Street Fighter Alpha 2

Street Fighter Alpha 2
Developer(s) Capcom
Publisher(s) Capcom
Composer(s) Setsuo Yamamoto
Syun Nishigaki
Tatsuro Suzuki
Series Street Fighter
Platform(s) Arcade
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
Sega Saturn
Super Famicom/SNES
Windows
Release date(s)

Arcade

  • JP February 27, 1996
  • NA March 6, 1996

PlayStation

  • JP August 9, 1996
  • NA September 30, 1996
  • EU December 1996

Sega Saturn

  • JP September 14, 1996
  • NA September 30, 1996
  • EU November 16, 1996

Super Famicom/SNES

  • EU December 19, 1996
  • JP December 20, 1996

Windows PC

  • NA November 1, 1997
  • JP March 12, 1998

Wii U Virtual Console

  • JP August 20, 2014
  • NA May 22, 2014
  • EU October 2, 2014
Genre(s) Fighting game
Mode(s) Up to 2 players simultaneously
Cabinet Upright
Arcade system CPS-2
Display Raster, 384 x 224 pixels (Horizontal),
4096 colors on screen,
16,777,216 color palette[2]

Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as Street Fighter Zero 2 (ストリートファイターZERO 2) in Japan, Asia, and South America, is a 1996 fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is both a sequel and a remake to the previous year's Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, which is itself a prequel to the Street Fighter II series in terms of plot and setting.[3] The game features a number of improvements over the original, such as new attacks, stages, endings, and gameplay features.

Gameplay

Street Fighter Alpha 2 retains most of the new features introduced in the original Street Fighter Alpha, such as the three-level Super Combo gauge, Alpha Counters, Air-Blocking, and Fall Breaking. The main new feature in the game is the inclusion of the Custom Combo system (Original Combo in Japan), which replaces the Chain Combos from the first Alpha. If the Super Combo gauge is on Lv. 1 or above, the player can initiate a Custom Combo pressing two punch buttons and a kick simultaneously (or vice versa). The player can then perform any series of basic and special moves to create a Custom Combo until the Timer Gauge at the bottom of the screen runs out. The only characters that can still perform Chain Combos in the game are Guy and Gen, but only to a limited extent. Additionally, each character now has two Alpha Counters instead of just one: one that can be performed with a kick button and another with a punch button.

The single-player mode, much like the original Street Fighter Alpha, consists of eight matches against computer-controlled opponents, including a fixed final opponent whose identity depends on the player's selected character. Each character also has a secret "rival" whom they can face during the course of the single-player mode after meeting certain requirements, in which then the rival will interrupt one of the player's regularly scheduled matches and exchange dialogue with the player's character. With Akuma now a regular character, a more powerful version of the character dubbed "Shin Akuma" replaces him as a secret opponent. Unlike Super Turbo and the original Alpha, Shin Akuma challenges the player before the player's final opponent, rather than as an alternate final boss.

Characters

The game brings back all thirteen characters from Street Fighter Alpha, with M. Bison, Akuma, and Dan now being immediately selectable as playable characters. In addition to the Alpha roster, Alpha 2 includes Dhalsim and Zangief, both from Street Fighter II, Gen, an assassin from the original Street Fighter, Rolento, a member of the Mad Gear gang who originally appeared in Final Fight, and newcomer Sakura, a Japanese schoolgirl who takes up street fighting after witnessing one of Ryu's battles.

Versions

Arcade

Street Fighter Alpha 2 was released under the title of Street Fighter Zero 2 in Japan, Asia, and South America. The American and European versions of Alpha 2 feature three additional characters who were not in the Zero 2 version: Evil Ryu and the EX versions of Dhalsim and Zangief.

Capcom released an updated version of Zero 2 titled Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha, which features all the additional characters from Alpha 2, as well as other changes to the game. In addition to Zangief and Dhalsim, Zero 2 Alpha also features EX versions of Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Sagat, and M. Bison, all of whom were characters from Street Fighter II′: Champion Edition. Custom Combos are now executed by pressing a punch and kick button of the same strength simultaneously and now require half (1½ level) of the Super Combo gauge filled to perform them. Some of the characters have gained new moves such as Ryu's Shakunetsu Hadoken and Dhalsim's Yoga Tempest. Zero 2 Alpha also features a Survival mode, as well as a 2-on-1 Dramatic Battle mode similar to the hidden "Ryu and Ken vs. Bison mode" in the original Alpha. In the Japanese version of Zero 2 Alpha, Evil Ryu has different dialogue exchanges and a different ending from his regular counterpart.

