Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting Review

By Luke Albiges Published 2 August, 2006

Better late than never.

Version tested: Xbox 360

The decision not to support Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for the original Xbox through backwards compatibility can be seen in two ways. Firstly, it's an oversight of a niche game lost among demand for more popular titles. Looking down the compatability lists, this seems unlikely - other ‘lesser' games like Sniper Elite and Deathrow make the cut while the inclusion of Acclaim's turgid Vexx over Anniversary Collection just makes us cry. The second way of looking at this is a slightly more cynical one - why would Microsoft and/or Capcom let gamers play Street Fighter 2 online for free when it can be put up for sale again first? But despite our minor outrage, we invested in some Microsoft Points and hit the download button within seconds of Hyper Fighting appearing on the Live Arcade service. Damn it, we're weak.

And although it's this weakness and nostalgia that is played on with many Live Arcade releases, firing up the game is like your 360 tucking you into bed and telling you everything is okay again. For anyone that enjoyed Street Fighter 2 back in the day, it's almost impossible to avoid being swept away by a tidal wave of nostalgia. Even though the 360 D-pad isn't all that user-friendly (especially for the constant motions required by a beat-'em-up), the game still plays just fine today. Even though the genre has progressed so far beyond Capcom's pivotal title, the wonderfully solid basics are what makes the game timeless - this is fighting at its most coarse and its most simple but this is precisely why it still works in 2006.

'Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting' Screenshot bison

He's not a real Bison.

If you've got mates to play with, great. Few games bring out a person's windly competitive streak like Street Fighter and the one-more-go factor is still there after so many years. If not, well let's just say that you're in for a rough time against some slightly unfair opposition, CPU Ryu is happy to sit back and throw fireballs for most of a match, Blanka never seems to stop rolling while just about every opponent beyond the first few tends to abuse jabs to interrupt almost any special move you might throw their way. The Street Fighter II AI has never really been up to much or understood the concept of fair play and there's no reason that this would change for a Live Arcade port. Yes, this is the same infuriatingly filthy string of CPU opponents that have probably made many of you throw controllers in the past.

But of course the real crux of the game is its online functionality and for the most part, Capcom has done a decent job with this. Single matches work perfectly – your opponent on the other side of the internet may as well be sat next to you as you duke it out. Ranked matches too are handled well, keeping the identity and ability of your challenger masked to help avoid high-ranked players ducking other leaderboard toppers to pick on newcomers and easy targets. Ranked games are a one-shot deal too, so once the bout is over, it’s back to the menu for you. But while it should be the real highlight of online play, Quarter Mode (which allows a winner-stays-on set-up for up to four players) is not exactly how it was originally described. Spectating on matches is only possible after a defeat, meaning that if you join a full lobby, you'll be sat staring at the lobby screen until you've had a fight yourself. It's hardly a dealbreaker but while single matches tend to be lag-free, having the wrong person enter the lobby of a Quarter match can reduce the game to a crawl for the participants, making quitting out a more appealing prospect than waiting around to get a go or watching the lag-fest pan out.

There's little doubt that Hyper Fighting will quickly become the most downloaded Live Arcade game to date, which is a little unfair as it's far from the best the service has to offer. Sure, it's a classic game but our fond memories paint a picture of a game far better than it actually is. But then again, perhaps that's not entirely fair. After all, Street Fighter II is the daddy of the fighting genre and with two players, it's still a good laugh today, despite showing its age. Few games from the early '90s stand up this well today and although there are obviously better fighters out there, an enhanced classic for less than the price of a cinema ticket is a bargain in anyone's book.

7 / 10

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About Luke Albiges

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Comments (55) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • alimokrane #1 6 years ago

    7 sounds absolutely about right.

  • Furbs #2 6 years ago

    I cant wait for blackdog/neons insightful opinion on this. He'll no doubt say something exciting, fresh and new.

  • [maven] #3 6 years ago

    "windly competetive streak"?

  • symmetry #4 6 years ago

    As if I didn't already have too many reasons to get a 360.... gits.

  • #5 6 years ago

    No mention of how it looks on a hi def screenio?

    Also, poor choice of screenshot I wanna see some action!

    Grief I'm a moaning sod lately!

    Good review though, already heard others gimping about the CPU players, still might get this in tho.

  • jellyhead #6 6 years ago

    That is the only screengrab worth showing is it?
    A menu screen. 0_o

  • itamae #7 6 years ago

    I wonder what score Ronan Jennings would have given this game :-D

  • Hog-lumps #8 6 years ago

    I notice in the screenshot M-bison is called errr, M-bison - do the americans have a different x360 live version where he's called Balrog instead?

