Exhaustive Overview and Review: Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set (w/pics)

Forward:

            First things first. I have heard many people wondering just who exactly this Collector’s Set is really for. The general consensus seems to be that any Street Fighter fan willing to spend 150 dollars on this Collector’s Set is very likely a big enough fan to already own all of the contents that are included. In other words, only a big fan would want this set, but a big fan is the only one who wouldn’t need it. If one were to only look at the relatively light offering of included games, this general consensus would be 100% accurate. Thankfully, the number of inclusions to this Collector’s Set is vast enough to make it a worthwhile purchase for even the biggest of fans. This is not to say that the absolute biggest of fans will find value within the 25^th Anniversary’s pretty boxed set. In fact, there is very little in the way of exclusive content. Much of what is included can be purchased from various digital sources, online or brick and mortar retailers, importers, and second hand markets. The chances, though, of someone actually being enough of a super fan to spend that much time and money on acquiring those items are highly unlikely. And yet, should such a super fan come across this set, it’s easy to assume that he/she would need to own this piece of Street Fighter memorabilia regardless of potential redundancies.

            When it comes to the question of for whom this set is, the answer is simple. It is for fans with 150 dollars to spend. I can assure you that most fans, regardless of how big or small, will find lots of value in Capcom’s Street Fighter 25^th Anniversary Collector’s Set. The only question left, then, is whether or not it’s worth the150 dollar asking price. This is a question that can only be answered on an individual level. Hopefully, through this review/overview, I can help potential buyers with that question.

            To start things out, continue on for a ridiculously massive list of this set’s contents.

Games Included:

1) Street Fighter X Tekken Game (Disc)

2) Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (Disc)

3) Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (DLC)

4) Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition (DLC)

Downloadable Content:

1) Street Fighter IV Complete Alternate Costume Pack (25 costumes)

2) Super Street Fighter IV Super Complete Alternate Costume Pack (35 Costumes)

3) Super Street Fighter IV Ultra Complete Alternate Costume Pack (35 Costumes)

4) Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Challengers Pack (8 Costumes)

5) Street Fighter X Tekken Additional Characters Pack (12 Characters)

6) Street Fighter X Tekken SF/TK Swap Costume Complete Pack (38 Costumes)

7) Street Fighter X Tekken DLC Character Swap Costume Complete Pack (12 Costumes)

Bluray Video Content:

1) “I Am Street Fighter”: 25 Years of Inspiration (On Disc 1)

2) Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (On Disc 1)

3) Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind (On Disc 2)

4) Super Street Fighter IV: Original Video Animation (On Disc 2)

5) Street Fighter: The Animated Series (On Disc 2)

Audio CD’s:

1) Street Fighter

2) Super Street Fighter II Turbo

3) Street Fighter Alpha 3 (2 Discs)

4) Street Fighter III: Third Strike (2 Discs)

5) Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition

6) Street Fighter X Tekken (2 Discs)

7) Fan-Created Remixes and Originals (2 Discs)

Miscellaneous:

1) Decorative Box

2) Certificate of Authenticity (Individually Numbered)

3) 8-Inch Light-Up Ryu Statue

4) Embroidered Ryu Belt (Full-Size)

5) Hardcover Art Tribute Book (64 Pages)

PS3 Exclusive Downloadable Content:

1) Street Fighter Alpha (PSONE Classic)

2) Street Fighter Alpha 2 (PSONE Classic)

3) Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PSONE Classic)

4) Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX (PSP Full Game Download)

5) Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Complete DLC Pack (See: Below)

   a) Color Pack 1 (7 Colors Per Character)

   b) Color Pack 2 (7 Colors Per Character)

   c) Match Pack 1 (6 Match Videos of Top 8 in Tournament)

   d) Match Pack 2 (6 Match Videos of Casual Highlights in Tournament)

   e) Music Pack 1 (New Generation Tracks)

   f) Music Pack 2 (2^nd Impact Tracks)

   g) Unlock Dipswitches (Early Unlock of Various Game Settings)

   h) Unlock Gill (Early Unlock for Playable Boss Character)

