Street Fighter Alpha 3
- November 24, 2000 14:47 PM PST
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Capcom fighter fans have been clamoring day and night for an arcade-perfect Alpha 3, and after a long wait, here it is in all its pixelicious glory. While the premier title in Capcom's hardcore Street Fighter alpha series offers plenty of familiar gameplay, its less-than-ambitious presentation leaves a wee bit to be desired.
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The Alpha and the Omega
Street Fighter Alpha 3 is the be all and end all of 2D fighting titles, and the Dreamcast version is a perfect translation, with more or less every single frame of animation and all the characters and moves you've come to expect. Hardcore world warriors have flocked to the Alpha series for its multitude of fighting choices and no-nonsense fighting attitude. There are no super-high jumps, no tag teams, and none of those cheap infinite combos here - just straightforward combat skill and controller dexterity.
While Alpha 3 is at the top of its form, it's not the top of the Dreamcast heap, and most of its problems have to do with the simple age of its core code. Street Fighter Alpha 3 has been in arcades for quite a long time as these things go, and so the Dreamcast version, while a perfect translation, still pales next to newer sprite-based fighters like Street Fighter III and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Alpha 3's other big problem has to do with the near impossible control, due to the Dreamcast controller itself.. It seems that no matter where it goes, this game can't win? but somehow, it still manages to place in the top 5.
Street Fighter Again
SFA3 boasts some pretty snappy presentation, even though the gameplay hasn't changed much since Alpha 2. The characters' animations move at a good clip, and though the overall graphics don't look as sweet as those in MvC2, they still hold up to scrutiny. Again, these are 2D sprites on flat backgrounds, and there's only so much you can do with that. SFA3's sound falls into the Capcom trap of forgettable music and cheesy voiceovers, but it somehow manages to avoid being completely annoying.
The action is speedy, but nowhere near the frenetic pace of MvC2 or SFIII. The Alpha series is a thinking man's Street Fighter, and the depth of control shows it. There are more ways to take the beat down to your opponent than a casual player can possibly remember, which might scare newbies away from the tech-heavy series, but hardcore fanatics will eat up all the options and beg for more. The Dreamcast controller is the game's biggest problem, as the D-pad is way too chunky to efficiently perform moves, and the analog stick isn't nearly precise enough.
100% Pure Street
If you want a good technical SF blast without all the Marvel superheroes and super ultra mega combos, then SFA3 might be up your alley. If you get all doe-eyed for special effects and fast graphics, then this game will disappoint you quickly and often.