Ports

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PSSNESSaturn
AllGame[6][7][8]
CVG[9][10][9]
EGM21 / 40[11]36.5 / 40[12]
Famitsu32 / 40[13]32 / 40[14]
GameFan228 / 300[15]281 / 300[16]
Game Informer7.75 / 10[17]
GamePro19.5 / 20[18]18 / 20[19]
GamesMaster86%[20]87%[21]
GameSpot7.8 / 10[22]8.1 / 10[23]
IGN8.5 / 10[24]
PSM8 / 10[25]
Mean Machines94%[26]
Sega Saturn Magazine95%[27]
Awards
PublicationAward
10th Gamest Awards (Winner)Best Game of 1996,
Best Fighting Game,
Top Character (Dan Hibiki)[28]
10th Gamest Awards (Nominee)Best Graphics (#9),
Best Direction (#6),
Best VGM (#4)[28]
Electronic Gaming MonthlyArcade Game of the Year,
Saturn Game of the Year (Runner-Up),
Fighting Game of the Year (Runner-Up)[29]
GameFan MegawardsFighting Game of the Year,
Coin-Op Game of the Year (Runner-Up)[30]
GamePro Readers' Choice Awards5th Best Arcade Game,
5th Best Fighting Game[31]

In the Japanese arcade magazine Gamest, Street Fighter Zero 2 was voted Best Game of 1996 in the Tenth Annual Grand Prize. Zero 2 was also No. 1 in the category of "Best Fighting Game", No. 9 in "Best Graphics", No. 6 in "Best Direction", and No. 4 in "Best VGM (Video Game Music)". Dan Hibiki and Sakura Kasugano were depicted on the cover of this issue, who were placed No. 1 and No. 3 respectively on the Top 50 Characters of 1996, with Ryu at No. 13, Zangief at No. 18 (sharing the spot with Mature from The King of Fighters '96), Guy at No. 26, Chun-Li at No. 32, Akuma at No. 37 (sharing the spot with two other characters), Rolento at No. 45 (sharing the spot with the Elf from Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara) and Ken at No. 49 (sharing the spot with two other characters).[28]

The Saturn port was was a commercial success, selling over 400,000 units in Japan.[32]

References

  1. (PDF) http://web.archive.org/web/20080920223937/http://www.nintendo.com:80/consumer/gameslist/manuals/snes_games.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2008. Retrieved September 1, 2008. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "CP System II (CPS2) Hardware (Capcom)". System 16. 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  3. http://web.archive.org/web/20060702021359/http://www.gamespot.com:80/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/games_10_02.html. Archived from the original on July 2, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2008. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Classic Rayman and Street Fighter Games Lead a Luminous December Lineup". Nintendo of America. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  5. Like the Japanese versions of Street Fighter II Dash and Street Fighter II Dash Turbo, the word "Dash" is represented by a prime symbol (’).
  6. Kanarick, Mark (2014-12-10). "Street Fighter Alpha 2 - Overview - allgame". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  7. Alan, Brett (2014-12-10). "Street Fighter Alpha 2 - Overview - allgame". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  8. Williamson, Colin (2014-12-12). "Street Fighter Alpha 2 - Review - allgame". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on December 12, 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  9. 1 2 "Computer and Video Games - Issue 181 (1996-12)(EMAP Images)(GB)". Archive.org. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  10. "Computer and Video Games - Issue 182 (1997-01)(EMAP Images)(GB)". Archive.org. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  11. Electronic Gaming Monthly, issue 90 (January 1997), page 74
  12. Electronic Gaming Monthly, issue 89 (December 1996), page 84
  13. "ストリートファイターZERO2 まとめ [PS] / ファミ通.com". Famitsu.com. 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  14. "ストリートファイターZERO2 まとめ [セガサターン] / ファミ通.com". Famitsu.com. 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  15. GameFan, volume 5, issue 1 (January 1997), page 18
  16. GameFan, volume 4, issue 11 (November 1996), pages 18 & 122-123
  17. "Street Fighter Alpha 2". Web.archive.org. 1997-01-17. Archived from the original on January 17, 1997. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  18. GamePro, issue 98 (November 1997), page 108
  19. GamePro, issue 98 (November 1997), page 120
  20. GamesMaster, issue 49 (December 1996), pages 40-41
  21. GamesMaster, issue 52 (February 1997), page 63
  22. Gerstmann, Jeff (2013-10-10). "Street Fighter Alpha 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  23. "Street Fighter Alpha 2 Review". GameSpot. 1996-12-01. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  24. "Street Fighter Alpha 2". IGN. 1996-12-11. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  25. Review, Issue 13, December 1996
  26. "MeanMachinesSega50UK" (PDF). Sega Retro. 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  27. Sega Saturn Magazine, issue 13, pages 66-67
  28. 1 2 3 Ishii, Zenji (December 1996). "第10回ゲーメスト大賞". Gamest Magazine 188: pg. 46. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
  29. Electronic Gaming Monthly, issue 92 (March 1997), pages 82-91
  30. GameFan, volume 5, issue 2 (February 1997), pages 34-36
  31. "GamePro - Issue 106 Volume 09 Number 07 (1997-07)(IDG Publishing)(US)". Archive.org. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  32. "Sega Saturn Magazine (JP)" (PDF).

Sources

External links

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