6) Street Fighter Avatar Bundle (12 Avatars)

7) Super Street Fighter II Avatar Bundle (16 Avatars)

8) Street Fighter Alpha 3 Avatar Bundle (32 Avatars)

9) Super Street Fighter IV Avatar Bundle (35 Avatars)

10) Super Street Fighter IV Avatar Bundle (35 Megaman Styled Avatars)

11) Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Avatar Bundle (4 Avatars)

12) Street Fighter X Tekken Avatar Bundle (38 Avatars)

The Packaging:

Controller for Scale

            This box looks sick. The package is covered in a nice slipcase that has two embossed white logos. One of them belongs to Akuma and the other is being used for various SF 25 events. The rest of the box is mostly black with minimal Playstation branding. The underside has a bevy of information about the set’s contents. 

            Once the slipcase is removed you find a cloth-covered box with the aforementioned logos being embossed in silver. The corners of the box are covered with metal to protect from wear and tear and to look cool. The box stays closed with the power of magnets. Once opened, the first thing you see is a Certificate of Authenticity affixed to the underside of the lid. It is, stylistically, a good place to put the certificate but not a practical place. My certificate was slightly warped right out of the box. Underneath the certificate, there is a compartment in the lid to hold the art book. It is a clever place to put it and there are sides to hold it in place that are kept closed with more awesome magnets. 

            The main compartment of the box contains segments for the statue, the game, the belt, and the 11-disc soundtrack. Of those, only the segment for the soundtracks is distasteful. The idea was to have the discs be in a tray of foam. The idea was good, but the discs (possibly from fear of damage) are placed in plastic sleeves that are then placed into grooves in the foam. The problem with the plastic sleeves is that they do not seem to fit very well in the foam. They come out folded and crumpled. I ended up throwing them all out and replacing them with tyvek (like paper) sleeves, which thankfully fit perfectly into the foam tray. 

Good Idea

Average Results

            Though the CD’s were a slight annoyance, the rest of the box was fantastic until I noticed that part of it was starting to bow. Upon closer inspection, the box appeared to only be made of cardboard. It was hard to tell earlier because of the soft cloth covering, but the lack of structural strength gave it away. 

Hard to tell, but the front is bowing

Easy to tell

            It should be said that the box is made of very good cardboard, but the very nature of its cardboard construction detracts from the box’s future usefulness as a storage container. As it stands, the box is still very well made and acts as an attractive way to package the Collector’s Set. It’s too bad that there was a bit of smoke and mirrors involved in making it.

The Games:

If you had asked me what games should be included in a Street Fighter 25^th Anniversary Collector’s Set, I would have told you to put all of them in. If you had told me to limit it, I would have said to leave out the versus series. 

They are in a two-pack

            Don’t get me wrong, I love the versus series. I just think that a set commemorating Street Fighter would be better served by sticking only to Street Fighter games that focus on only the Street Fighter universe. It’s for this reason that I find the inclusion of Street Fighter X Tekken to be so confusing. There’s really no reason why that particular title would be a better fit than titles like Street Fighter 1, any of the non-HD remixed versions of Street Fighter II, the Street Fighter EX series, or the Alpha series (more on that later). 

Not for Resale

            I can think of only two reasons for the title to be included. The first reason is that it’s Capcom’s most recent Street Fighter title. That alone was probably reason enough. The second reason highlights what will become a recurring problem with the overall set. Street Fighter X Tekken was likely also included because, for lack of a better reason, it was available for the PS3 and 360.

