Collections, then Anthologies
Had the chance to play the Street Fighter Zero Anthology last week and I decided to post a little info about it. Most of it you'll already know but maybe it'll help someone.
First I'd like to say that having played all the games both on the arcade and now on the PS2 thanks to the anthology I have noticed little to no difference on the way the characters are animated and other various fine details that might be laying around, and no, I did not spend my time counting and comparing frame animations, that would be insane by anyone's standards, or at least it should be. As far as I know the games stay true to the arcade versions.
So, the compilation itself is composed of Street Fighter Zero, Zero 2, Zero 2 Alpha (an update to Zero 2...) , Zero 3 and Pocket Fighters. Each of the Zero games consist of an Arcade, Versus, Training, Survival and Dramatic modes, besides the Options menu. Once you beat Zero 2, Zero 2 Alpha and Zero 3 you unlock the arranged versions of the games, Zero 1 gets an Alpha mode (english version) and some secret characters are made available on the various other arrange modes (like the port-exclusive characters for Zero 3 or Cammy for Zero 2 Alpha).
If you beat all the games of the compilation you unlock the 4th secret game dubbed Hyper Street Fighter Zero in which you get to select any character from any of the Zero games.
Sadly, this last mode lacks an Arcade or Dramatic mode, so you're stuck with Versus and Training here. What's interesting though, and one of the main reasons I decided to get this in the first place, is the possibility to mess around with some extra grooves usable only on this HSFZ mode. Each new groove adds certain properties to the characters and some even change the way some moves are performed/act, this greatly improves the variety of the game. Each new groove consists graphically of the X-ism bar with a different color. Here I'll list the S-grooves, as they're called in the game:
"Vampire"-ism (Green): This groove allows you to chain combo much like in the Darkstalkers's saga/CvS2 groove edit options. Some characters really benefit from being able to chain normals like this (like Dhalsim or Cody with his f+HK). It also presents some other properties from the Darkstalkers's saga.
"Street Fighter 3"-ism (Blue): Allows for super-canceling and parries, works pretty much like it does in SFIII:TS. Characters are limited to one super-special move.
"Street Fighter II"-ism (none): Present only for the original 12, this takes the character back to SFII days, with all that it implies (ability to chain up to 3,4 cLow attacks, insane damage...) Movelists are obviously reduced/remade to SFII days as well, this includes effects (like the hadouken fireball or Ken not having a flaming shoryuken), throws also change their execution to f+HP/HK and you can hear the original soundtracks while fighting with/against the SFII characters. It seems Vega/M.Bison even has an infinite on this groove which you can see here
"Super-Hero"-ism (Red): The infamous "Marvel" groove is one of the most interesting, mostly because it actually adds new moves to some characters and changes some properties (i.e. Ryu's Shin Shoryuken or Guy's new teleport move) Some characters benefit greatly from this groove but sadly they're the minority, most characters retain their abilities and have no changes whatsoever. Among the ones who present changes are Ryu, Ken, Sakura, Gouki/Akuma, Guy, Dhalsim and Vega (with his huge Psycho Crusher) . Even though characters like Ken and Sakura get their huge hadoukens as part of the change there are no aereal raves present, there are, however, pushback attacks it seems.
So that's about it for the compilation, it's a trip down Nostalgia Av. if not for the HSFZ mode , which should keep people entertained for a while, specially if you have someone willing to play so VS matches, the possibilities are endless :P
Overall a pretty well done Anthology, it has everything it should have and a few extras to keep you busy. A new fighter from these guys becomes even more unlikely as time goes by so might as well grab what you can and enjoy it.
On the other hand, KOF MI2 proved to be a decent fighter for casual, 1 player fun. The amount of unlockables/cameos on that game is insane, you might as well call it the fanboy's paradise, if not for the fact that fanboys are insatiable by definition... :P
GGSlash is also great, the changes made to the characters really sets it apart from its predecessor, as it should. The 2 new characters are great fun, the tweaked stages are a nice change and some of them are even better than the originals (gotta love Slayer's stage during the day or May Ship during the night) and it is overall a great game to play with mates. It doesn't have as much unlockable stuff as MI2, but the little stuff it has is good enough. The missions are entertaining enough, as usual and Boss-Order-Sol is crazy D:
Might as well finish with a list of anime series.
I've got Gun x Sword to recommend, a nice little series about mechas on a pseudo-western setting. The series itself isn't very innovating but the story's well done and the characters are likeable enough. The mechas are nothing special though.
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one hot series right now, based on a novel by Nagaru Tanigawa, really nice story, gotta love the characters. You can find more accurate information here
Other than that I've been following School Rumble 2nd Term and looking forward to Genshiken and Honey & Clover 2nd seasons, whenever they might be released.