  • HoriZon #9 6 years ago

    Been playing it online with a m8 with WinKawaks and it rocks!

    As does Street Fighter Alpha 2 & 3 and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, arcade style r00ls :)

  • mattigan #10 6 years ago

    They should have done the hyper fighting variant, hope they do it in future as it had that little bit of extra variation to keep it fresh before it all got silly with cartoony graphics and 3 layer super bars etc.

    That said, SF vs Marvel would be Teh Awsome!!!!!! Wolverine Berserker Barage FTW!!!

    Everyone has played this variant to death.

  • Grim... #11 6 years ago

    Hog-lumps: Balrog and Bison are different characters. Balrog is a boxer, and one of Bison's minions.

  • lambtron #12 6 years ago

    I like the alphas and 3rd Strike is very good.

    But as far as I'm concerned Turbo is still the best and I will never tire of it.

  • morriss #13 6 years ago

    I watched a game in spectator mode just now. So you're wrong, Master Luke. You watch them fight each other and then join in afterwards

  • Fatnick #14 6 years ago

    "Hog-lumps: Balrog and Bison are different characters. Balrog is a boxer, and one of Bison's minions."

    In Japan, Balrog is M. Bison and M. Bison is Balrog. For the US/EU release Capcom were terrified of the legal liability of having a boxer called M. Bison who bore a striking simularity to a certain famous ear-biting pugalist, so they swapped the names over.

  • Lukus #15 6 years ago

    One thing I've been wondering about Live Arcade games (not owning a 360 myself), particulary re-releases such as this; are they in high def or just upscaled?

  • Darkedge #16 6 years ago

    hmm well I think'll give this a miss - if it had been an 8 and had slightly better AI/online i'd buy it but that review says no

  • bloodflowers #17 6 years ago

    Control issues aside (hardware), my only other complaint is that I'd have preferred one of their newer revisions, or even one of the side series.

    I think about the best they've done is Vampire Savior 2 - absolutely awesome piece of work. Of course, you've still got your Ryu/Ken moveset characters, but they feel a bit fresher.

    Of course, they're banking on rose tinted specs...
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/06 @ 16:12

  • Eighthours #18 6 years ago

    This game is really for those people who never graduated past SFII to the more complex beat-em-ups. Those who are just too middlecore to remember vast strings of button presses for combos. Those who want to have fun with a fighting game rather than battling against the controls.

    People like me, then!

  • HoriZon #19 6 years ago

    "In Japan, Balrog is M. Bison and M. Bison is Balrog"

    That's wrong, in Japan M.Bison was Vega, Balrog was the Spanish guy, M.Bison was the boxer.

    But the reason is correct ;)
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/06 @ 16:17

  • Hog-lumps #20 6 years ago

    In Japan, Balrog is M. Bison and M. Bison is Balrog.

    Oh, I thought it was the US version that had the name change! Oh well, thanks for correcting me.


  • Hog-lumps #21 6 years ago

    Horizon, you are correct :)

    http://en.wikipe dia.org/wiki/Balrog_(Str...

  • HoriZon #22 6 years ago

    hehe

    I had to look as well :)

    The African-American boxer is known as M.Bison in Japan and Balrog elsewhere.
    The Spanish assassin-bullfighter is known as Balrog in Japan and Vega elsewhere.
    The evil dictator and head of Shadaloo is known as Vega in Japan and M.Bison elsewhere.

    I had the Jap version of Turbo on the SNES and played it on stop for ages :)

  • Fatnick #23 6 years ago

    Gadzooks. They really messed them around didn't they?

    Personally, i think the EU/US names make more sense. Aside from the fact it seems more fitting that the final boss should have some form of vaguely intimidating first initial, Vega just seems to work better for the spanish guy.

  • Azazel #24 6 years ago

    /strokes beard

    mmm, yes.

  • nuxx #25 6 years ago

    you can "unlock" Akuma in this Street Fighter, at least you could on the coin-op machine :)
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/06 @ 16:35

  • Wobble #26 6 years ago

    so now they've cashed in on this can they make the Anniversary Collection backwards compatable please?


    nuxx : "you can "unlock" Akuma in this Street Fighter, at least you could on the coin-op machine :)"

    There was no akuma in hyper fighting. His first appearance in super turbo, if you didn't lose any rounds and got 3 perfects or something...
    Edited by 2 at 02/08/06 @ 16:40

  • Nostromo13 #27 6 years ago

    should have got the trial version first, do'h.

  • Monkey #28 6 years ago

    Well I'm playing on 720p and it's a 4:3 on top of a blue background with a few swishes going on.