            There seems to be some serious problems with this set not being able to include almost any new content. The four included titles represent almost every Street Fighter title released for the PS3 and 360 (The only omissions are the 2 Marvel games and Puzzle Fighter). As luck (bad luck) would have it, there is no current port of the original version of Street Fighter available for either system and, as a result, this set ships sans the very title it is commemorating. It is an ironic situation that probably should have been remedied regardless of what was probably a very limited budget or the sheer terrible quality of the original game. 

            In keeping with the budgetary constraints of the set, there are a few more unfortunate decisions that needed to be made in order to get this set out to us. Many people were hoping that Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition would both be given disc releases. Sadly, the money to press or test these new discs was not available. As a result, the two aforementioned titles are available as download only.

            Another hope for the set was that Street Fighter X Tekken and Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition would both come with all the DLC pre-unlocked on their respective discs. Again, due to budgetary constraints preventing new pressings or testing, the game discs ship as being identical to retail versions with the DLC needing to still be acquired via downloadable unlock codes.

            Now for the good news. Of the included games, there is not a single one that is bad. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is a game that I still consider as being the gold standard of HD remixes. With this game, Backbone had Udon completely redraw all of the character sprites and backgrounds while still maintaining the original titles’ number of animation frames and hitbox placements. They replaced all of the music with fan made remixes. They even re-balanced the game with a heavy amount of input from devoted fans. They added online play. Lastly, as a consession to fans of the orginal version, they even included options to play the game with the original music, sprites, and balancing.

            Next up is Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition. The Street Fighter III series is one of those that has been a slow burn for Capcom. It only recently became the classic that many hardcore gamers out there always knew it had the potential to become. It is an incredibly technical game and it is very well balanced. The version included here adds online support, graphical filters, challenges, and many other small but worthwhile additions. For gamers who avoided this title in the past, now is the perfect time to give it a second (or first) chance.

            Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition is probably my favorite game in this set. It is, what I hope, will be the last iteration of Street Fighter IV. It is packed to the brim with extras and shows a level of refinement and polish that other fighters would be lucky to have. The IV series is could easily be given credit for making fighting games popular again. It earns its place in this set by being both homage to old gameplay and a careful smart evolution of the genre. 

In all its glory, notice the non-manual

            Last is Street Fighter X Tekken. I have only just spent a few hours with it and I can already tell that it is the least polished game in the set. It does not, by any means, seem bad, but I do not have the same love for it as I do the other titles. 

Shows Promise

            So, as you can see, the included games are by no means comprehensive and they are by no means even representative of the series as a whole. What they are, however, are an excellent collection of titles. It’s a shame that the list had to be constrained by current generation releases, but it’s lucky that those releases are excellent.

The Downloadable Content:

            After the absolute train wreck that was Darksiders II’s DLC, I was pleasantly surprised by SF 25’s offerings. Included in the box was a simple card with one DLC code. Upon inputting it into the PSN, I was greeted by an army of DLC packs to be downloaded. Including the Playstation Exclusive content, my download list contained 194 items. 

Code Hidden

            As cool as that was, the vastness of the list took forever to download as there was no “download all” option available. Luckily, almost every file was under 200K’s. This meant, of course, that most of the content was what many people have come to regard as Disc Locked Content. 

That's a whole lot o content

            The disc locked content being given to the SF 25 set is almost completely complete. All of Super Street Fighter IV AE’s costumes are available. That comes out to 103 alternate costumes. The SxT DLC characters are included. The SxT costume swaps and DLC character costume swaps are also included. That’s an added 50 alternate costumes for Street Fighter X Tekken. The only thing missing seems to be the gem DLC for SxT. The included DLC is a huge win for the SF 25 set.

            If the included games and cardboard packaging seemed limited by budgetary constraints, the DLC seems to throw budgetary restraint out of the window. The amount of expensive content being packed onto a single download card is to be admired and, hopefully, copied by all makers of future Collector’s Editions.

