Street
Fighter Alpha 3 / Street Fighter Zero 3
REVIEW:
A true successor in every way to SFA1
and SFA2, Street Fighter Alpha 3 was a dream come true for
long-time fans of the series in 1998-1999. In SFA3, previously missing fan-favorites like E. Honda,
Blanka, Balrog,
and Vega make their epic debuts into the Alpha saga, making for the most
robust and colorful character roster in any Street Fighter title to date.
Naturally, the
classic fighters were given completely new sprites, animating
smoother than ever before and even boasting new moves. FUN FACT:
The art style and animation of SFA3 was so influential to the Street
Fighter series, that 2D character sprites from SFA3 would later
appear in a variety of other Capcom fighting game series, including: Marvel
Vs. Capcom, Capcom Vs. SNK and Capcom Fighting
Evolution.
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Street
Fighter Alpha 3 brings the hype like no title before it!
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The returning veterans are joined by 3 newcomers: Karin - Sakura's rival who first appeared in the manga
Sakura Ganbaru, R. Mika - an acrobatic Japanese female wrestler who idolizes
Zangief, and Cody - one of the protagonists from Capcom's classic arcade beat-em-up, Final
Fight (1989).
Cody's Street Fighter debut is particularly epic (especially to any old school
Capcom fan), since he appears as an escaped convict (which makes perfect sense,
considering he relentlessly beat the hell out of 100's of street thugs in Final
Fight)...
On a side note, one of Cody's super moves is even a throwback to his classic
"jab infinite" in Final Fight. That level of epic fan service
is unprecedented, and it's only one example of many in SFA3.
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SFA3
character selection screen (Arcade version)
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The core gameplay system from the prequels has been
streamlined in Alpha 3, keeping most of the gameplay trademarks intact, but giving
returning players a host of new options to play with. Alpha 3 discards
the "Manual" and "Auto" modes from the prequels, introducing
3 different playing styles known as "isms". After
selecting their character of choice, players choose from "A-ism" (three-tiered super combo meter), "X-ism"
(one-tiered super meter style based on SSF2T),
or "V-ism" (custom combo style based on SFA2's system).
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Street
Fighter Alpha 3 includes epic tributes to Capcom's Final
Fight.
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These isms
allow players to play SFA3 characters how they want to, as X-ism is based on a
more classic formula, while A-ism and X-ism offer the newest and freshest
mechanics of the Alpha series. There
are tons of tiny nuances that change for each character depending on which ism
is chosen, ranging from animation changes, to alternate move commands, and of
course how specific attacks function. These new
modes of play add
awesome customization value
never before seem in a fighting game, and allows each fighter to
be used very differently depending on their "ism". Each character also has 6 different color
options (and in the arcade version, character color depends on which
"ism" is selected).
Aside from the Ism System, innovative mechanics such as Air Blocking, Air
Recoveries, and Guard Breaks provide a very different Street Fighter experience
from what returning fans might expect. All of the unique gameplay elements
combined create a very unique experience in Alpha 3.
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Capcom's
Alpha / Zero sprite style took the series to the next level!
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The home versions
of Street Fighter Alpha 3 weren't simple ports like previous installments,
and actually include some great bonus modes and even new characters. The
console exclusive World Tour mode allows players to choose a character and level
them up with various power-ups and abilities as they fight their way through the
roster (and even some 2-VS-1 battles). Dramatic Battle is a 2-VS-1 battle mode
which enables 3 characters on screen at once... and considering all of SFA3's
flashy gameplay mechanics, the action can get pretty crazy at times.
Additionally, the home versions also include the final three characters from Super
Street Fighter 2 (who were previously missing in the Alpha series): Dee Jay, T.
Hawk and Fei Long, along with the old school SF2 icon, Guile...
completing the original cast from Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo. Balrog
also makes his way onto the default roster (previously a secret character in the
arcade version), along with console-exclusive characters: Evil Ryu and Shin
Akuma.
There are two sequels to the original version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 which
add even more characters to the superb roster, and they can both be found on handheld
systems. Street
Fighter Alpha 3: Upper on Gameboy Advance adds Yun, Maki & Eagle and
the later Street
Fighter Alpha 3: Max adds those same 3 characters to the line-up, plus Ingrid!
On that note, don't miss TFG's full review of Street Fighter Alpha 3: Upper and SFA3:
Max!
