Nostalgia Lite

The way of the old and new are one in this CD... and a pretty darn good idea. I cut my gaming teeth on the Street Fighter series back in the day, so I'm a big fan of this collection. (that's right- even my teeth got game) It's a perfect port from yesteryear- a pleasure for any old salty Street Fighter, and ideal for any 'history of fighting games' course you may be teaching at your local community college. The graphics from the old Street Fighters are just as you remember them, including character models and icons. Third Strike also features some great graphics. It takes advantage of the ps2 capabilities and renders a great level of depth in the backgrounds. Even if you just have to sit around watching your bud hog the controller, you can still be entertained by the various locales. Super Finishing also satisfactorily engulfs the screen in a blaze of nuclear glory. Sounds is as you would expect. Virtually identical to the original games for the actual collection part, and decently modern for Third Strike. I am a bit perplexed by all the ghetto thug music accompanying your melee. Virtually none of the fighters themselves seem to fit the genre, and I'm not so sure the fan base does either. Just stick with the quirky Japanese techno we've all come to expect and deal with. Contols' perfect and makes it a little easier for you by forcing you to choose one super finishing move in Third Strike. I personally, as a good American, like having a choice on any matter though. So, it's a little disappointing to be limited. Gameplay provides players with a nostalgia fix like none other. The Collection rather uniquely ties all the potential modes into one simple interface. Just pick your fighter, then move set, and get to it. Going the old-school route may be better suited to player vs player matches, as the permanently Turbo-ed CPU will likely hand you your butt as you leave the match. Once you're threw with the old days and seeing if 'you still got it', you can hop into the ring with some new-fangled fighting tricks. I appreciate seeing how the fighting engine has progressed through the series. Seeing what techniques continue to work and how to adapt proved to be one of my favorite parts of the game. This game excells at what it does. Unfortunately, it does not offer much of what you may expect from this kind of game. The re-released FF games come with galleries and other such bells and whistles. Some concept art would be quite welcome. Fans always appreciate "Making of.. " clips to help them get inside the brilliant minds that work so hard to keep us entertained. No online mode, no additional challenges, no additional endings. Just the cheats from the olden days and some fancy colored gi's to reward you. The absence of love makes the game feel more like a cheap, cash-in on a anniversary date. In the end, the game provides all the nostalgic euphoria I can handle- not to mention a reason to bring up that time I totally socked it to Akuma.. But nostalgia alone doesn't pack enough punch for a 5. Any real fighter likes some new tricks/challenges to conquer and then brag about. Any fan of SF or fighting games should pick this up. If you're looking for the perfect collection... I guess we'll get another chance in 15 years.