The Artbook:

            The artbook is thin. 64 pages thin. There, it’s out of the way. The artbook comes in a hardcover format and is about the size of a comic book. The cover has the very cool SF 25 logo on it along with the title “Tribute Art” and a Capcom logo. On the back of the book is the Akuma symbol. Curiously, there is nothing written on the spine. The Logos and writing on the back and front are done in silver and are set against a matte black. The overall effect is quite striking. 

            The contents of the artbook are a joy to look at. The book is made up of fan art (really really good fan art) from various Street Fighter fans. The pages are nice and glossy with good color reproduction to help showcase the included art. Most of the artwork takes up a full page with only a few art pieces getting less than that to share space with other works. Along with EVERY SINGLE art piece, there is a footnote from the artist explaining why they produced the art they produced or why they are passionate about Street Fighter. It’s really great to both see and hear the importance that Street Fighter has had in the lives of so many talented individuals. 

            The artbook is pure win.

The Soundtracks:

Scroll to end for individual pics and tracks of every disc

            The included soundtracks successfully offer up a comprehensive look at the Street Fighter Franchise. Not being tied down, like the games were, to current generation consoles, seems to have been very beneficial. Included in the 11 disc set are soundtracks for Street Fighter I, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter III Third Strike, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Street Fighter X Tekken, and 2 discs of fan made tracks.

            In regards to the soundtracks, they all include music from more than just the game’s stages. There are tracks for victory screens, end credits, opening crawls, sound demos (Qsound), character select screens, etc. A few discs even come with sound effects and voice effects tracks. Of special note, the SSIVAE soundtrack renders the SFIV Collector’s Edition’s Soundtrack completely useless by offering up every previously available track along with 22 new ones.

            Like many other game soundtracks there is still the problem of many people not wanting to listen to game soundtracks very often, but given the level of variety found in the ever-changing Street Fighter sound, there is probably something here for everyone. I, myself, found it nice to be able to listen to Ryu’s Street Fighter II ending at the click of a button. Just about the only complaint I have for the soundtracks is the obvious absence of SFIV’s “Indestructible.”

            That just leaves the two fan discs. The first one is a compilation of fan-made original compositions. These are basically songs about or inspired by Street Fighter. There is a heavy push towards Electronic and Hip Hop infused tracks. As I’m not the biggest fan of either genre, I was a bit disappointed by the overall selection. Still, though, there were a few tracks that appealed to my particular tastes.

            Lastly, there is the Fan Remix disc. This disc contains remixes of Street Fighter melodies made by fans. Like the earlier disc, there is a heavy push toward Electronic infused tracks. Again, this diminishes my enjoyment of the offerings at hand. However, like with the last disc, there are still a few songs that appeal to me.

            In regards to the Fan Discs, they are both very well done. I would not want people to think that just because I did not care for most of them, that I thought they were bad. The fan tracks were made with love, passion, and obvious talent and I think it’s great that Capcom took the time to give these artists a spot in the SF 25 Collector’s Set.

            The 11 disc Soundtrack, like the artbook, is pure win.

The Video Content:

 

            All of SF 25’s video content is shared between 2 bluray discs. The quality of the content varies rather wildly with some inclusions being phenomenal to some being absolutely terrible. 

            The first piece of content that I’ll address is the one that most people are probably the most curious about. The documentary “I Am Street Fighter” is presented in 1080p with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound at 192kps. The video presentation is crisp and beautiful whereas the use of Dolby 2.0 at 192kps is a let down that will continue to bog this set down. For the hearing impaired, there is, sadly, no closed captioning or subtitling. In regards to the film itself, it is fantastic. It is so fantastic that I have given it its own review here on Short Wave Radio (link). 

            The next movie up is the Street Fighter II Animated Movie. The movie itself is a classic loved by Street Fighter fans the world round. The movie’s presentation in this set is a tragedy. The movie is presented in washed out non-anamorphic widescreen. This means that in order for the picture to take up the whole screen, your TV must be able to zoom in on bluray content. This is something that my TV cannot do. Sadly, if I want to watch this fan favorite, I will need to do so in pillar boxed format. If that were not enough, the version included here is, I believe, the most heavily censored version available with no option for Japanese audio. For the hearing impaired, this movie also has no subtitles.

