There comes a time in everyone’s life, when they have been doing something for long enough, they need to take a step back, realize they have been doing said thing for long enough, and they move onto the next bigger and better thing. This was pretty much the process Capcom went through whenever they decided they were finished with Street Fighter II after SSFIIT, and while this certainly wouldn’t be the last time that we would see that specific iteration of the series (the ride never ends), it was clear that Capcom had exhausted everything they could from that game, and they needed to move onto other things. So they pressed on, making several other fighters, until ultimately deciding to return to the world of the Street Fighter universe for a new prequel game, and the start of a brand new sub-series for the franchise, which would all stem from one game known as Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams.
Not gonna lie, I was actually somewhat nervous to get into this game, because after constantly playing and talking about SFII for god knows how long, I figured I was gonna be in for a rude awakening whenever I tried out another title in this series. It also doesn’t help that, from this point on, I am tackling this series completely blind, because aside from some matches of SFIV here and there, I have never really played any other SF game. But hey, I do typically have a pretty good time with the fighting games I choose to play for this website, and SF hasn’t let me down (yet), so I was willing to jump into the game either way, and yeah, I did end up having a pretty good time. I wouldn’t say I prefer it over SSFIIT, but it still manages to be a fun, tough, and flashy fighting game that definitely shows promise for where this series is gonna be going later down the road.
The story is one that isn’t told to us in the game whatsoever, nor could I find any sort of summary of it online, but going off of what Alpha 2 says, it is essentially just another tournament story, most likely about M. Bison trying to fuck shit up again, so it is up to Ryu, Ken, and all the other fighters to step up to the plate, take him down, and triumph over the rest, which is as bland as you can get with a fighting game plot, but I’m pretty sure Street Fighter doesn’t care about story, so neither do I at this point. The graphics are absolutely wonderful, taking a page out of Darkstalkers book with wonderful designs for all of the different characters, with plenty of very impressive animations to go with them, even if the stage designs can be pretty lacking, the music is pretty good, having plenty of sweet tracks to accompany you as you kick the shit out of all of your opponents, but I for the life of me could not name you any tracks even if I tried, so uh… oops, and the gameplay/control is what you would expect from SF, feeling a little heavy, and it can take some getting used to (especially after previously playing King of Fighters), but it still manages to be fun and satisfying regardless of that.
The game is your typical 2D fighter, where you take control of one of ten different characters, which has most returning from previous Street Fighter games, two newcomers, and even two characters from Final Fight, which is pretty cool, take on many different opponents in fights that take place around the world, throw out plenty of different kicks, punches, and special moves to deplete your opponents’ health down to nothing while also making sure to dodge and block wisely, charge up your super meter to unleash some devastating attacks to get the upper hand on your opponent in many different cases, and rejoice as you stand victorious, proving that you are indeed the best street fighter to ever live…….. or at least, that’s what I hope I can achieve one day by getting good at one of these games. When it comes to Street Fighter, Capcom knew quite well from SFII that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, which is the mentality they stuck with when it came to this game, and it mostly worked out, because not only does it keep the same solid gameplay that we all know and love at this point, but it also adds onto it in several ways that makes it more interesting to tackle.
For starters, the super meter that was introduced in SSFIIT returns in this game, except now, it has been upgraded, making it a lot more useful and complex at the same time. Now, instead of just charging up the bar once and firing away whenever you need it, you can now charge it up to three times, with each different bar representing a different level of power for the super abilities you can use, each one requiring a different sequence of buttons you need to enter in order to pull them off. Of course, shit like this may seem like second nature for those that have played plenty of other fighting games later down the line, but with this being the first time we would see this kind of super meter mechanic for Street Fighter, as well as fighting games in general, it is not only a pretty sweet addition to your super arsenal, but it also adds another layer of strategy to any fight, making you wonder whether you should use a super right away to get an advantage over your foe, or try to build it up even more so you can unleash an absolutely DEVASTATING attack on them.