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Page Updated: |
July
28th, 2024
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Developer(s): |
Capcom
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Publisher(s): |
Capcom
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Designer(s): |
Noritaka Funamizu
Haruo Murata
Hideaki Itsuno
Akiman
Character Design
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Artwork
by: |
Bengus Character Art
Harumaru Saturn Box Art
Hideki Ishikawa Posters |
Platform(s): |
Arcade,
Dreamcast, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy Advance
(SFA3:
Upper),
PSP
(SF3: Max),
PS2
(SFA:
Anthology),
PSN
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Release Date(s): |
June 29th 1998
/ Arcade
December 1998
PS1
Apr. 30th, 1999
PS1
July 8th, 1999
Dreamcast
Aug. 6th, 1999
Saturn
2000
PlayStation
May 31st, 2000
Dreamcast
Sept. 29th, 2000
Dreamcast
Sept. 27th, 2002
GBA as SFA3:
Upper
Nov. 29th, 2000
GBA as SFA3: Upper
Dec. 1st, 2002
GBA as SFA3: Upper
Jan. 19th, 2006
as SFA3: Max
Feb. 7th, 2006
as SFA3: Max
Mar. 10th, 2006
as SFA3: Max |
Characters: |
Ryu,
Chun-Li,
Cody,
Rainbow Mika, Karin,
Adon,
Guy,
Ken Masters,
Dhalsim,
Gen,
Sakura,
Rolento,
Zangief,
Charlie,
Birdie,
Rose,
Sodom,
Sagat, M.
Bison,
Dan Hibiki,
E.Honda,
Vega,
Blanka,
Cammy,
Juli,
Juni,
Balrog,
Evil
Ryu,
Akuma, Shin Akuma, Guile
(console),
Fei Long (console),
Thunder
Hawk
(console),
Dee Jay (console) |
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Featured Video:
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Related Games: |
Street Fighter Alpha 3: MAX, SFA3: Upper,
Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street
Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter
Alpha Anthology, Street
Fighter, Street Fighter 2, SF2: CE,
SF2 Turbo, Super SF2,
Super SF2 Turbo, SSF2T: Revival, SSF2T HD Remix,
Ultra SF2, SFIII: New Generation,
SFIII: 2nd Impact, SFIII: 3rd Strike, SFIII: 3S
OE, Street Fighter 4, Super
SF4, SSF4: 3D Edition, SSF4: AE, Ultra SF4, Street
Fighter V, SFV: AE, SFV:
CE, Street Fighter 6, SF:
Anniversary Collection, SF30th
Anniv. Collection, Street Fighter EX,
SFEX2, SFEX3, SF: The Movie,
Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo,
Super PF2T HD Remix, Pocket
Fighter, Darkstalkers
2,
Darkstalkers 3,
Rival Schools, Final Fight Revenge, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, Last Blade 2,
KOF '98, KOF '99, SNK
Vs. Capcom: MOTM, Final Fight Revenge, Capcom
Vs. SNK 2, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Marvel
Vs. Capcom 2, Capcom
Fighting Evolution |
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Gameplay
Engine
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9.5 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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9.5 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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9.0 / 10
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Animation
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9.5 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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9.5 / 10
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Innovation
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9.5 / 10
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Art Direction
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9.5 / 10
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Customization
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9.0 / 10
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Options / Extras
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8.0 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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9.0 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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9.5 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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8.5 / 10
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Characters
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9.0 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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9.5
/
10
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Review based on Arcade
/
Dreamcast version
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Final
Words: |
At the time (1998), Street
Fighter Alpha 3 was a fighting game that was "thinking outside the box" for Street Fighter.
For people expecting the typical Street Fighter formula of the early 90's... SFA3 likely changed their perspective, offering a
fresh art style, interesting newcomers, and new gameplay nuances which allowed returning fighting game veterans to play the game
exactly how they wanted. For those who really dived in... SFA3 provided a
very different gameplay experience, not to mention one of the best presentations from the series to date.
SFA3 was no doubt an important stepping stone in the series history, throwing some incredible new (and veteran) characters into the mix. Future fan favorites such as R. Mika and Karin Kanzaki got their start in SFA3... and damn are they impressive! As an old school Capcom fan growing up in the 80's, of course seeing Cody Travers punch through
his jail cell to finally enter the Street Fighter universe (alongside his old comrade, Guy) was an incredible moment in time.
If you ask this fighting game veteran, I'll tell you Street Fighter Alpha 3 is
still one of the finest iterations of Street Fighter known to man. The
unique and customizable gameplay mechanics via the 3-Ism
System, the excellent roster, the hard-hitting original soundtrack, the beautiful and diverse backgrounds, the incredibly memorable artwork
by Bengus, (and the list goes on)... pretty much every aspect about SFA3
makes sense and just feels "right". Feng shui if you will.
I put 100's of hours into SFA3
competitively back in the day. Decades later, Alpha 3 is still one of my "all time" favorite Street Fighter
games... and I know I'm not the only Street Fighter fan with that
opinion. SFA3's brilliant art style and soundtrack is also something special.
Everything about this game screams EPIC. Many fighting games after SFA3
didn't quite match the "hype" this game (and the announcer) brought to
the table.
SFA3 was succeeded by 2 handheld ports which added new characters to the roster: SFA3 Upper in 2002
and SFA3 MAX in 2006.
In addition to new playable characters like Maki, Yun, Eagle, and Ingrid, these
upgraded versions also added new stages and features to the game, and should not
be overlooked!
~TFG
Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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