"The first Street Fighter on the Dreamcast definatly sets a great standard for other SF games."

Wow! I am truly impressed by the how Capcom did this game. It has a lot going for it. Being the fact that this is the first of the Street Fighter series on the DC, it certianly has either beginners luck or Capcom really has something here. Not even the PS version has as much as the DC version. I hope that Capcom's Street Fighter 3: Third Strike is just as good as this. Okay, enough talk, on with the review:

Graphics-9
These have to be the best graphics of all the Alpha series. I safely can say it is the best 2D fighter on the market right now. The main high point is the brand new animation frames. I was amazed at some of the new animations. The Shotokan three all have some animations from the Street Fighter 3 series. The only complaint of that I have is how the game's graphic height. The characters seem to stretch to much and make the fighters look thin.

Sound/Music-9
The music brings something new to the Street Fighter series as well. The music scores are original and work very well with the action. The music style is something totally new as well. The music has a newer feel to it than the older titles set back music. The low point in this category comes in the sound. It is not that the sound is bad, it just lacks that special something that makes it good. The contact sounds aren't original for the SF series. Other than that, it is a totally new experience for your ears.

Control-10
The thing that I think is the game's best feature. This game has the best 6 button control of any game on the DC. You can play this game with the DC controller! Yes! It is true! The game is perfectly playable with the default DC controller! I have not tried this game with a 6-button layout but I am thinking that it is even better. The control, even with the DC controller, is flawless. In SF3, I rarely ever used jab and strong because of the layout. In this game, I was using them just like the rest. I can't say much about the control other than it is perfection. I can only wish that SF3: Third Strike's control is just as perfect.

Gameplay-10
The playability of the game is just as good. The AI in this game is the result of nearly a decade's worth of work. The AI is completely user-friendly. Depending on the gamer's skill level, the AI opponents will follow its set difficulty level. The AI is not cheap and does not rely heavily on throwing. It really relies more on strategy and timing its attacks and its advanced planning. It does not waste and tries to hit with deadly accuracy. The STUN bar adds even more strategy. It totally eliminates your ever-hated ''turtling'' players and forces them to be offensive.

Replay Value-9
The replay value is pretty good. The main draw of this game is its World Tour mode. With the ability to build up a character and use it later adds a thinking part. You can build up to 6 characters to be used later. There is also quite a few other things to do other than World Tour. The only drawback is the Arcade mode doesn't offer too much for advanced players.

Overall-9
All in all, this is a great game to own. True, it has its downs, but has enough ups to keep it going. I have to say buy this game. You will enjoy it. This is the first of the DC SF series. I can't think of a better flagship game than this one.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/00, Updated 08/16/00