PAX 2007: Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix hands on

I make no secret of my affinity for all things Capcom circa the 1990s, and when they announced that they would be updating both Super Puzzle Fighter and Super Street Fighter II Turbo, I nearly wet myself with glee. I spent a good chunk of my formative years with the Street Fighter series, and for Capcom to update them for today’s high-end technology while maintaining the same crisp, addictive gameplay I once broke up with a girl for insulting is the sort of fan service you only get from a company who both cares about its fans and knows that the appearance of caring about your fans is an excellent way to take their cash.

A few moments ago, I was finally privy to a few rounds on the updated version of Super Puzzle Fighter — the aptly named Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix — and to make a long story short, it’s very good. To make it even longer, hit the jump. 

To allay any fears you may have had, it plays exactly as well as the old versions of Super Puzzle Fighter. Yes, you can breathe now.

Whether it was easier for Capcom to leave the game mechanics completely stagnant or they had to actively put a lot of effort into things to make them feel as solid as the original title is a secret I’m assuming they’ll take to the grave — unless someone actually asks them — but either way, with the gameplay intact, the title should be an automatic purchase for anyone with a hard-on for Puyo Puyo or Capcom’s fighting franchises.

The big change of course, is in how the title looks. The vertical bump to 1080p is tremendously noticeable and even from across a crowded convention hall, the title looks amazingly fluid and crisp. It demonstrates the sort of vibrant colors you only see at Mardi Gras or as a result of licking peyote tabs given to you by a wily old drifter outside of Las Vegas, and while some of the textures seem vaguely stretched by the higher definition, with the action taking place inside of the Block Arena (yes, I just coined that term) you won’t be paying attention to how the sidebars look anyway.

Without an ounce of hyperbole, I can say that I’m as excited about this game as I am about its HD fighting counterpart, and assuming they didn’t totally screw the pooch on that one, you ought to buy both as soon as they’re available. If you don’t Capcom won’t ever release Quiz & Dragons Hyper HD Remix, and that would truly be a shame.