Alongside this, there are also plenty of new moves that you can pull off, such as air blocking, as well as being able to change up your fighting style between Normal or Auto, with Normal being exactly what it sounds like, and Auto being basically the handicap mode of the game, allowing the player to block things automatically up to ten times and allowing much easier inputs of super moves. I chose to stick with Normal the entire time, because I’m not a pussy-ass BITCH, but for what it’s worth, I do really like the idea of having an Auto mode in there, just in case you have players that are new to the series that want to be eased in while still having a great time. Mix all of that with the option to change your fighting speed, and you have a set-up here that is even more customizable than SSFIIT, able to give you just the right style of fight that you are looking for, which is definitely a plus in my book.
Having said all that though, if you were to ignore all of those new features entirely, then what you got here is just yet another basic arcade fighter from Capcom at the end of the day. Yes, it looks much nicer, still plays pretty well, and can be a lot of fun with the right people, but it is more or less what we have seen from many other fighters in the past, so how much you enjoy this game will not only be based on how well it does as a fighter in your own opinion, as well as whether or not you are sick of these games at this point. To drive that point home even further, the game also has fighting game syndrome, which comes in pretty brutally too, with a good number of the fights being pretty manageable, but then you get to the final boss, and good GOD, you will get completely destroyed if you don’t know what you are doing. Whether you are facing against Sagat, M. Bison, Akuma, it doesn’t matter who: they are all hungry for blood, and your sorry-ass is just what they are looking for, so you better bring your A-game and plenty of patience, otherwise you will just end up as a bloody corpse lying in the street that you chose to fight in.
Overall, despite not too much change to the formula and fighting syndrome being the evil that never dies, Street Fighter Alpha feels like a natural way to progress on from what Capcom had done with SFII, and is overall a pretty good game, still providing the same fast and fun gameplay you have come to love, having a gorgeous art style that is miles better than what came before it, and adding just enough changes to the gameplay to make fights that much more exciting and customizable for whatever makes you feel right at home with a game in this genre. I would recommend it for those who are big Street Fighter fans, as well as those who are big fighting game fans in general, because while this will definitely not live up to the later Alpha games (I’m calling it now), it is still fun regardless, and you can have a great time beating the fuck out of your friends with a smile on your face. Before we do end off this review though, there is one thing I forgot to mention about this game, which may just be the absolute best addition that this game brought to the entire Street Fighter franchise as a whole……….. it introduces Dan Hibiki, a character that is meant to be a parody of Ryo and Robert from Art of Fighting, who completely sucks at fighting, and is without a doubt the worst character to come from this series so far in terms of power and skill………. and we all love him for it.
Game #584
Not gonna lie, I was actually somewhat nervous to get into this game, because after constantly playing and talking about SFII for god knows how long, I figured I was gonna be in for a rude awakening whenever I tried out another title in this series. It also doesn’t help that, from this point on, I am tackling this series completely blind, because aside from some matches of SFIV here and there, I have never really played any other SF game. But hey, I do typically have a pretty good time with the fighting games I choose to play for this website, and SF hasn’t let me down (yet), so I was willing to jump into the game either way, and yeah, I did end up having a pretty good time. I wouldn’t say I prefer it over SSFIIT, but it still manages to be a fun, tough, and flashy fighting game that definitely shows promise for where this series is gonna be going later down the road.
The story is one that isn’t told to us in the game whatsoever, nor could I find any sort of summary of it online, but going off of what Alpha 2 says, it is essentially just another tournament story, most likely about M. Bison trying to fuck shit up again, so it is up to Ryu, Ken, and all the other fighters to step up to the plate, take him down, and triumph over the rest, which is as bland as you can get with a fighting game plot, but I’m pretty sure Street Fighter doesn’t care about story, so neither do I at this point. The graphics are absolutely wonderful, taking a page out of Darkstalkers book with wonderful designs for all of the different characters, with plenty of very impressive animations to go with them, even if the stage designs can be pretty lacking, the music is pretty good, having plenty of sweet tracks to accompany you as you kick the shit out of all of your opponents, but I for the life of me could not name you any tracks even if I tried, so uh… oops, and the gameplay/control is what you would expect from SF, feeling a little heavy, and it can take some getting used to (especially after previously playing King of Fighters), but it still manages to be fun and satisfying regardless of that.
