His axe kicks require special joystick moves to execute now, and while his uppercut still has as much reach as always, it is no longer invincible. Ken has probably taken the greatest hit in this game, in what was ostensibly Capcom’s attempt to level the playing field. Curiously, he wrests control of the 'title' of best character from Ken, his combos proving to be 'too much' for his opponents, echoing his same boastful sentiments after his victories. Finally, last, but certainly not least, is Dee Jay, a horribly stereotypical Jamaican character who wears a grin that cannot be erased from his face through any means other than his obliteration. Fei Long is as blatant a rip off of Bruce Lee as Balrog is of Tyson (this is further evidenced by the Chinese fighter’s ending). Hawk (or Thunder Hawk) gives Zangief a run for his money as the game’s strongest character. The spunky British blonde makes a grand entrance in proper army leotard, complete with thong and go-go boots. Cammy strives to usurp Chun Li as the strongest woman in the world. With the advent of the prefix 'Super', five characters (more on the fifth later) were added to the dirty dozen. It also had enviable range, allowing for unavoidable 'fireball trapping', which usually resulted in very one-sided matches.įast forward to SSFIIT.
Ken’s Dragon Punch was invulnerable, thus enabling him to pull it off through any oncoming attack. Zangief’s Screwdriver (or Spinning Pile driver) could be executed through enemy projectiles from further than two inches away. Perhaps SFII was the most balanced of these three certainly Turbo featured Ken and Zangief as the most powerful characters by far. A Turbo: Hyper Fighting successor to that game managed to speed things up even more, utilizing the same group of characters and changing the dynamics of the fighting to a considerable degree. The Champion Edition to SFII improved on these foundations, speeding things up some, and allowing for the three bosses to be selectable by players. Bison, the ''Psycho-powered'' malevolent militant. Balrog, a Mike Tyson clone Vega, a masked, clawed, narcissistic Spanish fighter Sagat, the Thai-boxing mountain of a man and the ultimate bad guy, M. In a one-player game, disposing of these seven combatants (you didn’t get to fight yourself, after all) would uncover three boss characters. Air Force tough guy Dhalsim, the limber-limbed Yoga practitioner and Zangief, an immensely powerful but plodding Russian wrestler. Honda, the surprisingly agile Sumo Guile, the U.S. They are: Ryu, the stoic Japanese karateka Ken, his flamboyant American equal Chun Li, much more than the token female character Blanka, the supercharged savage E. Street Fighter II featured a cast of eight playable characters. A short history lesson is probably in order, to discover why such a convoluted title was necessary in the first place. So try not to get put off by the clumsy title.
Unless you absolutely abhor one on one fighting contests, this game is a must have for the 3DO owner.Ĭapcom is notorious for their unending sequels and side stories, using prefixes and suffixes such as 'super', 'turbo', 'alpha', and even 'X' to squeeze life out of even the most badly beaten dead horse. Super Street Fighter II Turbo (SSFIIT) remains one of the few bright spots in the dark annals of the now defunct system's lifespan. Panasonic should thank their lucky stars (well, not so lucky) that Capcom allowed their favourite sons, Ken and Ryu to play on the 3DO's abandoned, decrepit property. Unless you absolutely abhor one on one fighting contests, this game is a must have for the 3DO owner. "Panasonic should thank their lucky stars (well, not so lucky) that Capcom allowed their favourite sons, Ken and Ryu to play on the 3DO's abandoned, decrepit property. Super Street Fighter II Turbo (3DO) review