Aaron Drewniak

Capcom revives a few more killer franchises. 

I remember as a kid playing Commando at the local Pizza Hut.  The controls were stiff and the bullets were tiny.  I don't think I ever made it past the first stage.  Then MERCS came along to the arcade just across the street, and it seemed like insane destruction and top down blasting action for me and two other Rambo-wannabes until we ran out of quarters.  Capcom has been on a trend of reviving their nearly forgotten gems to the delight of former arcade junkies, with the latest offering of Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 for XBLA and PSN.  Outside of the more cartoonish gleam, the latest footage shows a game that sticks surprisingly close to its roots, with a variety of scrolling, destructible environments for up to three players, both online and off.  The action is quick and furious, while the weapons are insane and highly destructive.  It's already looking better than the upcoming pretender to the throne, Assault Heroes 2, though both pale next to what else Capcom has up its sleeve.

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Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix has been a long time in coming, but hey it takes a long time to draw all those frames at 1080p.  They must be close to release now, however, because coming with Commando 3 will be an online beta of SSF2THDR (on XBLA at least).  Yeah, it's only going to be Ken and Ryu, but outside of seeing how high Chun-li still kicks, they were going to be your first picks anyway.  This is a series that kicks in even more nostalgia, but these new visuals are a lot better than I remember, while the rebalanced mode should end cries of cheap among friends.  Maybe it'll even stop the droppers online.