Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max (PlayStation Portable)
Let’s get this out the way quickly: Alpha 3 Max is the best portable version of Alpha 3 available. It’s even one of the best ports of Alpha 3 among the numerous ports of the game. It has everything that its big brother consoles have and then some, with the massive final updated roster that each successive entry has introduced, and improvements made to the different established modes.
The graphics are nice and large, and the music is still as top notch as ever. But there is a catch because there always is: This is only available for the PlayStation Portable. So, if you can track down that defunct system, get this to have it on the go and have a blast as only one can with Alpha 3 in its final form glory. It’s worth a look just for the complete roster alone.
Score: 4 out of 5
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Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PlayStation 2)
This collection of Street Fighter Alpha games is sublime, especially if you have a PlayStation 2 laying around. It features all the Alpha games, remixes and arranged versions, the Alpha 2 Gold revision and a nice port of Super Gem Fighter Mini-Mix. The best part of the collection is that it plays nicely in every game. It plays like a dream and handles well with a good PS2 controller or joystick.
Even better is the included Hyper Street Fighter Alpha, which allows pitting different Alpha characters against each other using that specific game’s mechanics and rulesets. Think Alpha 2’s Rose versus Alpha 3 V‑ISM Rose. That’s the hidden draw of the game, one that’s not advertised and that you won’t discover without time invested. However, with smooth play and convenience much like 30th Anniversary collection, this is a must buy for the PS2 collection.
There was a time when all the early generation Street Fighter games weren’t available in the same place. Us old-timers had to own multiple systems and collections on those systems to complete the library of fighting street games. But then along came the 30th anniversary of the landmark fighting game franchise and wouldn’t you know, Capcom thought it prudent to offer a bonanza of Street Fighter. Whether or not it’s a bountiful buffet is still up for judgment.
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection aims to do one thing: Give you all the Street Fighter you can shake a stick at. Included out of the box are: Street Fighter, all versions of Street Fighter II (including Tournament Battle, exclusive to the Nintendo Switch); Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper; and, Street Fighter III: New Generation, 2nd Impact: Giant Attack and 3rd Strike. This essentially covers all the bases for early Street Fighter, which is great. Give me everything in one package and let me choose what I want to play. But alas, there is a catch: All the versions included are the arcade versions of the games. That means, for example, with Street Fighter Alpha 3 you aren’t going to get World Tour Mode. Whatever you received in the arcade is what you’re getting here so I hope you like the vanilla versions because that’s what’s served here. That’s not a bad thing if you love Street Fighter, and it’s the smart solution because including the home additions would have pushed this collection to double discs or more.
The package is fine graphically. The games included are going to look exactly what they way they did when they were released, which is exactly how they should here and isn’t the focus. What should be the focus is the surrounding package and it’s nice. The graphics look clean, and menus are inviting. However, I do have a gripe with the menus: Capcom is in dire need of a copy editor. I found at least one error in the text (Akuma’s bio in Super Street Fighter II X for the curious), and this isn’t the first time I’ve found this type of thing (there’s an error in Super Street Fighter IV’s text as well).
As a former professional editor, this type of thing in video games gets on my nerves. Capcom is a billion-dollar company; hiring a copy editor to spell check the menus and text shouldn’t be a problem. It reeks of sloppiness, though I shouldn’t be surprised as this is the same company that refuses to translate the board game in Project Justice or the dating sims in both versions of Rival Schools. But I digress. The presentation is good, and it looks fine on modern systems.
The music is the same as the graphics: just as you remember it and perfectly fine. There is a sound test and that’s helpful if you don’t already have any of the tracks in your music collection. There are a few remixes in the menus that you may not have heard before, but there isn’t anything noteworthy like say Mega Man X Legacy Collection. The extras are mid, though some of the artwork and the official timelines provided are neat. It’s just that there isn’t a lot of it and there should be with this many games included.
And just like the presentation, the playability is just as good as you remember. I was able to finish several games in the arcade mode — once I adjusted the difficulty, which is a godsend — and everything felt great even with a PlayStation 4 Pro controller. I also jumped online to test the netcode, and it was decent. However, with the superior Fightcade now in full swing, fighting online with 30th Anniversary has been made irrelevant.
