Street Fighter Alpha 2

Infobox VG
title = Street Fighter Alpha 2


developer = Capcom
publisher = Capcom
designer =
released =Arcade
vgrelease|JP=February 27, 1996 vgrelease|NA=March 6, 1996

PlayStation
vgrelease|JP=August 9, 1996vgrelease|NA=September 30, 1996 Saturn
vgrelease|JP=September 14, 1996vgrelease|NA=September 30, 1996 SNES
vgrelease|NA=November, 1996 [cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/manuals/snes_games.pdf|title=List of Super NES games (Nintendo.com)] vgrelease|JP=December 20, 1996

Windows PC
vgrelease|JP=March 12, 1998vgrelease|NA=1998
genre = Fighting
modes = Up to 2 players simultaneously
cabinet = Upright
arcade system = CPS-2
display = Raster, 384 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors
input = 8-way Joystick, 6 Buttons
platforms = Arcade
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
Sega Saturn
SNES
Windows

"Street Fighter Alpha 2", known as nihongo|"Street Fighter Zero 2"|ストリートファイターZERO 2|Sutorito Faita Zero 2 in Japan, Asia, South America and Spain, is a vgy|1996 fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is a sequel to the previous year's "", which is itself a prequel to the "Street Fighter II" sub-series in terms of plot and setting. [ [http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/games_10_02.html GameSpot:Video Games PC Xbox 360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2 PlayStation 2 GameCube GBA PlayStation 3 ] ] The game featured a number of improvements over the original, such as new endings, stages, moves and gameplay systems.

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", consist of eight computer-controlled, including a fixed final opponent whose identity depends on the player's 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 player before the player's final opponent, rather than as an alternate final boss.

Characters

All ten selectable characters from the original "Alpha" return, along with M. Bison, Akuma and Dan, who are now part of the immediate roster. The graphics for all of the returning characters' home stages, cut-scenes and endings have been completely redone.

Five additional characters are featured as well, extending the selectable roster to 18. The new characters includes Zangief and Dhalsim from "Street Fighter II"; Gen from the original "Street Fighter"; Rolento from "Final Fight"; and Sakura, an all-new character, a schoolgirl who idolizes Ryu and emulates his techniques.

"Street Fighter Alpha 2" also features an alternate version of Chun-Li in her "Street Fighter II" outfit as a hidden character, as well as a "Shin Akuma", a more powerful version of Akuma who appears as a secret computer-controlled opponent in the single player mode. The US version of the arcade game also features three additional hidden characters who were not in the Japanese version: Evil Ryu, an alternate version of Ryu who uses the same power as Akuma; as well as "extra" versions of Zangief and Dhalsim who play like their counterparts from "Street Fighter II': Champion Edition" (including the omission of gameplay features such as super moves and air blocking).

Versions

Arcade

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

Capcom released a revised 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 whom were characters from the original "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.

Consoles

* The original "Alpha 2" was ported to the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in late 1996. The PlayStation port features an arranged soundtrack (in the form of XA-Audio), while the Saturn version uses the original soundtrack in a streaming ADPCM format (which looped properly like in the arcade version). Both versions features Shin Akuma as a selectable character via a secret code (which differs between the two versions), in addition to the Classic-style Chun-Li. The Saturn port is the only one of the two versions to feature the character Evil Ryu, EX Zangief and EX Dhalsim from the American arcade version. The Saturn port also features an exclusive Survival Mode, as well as an Art Gallery.

* A Super NES port was also released in 1996. This version makes use of the S-DD1 chip for graphic decompression. Due to the graphics decompression that needs to be performed, this version has several loading delays when entering matches. Unlike the PlayStation and Saturn versions, the only hidden character available to the player is the classic-style Chun-Li (Shin Akuma still appears in the game as a computer-controlled opponent).

* A Windows PC port was also released; based on the PlayStation version (but using the arcade soundtrack in 22KHz WAV format) in 1997.

* A home version of "Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha" was released under the title of "Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold" or "Street Fighter Zero 2 Dash" [Like the Japanese versions of "Street Fighter II Dash" and "Street Fighter II Dash Turbo", the word "Dash" is represented by a prime symbol (’).] in Japan. The game was released as a component of "Street Fighter Collection", a compilation that also includes "Super Street Fighter II" and "Super Street Fighter II Turbo". "Alpha 2 Gold" features most of the same changes, features and game modes as the arcade version of "Zero 2 Alpha", omitting only the 2-on-1 Dramatic Battle mode from the arcade game. In addition to all the characters featured in previous versions of "Alpha 2", "Gold" features a version of Cammy based on her rendition from "X-Men vs. Street Fighter", who appears as a hidden character selectable only in the game's Versus and Training Modes.

* The vgy|2006 PlayStation 2 compilation "Street Fighter Alpha Anthology" features a version of the original "Alpha 2" based on the arcade game, as well as a revised version of "Alpha 2 Gold" which features Cammy as a selectable character in the game's Arcade Mode (with her own storyline and ending). Both games features Survival and Dramatic Battle Modes in addition to the Arcade, Versus and Training Modes. The Japanese version of the compilation "Street Fighter Zero: Fighters' Generation", features the arcade versions of "Street Fighter Zero 2" and "Zero 2 Alpha" as regular games, with the US version of "Alpha 2" and a revised version of "Zero 2 Dash" as hidden games.

External links

*KLOV game|id=9804|name=Street Fighter Alpha 2
*StrategyWiki|Street Fighter Alpha 2

References

*cite book|title=Street Fighter Alpha 2 Strategy Guide|author=Jason Cole, Jeff Schaefer, Matt Taylor, Mike Watson and Graham Wolfe|year=1996|publisher=Empire 21 Publishing, Inc.