{"id":1378,"date":"2025-04-20T17:27:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T21:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/?p=1378"},"modified":"2025-07-04T16:43:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T20:43:18","slug":"street-fighter-alpha-2-issue-52","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/index.php\/2025\/04\/20\/street-fighter-alpha-2-issue-52\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Fighter Alpha 2 \u2014 Issue 52"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Clas\u00adsic Cus\u00adtom Com\u00adbo action<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Street Fight\u00ader Alpha 2 still a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty fave<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Good but not great. That\u2019s what Street Fight\u00ader Alpha 2 rep\u00adre\u00adsents for me. I don\u2019t hate the game these days. After a mature return to the game after many years spent ador\u00ading Street Fight\u00ader Alpha 3, I can hon\u00adest\u00adly say the game is a good set\u00adup for the king of the hill that is Alpha 3.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because Cap\u00adcom has advised that Street Fight\u00ader Alpha 2\u2019s sto\u00adry super\u00adsedes Alpha\u2019s sto\u00adry, we\u2019re not rehash\u00ading any\u00adthing here. Just know that every\u00adone is after M. Bison at this point because he\u2019s up to no good as he always is and will be, and Aku\u00adma enters the chat because he sup\u00adpos\u00aded\u00adly killed Ryu and Ken\u2019s mas\u00adter Gouken. Every\u00adthing that hap\u00adpens in Alpha 2 sets Alpha 3 up in a way that explains why M. Bison is so pow\u00ader\u00adful by the end of the series and why he\u2019s sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly weak\u00ader dur\u00ading Street Fight\u00ader II<\/span>. It\u2019s com\u00adpelling even if you\u2019re a casu\u00adal fan of Street Fighter.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe graph\u00adics haven\u2019t made a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant leap between Alpha games and yet they some\u00adhow look clean\u00ader. They\u2019re chunki\u00ader and larg\u00ader, and you can tell they\u2019re get\u00adting clos\u00ader to the Alpha 3 stream\u00adlined ver\u00adsion that became the hall\u00admark of the Street Fight\u00ader expe\u00adri\u00adence in the ear\u00adly to mid-2000s before the advent of Street Fight\u00ader IV<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank\u00adful\u00adly, while there isn\u2019t a big leap for\u00adward in the look between games, there is a siz\u00adable improve\u00adment in the sound\u00adtrack of Alpha 2. Quite a few tracks stand out and it\u2019s worth hunt\u00ading down the playlist because there are some gems. It\u2019s still not at the Alpha 3 lev\u00adel but it\u2019s get\u00adting there if you need reassurance.<\/span><\/p>\n

What I did\u00adn\u2019t care for in Alpha has improved in Alpha 2: how it plays. The play feel has improved with the intro\u00adduc\u00adtion of Cus\u00adtom Com\u00adbos, and while clunky to exe\u00adcute, it\u2019s a nice change of pace for the series. They\u2019re in their infan\u00adcy here so don\u2019t expect the absolute dom\u00adi\u00adnance of Alpha 3 V\u2011ISM<\/span> but they are cool to see and it\u2019s sat\u00adis\u00adfy\u00ading to get them to work con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly in play once you know what you\u2019re doing. Watch\u00ading high-lev\u00adel play shows how Alpha 2 is meant to be played, and it demon\u00adstrates Alpha 2\u2019s strengths: Nuanced strat\u00ade\u00adgy and a clean engine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alpha 2 does have its quirks, though. Some\u00adtimes the game just does\u00adn\u2019t feel quite right and by that I mean, I don\u2019t like how it feels some\u00adtimes. It can simul\u00adta\u00adne\u00adous\u00adly feel slow and slug\u00adgish but then it course cor\u00adrects and the game plays like a dream. Com\u00adbos work but then some\u00adtimes, I strug\u00adgle to get things going. I can\u2019t place my fin\u00adger on it, even years lat\u00ader, but there\u2019s some\u00adthing off about Alpha 2 but I\u2019ve learned to accept it for what it is and over\u00adall just accept Alpha 2. It may be because I did\u00adn\u2019t start the series until Alpha 3, but Alpha 2 does\u00adn\u2019t always feel right. I still pre\u00adfer to play Alpha 3 in every respect, but accep\u00adtance of Alpha 2 is a sign of maturity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alpha 2 is the mid\u00adpoint of the Alpha series and that\u2019s OK<\/span>. It\u2019s got its grow\u00ading pains but the growth is there and it\u2019s still regard\u00aded as a strong fight\u00ading game. Alpha 2 has val\u00adue and as the mid\u00addle child of the series, it\u2019s got a lot to offer and a cer\u00adtain charm that is bright\u00adened by the fact that Cap\u00adcom learned its les\u00adson and seem\u00ading\u00adly learned to count to three. Alpha 2 is a good bridge to greatness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Score: 3.5 out of 5<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n