This is the collection to end all Capcom collections for their fighting games. Yes, Capcom insists on releasing other collections with these games, but this is a good stop gap if you want the mainstream stuff all in one place. Come for the nostalgia and the convenience and maybe stay for the extras. Three decades of Street Fighter should be a spectacle to behold but it’s lacking in the knock your socks off draw-ins. It’s still a rad street fight, however.
Ultra Street Fighter II needs to be the final final challenge
As a Street Fighter fan of a certain age, I can remember the many jokes back in the day about Capcom never learning how to count to three. It wasn’t a lie, though. Capcom couldn’t count to three because they continued to make major revisions to Street Fighter II while other fighting game series were starting and making sequels. More than 30 years later, even after Capcom learned what trés meant in New Generation, Giant Attack and 3rd Strike, we’re still returning to the SFII well and I don’t know if this return trip with the buckets was worth it.
By now, we all know the story of Street Fighter II: A bunch of World Warriors get together and fight the megalomaniacal dictator/drug runner/supernatural enthusiast M. Bison. Someone among the based crew that is Ryu, Chun-Li and Guile got their revenge and faced him at the end of the second World Warrior Tournament until the ever-present Akuma showed up and promptly took Bison out with a well-placed Raging Demon. Except that given the story events of Street Fighter V: Championship Edition, this no longer holds true exactly (see Bison’s resurrection in Street Fighter 6’s DLC). Anyway, at the point of Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers, Bison is dead, on his way to hell with gasoline undergarments on for his various misdeeds. This has always been Street Fighter II’s storyline in its basest form, and nothing notable has changed about it in Ultra.
The controls also are the same old Street Fighter II that’s been played and rehashed to death during the past 35 years. It’s the same shoryuken, hurricane kicks, and hadokens you’re used to, and to Capcom’s credit, that’s the best thing they could have ever done. Don’t fix what isn’t broken and what generations have learned to cut their teeth on. That said, if you can play Super Turbo, you can play this because that’s all this is in terms of how to play Street Fighter II. And to mitigate the potential issues, buying a Pro Controller is a smart idea, but you already knew that if you bought this port because there is no way you’re casually playing a port of a 35-year-old fighting game without knowing you need a decent controller.
Now, the one thing that has changed is the graphics. Graphically, this is more in line with the weird Street Fighter IIHD Remix that featured anime style graphics. It’s kind of gorgeous but also kind of not. It feels a little like a rehash of that port and not too many people were clamoring for it outside of the fact that it was one of the few ports of Super Turbo released in the U.S. Some of the stages look great and benefit from the art style change and some of them just look rather meh. Also, one of the few things that mercifully stayed the same is the soundtrack. SFII has always had an excellent soundtrack and it, too, is untouched from the Super Turbo version.
The new additions to this are what’s going to influence your decision to get this or pass. On the roster side of things are newcomers Evil Ryu and Violent Ken. Why, they aren’t new you say? Exactly. They aren’t new at all if you care about Capcom fighting lore. Evil Ryu is a mainstay evil version of the beloved Ryu who’s been hanging around ever since Capcom USA forgot to ask if he was real or not in the heyday of Street Fighter Alpha 2. Violent Ken is a little deeper but not by much. If you played the weird SNK vs. Capcom Chaos — better known as SNK’s attempt in the Capcom vs. SNK series — you’d recognize this version of Ken. He also kind of made a what-if appearance in Street Fighter Alpha 3 in the arcade story mode. While I get that they’re a novelty and people love these characters for whatever reason, I’m not sure I understand why we needed another version of Street Fighter II to include them. Because for the folks playing along at home, this makes the sixth version of the game to be released as an official port. By the time this was released, Capcom was talking seriously and making a lot of noise about Street Fighter V, so this is unnecessary quite honestly. And throwing in the moribund and extra Way of the Hado mode does not justify the need for a wholly new version of this game.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Street Fighter II. It was instrumental and paved the way for my favorite genre of video games. I’ve played every version of SFII at this point and every spinoff of it, too. But when it comes to these highly unnecessary retreads of the same game that Capcom won’t let loose, I have a problem. As much as I have come to love the franchise in my later years, I can’t stand that Capcom beats the SFII horse to death while ignoring their other viable fighting game franchises such as Rival Schools/Project Justice and Vampire/Darkstalkers. We get it, Street Fighter II is extremely popular. But Capcom has released enough versions of it to last a lifetime and this version is not needed. Capcom really needs to let this be the final challenge for sure.
