TGS 2005: Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper Hands-On

TOKYO-It's been a while since we've seen an all-new game with the Street Fighter name on it, but Capcom seems to be keen on making sure that players have enough 2D fighting action to keep names like Ryu and Ken fresh on our minds. Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper is a PSP port of the 19XX arcade fighting game Street Fighter Alpha 3. But rather than being a port of the arcade game or one of the many existing console versions, this PSP release has some new twists all its own.

Double Upper contains all of the mission modes and other extra fighting modes found in the console versions of the game. It's also a pretty good take on SFA3, featuring the same music and sound effects while delivering the same gameplay you've come to expect from an Alpha game. The enhancement here is that there will be new playable characters. The game will include Yun, Maki, Eagle, and Ingrid. Ingrid is the newest of the bunch--she made her first appearance in last year's Capcom Fighting Evolution.

The gameplay in SFA3 is regarded by some as the best in the series, and all of that great fighting gameplay seems to be intact here. You'll still be able to choose an ism to govern how your super meter fills up and how available some other moves are. You'll still be able to choose from two turbo speeds, and you'll still be able to play two-player, though you'll be able to do it locally via ad hoc wireless connections.

Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper appears to be a strong version of an already-strong game. Fighting game fans should definitely keep an eye out for new information on this one.