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If you have any memory of being in a crowded arcade, those memories no doubt include Street Fighter. It's not just a classic, it's the definitive game in a genre literally packed with competitors. Regardless of what might be considered the most realistic game, or the most graphically amazing: Ask anyone about fighting games and Street Fighter is part of the conversation. Celebrating 15 years of fighting, Capcom has put together a collection of Street Fighter mainstays for the Xbox (a version was also released for the PS2). The collection consists of both Hyper Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and includes online play over Xbox Live. It's the only version playable online. Hyper Street Fighter II is a collection, also, and it includes characters from Street Fighter II, the Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, and Super Street Fighter Turbo. Combined, the different characters included in the collection add up considerably. The draw to having all these games combined on one disk is the ability to match any character against another. Whether a certain match would ever occur in the Street Fighter story, or whether it makes any sense because of the way power level evolved over the years, they can be brought together here – it's a fantasy baseball league for Street Fighter fans.
Separately, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike includes 19 different characters, including a cameo appearance by Chun Li. The wrinkle introduced in 3rd Strike is the Grade Judge System, which evaluates player performance after a match. It also marks the first time the concept of Parrying was introduced to the series. A parry is accomplished by pushing the direction pad toward the opponent's spot of attack at the precise time of contact. No damage is taken if the parry is done perfectly, and that makes a parry better than a typical block. The online implementation is mature, with no noticeable problems and lobbies that make it easy to find a game. The game was released in Japan long before the U.S. version, so there are plenty of players online. Also included on the disk is the full length film Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. While it may be sacrilege to some loyal fans, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is a considerable step up and shines in this collection. The graphics have held up better than those in Hyper Street Fighter II and seem to translate better to a television compared to the arcades. The characters aren't as recognizable as the originals, but everything else is top notch. Street Fighter was one of the first and most influential fighting games, and its smooth, complex, two dimensional action has inspired most of the fighting games made today. It's a completely different game than Tekken or Virtua Fighter. It's old school for some of us, but regardless of how old these games are, the action is as engaging and challenging as anything. The Anniversary Collection is a perfect way to keep the history of Street Fighter available on current consoles one handy disk.
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