Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha

"A nice fighting game!"

The street fighter series goes 3D! Well, 3D characters and environments, but the actual fighting is 2D. A well rounded fighting game indeed. EX+@ features veteran street fighter characters plus several newer characters (maybe even making their debuts in this game). There is a good variety of moves and the graphics/animation is pretty good.

All characters have several simple moves that can be performed by themselves or in combos. Punch moves, kick moves, fireballs and all sorts of things. Fighting styles vary as well and each character is unique. Everyone also has at least 2 super combo moves. These inflict significant damage. They can even be linked together to form higher level super combos (up to level 3). If you KO an opponent with a super combo, you'll see a special background scene as your opponent screams and falls. Level 2 and 3 super combos have different background scenes. (A few characters even have super combos that are automatically level 3).

Most moves are not too difficult to execute if you are familiar with fighting games. The most common button sequence is rotating from down to forward (or back) and a punch/kick. Some characters have moves that require charging up or 360 degree rotation. Super combos are typically performed by rotating down to forward(or back) twice in a row and then pressing punch/kick. Some of the more powerful ones are different though.

The graphics in EX+@ are not spectacular, but are much better then 2D sprite graphics. The animation is good. The characters move in realistic ways when fighting/getting hit. Some characters can roll or switch sides with their opponent quickly, which can be confusing. Also, all characters have 3-6 different color schemes.

The sound is excellent. Every character has their own unique voice. The sound effects in general are quite good. The music is great.

There are many different options available. You can customize the game or do a sound test. Even more options can be unlocked. For game modes, there is the classic Arcade mode, a 2-player Vs. mode, a time attack mode, survival battle (lose once and its over. life recovers somewhat between fights, depending on how many times you hit your opponent and how much time was left), a 5-on-5 team battle mode (single or 2 player) and a training mode, where you can practice moves or try to perform certain moves/combos to unlock special characters and options. There is even a watch mode, where you can choose 2 cpu characters to fight eachother and bet on the winner!

Overall, an excellent fighting game with a wide variety of characters, moves and options. It has high replay value, fun for a long time!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/05/02, Updated 06/05/02