characters and fluid, graceful "choreography" that translates into addictive, challenging gameplay? Super Puzzle Fighter II fills the bill with a twist, while Street Fighter Alpha 2 offers a worthy addition

to coin-op's most successful series.

•   And if you're looking for high-end graphics and an advanced hardware system, check out their brand-new titles, which run on the Sony PSX platform.

"We're pretty excited about the amount of product we're moving and the amount of quality product we have coming for fall," said Steve Blattspieler, recently installed as VP of sales and marketing. "We've got some high-listed titles on RePlay's top 10 software chart. Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara is an older game which has had consistently strong, long-term earnings."

In addition to strong new product, the company has some experienced new managers in its corner these days. Besides Blattspeiler, new faces include Mr. Minoru Sasatani as president and East Coast sales manager Drew Maniscalco. This trio came on board earlier this summer, joining existing personnel like senior VP (and jack of all trades) Kazushi Hirao; CFO Jerry Brennan who handles credit, finance, MIS and anything else sent his way; national sales manager Ron Malinowski; West Coast sales manager Satinder Bhutani and - in the marketing and testing department - Elizabeth Stroll and Alison Stroll.

The pinball design

team, under creative director Mark Ritchie, includes some well-known names like Bryan Hansen, Rob Morrison, Greg Kmiec and Wally Welch. Creative director Python Angelo is "his own department,"

adding his creative genius to all products. The engineering department reports to Takashi Kubozono. Rounding out the product development department are mechanical engineering manager Horace Rodriguez and senior programmers like Mark Coldebella and industry guru/legend Bill Pfutzenrueter. Ed Schmidt, another longtime tradevet, heads up field service. Michelle Ress manages parts/sales while Mitch Heldt manages manufacturing.

When we say operators and players are "rediscovering" Capcom's virtues,

that is the literal truth. The appeal of Street Fighter Alpha 2 is a good example. "Since the game had a few predecessors, it took us a while to get people to realize SF Alpha 2 was a truly great piece," Ron Malinowski stated. "The question was asked, what's different about another fighting game? The answer is that Capcom still makes great fighting games and players still love them. After we sold the first one, the rest sold themselves. We're currently selling it strongly, ten weeks after its debut, and are pleased with the results. There's no better ROI in the business right now. We have included the whole classic cast of Street Fighter characters again, and the kids recognize them and like the fact that `they're back.' We also have an industry first where players can custom-design their own unique combination moves."

Operators continue to appreciate the virtues of the Capcom CPS-1I system, which carries an innovative trade-in program that lets them invest in one game, then keep the main PCB and trade in the "B-board" of the previous title for a $150 credit toward the next CPS-II kit. "We've got a large universe of CPS-II systems out there," said Ron, "so when a good game is available, the

F or fighting game fans, this one is the kind of "wouldn't it be neat if...?" wish fulfillment that all too rarely comes true. In this "puzzle game with an attitude," Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II pits the most popular characters from the "Street Fighter" series against the characters from Night Warriors. Players can compete with each other (or play against the computer) to stack multicolored gems as they fall down from the top of the screen. Simple rules and vivid graphics make it easy to catch on. Players can also throw "countergems" and weapons at each other, etc. Nine fight levels and three levels of difficulty add to the fun. Available as a complete kit or as a B-board conversion for the Capcom CPS-II System. (For a player's perspective, see Greg Reeves' review in his column, "Just For the Fun of It," elsewhere in this issue).

Page 200

September 1996

RePlay Magazine