Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo Review

Obviously not content with the dearth of Street Fighter and puzzle games, Capcom decided to explore the cross-marketing waters and create a combination of both. This shameless transgression, however, can almost be forgiven since the result is one of the better Tetris rip-offs around.

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo earns big points for style thanks to the amusing Super Deformed Street Fighter (and Darkstalkers) cast, all beautifully illustrated and integrated into the game. Before the block-juggling fun begins, a player can choose to drop his favorite fighter, like Felicia Chun-Li, Ryu, or Ken, from the Capcom zoo into the action. The chosen character then helps the player place colored blocks into their corresponding patterns. The ultimate result is an avalanche of blocks - which disintegrate if you're winning, and stack up if you're losing. These "moves" are accompanied by the appropriate Street Fighter-style yells - "Sho-Ryu-Ken!" from Ryu, or "Spinning-Bird-Kick!" from the delectable Chun-Li.

One of the (few) original play features in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is the countdown clock. Printed clearly on certain blocks is a number which has to tick down to zero before the block can be destroyed. This feature adds a rather unpleasant tension to the race against time, gravity, and (in two-player mode) an evil adversary.

Though the visuals are pretty and the accompanying music sets a good mood, Tetris fans are still better served by, say, Game Boy Tetris (portable and perfect); likewise, Street Fighter fans are certainly better off with any Street Fighter game. But for anyone looking for a Puyo Puyo-esque game with Street Fighter thrown in for good measure, this game will satisfy.