Street Fighter Alpha
Production for Street Fighter Alpha began in October 1994 following the release of Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors. Capcom gave its development team only three months to build a game from scratch, yet they took six months to finish it. This compressed timeline forced difficult choices regarding arcade hardware and production strategy. The company was buying back CPS-1 boards from arcades at that time to help sell newer CPS-2 boards. A significant stockpile of older CPS-1 boards existed alongside a growing inventory of new CPS-2 chips. Developers initially built the game for the older CPS-1 hardware to utilize leftover stock. They later developed a version for the newer CPS-2 system when Capcom held a large supply of those chips as well. Both versions were created simultaneously with distinct differences between them. The CPS-1 iteration featured a different-sounding soundtrack with fewer sound effects than its counterpart. Creating this dual-version approach allowed Capcom to sell the title to arcades unable to afford upgrading to CPS-2 hardware. Publicity testing versions of the CPS-1 model appeared in limited quantities across Japanese arcades.
Street Fighter Alpha revamped the Super Combo system by adding a three-level gauge that filled during regular play. Players could perform special counterattacking techniques called Alpha Counters after blocking an opponent's attack. These counters consumed one level of the Super Combo Gauge while allowing immediate retaliation. Two playing styles existed after character selection: Normal mode and Auto mode. Auto mode automatically guarded against a limited number of attacks if the character was not performing another action. This style also enabled instant Super Combos but reduced the maximum gauge level to one. New basic techniques included Air Blocking, which let players guard while airborne. Chain Combos interrupted the animation of one move to execute another of equal or greater strength. Players gained the ability to roll on the ground when falling after an attack. A secret two-on-one Dramatic Battle mode allowed Ryu and Ken to fight computer-controlled M. Bison together. The Japanese arcade version played an instrumental rendition of the movie theme Itoshisa to Setsunasa to Kokoro Zuyosa to. Overseas releases replaced this track with M. Bison's regular theme due to licensing issues.
The game serves as a prequel to Street Fighter II featuring younger versions of established characters alongside new additions. The roster includes Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Sagat from the original series plus Birdie and Adon from the first Street Fighter. Guy appears as a main playable character from Final Fight along with Sodom, a boss from that same title. Charlie Nash enters as Guile's combat buddy using identical special techniques. Rose is an Italian female fortune teller who uses energy known as Soul Power and has ties to antagonist M. Bison. Ten regular characters face three boss opponents in single-player mode. M. Bison acts as the final opponent for many characters during their story paths. Akuma returns from Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret final boss only after meeting specific in-game requirements. Dan challenges players if certain conditions are met during gameplay. All three secret characters can be selected by inputting specific codes into the system. The immediate narrative focuses on these fighters before the events of the original Street Fighter II timeline.
Capcom executed relatively straight ports to Sega Saturn and PlayStation home consoles due to small animation data amounts. Source code from the arcade version was incorporated directly into both home releases. These versions featured an arranged soundtrack with options between Arranged and Original audio tracks. A dedicated two-player Versus Mode existed alongside Training Mode allowing practice on non-hostile characters. Virgin Interactive Entertainment published the home versions in Europe under Capcom licensing deals instead of Capcom itself. The PlayStation version received re-release via PlayStation Network on the 14th of August 2008 in North America. The CPS-1 arcade game appeared as a mail order release for Capcom's CPS Changer in Japan during 1996. A Windows PC version based on the PlayStation build launched in 1998. Crawfish Interactive converted a Game Boy Color version released in 1999 featuring downscaled graphics and sound. That handheld iteration had no link cable support and remained single-player only. The Japanese Game Boy Color version used the Alpha name rather than Zero. The original title and its sequels appear in Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for PlayStation 2 released in 2006. This compilation includes Arcade, Versus, Survival, and Dramatic Battle modes.
Game Machine listed Street Fighter Zero as the second most successful arcade game of July 1995 in Japan. It became the second highest-grossing arcade game of that year below Virtua Fighter 2. RePlay reported Street Fighter Alpha as the most popular arcade game of August 1995 in North America. HMV ranked it among nineteen best-selling PlayStation games of 1996 in the United Kingdom. Computer and Video Games praised improved sprite graphics and innovative features like the revamped Super Combo system. Next Generation criticized major changes from previous iterations but concluded Capcom got great gameplay right. Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded the PlayStation version their Game of the Month award. Reviewers noted virtually identical quality to the arcade version despite some complaints about load times. Sega Saturn Magazine called the graphics great while noting competition from X-Men: Children of the Atom. GamePro deemed the Saturn version a near-perfect arcade conversion with excellent coloration of Super Move shadows. Maximum gave it their Maximum Game of the Month award for accuracy and refined design. GamesMaster ranked the title 43rd on its Top 100 Games of All Time list in 1996.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did production for Street Fighter Alpha begin?
Production for Street Fighter Alpha began in October 1994 following the release of Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors. Capcom gave its development team only three months to build a game from scratch, yet they took six months to finish it.
What hardware versions were created for Street Fighter Alpha?
Developers initially built the game for the older CPS-1 hardware to utilize leftover stock and later developed a version for the newer CPS-2 system when Capcom held a large supply of those chips as well. Both versions were created simultaneously with distinct differences between them including different soundtracks and sound effects.
Who are the secret playable characters in Street Fighter Alpha?
Akuma returns from Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret final boss only after meeting specific in-game requirements while Dan challenges players if certain conditions are met during gameplay. All three secret characters can be selected by inputting specific codes into the system.
Which home console received a PlayStation Network re-release on the 14th of August 2008?
The PlayStation version received re-release via PlayStation Network on the 14th of August 2008 in North America. A Windows PC version based on the PlayStation build launched in 1998 and Crawfish Interactive converted a Game Boy Color version released in 1999 featuring downscaled graphics and sound.
How did Street Fighter Alpha perform in arcade sales during July 1995?
Game Machine listed Street Fighter Zero as the second most successful arcade game of July 1995 in Japan. It became the second highest-grossing arcade game of that year below Virtua Fighter 2.