Non-Anamorphic???

            The only two movies with subtitles are the ones based on Street Fighter IV. The first one (Ties that Bind) was available earlier in the Street Fighter IV Collector’s Edition. The 1 hour and 5 minute movie is fairly enjoyable but not terribly good either. I like to think of it as being “How Ken Got His Groove Back.” Visually, the presentation of this disc is identical to the previous Collector’s Edition’s, but is far worse on the audio side. Again, we are given only an English (no Japanese) Dolby 2.0 mix at 192kps. The original version included 2 DTS 5.1 Master audio tracks (English/Japanese) and 2 Dolby 2.0 tracks (English/Japanese). It even included subtitles in 5 different languages versus this set’s 1 language (English). I can only assume that these omissions were made for the sake of disc space.       

The Original Release was MUCH better

            The other Street Fighter IV film is much shorter at 35 minutes long and focuses mostly on the character Juri. This film is far less enjoyable than the first. I found the character of Juri to be far too arrogant, overpowered, and unlikable for my tastes. The film’s focus on such an annoying character hurt the overall product. The only upside was the screen time given to Cammy, Juni, and Juli. Like the previous movie, this one also has only Dolby 2.0 at 192kps audio in English (w/no Japanese option). The video, however, is only in 720p instead of 1080p. That said, I believe it was made for 720p and the quality is in no way poor. The picture looks great. 

            The last of the video inclusions to address is the Street Fighter Animated Series. It is presented in 480i with a 4:3 ratio. The sound is in Dolby 2.0 at 192kps. Each of the 26 available episodes is roughly 20 minutes long. Much complaining has been made of the choice to include the American Street Fighter Series instead of the fan favorite Japanese Street Fighter II V Series. Now, before you feel slighted, let me tell you about the first episode.

            You may not know this, but Guile is the leader of an elite team of international crime fighters known as the Street Fighters. At the start of our adventure, Guile goes to a secret base to be briefed on his next mission. He is told that he may choose his own team and has any weapons at his disposable. He chooses Chun-Li and two freelancers (Ryu and Ken) to help him stop a virus in Brazil from being used by Bison. In regards to those weapons at his disposal, Guile reminds us that he “Hates guns,” because, “Guns are for wimps!” 

            Just then, the scene cuts to Ryu and Ken wandering around a Brazilian Jungle. Why are they in the Jungle? Training? Helping a town free itself from Bison’s grip? Looking for the rendezvous spot with Guile? No, no, and no. They are there because Ken is looking for a lost temple that is rumored to contain Incan Treasure.

            I think I’ve made my point. You may have thought you wanted to get the Japanese cartoon, but what you really wanted was the American one. It’s got that perfect G.I. Joe style cheese oozing from its inconsistent animation all the way to its perfect verbal delivery of terrible dialogue. The series is an unexpected treasure.

            The video content, as a whole, however, is tough to assess. Much of it is marred by too few audio options and an almost complete disregard for people with hearing impairment. On the other hand, the video quality and actual content being presented is actually quite gratifying. If for no other reason, the video content is another win for this set because of the very excellent “I Am Street Fighter” documentary.  

The Belt:

            The belt looks very nice. It is black with Japanese characters embroidered on to the end. This is the same belt that Ryu wears and it is perfectly suited for future cosplay. To the best of my knowledge it seems to be an actual martial arts belt that has been personalized to look like Ryu’s. In short, it’s great.

The Statue:

            When it comes to most Collector’s Editions, the statue is where most of the money goes. The statue is also usually the biggest draw for fans to spend the extra dollar. Though that may still be the case with the SF 25 set, the statue here does not seem to command the same level importance that a statue would normally command. This is in no way a condemnation of the statue. The Statue is excellent, but the rest of set is so equally deserving, that the statue’s importance is diminished. 

