Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is 12 legendary virtual fight titles, some of which are the best games of the genre. We won't go back over the intrinsic qualities of each, but know that four of them, the best of each era, are playable online and locally between (old) friends. The others being there for nostalgia or curiosity. Thus, Street Fighter, the forgotten, Street Fighter 2, the origin of the myth, Street Fighter II' with the playable bosses, Street Fighter 2' Hyper Fighting and its additional special moves as well as its high speed, Super Street Fighter 2 The New Challengers with T-Hawk, Fei Long, Cammy, Dee Jay and his superb reskin then, finally, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and his unparalleled speed with the first super capable of knocking down a fight are games that pretty much laid the groundwork of the kind. It's already not bad, but far from over because Street Fighter Alpha is added to them, which goes back in time to tell the events before Street Fighter, all with a rejuvenated DA and new gameplay elements such as air guards and the famous Alpha counters. Gameplay and look changes necessary to continue the series, you will have understood it. Alpha 2, on the other hand, introduces custom combos (kind of super to trigger all the blows desired at full speed for a limited time) and sees the arrival of some new characters. Alpha 3 remains the pearl of this trio with a plethora of wrestlers and the possibility of choosing their type of super. Finally, some speak with Street Fighter III, and its elitist gameplay, of the maturity of the saga. I'll stop you right away, it's Street Fighter IV, maturity, but I'll come back to it one day in another text. Anyway, Street Fighter III New Generation, Street Fighter III 2nd Impact and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike are gems in terms of gameplay, especially with the famous very technical Parry (which allows you to counter all enemy attacks), and aesthetic jewels with a staggering artistic direction for the time as well as never seen animations. That's it, have I lost you? Don't panic, the list is over, but as much to say that for 40€, 50 on Switch, this compilation already offers a lot of content.
12 FOR 1!
No need to lie to yourself, you are not going to sand each of these apps. No, and moreover Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting are the only ones that can be played online (in very good conditions and generally without lag). So you might as well focus on them, especially since they often turn out to be the best of each type of Street offered in this compilation. Some will tell you that this collection of Arcade Perfect games, understand identical to the original arcade without the adjustments made later, in the American version lacks coating, content or sexier menus. This is not necessarily wrong, but the proposed formatting is not that bad. Indeed, there is an arrangement of games and menus that I would ultimately describe as intelligent. Let me explain: you first choose what type of game mode you want to play before choosing the version of the game on which to enjoy it. It's smart and it allows, above all, to switch from one grind to another on the fly in record time (1 to 3 seconds) via an effective pause menu offering, in addition, a backup so as not to start an arcade mode from the beginning for example, TV or Arcade filters to enjoy one of the renderings of the time and even what to choose the size of the screen, as in the past or adapted to your television current. Proof that it is not a simple tote, just to make your butter.
TIME TRAVEL
If you don't know these titles, this is a good opportunity to discover them. But, don't kid yourself, you won't stay there long because Street Fighter IV and V far surpass them (yes, even III.3, far too elite for today's new players). This is all the more true since a real museum is present with development anecdotes on all the titles (some more extensive than others) and very nice details concerning these Arcade Perfect versions with hidden characters, drawings of origin, more or less detailed animations, music to listen to and crisp anecdotes. I confess to having loved it, but only because I knew that time. If you are a novice and not curious for a penny, let's be clear, go your way. For the old hard core, the pleasure will be total, even if you will not necessarily learn a lot of things and will prefer to go bump into yourself online.
DOES THE SWITCH MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Available on PS4, PC and Xbox One, this compilation is also on Nintendo Switch. And we must admit that the result is enormous. For two main reasons: play these mythical versions anywhere (alone or with friends locally on 4 of them) and with an arcade stick or even the joy-con because the gameplay ultimately sticks well to the sticks of small controllers of the Switch. A tournament mode is also exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. It's nice, but it's not, in my opinion, a real selling point.
WHO IS ALL THIS FOR?
That's kind of the question you have to ask yourself when thinking about buying a compilation like this. You know, you know what you're buying, you're a fan and nostalgic for the 2D fight, collector, this compilation is quite well done and provided enough to give you your money's worth. You're just curious, you don't know Street Fighter and you want to discover without competing online, it's good for you too. You're a fighter (so you know what it's all about) and want to prove yourself online in Street Fighter III.3, Alpha 3 and the best versions of Street Fighter 2, let's face it. But if you know nothing about it and want to make it your bedside game, wake up, you won't invest enough in these games to survive online. Moreover, there is much better to play today in the genre and in a casual way. On Nintendo Switch, we strangely think of Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers, more accessible and better calibrated in my opinion for today's player. On PC, PS4 and Xbox One, you might as well turn to SFV to get into the series and not with this compilation! With that, you should know where you stand and whether this opportunistic-to-many melting pot of Street Fighter games is for your hairy little fingers or not.
