Well fighting fans, another classic has been reborn on the mighty Xbox console. Following in the wake of the excellent Capcom Vs SNK, Street Fighter fans can rejoice as they get to play conversions of Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Champion Edition, Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II: New Challengers, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and finally Street Fighter III: Third Strike. What is more for the Street Fighter II variations players can mix and match styles with each other to create endless dream match set ups.

Gameplay:

Well it’s obvious from the start that the passing of 15 years has been fruitful for the Street Fighter series what with the many versions of the game, a mini series, animated movie and feature film (although less said about the film the better). Initially going head to head with Midways Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter established itself alongside SNK’s King Of Fighters series as the Kings of the beat em up genre, this is before the likes of the 3D fighting games we see today.

Playing Street Fighter is pretty simple as there are 3 kick buttons and 3 punch buttons going from light, medium to hard. Whilst this set up is more akin to an arcade layout its still converts well to Xbox controllers especially the s-controller. These buttons can be configured to suit your individual needs although many purists will argue that there is only one true way to play the game and that is by using an arcade stick.

There are a number of characters to choose from 19 in Third Strike and the option to mix and match character styles in the Street Fighter II games thus making never seen before matches; with say a move set from Street Fighter II for one opponent whilst another uses say the countering from Street Fighter II Turbo.

Special moves are performed by doing circular motions on the direction pad followed by a punch or kick, such as a quarter circle forward motion followed by punch will perform the infamous Hadoken fireball when using Ken or Ryu characters. In fact many characters share similarities with the move sets which means beginners will be able to become proficient with more than one character at a time, although each character does have their own nuances.

Super Special moves are performed with a little more complexity and can be unleashed once your special meter is filled. These moves are quick and very painful as well as looking spectacular in Third Strike. This game play type has remained solid for pretty much every Street Fighter game to date with the different versions offering variations on the theme and something that beginners can practice and get to grips with. Seasoned vets will obviously have their preferred styles

The actual game consists of 3 modes of play which includes, Arcade which requires players to face off against a ladder of opponents until they reach the boss. Training Mode allows players to practise their moves and become proficient at judging distances and timing as well as actually performing moves with fluidity rather than moaning that your super dragon punch didn’t work and you got a fireball instead (ahem). Verses mode allows players to go head to head with each other or against the CPU, basically bringing the arcade experience to the home (sort of). As mentioned earlier the styles from the Street Fighter II can be mixed and matched for some interesting and furious bouts of combat that will no doubt please fans no end. Third Strike introduces the new grading system that awards you a grade based on your fighting prowess, which is great for seeing how well your skills are improving.

What is more for Xbox is the ability to play all versions on Xbox Live which is a great feature to add but once again is plagued by the same issues that Capcom Vs SNK suffered. I think the problem stems in the fact that lag can really interfere with the circular motion or charge up moves online. Also the precise nature of countering, especially the Parrying from Third Strike which requires reflexes and timing of a ninja just gets messed up at the slightest lag. However once a decent localised connection is established players can get seamless play which remains highly entertaining and fast.

Graphics:

Well the graphics in the Street Fighter II games definitely show their age, especially when compared to the over the top looks of games like Guilty Gear and Marvel vs Capcom games. Third Strike looks crisp and generally looks a lot more advanced than its predecessors with an extensive use of colours for the back ground stages and characters themselves. Overall Street Fighter games have really been about the game play rather than looks and whilst later versions have moved to 3D I think there is a certain appeal that 2D games bring to gaming. Love or hate them.

Sound:

Well what can you say about the sound of punches, kicks and the groans of being hit? Not a lot really as a punch is a punch at the end of the day. Characters are voiced and this becomes apparent when performing specials and Super moves. Music is suitably dramatic with each stage having its own theme and soundtrack. Whether you actually like the in game music is obviously down to personal choice, but either way during combat the music will be null and void as your focus switches to kicking butt.

Longevity:

The overall package that is the Anniversary Collection is one that will keep 2D fighting fans happy who wish to relive the glory days of when Street Fighter games were released and became popular. What is more the game features the full animated movie that is available from the offset and some excellent gallery artworks. What with Xbox Live for those who wish to test their mettle and you are left with a comprehensive game that will last a reasonable time in terms of competition play. The actual single player components are a little limited as there are few other modes to mess around with especially when compared to the recent Mortal Kombat Deception.

Overall:

Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is definitely aimed at 2D fighting fans who for the first time will be able to play these classic games over Xbox Live. Despite some problems with Lag; once a good connection is established then games can be challenging and fun. For the single player what you have here are the basic conversions which are nice to have in your games collection for nostalgic reasons. Obviously these old school games may fail to impress some gamers and to be honest makes 2D fighters more niche compared to those used to the Tekken’s, DOA’s and Virtual Fighters of this World. That said if you are looking for a slice of fighting game history then you won’t find a better package than this one. A must for Street Fighter fans and worthy of a look for those who are looking for another outlet for Live that doesn’t involve first person shooting.