For scale versus Controller and SFIV CE Ryu

            The statue is made of a nice soft-ish plastic. It is permanently attached to a light-up base by translucent blue plastic. The pose chosen for Ryu is of his famous Dragon Punch. I find it strange that with a light-up statue, the Dragon Punch was chosen over the fireball, but that’s only an observation. The pose has a good sense of being both in motion and trapped in time. The trapped look comes from the strength of the Dragon Punch move and how I remember it in the game and the feeling of motion comes from the way the cloth of Ryu’s clothes, belt, and bandanna seem to ripple and fold from the power of the Dragon Punch. 

            The paint application is not perfect. There are tiny specks of slop to be found in many places, but they are small enough to not be a distraction. The wash given to his clothes and muscles does a great job of stressing the depth inherent in the sculpt. The tiny details like the characters on his belt and the writing on his gloves is done very cleanly and could easily be read (I assume) by people that can read Japanese. Even though the translucent blue base has no real paint, the blue has a nice effect where it is bluer near the bottom of the base and much lighter (almost clear) towards the top. 

Logo Inside

            The last thing to address is the statue’s light-up feature. To start with, the package came with the necessary 2 AAA batteries. That was a very pleasant surprise. The next pleasant surprise was turning the lights on. The lights are bright enough that you can see a noticeable difference even during the day. The lights take an already great little statue and give it that extra oomph that it didn’t even need. 

            The statue is another win for this set.

The Playstation Exclusives:

            The Playstation edition of the SF 25 set comes with a good deal more DLC than the 360 version.  If we think back on the budgetary constraints that limited the game selection, we can easily see why Sony was able to bolster this set for Playstation users. Sony’s store has offered up countless avatars (little icons), fairly negligible DLC for Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and, most importantly, an important Street Fighter Franchise that desperately needed to be included. This part of Street Fighter’s history is only made possible on Sony’s console because Sony’s console is able to play digital copies of earlier Playstation One titles.

            The Street Fighter Alpha Series is available as PSONE classics and a PSP title through the PS3 edition of the SF 25 set. The titles are Street Fighter Alpha 1, 2, 3, and 3 MAX. Since there were no such pre-existing releases for the 360, Xbox users sadly miss out on one of the most important and enjoyable parts of the Street Fighter Saga.

            The PSONE classics are all playable on the PS3, the PSP, and even the PSVita (through system transfer). The PSP game (Alpha Max) is playable on the PSP and the PSVita. It is a great game that really didn’t need to be included, but I’m glad that it is because it’s probably the most complete edition of Alpha 3 available. 

Vita Compatibility? Check.

            If there were any thing to nitpick in regards to the PSOne classics it would be that the first two titles (Alpha 1 and 2) are not as good as the Saturn versions that were released alongside them. Another unfortunate choice was for Sony to use Alpha 2 instead of Alpha 2 Gold (part of SF Collection for PSX) when adding to its PSOne classics line. Such nitpicking, however, is not really necessary. The Alpha series is one of the high points of the Street Fighter Franchise and having them really rounds out the somewhat lackluster game selection from earlier.

Value: 

            This is always a really important part of reviewing a Collector’s Edition. Considering that this particular edition comes in at a whopping 150 dollars, the amount of included value is even more important than in most modestly priced sets. The big question being, “Is this set worth the money?”

            That all depends. Usually, the question of value is heavily linked to a person’s love of a particular game franchise. This happens because the inclusions usually just barely justify the premium being paid. This time around, however, it seems like the more someone is a fan of Street Fighter, the worse the value of the set becomes. Because this set includes very little new content, the amount of value for a HUGE fan could be abysmal. But, in all seriousness, most of us, even the really big fans, are not huge enough fans to make this edition not worth the asking price. Let me show you why that is.

