After what seems an eternity of waiting, gamers that bought Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 can now download the Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix beta and have a taste of what’s to come when the full version is released on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. The beta itself is exclusive to Xbox Live but Capcom promises the data it collects from this beta will help develop the PS3 version as well as the 360 version. Yes there are some problems with the beta, but I’m not here to talk about them. I’m here to talk about the actual game and how it plays.
After downloading the beta from the Commando 3 title screen, you need to go to demos in “Game Library” to access the beta. Once loaded, you are welcomed to the main title page where you can select Multiplayer, Leaderboards, Achievements, and Help & Options. There are four options available in Multiplayer: Local Match, so you can play against some one in the same room, Ranked Match, in which stats count for the leaderboards, Player Match and Tournament Match. When creating a player match you have the option to either play it as the Remixed version or Classic mode. There is also the option to turn up the game speed, 2 being the normal Turbo speed up to 5, which will really test your Street Fighter skills
You have the option to be either Ryu or Ken and the only location playable is Ryu’s own stage which is in Japan. The first thing you will notice while playing the game is how good it looks: it will be without a doubt the best looking XBLA and PSN game when it releases later on in the year. The HD sprites are detailed, giving Ryu and Ken their well deserved transformation to the HD era. One thing to notice is the fact that, although the title screen and menus fill up the whole TV, while in game it cuts of leaving a rather annoying black screen behind it; hopefully this wont be the case come the full game comes out.
The game itself plays as you would expect a Street Fighter game to play: fast, edgy and punishing. All the old moves that could have been done in the original Turbo can be done here. The main goal behind HD Remix was to make it more accessible to players, which meant special moves were simplified and characters have been even balanced with the emphasis that everyone can be played with online. The gameplay itself is basically Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo with Capcom only tweaking elements.
Combos are in the game but, like the original Turbo, are not sequenced. Super Finishers are in and are now easier to pull off: every punch, kick and special move counts toward the Super Meter. There are a few problems occurring during gameplay, most noticeably that Ken can now do a double Dragon Punch that will land a great deal of damage and make the opponent dizzy, opening them for even more damage. It’s a cheap trick that will undoubtedly leave gamers frustrated and cheated, something Capcom will have to tone down, otherwise everyone will be using Ken online. The D-pad can become a nuisance while trying to pull off Hadouken’s and Dragon Punches, and on the odd occasion while pressing back to block, nothing will happen. Hopefully, these little niggles will be removed in time for the full release later on in the year.
All in all, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix is shaping up to be everything Capcom promised from the title when first reveled. I’ll put a bet on it being the best selling game on XBLA and PSN and one that will be played for a long time to come. The full release can’t come soon enough.
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