This game series delivers a dragon punch to a lot of 3D fighters out there.
If you're new to the franchise, the Alpha series takes place before Street Fighter II, which hit arcades in the early nineties and caused a popularity boom in gaming similar to when Mario first showed up. You'll get to choose between Alpha, Alpha II, Alpha II Gold, Alpha III, and - regrettably - a cute little game called "Gem Fighters" that doesn't play nearly as well.
Visually, the games each look a small bit dated compared to what we're used to as far as the PS2 is concerned, but the character models are slick and the framerate is perfect. Each game brings a slight difference in animation and design, but not too drastic of a change to notice. Sound quality is fine, too: all the appropriate effects are there and the music is still as you remember it.
Controls feel solid, with quick responses from (almost) every character. I did have a bit of trouble getting Sodom to react, but then again I never liked playing as him much anyway. Gem Fighters is my only real complaint about this compilation... originally designed for a handheld system, the game looks great but doesn't control as well. I had too tough a time figuring out just how to attack, and in a compilation of games that are very pick-up-and-play, it just doesn't belong. The games are easy for the most part, and you should be able to breeze through them (depending on difficulty level) within 30 minutes or so each. Multiplayer is where it's at, though. While Xbox Live Arcade's SFII offers much better online action, you and a buddy could waste at least a couple of hours in some epic struggles. If you're curious, rent it first, but all Street Fighter fans must buy this one.