Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2) Review
Posted by D.W. on 08.02.2006
This just in: Capcom likes old games.
There's something to be said about nostalgia, especially in the medium of gaming. On one hand, it's great to relive those memorable moments back when Normal Mapping and Emotion Engines were mere folk tales; when Lara Croft had a triangular chest and full motion video was the "future." On the other hand, in the age of instant gratification and even swifter boredom, games from 15, 10, even 5 years ago are beginning to show their age, and many believe that an over reliance on old games stifles the creativity of companies that should, for all intents and purposes, be focused on the creation of new and exciting IPs.
Make no mistake. Capcom doesn't live in the past, they freaking revel in it, frequently diving head first into their archive like it was a jacuzzi full of hot fudge and cheerleaders. With 2 Mega Man compilations, the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (not to mention the 2 PSone titles) and the first of many Classics Collections already released, it was simply a matter of time before Street Fighter Alpha Anthology came along.
The Alpha Series has always been a bit of a red-headed stepchild of the original games. While the series most definitely had its share of fans, it never seemed to light the world on fire the same way it's predecessors did. To be fair, when Street Fighter Alpha was first released in 1995, gamers had already been burned out by the constant rehashes of the original Street Fighter 2, and were craving something different. The Alpha series only half fulfilled this wish, introducing a few new elements, but at the same time sticking with a gameplay formula that has been the standard for 2D fighting since being introduced in SF2.
This compilation includes five games, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (previously only available on the SFA Collection for the PSone), and Street Fighter Alpha 3 along with the bonus game Super Gem Fighter MiniMix.
Yeah, backing up is probably a good idea.
Graphics
Aside from creating your own CPS-2 cabinet in your basement, this is as close as you can possibly get to arcade perfect on a console. All of the frames are there, the colors are vibrant, and the backgrounds, beautiful. Even the dated Alpha 1 looks reasonably good, and there appears to be none of the graphical glitches that plagued earlier ports.
The animations have really stood the test of time, rivaled only by Guilty Gear X and Capcom's own VS series in quality. Even ten years later, the awe of watching Ken's arm burst into flame and the sheer hilarity of Dan's Super Taunt are still there. The art style of the series is what really sets the series apart from it's predecessor. Gone are the fright-worthy mugs from Street Fighter 2, replaced by a softer, more anime-inspired look, that really give the games their own identities.
SFA3 is, understandably, the best looking of the bunch, and the well polished visuals make matches nearly as fun to watch as they are to play. The only downsides are that a) gamers weaned on 3D stunners such as DOA4 will likely to be unimpressed with the pixel battle before their eyes, and since these are arcade conversions, the games have to accommodate the fact that your 10" Sears "Value" set is not, in fact, an arcade cabinet, causing some display issues with certain televisions, though there are settings for you to play with in the thinly hidden "special" options for each game.
Gameplay
Pick a fighting game, any fighting game, chances are if you do a quarter-circle forward and hit punch, it's going to do something. You can thank Street Fighter for that. As a variation of the game that more or less invented the genre, you're not going to find much to gripe about here.
The controls are responsive, and while the Dualshock 2 isn't the greatest for fighters, its certainly more than serviceable, though an arcade stick is recommended for anyone truly serious about laying the digital smack down. Another good choice are Capcom's own special edition SF controllers, which move the shoulder button-defaulted strong and fierce attacks to the face of the controller.
The basic SF play structure was altered a bit for each game in the Alpha series. Alpha 1 introduced us to chain combos, an addition that button mashers loved and SF purists absolutely despised. Capcom made the right decision in doing away with them in the 2nd installment, whilst adding more of what fans wanted, such as a multilevel combo meter and some "new" characters, such as Rolento from Final Fight, along with old favorites Zangief and Dhalsim. Part 3's biggest change was the addition of Isms, which added a layer of depth to the gameplay that makes SFA3 the clear favorite of many. Even Gem Fighter, the bonus game that some may remember as Pocket Fighter on the PSone, has a surprising amount of depth, revolving around a simpler button structure and a gem collecting element.
Overall, with the Street Fighter name, you can't go wrong in this department, despite the age of the games.
Despite being able to create a tornado with his arms, Cody still couldn't figure out a way to get those damn handcuffs off.
Sound
Perhaps nothing will beat the iconic stage music of SF2, but dammit if they didn't try here. Some stages, such as Ken and Ryu's in Alpha 1, are remixed versions of their series counterparts, while others, such as Guy's and Zangief's in Alpha 3, are original compositions that stand out from the pack. None of the music is downright Street Fighter 3 bad, but there are a few forgettable tunes rounding out the playlist, most notably in Alpha 2, which uses a lot of rehashed music from the previous game.
All of the sound effects serve their purpose. Punches sound like punches, kicks like... well, like harder punches, and every "Hadoken", "Shoryuken", and unpronounceable Hurricane Kick noise can be heard in all their glory. Aside from a reported glitch with one of Sakura's attacks (which is much louder than it should be), there isn't much negative to say about the sound here. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the series, chances are you won't find yourself humming the tune of Adon's Alpha 3 stage at work, but in this case, sometimes less is more, and an epic score isn't nearly as important for conveying emotion as it would be for other, more plot driven titles.
Lasting Appeal
With no online play, an actual *gasp* friend is required to get the most out of the collection. The single player experience is rather straightforward, missing a lot of the extras that previous home versions had (most notable being the fantastic World Tour Mode from the home versions of Alpha 3). As it stands, there are two unlockable games, but one (Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, which adds the PSone version characters along with 4 new Isms) is simply an addition to a game already on the collection and the other (Hyper Street Fighter Alpha, which gives the Alpha games the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection treatment, allowing you to pit different versions of characters from each game against each other) is only playable in versus or training modes. Replay value most definitely depends on the number of human opponents available, as the collection doesn't give you much to shoot for once you've mastered arcade mode. You can waste some time toggling with the "special" options in each game, but chances are, you won't really care much about being able to change arcade version numbers unless you are obsessively hardcore.
Lesson: Don't steal Ken's juice box.
Fun Factor
Even after so many years, it's still satisfying to pull off Akuma's "Raging Demon" or to come back from near-defeat with one last well timed Dragon Punch. It's the ultimate weekend game to play with a friend, with no in-game load times to make the battles come even quicker, and at a great price ($30US), it's far from a risky investment, even if you're not the type of gamer that can pull off Blanka's Alpha Counters in their sleep.
The 411
Ultimately, Street Fighter Alpha Anthology is a solid package that can be enjoyed by both SF fanatics and SF virgins alike, granted you have the means in which to really enjoy it (read: other people). The many home extras would have been nice, adding a lot to the single player experience, but as it stands, you won't find more polished gameplay in any other 2D fighters, as the SF formula has always provided timeless fun throughout its lifetime.
Graphics
7.5
As good as 2D sprites can get. Then again, if you're not a fan of 2D nor sprites, you'll probably hate it.
Gameplay
9.5
Timeless fighting that will likely never die.
Sound
7.5
Great if you can forgive the fact that what you're hearing is mostly from the late 16-bit/early 32-bit era.
Lasting Appeal
7.5
If you have opponents on hand, the replay value is limitless, but the single player extras get old rather quickly.
Fun Factor
9.0
Absolutely nothing beats a Spinning Piledriver to a loved one. Nothing.