Metroid Dread a return to form for veteran series
That foreboding sense of … dread. The anticipation of walking into an unknown room and possibly finding a secret. It’s the stuff many old-school gamers and Metroid fans like me cut our teeth on growing up with Metroidvania games. The original Metroid set the tone, but Super Metroid is the house of cards that everything in the genre rests on. And Metroid Dread, while an admirable attempt to recreate that nostalgic feeling, is a few missiles short.
Don’t misunderstand me: I love Metroid Dread. It’s the return to form that we all expect of a Metroid game, and you can tell that within the first five minutes. The opening cinematic picks the story up after Fusion where Samus Aran, the baddest bounty hunter in the known universe, has simultaneously solved the X Parasite threat and ushered in galactic peace once again. Despite that, the Galactic Federation receives verified proof that the X are not extinct and sends EMMI (Extraplanetary Multiform Mobile Identifiers) to the planet ZDR to investigate the mystery of why the X Parasite has reappeared. Soon after the EMMI land, all contact is lost with them. Ms. Aran is sent in to investigate their disappearance, and shortly after landing, finds herself in combat with a mysterious figure that resembles a Chozo. Given that the Chozo other than herself are also extinct, it’s an even deeper mystery that Samus is determined to solve.
The story is interesting, and I was genuinely invested in learning about the EMMI and what they found on the planet. I was even more intrigued about the Chozo warrior because I’m well-versed in the lore of Metroid and anything that calls back to Super Metroid and Samus’ origin story is going to have my attention. It also references Metroid Fusion, obviously, and parts of Metroid II: Samus Returns — which is the excellent remake of Metroid II: The Return of Samus. Leaning on the older story is a smart move because you’re probably going to go back and play the older games and the remake, and you’re going to buy into the story of the current game a little bit easier.
What isn’t a little easier, even on the easy difficulty level, is the combat. Listen, I’m a Super Metroid expert and I can even claim beating the original Metroid, but the first hour of Dread is hard. I got stuck on the second EMMI chase sequence and had to go watch a detailed demonstration of what to do because I just wasn’t getting it. And, yes, I love this about Dread. Metroid, at its core, is about exploration, problem-solving and figuring out things by trial and error. I’m doing that in Dread, though my old-man reflexes and patience are getting in the way. But this is what I want out of my Metroid game to a point. The other side of this, however, is that I didn’t care for the mad dash away from an all-powerful enemy in Metroid Fusion in 2002, and I don’t particularly care for the mad dash away from an all-powerful enemy in Metroid Dread now. That frantic feeling of not knowing what to do in a sequence that means instant death constantly is not a good one, and I had hoped that it wouldn’t return 20 years later, but here we are. I’ll figure it out and learn to live with it, I guess, but it’s not one of my favorite parts of the game.
One of the other things I do love about Dread is the atmosphere. The music hits the sweet spot of nostalgia and new with leitmotifs of Super and the original game mixed in, and the graphics are gorgeous. I’ve long been a fan of the music of Metroid, and this is just another masterpiece in the long history of the series. Also, Samus has never looked better. She’s more fleshed out with modern graphics, but my favorite heroine is simply stunning even in the stripped Power Suit. And while ZDR is no Zebes, it’s a deliciously dark environment that invokes the best part of brooding moody dark planet that fits right in Metroid lore.
While I love a lot of Dread, there are some things that I don’t quite love. First, as a veteran Metroid lover, I can’t help but wonder why it took so long to get a side-scrolling version of Metroid again and why it followed Fusion after so many years. Dread is fantastic, but Fusion was not exactly Super, and Dread tries a little too hard to make Fusion work. I’d rather Dread had its own identity aside from the cleanup of Fusion’s mess.
