Street Fighter Alpha

It s a great game, but is it different enough from the other Street Fighters?

Publisher:Capcom
Developer:Capcom
Genre:Fighting

Unless you ve been living under a rock in a cave in Siberia for the last ten years, you ve played Street Fighter. It s one of the most popular game series in the history of videogames, and with good reason. The timing, control, and character design are all superb, and the special moves are unbelievable. And while the series may seem a little dated with the advent of the 3D fighters, it can still hold its own.

Street Fighter Alpha, or Zero as its known in Japan, doesn' t make any hugely significant changes from the II series, but does add enough to keep die-hard fans happy. The animation style is significantly different, which makes it look more like Darkstalkers than anything. Whether you prefer the original or new style is a matter of opinion, but it s definitely keeping things fresh. Along with the animation are some new characters and new special moves, called Super moves, which are powered up by repeatedly landing blows on your opponent. There s also an Alpha Counter, which can reverse an attack with a quick counter strike after a block.

These new moves aside, there isn 't much to distinguish Alpha from the older series. It s still a great game, but you can t help noticing the limitations presented by the lack of that third dimension.