    I've had a few kickings online already!

    The only reason to buy an xbox360 hahahaha!
    :)

  • Totoriko #29 6 years ago

    cinema ticket is about £5

  • Fatnick #30 6 years ago

    "Well I'm playing on 720p and it's a 4:3 on top of a blue background with a few swishes going on."

    If you go into the display settings you can stretch it to fit the screen. I really don't know why it starts off windowed - there's no apparent drop in quality.

  • InterMeLocal #31 6 years ago

    Anyone else remember SFII (SNES) being reviewed 98% in Mean Machines? I paid £90 for this on Import for the Super Famicom...classic quote: "All your arcade tactics work...perfectly" - They sure did....

    Well worth 800 points (or whatever it is) for a timeless classic, and to settle some old scores with friends.

  • peterfll #32 6 years ago

    Am I the only one who thinks there's something dodgy in ....... this 7/10 - Frogger 8/10?

    I know it's only one person's opinion and all etc etc. But......

  • InterMeLocal #33 6 years ago

    Online works well, I played half a dozen games and I never noticed any lag. It was one of my major concerns too- I guess online SF II with Lag would be a waste of time since it’s relies solely on being responsive. I wish all Live games had zero lag....

  • IP #34 6 years ago

    :: Street Fighter II is the daddy of the fighting genre

    I guess that makes IK+ the grandaddy; Lord only knows what that makes Way of the Exploding Fist and Karate Champ...

  • InterMeLocal #35 6 years ago

    I agree, Frogger is lame. 8/10 - How?

  • Der_tolle_Emil #36 6 years ago

    Just played the demo. At least they could have included more than just 2 characters if only to fight them.

    In the other news many people complained about the difficulty. Personally I mostly played SF using an emulator and I have to say that the difficulty is just right. I guess if you really are used to the home versions the difficulty is awfully high at first but personally I had no problem getting a perfect win in my 4th match. (Default difficulty). And yes I know the difficulty increases heavily after the first few rounds in arcade mode.

    I have to admit though, that I was a bit lucky to get that perfect win. Ironically not being able to perform a special attack when I wanted to turned out just fine although it made me realize how bad the 360 controller is for this genre. Using a stick for 2d games never really worked for me except for the N64 controller (don't know why, but Killer Instinct Gold felt just right with it) and the d-pad feels like someone pushed it a little bit to hard and broke it, it is that unresponsive. Using analogue triggers is an absolute no too, but using the d-pad and trying to reach the left shoulder button just breaks your hand - they are just too far apart.

    I really expected a lot from this game and playing was fun, I just cannot see myself playing this for longer than a few hours because the controller simply ruins everything. I better spend my points elsewhere (after I finish cloning clyde). In the end, if you played SF before (I bet you did) at least download the demo first and see if the 360 controller fits you.

  • Hog-lumps #37 6 years ago

    just cannot see myself playing this for longer than a few hours because the controller simply ruins everything.

    You could always buy a proper arcade stick and stop moaning :o)

    e.g http://ww w.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-2a-4...
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/06 @ 17:15

  • patchbox360 #38 6 years ago




    Worst Pad for SF ever

  • patchbox360 #39 6 years ago


    'Sure, it's a classic game but our fond memories paint a picture of a game far better than it actually is.'


    blasphemy

  • Helios #40 6 years ago

    Problem is with the difficulty being a straight port is that it is set to 'gobble up as much moneh as possible even on easy.'

  • thewolfiv #41 6 years ago

    injustic anyone who plays this game online will understand...9/10 but only for the online i agree with 7/10 for the single player

  • NAC #42 6 years ago

    The D-Pad is fine, it just needs breaking in a bit just like all D-Pads. Street Fighter is not about remembering combo strings. Its about tactics and how you use the move set for a given character. In effect SF is still one of, if not the most pure fighting game because of this.

  • GordonJ@work #43 6 years ago

    I'm sure Hog-lumps meant to link to http://ww w.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-dd-4... instead of the xbox(1) controller he linked to.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #44 6 years ago

    Not for that price. I have a barebone hooked up to my tv with snes, n64 and gamecube controller adapters and of course all the emulators. I guess I'll stick with this instead of shelling out almost 70€ for the game plus a joypad to actually play the game how it was meant to be.

    After all I think I will get used to the d-pad after a few matches.

  • Bezzy #45 6 years ago

    I find pads (in general) easier, funnily enough. However, as far as pads go, the XBox 360's dpad certainly leaves much to be desired. Have to push pretty hard to register, and it basically just feels like one of those sidewinder "hats", rather than a nice spongey pad.