And while we’re at it, Dread tries a little too hard to lean into Super’s legacy. It’s well-known that Super is our favorite game of all time. That is not a secret. However, unless you’re going to give me a full modern remake of Super, don’t tease me with something almost there.
Dread is a tease, a “what if we were to remake the greatest game of all time with modern controls” experiment. To quote the awful Ronin in Avengers: Endgame, don’t give me hope. Don’t give it to me halfway and then be like, naw, you know what? Let’s just call it Metroid 5 and we’ll revisit that Super remake later. This technically isn’t Dread’s fault, because it’s an excellent game and it’s giving me, the Metroid fan who didn’t want a first-person shooter Metroid, exactly what I’ve been asking for since Fusion. I’m not dinging Dread per se; I’m dinging Nintendo for being a tease and a terrible one at that.
Metroid Dread does almost everything right: The atmosphere is Metroid, the graphics are Metroid, the story is Metroid and the secrecy is Metroid. It’s a must-play if you’re into the series and even if you aren’t, you still need to experience it just to see how the grand dame of Metroidvania does her thing and creates perfection. It’s just that if you’re walking into this thinking you’re going to get Super Metroid levels of perfection, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s not Other M level of disappointment, but the layers of Super haunt the outcome. Then again, let’s face it: Nothing is going to touch Super’s level of nuance. And Dread is still fine for it. Dread nearly hits on every level, and it’s the side-scrolling Metroid adventure we non-first-person shooter fans have been waiting for. It’s just that you must be willing to look past the dreaded comparisons to Super Metroid to see its true finesse.
Modernized trilogy finale falls short of masterpiece
I would be foolish to not acknowledge one of the most legendary ninjas in video game history. Ever since the appearance of the “Tecmo Presents 1989” screen heralding the Ninja Gaiden series, Ryu Hayabusa has taken up his family’s legendary Dragon Sword against many demonic foes and their lackeys who desire Earth to fall under their rule. Through many 8- and 16-bit adventures, Ryu has conquered many foes that were not just fuel that creates nightmares but those who were sci-fi adjacent with foes who were half-demon and half-tech. Ryu took a hiatus and eventually returned to his role as a ninja guardian defending his home village (and the world) through new adventures on next generation consoles. I was able to experience Mr. Hayabusa’s latest feat in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge.
In Razor’s Edge, Ryu, now the head leader of Hayabusa village, is called upon by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to deal with a terrorist group known as the Legion of Alchemy whose leader has a deep grudge against the beloved dragon ninja. When the LOA launches a brutal assault on the British prime minister’s home, Ryu responds and destroys the LOA’s foot soldiers but arrives too late to save the prime minister and is attacked by the Regent of the Mask. The Regent of the Mask places a curse called the Grip of Murder on Ryu’s right arm, which absorbs the souls of Ryu’s enemies and takes the Dragon Sword into his arm. To make things worse, the Regent makes a threat to world leaders to either surrender in seven days or be destroyed. With time of the utmost essence, Ryu along with longtime ally Ayane and JSDF agent Mizuki McCloud must stop the LOA to prevent further global chaos.
Razor’s Edge’s graphics are like current hack-and-slash games on the market but also have substance. Team Ninja developed each stage with care and kept elements that make Ninja Gaiden a fan favorite. Starting in London the roads are instantly recognizable as are the backdrop of Big Ben and the Knight buses instead of a copy and paste inserted stage. The cut scenes, stage start, and recap areas are beautifully done and add polish to all characters without going too far to explain who’s good and evil. A small gripe about the presentation and graphics is that the stage start/recap areas were too similar to the Metal Gear and Tom Clancy series where it’s a bit too dramatic in some areas and they don’t allow the awesome graphics to set the tone.
The controls to guide our hero are simple but need practice in some areas that require parkour-type jumps to get to other parts of some stages. In some parts of the game where Ayane is called upon, she is a little more flexible than Ryu, but that doesn’t make the controls more difficult. I did have a few issues with controls regarding battles with bosses that require more focus to strike various spots. Also, when Ryu is required to use his kunai to climb, timing to focus on climbing is needed while various enemies fiercely attempt to eliminate you. It taxed my patience and was kind of tedious.
