the series. Instead of Street Fighter 3, we got update after update of Street Fighter

2, including Super Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 2 Hyper, among others. And while each

update added something new, everyone wanted to know when Street Fighter 3 was coming.

And when it seemed finally ready to come, instead we got this, Street Fighter Alpha:

Warrior’s Dream aka Street Fighter Zero, a prequel. And while initial disappointment

may have been high, after being played it was accepted that this was the next step for

the series. The game offers everything you could want in a new Street Fighter game. It

has its own style of graphics, gameplay changes and new characters.

The game has its own unique graphic style. Moving away from Street Fighter 2’s style,

Alpha went for a more anime look that might be strange at first but works perfectly with

the game being a prequel and having younger characters. Many of the characters are returning

favorites like Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Sagat. But there are also some brand new characters

like Rose, Charlie Nash and the now infamous Dan, who was put in the game as a joke to

make fun of SNK. Each character has their own background and each one looks great and

plays differently.

While the new characters are great additions, the biggest changes come in the way of gameplay.

This is a Street Fighter game so the combat involves the famous three different punches

and kicks to pull off combos and specials. The fighting feels just as smooth as ever.

New though is the upgraded special meter. There are now multiple levels the meter will

reach, allowing for different levels of special moves. Should you perform your special now

or wait until it reaches the next level? This is now something you have to think about.

There are also some additions that actually really change the fighting, such as air-blocking

and chain combos. To a novice these are not a big deal, but to a series vet they are major

changes.

The only small complaint about this game would be the limited mode options. You can fight

through the arcade, fight against a friend or the new training mode. This may seem limited

but with new fighting system and characters, you will want to try out each one and learn

the ins and outs of all of them. While it may not have the 3 in the name, after playing

it you will see that it is the series taking a major step forward.