DISCLAIMER: All prices are from the Playstation Network (9/172012), Ebay (9/7/2012), or Amazon.com (also 9/17/2012). For products that do not exist outside of the set, I have estimated potential costs based on comparable products. These will be noted with an asterisk. For products that are out of print or limited to foreign markets, I will post second hand prices available through either Amazon or Ebay and mark them with two asterisks. Lastly, there are sizeable discounts for members of Playstation Plus. These savings are mostly from the Avatar bundles as such bundles are only available to Plus members and must be purchased individually by non-Plus members. For the Avatar prices, I will be listing both the Plus Bundle prices and the per Avatar non-bundle prices. Other non-Avatar Plus discounts are not substantial or consistent enough for consideration and will not be listed.

Games Included:

1) $19.96 - Street Fighter X Tekken Game

2) $21.07 - Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition

3) $9.99 - Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (DLC)

4) $14.99 - Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition (DLC)

Downloadable Content:

1) $6.49 - Street Fighter IV Complete Alternate Costume Pack

2) $17.99 - Super Street Fighter IV Super Complete Alternate Costume Pack

3) $17.99 - Super Street Fighter IV Ultra Complete Alternate Costume Pack

4) $3.99 - Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Challengers Pack

5) $19.99 - Street Fighter X Tekken Additional Characters Pack

6) $17.99 - Street Fighter X Tekken SF/TK Swap Costume Complete Pack

7) $5.99 - Street Fighter X Tekken DLC Character Swap Costume Complete Pack

Bluray Video Content:

1) $12.00* - “I Am Street Fighter”: 25 Years of Inspiration (On Disc 1)

2) $5.99 - Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (On Disc 1)

3) $15.00** - Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind (On Disc 2)

4) $15.00* Super Street Fighter IV: Original Video Animation (On Disc 2)

5) $19.98 - Street Fighter: The Animated Series (On Disc 2)

Audio CD’s:

1) $13.00* - Street Fighter

2) $30.00** - Super Street Fighter II Turbo

3) $27.00** - Street Fighter Alpha 3 (2 Discs)

4) $50.00** Street Fighter III: Third Strike (2 Discs)

5) $13.00* - Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition

6) $15.00** - Street Fighter X Tekken (2 Discs)

7) $30.00* Fan-Created Remixes and Originals (2 Discs)

Miscellaneous:

1) $12.00* - Decorative Box

2) $0.00* - Certificate of Authenticity (Individually Numbered)

3) $25.00* - 8-Inch Light-Up Ryu Statue

4) $10.00* - Embroidered Ryu Belt (Full-Size)

5) $14.00* - Hardcover Art Tribute Book (64 Pages)

PS3 Exclusive Downloadable Content:

1) $5.99 - Street Fighter Alpha (PSONE Classic)

2) $5.99 - Street Fighter Alpha 2 (PSONE Classic)

3) $5.99 - Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PSONE Classic)

4) $9.99 - Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX (PSP Full Game Download)

5) $6.99 - Street Fighter III: Third Strike OE Complete DLC Pack

6) $5.88 - (Plus Price $0.99) Street Fighter Avatars

7) $7.84 - (Plus Price $1.49) Super Street Fighter II Avatars

8) $16.17 - (Plus Price 2.99) Street Fighter Alpha 3 Avatars

9) $17.15 - (Plus Price 4.99) Super Street Fighter IV Avatars

10) $12.25 - (Plus Price 2.99) Super Street Fighter IV Avatars – Megaman Style

11) $4.96 - (Plus Price $0.49) Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Avatars

12) $18.62 - (No Plus Bundle) Street Fighter X Tekken Avatars

(* Estimated value based on comparable products due to exclusivity within set)

(** Average Second-Hand or Import Market Value)

            Before I go over the results of the pricing and potential value of this set, I’d like to bring special attention to the soundtrack section of the itemized list. Because most of the soundtracks are were out of print, the prices for some of them on the second hand market are obscenely high. If you account for those soundtracks now being back in print (through this set), the prices of those CD’s will likely drop drastically. As such, I will NOT be using those prices for my final results. Instead, I will be replacing the prices of Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter III Third Strike, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo’s soundtracks to a standard rate of 15 dollars a piece. This change will prevent a 107 dollar spike from unnecessarily inflating the value of the included soundtracks (those 3 now adding up to only 45 dollars).

