In the world
of reborn classics, Capcom continues its rampage with Street Fighter Alpha
Anthology. Alpha Anthology collects all three Street Fighter Alpha titles,
Street Fighter Alpha II Gold, and Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix in one PlayStation
2 disc. Much like the Mega Man Anniversary Collection or Capcom Classics
Collection, Alpha Anthology brings the entire Street Fighter Alpha series into
one convenient location.
The main
screen of this collection just features movie poster-style images from each
game. It’s a bit of a boring way to present the games, especially after the
awesome game select screen in Mega Man Anniversary Collection. They could have
been a lot more creative with the menu structure, especially considering that
the game lacks in extras of any kind.
A cool
feature offered in this game, however, is the ability to install it to the PS2
hard drive. There are only a handful of games out there that feature this
option, so that kind of allows Alpha Anthology into the club of hard-drive
supporting games. The biggest advantage to installing the game to the hard drive
is a dramatic decrease in load times. So if you don’t have a hard drive it isn’t
a big deal; you aren’t missing anything, you’re just waiting a little bit
longer.
Aside from
the three Alphas, this anthology includes Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix as an added
bonus. Similar to Pocket Fighter, Super Gem Fighter is a parody of the Street
Fighter and Darkstalkers games. The gameplay is a lot simpler, using only three
buttons total. Appearing in the game are tiny, cute, deformed versions of
familiar characters from the previously mentioned series’.
Capcom pokes
fun at itself in many ways; including characters exploding into little energy
balls when defeated, a la Mega Man. Executing combos usually causes your
character to change costumes after each hit, which often leads to cameos from
other Capcom titles. The goal is still to defeat your opponent by fighting them,
but the gameplay and style is very different from a normal Street Fighter.
Either way, it’s a very fun game, and before now was only found in arcades.
Ports of
Street Fighter Alpha, Alpha 2, Alpha 2 Gold, and Alpha 3 fill out the rest of
the package. The first two Alphas seem to have been smoothed out a bit, since
they look almost as good as Alpha 3. Even so, they aren’t the most beautiful 2D
fighters around. The sprites are still pretty pixilated, but the excellent
gameplay is still intact.
The three
Alpha games play almost identical, besides the different styles of special move
execution and character selection. Going into the intricacies of each game would
be redundant, since they’ve all been out for years and are practically untouched
in this compilation. But I will still say this: the Alpha series is a wonderful
series, and possibly one of the best 2D fighting series out there.
Each game’s
information is stored separately, so high scores and options are saved for each
game individually. And even though there aren’t any obvious unlockables, there
are plenty of secrets and hidden options to discover.
There are
multiple reasons to pick up Street Fighter Alpha Anthology. If you don’t own any
games from the Alpha series, but are a fan of fighting games, this is a must-own
title. If you’ve always wanted a copy of Super Gem Fighter, this game is also
for you. If you love one of the Alpha games, but haven’t had a chance to try the
others, you can’t go wrong. Mainly this title is meant for Street Fighter fans
or collectors – you can usually find a comparable fighting game for pretty cheap
these days. But if it’s Street Fighter you’re looking for, you aren’t going to
get a better deal than five titles for 30 bucks.
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Gameplay: 9.0
Gameplay was the
strong point of the Alpha series, making it many gamers’ favorite Street Fighter
series. The cast of characters is varied, and the action is fast but strategic.
The addition of Gem Fighter spices things up a bit by adding a completely wacky
twist to the gameplay you’re normally used to in a fighter.
Graphics: 7.4
The graphics
weren’t cleaned up too much in the transfer to PS2. Sprites still look pretty
pixilated and many backgrounds are plain. But since this is a collection of
games revived from the past, this isn’t a huge issue. Dated graphics should be
expected.
Sound: 8.3
Exactly what you
would expect from Street Fighter, nothing new here. It’s the same old good music
and classic unforgettable sound effects. The main menus don’t even have music,
so the collection itself doesn’t even apply.
Difficulty: Easy/Hard
The difficulty of
each game can be changed in the respective options menu. The difficulties are
pretty well-balanced, with easy being easy, hard being hard, and the middle
being perfect for intermediate players.
Concept: 6.0
I personally
haven’t grown tired of these resurrections of classic titles. I find it a lot
more convenient from both a collector’s and a gamer’s standpoint. I still have
to admit that it’s getting dangerously close to being overdone.
Multiplayer: 9.3
The biggest
reason anyone plays a fighting game is to beat up their friends … virtually,
of course. Playing against the computer only lasts so long. Multiplayer in the
Street Fighter Alpha series is some of the most furious fighting-game action
around. If you find an opponent with the same skill as you (or a little better)
you’re in for an intense fight.
Overall: 8.2
The gameplay is
there, but with the power of the PlayStation 2 there was potential to do a lot
more. New features, new modes, new characters, or even updated graphics; Capcom
could’ve given us a little more. Even the game select menu is greatly
underwhelming. Aside from these gripes, though, collecting one of the best
fighting-game series in one place was a great idea and is much appreciated.
