Street Fighter Zero 2-Super Famicom Review

Released at the end of 1996, Street Fighter Zero 2 (Alpha 2 in the West) was one of the last releases for the dying Super Famicom. This SFC release was heavily compromised in terms of graphics and detail, but remains a testament to the power of the SFC, even at the end of its life.

Zero 2 features all 18 fighters from the arcade original. Sprites are heavily downsized compared to the arcade/Playstation/Saturn. Lacking the same amount of animation, they nonetheless are a decent approximation of the original. Music is generated by the SFC sound-chip, far inferior to the stellar "rebook" CD audio of the 32-bit ports.

Besides the lower-quality audio and cut-down sprites, the game features some odd loading times. For a cartridge release, load times are a puzzling features. About 4-5 seconds before matches, they don't cripple the game, but are quite annoying.

Gameplay is one area where this port shines.Fighting with the SFC controller is as fluid as ever, and those who enjoyed previous Street Fighter games on the SNES/SFC will feel right at home here. The speed of fighting feels slower than the PS/SATURN versions, most likely due to the slow processing speed of the SFC/SNES.

Zero 2 is my personal favourite of the Zero/Alpha series. The combo/super move system is wonderful, and the game has a rich and deep fighting system that is not as convoluted as later SF games.

Many have stated that there is no purpose in playing this cut-down version of the game on the SFC. This may be true, as it offers no advantages over the vastly superior Saturn port. However, it is a interesting curiosity from the late 16-bit era. Not a terrible port, but a curiosity for sure.

+Showed the power of the SFC/SNES
+A decent port given the hardware limitations
+Great controls and fighting system
+All characters present

-Load times
-Cut-down animations
-Fairly rare game
-Chip sound is inferior to CD versions

RATING: 6.9/10

The History of the PC Engine-Part 2-1990-1996

The Super CD ROM2 made its debut in 1990/91. This very long unit added 4 times the RAM from 64KB to 256KB. This meant that games could have more detailed sprites and more data presented on screen. Gradually, games shifted away from HuCard releases to Super CD releases.

 For users of past hardware such as the original CDROM2, gamers could buy the System Card 3.0, which allowed users  to play the new Super CDROM games. Upgrading was a regular part of the PC Engine experience, and the System Card 3.0 was the first major hardware upgrade that updated the performance of the games via more memory.

HuCards games were still coming out during this era. The early 1990s produced some of the most impressive HuCard releases. A very impressive port of Street Fighter 2 was released in 1993. PC Genjin 3 (Bonk 3) and Bomberman 94' are some other notable late HuCards. The later HuCards are especially impressive as they use the basic PC Engine hardware without any memory expansion. Most of these games are very valuable nowadays.

With all of the add-ons released, NEC felt the need to simplify the growing complexity of the hardware with a single unit. Combining the Super CD-ROM2 and original PC Engine into one unit, the PC Engine Duo was released in September 1991 at a cost of 59, 800 Yen. Two versions of the PC-Engine Duo were released. The PC Engine DUO-R was released in 1993 at just under 40,000 Yen. The final variation of the Duo, the Duo RX, was released in 1994. With the end of production of the Duo RX, the PC Engine would meet its fate by 1995. However, what a life it was.

Hundreds of quality titles were released for the Super CD Rom2 in the early 1990s. Some of the most memorable include Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, The Dynastic Hero, Gate of Thunder, PC Genjin 3 (Bonk 3) and many others. Many of these later releases are extremely valuable today, fetching hundreds of dollars each.

Another attempt to extend the life of the PC Engine was made in the form of the Arcade Card Duo and Arcade Card Pro. The cards expanded the memory of the PC Engine to over 2 MBs. While not a lot of games were released for the Arcade Card, the shooter "Sapphire", a port of Strider, and several Neo Geo fighting game ports were released. Sapphire is the most valuable and expensive Japanese CD release, and is widely regarded as a technical marvel. However, by the time of its release, most Japanese gamers had moved on to the Super Famicom. Sadly, the Arcade Card games never got the attention they deserve and remain cult favourites.

By 1996-97, only a few releases trickled out. NEC had released the successor to the PC Engine in December of 1994. The PC-FX was a massive failure, built on outdated technology that was unable to produce real 3-D games. The PC-FX would struggle and fade into obscurity against the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn.

The PC Engine had a long life. In an era where most consoles live around 4-5 years, the PC Engine was a viable platform from 1987-1995. Upgrades kept the system competitive and viable, but came at a high price to the consumer. CD-ROM attachments and memory upgrades were not cheap, but the die-hards were willing to pay the price for some great games. As an immensely successful platform in Japan, the PC Engine is remembered fondly by many. It has a rabid collecting scene, and some pieces can fetch into the thousands. For those that love it, the PC Engine is the console that never was in the West. The Turbografx 16 failed to make a significant impact in the West, but in Japan the PC Engine almost dethroned Nintendo's Famicom. Hundreds of more games were released in Japan that never made it to Western shores. Collecting for the PC Engine today is much cheaper than collecting for the Turbografx 16, due to the PC Engine being much more popular and commercially successful.

X-Men vs Street Fighter-Sega Saturn Review

Released in late 1997 for the Sega Saturn, this Capcom release is a testament to what the Sega Saturn was capable of. While it never made it outside of Japan, this release is highly discussed among fans of Capcom fighters and the Sega Saturn alike. Let's find out why.

X-Men vs Street Fighter is a tag-team fighter like the Marvel vs. Capcom series. You take control of two fighters from a list of 17 (Apocalypse is the final boss) fighters. This list may seem small nowadays, but was sizeable at the time of release. Most of the fan-favourites appear on the list, however Marvel vs Capcom players will certainly notice some players missing.

Like Marvel vs. Capcom, tagging in your other character can be done in different ways. You can break you block and allow for a super move (with the drain of your meter). Or, you can opt for a more simple tag-in attack. In any case, fans of MVC games should feel at home with this somewhat simplified version of combos and attacks. The fantastic Sega Saturn controller makes playing the game even better, that is if you can track down a model 2 Saturn Controller.

X-Men vs. Street Fighter is considered to be arcade-perfect by many. This is certainly accurate, as very little is missing in the way of lost frames of animation. This is largely due to the "4MB" memory-card which many Saturn fighters made use of. The game needs the cart to run, and they can be an expensive item to track down nowadays. However, the cart will work for other Saturn fighters such as Vampire Savior and Marvel Superheroes vs. Capcom.

For fans of Capcom fighters, X-Men vs. Street Fighter is a fantastic version of a classic arcade game. If you have a Sega Saturn (and the ability to play import games), this game sits pretty high up on the Saturn fighter throne.

+Pretty close to arcade perfect.
+You get to play it with the Sega Saturn controller (the best fighting gamepad).
+Fairly short loading times.
+Sounds great

-Needs 4MB memory cart.
-Japan-only release (need ability to play imports).

RATING-9/10