Street Fighter II Impressions

TOKYO--Japan's arcade-going masses must remember Street Fighter II at least as fondly as we do in the States, because Capcom is in the process of bringing the classic fighter to Japanese mobile phones. Come December, nostalgia-stricken enthusiasts here will be able to dial up a hearty Hadouken or two for the princely sum of 300 yen--approximately $2.70, at today's exchange rate. The prototype build we played at the Tokyo Game Show maintained a surprising amount of the original game's panache, even though it lacked a complete set of moves and controls.

This mobile Street Fighter II starts out on a great note. All eight of the canonical Street Fighter characters made the roster, and you can have your pick of the international litter, just as in the coin-op and SNES versions. In addition, the game's all-important special techniques have bridged the gap in fine form. Capcom has taken the liberty of mapping each fighter's most popular special moves to the action, 9, and 0 keys, so moves that would be nearly impossible to perform on the handset's D pad, such as a Dragon Punch, are now entirely feasible.

The bad news is that your array of available normal attacks isn't what it used to be. The 3 key will give you a light punch, the 6 key will give you a heavy kick, and the rest of the keys go unused. This abridgement is probably due to the twin design imperatives of conserving space and simplifying gameplay, but many gamers may find themselves yearning for Ryu's medium kick when the going gets rough. In addition, the supply of stages seems to have dried up somewhat; we beat three consecutive opponents in Brazil, with no transcontinental flight forthcoming.

That said, fans of the original will be pleased to know that Street Fighter II on the cell is a virtual carbon copy of the original in its appearance. You'll recognize the vibrant hues of Blanka's Brazilian hidey-hole immediately, and famous eight's combat animations are intact. The game runs a little on the slow side, but it's still very playable, as this is Street Fighter II in its pre-Turbo incarnation.

Capcom's mobile Street Fighter II looks like a very solid effort so far. It's not likely to reproduce the combo-driven, highly strategic fun of the original, but it seems as though the final product will be more than just a collection of animated wallpaper. Unfortunately, wallpaper is all we're likely to get in the US for the foreseeable future, as a Capcom representative told us that it will take a year and a half for Street Fighter II to make it to the Americas.

For more updates, be sure to check GameSpot's coverage of the Tokyo Game Show 2004.