This collection brings together four
classic Capcom fighters from the legendary Alpha series with excellent
results. The timeless gameplay, beautiful sprite based graphics and tight
controls have stood the test of time, and the emulation on these titles is
almost flawless, with fast loading times, responsive controls and play
action that should please fans of the franchise. With its low price,
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology offers a great deal of value for the money,
making it a no-brainer for most fighting game fans
Capcom's legendary Street Fighter
franchise is nearing the 20 year mark, and its influence over electronic
games over these past years has been immense, spawning numerous imitators
and initiating numerous spin-off series. The best of these was the Alpha
series of games, which introduced several enhancements, such as the isms,
which allowed players to select from three different super-gauge systems,
in addition to smoother, more balanced play. This package includes four of
these titles, including SF Alpha, SF Alpha 2, SF Alpha 2 Gold and SF Alpha
3. Each game on the package is a nearly flawless emulation of the original
arcade package, and this compilation is also interesting for gaming
historians, since it allows you to trace the evolution of the series, from
its promising origins to its highly polished, tuned conclusion.
The first
game on the package, the original Street Fighter Alpha had a number of
cool ideas. Set before the events of SFII, the game featured many of the
familiar characters, which a younger, fresher appearance. The game's
brightly colored backgrounds and fluid animation set the tone for the rest
of the games that followed. SF Alpha 2 added additional characters and
refined the fighting system to create an even better balance between the
games. SF Alpha Anthology also includes and enhanced edition of Alpha 2,
Gold which adds additional characters, backdrops and refined moves listrs.
By the time Alpha 3 arrived, the series was in full effect, with dozens of
playable characters, multiple modes of play along with dozens of options
and extras to create a game with incredible depth and nuance. Each title
featured incredible presentation, which became increasingly elaborate as
time went along, until the third installment created what is probably the
best 2D fighter, and the highlight of all the SF games to date from any
series. We don't have time or space to outline all the games' features and
various options here, but the depth and sophistication that's evident in
each game means they have an almost unlimited replay value.
In addition to the standard fighting
modes, Capcom also implemented a number of cool features which allowed
players to fight only bosses, team up with other players, play through
tournaments, set up practice sessions, explore the world of Alpha and earn
other items, unlock bonus characters and much more. While the number of
characters in each game is impressive, the total roster of all the
characters in the game reaches almost 70, with every major character in
the original series represented, giving the player plenty of depth. The
different isms definitely play a large role in how the game is played,
giving the player an almost unlimited number of options. The elaborate
gauge system is ingenous, since using a different Ism makes playing the
same character feel almost completely different. It allows you to play the
game with your own unique fighting style, giving the player a sense of
ownership and freedom other fighting titles have emulated, but few have
equaled. Obviously, a key part of the SF formula has always been player
identification with their chosen characters, and while they do change some
minor aspects over the course of these games, they remain largely
consistent, with their trademark moves and attacks fairly uniform
throughout. Another key aspect of the Alpha series' appeal lies in its
various modes and variations, with Dramatic Battles, Versus and other
modes implemented throughout the games. It gives you plenty of variety and
sprinkling different objectives on each mode adds even further to the
game's replay value.
While
the games themselves seem similar on the surface, as you delve deeper into
the games, the changes are more significant than adding a few new
characters with each installment. Playing the first and then the third
installments back to back reveals how much a difference small changes
make. While the tweaks and additions might seem small and minor on the
surface, these changes add up to make the third game feel much smoother,
deeper and satisfying than the first, which shows other developers how to
make sequels. Those players experienced with the Alpha games should have
little problem jumping right into these nearly flawless editions, and even
those who might have skipped out on them now have the opportunity to catch
up on these brilliant titles, conveniently collected and attractively
priced. As an added extra, Capcom has included Super Gem Fighters Minimix
(originally released as Pocket Fighter), a cool kiddie-oriented Fighting
game featuring characters from outside the SF universe. They're all
deformed an exaggerated here, but the game plays solidly with some
interesting play mechanics that makes it a cool addition to this release.
All of the games are solidly implemented
and the package is one of the best compilations Capcom has released, and
is a much better, more cohesive representation of the series excellence
than some of the haphazard releases. The biggest offender was Street
Fighter Anniversary Edition, an awful attempt to shoe-horn various Capcom
characters into the franchise, without updating their animations and with
little attempt made to adjust the balance. It was a good idea on paper,
but its terrible implementation made for a game that was extremely painful
to play for anyone who cared about the series. Luckily, Capcom seems to
have atoned for that atrocity this time. From a technical standpoint, this
package is excellent and works nicely. The controls work fine with the
standard PS2 controller, but obviously an arcade stick adds authenticity
to the gameplay. The Alpha titles' have been reproduced incredibly
faithfully on the PS2, with each frame and animation brilliantly come to
life. The games load very quickly from the disc, but players who own the
PS2's hard drive can also load SFA Anthology for nearly instantaneous
gameplay. While its tempting to say these titles represent a nostalgia
kick, their immediacy and accessibility make them feel as fresh and fun as
they did when they were released. The fact that very few of today's modern
3D fighters have yet to approach the sheer silky smoothness of these
titles adds to their timeless appeal. This is an exceptional package that
brings together some of the finest moments in Capcom's glorious 2D
fighting history and should be a solid addition to your collection.
Grade: B
