Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX

"Bad Controls, Bad Game,"

My experience with SFA3MAX has been plagued with terrible controls so horrendous, that not alot of the game's remaining 10 modes are justified through their sheer amount. A little disappointing, with at least 3-5 exclusive features, virtually unplayable without a joystick and 6 buttons to play them on.

The PSP edition's single failing; bad controls; is it's absolute biggest for the most recent revision of Street Fighter Alpha 3.


Graphics 3/5
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"New-to-SFA3" Characters from Capcom vs SNK2 (2001), suffer from 'crunched' image artifacts. Options to remedy the image crunching issue are made worse through the screen options featured. The graphics aren't bad for an 8 year old game, but the main menu looks like it was designed by the Hulk; purple backrounds and green lettering largely comprise the display

Truer to the arcade than previous home arcade ports for the Sony Playstation, It's identical. So the graphics aren't something to complain about, save for marginal load times between matches and when the game 'boots' up.

Gameplay 2/5
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The PSP features a 'sleep' mode; where you're able to turn off the game, and return to it later for an indefinite period of time, Midst-Hadoken, or Headstomp. This feature is largely inclusive to PSP titles but it is easily the neatest, ocassionally doubling as a second pause (if you'd like).

The remaining game modes; 'secrets' from the original arcade compounded upon, (d.battle/survival/final battle) are reiterated to a blinding degree (8 versions of survival), and along with World Tour, are playable, but not without the use of the control options under the 'button config' menu.

Without proper controls, players will have an infuriating time figuring out the d-pad; far more convuluted than any arcade control scheme with lefts often being mistaken for 'up-lefts' or 'up-rights'. On an arcade stick, you'll eventually get used to your wrist muscles developing, on the D-pad, your thumb is always going to be monsterously gigantic

A large amount of these 'achievement-based' gameplay modes, fall largely on the ability to master the d-pad. Other complaints include the score ranking only listing scores under 4 star difficulties instead of 8. If you're able to find these please, let me know.

Maki, Eagle,Ingrid and Yun are PSP exclusives, but they're almost useless with limited (Ad-hoc) multiplayer support, and poor controls to play them on. You'll see limited activity on their part, if you aren't playing enough multiplayer matches to put them to good use.

Controls 1/5
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Complaints to the original (between alpha 2 and alpha 3), are probably reversed here.

Your thumbs are probably big enough now, to perform 2-button throws without using a macro (they are included), but the shoulder buttons aren't very responsive. Games using these buttons on the PSP rarely delegate beyond camera-control schemes in other games; They weren't made for mashing high-priority Fierce Punches.

The controls aren't like CVS's "(Easy Operation)" but complete moves of all strengths can be mapped to these controls. Almost every option was visibly made to make this an enjoyable handheld experience. A large part of the problem when performing moves appears around anything involving the diagonals, worse with every inclusion. Moves without them are sometimes even better peformed with them; Juni's cannon spike can sometimes turns into her teleport for example.

Alot of these issues aren't beyond solvable, and can partially be remedied through their mastery, smaller thumbs or by tweaking their inputs under the control menu. The game features fewer input hiccups; the further you are away from the 'arcade' input setting.

Having said that, going back to cradling an "egg"-plus-6-button-control-scheme, after abandoning this temporary solution, left me reeling from the simulated button input using any of these options. I wouldn't recommend playing on the PSP to anyone concerned with their ability to play, or their ability to perform FAB (720) motions, if they're looking solely to improve their skills through it.

The new characters advertised were better featured from when they appeared in Capcom vs SNK . Probably made worse through the new control schemes and limited multiplayer support.

Overall 2/5 = 4/10
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I'm vehemently preoccupied with my ability to perform moves on and off the arcade.
QCF's, HCB, Charge Moves, 720's and 360's (which aren't real 360's).
So the opprotunity to play a handheld SFA3 with 'decent' controls, with a pause that outlasts the games operation sounds like an immediate purchase. But this port largely reflects the compromises made through half a dozen street fighter home ports before it, only through the controls alone. Since I'm a bigger tool for the "batt top/egg" and 6 buttons, I wouldn't wholley recommend anyone bother getting used to the button delay or goofs on the directional pad in order to compensate.

The graphics and the game are arcade perfect, but none of the controls or the input are, and the controls for any fighting game are absolutely essential. Arcade sticks have been sold seperately for every other home edition. This is why.

It might be the best arcade handheld port ever, but in 2006, its essentially, an alienating 'home-edition' with controls identical from something in nineteen ninety one (the SNES). The game reflects an anachronistic novelty. Homeports from that era were watered down gimmicks themselves, which people bought in order to memorize moves. This is the same game with an updated roster

I'd wholley condone playing on the d-pad for another decade, if only the game had a wider audience to support through it's multiplayer options. Unless you can consistently find 3-5 new people to play, the game is largely a self-contained standalone, singleplayer experience; when half the game behind street fighter involves 'street fighting' other players. Best intentions aside, none of the gameplay involved is ever going to make you a better player at the arcade game, and SFA3MAX is far from being an accurate handheld 'training machine', but more accurate than it's predecessors.

If you've never played Street Fighter Alpha 3, MAX for the PSP isn't a bad place to start, but the god awful controls aren't worth reiterating for anyone who already has. I wouldn't recommend buying it for anyone who owns any other port of Street fighter Alpha 3 or Capcom vs SNK 2. Anyone who can name the discrepancies between versions or other games in the "alpha series", should pick up Alpha Anthologies for the PS2 instead. Otherwise buying this game is largely a 'zeitgeist'. If you end up purchasing it, you'll probably end up reiterating the way you played at the arcade to your own incredible expense over a handheld; Don't.

To anyone new to the game looking to prepare...you'll end up relearning the moves when you get to the arcade anyway. It's not worth the purchase, or time, if you're trying to train for the arcade experience.

None of the new characters or modes on are worth your money with poor controls. Buy a Joystick, Capcom vs SNK2, Alpha Anthologies, or go the arcade and play it for fifty cents. Save your money. Forget this game.

Graphics 3/5
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Gameplay 2/5
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Controls 1/5
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Overall 2/5 or 4/10.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/09, Updated 03/02/09

Game Release: Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX (US, 02/07/06)