My personal ratings

[Sinful Sam]

Great review Icarus. I still haven't bought SFAE and after reading your review I need to go pick it up soon.

[Joe Redifer]

I just can't play Street Fighter without either the Genesis 6 button or the Saturn controller (which is, more or less, the Genesis 6 button controller). Actually change that from "Street Fighter" to "Any Capcom fighter". The Street Fighters for the Genesis controlled well but the Saturn versions were perfect. I must have all my moves on the face of the controller right where they should be.

[Sinful Sam]

This will be the closest to what you want Joe.
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/255516.asp

I think there are some for PS2 as well. I hate the PS2's D-pad.

[Joe Redifer]

Sega actually makes a near-exact replica of the Saturn pad for the PS2. In Japan anyway.

[gearhound]

good review, icarus! i have it for the PS2 and i'm loving it...

... but you lost me with this one: "SFAC combines SFII 'grooveness' with SFIII loveliness, tag-teaming to surpass mere greatness and create a Hyper Super II/III Power Groove-Love Impact Ex+@ (Championship Edition) you simply cannot resist."

[Joe Redifer]

Gearhound, for you I will time my next review, which will be a Saturn game since I still have my Saturn hooked up to my computer's video input. I have no idea which Saturn game, though.

[gearhound]

alright, cool... what saturn games do you have?

[Joe Redifer]

Radiant Silvergun.

[gearhound]

you have more... disclose them all to me quickly!

[Icarus4578]

Originally Posted by gearhound

... but you lost me with this one: "SFAC combines SFII 'grooveness' with SFIII loveliness, tag-teaming to surpass mere greatness and create a Hyper Super II/III Power Groove-Love Impact Ex+@ (Championship Edition) you simply cannot resist."

Yeah, um, so, :cool guy:.

[gearhound]

love impact? what the heck? explain yourself at once!

[Icarus4578]

Not 'love impact,' 'GROOVE-LOVE impact!' Groove-love, I tell you!

[Freeman]

Originally Posted by Icarus4578

Let's get it on now!

Street Fighter Anniversary Collection - Xbox - Rating 9
Street Fighter is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest fighting game series of all time. I don't even consider this an opinion but rather accept it as a fact. I pose a simple question to you: which other series has done more for the fighting genre? Virtua Fighter comes the closest, seeing as it began the 3D fighting game craze ....but being the first doesn't always mean being the best. SF is "the best." There are few other collections/compilations which can hope to compete with SFAC on solid ground. I take that back -- there is no competition. If anybody can name a fighting compilation that's more worthy than this here gem, be my guest and name it. SFAC combines SFII 'grooveness' with SFIII loveliness, tag-teaming to surpass mere greatness and create a Hyper Super II/III Power Groove-Love Impact Ex+@ (Championship Edition) you simply cannot resist.

If I need to introduce either SFII or III to you, you're reading the wrong review. That glossy yet gritty atmosphere you've come to know, love and respect is here and accounted for -- 200% fighting game bliss. You can choose from either Street Fighter II ~ Hyper Fighting Edition (a strange hybrid of all five original SFII arcades) or Street Fighter III ~ Third Impact. I may as well come right out with the only two perceptible flaws which this collection has: 1) You cannot select from each individual version of SFII, only from version-specific characters (and they elected not to include the first two incarnations of SFIII...), and 2) the Xbox controller is woefully inadequate for such demanding gameplay. The latter flaw can be remedied in a number of ways, such as by purchasing a more well suited controller (such as the SF Anniversary Arcade Controller). Unfortunately, in my case, all these years playing at home with controllers has taken the luster out of using an arcade stick, so I've settled down with the Xbox controller. I actually preferred playing SFIII with the Dreamcast controller. And oh yeah -- if you own a PS2, SFAC is also available for that, too, so you should have no problem ascertaining a copy if you have not yet done so. I tried the PS2 version briefly and cannot put my finger on any discernable differences between either version.

Some of you may remember the rather huge debate which was going on about which version of Street Fighter Alpha was the best, the Saturn or PlayStation version? GameFan made a huge debacle out of this, mainly because Nick Rox, one of their Japanese-friendly reviewers, took exception to the altered colors of the super shadows in the Saturn version. What was most hilarious [and hypocritical] about his entire argument was that he proclaimed that "...purists like myself must have arcade exactness," yet it didn't bother him one iota how when both the Genesis and SNES arcade conversions of Samurai Shodown were released, Earthquake was MIA from the Genesis version. As he cited, he didn't bother using him anyway, and so declared the Genesis version the superior conversion. How much sense does that make?

