The Great Gaymathon Review #45: Street Fighter II' Champion Edition (PC Engine)

Game: Street Fighter II' Champion Edition

Genre: Fighting

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: NEC Home Electronics

System: PC Engine

Release date: 1993

Nowadays, this port is the definition of "meh-worthy," thanks in large part to Capcom's milking of the Street Fighter franchise. Back in the day, though, it was a marvel, as it proved, once and for all, that NEC's pint-sized--and basically 8-bit--PC Engine could compete graphically with its 16-bit competitors (those being Nintendo's Super Famicom and Sega's Mega Drive, of course). Admittedly, the music and sound effects took a pretty big hit in the transition from arcade to (20-Megabit) HuCard, but everything else in this port is pretty much spot-on--it even includes the barrel-breaking bonus stage that was cut from the Super Famicom version of the game. All that said, I rarely play Street Fighter II' Champion Edition. In part, that's because I'm not the world's biggest fan of one-on-one fighting games, but it's also because I have yet to pick up the six-button controller that was released alongside this title and is a required purchase if you want to get any enjoyment out of it at all.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

'Memory Beach 02'

It's always a great day when a new piece of Ashley Anderson's artwork appears on Flickr.

The latest example of this Atlanta-based artist's talent is called "Memory Beach 02," and it will soon grace on the walls of a local yogurt shop.

Being the curious chap I am, I asked Anderson if he'd be willing to share which games are represented within this eight-inch-by-eight-inch piece. Here's what he had to say:

"The girl's face is from Ao no Senritsu for the Famicom. The polaroid border on the photo of the girl is partly drawn by me and partly borrowed from SimCity for the SNES. The thumbtack is from scratch. The ocean, beach, sunset, and ship are from the end screen for Goonies for the NES. The octopus is from Adventure Island for the NES. The seagulls are from Family Composer for the Famicom. The crab holding the turtle is from Kame no Ongaeshi - Urashima Densetsu for, I think, the Famicom. The stereo is from Guile's stage in Street Fighter II. The car is from Famicom Grand Prix II - 3D Hot Rally for the Famicom. The bonfire is from Kazekiri for the PC Engine."

Go here for more information about "Memory Beach 02." To see more of Anderson's portfolio, go here.

This one's for the ladies

I know I just published a post about Aled Lewis (aka fatheed) on Friday, but I'm publishing another one today because I thought the ladies--and straight gents--who frequent this blog may get a kick out of the London-based designer's latest piece of pixel art:

According to Lewis, this image--of Street Fighter II's Chun Li and Super Street Fighter II's Cammy--was inspired by Tanya Chalkin's iconic Kiss photograph.

See also: 'Size doesn't matter if you can perfect the Rising Dragon Punch'

'Size doesn't matter if you can perfect the Rising Dragon Punch'

London-based designer Aled Lewis (aka fatheed) recently posted the image below--and the comment above--to his Flickr photostream and to his tumblog, Aled Knows Best.

I'm also quite fond of "Enhancement" and "Fashion Faux Pas." And "Private Time." Oh, hell, I like everything Lewis has created so far.

'The Ultimate Combo'

While clicking through Gallery 1988's website last night (I do that sometimes), I came across the following Street Fighter II-inspired screenprint:

I've always had a bit of a thing for Street Fighter II--despite the fact that I suck at it--so I'd probably buy one of these 18-by-24-inch prints (for a mere $35) if such a thing were possible.

Unfortunately, artist David Soames is only selling them to folks who can pick them up in San Francisco.

Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Guile's theme goes with everything

Don't believe me? Check out the following video, which incorporates the Street Fighter II character's theme song into a clip from Scooby-Doo:



Even better are these two clips (here and here), which incorporate Guile's theme song into scenes from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Lion King, respectively.

For more evidence that Guile's theme goes with everything, check out GuileThemeFitsAll's YouTube channel.

(Via neogaf.com)

I hope her next one is 'cute Chun-Li'

Boston-based artist Lindsay Small recently posted the following Street Fighter-inspired portraits on her blog, lindsaysmall.blogspot.com.

I'm not sure which is cuter: cute Ken or cute Ryu. For the time being, I'll go with the former--thanks to his cute quote ("I ripped my sleeves off") and his mushroom nose.

Small says she's thinking about "finishing out the cast." Here's hoping this talented artist does so sooner rather than later.

(Via capcom-unity.com)

PC Engine porn

Now that I've finally gotten my hands on a PC Engine, all I want to do is play it. Well, that and take photos of it.

Also, here are some Glamour Shots® of a few of the games I purchased alongside the system.

See also: 'I'm pretty sure this means I can die a happy man' and 'It's not all fun and games'