The music is paired perfectly with each stage and has a balance from slow-rising to energetic when facing off with various enemies. The LOA museum is my favorite stage; while battling through the stage, enemies, including attack dogs, pop out to attack you with fierce music. When defeated, the music goes back to a light rock style. The game music is excellent all-around, and the voice acting is perfect with Troy Baker as Ryu and Ali Hillis as Mizuki. The cast includes well-known voice actors such as Yuri Lowenthal, Stephanie Sheh, Janice Kawaye and Michael McConnohie.
While I enjoyed Razor’s Edge, I do have a few dislikes. First, its targeting system for Ryu when he uses his ninpo has hit and miss accuracy, taking out some enemies while missing others. My other problem is that while the game has various dub and subtitles included, the English subtitles were not timed well with its audio, which made the story difficult to follow in some cut scenes. Noticing that, It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it was disappointing.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge breathes new life and new adventures into a legendary ninja in video games. Ryu Hayabusa is a prime example of being able to teach an old dog a few new tricks and they succeed. The third game in the remake series puts the Hayabusa name back at the edge of greatness.
A new stage of history Soulcalibur returns to its roots
It’s been a long time since Soulcalibur was good. And I mean, really good, where it’s about the fighting and the locales and the sick character designs. Because make no mistake, Soulcalibur hit a brick wall right about the time of the fourth entry. Seriously, no one asked for Star Wars draped all over Soulcalibur, yet there we were with Yoda and the gang making themselves at home in the series known for its sword and sorcery. But then something happened: Someone on Project Soul said, “you know what would be great? Returning back to the thing that made us successful in the first place: Soulcalibur.” And here we are with the sixth entry and it’s a return to form.
Soulcalibur VI is essentially a retelling of the second game in the series, Soulcalibur. The evil sword Soul Edge has fallen into the wrong hands throughout history, and it has now found its way into the embrace of one Siegfried. Sigfried, having lost his tenuous grasp on sanity and reality in general, has transformed into the Azure Knight, better known as Nightmare, and begun wreaking havoc on the world in this demonic possessed guise. There are those who seek the sword for righteous reasons and those who seek it for greed and glory, but the sword must be stopped. Because it’s a retread of Soulcalibur, not too much has changed story-wise. The entire cast of the game has returned with some new folks sprinkled in for good measure. This is fine because that cast was legendary and set the standard for future entries.
But what if you wanted to do a little something different this time around? The excellent character creator has everything covered. This mode is so well done and such a time sink. I spent at least two hours making a reasonable facsimile of the Capcom’s Ruby Heart — my favorite pirate — and it was painless and easy to do, even with the default offerings. This creator mode has been around a long time in Soulcalibur — since the third game — but here it’s refined and polished. I spent more time here than anywhere else, and what I wanted to make was only limited by my lack of ideas.
Despite lacking in skill with Soulcalibur over the years, I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of jumping into fighting. I have had an extended absence from the series, but I could still pull off moves and combos with old favorites like Mitsurugi, Cervantes, Ivy and Voldo. The fighting felt polished and clean, much like older entries, which is critical in drawing in someone like me that hasn’t really played much since Soulcalibur II.
Another good nostalgic draw was the presentation. Soulcalibur as a series has never lacked in the aesthetics department, and this game is no different. It looks nice, with good character models and enticing backgrounds. Because it’s basically a remake, the backgrounds are references to previous stages but with a more modern cleanup job applied. I absolutely loved the original Soulcalibur’s look and still do, and this version does good in reminding me of why that is. While not quite as groundbreaking in its graphics as the arcade and Dreamcast port were 25 years ago, they’re still quite breathtaking and beautiful.
And, there isn’t too much to dislike about Soulcalibur VI. I’m not fond of the AI difficulty, which seems a little too spotty. A few matches felt like rubber banding in the second round if I won the first round, but then if there was a third round, the AI would just stand there and let me wail away. That’s weird in a fighting game, but then again, most Soulcalibur entries felt that way in the beginning of the series. I just wish that was fixed by the sixth game.