Oh, and for the record, the Saturn version of SFA trounces all over the PS version thanks to Sega's astounding controller and faster loading times. All of the animation remains the same in either case, so, seriously, who gives a gluteus maximus about super shadow colors? (For the record, neither version was arcade-perfect.)

But I digress. SFAC is a thing of beauty. You are given a myriad of options at your disposal in both SFII and III. If you choose SFII and go into Gallery Mode, you can watch the original openings and staff rolls to every SFII arcade machine, listen to all of the music, and even watch a crappy low-res version of the Street Fighter II Animated Movie! Can you say "Groove me"? When you choose to play the actual game, you are given the option of selecting from any of the five original versions of the characters, although SSFII newcomers such as Fei Long and Cammy weren't in the first three, obviously. Dee Jay doesn't count as a SFII character because he was designed in Capcom's US offices and is utterly useless. T Hawk isn't far behind, either. They have to add "minorities" to most games nowadays because if they don't they're unjustly labeled racists. And this is coming from somebody who's partially native American Indian, too. What can I say? People are pathetic.

One thing I immediately noticed was how much I suck at SFII now because I haven't played it in such a long time (been playing a little too much Fashion Queen Barbie, I'm afriad ). But I'm getting there. I still love this game, though it's rather unfair for a SFII Champion Edition Ken to be going up against a SSFIITurbo M. Bison, wouldn't you agree? Balancing issues were pretty much perfected to an art form in SFII Turbo; I don't know why Capcom decided to screw around with this formula. But that's just the way it is. Just do what I normally do....

....Play Street Fighter III ~ Third Impact instead. Let's face it: I dig SFIII far moreso than I do II, although it's safe to say that my initial impression of SFII was much, much greater, way back when I first encountered it, than that of SFIII. But SFIII is oodles of fun, fun, fantastic fun. It's such joy to be able to manually program in an opponent of my choosing in Training Mode, take another character and practice parrying against insane combos/supers. It's a great way to hone your skills, and makes for a great way to show off some mad playing skillz? to your friends, too. If you can successfully parry some insane 30 hit combo, consider yourself exceptionally skilled at parrying. If you can parry 40-50 hit combos, I'm afraid of you. Very afraid of you.

The controls are perfect; the Xbox controller is anything but perfect--a perfect mismatch if ever there was one. But I've managed to at least get it down to a respectable level, sort of like how I had to struggle to overcome the SNES pad for SFII. It goes without saying that all of the animation, colors and backgrounds are arcade exact in both titles. The sound is superb as well, featuring that jazzy Capcom sound of ol' which is so typical of them. What I can't stand is the rap music in SFIII. During the opening and vs screen (against another player) it's tolerable, but just barely. Once you've arrived at the second bonus stage with Sean throwing the basketballs at you, it's unacceptable. I hear rap music with lyrics about whites discriminating against blacks while I'm trying to parry in a Street Fighter game, and I'm like "What the f**k?"

Street Fighter may very well be the most milked franchise in gaming history. Well, almost. Nintendo is the undisputed king of milking franchises (e.g. Mario.... *snicker* :annoyed: ), but Capcom takes second place. SFAC is an awesome collection. You can play it solo or against other players, including online. I still refuse to play SF online because there are still lag time issues. Maybe when Capcom releases Super Street Fighter Anniversary Collection ReMixxx on the next generation consoles, but not just yet. Anyway, until Capcom decides to pull the magic number 4 out of their hat--and considering it's really, really good--your options are limited. Thankfully SFII and especially III remain extremely fun games, and in the end that's what really matters most.

*This review took 1 hour, 56 minutes to produce.*
EDIT ~ *And 5 minutes to proofread and edit.*

Um...short all I can say...you said much about SFII, but not about SFIII (then again you DID review 3S in the first page recommend you should note it ^_^), I didn't undertand what you said about the movie, can you elaborate plz?

