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Street Fighter Alpha 2 versus Street Fighter Alpha 3
- Thread starter entremet
- Start date
A2 and A3 are my favorite Street Fighter games of all time.
I think I'd have to give 3 the nod because of Karin. I wish Capcom would stop being so lazy and put her in a game. They did a popularity poll a year ago and she was the highest ranking character who wasn't included in SF4 and the highest ranking character overall in Japan, but for Ultra we just get recycled asset characters regardless.
I think I'd have to give 3 the nod because of Karin. I wish Capcom would stop being so lazy and put her in a game. They did a popularity poll a year ago and she was the highest ranking character who wasn't included in SF4 and the highest ranking character overall in Japan, but for Ultra we just get recycled asset characters regardless.
Alpha conters in 2 was perfect, 1 was too strong.
Alpha 3 fix lot of bugs/problems but never got a good home port.
Goddamn, you nailed it. The game is just awesome in roster, presentation, content (and the depth of said content), options, etc... The game has a ridiculous amount of ways to entertain you, and it succeeds in doing so. So many days and nights spent with friends on SFA3.
IMO, Capcom should use it as a benchmark for future SF titles.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
Alpha 2 has the better combat flow
entremet
Member
You're right. I loved that update for Alpha 3 for the multi level supers. Much better than pressing multiple buttons or using 3x punch variations. I also loved standards throws having whiffing motions and requiring some extra button presses.
Gaylord Sweetwood
Member
Alpha 1 was my favorite personally. It also had some of the best music as well. Guy's theme in particular (both versions).
entremet
Member
Love those chain combos?
I did miss the chains as they reminded of the Vampire games. I was bummed when I learned they were removed for A2. Made sense due to the CC. I've always hated CCs, though.
Each of the Alpha games was a mess in its own unique way.
A1 had the chain combos which led to all sorts of stupidity
A2 had Vallecombos and some overstrong ACs, and some meh balance
A3 had crouch cancel infinites, guard meter not implemented well at all, terrible fireballs, hitbox issues, and all sorts of other stuff.
BTW a lot of ST vets didn't like 3 because of parries. SF3 is what started the Dark Ages.
I have huge feels for A2 myself, it's the same that started me in tourney fighters- and it's the only game I ever top 3'ed a major in. However, I did sit down and play it last month in an arcade- it hasn't aged well at all, not in the way ST did.
And anyone who says A2 isn't also a broken mess is deluding themselves.
A1 had the chain combos which led to all sorts of stupidity
A2 had Vallecombos and some overstrong ACs, and some meh balance
A3 had crouch cancel infinites, guard meter not implemented well at all, terrible fireballs, hitbox issues, and all sorts of other stuff.
BTW a lot of ST vets didn't like 3 because of parries. SF3 is what started the Dark Ages.
I have huge feels for A2 myself, it's the same that started me in tourney fighters- and it's the only game I ever top 3'ed a major in. However, I did sit down and play it last month in an arcade- it hasn't aged well at all, not in the way ST did.
And anyone who says A2 isn't also a broken mess is deluding themselves.
entremet
Member
Yep. SF3 wasn't well received by the older timers as much. I still think it's a wacky game myself.
Stabby McSter
Member
Alpha 3 is better because it was broken as fuck. :>
Sf3 wasn't well received at all. It took several years and Capcom not making anymore 2d fighters for people to start playing it.
Alpha 3 at least had some things going for it. It has the best presentation of any Capcom fighter in my opinion. The world tour mode was really fun, probably the greatest single player mode added to a Capcom fighter ever. Plus it has a huge cast of unique characters. And the music was great. Other than that people already listed it's flaws and why it ended up not being the best in terms of actual game play.
petran79
Banned
i missed that series so i was surprised when i saw alpha and then third strike.
In the early 90s one could claim that it was snk who was influenced by capcom.
Sf2 1994 was the #1 fighter
But watching alpha and iii, it was evident that it was a last effort by capcom to cover the lost ground to snk superior fighters after the mid-90s.
Hence that change in style, narration and the addition of various mechanics
A little too late, snk had become top 2d fg developer back then. Capcom and sf were living under snk shadow
I still play sf2, was never a fan of alpha and iii. But they are better in character presentation and story, similar to snk.
In the early 90s one could claim that it was snk who was influenced by capcom.
Sf2 1994 was the #1 fighter
But watching alpha and iii, it was evident that it was a last effort by capcom to cover the lost ground to snk superior fighters after the mid-90s.
Hence that change in style, narration and the addition of various mechanics
A little too late, snk had become top 2d fg developer back then. Capcom and sf were living under snk shadow
I still play sf2, was never a fan of alpha and iii. But they are better in character presentation and story, similar to snk.
cj_iwakura
Member
We should all settle this via GGPO, like gentlemen(and ladies).
I don't get why GGPO is frowned upon but dolphin has a 200+ page thread. Hell I bought the GOG version of A2 just to repay a karmic debt from all my hours on GGPO.
I love that stage so much. Best one in the whole street fighter series and its limited to one use at the end of one characters playthrough.
I prefer the arcade mode in 2 because of the more individual bosses and stories and I prefer the stages and music in 2 as well. 3 wins with its roster and wealth of gameplay modes in the home conversions. World tour mode is excellent.
If I judged purely on the Arcade versions then 2 wins. On home console versions 3's extra features put it up to a tie.
Sure, if you were living in Mexico.
Great summary! Other than Chun-li, I think A2 is broken in the same way ST is, where every character has something that's viably overpowered...unlike USF4 where the best characters would be merely average in other games and are only good because everyone else just plain sucks.
Projectjustice
Banned
Alpha 2 has better gameplay, only thing drives me crazy is level 1 supers dont have invincible start up frames so jabs can stop them very easily. Balance is an issue in the game, top teir is top tier! Some hit boxes are off but overall it has more solid gameplay than Alpha 3.
