Sega Saturn reviews: Street Fighter Alpha 2.
Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Sega Saturn) My rating: A
Looking for an near perfect, arcade version of Street Fighter Alpha 2? Then get your hands on the Sega Saturn version because it comes mighty close to the stand up cabinet. Only the 5-8 second load times between fights keeps this from being a perfect conversion.
Gamplay wise, this game is similar to the first one but Alpha 2 adds a new (And use it correctly, deadly) counter system and a custom combo gauge, which allows you to connect multiply combos together (Flashy but sometimes pointless since you do less damage.) The character line up has increased with Dan, Akuma, and Bison (Hidden characters in the first one) now playable along with new comers Sakura, Rolento, Gen, and returning classics Zangief and awesome Dhalsim (A nickname I've heard most of my life.) The soundtrack is a plus, offering up some excellent versions of Ryu and Ken theme's and the sound effects are right on, especially Gen's victory saying "You are big fool!"
The Sega Saturn controller is spot on too. It took awhile for me to get use to it (I play a majority of my fighting games on the Dreamcast and Playstation) but once I did, it was smooth fighter sailing. The computer A.I. is quite balanced, not dirty cheap found in the older versions (cough*Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo*cough.) Overall, if you have a Sega Saturn and you're looking for an excellent fighter, getting this game is a no brainier.
What if I don't have a Sega Saturn but want this game?
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology is coming out for the Playstation 2 later this month and it includes all the Alpha games plus Pocket Fighter (Now called Super Gem Fighter Minimix.) Click here to pre-order the game. Honestly, I suggest getting this version over the saturn version.
About the Playstation version.
I haven't played the Playstation version of Alpha 2 but I would assume it is just like the Saturn version but has longer load times.
About the Super Nintendo version.
Yep, Alpha 2 did come out for the Super Nintendo. The game isn't near the quality of the Saturn version but nevertheless, it's pretty good. This version of Alpha 2 has the longest load times and a lot of downgraded features (Sound, animation and etc) but I think gamers will be surprise how well it does hold up. Also a big surprise is how rare this game is, receiving some high prices on eBay.
Where to find this game.
Check here for some decent pricing of this game.
5 comments:
I don't have a Saturn. I have a SNES and of course a PS2, but I think if I'm going to get one I will wait and get Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for the PS2.
Hey there, nice gaming blog. Wish to affiliate?
Excellent review. The Saturn and The Streetfighter franchise both rock! Gamer C Keep up the good work... Great Site!
Psx version is also good, but lacks on detail and a few animations. As you probably will know, Saturn has an extra 1/2MB RAM that is used for thinks like Zangief's cap at the beginning of the match, water reflection's on gen's stage...
Apart from this, saturn version has all the extras, specially the one on the saturn's street fighter collection (evil ryu, etc...)
No it doesn't actually. It has the same amount of ram as the ps1 (2MB), there is a 1MB or 4MB RAM upgrade cart for the saturn but this game doesn't support it.
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