  • Arwin #46 6 years ago

    Great that at least it supports online matches. That's a big plus, right there, even if it is an old game.

    Can't wait until Tekken supports that too, as SF is too far back for me personally. For now, though, gamesharing on the excellent Tekken PSP will have to do! Man, if you ever wanted to convince someone of this game, go to Practice - Freestyle, select King, call up the Command List and then quickly show him each and every move he has. Then mention there are 36 characters ... My ... !

  • Abscido #47 6 years ago

    itamae "I wonder what score Ronan Jennings would have given this game :-D"

    Heh! God, don't start Itamae! Actually, I probably wouldn't have been *too* harsh, considering it's an XBL game. (They seem to have acquired their own scaling system, separate to mainstream releases). Haven't played it yet, though.

    Still, we have to pay for Street Fighter AGAIN?? ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/06 @ 22:37

  • MasterThief #48 6 years ago

    I have only just come in from work. I have not read through even one of these comments. But I am willing to bet my entire days pay, that Blackdog has been in here, in one form or another, stating how 'bad' it is that such a highly anticipated game on the Xbox 360 happens to be nearly 15 years old.

  • MasterThief #49 6 years ago

    Upon reading the review...meh. I'll take Dead or Alive 4 first when I get my 360, thanks. I won't let misty-eyed nostalgia trick me into thinking that this game is any better than what it actually is. But hey, I'll still get it at some point anyway. For a couple of squid, how could you not do? And therein lies the beauty of the Live Arcade.

    :)

  • jlaakso #50 6 years ago

    I couldn't nearly win a single fight in the demo. Might still pay for it when sitting around the house with buddies.

  • Aretak #51 6 years ago

    "Worst Pad for SF ever"

    Someone hasn't played Capcom vs SNK 2 on the Cube...

  • Hog-lumps #52 6 years ago

    I'm sure Hog-lumps meant to link to http://ww w.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-dd-4... instead of the xbox(1) controller he linked to.

    In my browser, the link I pasted goes to an arcade stick with lots of buttons - not sure why you guys are seeing the x-box 1 pad? hmmmm..... : o_O

  • LarryLoxley #53 6 years ago

    I had hyped this up a lot in my head. Reading yesterday's reviews and comments kind of brought me back down to earth. Actually playing it placed me somewhere in the middle! Single player is not what this game is about. It's all about multiplayer which is still excellent. The controller isn't great but I am sure I will adapt to it. All in all very happy!

  • Darren #54 6 years ago

    I downloaded it last night, having never played the originals but having loved Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on the Dreamcast, but I was bitterly disappointed with the game. OK, so 2D games are pretty dated these days but I don't remember Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 being this... welll... rubbish. Sorry but I guess I missed the boat when the game first came out and it's too late now 'cos it's well and truly sunk (for me)! LOL
    Edited by 1 at 03/08/06 @ 10:36

  • InterMeLocal #55 6 years ago

    Disappointed, lag was pretty bad in some games, even ones which displayed a good ping rate…why? It’s not processing an awful lot surely? Also, why oh why isn’t there a 'Rematch?' option after a bout. I spent half the time trying to connect to a game....

    Pad is not great either. - Its ruined all my arcade tactics.

  • Fatfish #56 6 years ago

    Having blitzed my way through this on 3 stars last night, I can confirm that it's not impossible. It's a case of digging in to the deepest recesses of your mind and firstly remembering the old tactics, and secondly, remembering which tactic applies to which characters.

    Alos, tried both the d-pad and the analogue stick - I actually find it easier using the analogue. It's not perfect, but it's a damn sight easier and more precise than using the d-pad.

  • wayne040576 #57 6 years ago

    I thought the single player was fine. I had read that a few people found it hard but I found it to be no harder than any version I've played in the last 10 years. I think today's 3d fighters have made the single player game too easy. You won't button bash your way through this. The d pad isn't the best but I hope I can break it in.
    The online multiplayer was a different story. Terrible lag and response times. Completely ruined it for me. Even basic moves (kicks, punches, throws) were extremely difficult to time. I was attempting to do jumping kicks only to see my character land and sweep. I was also seeing people winning several matches using chun li's fast kick or E honda's fast hand because their opponent was having so much trouble timing moves. This is something you would generally only see when both players are quite new to the game.

  • Helios #58 6 years ago

    "Disappointed, lag was pretty bad in some games, even ones which displayed a good ping rate…why? It’s not processing an awful lot surely? Also, why oh why isn’t there a 'Rematch?' option after a bout. I spent half the time trying to connect to a game...."


    You can't rematch a ranked game, only an unranked one.