Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival

"Try saying that five times fast..."

Have you ever enjoyed a gaming series so much that you could never get enough of it? Have you ever played a series religiously, regardless if they spanned over several consoles? Mario and Link come to mind right off the bat, but there are plenty of other franchises that have made an impact on systems over time. As the years went by, the Street Fighter became a staple of my gaming collection. I love fighting games, but for some reason I always came back to the same familiar cast of characters for another fix. I spent years perfecting my fighting technique in Street Fighter II Turbo. However, when I made the transition from the SNES to the Nintendo 64, I no longer had any new Street Fighter titles to keep my hunger satisfied. But after another generation of consoles, I finally got my hands on a portable version of my beloved SNES fighting classic.

When I first got this game, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into. After all the years of playing its predecessor, I figured that this game would just be a simple port. However, this little cartridge managed to surprise me. Sure, it starts with the basic plot of the world's greatest fighters waging competition against one another. Ken still has his girlfriend, Guile is still in the military, and M. Bison is trying to take over the world…again. All of the classic heroes are back and ready for some good old-fashioned combat. You've got the likes of Ryu, Chun Li, Sagat, and Vega lining up your roster of world-class contenders. However, this game doesn't just contain the fighters that we've all grown to love, but also includes some of the later additions to the team, like Cammy, Deejay, Fei Long, and T. Hawk. For someone like me that has never played these characters before, it's like seeing my old favorite in a whole new light.

Once you've chosen you're favorite fighter, take a good look at the various gameplay modes available to you. You have the generic Arcade Mode, which lets you challenge fighters from around the world. The standard VS. Mode is also present, letting go mano a mano with one of your best friends via the GBA Link Cable. But while these two modes have been basic standard for just about all of the Street Fighter games, you also have the Survival and Time Attack Modes to consider. Not only do you get to face countless computer adversaries, but you can also play the car and barrel mini-games from the Arcade Mode. While these two new additions to the game menu provide a necessary distraction from the Arcade Mode, they do offer a nice amount of difficulty and allow you to break your personal records over time.

But once you've made it through the updated game menu, it's nothing but some old-fashioned Street Fighter goodness waiting for you. Not only are all of your favorite heroes back in the saddle, but they're fully equipped with their signature moves as well. These fighters have their standard Tiger Uppercuts, Hundred-Hand Slaps, and Lightning Kicks with the basic and unforgettable button combos. Unlike some other fighting games for the GBA, the controls are fluid and responsive, giving you plenty of potential to perfect your fighting technique. Also, you can customize the GBA's buttons to suit your gaming preferences, lest your fingers start to ache from premature arthritis. For gamers like me that have only played fighters with a directional pad, you'll feel right at home. With the advent of analog sticks in this generation of consoles, it's almost magical to perform a Hadoken on a directional pad again.

It's almost too good to be true, a fresh handheld fighter built with the older standards of Street Fighter games. However, there were some things bound for change. Not only does your fighter come equipped with their standard special attacks, but they've also been outfitted with brand new Super Combo to add a little bit more flavor to your fights. All you have to do is dish out some damage on your foe, and a tiny power gauge at the bottom of your screen will start to fill up. Once the gauge is practically overflowing, you can execute a Super Combo and watch in awe as a chunk of your opponent's life bar vanishes into thin air due to your fighter's barrage of devastating attacks. While these combos are easy to execute and have a fair amount of entertainment value, they implement a new aspect to your fighting strategy. Since it's easy to completely miss your opponent with these moves, it's up to you to use these attacks at your discretion. But when you factor these in to the standard punches, kicks, and specials, you have a formidable arsenal within your grasp.

Also, there have been a few minor changes strewn throughout the game. Some of the levels have been changed or updated, creating a fresh new take on some tried and true battlegrounds. Guile has ditched the Air Force terminal in favor of a large bridge with a fighter jet hovering in the background. Ryu has taken to a gritty neighborhood in Japan, battling you on some highly stylized rooftops. Even Chun Li has moved into the big city, where an endless amount of bike riders flood the background. Also, all of the original character sprites are back in their full glory, with hardly any noticeable updates. It's little graphical changes like these that will make Street Fighter veterans perk up their ears and pay attention.

Also, the majority of the audio has been revamped for the GBA version. For those of you that have played the SNES Street Fighters, be prepared for a tidal wave of nostalgia as you play through this game. All of the special moves come complete with their classic sound effects. You can still hear the light tap of a weak punch or the loud thud of a strong kick. Also, all of the characters till scream out their attacks as they execute them. For some reason, hearing Ryu yell “Hadoken!” never gets old. Also, all of the original music themes have been remixed with new tracks, creating a fresh and dramatic twist to a tried and true soundtrack. When you see and hear everything this game has to offer, it almost feels like you've being sent back ten years into the past and you're playing the original.

Now that the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection has come out for the PS2, I wonder where the future of the series is heading. I did a search on the phrase ‘Street Fighter' not too long ago. There are well over fifty games that are somehow tied to the Street Fighter brand name. How many sequels, revamps, and crossovers will we see before Street Fighter fades into obscurity? Who knows? With the series going strong for this long, I doubt that it's going anywhere sometime soon. But whenever the Street Fighter series draws to a close, there will be some solace in the fact that it graced the GBA with this excellent update on a classic game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/04