Delayed Street Fighter II HD Pared Down

Bringing the game to life isn't going quite as well as Capcom hoped. Screens of downgrade inside.

With all the buzz surrounding Street Fighter IV, it's easy to forget that Capcom is also working on a high-definition update of arcade classic Street Fighter II. The game, coming to the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Store, was due last autumn, but overreaching on the part of the developers has held the game back.

Out with the old, in with the new

Two of the big reason for the delay are the graphics and the internet code, said Rey Jimenez, producer on Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, in a post on Capcom's US blog.

The original target artwork was not only too detailed, featuring too many shades per colour, but the company responsible for doing the bulk of the visual work was also failing to meet Capcom's exacting demands.

"Creating HD Remix has turned out to be a much more difficult task than we could've anticipated," Jimenez said.

Along with the new look, the game will also introduce new game modes. Among these is HD Remix, a mode that has been guided by comments from some of the top players in the world. There's also Hit Box Display, which will allow players to get a more detailed look at the on-screen action.

Jimenez allayed fears that file-size restrictions would hurt the game, saying that this "will not be an issue."

"Overall, the project has proved to be extremely challenging, something that I'm sure that all those involved at Capcom, Backbone, and Udon would readily admit to," he said.

"I think in the end, the product you guys get in the end will be the most ambitious title put into the console download space and be well worth the wait."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo