Street Fighter Alpha
| Street Fighter Alpha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom Crawfish Interactive (Game Boy Color) |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Noritaka Funamizu Haruo Murata Hideaki Itsuno |
| Composer(s) | Isao Abe Syun Nishigaki Setsuo Yamamoto Yuko Takehara Naoaki Iwami (original and console versions) Naoshi Mizuta (original and arrange versions) Akari Kaida (arrange version) |
| Series | Street Fighter |
| Platform(s) | Arcade Game Boy Color PlayStation PlayStation 2 Sega Saturn Windows CPS Changer Java ME PlayStation Network |
| Release date(s) | Arcade CPS Changer
Saturn Game Boy Color PlayStation Network PC
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| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | CPS-2 |
| Display | Raster, 384 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors |
Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, known as Street Fighter Zero (ストリートファイター ZERO) in Japan, Asia, South America, and Australia, is a 1995 fighting game by Capcom originally released for the arcade for the CPS II hardware. It was the first all new Street Fighter game produced by Capcom since the release of Street Fighter II in 1991. The game introduces several new features, expanding on the Super Combo system previously featured in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, with graphics drawn in the same animated style Capcom employed in Darkstalkers and X-Men: Children of the Atom.[1] The plot of Street Fighter Alpha is set after the original Street Fighter but before Street Fighter II and thus the game features younger versions of established characters, as well as characters from the original Street Fighter and Final Fight, and a few who are new to the series. The working title for the game was Street Fighter Legends.
Gameplay
Street Fighter Alpha revamps the Super Combo system introduced in Super Street Fighter II Turbo by adding a three-level Super Combo gauge. Like in Super Turbo, the Super Combo gauge fills in as the player performs regular and special techniques. When the gauge reaches Level 1 or higher, the player can perform one of his or her character's Super Combo techniques. The number of punch or kick buttons pressed simultaneously when performing a Super Combo determines the amount that will be used. In addition to Super Combos, the player can also perform a special counterattacking technique called an Alpha Counter (Zero Counter in the Japanese version) after blocking an opponent's attack, which consumes a level of the Super Combo Gauge.[2]
There are two playing styles that can be selected after choosing a character: "Normal" and "Auto". Auto differs from Normal in which the character will automatically guard against a limited number of attacks from his or her opponent (provided the character is not in the middle of performing an attack). Auto also allows the player to perform an instant Super Combo by pressing a punch and kick of the same strength simultaneously, but at expense of reducing the maximum level of the Super Combo gauge to one.[2]
There are also new basic techniques such as Air Blocking, the ability to guard during mid-air; and Chain Combos (also known as Alpha Combos, or Zero Combos in Japan), which are combos that are performed by interrupting the animation of one basic move by performing another of equal or greater strength. In addition to recovering from an opponent's throw, the player also has the ability to roll on the ground when they fall to the ground after an attack.
The single player mode consists of seven random computer-controlled opponents and a final opponent whose identity depends on the storyline of the player's selected character. M. Bison is the final boss for half of the characters. There are also two hidden characters: Akuma, who returns from Super Turbo as an alternate final boss only after certain in-game requirements are met, and a new character named Dan (a popular Capcom spoof character), who challenges the player during the course of the game if certain requirements are met.
The game also features a secret two-on-one Dramatic Battle mode in which two players as Ryu and Ken fight against a computer-controlled M. Bison, a match inspired by the final fight between the characters in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (the Japanese arcade version of the game plays an instrumental rendition of the movie's battle theme, "Itoshisato Setsunasato Kokorozuyosato", which was replaced by M. Bison 's regular theme in the overseas releases).
Characters
The immediate character roster includes Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Sagat from the Street Fighter II series, along with Birdie (a black British punk) and Adon (Sagat's former apprentice) from the original Street Fighter, who make their first appearances as playable characters in this game. Guy, one of the main playable characters from Final Fight also appears along with Sodom, a boss character from the same game. New to the series are Charlie, Guile's combat buddy who uses the same special techniques, and Rose, a female fortune teller who uses an energy known as "Soul Power".
In addition to the ten regular characters, there are also three boss characters in the game. Street Fighter II antagonist M. Bison appears as a final opponent for many of the characters in the single-player mode, while Akuma from Super Street Fighter II Turbo once again appears as a secret final opponent. Another secret character, Dan, Capcom's parody of SNK characters Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, makes his first appearance in this game. All three characters can be selected by the player by inputting a specific code for each.
Versions
- Ports of Street Fighter Alpha were initially released for the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. Both versions feature an arranged soundtrack with a choice between the Arranged and Original versions. In addition to a dedicated two-player "Versus Mode", these ports were also the first console Street Fighter ports to feature a Training Mode, allowing players to practice their techniques and combos on a non-hostile character. The PlayStation version of Street Fighter Alpha was re-released for the PSP and PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network on August 14, 2008 in North America.[3]
- A port for Capcom 's CPS Changer was also released as a mail order release in 1996 in Japan. This version is identical to the arcade version, but features a different soundtrack with less sound effects because the CPS Changer is based on the CPS arcade board whereas Street Fighter Alpha was originally designed for the CPS II.
- A Windows PC version was released in 1998, based on the PlayStation version.
- A Game Boy Color version (ported by Crawfish Interactive) was released in 1999, featuring downscaled graphics and sound. The Game Boy Color version has no link cable support and is single-player only.
- The original Street Fighter Alpha and its sequels are featured in Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for the PlayStation 2. The version of Alpha in this compilation features Arcade, Versus and Training modes like the previous PlayStation and Saturn ports, as well as Survival and Dramatic Battle modes. The Dramatic Battle on the main menu differs from the one in the original arcade game in that the player can select any pair of characters and face against a series of four computer-controlled opponents (Adon, Sagat, M. Bison and Akuma), not just Ryu and Ken against Bison. Furthermore, the player can turn on an option to allow Super Cancels, that is, canceling a special move into a Super Combo.
Reception
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Reviewing the Saturn version, Sega Saturn Magazine commented "The graphics are great, the sound's great, it plays very well indeed and it's tough enough to keep you going for ages even without a second player to hand." However, they also remarked that the game was outclassed by the recently released X-Men: Children of the Atom and that most gamers should get that one instead.[5]
Legacy
Sequels
Street Fighter Alpha was followed by two sequels: Street Fighter Alpha 2 in 1996 and Street Fighter Alpha 3 in 1998. Like Alpha, the two games were originally released for the arcades, followed by a few upgraded editions and home versions. All three games in the series and their variations were included in the PlayStation 2 compilation Street Fighter Alpha Anthology, released in 2006.
Related media
A manga adaptation based on the original Alpha and Alpha 2 by Masahiko Nakahira was published in Gamest game from 1995 to 1996 and later adapted into English by UDON in 2007.
Two different animated adaptations were also produced: Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation in 1999 and Street Fighter Alpha: Generations in 2005.
References
- ↑ "Video Games PC Xbox 360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2 PlayStation 2 GameCube GBA PlayStation 3". GameSpot. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Street Fighter Alpha Anthology - Instruction Manual
- ↑ http://www.capcom-unity.com/grant008/blog/2008/08/11/street_fighter__surprise
- ↑ Review, Issue 5, April 1998
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Automatic, Rad (April 1996). "Review: Street Fighter Alpha". Sega Saturn Magazine (6) (Emap International Limited). pp. 74–75.
Sources
- Erik Suzuki, Matt Taylor, Graham Wolfe (1996). Street Fighter Alpha Strategy Guide. Dimension Publishing.
- Studio Bent Stuff (Sep 2000). All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Games 1987-2000. A.A. Game History Series (Vol. 1) (in Japanese). Dempa Publications, Inc. ISBN 4-88554-676-1.
External links
- Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams at the Killer List of Videogames
- Street Fighter Alpha guide at StrategyWiki
- Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams on Street Fighter Wiki, an external wiki
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