I've been playing the hard-to-find Saturn version of this
game all week (got it at Toys'r'Us), and decided to borrow
a friend's PSX version to compare the two versions to see
if there are any noticeable differences between the two;
there are a few minor improvements/shortcomings that go
back and forth, but for all practical purposes "Super
Puzzle Fighter II Turbo" (not a sequel, despite the 'II' on
the title) on PSX is 95% identical to the Saturn version.
Either way, you're getting a fun and entertaining puzzle
game that has a couple of very flawed gameplay and
graphical concepts bringing down an otherwise stellar
Capcom package. Think of the following ingredients for
your next gaming party: "Virtua Fighter Kids" cuteness, a
non-playable stripped-down version of the "Street Fighter
Alpha 2"/"Nightwarriors: Darkstalkers" engines, and
"Columns" (an early 90's Sega puzzle game for the
Genesis/Game Gear). The result? Gaming blizz with a
slightly annoying buzz afterwards, especially when two
hardcore "Street Fighter" fans go at it.
GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: B
It's the "Columns" look and the "Puyo Puyo" gameplay
accomodated AROUND a sleek graphical engine that shrinks
the Street Fighter and Darkstalker warriors into cute
little punks that reward your skill at connecting combos
with same-color gems with screen-filling attacks. That is
fine, but the connecting of the gems leads to some
unbalanced matches that can be as frustrating as they are
elating when you manage, on the strength of sheer luck most
of the time, to defeat your opponent with a sound
clobbering. The eight characters have a specific attack
pattern that, when studied and understood, lead to an
appreciation of the depth of possibilities that the puzzles
can achieve when linked together for a massive combo; just
like the fighting games it has based itself on (starting
with the goofy title), this is a game that button-mashers
can wing their way through but which hardcore gamers can
sink their teeth into and master at will.
Connect gems of similar colors, either vertically or
horizontally, and you'll clear them; when four or more gems
are stacked together, they'll form a bigger stone gem that
will translate into a bigger/badder punch for your
on-screen alter ego. When a diamond-shaped diamond falls,
it will clear all the crystals of the first color it
touches; when a Crash gem touches a gem of the similar
color, all linked gems of the same color will break.
Counter gems will be formed and sent to your opponent when
you connect a combo of either 1-10 (Warning), 11-30
(Warning) and 30+ gems (Danger). Confused? Me too, so you
better get the demo version of the game (which is part of
the Jam Pack collection), or rent it to experience for
yourself the goofiness that is this game. Puzzle games
usually are hard to describe, but once played all elements
fall into place; take it from someone that thought
"Wetrix"(N64) and "Intelligent Qube"(PSX) were total bores
based on their reviews and descriptions.
The game features some standard modes (Versus and Arcade),
where you will go up against the CPU or your best buddy
(which will hate your guts afterwards if you win) in
customizable control settings/rounds/matches. But by far
the best mode in this game is the one-player, one-round,
win-one-at-a-time, permanently-set-on-hard Street Puzzle
Mode: pick a character out of first eight (more are hidden,
if you know the codes) and then select one of six "goodies"
that each of them can obtain; it is usually silly stuff
like Sakura singing a dreadful Japanese song, or different
colors for different characters. It may not sound like
much, but this is an addictive little feature that will
give your thumb blisters from trying to get all the
secrets; it's as if the CPU knows when you only have a
couple of "goodies" left, and throws the kitchen sink at
you with harder-than-hard combos and a shower of gems.
GRAPHICS / VISUALS: B
Although you do not control them, Capcom put a lot of work
in ensuring that the background and kiddy characters are as
nauseatingly cute as those in "V.F.Kids". The eight
characters (and a slew of secret one's) have a taunt and a
series of Special Moves that can only be performed when the
player connects a massive chain reaction that is sent to
the opposing side (another player, or the CPU); these moves
are flawlessly animated and are a treat to the eyes of
people watching other play. These Special Moves are as
devastating as those in "SFA2"; when Sakura connects up to
30 pieces, that translates into a 5-Hit Shinku-Hadoken that
ends the match with the trademark "white flash" explosion.
When this is done in Chin-Lu's stage (a kiddie version of
the Great Wall of China), the wall behind the opposing
character will be destroyed and reveal a statue made out of
the remaining ruble. Similar small touches are present
throughout the game, and fans of either the "Street
Fighter" or "Darkstalkers" series of games will have a
field day finding the game's many secrets and small
graphical rewards of keeping an eye open and atentive.
The only noticeable shortcoming in the graphics was that
Capcom letterboxed the background graphics (keeping in mind
the falling gems/blocks ARE the foreground and the fighting
happening in the background is just a visual bonus), but by
placing some colorful character-specific logos in the
usually black stripes, it's hardly noticeable (you'll see a
cat on top of a moon, a foot mark, etc.).
The falling gems are a nice combination of primary colors
and intense hues (deep reds/greens/blues/yellows), and
serve as good as they could possibly the 2D roots of the
puzzle genre. "Bust-A-Move 2" from Taito/Acclaim is a very
similar-looking game, except it doesn't have the level of
animation and cuteness found in "Puzzle Fighter" and it has
a more forgiving and easy-on-beginners bang for the buck
when it comes to connecting impressive-looking combos and
chain reaction; ditto for Tecmo's "Stackers". The loading
times between rounds can be annoying (6-10 seconds) and are
the obvious result of the animation demands on the
machine's puny RAM. Menu/Option screens have the trademark
quotes and stances of the fighters when they win, and they
look straight out of "SFA2", as does much of the artisitc
design of the game. Now if only the quirks in the actual
gameplay of "Puzzle Fighter" were given as much attention
as the graphics; oh well, at least Capcom will now let the
players control the cute little fighters with their
upcoming "Pocket Fighter" spiritual sequel.
MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS: B-
Recycled and remixed tunes from "Alpha 2" have been given
the kiddie/anime remake, and the result is a game that
sounds like a Jr. version of every Street Fighter game ever
made since 1992 (because the very first "Street Fighter" is
forgotten). It's a little more clear and less fuzzy than
the Saturn version, but sounds about the same and
plays/looks just as good on either 32-bit system. Got it?
OVERALL: B
If the player had more control over the madness of raining
gems that showers the players, or if it had the addictive
and rewarding feel of (pardon the pun) connecting the dots
that you feel with games like "Bust-A-Move 2" and
"Stackers", this game wouldn't have to rely so much on its
licensed characteristics to give the game more personality
than it's quirky mechanisms would deserve on their own.
Would the game that Nintendo released as "Super Mario
Brothers 2" for the NES back in the 1980's have received
the reception it did with the original Japanese characters
instead of the Mario gang? Would the SNES puzzle game
"Tetris Attack" be the same without (a) the Tetris name,
and (b) the likeness of Yoshi and the Nintendo gang instead
of the original "fairies" of the Japanese version?
Can you honestly say that you would still like "Super
Puzzle Fighter II Turbo" without its Street Fighter-related
bells and whistles? If you do, then track down a used copy
of "Columns" and, minus some of the ridiculous chain
combos, knock yourself out.
