Street Fighter EX2 Plus

"3D Street Fighting at it's best !"

Street Fighter has been one of the marquee fighting games in video game history and it's impact has been felt for many long years. Despite the 2d games dying down, Street Fighter decided to make the transition from 2d to 3d which lead to the release of Street Fighter EX in arcades and home ports as well. Street Fighter EX2 Plus was another one of the games to be ported over to the Playstation. It is a very fun fighting game, which I will break down.

Story: ?/10; finally decided on 5/10

I really don't what to give the story since it isn't as fleshed out as it should be. Legendary fighters from Street Fighter(Ryu, Ken, Guile, Dhalsim, Vega, M. Bison, Blanka, Sagat, etc.) and some of the other characters from the EX series(Doctrine Dark, Darun Mister, Cracker Jack, Skullomania, etc.) compete in a tournament and each have specific ties to other characters(Ex. Doctrine Dark blames Guile for his psychotic condition and the death of his team during a mission, despite the real culprit being someone else). There are some new characters also introduced into the series: Area, who is a young girl with a robotic arm which she is testing, Shadow Geist, a man whose family was murdered while living under a dictatorship, Vulcano Rosso, who is a man trying to get revenge for the murder of his lover,(His attire is well, odd. Very odd) Nanase, who is the sister of another EX series character Kairi, who is trying to find her brother, Kairi who has dissappeared, and Hayate who is a rather mysterious combatant. The good thing is that each character has their own ending, but it is written in text. That's the only downside to the endings, but at least it has some closure for the characters. I still don't know what to rate the overall story, but I would give it a 5/10.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics get a major overhaul from previous PS EX entries and that is always a good thing. The characters don't look blocky anymore and more details for each of the characters can be seen better. The backgrounds look okay, but the most important thing is the characters.

Gameplay: 8/10

The game play is very fun and none of the animations are choppy. The Excel Combos and the Super Cancels add to the damage that each of the characters has at their disposal. These features add to the fun of the game and the bonus stages are also interesting.

Overall: 9/10

This is a very overlooked game and it is a good game. For many SF fans like myself it is a must, especially for collectors. I recommend a purchase for Fans and a rent for those who aren't sure about it. All in all, Street Fighter EX2 Plus is a good fighting game and shouldn't be overlooked.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/07