Street Fighter Alpha 3
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| Street Fighter Alpha 3 | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Platform(s) | Arcade game Sega Dreamcast Game Boy Advance PlayStation PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable Sega Saturn (Japan only) |
| Release date | JP June 29, 1998 NA June 29, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Input methods | 8-way Joystick, 6 Buttons |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | CPS-2 |
| Display | Raster, 384 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors |
Street Fighter Alpha 3, known as Street Fighter Zero 3 (ストリートファイターZERO 3 Sutorito Faita Zero 3?) in Japan and Asia, is a fighting game by Capcom. It was released in 1998. The gameplay received a complete overhaul with the addition of three selectable fighting styles based on Street Fighter Alpha (A-ism), Street Fighter Alpha 2 (V-ism), and Super Street Fighter II Turbo (X-ism), new stages, and for the first time since the original Street Fighter II, new music.
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[edit] Gameplay
Street Fighter Alpha 3 features 3 selectable Super Combo gauges, called "ISMs", with each one having different usages and features. The ISM modes also change the movesets of some characters.
- X-ISM characters are based on their Super Street Fighter II Turbo counterparts. Their attacks cause more damage than usual, but they can't air-block or Alpha Counter and have only one Super Combo.
- A-ISM characters are based on their Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold counterparts, meaning a 3-level Super Meter and multiple Super Combos.
- V-ISM characters often have all the moves they have in the other modes, and can use a heavily modified version of the Custom Combo system previously featured in Street Fighter Alpha 2, called Variable Combo. V-ISM characters do not have the option of using Super Combos.
Unlike its prequels, this game is mostly based on attacking rather than positioning, mostly because the special moves were weakened while the normal moves were given more priority. Throws were improved by changing the method behind them (players now had to press two punch or kick buttons to execute a throw when in proper range as well as including more significant "tech" evades; also many characters gained Air Throws when they previously did not have them). Alpha Counters now required the player to press two attacks of the same strength as well as pushing forward against the opponent's attack to block and counter an attack.
A new feature added to the game came in the form of the "Guard Impact Meter"; a bar sitting beneath the characters' vitality bars. The bar decreases with each successful block until it is empty at which point the character enters a "break" state (a brief period where they cannot move and are open to attack, though shorter than a full-fledged dizzy). After recovering the meter is shortened for the remainder of the round (this shortening also occurs after performing an Alpha Counter). The meter varies depending on the ISM used and the purpose is to deter players from relying on constant guarding (called "turtling" in fighting game terminology).
[edit] Characters
As with the previous Alpha titles, several characters were added to the game: R. Mika, a female Japanese wrestler whose idol is Zangief, and Karin, Sakura's rival who was first introduced in the Masahiko Nakahira manga Sakura Ganbaru. Juni and Juli, who are basic sprite swaps of Cammy and M. Bison's personal bodyguards, were also introduced. They were boss characters in the 1-Player mode and were only playable through a code. Cody from Final Fight, who was transformed from a vigilante into an escaped convict, makes his Street Fighter debut.
Cammy, who was previously featured the console-exclusive Alpha 2 Gold, makes her official Alpha debut in the game along with several characters from Street Fighter II including E. Honda, Blanka, Vega and Balrog. As with Juni and Juli, Balrog is a boss character who is normally not selectable by default.
Unlike the first two games, M. Bison is the last boss of the game for every character except himself (in his case, Ryu serves as Bison's last boss). For this reason, a more powerful version of M. Bison appears in this game, who fights using an alternate X-ism style that replaces his regular Super Combo (the "Knee Press Nightmare") with an overpowered "Psycho Drive Crusher".
| Returning characters from Alpha 2 | New Characters to the Alpha series | Extra Characters (Final Upgrade) |
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[edit] Ports
While each version of the game received a slightly different title in Japan; the U.S. localization of each game retained the Street Fighter Alpha 3 title with the exception of the PSP version. However, some of those version's in-game titles differed slightly.
