Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (1996)

Genre: Strategy / Puzzle | Players: 1 - 2 | Developer: Capcom

Once upon a time a plucky dev at Capcom suggested merging Tetris and Street Fighter II. They didn't sack him on the spot. Instead, they made the game and it became a classic. They gave him the key to the city, bought him a golden Snuggie with his name embroidered into it and a pair of used Chun-Li panties which he tucked into his back pocket without flinching. Maybe.

Like Tetris, you control blocks that fall from the top of the screen and fit together at the bottom. The main difference is blocks can only be destroyed by using a shining ball of the corresponding colour. That enables you to destroy anything from a single block to a hundred or more simultaneously, depending on how many you have of the same colour touching. If you’re extra clever (i.e. lucky) you can achieve a massive combo where two, three or all colours are eliminated. Pulling that off severely shits-up your opponent’s day. Their screen will fill with blocks that can’t be destroyed until a timer counts down. All of that combined makes the game simple but very damned addictive.

At the bottom of the screen are chibi versions of SF II characters and some guests from Darkstalkers. If you’re playing as Ryu, for example, when you unleash a combo on your opponent he'll rush over and Dragon Punch a bitch as a show of awesomeness and force. It’s purely cosmetic, but it's fun to see your opponent on the ground with stars circling their scum-bag head.

The current gen consoles got a D/L only HD scrubbed-up version that allows online play, so if you've no friends (boo hoo) to go head-to-head with you can get brutally smashed over the internet by someone you've never met.

Buyers guide:
Available for almost every major platform under the Sun. Arcade, PS1, Sega Saturn, GBA, PSP (as Capcom Puzzle World), Dreamcast (Japan only), Xbox 360 (XBLA), PS3 (PSN), PC and even Blackberry (chuckle).

5 c-c-combo coming your way, bitch out of 5