Alpha 3 has more gameplay mechanics and better hit boxes overall. I enjoy the counter hit and juggle system a lot better adding a lot more to the matches. I prefer the overall speed and roster in A3. Personally I like A3 better than A2 but thats cause I dont consider custom combos in A2 and V-ism in A3 an option to use. I feel if these 2 subsystems werent in the game both games would of been overall better. Since I never use them, A3 comes out on top.
I still play both game online a lot till this day. You can find me on Supercade. If you are up for matches hit me up on PM. Supercade tag is Projectjustice.
Alpha 3 has more gameplay mechanics and better hit boxes overall. I enjoy the counter hit and juggle system a lot better adding a lot more to the matches. I prefer the overall speed and roster in A3. Personally I like A3 better than A2 but thats cause I dont consider custom combos in A2 and V-ism in A3 an option to use. I feel if these 2 subsystems werent in the game both games would of been overall better. Since I never use them, A3 comes out on top.
I still play both game online a lot till this day. You can find me on Supercade. If you are up for matches hit me up on PM. Supercade tag is Projectjustice.
Projectjustice
Banned
That is beautiful.
And fake. Anyone that post on SRK a website dedicated to fighting games would normally take fighting games a bit more serious than a casual fan. I smell bullshit.
Saturn says hi
Well, if you own the original arcade board and dump it yourself, there's no problem with GGPO
Not everyone has an arcade board
Alpha 3 is what I know, so I'll go with that. Never got to play much of Alpha 2.
SkylineRKR
Member
While the Saturn version is the best one, it does suffer from slowdown during supers, muffled sound effects and other small issues. It was a less good port than Vampire Savior or MvsSF, but still the best version of SFA3.
The DC version was a hack. I actually returned it and caved for the Saturn version and never regret it one bit. Controller was ofcourse better too. I also think the PS1 version sucks. I did notice it was a far better job than A1 and A2 on PS1, but I just couldn't call it acceptable with a Saturn under my belt. I'd probably even prefer the DC version.
Alpha 2 is a better, more grounded SF game but you can't deny the roster of SFA3.
The DC version was a hack. I actually returned it and caved for the Saturn version and never regret it one bit. Controller was ofcourse better too. I also think the PS1 version sucks. I did notice it was a far better job than A1 and A2 on PS1, but I just couldn't call it acceptable with a Saturn under my belt. I'd probably even prefer the DC version.
Alpha 2 is a better, more grounded SF game but you can't deny the roster of SFA3.
MightyHedgehog
Member
I'm an Alpha 2 person. Still felt harsh in a good way, damage-wise, and had perhaps the best soundtrack and set of backgrounds in the series, IMO. Wished it had Alpha 3's big-ass character roster and added backdrops, though. Why they never released an Alpha/Zero Anthology on XBL/PSN, I have no idea. They were the last super-fun SF games for me.
CoolZombie360
Member
I played a great deal of Alpha 3 on Dreamcast and I've got the psp version loaded on my vita which is a great port.
I remember the GBA one being pretty amazing too, the fact that they even got it on there was impressive!
Not played much of Alpha 2 :-/
I remember the GBA one being pretty amazing too, the fact that they even got it on there was impressive!
Not played much of Alpha 2 :-/
Emperor Bohe
Member
Alpha 3 is the one Street Fighter game that doesn't feel right. Capcom were doing their best anime impression or something. For me, it's street fighter alpha 2 all of the way... SFA2 is one of the best fighting games IMO
I guess it really depends on whether you value balance or system wonkiness. A2 CCs keep mid-tier characters competitive as the Top 4 (Chun/Ken/Rose/Ryu) are just plain better than the rest without even taking into account CCs.
Projectjustice
Banned
I value balance, tiers will be tiers but you always have to factor in player skill levels and adaptability.
I refuse to use Chun, Rose and Ken. Nope, nope, nope. I suck with them but they feel like cheating. I prefer to skank out 90% damage with Rolento. I wish I could play Gen, I rate people who can use him.
direct_quote
Member
Alpha 3 because it had the superior home port and it's what I played the most. Plus it had my favorite version of Guy where he could combo into bushin flip... They ruined him in SF4 may he rip...
Xenozip SFA3 Guy combos
Xenozip SFA3 Guy combos
Yes it did have the best presentation and music that fit that theme. And the best announcer... SF4 feels so dry and dull in comparison.
Splash Wave
Member
I'm sure Alpha 3 is the better game, objectively speaking, but nothing will beat the memories I have with 2. None of my friends at the time played fighting games, so I remember spending countless hours playing against the CPU with that Saturn pad. I was never good enough to care about the ways in which it may have been broken.
Fuck, I think I'm gonna buy it on PSN when I get home.
Fuck, I think I'm gonna buy it on PSN when I get home.
why?
entremet
Member
Alpha 2 on PSN is the shitty PS1 version. Missing many frames and awful load times. Just letting you know.
direct_quote
Member
Why would they do that..... when they had the alpha collection on PS2 to pick from?
entremet
Member
That's on Capcom, not Sony.
Capcom needs to make the PS2 collection available for PSN. There's only a few a PS2 classics on PSN. Well Godhand is on it.
GrayFoxPL
Member
Haha so many divided posters.
I like all Alpha games.
Best graphical style in the series imo.
Wow, interesting info.
Btw what was changed or fixed in A3 Upper version? Never got a chance to play it.
I like all Alpha games.
Best graphical style in the series imo.
Wow, interesting info.
Btw what was changed or fixed in A3 Upper version? Never got a chance to play it.
notworksafe
Member
Alpha 3 has R. Mika. All else is irrelevant.