Overall, Soulcalibur VI tries to make up for the missteps of the past with a solid re-imagining and return to its roots. Though it’s been five years since release and no new content has been on the horizon, it’s a still a viable fighting game for those who haven’t dived back into the world of souls. The soul still burns in this rehabbed and reformed sequel.
I’m a huge Mega Man fan. It started with the original series and evolved to include the X series. Fearless GI leader Lyndsey gifted me a treasure trove of Mega Man X games worthy of Capcom’s next generation blue titan, and Mega Man X Legacy Collection has risen to the top of the pile.
The first disc of Legacy Collection covers the first four MMX games that were released for the SNES and PSOne. In these games, you control our favorite hero in blue or his later partner Zero in their quest to achieve peace in the future. Each game has a different story that builds on the previous game, but overall X and Zero are the stars of the show with various versions of longtime antagonist Sigma attempting to achieve world domination. Each of the first four games has various bosses X or Zero faces with the successful result of gaining the boss’ weapon or skill that can be used for various levels. X has a slight advantage in the game by using hidden upgrade chambers designed by the late Dr. Light that increases firepower, speed and protection.
The value of the first disc is perfect for fans or those beginning the X series and increases with the anime-inspired designs of heroes and villains, which encourages replay of all the collection’s games. This first disc also has a lot of interesting elements that include presenting 16-bit and anime-style intermission screens that were included when the games were originally released. Capcom also introduced a high-resolution filter, giving the game’s graphics a streamlined yet colorful approach and a unique box frame for each game. A music player containing all the music from the original games also rounds out the presentation extras, which were nice.
One of the other cool additions is the X Challenge, which pits you against two legendary bosses of the series while choosing three weapons to use. This requires some forethought and understanding of the series’ mechanics, which is a welcome change of pace when you want something different from the story modes. I also thought that the art gallery and the animated movie focusing on Sigma was a nice touch.
The only criticism I had of the collection is with some of the other extras. Capcom decided to show off never-before-seen Mega Man X collectibles that were only available in Japan. Capcom never did license these outside of Japan, making fans like me curse them for their dense business practices. Because, really, why would you tease other regions with this, knowing Mega Man is global? It just seems like another slap in the face where Mega Man is concerned.
Mega Man X Legacy Collection is a great tribute to the X series. Despite my hang-ups with Capcom, this is a great love letter to Mega Man X fans and can be a template to continue the story of X and company.
Capcom tends to tread a lot of the same ground these days. Whether it’s “getting back to their roots” with Street Fighter’s modern versions or returning to the past with a lot of upgraded collections, Capcom sure has a way of reminding you that, yes, they made Street Fighter and a bunch of other fighting games. The question is do we care? Yes and no, if this current collection is to be judged.
I will admit that, despite being a strict Mortal Kombat old head, I am inclined to speak up about my favorite genre in fighting games and how it relates to Capcom. This collection, filled to the brim with nothing but Capcom fighters, aims to show that Capcom had some hits and memorable properties. Fighting Collection features 10 entries: Vampire/Darkstalkers 1–3, Vampire Hunter 2, Vampire Savior 2, Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness, WarZard/Red Earth, Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition, Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix/Pocket Fighter and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, with the North American or Japanese versions available for play. In all cases, these are arcade rom versions gathered together in one spot and you can freely switch between them on free play. Collection-wise, this is a top-tier package for those who love fighting games made by Capcom. Mainstream money maker that’s still around today? That’s Hyper Street Fighter II. Obscure weird fighter that no one even knows that Capcom made it? Take your pick from Cyberbots and WarZard. Cutesy, chibi fighter that unabashedly mocks its maker? Puzzle Fighter and Pocket Fighter have that on lock. Defunct series that should still be a thing, but Capcom doesn’t pay attention? All of the Vampire you can possibly shake a stick at satisfies that requirement. There is literally something for everyone here. But the question is, do you want it, especially now that you know what’s available here? As earlier, yes and no.
