Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

Review

by Frederick Lewis Jones Jr.

Capcom does it again on the Saturn. These two are made for each other as Capcom titles (and their usually beautiful and detailed 2D design) move and look more vivid on the 2D powerhouse that is the Sega Saturn than on any other platform. This is just one aspect of what is a fantastically addictive game. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is a refreshingly fun party game that can tax you mentally and physically just as much as any fighting game!

Taking the Tetris concept and infusing it with the personality of the wickedly cute, super deformed Street Fighter and Dark Stalkers characters, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo trades in the different falling shapes for various falling colored gems. The gems can only be removed by having a like colored Crash Gem touch it. Once it does, the gems will be transported over to your opponent's side. Now, while this may sound very derivitive of Tetris, this game takes the strategy aspect to new levels.

First, the different characters (Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Morrigan, and four other 'selectable' fighters) have various patterns of falling colored gems that will reflect on your opponent. Therefore, just playing against Akuma (one of the hidden characters) is not as easy as playing against one of the others, as his pattern is so relentlessly random and fast! This takes the concept to a whole new level as you must try to not only handle your gems but to deal with your opponent's gems and the order in which they may fall on your side!

Second, the gems can have devastating effects on your opponent if you link a number of gems together. In other words, just having a blue Power Gem is not as destructive to another player as is having a blue Power Gem and red and a green Power Gem explode all at once! If you can link the attack, your character will perform a super move or combo (depending on how many and what colored gems you destroy) that mimics the super move of their full size characters from Street Fighter and Dark Stalkers.

Third, the game has so many features that addictive is not as accurate a description as way of life is! The features are vast, from training mode to a standard arcade mode, to a unique GOODIES mode. All of the modes keep the game from getting stale as does the huge amount of secret characters, options, and games to unlock!

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo takes a lot of concentration which is unfortunate as you may be so wrapped up in taking care of your gems and planning strategy of your opponents that you will miss the great character design and animation of the fighters in the middle of the screen. Oh well...I'll survive.