Don’t let the name fool you,
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix isn’t a sequel. It debuted in 1996
with this name as a spoof on Capcom’s constant updating of Street Fighter II
that occurred countless times. Also, don’t let the screenshots fool you – it’s
not a Tetris clone. Puzzle Fighter has the amount of depth that numerous
other puzzle games could only dream of.
Aiming towards both the casual
and hardcore gamers, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is available
on the Xbox Live Arcade. With its release, it immediately has shot up to the
upper echelon of Xbox Live Arcade titles currently on available the platform.
Missing out when it first released on the 32-bit consoles, this is the first
time I have been privileged to play Puzzle Fighter and boy am I impressed with
what Capcom has delivered.
The objective of Puzzle Fighter
is to clear the screen of gems that drop from the top of the screen. Gems come
in four different colors and will continue to pile up all the way to the top if
players aren’t able to pair them up correctly. To get rid of the gems, Crash
Gems are provided to remove any colored gems it touches and any adjacent gems
for a chain reaction. If players are successful with a large enough chain
reaction, they’ll send the gems to the opponent’s side of the screen to give
them more then they can handle with gems to manage. When the gems are sent to
the opponent, they are called Counter Gems. Counter Gems have a timer on them
which count down until they turn into normal gems – and until that happens, the
opponents won’t be able to remove the Counter Gems from their side of the
screen.
Puzzle Fighter gameplay hasn’t
changed to my knowledge but it’s still one of the best puzzle games I have
played in recent memory. It evokes quick reactions and a lot of strategy – if
players go into the game goofing around, they are in for a world of hurting.
Setting up combos and large chain reactions are vital to become the victor in
the match. Also, to add on top of that, each character provided in the game has
their own unique pattern of Counter Gems that will be sent to the rival. Ryu,
Ken, Chun-Li and many more show up in Puzzle Fighter, so players should be happy
to see a few familiar faces from the Street Fighter franchise.
For longtime fans of this cult
hit, Capcom updated Puzzle Fighter with new visuals to enjoy. Though it was
announced to include updated sprites, the title didn’t receive any. They are
stretched out and look out of place in the middle of the screen. In terms of
what has been updated, Capcom included graphical updates to the gems, the
backgrounds and menus for presentation. As for the music, it’s more of the same
– it fits the cute sprites and arcade feeling.
A new gameplay mode has been
included titled X’ mode. It’s the classic X mode with a few updates to balance
out the game with better damage ratios for several characters. Fans of the
series should also be happy to hear that Y and Z modes have returned. Y mode is
a little longer in terms of length compared to X mode and Z mode is a total
departure from those two modes concentrating on rotating already placed pieces
on the screen.
Perhaps the biggest addition to
Puzzle Fighter is online play. Online comes with leaderboards for all four game
modes so that should encourage players to build up their repertoire of
strategies to defeat their opponents. Jumping into a match is simple with a few
options before play is started Four players can jump into a match with two
players waiting their turn as if they were in arcade watching the other two
players dueling for a win. Watching matches is exciting, and in fact, may be
the best for the inexperienced to learn how to play.
When it’s all said and done, Puzzle Fighter is a brilliant game that stands the
test of time and is worthy of a purchase on the Xbox Live Arcade.
|
Review Scoring Details Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix |
Gameplay: 9.0
The matches are intense to the
point where they are nail-biting. Many times I had my eyes tearing up from
never wasting a second to blink.
Graphics: 7.9
Touching up the backgrounds and
gems was a nice addition but I would have loved to see Capcom concentrate on
updating the sprites.
Sound: 8.0
Music and effects are old
school.
Difficulty: Medium
Players will need a lot of
practice and patience to further their skills in Puzzle Fighter.
Concept: 9.0
This is one the better
expansions for the Street Fighter series.
Multiplayer: 8.3
In order to talk to your
opponent, players must hold one of the triggers — this is not the most
attractive option.
Overall: 8.7
For 800 MS Points, Super
Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix should be an instant purchase for those
that follow XBLA releases on the Xbox Live.