[Freeman]

Originally Posted by Icarus4578

Magic

Street Fighter 3 ~ Third Strike - Dreamcast - 8
Not since Street Fighter Alpha 2 have I been so immersed into a SF title as this. Everything tried and true from past incarnations is in one way or another represented in this work. God, why does Capcom have to rule so much?
The fighting system has been given a slight overhaul from the other SF3 titles, and there's no more zooming in and out of the screen. As usual, Capcom has done a fine job of creating a polished, well-balanced fighter that is worthy of the SF name. The graphics are tremendously well done for any 2D game, although Guilty Gear titles have clearer characters due to higher resolution. The music and sound work together well too, though you may think the songs in SF2 were more memorable. There are some very memorable pieces here, and just in case you're wondering, yes, this follows the typically classic Capcom forumla of endearing songwriting and composing, if a bit too cliche in parts.
If you are as fortunate as I am you've opened up all 9 pages in System Direction, allowing you to customize the game to fit your every need. All in all, a wonderful fighting game that rewards skill by allowing more experienced players to slam down the less experienced. The only issues are that Q can do way too much damage and absorb so much that it's almost absurd, and, although Akuma can't take as much punishment as somebody like Alex, he can finish virtually anybody in just 2 good combos + a special move or so, making him a powerhouse. Oh, and Gill is the epitimy of cheapness as usual. Plus, some characters now share backgrounds, which is a downgrade from other SF titles. Still, you're getting your money's worth with SF3 ~ Third Strike.

Hey Capcom, what's taking you so long counting to four!?

Hrm...balancement? They killed Sean man, how can THAT be balancement! Plus you sort of not written much about the gameplay, and IMO the System Direction isn't really worth it cuz it's just best to play the game like the original Arcade if ya ask me. ...Speaking of Q, you must either be a very good Q player or you hate playing vs. Q players. It's frustrating yes, BUT if you keep pressuring Q chances are you might get the upper hand. Just don't let him juggle you. Err..whatcha mean about Akuma? Sorry couldn't undertand .
Man I hate keeping saying this: Capcom has lost heart in 2D fighters, the only way there will be an SF4 is if they work Funi-whatcha-call-him to make it, add to that can they even make a game BETTER than SFIII? The system is magnificent to the point I have a hard time considering them making a better sequel! ....but if KoF XI can surprise me....so might this....
Not bad review...but again.....short.

[Icarus4578]

Originally Posted by Freeman

Um...short all I can say...you said much about SFII, but not about SFIII (then again you DID review 3S in the first page recommend you should note it ^_^), I didn't undertand what you said about the movie, can you elaborate plz?

Well by now I presumed that anybody who knows gaming knows both SFII and III, thus it wasn't necessary to elaborate too much. Just as long as people understood most of the elements which comprise the collection.

Originally Posted by Freeman

Hrm...balancement? They killed Sean man, how can THAT be balancement! Plus you sort of not written much about the gameplay, and IMO the System Direction isn't really worth it cuz it's just best to play the game like the original Arcade if ya ask me. ...Speaking of Q, you must either be a very good Q player or you hate playing vs. Q players. It's frustrating yes, BUT if you keep pressuring Q chances are you might get the upper hand. Just don't let him juggle you. Err..whatcha mean about Akuma? Sorry couldn't undertand .
Man I hate keeping saying this: Capcom has lost heart in 2D fighters, the only way there will be an SF4 is if they work Funi-whatcha-call-him to make it, add to that can they even make a game BETTER than SFIII? The system is magnificent to the point I have a hard time considering them making a better sequel! ....but if KoF XI can surprise me....so might this....
Not bad review...but again.....short.

Well that's the way you felt about System Direction. However, many other people enjoy fiddling around with all the extra options. Q is a resilient character who can dish out extreme punishment. In contrast, a guy like Akuma can deal out serious damage but cannot take nearly as much damage as Q can (nor Ryu and Ken for that matter....). As far as what I said about Akuma, read above. I can't believe I spelled 'epitomy' as 'epitimy.' I need to correct this. As well, I may rewrite the entire review soon, or touch it up a bit.

Yes, Capcom has been slacking as of late. I wonder where their soul went.... I guess they prefer 3D games at the present moment because they can't seem to make enough of 'em. They used to be the king of 2D gaming. My older reviews were a bit short, I know, but my review for SFAC wasn't short.