Good Game, Peace Out

Anyone who can attest any knowledge of me will inadvertently mention the phenomena known as Street Fighter 2 at some point. As they should. This series of games occupied a huge portion of not only my, but everyone my age’s formative years. Street Fighter was breakfast, lunch, dinner, religion, love, friendship, and occasionally a roller coaster ride. On paper, it is merely a videogame comprised of a variety of characters participating in a series of best-2-outta-3 fights, that conclude when the player reaches and defeats the game’s final character or ‘End Boss’. Millions of copycats and competitors spawned hundreds of titles that follow this format to this very day. but let it be known that Street Fighter was the best and first. No other title has come close.

I believe the main draw of this genre of games is the ability to pit your skills against other people, your favorite characters versus theirs. Granted, you could play the computer, but playing against a human is the main reason the Street Fighter series (and its countless spin-offs) have retained their playability value, roughly 15 years after the fact.. Thus I get to the point of this post. Online Playability. With next-gen consoles promising this but often falling shot, it amazes me that independent developers not only tackle this obstacle, but succeed. NO, I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT KAILLERA!

What I refer to is known online as GGPO. (short for “Good Game, Peace Out”) A surprisingly smooth way to play Street Fighter Alpha 2 with people web-wide. Based primarily on a combination of FinalBuild arcade emulation, and from what I assume is some form of necromancy, GGPO is the least buggy way to play SF online. Period. Despite the occasional laggy day after a new build has been implemented, I can say with some certainty that 92% of the time it plays in (almost) perfect real-time. I can’t rave enough about the ease of use the interface displays. You can directly challenge and play any of the people online, OR you can watch any match already in progress! As if that wasn’t enough, ALL the matches are recorded on the GGPO homepage, to reinforce bragging rights after the match. In summary, if you are both a fan of Street Fighter, and have a halfway decent computer, download this client NOW.

I’m ‘Nezumiiro’ on GGPO, and if you beat me, I’ll give you a cookie. Or something.