Too bad neither of which is official and done by cell phones, but whatever:

http://www.destructoid.com/first-video- … 9918.phtml

http://www.destructoid.com/first-clear- … 9916.phtml

I hope it does well enough to convince Capcom to give the HD-treatment to more.

Looks like they kept their promise of not adding any frames of animation. If they're going to "re-balance" the game, why not go for broke and make the animation more fliud? I think I noticed some new fireball effects, though.

Darkstalkers, please. It's about time Morrigan got redrawn.

Looks ok, I guess.  I was never that big of a fan of the Super SF2 games, and the original animation routines are starting to look a bit dated.  If I ever get a 360 or PS3, I'll probably buy it.  Also, it's kinda weird how the backgrounds are now in full 16:9, but everything else seems to sit in an invisble 4:3 frame.

Seems to me like a pointless exercise. Putting so much work into redrawing the sprites (badly) and not improving anything else seems worthless.

Agreed. I've said before it's hard to get excited over the same game (especially when the Alpha series feels like a more fleshed-out concept than the early SF games anyway). Although one must take into account it won't be full price and it will have online play.

You really think the sprites look that bad?  I wish the video was better quality so I can really see them in action.  Eh, looks like I'll still buy this anyway, in the hopes that they will do another one and do better on it.

Honestly, Capcom is damned if they do, damned if they don't---especially if they 'improved' anything, which would be met with so much complaints from this so-called hardcore crowd (that I never actually see exist, but they apparently do in significant numbers as to cripple Capcom's efforts?).

Well, take into account that Super Turbo is the fifth time they remade the same game and there is also the recent Anniversary Edition.

The gaming world will be better off with it, no question (even regular ST is better than much of the junk on the shelf now), but it isn't outrageous to ask for something...Dunno...New instead.

Well, they did announce Street Fighter IV... isn't that new enough?  = P

What have they improved? And, more importantly, why? The sprites are redrawn and, yes, I think they are redrawn pretty badly. The backgrounds have also been redrawn. Aside from that, it is exactly the same which, as you can see from the video, means staccato animation (fine back in the day) clashing with modern (poor) drawings. And everything else is as it was.

It's not a case of damned if they do and damned if they don't. It's damned if they do half-assed. And this very much seems half-assed to me.

"Work in progress" screens and info at Capcom's site:  http://blogs.capcomusa.com/blogs/digita … 57#more557

Damn, those shots are looking mighty fine..... What's it say when I'm looking forward to this so much more than even the prospect of SF4?

So, the fact sheet for the game was updated.  Fall is too terribly far away for me:

http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/previ … ame=ssf2hd

And the latest batch of screenshots.  I said "wow" at the Spain stage background:

http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/previ … 20Remix%20

There are some new trailers over at gametrailers too. The backgrounds are looking great - really just polished hi-def versions of the originals. I quite like the bright colours they are going for too. They work really well.

The sprites, well, I'm already on record as being not a fan of their drawings. Seeing them in motion has me considering it in a couple of ways though. As I suspected, the crisp drawings only serve to highlight how few frames there are in the animation. It looks really jerky. More than that, some of the animation, like the standing poses and walking animation, look really jittery. This is more than just a lack of frames. It's poor animation. I suspect that happened because they are drawing over each frame completely individually rather than considering each frame as part of a piece of overall animation.

After all, I wouldn't even think Udon would actually have animators on staff. It would have been very easy for even a mildly competent animator to smooth that animation up by interpreting those original frames a little better.

But, that said, they set about to recreate the original game in hi-def. And, to me, it looks like they really have succeeded. If you shrink down the videos, they hit a point where they look so like the original game it would be hard to tell the difference. So they seem to have achieved what they set out to do. In just delivering a hi-def version of a classic, well, this looks like it.

Considering what they're doing, I can't help thinking it's taking a bizarrely long time.

Theres been a huge commotion about the re-balance of the game... http://www.sirlin.net/ goes into the details character by character.  The difference comes in whether or not you are very big SF II fan.  I'm not, but I hang out with a lot of them, and the enthusiasm they have for the Remix is undeniably evident.

