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| Street Fighter EX2 Plus | |
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While really an enhancement of the original, as opposed to a totally fresh experience, the game is still a very solid fighter. |
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With the characters in this installment of Street Fighter being rendered in a polygonal, 3D manner, people simply looking at the screenshots may be inclined to think that the game plays out in a fully three dimensional arena similar to games like Tekken and Dead or Alive. However, combat plays out just like the sprite-based, anime-drenched renditions of the series that players are familiar with. Fighting is still along a 2D tightrope plane, a very welcome field for Street Fighter purists. The characters themselves look smoother and more detailed than those found in the first and the animation is very smooth as well. What is especially nice is that the backgrounds are still made out in a 2D sprite-based manner, providing plenty of anime imagery to soak in. It just wouldn’t feel right without at least a little bit of anime in a Street Fighter title.
The cast of characters is gigantic, as usual, and, despite their 3D appearance, all are well represented. The cast is plentiful with a mix of classic characters that have become synonymous with the series (Street Fighter without Ryu would be just plain wrong), as well as few new faces to spice things up a bit. The character design is very well done. Although everyone is in 3D, their polygonal appearance still manages to bring an anime feel to them, albeit slightly watered down. Not only are a majority of the popular Street Fighter characters here, but their moves have largely remained intact as well. With solid, responsive controls, players won’t have to deal with the tremendous frustration that bad controls bring to a fighting game. Players will actually be able to throw fireballs with ease, instead of their gamepads. All of the moves follow the traditional button combinations found in Street Fighter games, like charging back, then going forward, and all sorts of moves involving semi, half, and full circles. While these are all easy to get into since we’ve seen them so many times before and are accustomed to them, some variety would be enthusiastically welcomed. A few new button combos would have been great to add some new things to learn, taking away some of the “same oldness” of the traditional control scheme found here. Not necessarily as complex as some of the moves found in the SNK fighters, but more variety would have gone a long way to improve the experience in EX2 Plus. One other tiny qualm is the incredible amount of load time in this game. It’s come to be expected from 2D fighters, and many of Capcom’s fighting game series have plenty of load sequences, but the ones found in EX2 Plus are exceptionally long. It’s almost funny when one needs to continue as it says “Push Start Button for Quick Start”. Quick Start? Quick relative to what? Of course, while pounding the tar out of opponents, music and sound can do a lot to add to or subtract from the mood of a game. The big problem with the sounds in the Street Fighter series is that most gamers have been playing the series for years, and as a result “Ha-do-ken”, “Yoga Flame”, and “Sho-ryu-ken” are getting very stale. If the characters’ move libraries were larger, and more special moves were available, this wouldn’t be such a problem, as there would be plenty of other catch phrases added to the mix. As it stands however, the phrases are getting old. Perhaps if Capcom brought in Alfred E. Newman to do the voice acting that would help to liven things up. Ha-do-ken-ger-blak! Music is so arcadey it’s almost painful. Purists will enjoy the tunes, but everyone else will be turned off by the poppy vibe. Like other Street Fighter sequels EX2 Plus is an enhancement rather than a full-blown new experience. The experience remains very solid nonetheless, as the controls are exemplary, and the visuals are very well done. For those who never played the first game, EX2 Plus is well worth checking out. But for those who did play the first game, only the most fanatic of fans will find it worth purchasing the sequel. |
