Copyright © Arika Co, Ltd / Capcom Co, Ltd 1999

By now most of you dear readers must be wondering the same thing as this writer: "What?! Another STREET FIGHTER game is being released??" Once that incredulity wears out, let us settle down and see what this is all about. It can probably be argued that STREET FIGHTER is the one frachise that has spawned more sequels and side games than any other game in history. At this point, it is my opinion, even being the fighting freak that I am, that Capcom has truly gone overboard, releasing way too many sequels or spinoffs to their fighting franchise. With STREET FIGHTER EX 2 PLUS, Capcom has allowed Arika (a small development house, started by former Capcom employees and the original creator of STREET FIGHTER) to continue the 3D versions of the game. Yes, while not a totally new game, the STREET FIGHTER EX series is 3D and, even though they've added a slew of new features for part 2, it is still not enough to warrant purchasing.
First released in the arcades over a year ago, STREET FIGHTER EX 2 featured greatly improved graphics over SFEX 1, while still using a modified version of the PlayStation as the arcade board—similar to what Namco used for their System 11, System 12 games (TEKKEN series). With more brilliant special effects and flashier combos, and much smoother, higher polygon count characters, this game was worth a look. In addition, they added a new Excel combo system, so it seemed like they had a winner.
Flash forward to the present, and with the advent of the Dreamcast and the holy power that is SOUL CALIBUR, Capcom decided to release a home version of the SFEX2 game, called STREET FIGHTER EX 2 PLUS. The only problem: they chose to release it on the aging, 5-year-old PlayStation. Now, for the most part, the PSX has been putting out some outstanding games that still hold their own, like CTR (CRASH TEAM RACING), or Namco's TEKKEN 3. Unfortunately, it seems this game is nothing like those previous games: SFEX2+ on the PlayStation looks very old—it seems to be using the same engine as STREET FIGHTER EX (one) PLUS ALPHA, that was released years ago!
Imagine the disappointment when you see all the characters stripped of their extra polygons, looking nowhere near as clean, smooth or good as their arcade counterparts! If Namco could pull off such a great port of TEKKEN 3 for the PlayStation, then Arika and Capcom have no excuse for this mess, except of course, to make some quick cash. Especially now, in light of games like SOUL CALIBUR for the Dreamcast, the graphics on this game really look bad. On the bright side, the special effects appear pretty solid, with amazing particle effects for special moves when they hit, plus loads of translucencies.
Many of the cast of characters return from EX 1, and overall, it is fun to play them in 3D, although it's more of a novelty than anything. You still can't sidestep in this game; it is essentially just a "2D game" with characters made out of polygons instead of sprites. The only thing 3D about the game is that special moves, supers and grabs will cause the camera to pan around.
The game plays the same as EX 1 with the exception of the aforementioned Excel combos, which is essentially just a Custom combo from the SF ALPHA series. By hitting punch and kick buttons of different strength, you will blow out one super bar, and your character starts glowing. You can then string together any moves you want as quickly as you can, until the timer runs out. Besides that, the gameplay is very solid, just like EX 1—you can Super Cancel up to three different supers, which makes for some great fun. An example is with Ken: you can jump from a Roundhouse kick, into a low Forward kick, 2-in-1 combo into a Hadoken fireball, super cancel into the Shibbuujin Raikyaku super (kick super), super cancel into his Shouryu Reppa super and then super cancel into his Shinryuken super! Now that is great fun not found in any other 3D fighter to date.
In addition, the Expert Training Mode is back: similar to EX 1 (PSX), each character has a list of objectives (combos) which have check boxes next to them. If you have the skills, Capcom has the challenge—this is perhaps the funnest part of the game, trying to master all the different combos and gaining the A ranking for each fighter.
Yet, in the end, this game is just painful to look at. Graphics don't make a game, but they sure do help. With STREET FIGHTER EX 2 PLUS for the PlayStation, it seems that Arika and Capcom put out a rather shoddy product only to make some quick money. In a sense, one can't blame them; they have the engine that they already developed for EX 1 years ago on the PlayStation, so just translating the new moves and characters into that engine wouldn't be that much of a chore for them. With so many PSX machines in use, it would be stupid not to release this game for it. But at the same time, this game stinks of greed—making as much money as possible with the lowest cost. It seems that all the corners were cut for this game; there are not even endings for the game(!), just a couple sentences of text, and then the credits roll up.
If you feel the urge to play more games with EX-style gameplay, just play your SFEX1 for the PSX. If you really have extra money, you might just consider buying the PlayStation 2 and STREET FIGHTER EX 3. At least then it will have acceptable graphics to go along with the solid gameplay.

Rating: 7.0 / 10

Sony PlayStation (1 CD)
Fighting
1-2 Players
SLPS 02508
¥5800
Available now in Japan
Where to buy