"Recycle-ware. Worth EVERY damn penny."

So... here we are with another compilation. Yes... ANOTHER showcase of just how old I really am. It's been a decade since the advent of the original Alpha series, and this compilation is yet another reminder of what made Capcom the supreme game producer it was back in its heyday. Street Fighter Alpha Anthology is a testament of what arcades were like in the 90s, where it was about putting your quarter up on the machine and waiting for the bloke in front of you to get pwned so you could show the people in the arcade who's got the most skill with 6-buttons and a joystick. For the first time EVER... the entire Alpha series is done justice.

In this collection, you have the 5 games during the "alpha" era of Street Fighting. What's to say about these? Well...

ARCADE PERFECTION!!

It's a shame that the original Street Fighter II games featured in Capcom Classics Collection did not receive the respect these titles got (likely because the developer, Digital Eclipse, took ports of ports instead of re-building the games from the ground up). The games are 100% intact. No missing/reduced animation, no loss in color.

First off... about the "arcade perfection" aspect. Prior to this, the Alpha games (minus Alpha 3) have been only available on Saturn and Playstation. The Alpha games run so quick and smooth that it will seem like you OWN the actual arcade program. Yes. For the first time, the ports are THAT excellent.

Graphics

As I said, everything is just like it should be. Nice, clear and colorful graphics fill the screen. However, if you're playing on a HD TV (or any TV with a clean picture) the CPS2 graphics do show their age. But, thankfully the display options give you the filter option as well as sharpness adjustment in addition to the usual screen position/ratio option to give you optimum control over what you see.

Sound

Audio comes across loud and clear. The only game that sounds bad is Street Fighter Alpha 2. The announcer is semi-muffled. But, it doesn't detract from the game at all. All audio effects are sampled at the highest bitrate, so they all sound crisp and clean. As a plus, the soundtrack is EXPANSIVE. Through the sound test, you have access to all music from each game, and as extra material, you have music from the original SF2 games, as well as music from Puzzle Fighter and Final Fight. Sure nice of Capcom =)

Gameplay

Shines. That's all I have to say. Controls are just what you've come to expect.

Extras

This is definitely where SFA Anthology falls short. However.... the single biggest feature is the game hidden within it... HYPER STREET FIGHTER ALPHA!! If you played Hyper SF2, then you know what to expect here. If not... then you're in for a real treat. This is the ULTIMATE Superlative of the Alpha series, allowing to select gameplay styles from ANY of the Alpha titles.

But that's not all.

You ALSO get 4 new Isms. You'll be able to use variants of play styles from the Darkstalkers series, Street Fighter 3, Classic Street Fighter II, and the VS games. That's DEFINITELY something that will make this collection something to own.

However... in terms of other extras, that's where this collection falls short. No moves list, no game art, no nothing. Whereas the games are flawless, this is inexcusable considering what Capcom threw into their other collections. But, it's a small price considering the value of this collection (which is sold at an MSRP of 29.99)

Overall

A Solid collection of undeniably fun games. THIS is hands down necessary for ANY fighting game fan.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/08/06