            According to the research, game content is valued at $66.01. Downloadable Content (not including games and Playstation Exclusives) is valued at $90.43. Video content is valued at $67.97. Music Content is valued at $116.00 (adjusted from $178). Miscellaneous content is valued at $61.00. And, lastly, Playstation Exclusive content is valued at $67.51 (or $132.67 without the Plus Bundle Price Adjustments).  The following are the grand totals for various circumstances:

Xbox 360 Version: $401.41

Playstation 3 Version (w/o plus): $543.08

Playstation 3 Version (w/plus): $468.92

            On a very basic level, the amount of value in this set is shocking. Very shocking. So, it’s important to put things into perspective. The value that is included is not necessarily the value that you will get. For example, if you are the kind of person that doesn’t care for game soundtracks, a huge part of this set’s value will never affect you. The same can be said for any other items you might not care for. In all seriousness, I don’t ever see anyone needing or wanting to buy the number of Playstation Avatars that have been included. In kind, any products you may already own should probably also be deducted from the potential value you will personally get from this set. Another knock to the value of this set is that almost all of the products listed in the DLC section (Ultra Costumes are the only exception) are in the form of downloads that are less than 200K’s. The only way for that to be possible is for all of the costumes and characters to have already been on their respective discs. This sad fact doesn’t really bolster the value in the Collector’s Edition as much as it brings to the forefront just how much content and money ($90.43) Capcom has been attempting to bleed from its customers for the past few years.

            I said much earlier that the value of this set is really up to the individual. As I just showed, the actual dollar value of this set is worth a great deal more than the asking price of 150 dollars. The value that YOU get from it will depend greatly on what you want from this set. For my money, the set felt like it was priced just right. For me, the value I felt I got was just about equal to how much I paid. If you are considering getting the Street Fighter 25^th Anniversary Collector’s Set, I leave it to you to decide for yourself if this set is worth the asking price.

Afterward:

            If you’ve made it all the way to the afterward, then congratulations, you just read about 6000 words. Even more if you read the linked documentary review. First, thank you for taking the time. Secondly, thank you for taking the time.

            This was an exhaustive review for an exhaustive set. It was also a review that I felt I needed put a lot of effort into. Y’see. This isn’t just any old collector’s set for just any old game. This is Street Fighter. This was and is THE game.

            This is the game that I used to play with my brothers. It was our way to bond. Playing Street Fighter meant that we didn’t need to fight or be mean to each other because all disputes were being settled in a much more civilized and fair manner. My brother being bigger than me didn’t matter when he didn’t know how to pull off a dragon punch as well as I could. And my reckless youthful use of the aforementioned dragon punch was never a sure win against smart aggressive and annoying turtling. 

            Street Fighter was the game that my older brother and I first played at 7-11 so many many years ago. I wish I could remember how surprised we were when the game started and we were being asked to fight each other instead of together like in Double Dragon. I wish I could remember who won that first match of his wise Dahlsim versus my beastly monstrous Blanka.

            Many years later, I would find myself playing against him during his bachelor party. I definitely remember how well I beat him at Turbo and how badly he beat me at IV and I especially remember how bad we both were beaten by the youngest of us three.

            So you see how it had to be an exhaustive review. I wasn’t just reviewing a Collector’s Set. In my own way, I was celebrating Street Fighter’s 25^th birthday.

            Happy Birthday Street Fighter, you’re almost as old as I am.