While the presentation is top-notch, the actual assortment of the games involved is a mixed bag. Gentle readers, I just compiled and created an entire issue devoted to Vampire (Editor’s note: That’d be Issue 46. Go download it now if you haven’t.) and its inner workings and the history behind the series. Knowing that, please explain to me why I have Vampire burnout and why I had it before I did that issue because of this collection. Capcom does this song and dance every single time Vampire is whispered somewhere by some unsuspecting gamer who loves the series and wants to see it once more have its day in the sun. I wrote an entire column in that previous issue discussing the need for a Vampire revival — a new game, not an old rehash — and how we were never going to get that because Capcom does the series dirty constantly.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, Capcom pulled a skunk out of their hat by including all of the Vampire games here. It’s like they said, “Well, you asked for more Vampire. Here, be satisfied that we released all of them finally in North America and shut up.” You know, I’m slightly happy but I’m more offended than anything else. Because, as you should have read by now gentle reader, Capcom is never going to give us a new Vampire game without there being some weirdness attached. And because this collection sold “OK,” — not great, just OK — you know we aren’t getting a new game. Because it didn’t set the world on fire in sales doesn’t mean the demand isn’t there. But I digress. Everything else in this collection has been released in some way, shape or form in either region, so it wasn’t necessary for their inclusion, either.
What I would have preferred to see are Rival Schools, Project Justice, Star Gladiator and Plasma Sword. These are defunct Capcom series that they also like to act like they didn’t create. Rival Schools and Project Justice are especially egregious because while they’ve been ported to PlayStation Network, we haven’t gotten a full, unaltered port of either game. A modern translation of the board game and simulation mode in both games is not that hard, but I digress again because we know we are never getting it. It’s a shame because this collection as pulled together in 2022 could have used some better curation.
While I love Capcom fighting games, I’m OK about this collection. It’s nice to have these in a modern package for modern consoles but I’m not enthused about the behind-the-scenes foolishness that could have been avoided with better curating on Capcom’s part. There are some heavy hitters that could have been included immediately that would have made it a better package, and the extras included could have been better also. However, it’s not a terrible package and is infinitely useful and valuable to the fighting game population so it’s not a total wash. Capcom could collect better, though.
Duo of Vampire Hunter, Savior offered in package
At this point, we know what Darkstalkers is and isn’t. My worried brow of concern isn’t with getting a new one but more with the re-releases of the trilogy of games and the two supplemental games released as upgrades. We know what to expect when it comes to Darkstalkers, but as occasional compilations are released, we have to take a critical look at whether it’s worth your time and currency to engage in Capcom’s release the Kraken in the form of remakes strategy.
Darkstalkers Resurrection aims to do what Capcom’s previous release in Marvel Origins
Vampire Savior: Morrigan vs. Jedah
did: Release two games in the series as starting points to get you to explore more. Resurrection consists of two games: Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge and Darkstalkers 3. Both games are included in their entirety as American arcade ports emulated on disc with extras added for the home release. Much as with Marvel Origins, there’s online play and gallery unlocks from challenges added. Everything has been given a fresh coat of paint with newer art and visuals, which means a lot considering Darkstalkers 3 was released in 1997. All of this results in a nice-looking, souped-up package.
Vampire Hunter: Donovan vs. Jon Talbain
The gameplay is as clean as it ever was, and because it’s emulated from the arcade ports, it’s better than any other release that came before it with the exception of the PlayStation 2 Vampire Collection. Everything works the way it should in terms of combos and Darkstalkers’ notoriously hard-to-do moveset. The moves land the way you want and there’s no lag. Noting that this is an acceptable port for high-level competition, Resurrection hits the right spot in terms of playability. If you wanted to know how Darkstalkers played in the arcade without trying to emulate it with MAME or Fightcade, Resurrection is your answer.
There really isn’t anything wrong with Resurrection, either. The only annoying thing about the game is the fact that it didn’t sell well. That isn’t the game’s fault, though. This is a technically sound port of two fantastic fighting games that play well and work well in what they’re being asked to do: Be a representative of a long-dead fighting franchise to introduce newer folks to the Vampire/Darkstalkers scene. It’s done its job admirably with strong mechanics and gorgeous updated visuals. You can’t ask for more from a retro fighting game. This fantastic fighting fright fest deserves more respect for its ability to shine 25 years after its last release and should scare up a spot in your fighting game collection.
