PlayStation

Street Fighter Alpha 2

There's a misconception in the videogame world that Street Fighter fanatics are a different breed of gamer. These quarter carriers have spent more money mastering the art of fireball flinging than it takes to buy yourself a law degree. Well, I've got news for you, the reason why the Street Fighter games have put so much money into Capcom's vaults is not just because of these hyper-fans. Street Fighter games are so incredibly well designed, they appeal to every skill level. That's why they're commonly regarded as the best fighting games on the planet (although there are plenty of Tekken and Virtua Fighter players who might have something to say about that). Street Fighter Alpha 2 is the best Street Fighter ever. Get the picture?

It’s a shame to think that we’re seeing the final generation of 2-D Capcom beat- ’em-ups on the PlayStation, with rumours flying that the current crop of home consoles will be unable to handle the graphical excesses of SF III. For the moment though, Street Fighter Zero 2 is guaranteed to restore any beat-’em-up fan’s faith in Sony’s machine and should pave the way for excellent conversions of Marvel Super Heroes and X-Men.

As far as arcade conversions go, this is near perfect. The backgrounds and character animations are only missing a few frames and the classic arcade soundtrack is fully intact. Strangely enough, the main fault in the game doesn't fall on the actual game, but on the PlayStation controller, which makes executing special moves very difficult. I would suggest picking up one of the available joysticks, which will have you throwing fireballs with the best of them.

Alpha 2 proves that 2-D fighting can at times be better than its polygonal brethren. Even though the concept of a Street Fighter rehash sounds very old, Street Fighter Alpha 2 proves itself to be among the best fighting games on the market, be it in the 2-D or 3-D arena. Players jaded by performing the same moves with the same characters for years, take note: Capcom managed to put it all together in Street Fighter Alpha 2, creating a fantastic fighting package that mirrors the arcade version.

Allting är bättre i det här spelet än föregångaren - grafiken, ljudet och spelkontrollen. Dessutom är det ju självklart att utmaningen blir mycket större med en så stor turnering.