[edit] PlayStation
The game was ported to the PlayStation by replacing "hit" sprites with "hit" polygons in order to focus more memory on character animations. T. Hawk, Fei Long, and Dee Jay (the other "New Challengers" from Super Street Fighter II) were added to the roster. Balrog, Juni and Juli were also added to the immediate roster, after they were given new character portraits and their own storylines. Evil Ryu, Shin Akuma, and Guile were also added as unlockable characters in the World Tour mode, a mode that allowed players to customize their chosen character. An additional feature in the Japanese version also made use of the PocketStation peripheral, which allows players to build up their character's strength. In this version, Shin Akuma serves as the final boss for Evil Ryu.
[edit] Sega Dreamcast
Fully titled Street Fighter Alpha 3: Saikyo Dojo in the title screen, the Dreamcast version retained all the added features from the PlayStation version of the game. An online mode was added that allowed players to display their high scores. In addition, a Saikyo Dojo mode was added which pits a very weak character of the player's choice against two very strong opponents.
[edit] Sega Saturn
The Saturn version was released only in Japan, making use of Capcom's 4-Mega RAM cart and utilizing all of the features added to the PlayStation version with the exceptions of the polygon usage and the PocketStation mode - that said, the Saturn version uses the extra RAM to include more frames of animation than the PlayStation version. Evil Ryu, Shin Akuma, and Guile are immediately selectable. While the World Tour and Survival modes are virtually unchanged from the PlayStation version, Dramatic Battle received major improvements with the addition of Reverse Dramatic Battle and allowing three different characters to be used.
[edit] Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper
After several ports, Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper (Upper represented by an arrow pointing up) was released on the Naomi arcade board. This version was based on the Dreamcast version and was only distributed in Japan.
[edit] Game Boy Advance
A Game Boy Advance version was also released under the title Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, with the in-game title of featuring an arrow as part of the logo. Although the game was compressed and lacked several stages and music from the home and arcade versions, all characters were present. In addition, Eagle, Maki and Yun from Capcom vs. SNK 2 were also added to the game. While only a small amount of character voices were ported over to this version, developer Crawfish made the decision of raising Ken's voice to a higher pitch and using it as Sakura's voice.
[edit] PlayStation Portable
Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX, or Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper, was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2006 and features the additional characters from the GBA version as well as Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Evolution. The game is a near faithful port of the arcade version with short loading times and all graphics intact.
[edit] Differences between versions
- When playing as T. Hawk, the battle between him and Juni differs slightly on the PlayStation version. The battle takes place at night instead of day and "Seek No Escape" plays rather than "High-Tech."
- On the PlayStation version, all the in-game text is in red.
- As with the PlayStation version of Street Fighter Alpha 2, the PlayStation version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 has all frames of animation present if two of the same character fight each other.
- The music on the Saturn version fades prematurely before and after the battle.
- The music on the U.S. Dreamcast version is not in stereo.
- Each character still has their respective boss character even though there is no boss dialogue on the Game Boy Advance version.
- On the Game Boy Advance version, although Yun's story states that he's searching for Fei Long, his second boss is Evil Ryu. On the PSP, Fei Long is the second boss. (Note that Yun's appearance in Street Fighter Alpha 3 is NOT canon.)
- The Game Boy Advance version of Evil Ryu's ending is the only version that stays consistent with the actual area they fight in.
- All the new characters on the PSP version do not have their own stage. Eagle shares his stage with Birdie, Maki shares her stage with Guy, and Yun shares his stage with Fei Long. A random stage is generated when fighting against Ingrid.
- The PSP version of the game is the only version that pits all the characters against both new and older ones. In all other versions, older characters would retain their random line up from the original arcade version while the new characters fought against everyone.
- The PSP version has more gameplay modes than any other version and is thought by many to be the most 'complete' and greatest conversion of the game due to the extra modes and characters. However, there is some criticism that the game is awkward to play given the PSP's small buttons being placed so close to one another.
[edit] External links
- Street Fighter Alpha 3 at the Killer List of Videogames
- Street Fighter Alpha 3 guide at StrategyWiki
[edit] References
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