Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX is a rare gem from the past that keeps on giving no matter what year it is.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX has all of the Street Fighter II, II Turbo, Super, and Super Turbo II characters, as well as all the Alpha 1-3 originals. In fact the only ones that aren't included are the new fighters from Street Fighter III (vers. 1-3) or the new Street Fighter IV. It even includes most of the secret characters from those series already unlocked. So your favorite character is here. Street Fighter Alpha 3 adds all the moves from the Street Fighter II and III counterparts of the same character (which brings into question the cannon of the series, but that's just splitting hairs). So chances are you will already know all your moves if your a vet. This is seperated by the 3 different types of super gauges you can choose from. The controls are still the same old tride and true controls that you have had since the early 1990's, light, medium, heavy, back to block jumping attacks and throws. The dash has also been added to the basics. The game is easy to pick up and play and very hard to master. Vet's will have no problem starting the game on the default difficulty level and then beating the game. Newbes will probably have difficulty up to the last boss and then may give up as the difficulty level suddenly makes a steep slope up. But there is a lot more then just arcade mode here. There is an entire screen of different modes here, to name a few are: versus, 2 on 1, 2 on 2, 1 on 2, survival, a quest like mode, etc. Of course all the modes have different names then what I've just stated. You'll have to muck around with the game to really get a feel for each one. It's hard to put down. The game will take some cheap shots though in the higher difficulties. Main offenses are cut frame rates to make opponants faster, cut charge times for charging special moves, and additional strength to boss characters. These grips are part of the arcade modes mostly and not really something to complain about the quest like mode.
The controls take some time to get used to. That's not the games fault but more the PSP design fault. Some moves are easier to do on the thumb stick vs the pad. You may find yourself switching back and forth sometimes due to the complexity of the moves. This leaves you open for attack and can be problematic. Once you get used to how you have to move you had, you will pick up the controls for most characters.
The graphics look great! The updated drawn 2-D fighters are animated flawlessly , the colors are vibrant, details are deep, and lighting and shadowing great. Although I do prefer the Street Fighter III engine, the Alpha engine is no sloutch either.
All the usual stages are here for your favs, along with some new ones. For the most part the tradional theme songs are the same, just updated and sound much better.
Of course where would a Street Fighter game be with out the tradmark sayings while executing special moves. Yup they are all here, they are a little clearer so you can actually tell what they are saying, which is nice compared to the arcarde days.
To put it simply, Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX is a great game, a must for Street Fighter fans and 2-D fighting fans alike. If your looking for something new (unless you've been living under a rock or are completely new to gaming) Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX is a good addition to your PSP library. It's got tons of replay, nestalgia factor, and is a good way to catch up for the pending Street Fighter IV. Aside from some difficulty issues and control annoyances the game is first rate.