Ha ha, poor Morrigan.

Hmmm... when it's moving too fast, the characters' limited frames do look a bit jittery.  And the backgrounds, while gorgeous, look a little too clean and smooth... they could use a little texture.  That said, it looks very nice on the whole and I definitely want it.

Looks like OCRemix people are making the soundtrack:  http://www.capcom-unity.com/s-kill/blog … soundtrack

This thread needs an update.  Badboy's finally scheduled for release this month, and I'm pumped.

The latest batch of screenshots from a few weeks ago; love that T. Hawk chest hair Zangief grabbing shot the best. :p

And Capcom's own "Capcombos" video, showcasing more of the game in motion, plus some of the newly tweaked combos you can pull off in Remixed Mode.  In addition, you can hear a clear version of Overclocked Remix's arrangement of Fei Long's theme:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/42495.html

I'm pretty good at SFII if I say so myself, but damn, I hope I don't run into anyone THAT good online.

I'm curious as to what Capcom will be pricing this one since you know it's got to have cost a shitton to convert all that art.  They were really nice by pricing BCR and MM9 at $10, but somehow I've got a feeling they won't be so nice this time around.

Most are pretty standard cross-up combos, with some extra links and super combo hits for showing off purposes. You rarely see that kind of stuff in actual tournament play. Good players tend to favor footsies over pure combos for the most part.

I'm an SF fan, but I'm not jumping on this just yet. Too hard to go back to this after a whole summer of Guilty Gear and SF3 chaos, new artwork or no artwork. Going to wait for SF4 and see if a reliable 360 controller converter comes to pass, so I can make use of my PS 2 Hori Real Arcade Pro. The 360 controller is definitely NOT suited to 2D fighters. Might pick it up later though, if I don't just get the PC version of SF4.

1up's got a lengthy hands-on video up.  It's looking very positive:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwWHigb4jWc

Also, if Fighters Generation is to be believed, the targeted release date for the game is November 27 for both Live and PSN.

Scratch that.  PSN is getting it November 25th, while Live is on the 26th.  Even better.

Still no word on pricing, though.  I'm calling it: $20.

You're wrong. In a good way!

http://kotaku.com/5095193/sf-ii-turbo-h … la-and-psn

That's what I would have guessed by the way.
20 bucks is kinda expensive for what is basically an old game with shinier graphics.

This deserves a hearty Butz thumbs-up.  (Resist the urge to change that wording around, people.)  I guess I can put that $5 savings toward that SF2-themed Uno pack.  Or maybe that Pinball game.

IGN's review is up: 8.7

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/932/932390p1.html

"I played an ample number of online matches both on the PS3 and 360 and each version ran very well with little to no slowdown. This is, I'm sure, thanks in part to the consulting that the creator of the GGPO networking system did with the team at Backbone."

"If you're interested in comparisons between the PS3 and 360 versions of HD Remix, Street Fighter fans will be happy to know that both are excellent and there's little difference between them. I (along with many others) greatly prefer the PS3 controller's D-pad over the 360 option, so that's something to consider if you plan on going down the controller route. Also, the PS3 version doesn't have Trophy support. Alas."

"Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix doesn't have any frills and its mechanics -- while extremely well-tuned -- are simple. This is a game very dissimilar to modern fighters because it doesn't shower you with extra modes, art galleries or unlockables.  It's admirably precise and meant for hardcore players, despite its increased approachability.  HD Remix single-handedly reminded me how deep simple fighting games can be and why this series retains its status as an extremely high-quality fighter."

----

I have to say that I'm still reasonably pumped about this, if only for the nostalgia.  All that minutiae with the dip switches and hit boxes is way beyond me.  I just want to have a fun old time that reminds me of childhood.  I know this isn't in there, but it'd be nice if they had a skill test like in Madden 09 and put you into online matches based on that.  Hell, I'd settle for a written quiz.  If you know what terms like "hit box," "cross-ups," "cancels," etc. mean, then I don't want to play against you.  ;-)

When we were enjoying the hell out of this game as kids, we didn't need to know about terms like hitbox, crossups, and cancels, because playing the game was fun as shit.   Their only advertising today should be that "it's still fun as shit"

And it's definitely that, too.  Hell, this is SF2; everyone should already know that it's fun as shit.