The game is your typical 2D fighter, where you take control of one of ten different characters, which has most returning from previous Street Fighter games, two newcomers, and even two characters from Final Fight, which is pretty cool, take on many different opponents in fights that take place around the world, throw out plenty of different kicks, punches, and special moves to deplete your opponents’ health down to nothing while also making sure to dodge and block wisely, charge up your super meter to unleash some devastating attacks to get the upper hand on your opponent in many different cases, and rejoice as you stand victorious, proving that you are indeed the best street fighter to ever live…….. or at least, that’s what I hope I can achieve one day by getting good at one of these games. When it comes to Street Fighter, Capcom knew quite well from SFII that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, which is the mentality they stuck with when it came to this game, and it mostly worked out, because not only does it keep the same solid gameplay that we all know and love at this point, but it also adds onto it in several ways that makes it more interesting to tackle.
For starters, the super meter that was introduced in SSFIIT returns in this game, except now, it has been upgraded, making it a lot more useful and complex at the same time. Now, instead of just charging up the bar once and firing away whenever you need it, you can now charge it up to three times, with each different bar representing a different level of power for the super abilities you can use, each one requiring a different sequence of buttons you need to enter in order to pull them off. Of course, shit like this may seem like second nature for those that have played plenty of other fighting games later down the line, but with this being the first time we would see this kind of super meter mechanic for Street Fighter, as well as fighting games in general, it is not only a pretty sweet addition to your super arsenal, but it also adds another layer of strategy to any fight, making you wonder whether you should use a super right away to get an advantage over your foe, or try to build it up even more so you can unleash an absolutely DEVASTATING attack on them.
Alongside this, there are also plenty of new moves that you can pull off, such as air blocking, as well as being able to change up your fighting style between Normal or Auto, with Normal being exactly what it sounds like, and Auto being basically the handicap mode of the game, allowing the player to block things automatically up to ten times and allowing much easier inputs of super moves. I chose to stick with Normal the entire time, because I’m not a pussy-ass BITCH, but for what it’s worth, I do really like the idea of having an Auto mode in there, just in case you have players that are new to the series that want to be eased in while still having a great time. Mix all of that with the option to change your fighting speed, and you have a set-up here that is even more customizable than SSFIIT, able to give you just the right style of fight that you are looking for, which is definitely a plus in my book.
Having said all that though, if you were to ignore all of those new features entirely, then what you got here is just yet another basic arcade fighter from Capcom at the end of the day. Yes, it looks much nicer, still plays pretty well, and can be a lot of fun with the right people, but it is more or less what we have seen from many other fighters in the past, so how much you enjoy this game will not only be based on how well it does as a fighter in your own opinion, as well as whether or not you are sick of these games at this point. To drive that point home even further, the game also has fighting game syndrome, which comes in pretty brutally too, with a good number of the fights being pretty manageable, but then you get to the final boss, and good GOD, you will get completely destroyed if you don’t know what you are doing. Whether you are facing against Sagat, M. Bison, Akuma, it doesn’t matter who: they are all hungry for blood, and your sorry-ass is just what they are looking for, so you better bring your A-game and plenty of patience, otherwise you will just end up as a bloody corpse lying in the street that you chose to fight in.
