I don’t recall Alpha 2 being that much better than Alpha 1, honestly.
Yup. I think he lives in his own world, where he is always right. Even just searching on YouTube, you can see which was the preferred game.
Edit: Actually Alpha 2 was more popular, but 3 was on another level.
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: You don’t really know A2 then…:shake:
Well, no. By the time I got a PS1, Alpha 3 was out and played the PS1 version of Alpha 3 before Alpha 2. The only Alpha 2 version I played when it came out? The SNES one, but I did go back and do a comparison between all 3 of them afterwards.
So the question is, why should I play A2 over A3?
Hmm…I’d guess…because maybe Alpha 2 is the only one you have access to and you can’t get Alpha 3 yet? Other than that, and Sakura’s Alpha 2 theme > her Alpha 3 theme, I can’t really think of a reason.
Because it’s a completely different game, and you might like that one as much or better than the other?
I myself don’t understand this revisioned history on why Alpha 2 is a better game then Alpha 3. IMO yes Alpha 2 is a good game and it has great stage art. Better stage art than Alpha 3. Grass stage is awesome. But the fighting game engine for Alpha 2 is boring. Super Turbo is more exciting because it’s faster. Alpha 2 is a turtlefest and slow. The Alpha counter system slows the game down and can be easily abused. To me Alpha 2 is a turtliler versions of Champion Edition with greater art. Now Alpha 3 kind of reinvented Street Fighter and made it it’s own game with it’s own identity. The guard meter made the game more exciting. No longer could you turtle all day and abuse the Alpha counter. The guard meter kept you on your toes. Also the Ism system gave the game great variety and depth. It’s a give and take. X-Ism characters had more strength and a longer guard meter but you only had one super. V-Ism guard meter was shorter and strength was weaker but you can custom combo. Capcom spoiled the players with A3 by giving them unprecadented variety in a Street Fighter game. It was just fun. Compared to A3, A2 is stuffy and boring. Another bonus in A3 is Karin. One of the funnest character in a Capcom fighting game ever. I never understand why some players think A2 is superior. Maybe those players are just boring because A3 is a party lol.
Wow, that pretty much summed it up better than I could. And I just got REAL nostalgic when I stumbled onto this gem. Ah…I actually miss how Sakura played pre-SFIV.
[media=youtube]k6FgDZEtCwE[/media]
Superficially Alpha 2 is a more primitive version of A3, but you could say the same about MvC2 vs MvC3 or the SF3 games vs the SF4 games (issues of character selection aside). They are different enough so that you can enjoy one quite a bit more than the other, and not necessarily the “updated” version.
And while I’d rather not break down everything that’s wrong with A3 and praise A2, the latter is certainly worth defending. Footsies are a huge part of the game, and supers behave differently and are generally a much more important part of the game. Turtling in A2 isn’t quite as easy as you may think (read: you probably shouldn’t be losing to turtles), and Alpha Counters can be baited out and punished. If anything the knock on A2 should be that there are horrifically broken things in the game, not that it lacks a solid, deep core. Maybe it lacks some things compared to ST (maybe it’s closest relative after A1), but there are absolutely things that A2 does better than A3, or ST, for that matter.
Thanks. Cool video of Sakura.
I’m just giving Alpha 3 it’s due. Along with Super Turbo and Third Strike, Alpha 3 is one of the three best Street Fighters ever made. Not to mention one of the best fighting games of all time. With ST, 3S, and A3 you each get three distinct versions of how Street Fighter is played. With ST you get old school classic play. With 3S you get advanced Phd. Street Fighter. With A3 you get the crazy anime style street fighter with crazy variety and a brand new characters. That’s why I’m not much of a fan when it comes to Alpha 2 old school gameplay. If I wanted to play old school I’d just play ST.
The problem with Capcom in the Alpha 3 era is that Capcom got too greedy and kept milking and fucking with that game. There was no real arcade port in consoles. They kept changing things and adding characters i.e. T. Hawk, Cammy, Yun, Maki, etc in console versions. So you never had a true arcade port with the consoles and it probably hurt Alpha 3’s legacy.
