Street Fighter: Alpha Anthology
PS2 Review
Capcom

First released back in 1995, Capcom's 'Street Fighter Alpha' failed to make the splash in arcades that its predecessor, 'Street Fighter 2' did in 1993. Fortunately, Capcom have packaged the game, along with 'Alpha 2', 'Alpha 2 Gold', 'Alpha 3' and rather oddly, 'Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix' in the 'Street Fighter Alpha Anthology'.

The series is set between 'Street Fighter' and 'Street Fighter 2' and charts the rise of the Shadoloo crime syndicate and the beginnings of its decline, featuring a fighting system that works like something of a cross between 'SFII' and the fluid 'Darkstalkers'. The combo system and super combo gauge introduced in the 'Alpha' games still feel fresh, and the games move gracefully and smoothly, helped along by the graphical style, which features the large sprites and anime-styled character designs found in 'Darkstalkers'.

The first game is the weakest of the series, with average animation and the least playable characters, at only 13. It was widely regarded at the time as a rushed release, and 'Alpha 2', released the following year, was, by Capcom's own admission, designed to replace it. 'Alpha 2' increased the characters to 18, and fixed the graphical issues of the previous game. 'Alpha 2 Gold' updates this again, adding an additional character. But 1998's 'Alpha 3' is the series highpoint, with 23 characters, a wonderfully polished presentation and an immediacy in it's playability that puts other 2D fighters to shame. Each game features an impressive number of options, ranging from fully customizable difficulty and speed to the ability to change characters' colours and even play different revisions of the arcade games' ROMs.

The anthology's other game, 'Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix' is a strange one, as it's a spin-off of the excellent 'Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo'. Featuring the deformed sprite style of 'Puzzle Fighter' re-imagined as an actual fighting game, it simply doesn't work - it lacks the complexity of the 'Alpha' series' gameplay, but isn't immediately likeable enough to function as an effective parody.

Additionally, the anthology contains an unlockable variation of the third game, plus 'Hyper Street Fighter Alpha' - a versus mode that spans the whole 'Alpha' series, which isn't available elsewhere. If you missed the series first time around, the anthology's faultless emulation and reasonable price mark a great chance to play some of the best 2D fighting games ever.

Alistair Wallis