Space Fighter: Mercenary 2
Super Street Fighter II was released in July of 1994 for the Sega Genesis. SSF II was developed and published by Capcom. SSF II marked the first appearances of four totally new character to the Street Fighter series: Cammy, Dee Jay, T. Hawk, and Fei Long were all brought into the mix. This game also brought about a new art style in the characters portraits, as well as a new announcer.
Well, the graphics, despite being about seven years old, look amazing. The characters themselves are huge and well animated. The game uses tons of color to enhance the feel of the game, this is quite evident in Balrog?s Las Vegas level. The game also features many more well animated backgrounds, Chun Li?s China background is full of bikers speeding past and watching the action. The game?s animation is one of its most notable qualities; each and every character has their own unique move set, along with it, the characters each have their own specific animations for moves, with the exception Ryu and Ken, who share quite a bit of animation. The animation in most of the moves is as smooth as could be expected.
The sound is a mixed bag of epic proportions. On one hand, the in-game music is amazing, it always fits the level. Also, you couldn?t ask for bettter sound effects, namely those used for kicks, punches, and special moves, they are all amazingly done, they fit their actions perfectly. On the other hand, the announcing is weak, as are the voice quips from some of the characters. Here?s the deal, the voice pitch has been raised considerably. I mean, this announcer could do soprano, it?s just unbievably high. This high pitch really doesn?t fit the game and actually manages to detract from the experience.
The gameplay is standard Street Fighter fare, in other words, amazing. The game has some of the smoothest gameplay of any fighting game ever. Moves can be pulled off effortlessly, and battles can become frenetic affairs and wars of attrition. You go through a set of opponents that changes depending on your character, if you win, you continue on, if you lose, you have to option to contrine. Your goal, no matter what character you play as, is to defeat the game?s main boss M. Bison, who is EVIL beyond all imagination.
The control is among the finest ever in gaming. The Genesis' control pad fits this game like a glove, the game?s default button layout is a perfect match to the arcade?s, making it easy for arcade veterans to play without having to worry about the confituration. It?s also very user-freindly, if you, for whatever reason, don?t like the default control scheme, you can change it. The cotrol, no matter what the configuration, is rock-solid, it?s always very responsive and never misses a beat.
The game?s presentation.is the perfect mix of old-school Street Fighter with new-school designs. The game employs brand new character art that have a very anime-esque look to it that really fits the series well. This new art captures the ferocity in some of the characters, most notably the man-beast Blanka, it also captures the elegant side of some characters, most notably Cammy.
The game?s difficutlty is adjustable. The difficulty scale goes from one star to ten, at one star, the AI is as easy as could be, offense is minimal from the CPU-controlled characters, on the higher levels though, you will be attacked from all sides, blocking will be imperitve at this level. Quite frankly, the difficulty suits the game well, it?s progressive, which fits fighting games very well, it allows beginners to test out their skills on lover-level opponents, and it enables veteran players the ability to duke it out with challlenging opposition.
The game?s replay value is virtually limitless. There is always something new to learn in the game; whether it?s a new move for you favorite character, or the timing of some moves you?re having trouble with, you?re always left with something to do.
The game is a dream to play on the Nomad. The small screen doesn't cause any problems during gameplay, nor does the blurring, best of all, the game's flawless control is intact.
All in all, I love this game, it combines the best parts of the Street Fighter series. Some may complain about the lack of a speed setting, but it really doesn?t affect the game much for me, I prefer the slower pace anyway, I simply can?t keep up too well with it when it?s going a million miles a minute like it does on higher turbo settings in Street Fighter II Turbo, so I?m glad there?s no turbo setting in this game.
Score Rundown
Graphics- 10/10- Simply stunning. The super-smooth animation and minute background details give this game a style all its own. Sound- 7/10- The music fits each level, and character to a tee. The sound effects match their actions perfectly. However, the new announcer's high pitched voice brings down the game's sound, he actually managaes to detract from the experience. Gameplay-10/10- Tried-and-true Street Fighter gameplay. It?s fast and furious. Some may moan and groan over the lack of speed settings, but it doesn?t bother me one bit. Control-10/10- Simply perfect. The Genesis' controller works wonders for this game. The default control configuration matches the arcade?s, but if you don?t like it, you can configure it to your liking; either way, you?ll be getting smooth as silk, super responsive control. Presentation-10/10- The new art style helps emphasize the personas of some of the characters. It?s also a very original style that fits the series. Challenge- 10/10- You can control your destiny. If you want a nice, easy battle, you can go to a lower difficulty, if you want a tough fight that will take you to your limits, go with a higher setting, it?s all up to you. Replay Value-10/10- There?s always something new to learn, whether it?s a new move, or the timing of a move you already know, there?s always someting to do. For Nomad Owners- This game is a must-buy. The graphics don't take a hit on the small screen, and blurring is nonexistant. The flawless control remains intact. Overall-10/10- Pure, unadulterated Street Fighter bliss. The stunning graphics, amazing sound and control, and classic gameplay make this game a must have.
Wait, STAR Fighter 2? What the hell is this crap? Nevermind!
