Lawrence.com

My story still holds true. I was 14. I lived a few blocks from a 7-Eleven that had this arcade game I had before only heard through legend. It was the one on one fighting game that first captured the world's mind, and kept many arcades full. That game was Street Fighter II and since the incarnation of the side-scrolling fighter, no arcade video game has drawn crowds like it did.

After some time passed, certain modifications started showing up in the form of speed boosts for the entire game. There was Street Fighter II: Turbo, Champion Edition, Super Turbo and also some independent and illegal modifications. The PS2 now gets the Anniversary Collection which includes Hyper Street Fighter II and the lesser known but pretty amazing Street Fighter III: Third Strike.

Hyper SF2 actually includes all versions of characters from each type of SF2. For instance, you can be Ken from the original Street Fighter II and play Ryu from Street Fighter II: Super Turbo. This makes for 60 or so fighters to choose from in a sometimes awkward collection of arenas. Oddly enough, the CPU can only play as an opponent form the most recent version, which sort of detracts from the novelty.

Street Fighter III sucked eggs. It was one of the sorriest excuses for a sequel and was incredibly imbalanced. Although most of Street Fighter's fans had given up after the abysmal let-down, Street Fighter III saw two more incarnations, the second being the included Third Strike. Third Strike capitalizes on the superior gameplay of its side-scrolling predecessor and adds perfectly crafted parrying, leaping and super attack elements for an unprecedented amount of 2D depth.

Playing both of these titles reminds me why I continue to play video games. Street Fighter II and III are pictures of innovation, genius for its time. It was all about gameplay and there are still developers out there today that strive for the same innovation, keeping a guy like me riveted to see what's next.

Being a port of the actual games, the graphics haven't been spruced up. The games do look exactly like the arcade counterparts, though, which is great for the nostalgia factor. Where the PS2 version had some weird blurring issues, this Xbox version has none.

Also, the PS2 version lacked the no-brainer online mode. This version fully supports Xbox Live for a lag free kill fest of epic proportions. It comes dangerously close to rekindling the old feeling of huddling around the arcade, waiting for your chance to show your skills. It's great fun.

Both games are an absolute blast to play, especially online. There are some puzzling omissions that could've made this a truly killer package. But for $30, Xbox owners really owe it to themselves to indulge in the past.

Graphics: C+

Sound: B-

First Play: A

Last Play: A-

Gameplay: A

Overall: 88% B+