Overall, despite not too much change to the formula and fighting syndrome being the evil that never dies, Street Fighter Alpha feels like a natural way to progress on from what Capcom had done with SFII, and is overall a pretty good game, still providing the same fast and fun gameplay you have come to love, having a gorgeous art style that is miles better than what came before it, and adding just enough changes to the gameplay to make fights that much more exciting and customizable for whatever makes you feel right at home with a game in this genre. I would recommend it for those who are big Street Fighter fans, as well as those who are big fighting game fans in general, because while this will definitely not live up to the later Alpha games (I’m calling it now), it is still fun regardless, and you can have a great time beating the fuck out of your friends with a smile on your face. Before we do end off this review though, there is one thing I forgot to mention about this game, which may just be the absolute best addition that this game brought to the entire Street Fighter franchise as a whole……….. it introduces Dan Hibiki, a character that is meant to be a parody of Ryo and Robert from Art of Fighting, who completely sucks at fighting, and is without a doubt the worst character to come from this series so far in terms of power and skill………. and we all love him for it.
Game #584
The term alpha build in videogames started here, because Capcom released an unfinished game.
Ryu top tier? C'mon bro add some more hurtboxes here and there...
Ryu top tier? C'mon bro add some more hurtboxes here and there...
wacky hitboxes: an essential for every fighting game
i would say that this is definitely an improvement over any of the SFII games, but there's some lost potential here. i want to like this a bit more than i actually do, and i expect that will be amended in the sequels to this game.
to start off with the good, this game is gorgeous. i wouldn't say SFII was an ugly game by any means, but it was rough in some respects. here, all the animations feel very fluid and vibrant, and it's difficult to imagine that this ran on the same hardware as SFII did. it feels like it's a completely different console (well, to be fair and nitpicky, this game didn't see the SNES, but alpha 2 did) and was one of the most striking things about the game for me.
in terms of the feel, i really enjoy how satisfying on a visceral level it is to fight in this game. the hits have a much meatier sound to them and make a more significant impact to me when i get one. i also have this really strange fondness for the sound that a blocked hit makes. it's just neat, never get tired of hearing it. supers are also handled better here. SSFIIT established them but they were typically a rare sight considering how long they took to build up and that they felt like they were too valuable to use. in this game, you can use multiple supers per match and at varying levels, so you get more self-expression and options in what you want to while fighting. it's a simple yet elegant way to deepen the combat, and it's something i think a lot of us take for granted now. this was a great design choice.
the characters themselves are cool too, with more variety in inputs than i was expecting from a nearly 30 year old fighter (oh god we're all getting so old oh christ). the presentation of this game is crisp and a huge step up for the SF series overall. i'm a little eh on the soundfont used here, but there are still some great tracks in the OST (rose's theme is just perfect mid 90s nostalgia for me).
unfortunately, since we're talking about the characters, there's a huge downsizing in the roster. well, maybe huge is an overstatement, considering you're going from 17 to 13, but with more than half of the 13 being characters from the previous game, it is a bit of a letdown for me. it doesn't help that 3 of those characters aren't even selectable without putting in a code, so you're really just looking at 10 without using a guide. i like the new characters that we get, but i'm left wanting more.
my other major complaint is bison. good christ, bison in this game is ridiculous. i'm not exaggerating when i say that this iteration of bison is the single worst and hardest boss in any fighting game i've played. i know worse exist in games i haven't played, but still, this is excessive. his AI is far too aggressive and he has too many options (he has: one of the best projectiles in the game (if not the best), supers that do an obscene amount of damage, a teleport, great air mobility, and his AI never needs to charge to pull off any of his charge moves (this was an issue in previous SF games but it's glaring here)). i cannot imagine how long it would've taken me to beat this fucker had i not been using save states, no less with the half of the cast that has him as a final boss. i know he's not even like a high tier character like ken, but i still struggled greatly against him and can't help but wonder if it's just me or if he needed a nerf. either way, it ruined a lot of my enjoyment of the game.
