Let’s begin with the basic elements of the game, which is of course the arcade mode. You should be familiar with this mode if you have ever played any of the other Street Fighter games; it’s all about one-on-one fighting--human vs. the computer; it’s the age old struggle of man versus machine. Not limiting the game to one option, Capcom has added various other modes to play. There is a vs. mode just in case you want to lay a beating down on a friend—assuming, of course, that he or she has a copy of the same game. When playing the various modes you will be collecting vs. points along the way. These vs. points unlock even more ways of playing the game, such as time attack and survival. These other modes are essentially mini games that test your skills under a time limit. These little extras give the game a level of replayability that should last you for a while.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival displays a graphical quality that is impressive to behold. Every thing the eye can see (with the help of good lighting) is filled with vibrant colors and smooth edges. The background has the same animations that we all know well. In keeping with the turbo part of the title, Capcom has added four speeds the game can be played at. There is the normal, which is of course a pace anyone can play at, but there are also three turbo settings. At each level the gameplay is sped up, but generally not at the expense of the frame rate. There are times in the turbo 3 setting, however, when too much action on the screen at one time causes a bit of slow down.

When Street Fighter was at its peak of popularity, anyone who played the game could recognize Ryu performing his fireball move by audio clues alone. That sound is back, along with all the other battle cries of the other combatants. The music when selecting characters is all there too. Everything that you remember hearing from previous installments is back and adds to the whole nostalgic experience. However, I recommend using headphones to eliminate some of the distortion emitted from the speaker.

On the down side, It is games like this that make me wish that the Game Boy Advance had two more buttons. By lacking two buttons, gameplay is hindered. Knowing this, Capcom tried to make accommodations by providing two options. The first allows you to tap either A or B for a light attack; press and hold the same button for a medium attack, and the shoulder buttons are the heavy attacks. The other option has the A and B button as the light attack, the shoulder buttons are the medium attack, and by pressing A+L or B+R delivers a heavy attack. Even though both options are available, performing combos become a challenge that many will not accept. Another issue surrounds the d-pad being so small. This lack of size increases the difficulty of performing moves that require circular motions. In this way, the game suffers from hardware limitations rather than programming.

Capcom has proven again that 2d fighters are not dead yet. They have successfully mixed old school fighting and multiple modes of play into one solid package. Despite the few problems, fans of the series should enjoy taking this wherever they go--once they become familiar with the controls. For those of you, who have not played the series before, this is a good one to start with.