Though it does have its flaws EX Plus Alpha does a good job at making Street Fighter into 3D.
Gameplay is good right?
At the time 3D fighters certainly weren’t a new thing so most people were already familiar with the likes of Tekken, Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter. So the developers knew they already had a challenge here. When you first start playing the game you’ll be introduced by a fairly basic cinematic which features trademark Street Fighter characters (Ryu and Ken) showing off their martial arts moves. Its a good example of showing the player what to expect from the game at a glance and a brief showcase of how the characters look for the first time in 3D. There are quite a few old favourites actually. Chun-Li, Zangief and Dhalsim are all here along with a brand new roster of characters exclusively for the EX series. You have Pullum Purna who can knock her opponents out with elegant dancing grace, baseball fan Cracker Jack who can send you flying with his bat and Zangief finally has a rival in the name of Darun Mister (retarded name I know). Of course there are many more fighters old and new to choose from which give both newcomers and veterans of the series such as myself reason to play through the game many times over and unlock endings. Each character in the game has an ending but just in case you’re expecting an FMV on par with Final Fantasy games and want to desperately unlock all of them I suggest you stop right there. They are really not worth it and you will either hate them or just laugh directly at them because they are downright terrible. The other downer is that certain characters have many similar moves such as Kairi and Allen who are blatant rip-offs of Ken and Ryu as they too can pull of Hadokens, Dragon Punches and so forth. Fortunately the super combos more than make up for these shortcomings as they look better than ever in 3D. Each character has a minimum of two super combos that can pull off when at least one super combo gauge is full. The gauge in total consists of three separate segments and each of them will light up blue to indicate that it is full and ready to use.
Anyone who has experience with the A-ism fighting style from the 2D Alpha games or the C Groove from the’ Capcom VS SNK’ games should get used to this system. The gauge will fill up as you attack your opponent with combo hits even if they are blocking and likewise when you block hits too.
Apart from using a segment to execute a super combo however you can also do a technique called a ‘Guard Break’ which simply implies breaking the opponents defence temporarily in case they are constantly blocking your attacks. Regardless however they will be stunned for a brief couple of seconds giving you time to take the upper hand. This technique in itself is extremely useful at times.
Additionally you can do standard techniques such as reversals or throws which can also contribute to filling up the gauge. All of these features give the gameplay a good tactical feel which encourages you to think about how best to challenge your opponent either against CPU players or your mates!
To conclude the sheer wealth of gameplay options are very good indeed. Apart from just having the typical Arcade and Practice modes, you can take on either a buddy or the CPU in VS, Team Battle and Practice. New to the SF series however is the Expert Mode which allows you to master the moves and abilities of each character in the game. When you pick a character you will start off with a low grade but work your way up higher as you complete more missions/tasks such as pulling of a Hadouken or doing a low punch just after you execute a high kick. It starts off simple but gradually becomes more difficult as you progress higher.
To make this mode rewarding however you can unlock extras such as secret characters, options and even a bonus mini game. This gives the player incentive to come back and continuously try and complete as many tasks as they can. Of course if you’re a purist you can feel free to try and complete all of the missions but don’t expect it to be easy.
It’s great to know that even in 3D Street Fighter hasn’t lost any of its addictive and occasionally frantic gameplay so both veterans and newcomers alike will feel welcome with this game.
Good but how are the visuals?
Whilst the animation on the fighters themselves can leave something to be desired the backgrounds look fairly good. The frame rate is pretty much flawless though and the visuals effects generally look very well done. In fact the visual effects are easily the game’s strong point when it comes down to visuals. Pulling off a projectile of any sort and watching the impact it has on the fighters looks pretty impressive.
As I said earlier however the FMVs are not anything to shout about. They look competent at best but that is about it really. It certainly would not be an overstatement to say that this game isn’t exactly a graphical showcase on the PSOne either. Even Street Fighter Alpha 3 on the Dreamcast (though limited to 2D) looks better with its lush, vivid backgrounds and highly detailed character sprites.
So to sum it up, good with some excellent visuals effects but nothing spectacular even for its time.
Sound, Replay Value and closing comments?
The sound effects are good enough but the in-game background music isn’t anything special or memorable to go by. It’s also a shame that each character doesn’t have an individual theme and stage of their own. On a plus note though since each of the Street Fighters in the game come from different regions of the world the music makes a good effort at having a universal appeal. Due to the extensive number of game modes and wide range of fighters included you will certainly have fun playing this game for a while and if you have a mate to battle against the fighting never gets old. With the added Expert mode even playing alone can be quite fun.
In all whilst there are flaws and wholeheartedly some hardcore Street Fighter fans will despise the change of direction in terms of visuals it still remains a great, fun and often challenging fighting game.
Thanks you for reading.