As a connoisseur of most things related to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I find that the first two movies, the comics and the first animated show are worth my time. In addition to those mentioned, certain games are acceptable uses of my hard-earned scrilla. I am a discerning fan, and my dollars and time are precious. So, it is with great joy and elation that I spread the word that TMNT games have recovered slightly from the Dimension X portal that the franchise fell into and the latest game, Shredder’s Revenge, is proof of this return to glory.
Conceived as a tribute game of sorts, Shredder’s Revenge takes everything we found awesome about TMNTII: The Arcade Game and TMNTIV: Turtles in Time and ramps up the awesome level. The story continues Turtles in Time, which was a wise choice. The Turtles find Rocksteady and Bebop and their adjacent villain associates guarding Krang’s exoskeleton head in various locations including Manhattan and Dimension X. Apparently, Shredder is alive and kicking again after being toppled on top of the Statue of Liberty in 1992. In 2022, he wants revenge for the Turtles stopping this particular plot of mayhem of using Lady Liberty to take over the world. Because they’re used to Shredder’s foolishness — bear in mind this is 1986 cartoon Shredder, not comic book Shredder who wasn’t a major villain — the Turtles and their friends and family band together to stop the revenge plot once and for all.
Adding April O’Neil, Casey Jones and Splinter alongside the Turtles was a smart move. It’s almost inconceivable now that we were never able to play as those three supporting characters in a Turtles beat-’em-up before, and it has to be allowed in future games. Once you get going with a character chosen, the level-up system is quick and easy to learn. And learn you will because there are so many ways to dispatch Foot Clan soldiers and other enemies for points that work within the system. It’s almost too much to keep up with, especially in the heat of battle where knowing the correct way to dispatch a boss is important. Having some previous knowledge of Turtles in Time helps tremendously, and there are in-game instructions and a tutorial, but it’s nigh overwhelming. Though, to be fair, I’d rather have too much than too little. The game is giving me a feast and thankfully, the controls are easy to grasp and clean as you romp through 16 gorgeous levels.
The game looks just as fantastic as well as it controls. The art immediately dips into the nostalgia of the original afterschool show and had me humming the super ’80s theme song. This is the area where that tribute comes into play. If you’re a fan of the show, you will love everything about how the game looks, feels, and sounds. Well, almost. While the soundtrack is also fantastic, we can’t not mention the atrocious remake of the theme song. Of all of the music chosen to remake, the theme show is the one track that you don’t mess with. It is a reverent piece of pop culture history and is sacred to most Turtle fans, including myself. My 42-year-old adult self knows the words by heart and has it in digital form; it’s on that level for me. So, hearing the theme butchered as it were in Shredder’s Revenge had me taken aback. I was grievously wounded but the soul still burns in this old Turtle girl. Because the rest of the soundtrack is great ’80s centric pop, tunes snatched directly from the early seasons of the TV show, and beautiful voicework from the original animated cast, I can let the remake theme slide, but it better not be in the sequel.
My only other gripe here is the difficulty level. Even on the easiest difficulty, there were a lot of arcade rip-off tendencies going on. Tactics like enemy AI ganging up on characters with already low health, not-so-clean hits from off-screen enemies that you can’t see and losing health rather quickly ran as rampant as those Stone Soldiers that Krang employed. Any levels involving vehicles and flying are impossibly hard and feel designed to be annoyingly frustrating. Boss fights, I’m fine with; they’re supposed to be hard. But regular levels beyond the first stage were like this on easy difficulty, which is obnoxious. It was like trying to play TMNTII: The Arcade Game all over again and watching the cabinet steal my money out of my pocket. It feels unfair and set up to be against the player, which is unfortunate. Knowing that going into the experience now makes it a little easier to navigate but is a detraction.
Despite a try-hard collision system that keeps it from obtaining legendary status, Shredder’s Revenge is a nice love letter to older TMNT fans who were around for the original craze. The quirks are noticeable, but Shredder’s Revenge tries really hard in every other area, and it succeeds well. Let’s call it a Cowabunga for now.