i do like this game and it's probably where the series has finally started to approach "oh man i'm actually having a great time" for me, and i'm excited to play the sequels to see how they build on this foundation. that said, i don't think there's much of a reason for me to revisit this one when it's just going to leave me wishing i had gotten a bit more on my plate.
to start off with the good, this game is gorgeous. i wouldn't say SFII was an ugly game by any means, but it was rough in some respects. here, all the animations feel very fluid and vibrant, and it's difficult to imagine that this ran on the same hardware as SFII did. it feels like it's a completely different console (well, to be fair and nitpicky, this game didn't see the SNES, but alpha 2 did) and was one of the most striking things about the game for me.
in terms of the feel, i really enjoy how satisfying on a visceral level it is to fight in this game. the hits have a much meatier sound to them and make a more significant impact to me when i get one. i also have this really strange fondness for the sound that a blocked hit makes. it's just neat, never get tired of hearing it. supers are also handled better here. SSFIIT established them but they were typically a rare sight considering how long they took to build up and that they felt like they were too valuable to use. in this game, you can use multiple supers per match and at varying levels, so you get more self-expression and options in what you want to while fighting. it's a simple yet elegant way to deepen the combat, and it's something i think a lot of us take for granted now. this was a great design choice.
the characters themselves are cool too, with more variety in inputs than i was expecting from a nearly 30 year old fighter (oh god we're all getting so old oh christ). the presentation of this game is crisp and a huge step up for the SF series overall. i'm a little eh on the soundfont used here, but there are still some great tracks in the OST (rose's theme is just perfect mid 90s nostalgia for me).
unfortunately, since we're talking about the characters, there's a huge downsizing in the roster. well, maybe huge is an overstatement, considering you're going from 17 to 13, but with more than half of the 13 being characters from the previous game, it is a bit of a letdown for me. it doesn't help that 3 of those characters aren't even selectable without putting in a code, so you're really just looking at 10 without using a guide. i like the new characters that we get, but i'm left wanting more.
my other major complaint is bison. good christ, bison in this game is ridiculous. i'm not exaggerating when i say that this iteration of bison is the single worst and hardest boss in any fighting game i've played. i know worse exist in games i haven't played, but still, this is excessive. his AI is far too aggressive and he has too many options (he has: one of the best projectiles in the game (if not the best), supers that do an obscene amount of damage, a teleport, great air mobility, and his AI never needs to charge to pull off any of his charge moves (this was an issue in previous SF games but it's glaring here)). i cannot imagine how long it would've taken me to beat this fucker had i not been using save states, no less with the half of the cast that has him as a final boss. i know he's not even like a high tier character like ken, but i still struggled greatly against him and can't help but wonder if it's just me or if he needed a nerf. either way, it ruined a lot of my enjoyment of the game.
i do like this game and it's probably where the series has finally started to approach "oh man i'm actually having a great time" for me, and i'm excited to play the sequels to see how they build on this foundation. that said, i don't think there's much of a reason for me to revisit this one when it's just going to leave me wishing i had gotten a bit more on my plate.
Absolutely strong start to the spin off of Alpha labeled Street Fighter games
The first Alpha didn't age really that greatly, but it's the first one to adopt a more anime artstyle fresh from the 90s that I absolutely love.
YES! YES! This is better than most of the SF2 games in my opinion. The game is the best looking of all of the SF games up until now and the gameplay is smooth. It does have a downsize in the roster which keeps it from a 5 and the gameplay could use improvement but man this is a lot of fun!
GRADE
B+
GRADE
B+
It's street fighter but with some new characters and great new sprites for everyone. Definitely a bit more stylish than SF2 and I can dig it for that. As for the fighting itself, it feels good but I'm not too much of a competitive player or combo labber to really say how cracked it is. The singleplayer wasn't annoying either which is fun. The SF alpha series is kinda like darkstalkers in that none of the entries are bad, but you might as well just play the latest one because it has the most characters n mechanics n whatnot.
