I have been looking for this game for two years, and by luck, my borther happened to cross it's path at a clearence sale. Being teh generous bro he is, he bought it for me (knowing full well the drama that I've gone through in the search for it - being so rare, that it is!). And so, it made it's way into my GBA and in basic terms - it was worth the wait. What first stuck me, is that the controls, aren't as nearly as bad as I thought they would be, in the transition from Arcade/console, to the handheld (although I knew the controls to be of some good quality), they were much more easy to get used to and begin playing with. The only concern I had, is that combos, special attacks and special moves, are made harder to pull off (the actual process is easy), but the old set-up from the old controllers seems to have gone, with some of the moves...meaning you'll have to learn them all over again. Whereas classic moves (such as Ryu's uppercut), remain the same; it still feels different. The button order and timing is intact with these classic moves, but in some ways, harder than they once were, to pull off - which becomes irritating in a heated battle (particulary at the end of the main game, where you'll be needing to deliver some good hits in a short amount of time!). The gameplay overall, is very good, and just needs some TLC from yourself, and forgiveness. The graphics are great, although the models may be slightly small (on a SP), the shadow effects and animation is probably of a higher standard than the Dreamcast and Playstation eidtions. Although the detail is obviously not as advanced with some of the characters (such as Gen), who have particulary small faces. The sound is not too bad, the characters and moves sound as they've always done, and the music is in many ways, poor...But can be forgiven, to compensate for such a jam-packed game! There are a lot of features, even though not apparant at first. There's the standard single player game, Vs mode, Survivial, training and more (as not to spoil), all featuring 40+ of your favourite, and new Street Fighter characters! The game has been well thought out, with a lot of emphasis on how you would play this game (which was needed for such a transition (such a big game, to a small console!), but it pulls it off!) The controls are customizable, and the 'ism' system is actually useful this time around (Ism - choosing a A-ism, V-ism, and X-ism, determines the kind of moves you'll have by the amount of guage you give yourself (that range in each ism)...so you can choose, A-ism, for a lot of moves to pull off...Or X-ism, for few moves, but a lot more special moves!). The difficulty settings can be altered to your taste, as the speed settings, ranging from Normal, to Turbo 7! While there are going to be specific nagging issues to every gamers taste, that play this game (you'll all have your own views and faults!), the transition is very well done, and the quality of the game, easily out-weighs any issues you may have with it. While the fights can be a bit too intense for some newcomers to handle, there is a lot of options still available to satisfy hardcore street fighter fans, and those newcomers...But it has to be said, that while this still feels like classic Street Fighter, it leaves you in open water, in the sense, that whoever you may be, you'll be a newcomer, getting used to the new system of controls and tweaks added to the game, not that, that is a bad thing at all. Street Fighter Alpha 3, is a great addition to any GBA owner, and Street Fighter fan - If you can find a copy...Buy it!
This is the first game that really made me appreciate the technology of the Game Boy Advance in a way I never truly did before. While I had no doubts that the Game Boy Advance was an innovation and definitly opened the d... Read Full Review
Street Fighter Alpha 3 is one of the greatest fighters of all time, the cast of characters, the fantastic presentation, the choice of fighting styles. Of course it had problems, the music was mostly forgettable, the chee... Read Full Review