Cheers.
First I'd like to say that having played all the games both on the arcade and now on the PS2 thanks to the anthology I have noticed little to no difference on the way the characters are animated and other various fine details that might be laying around, and no, I did not spend my time counting and comparing frame animations, that would be insane by anyone's standards, or at least it should be. As far as I know the games stay true to the arcade versions.
So, the compilation itself is composed of Street Fighter Zero, Zero 2, Zero 2 Alpha (an update to Zero 2...) , Zero 3 and Pocket Fighters. Each of the Zero games consist of an Arcade, Versus, Training, Survival and Dramatic modes, besides the Options menu. Once you beat Zero 2, Zero 2 Alpha and Zero 3 you unlock the arranged versions of the games, Zero 1 gets an Alpha mode (english version) and some secret characters are made available on the various other arrange modes (like the port-exclusive characters for Zero 3 or Cammy for Zero 2 Alpha).
If you beat all the games of the compilation you unlock the 4th secret game dubbed Hyper Street Fighter Zero in which you get to select any character from any of the Zero games.
Sadly, this last mode lacks an Arcade or Dramatic mode, so you're stuck with Versus and Training here. What's interesting though, and one of the main reasons I decided to get this in the first place, is the possibility to mess around with some extra grooves usable only on this HSFZ mode. Each new groove adds certain properties to the characters and some even change the way some moves are performed/act, this greatly improves the variety of the game. Each new groove consists graphically of the X-ism bar with a different color. Here I'll list the S-grooves, as they're called in the game:
"Vampire"-ism (Green): This groove allows you to chain combo much like in the Darkstalkers's saga/CvS2 groove edit options. Some characters really benefit from being able to chain normals like this (like Dhalsim or Cody with his f+HK). It also presents some other properties from the Darkstalkers's saga.
"Street Fighter 3"-ism (Blue): Allows for super-canceling and parries, works pretty much like it does in SFIII:TS. Characters are limited to one super-special move.
"Street Fighter II"-ism (none): Present only for the original 12, this takes the character back to SFII days, with all that it implies (ability to chain up to 3,4 cLow attacks, insane damage...) Movelists are obviously reduced/remade to SFII days as well, this includes effects (like the hadouken fireball or Ken not having a flaming shoryuken), throws also change their execution to f+HP/HK and you can hear the original soundtracks while fighting with/against the SFII characters. It seems Vega/M.Bison even has an infinite on this groove which you can see here
"Super-Hero"-ism (Red): The infamous "Marvel" groove is one of the most interesting, mostly because it actually adds new moves to some characters and changes some properties (i.e. Ryu's Shin Shoryuken or Guy's new teleport move) Some characters benefit greatly from this groove but sadly they're the minority, most characters retain their abilities and have no changes whatsoever. Among the ones who present changes are Ryu, Ken, Sakura, Gouki/Akuma, Guy, Dhalsim and Vega (with his huge Psycho Crusher) . Even though characters like Ken and Sakura get their huge hadoukens as part of the change there are no aereal raves present, there are, however, pushback attacks it seems.
So that's about it for the compilation, it's a trip down Nostalgia Av. if not for the HSFZ mode , which should keep people entertained for a while, specially if you have someone willing to play so VS matches, the possibilities are endless :P
Overall a pretty well done Anthology, it has everything it should have and a few extras to keep you busy. A new fighter from these guys becomes even more unlikely as time goes by so might as well grab what you can and enjoy it.
On the other hand, KOF MI2 proved to be a decent fighter for casual, 1 player fun. The amount of unlockables/cameos on that game is insane, you might as well call it the fanboy's paradise, if not for the fact that fanboys are insatiable by definition... :P
GGSlash is also great, the changes made to the characters really sets it apart from its predecessor, as it should. The 2 new characters are great fun, the tweaked stages are a nice change and some of them are even better than the originals (gotta love Slayer's stage during the day or May Ship during the night) and it is overall a great game to play with mates. It doesn't have as much unlockable stuff as MI2, but the little stuff it has is good enough. The missions are entertaining enough, as usual and Boss-Order-Sol is crazy D:
Might as well finish with a list of anime series.
I've got Gun x Sword to recommend, a nice little series about mechas on a pseudo-western setting. The series itself isn't very innovating but the story's well done and the characters are likeable enough. The mechas are nothing special though.
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one hot series right now, based on a novel by Nagaru Tanigawa, really nice story, gotta love the characters. You can find more accurate information here
Other than that I've been following School Rumble 2nd Term and looking forward to Genshiken and Honey & Clover 2nd seasons, whenever they might be released.
Cheers.