This game is considered good in my eyes because it wasn't just another SF2 rehash and it gave us cool as fuck Charlie Nash
okay? eu gosto de quase todos elementos apresentado nesse jogo mas tenho q dizer q a gameplay dropa combo e a maquina ladrona e algo triste de ver nesse jogo.
The blocking sound effect in this game is my ASMR Trigger
Played this plenty of times at this retro arcade in my home town.
Aside from a secret Dan boss battle, I really don't see a reason to play the original Alpha over 2 or 3. For the most part it feels like an extremely bare bones game that is trying to build up the next part of the series rather than be some sort of define version for itself.
Not bad!
nice start to the alpha series but why play this when you can play alpha 2
"There's no reason to play this game when Alpha 2 exists"
That's so true! But honestly I still play this game anyway. Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams was pretty much the game to kickstart a whole era of Capcom fighting games alongside Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors. The game introduced a new visual style to the franchise, emphasizing a more anime-like look. It added Alpha counters, more refined chain combos, multi-level super combos, and air blocking. Even with this game being the first to introduce these concepts, I still feel that this entry has a lot of polish to it.
The roster is smaller compared to Super Street Fighter II Turbo, yes, but it's still a fair amount considering every character has been redrawn, including some veterans from Street Fighter (1987) and Final Fight (1989). We also were introduced to the top-tier all powerful shoto to ever shoto, Dan Hibiki, who is a VERY subtle jab at SNK's Ryo Sakazaki. M.Bison and Akuma/Gouki are also present as secret characters and bosses.
It's so funny that this game basically exists because of the Street Fighter II movie of all things. You can see a poster for the film in Ryu's stage, alongside Ryu and Ken's designs being adjusted to look like the flashback scene from the movie. There's a hidden "dramatic battle" mode where Ryu & Ken face M. Bison, and in the Japanese version the music playing is LITERALLY the final battle song, "Itoshisato Setsunasato Kokoro Tsuyosato". This might seem like criticism, but honestly I LOVE this stuff, especially as someone who enjoyed the source material.
Alpha 1 however does have some content technically not in later games. Like I said, there's three hidden boss fights, and the dramatic battle mode, both of which are nice secrets to unlock. NONE of the stages in this game would return in Alpha 2/3 which sucks, especially the loss of the one that is an obvious homage to the Chuck Norris vs Bruce Lee fight. The PS1/Saturn versions also have a jazzy arranged soundtrack that didn't come back in Alpha 2 either.
In my opinion, ignoring a game's existence because something better exists is unfortunate. I like to revisit "games that aren't worth playing anymore" because I respect the legacy and integrity of these titles. Yes, they get improved upon eventually so later entries body it, but I honestly don't care? I will continue to play games/ports of games "not worth playing anymore" for as long as I live. At the end of the day I still prefer Alpha 2/3, but I still LOVE this game regardless. It's a classic.
EDIT: this cover is horrendous. PLEASE change it to the JP cover in some form IGDB ARRRGHHHHH (https://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation/street-fighter-alpha-warriors-dreams/cover-art/gameCoverId,272932/)
That's so true! But honestly I still play this game anyway. Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams was pretty much the game to kickstart a whole era of Capcom fighting games alongside Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors. The game introduced a new visual style to the franchise, emphasizing a more anime-like look. It added Alpha counters, more refined chain combos, multi-level super combos, and air blocking. Even with this game being the first to introduce these concepts, I still feel that this entry has a lot of polish to it.
The roster is smaller compared to Super Street Fighter II Turbo, yes, but it's still a fair amount considering every character has been redrawn, including some veterans from Street Fighter (1987) and Final Fight (1989). We also were introduced to the top-tier all powerful shoto to ever shoto, Dan Hibiki, who is a VERY subtle jab at SNK's Ryo Sakazaki. M.Bison and Akuma/Gouki are also present as secret characters and bosses.
