inspired fighting games. Street Fighter II itself saw several substantial upgrades over the years, which added new characters and new moves for the returning fighters, but the core gameplay never changed, and it didn't have to--it's timeless. Now you can experience the Street Fighter II series, as well as 1999's Street Fighter III: Third Strike, in a single volume in Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. Unfortunately, the name of this volume is misleading, since it's a missed opportunity to celebrate one of the greatest gaming franchises of all time.

O jogo chega aos EUA pelo preço sugerido de US$29,99, trazendo dois dos mais significativos jogos de luta 2D da história. Apesar da idade, o game oferece excelentes incentivos tanto para os fãs do gênero quanto saudosistas. Em um mundo ideal, ele deveria ser jogado com controles estilo arcade, mas continua sendo uma ótima pedida mesmo com o Dual Shock 2.

Street Fighter II will always be recognized as the game that pioneered the 2D-fighting genre. However, despite its historical significance, the Street Fighter franchise is the Ernest P. Worrell of video games, scoring one or two mainstream hits before trailing off into obscurity with countless reiterative entries. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection captures the glory days of the series, and brings the rest along for the ride.

Although I consider Anniversary Collection to be a recommended purchase, chances are many of you probably won't be lucky enough to secure a copy. For starters, the price is a bit high to justify going out of your way to pick up the game now, especially with the existing lineup of available Xbox fighting games available. You should note that copies of the region-free disc won't be around for long. According to a recent news announcement, Capcom already has taken action to pull the region-free copies of the game off store shelves due to a “bug” (an online glitch which affects players from rematching). Coincidence? Unlikely, but the fact remains -- players are eagerly awaiting for this game to make its way to this side of the world.

I personally found Street Fighter: Anniversary Collection to be a fantastic collection of fighting games for the Xbox. Both games’ being playable online is a great inclusion for long time fans and this is easily the better version of the game when being compared to the PS2 version for that reason. Throw in a handful of cool bonus features including the Street Fighter II animated movie and you have a truly great collection that is hard to pass up at it’s $29.99 price tag.

2004 is the 17th anniversary of Street Fighter, a mediocre arcade game that would spawn a world-changing sequel. Similarly, 2004 marks the 13th anniversary of that momentous descendant, Street Fighter II. Given those numbers, I have no idea why Capcom is touting 2004 as the 15th anniversary of anything "Street Fighter." I won't grumble, in any case, because Capcom's questionable arithmetic has resulted in the release of Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (SFAC), a celebratory compilation of two of the most fun and important games of the series' probably 17, arguably 13, but definitely not 15-year history.

So, should you bother then? Well, if you like your fighting games and you've somehow evaded the Street Fighter series until now, then certainly. Likewise, if you weren’t around for the originals and fancy a peek at how things used to be done (not that it's much different, mind you), then the answer is the same.

It took a while but the Xbox version of the acclaimed Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is finally here. If you don’t know what the fuss is all about Capcom has two of their popular old fashion 2 dimensional Street Fighter games (Hyper Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III: Third Strike) in one package to celebrate the 15-year birthday of the series. PlayStation 2 owners have already gotten a chance to play Street Fighter AC in 2004, but now Xbox players not only get their chance to play these legends but they can also fight online too.

Over the past eight years, Capcom's fighting games have gone from making significant changes (Street Fighter 3, X-Men vs. Street Fighter) to moderate changes (Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2) to now barely any changes at all. Yes, with Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, Capcom has found a way to release a new Street Fighter game with practically no effort whatsoever. And we'd be upset if the package wasn't so much fun.

I won't deny that I am being hard on the game. And perhaps it's simply the purist voice in me talking, as I've remained a diehard fan since its 1991 arcade debut. It's just difficult to shake the thought that Capcom seemed too much in a rush to get the PS2 edition out the door. Yet in spite of personal quirks, SFAC succeeds in offering avid fans the chance to relive old experiences and give newcomers the opportunity to experience one of the most phenomenal franchises ever developed.

This is a major disappointment. Sure, the games are great (still some of the best available), but there is so much lost potential. If you already own the Dreamcast version of "SFIII" and "Volume 2," there is almost no reason to buy this. You pretty much own it already. If you don't, this isn't a bad choice.

Une compilation qui a le goût d'une oeuvre indispensable mais dont ressort beaucoup trop l'aspect mercantile. Les simili-bonus de cette édition anniversaire sont censurés ou sans intérêt et on aurait aimé quelque chose de plus imposant pour une telle série. Je n'en oublie pas pour autant à quel point Third Strike et Street Fighter II sont mythiques mais n'en déplaise à certains, Capcom s'est une fois encore contenté du strict minimum, cela se ressentant également au niveau du mode Xbox Live trop peu évolué.

In many ways, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a wonderful gift to fans of the franchise. Not only does it contain Hyper Street Fighter II (an amalgamation of every version of Street Fighter II) but it has a port of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike too. On top of that, it lets you play both online. Sounds good, right? And so it should - to the fans at least. But think about it for a second. We are being asked to buy Street Fighter II... again. We are being asked to buy 3rd Strike... again. The only real incentive? Xbox Live, which only accounts for a fraction of players anyway.

There's a word for people who can't get enough of a good thing - crazy. And if you haven't had enough Street Fighter by now, you should be locked up. Seriously.

No matter how you slice it, the Street Fighter series is pretty absurd. Over a period of fifteen years and a span of nearly ninety games, it has changed the least of any fighting game series in video gaming. As a result, playing any new Street Fighter game is guaranteed dive that, at its best, merely transports the average gamer to several different adolescent spaces and times.