"Awesome conversion with more modes to boot!"

This review is of the import Street Fighter Zero 3 (Alpha in the states. While SF3 makes this game look bad, you can't miss what they added to the home version!

Graphics: 8
OK, so I've become hooked to SF3's graphics, and this looks choopy as heck now, but hey, wait all of the animation is here now! Everything in the arcade that was missing in the PS version is back! An example would be Cody getting chased off by the cop when he wins, as well as Zangief's win poses. Very bright and vibrant colors, especially on the super finishes! Well, though they are a bit dated compared to SF3, still good Capcom stuff.

Sound: 9
Oh this soundtrack rocks! Not quite memorable music, but what is there has a nice amount of bass to it, and fits each stage or fighter. All the sounds is there clear as day, the hits are nice and all. All the screams and taunts come out nicely.

Control: 10 with the Arcade Stick/Fighter Pad
7 with the default DC controller.
Capcom 6 button games are harder to play with the standard controller. I mean MvsC made it really bad because the supers required 3 buttons to do it, but SFZ3 has a problem because the fierce(or middle depending on the setup) is underneath? Harder to pull combos. I have fighter pads, and the game is oh so sweet! All combos and supers are so easy to pull, even the DB,DF,DB,UF supers such as Guile's flash kicks are easier to pull now. I can do it easier now then when I had SFA3 on my PS.

Gameplay: 10
Well there's so much here to mention. First, there are three styles (X,Z,V) which change how you play the game. Xism is the same as the old SSF2T system. Zism is the Zero/Alpha system of fighting. Vism is the custom combo which allows you to go off and throw 4 fireballs at once, etc. Some characters lose and gain moves depending on what ism they're in. After that, there are Alpha counters, rolls, tech hits, throw escapes, etc. It's the true definition of a fighting system that has been refined over the years.

Features: 10
Oh my, where to start? A massive world tour mode where you can build a custom character with new abilities. In it you'll face survival battles, 2 on one battles, and normal fights. You'll also face enemies who must be thrown to be defeated, only supers will hurt others, and others will require getting comboed. After that there is a team battle like KOF. There is survival modes ranging from the bosses(face Balrog, Vega, Sagat, Bison and Akuma all in a row) to face X amount of opponents to the AWESOME dramatic battle mode.

Dramatic Battle - 10 all by itself!
This is where you and a friend (or a CPU helper) get to battle 6 preset opponents, including Bison. Now this is where the DC has an advantage over the PS. On PS, you had to pick Ryu/Ken or Juli/Juni or two of the same character (ex 2 Fei Longs). Here on DC, it can handle three different characters on screen, so you can have Karin and Sakura vs Adon! On top of that, you can also do a 3 player battle with you friends and see if any of you can beat two HUMAN opponents. Very hard to do, especially if they get on both sides of you!

All in all a worthy import purchase, and I'm sure the American release will be the same. If anything get it for Dramatic battle, as that is a fun little thing to do with (or against) your friends. Difference between the US and Jap release is I found the import for $20.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/00, Updated 04/25/01