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Aside from annoyance of the ridiculously long title (from a writer’s view, it’s awful), there’s a lot of promise in the latest edition of the game that will never die. SSFIIHDR recently started its beta period for those who purchased Commando 3 off of the Xbox Live Arcade. PS3 users who downloaded the game get no love apparently. The beta only offers two characters, Ken and Ryu. One stage is the backdrop, and that’s Ryu’s Japan in the front of the full moon.

Technical issues are expected for a beta, but to not fix a glitch that causes the entire system to crash requiring a full power down before releasing this to the public is probably not a good start. When it’s working, match-ups are quick and mostly lag free.

This is the old Street Fighter II. There are no changes mechanically to note. This is a visual make over with some extra balancing tossed in to even things out, though this isn’t apparent with only two characters to choose from. The high resolution sprites are a stunning sight, loaded with style and detail that maintains the original looks while bringing them into a new generation. The smile on Ken’s face brings out his arrogant attitude.

Remixed music, or at least the two tracks given in the beta, is spectacular. The new theme for Ken that plays in the background of the main menu is brilliant. This is how it likely would have sounded if the original sound hardware was capable of handling it.

Options are obviously limited, though it’s nice to the classic mode which allows players to select from different versions of the characters (from the two “Super” releases of the game) if they’re not fans of the rebalanced styles. Most of the other menu selections are locked.

Based off the beta, Remix may not draw in a new audience to the classic franchise, but long time followers will marvel at the work done to bring the game into modern times. This is looking to be a respectful, sharp, and familiar experience for those gamers.