Street Fighter II comparason (Gen, PS2, SNES,PC Eng)! (pics)
Well it’s about time. I finally got my hands on a good ridiculously close to arcade if not arcade perfect version of Street Fighter II Championship edition. Now I can finally do a SNES-vs-Genesis-vs-PC Engine-vs-arcade review. This debate was HUGE back in the day and I finally wanted to lay it to rest once and for all. Which title is closer to the real thing?
Here’s the stuff (PC Engine not shown):
SNES- Original deck with S-Vid output and Street Fighter II Turbo
Genesis- Original Genesis one unit with composite output and Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition
PS2- Original PS2 with S-Vid output and Capcom Arcade Classics Collection/Street Fighter II Champion Edition
PC Engine Duo with composite out and Street Fighter II Champion Edition
I get to do my own comparison and on my own equipment. Screw all the EGM and Gamefan reviews, I get to see first hand now.
PS2- Capcom Classic Collection
Graphics
Well, what can I say? Capcom ACC is as close to the arcade as you’re going to get, period. It’s all here, everything is great looking, it has the full arcade animation and has tons of shading and colors.
Sound
Same as above, it’s just like the arcade version, perfect.
Gameplay/controls
With the standard Playstation Dual Shock controller this game is cumbersome and clumsy. I absolutely despise using this controller for this game. Now, using the Street Fighter Arcade Stick is another story entirely. This thing rocks. The action is smooth and responsive and all those moves I memorized in the arcade came back to me instantly. Of all the controllers on the three systems this was the best to use by a long shot.
Genesis- Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition
Graphics
I know I tend to be a bit of a Nintendo fanboy but I found the Genesis version of SFII to be a big let down in the graphics department. Look at the screen shots, they speak for themselves. The Genesis version sports the worst colors, the worst detail, the worst animation and the smallest on screen fighters.
Sound
Completely sub par. Everything is intact but is so grainy. The soundtracks are tinny and the sampled voice effects are crap.
Gameplay/controls
This is the Genesis version’s redeeming quality. It plays well, not as good as the PS2 but very close. I found the response to be a bit slower which made pulling off some combos more of a challenge but all in all it’s pretty fun to play. Using the standard Genesis 3-button is completely out of the question, what a pile that thing is. I even found myself disliking the clunky Genesis 6-button. Although far better than the 3-button it’s not as good as the SNES controller.
SNES- Street Fighter II Turbo
Graphics
Decent. Not nearly as good as the PS2 but I consider it to be the middle ground between the PS2 and the Genesis. The fighters are better drawn whith more detail and better shading. The character animation also seems to be slightly better than on the Genesis. There isn’t much more background animation when compared to the Genesis version but the detail and colors are closer to the PS2 version overall.
Sound
Again, it seems to be a middle ground. Not bad, not perfect though. The voice is all there and is arcade perfect I must say though. The music is bit flawed but tolerable.
Gameplay/controls
Personally, I like the SNES controller for SFII. Other than a few moves I consider it to be better than the Genesis 6-button and the PS2 Dual Shock. The moves seem to be easier to pull off. Like the Genesis version the SNES version is fun to play as well.
PC Engine- Street Fighter II Champion Edition
Graphics
It seems to be the most flawed of the bunch, or possibly not. It's kind of hard to tell. In some ways it's better than the Genesis version, in others it's not. The characters are ok in size but the color palate is the worst (at least I think so). The animation is all there though. It's kind of a tough call.
Sound
If the SNES has the best sound and the Genesis is the worse then the PC Engine version is in the middle of the two. Not as good as the SNES but not as bad as the Genesis. The voice samples are notably better than the Genesis but again, not as good as the SNES.
Gameplay/controls
This is the hard part. I only have the standard 2 button controller and although the moves are easy to pull off, only having 2 buttons really sucks. Like the other two (SNES, Genesis) this game is great to play…if I only had a better controller!
Here’s the in game screenshots, same level and characters for all. Decide for yourself, which looks better. (1=PS2, 2=SNES, 3=Genesis, 4=PC Engine)
(Note the use for the Japanese name for Balrog in the PC Engine version, he was originally M. Bison)
Overall the three are fun to play, with a good controller there isn’t much of a difference. If closeness to arcade perfection is what you’re seeking then the SNES wins out with better-sampled voices, graphics and sound. Like in the title of this post one winner has to be crowned so my award goes to the SNES version. It’s simply closer to the PS2/arcade version.
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Originally Posted by smokehouse
