"I
want Street Fighter II!" So was the cry of millions as they watched
in horror as their Sega Genesis console was passed over in favor of the
SNES. That brilliant 16-meg cart was the scourge of Sega fans for some
time until it was finally announced that the Genesis would not only be the
recipient of Street Fighter II, but the bosses would actually be playable
without some glitchy Game Genie code. Double bonus.
The official title for this one is "Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition." Some legal crap didn't allow Capcom to use the actual title of the arcade game (which was Championship Edition for the one idiot out there). By now, over 10 years later, everyone knows the characters, the gameplay, and stories, so lets just get on with the port issues, shall we?
Though it can only tackle 64 colors at once, the Genesis doesn't do all that bad. Some of the backgrounds look extremely washed out, but a few are quite accurate. The actual fighters are much smaller than the arcade version and just a hint smaller than the SNES conversion. A little flicker also rears it's head when boxes or barrels get broke. Speed is where the Genesis excels. Tackling the "Hyper" mode included on this cart will satisfy even the craziest speed freak. As far as Genesis games are concerned, this is probably the best of the best.
If you own a 3-button Genesis controller, don't bother. You simply can't play this game. I mean, you could, but actually pulling out a decent fight is next to impossible. 6-button pad owners should have no problem. To be blunt, it's obvious that this game was made for this controller. There may be a few times that a move may not come off exactly when you want it, but this is generally a flaw in all fighters.
We hit a rut in the sound department, an area not even Capcom could conquer. Surprisingly, the music came off quite well, with a great underlying bass track that ranks amongst the best on the console. The voices however....well, simply put, their grating. Scratchy, unbearable, hardly audible, nails-on-blackboard grating. Since their louder than the music, it's impossible to avoid too. Ouch.
It would've been a travesty not to see SF II on one of the best 16-bit consoles. Considering the hardware, this conversion is stunning. With the exception of the voices, this is an excellent port for anyone not owning a more powerful console. Just make sure that you have a 6-button controller in hand. 3-button owners, I pity you.