Alpha 3 is a great game and is on the Mount Rushmore of Street Fighters. Capcom took a big risk in tinkering with the SF2 formula in this game and I think it was a great idea because they came up with something new and not just another rehash. Not only is it strategic but really fun.
Man…I don’t even really care who’s right on the “Alpha 2 vs Alpha 3” debate. I’m just psyched that there’s discussion about the Alpha games going on and it’s getting me nostalgic as hell and wanting to somehow get some retro revival bits going for it since this and all of the A-CHO videos are really making me miss it and want Alpha 4.
Alpha 2 is a good game if you had no other Street Fighter to play. I could play it for hours if there was a machine of it in a laundry mat. I had a lot of fun in the arcade with A2. But I always thought of it as a game that was trying to be Super Turbo but like SF4 it turned out to be a semi botched Super Turbo. And for me when it came to introducing something new to the game enginge it seemed like Capcom hit the wall creatively. It seemed like a panic after the negative reception to the chain combo system in Alpha 1. So Capcom went back to the ST formula.
But looking at Alpha 2 supporters I’m starting to believe that there are two main categories of how the Street Fighter community views Street Fighter. And since it’s election season I’ll say there are the liberal street fighter players and the conservative street fighter players. The liberal street fighter players love the rushdown style because it makes them feel more freedom and creativity. The conservative Street Fighter players love the turtle style because it’s more strategic. They love the spacing and the footsie game. There’s nothing wrong with either it’s just a point of view.
Third Strike, my favorite, was a much more liberal Street Fighter where you can jump in an attack people at your own will. Aggression and risk taking were rewarded in this game. But then with SF4 it went back to the conservative age where controlling space and playing it safe was much more beneficial than aggression. You can’t jump in SF4.
My personal preferance: How I would spend my time generally playing SF is to be aggressive. I was raised in seeing turtling in a negative light. Even in arcades like Family Fun they had no turtle signs on the cabinet. In Southern Hills Golfland people would get heated at turtling and let you know. But despite this I can play the turtle game as well, especially when needed to in a game like Alpha 2. I would sometimes use Ken, space, footsie, build meter, and kick alpha counter. It was very effective. Boring but effective.
And to no surprise, everyone talks about the Alpha series and doesn’t mention Alpha 1 at all.
So I’ll sum it up for all of you.
Marvel-like chain combos.
No damage or stun filters whatsoever.
Sodom unblockable meaty s.HK on opponent’s wakeup - good luck with your reversal DPs/supers.
Will admit that it seemed to be a game where people were totally turned off by the chain system alone. I guess Capcom responded to why CPU Ryu in SF2 could combo c.LK, c.LK, c.LK, c.HK-HADOKEN and why players couldn’t… but you can in Alpha 1! I’m sad that I never got to witness tournament level play of this game, The official strategy guide had tier lists based on region. I believe the top 3 in Japan were Akuma, Guy and Ken. Home versions added the Fierce input of the Raging Demon.
Loved the music, both Original and Arranged. The series as a whole had amazing music. The artwork imo is still the best in the entire Street Fighter series.
Everyone who could kick my ass in SF2 when I was a kid, I kicked their ass in Alpha 1 and 2 as a teen.
… and 3.
I like 2 better
I am good at a3 but its just not a good game for various reasons…
What kinds of reasons?
Here’s the great thing that came out of chain combos in Alpha 1:
Without Alpha 1 there would be no great complex chain combo characters like Guy and Gen as we know them today. You gotta thank the chain combo system for creating characters outside the street fighter box. Without Alpha 1 everything would mainly be hadokens and sonic booms. Alpha 1 gave birth to the “rushdown character”. And I’m thankful. I main A-Ism Guy in Alpha 3. He’s so fun.
And well, without Alpha and V-Ism, we wouldn’t have Ultra 1 Juri in AE and all that.
I don’t know the jury (no pun intended) is still out on AE. It’s seems like a duct taped versions of all the SF series put together in one big mess. The only redeming factor is that it’s still Street Fighter and I have to like it somehow.
Yeah, I can understand that. It’s actually kind of amusing that when I saw/heard about the concept of the FSE my first thought was “Holy crap, V-ISM!” and thought it was all cool, despite Yun already kind of having something that could also on first glance appear semi-similar.