It's so funny that this game basically exists because of the Street Fighter II movie of all things. You can see a poster for the film in Ryu's stage, alongside Ryu and Ken's designs being adjusted to look like the flashback scene from the movie. There's a hidden "dramatic battle" mode where Ryu & Ken face M. Bison, and in the Japanese version the music playing is LITERALLY the final battle song, "Itoshisato Setsunasato Kokoro Tsuyosato". This might seem like criticism, but honestly I LOVE this stuff, especially as someone who enjoyed the source material.
Alpha 1 however does have some content technically not in later games. Like I said, there's three hidden boss fights, and the dramatic battle mode, both of which are nice secrets to unlock. NONE of the stages in this game would return in Alpha 2/3 which sucks, especially the loss of the one that is an obvious homage to the Chuck Norris vs Bruce Lee fight. The PS1/Saturn versions also have a jazzy arranged soundtrack that didn't come back in Alpha 2 either.
In my opinion, ignoring a game's existence because something better exists is unfortunate. I like to revisit "games that aren't worth playing anymore" because I respect the legacy and integrity of these titles. Yes, they get improved upon eventually so later entries body it, but I honestly don't care? I will continue to play games/ports of games "not worth playing anymore" for as long as I live. At the end of the day I still prefer Alpha 2/3, but I still LOVE this game regardless. It's a classic.
EDIT: this cover is horrendous. PLEASE change it to the JP cover in some form IGDB ARRRGHHHHH (https://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation/street-fighter-alpha-warriors-dreams/cover-art/gameCoverId,272932/)
I find the gameplay of Fighter on Alpha Street: Dream Warriors to be responsive and visually legible, especially compared to predecessors not named Super II Turbo. It simply feels good to play.
The art style is clean and refined, and it stands as one of the most aesthetically cohesive games in the series. Alpha is just a straightforward, outwardly appealing, stripped-back experience. Well, stripped-back aside from the slightly bigger focus on character and story (Pre-match dialogue bubbles? What is this an NRS campaign?)
Unfortunately:
A. I’ve dipped into Alpha 2 and Alpha 3, and immediately found both more robust and just generally better than this. For some reason I’m more drawn to Alpha 2 but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
and
B. I recently discovered Third Strike. While I was playing this I was like… mm kinda wanna go back to Third Strike.
But I don’t think another game being better makes this game bad. Warriors Dreams Don’t Die is one of the most accessible entry-points to the series, and I’d recommend it to new fighting game fans curious about the nuts & bolts Street Fighter.
The art style is clean and refined, and it stands as one of the most aesthetically cohesive games in the series. Alpha is just a straightforward, outwardly appealing, stripped-back experience. Well, stripped-back aside from the slightly bigger focus on character and story (Pre-match dialogue bubbles? What is this an NRS campaign?)
Unfortunately:
A. I’ve dipped into Alpha 2 and Alpha 3, and immediately found both more robust and just generally better than this. For some reason I’m more drawn to Alpha 2 but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
and
B. I recently discovered Third Strike. While I was playing this I was like… mm kinda wanna go back to Third Strike.
But I don’t think another game being better makes this game bad. Warriors Dreams Don’t Die is one of the most accessible entry-points to the series, and I’d recommend it to new fighting game fans curious about the nuts & bolts Street Fighter.
as a first fighting game is absolutely terrific and the funny thing is this game is better than king of fighters 2001-02-03
An all right follow up to SF2, huge step up in presentation
Melhor que SSF2 Turbo não é, mas é bonzinho
Take any of my ratings of non-Smash fighting games with a grain of salt, as they're usually based off a single run or two through the arcade ladder and general surface impressions.