Played through the single player Arcade mode a few times, as well as a couple of online matches.  First, the game plays beautifully; I admit even I had my doubts about how well it would play, even when watching internet footage of the final build.  Happily, the core gameplay is as exacting and intuitive as that of the original SSF2T.  As far as controls on a Six Axis or Dual Shock 3, it works about as well as one can expect.  I was having a tough time trying to pull off certain moves with the d-pad on the higher turbo speeds, but it became infinitely more serviceable once I put the speed back down to either zero or one.  I was never a speedy turbo fighting freak, which is why I've always opted for Champion Edition over Hyper Fighting, or SSF2 over SSF2T.  (Or, if the home editions of Hyper/Super Turbo allowed it, to always place the speed at the lowest settings.) 

I was stunned by the humongous size of the characters when you play on the default HD/Widescreen and Remixed modes.  I mean, they are HUGE, boy..... and I thought Capcom vs SNK 2 had beefy-sized character renders.  They all look great, but I do miss some of the muscle definition and clothes detailing on some of the characters.   It's too bad that when you pause the screen, the menu screen comes up, obscuring the graphics almost completely.  I could see me pausing the game constantly just to catch the vibrant details of each and every frame.   

Backgrounds could've used for some more animation, it's true - and yes, it's just now striking me as weird as how the background characters and spectators are so predominantly white.  Capcom couldn't be bothered with adding a few shades of color to these folks?   

The online matches I participated in ran pretty solid, though there were a few hitches here and there.  Just a few, and I'm willing to bet that had more to do with my wireless connection than anything else; it's been a tad laggy on a number of games I've been playing recently.  I'll be looking to see if a direct connection will run any differently.  In any case, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun online with this one; SF2's fast and to-the-point gameplay lends itself perfectly to playing match after match all night long.  ^_^

OCRemix's contributions range from good to excellent.  Every music piece has been arranged, from character select to the ending sequences..... But I'm devastated, absolutely DEVASTATED, that Capcom chose to cut off the new version of the Staff Roll before it even gets to finish.  Why do those end credits have to run so damned fast?!

Here's hoping the digital CD release will contain the full, unabridged version.

I totally had no idea the game was out until I logged onto my PSN account...and saw that you were playing it, Angela. I downloaded it right away after that.

Not sure how I feel about the graphics...but yeah, the sprites are huge. Haven't really had a good chance to listen to the music, but I read that the arrangements are from OC Remixers. As for the gameplay...

Man, I totally suck. I've always been a casual shotoscrub that occasionally uses Guile. I guess I better give the training mode a run through. If you guys want an easy win, my PSN handle is Nekobo1.

I think I must have checked the PS Store around six times today looking for this (I'm on vacation, so sue me).  When it finally came up after 6PM Eastern (geez!), I grabbed it right away and got crackin.  Let's get the negative stuff out of the way first: presentation is weak -- there's no intro, no attract demo, nothing.  During the game, you don't even get points anymore (there's also no 1P game scoreboard to track your progress in the single-played mode)!  I also don't like how the music during the VS. screen gets cut short automatically.  It shouldn't get cut unless I push a button to skip it.  I also experienced some bugs during online play where the life bars and character names would get messed up.  My final gripe is that you can filter online games by stuff like whether or not there is a time limit, game speed, and room size, but you can't filter it by number of rounds needed to win, even though that is a room creation option.  I don't want to play matches where people have that cranked up past two (I noticed that three is the only option for the Scoreboard Matches, which I think is stupid, but you can set it differently for the Friendly matches).  I hope they release a patch that adds this to the filter conditions.

