BADCP - GPOW Tribute

Virtue Signals

DATE:
25 YEARS AGO

GPOW 25TH
A N N I V E R S A R Y



3DO	BAD	SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO


			At the time, me and my friends didn't know that many people who had one. Like the other CD-based 32-Bit machines (PlayStation and Saturn), it was expensive, and none of us had jobs as early teens. That being said, it was out of our reach. There was, however, one single student in our school who had one. Apparently, it was her dad who bought it, along with most new releases. It was confirmed that he had "Street Fighter" for it, and although she didn't know the full name of the game, there was no mistaking that it was the fabled Super Street Fighter II Turbo. It was the only Street Fighter game on the machine, after all. She lived on the same street as one of our friends, several houses down. I'd dream of going to her house and knocking on the door to see if they'd let us play the game, but alas, it wasn't to be. It's not easy as a teenage boy to just go up to a teenage girl's house and ask her if you can play her family's video games. Come to think of it, it's not even easy as an adult to do the same thing!

I'll never forget that it was a female student. Out of all the students in the school, it was a girl who had the enthusiast game machine of the time. Not only that, but she didn't really even seem to care! A machine that was praised for "arcade-perfect ports" of Samurai Shodown, Dragon's Lair, StarBlade, and, most importantly, Super Street Fighter II Turbo...and she could care less! It was a a truly baffling spectacle to behold, but an expected one, nonetheless. Who would appreciate that, even now in the age of so-called "enlightened gamers"? In the age of "nerd" and "girl gamers", nonetheless? Nobody. The 3DO, the quality titles it had, and its future potential, all still go largely unnoticed (despite a dedicated few who have dug-up canceled titles like a 3DO MegaMan X3).

	11
	SSFIIT BOXER
	Used and abused by wanna-be hardcore players everywhere.

	12
	BLUE BLANKA
	Raised by wolves and back from SFIIT.

	13
	TITANS
	Clash.

	14
	EXTENDED
	Claw attacks from Vega return cooler than ever.

	15
	POWERFUL
	Sagat sweeps blocked.

In an episode of AMC's iconic TV series MadMen, character Don Draper must find a way to sell Kodak's Carousel wheel photo projector in the most appealing way possible. He starts by talking about "a deeper bond with the product". He reveals this is "Nostalgia", and that it is "delicate...but potent". Such a statement couldn't be more true, and it is certainly true about Super Street Fighter II Turbo on the 3DO. He goes on to explain that in Greek, "nostalgia literally means the pain from an old wound", and that it's "a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone". He says that the wheel projector photo device he's advertising "isn't a spaceship", but a "time machine" that "goes backwards and forwards". He concludes the tear-drenched pitch, ultimately stating that through nostalgia, the product "takes us to a place where we ache to go again". This parallel, created decades later, is true on so many levels for my experience with the Super Street Fighter II Turbo on 3DO.

	16
	SPECTACULAR
	Battle of beauty.

The game is more than just a rare gem; Capcom's single game for the 3DO. The mere thought of it brings me back to a time when games were better. Back then, video games were still genuine, free of politics, and still flourishing as entertainment and not just a blatant vehicle for amateur videographer profit. My feelings toward Super Street Fighter II Turbo on 3DO is "a deeper bond with the product" than just as a vehicle to make money through tournament winnings. The feelings of nostalgia I have for the consumer 3DO version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo override sour arcade memories. The "nostalgia" of this game is a "delicate...but potent" reminder of "the pain from an old wound". That "old wound" was the fondness I had for her (the girl classmate who owned the game). I remember being in envy at the time of the guys who had a chance with her; some of which were friends. I remember thinking of how lucky they were not only to be with this cool, down-to-Earth hot blonde, but also because they could play this rare game at her house!

	17
	MULTI-HIT
	Tiger Uppercut is the best, ever!

	18
	STACKED
	Chun-Li's redrawn SSFII animation accentuates her features.

	19
	FASHIONABLE
	Chun-Li in costume before DLC?

	20
	CHARLIE
	Never forgotten.

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