Relive the chapters that brought us alpha counters, custom combos, and seeing Bison exploding multiple times in Street Fighter Alpha Anthology.
Overview
In the last couple of years, companies have been throwing compilation after compilation of their old classic work onto systems like the PlayStation 2. Why? Cause we are suckers for playing great games on current systems.
Kidding aside, one company that has been pumping their best past work for today’s market is none other then Capcom. We have seen it with projects such as their classic arcade collections and Mega Man series packs. Now, they have done it once again, re-releasing all the pieces that made up the Street Fighter Alpha series, cleverly naming it, Street Fighter Alpha Anthology. Contain in this package is Alpha, Alpha 2, Alpha 2 Gold and Alpha 3. Just for fun, they also added in a little something extra called Pocket Fighter, making it a grand total of five games.
So is this anthology worth your time or does it deserves the ultimate time out in the corner?
Graphics 9/10
Setting the series in a more cartoon tone, the Alpha saga helped made Street Fighter flashier then it originally began with. Looking at it now, Alpha 1 was really not pleasing to the eyes. Thankfully, Alpha 2 & 3 cleared up the rough edges, making those two more fast pace and clearer in action.
The art in the stages slowly showed us what was good and bad. Alpha 1 provided double visions of stages and was “dark” in terms of the game’s mood. However, it made them really bland. Alpha 2 had the most memorable backgrounds in the trilogy, from the awesome to the awkward (Men’s Restroom, anyone?). Alpha 2 Gold did very few things in the color scheme, so nothing is really worth mentioning. Alpha 3, while had stages for every combatant, was not as strong or interesting, but they did garner a few good ones. Pocket Fighter is just full on hilarious child play with the graphics, providing for some cute, comedic performances. To sum it all in one simple sentence: There all arcade perfect.
The best part is since the games are actually like there arcade counterpart, everything sprite-wise is there, from Karin’s large servant to Cody running away from good old Edi E. There are some switches in some cases, like the two players versus mode in SFA1, where all three secret fighters (Bison, Akuma, & Dan) are in the middle column of the cast. A small backlash is the very generic game selection screen. Basically, all the games are represented in a “poster” behind a black screen.
Gameplay/Controls 9/10
Well, I don’t need to tell you again how these games play out since they remain untouched and play the exact way you played them at the arcades or consoles back in the days. I will say Alpha 1's controls must have been fooled around because I can't seem to pull off specials as easy then the other games. Now that’s done, I’ll go to the things that make or break this collection. The loading times only occur during the choosing of what game you want to fight in. After those seconds are finish, the game is totally free of stalling and no break ups. The only major difference is seen in Alpha 3, where they input a special system selection where you can base your fighting in the way of Saikyo or Classic.
Many of you may never have played SFA2 Gold and Pocket Fighter. Here’s what I can say. Alpha 2 Gold tweaks the fighting by inserting some big details, including added moves/supers, special styles of certain characters and Cammy being in this one. Pocket Fighter is a bite size fighting game that features gems, a tricked out special system, and players changing costumes in the middle of combos. It is a nice break from all the human confrontations Street Fighters.
There are additional secrets versions on some games. SFA3 has a retake where you can choose the consoles exclusive fighters (i.e. Dee Jay, Guile) and then there is the granddaddy secret of them all called “Hyper Street Fighter Alpha.” This feature let’s you choose anybody from any version and also brings in new hidden ISM systems to choose from. Can you imagine playing Alpha 1 Dan versus Marvel v Capcom Ken? Yes, it can happen and you can definitely see the changes in everybody. They both blend together for an absolute wacky time. I remind you to make sure you do have some friends who have the same interest in these games. We all know it is not fun when after purchasing the disc, you are playing alone the whole time. Be better if there was online play, but since when did PS2 let you do that for a 2D fighting game in America?
The difficulty setting in the games are just like what you remember in the arcade. First two or three opponents are easy then it’s a highway to hell as the computer AI goes coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs. I would say the hardest game to get use is, believe or not, Pocket Fighter. The reason for that is the controls are so “un-Street Fighter” and you’ll feel so out of place when you first try it and the CPU is merciless.
Speaking of controls, I’ll skip the Alpha games again when it comes to using the pad. I say that because if you played any Street Fighter game on the original Playstation, you now what to expect. So with that said, nothing changed. It’s all good. Pocket Fighter’s controls are scary. One punch, one kick, and one “special” button, which you cannot block. Trust me, when you find yourself forgetting about that special button over and over again when your opponent hits you with it and if all else fails, remind yourself of the configuration option.
Sound/Music 9/10
Before the intros starts, you are always greeted by the “Q Sound” logo and jingle that many of us have fond memories of. Every sound is top quality with crisp and fresh sound bites. Nothing has been altered so there is no missing links on anything. Speeches, yells, groans, impact hits, and getting hit by a projectile are left in with no problems.
Musically, Alpha 3’s music really does not stand up towards the others. It’s too random for me. The games before it found a niche with each of the fighters having a signature theme that players grown accustom to. Still, it is somewhat better then Pocket Fighter’s musical taste by a long shot. Also, is it me or does most of the BGM sort of sound like it belongs in a Mega Man game?
On a positive note, there is some great arrange soundtracks to go around and provide some vast amounts of music you may never notice until you dig deep for it, including how they sound like under some arcade cabinets and some very funky recordings you never heard before.
Replay Value 10/10
Having five great fighting games for about thirty bucks is a guaranteed steal, considering many years ago they would cost more on older systems and had load times till eternality. The only minor negative feedback I can give to it is why did they bother putting Alpha Gold 2 in there for? Alpha 3 is in its original form (Meaning no console extras), so was there a need for Alpha 2 Gold when we have the Alpha 2 we remember dearly?
Other then that, this boat is smooth sailing once it gets off the docks. The Alpha series truly injected some life back into the Street Fighter franchise with exciting tactic features and heart-pounding fights. Although, causal and hardcore will agree that players are going to be far more into picking anything that isn’t Alpha 1 and Pocket Fighter on the popularity scale. The options are same for every game and don’t forget modes like Dramatic Battle and Survival.
Overall 9/10
Street Fighters fans will love this compilation to death. For those fighting game fans, still unsure as to why to buy it, here are three important reasons:
1) Five prefect arcade translated games in one complete disc. (and more!)
2) No loading times during the playing of any of the games.
3) Starting price is at 30 dollars.
You are not going to be disappointed. You are not going to be ripped off. You are going to be grateful that you purchase this product. Besides, whether you are a casual or a hardcore fan of Street Fighter, it is your duty to get it anyway.
Why are you still reading this!?!?! GET IT, NOW!!! DAMMIT!!!
- By Boombada