Anyway, with the negatives out of the way, lets just say I put nearly two hours into the online portion alone, and I almost never play games online.  As Carl said, it's fun as shit.  I love the colorful new graphics and giant character sprites.  I also love the fact that I was actually able to win, which is something I don't get to do online very much, which honestly surprised the hell out of me.  I was expecting to be decimated like I got every year at E3, but here I actually did OK, if not great.  I imagine this will go back to my expectation as people refamiliarize themselves with the game, but it was a pleasant surprise.

As for the controls, I would say that the moves are slightly easier to pull off than previously, but still pretty difficult.  That's always been my biggest issue with this series (which I love to death), and I don't really see it being resolved here, but it is what it is.  The remixed music is good, not great, but good and more than serviceable.

Anyway, I'm having a great time to so far.  I think now is a good time to relink this awesome song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuIB4jsh … re=related

How about endings?

All seventeen character endings are intact, and completely redone to boot.  Check out some shots of Ken's wedding ending:

http://www.capcom-unity.com/jimmyrey/bl … _pleasures

As for lack of an intro or attract demo, are you seriously going to dock points off the game for something you're likely going to watch, like, once?  I even applaud the decision not to put back the bonus rounds. (Car smashing, barrel breaking, etc), since it kills the momentum of the fighting.

Hm?  For me, the vs screen's music (both classic and remixed flavors) has ALWAYS played out in full before the match begins, so long as you're not holding down the button to quicken the screen transitions up.  Unless you're participating in an online match, and the person you're fighting against is deliberately holding down theirs.  You can tell by looking at the speed of the scrolling background behind the fighters' faces.

Yeah, after my thumb took a thrashing on the PS3's d-pad, I've had to resort to the left analog stick for a while, and I'm quite surprised how easy it is to pull off moves with it.  In any case, more than ever am I looking forward to those SF4 pads and sticks. :)

Now why the heck didn't I think of this before?  I could just take my USB-based PC Logitech Precision controller -- one of the most comfortable, fighting-game centric pads I've ever used -- and plug it right into the PS3.  Gonna have to try it when I get home tonight.

Even better, I wonder if it'll work on the 360 as well?

I bought the PS3 version, and I have to say I'm pleased with how everything turned out.  I can't say it's impressive or anything like that, but I can see myself playing it for a while... at least until Street Fighter IV arrives.

First thing, I'm glad they didn't just get lazy and import the music from OCRs SFII remix album.  Those tracks are okay as remix material, but they don't work as game music.  The SFII games will never be known for having mind-blowing and awesome compositions, but the original tracks still have their character.  They fit the game.  They belong there.  When Bison cheaps me with a combo, then I want his 'danger' music to play and add that sense of urgency to the fight.

Aside from that, I like the visuals.  The super-huge sprites and backgrounds look very nice in HD.  I'm not quite sold on the artwork; it's kinda weird seeing Udon's work in motion.  But that's something I'll either grow to like or ignore altogether.

Super Turbo is widely regarded as the best SFII game in the series.  But I was never a big fan of it, mainly because the damage is way too high for my tastes, and that can make a match turn into a turtle-fest very quickly.  One mistake can lead to getting combo'd for up to 60% and force me to play more defensively than I'd like, but only to prevent a loss by eating another high-damage combo. 

Nevertheless, it's still SFII, and it's still fun to play.  Online play apears to have improved (at least slightly) since the days of playing Capcom fighters on Live, and that's a big plus.  All the gameplay is there, and we even get a few extras in the DIP switch controls and the option to play tournaments and non-ranked matches online.  The game is definitely worth $15.

Oh, and I apologize if I missed an invite from you; I was making dinner at the time.

EDIT:  Yes, I use a stick.  No, I couldn't resist saying (and showing) it again. 

And it most certainly does.  OCRemix have made their soundtrack available for download, and it's quite complete.  They even include the "danger/heavy damage" variations of each stage, along with all the endings and even some tracks that apparently didn't make it in the game.

Complete torrent file or individual mp3 tracks here, or the full mp3 album in one zip file here.