"Surprisingly good port for the PC"

Super Street Fighter II Turbo, considered by most as one of the best Street Fighter games or at least one of the most commonly referred to, saw few home console releases shortly after its arcade introduction. It had been ported onto the short-lived 3D0 video game console and was later ported to Sega Dreamcast (Japan only, it seems) and later PS2/X-Box game consoles. It was also remade for the Game Boy Advance console and recently underwent a major facelift for the X-Box Live/Playstation Network services. Among all these well-known ports lies a PC version by Eurocom/Gametek, a version of the game which has been either overlooked or ignored. Since no one else on GameFAQs has posted a review on this particular version of the game (at the time of posting), I figured I get the first shot in, seeing as I have a copy at my disposal and the means to run it. So let's get on with it.

Before we do, it's worth noting that there are two PC versions: a floppy disc version with MIDI music and a CD-ROM version with CD music. In this case, I have the CD version so I'm not sure if this also applies to the floppy version.

STORY: Sixteen fighters from around the world compete in a worldwide tournament. Okay, fine. Sounds simple enough. In addition, each of these fighters have their own backstory and reasons for competing in this tournament, whether it be fame, challenge or revenge. Nothing too fancy. But if you've played SF2 and its five-hundred iterations, you already know more than I'm saying. 1/10

GRAPHICS: Seeing as I have never played the original arcade game, I can't really draw comparisons. In any case, the graphics in this game are comparable in quality to the Hyper SF2 release that's part of the Anniversary Collection. However, I did notice that the sprites are somewhat larger in this version. According to the FAQ provided by Eurocom, this is due to the decreased resolution of the screen and the designers' desire not to scale anything. In case, I thought they looked good at this rate and was sorely disappointed when the on-screen sprites weren't as big in the later release. Still, these are old graphics that still hold up today and move smoothly if you have a decent PC. 8/10

SOUND: You have all your usual SF2 fare that has been heard for years in their various upgrades and sequels. The sound and voices are pretty crisp if you have a good sound card. The remixed music is an acquired taste though; I personally don't care for it - particularly when it pauses to loop the track, my only really pet peeve about the soundtrack - but it's still of good quality. Note that the music isn't the same featured on the 3D0 or as the arrange soundtrack in Hyper SF2, but some other variation presumably just for the various computer versions. 7/10

GAMEPLAY: From what I can tell, the control is pretty solid. Considering I never had a decent gamepad to play this game with, I found myself using the keyboard to play and it's actually not that bad. Of course, knowing that the keyboard would somehow come into play, there are some changes made; most notably the removal of a designated Start button and the requirement of pressing three Punch/Kick buttons reduced to two. Never bothered me really, but I know it requires some minor adjustment when it comes to certain strategies. Anyway, you know the deal here: you have sixteen fighters (and Akuma) to choose from and each have their own moves and skills to be used. If you've played any fighting game, you know the way things work. There's little this game offers in terms of alternate modes, but considering the era this port was conceived, it's understandable. What is featured here works fine, however. Good work. 8/10

CHALLENGE: The AI is fairly decent in this PC version. After playing the hard-as-nails Hyper SF2, I went back to this version of the game and found that it wasn't as difficult, but can still give you a beating if you take it likely. However, it's a unique port in that it's the only fighting game I know of that has a whopping twelve levels of difficulty setting (as opposed to eight which is usually the norm). So knock yourselves out... um, I don't mean that literally. 8/10

REPLAY VALUE: Nothing too spectacular I'm afraid. Good luck trying to convince the second player to play the keyboard. 1/10

OVERALL: For those of us who can find it and run it on a modern-day machine, Super Street Fighter II Turbo on the PC is a fairly decent recreation of the arcade game for the time. I personally would have preferred the use of actual arcade sound instead of the remix tracks, but nonetheless it's still a good quality port that manages to get around the limitations to the PC hardware of the time. It doesn't beat playing it on a video game console or even an actual arcade machine, but if you can find it, then by all means pick it up. It's a good game and a great port. 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/31/09

Game Release: Super Street Fighter II Turbo (US, 1995)