Game #3: Street Fighter II Turbo (Capcom/SNES)

Nope, no dirt cheap super combos here. No 400000000 hit attacks with the press of a button. No assists crowding up the screen so no one knows what is going on, and certainly no uber-unfair characters like Sentinel. Ladies and gentlemen, this is fighting. Street Fighter II is an icon in gaming for a reason and that is its simplicity. True skill is needed to beat opponents in this game, not playing a higher "tiered" character or being able to exploit a flaw in the game's combo system. While the characters are somewhat unbalanced, a little practice will allow any player to play any character at a high level. The game may be easy to learn but boy is it difficult to master. Perfecting special moves and combos is just the beginning. Truly great players will execute all sorts of cross ups and corner traps to take the win. Of course, if you just want to kick back and have some fun, Street Fighter II is just as awesome. The game can be enjoyed on so many levels against both the computer and human opponents. Great graphics, great control, great sound, and great gameplay help the Street Fighter II series stand the test of time. In terms of technical things, the game is almost perfect. Most of the games in the series are great, but Street Fighter II Turbo (and Champion Edition for the Genesis, which is essentially the same game) are not only the best, but the most timeless.

Pros: Fun and challenging, simple combat system, controls, graphics, sound, A.I, ability to play casually or more seriously

Cons: Hard to say. though I enjoyed the two games that will follow better, this may be the most technically perfect game on my list. I prefer more story driven games, and that is where Street Fighter is seriously lacking, but it just isn't that important in a fighting game.

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Gaming off the Beaten Path

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