Good stuff! If Street Fighter II was an instant hit that was refined into a masterpiece over several evolutionary leaps forward, Street Fighter Alpha is the first time Capcom got to apply lessons learned from the get-go. I am very much a fan of the new artstyle; SF2's fine, but it's never really clicked with me the way later titles do. I'm not at all surprised to learn this was developed over the course of 6 months, as there doesn't seem to be a whole lot more going on besides what you get on first blush - but there's a good foundation there. It'd be fun to run through the Alpha subseries in order to get a better sense for the progression down the line.
Good stuff! If Street Fighter II was an instant hit that was refined into a masterpiece over several evolutionary leaps forward, Street Fighter Alpha is the first time Capcom got to apply lessons learned from the get-go. I am very much a fan of the new artstyle; SF2's fine, but it's never really clicked with me the way later titles do. I'm not at all surprised to learn this was developed over the course of 6 months, as there doesn't seem to be a whole lot more going on besides what you get on first blush - but there's a good foundation there. It'd be fun to run through the Alpha subseries in order to get a better sense for the progression down the line.
It's definitely the weakest of the Alpha games but it's still definitely fun against pals.
SF Alpha
Envelheceu muito bem. É um pouco mais cru, mas é mil vezes melhor que qualquer versão do SF2, o jogo é lindo, OST marcante, barrinha é foda, alpha counter é foda, o sistema de chain combos é foda, mas a execução é muito estrita, fazer um DP ou Super é sufocante.
8/10
Envelheceu muito bem. É um pouco mais cru, mas é mil vezes melhor que qualquer versão do SF2, o jogo é lindo, OST marcante, barrinha é foda, alpha counter é foda, o sistema de chain combos é foda, mas a execução é muito estrita, fazer um DP ou Super é sufocante.
8/10
Alpha 1 is a guilty pleasure for me, sure it's got a small roster, it's blatantly unfinished with recycled stages for over half the roster and competitively it's a broken mess but I just love how it feels, how easy to pick-up-and-play it is with the combo system, the amazing Alpha-era art, how god damn good the music is and the game has a really cozy atmosphere, Sonson Market... home.
Very good Street Fighter game.
It improves the gameplay of Street Fighter II, its graphics are beautiful, the character designs are great, etc.
I like a lot.
My only problem would be the small roster of characters, because unlike other Street Fighter games of that time, there are not many characters to choose from.
Great game, and one of my favorites, since it started the Street Fighter Alpha saga.
Its sequels surpass it, but this one is good.
It improves the gameplay of Street Fighter II, its graphics are beautiful, the character designs are great, etc.
I like a lot.
My only problem would be the small roster of characters, because unlike other Street Fighter games of that time, there are not many characters to choose from.
Great game, and one of my favorites, since it started the Street Fighter Alpha saga.
Its sequels surpass it, but this one is good.
GBC VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwXSHr9rh5A
This is really fun! It just needs some fine-tuning to be fully fleshed out. It is nice how this fleshes out Ryu too! Here is when I really fell in love with him and his character. I am glad how this became the established tone of the Alpha series.
Forgettable
It's sorta like street fighter 2 but with a new counter system and a more pleasing aesthetic graphically. Feels a little bare bones gameplay wise compared to today. Personally I think you can honestly skip this one and play the far superior sequels of this series
My favorite Street Fighter game. Well, toss up between this and SFA2.
I was glad to see the change up in sprite style. More in line with the Darkstalkers’ style.
And giving the characters more than one super.
Also introduced the world to the greatest martial artist in the known universe: Dan Hibiki!
It’s not very well balanced (Akuma will destroy everyone lol), but there’s some fun to be had in that.
I like that the boss depends on who you choose. That was a nice addition to the genre that is still underutilized.
Bring it!
I was glad to see the change up in sprite style. More in line with the Darkstalkers’ style.
And giving the characters more than one super.
Also introduced the world to the greatest martial artist in the known universe: Dan Hibiki!
It’s not very well balanced (Akuma will destroy everyone lol), but there’s some fun to be had in that.
I like that the boss depends on who you choose. That was a nice addition to the genre that is still underutilized.
Bring it!