Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX

"Pretty much perfect."

At last, after Darkstalkers Chronicles (which I never liked much) and the excellent Guilty Gear XX #Reload, one of the best (and most anticipated by me) 2d fighters comes to the PSP.

This review will be mostly based on comparisons with other versions, since this is nothing more than an enhanced port: in the past, I've played the arcade version, the DC one, and the GBA one, while the sought-after Saturn version still eludes me, and I'v never seen the arcade SFZERO3 Upper (on Naomi), and the PS1 version.

Graphics:

Unlike previous ports, all the animation frames are there (including those for the new characters added in the home versions, like T.Hawk and Fei Long), and it looks very much like the original, save the for the typical "bleeding" effect of the PSP, which happens in certain circumstances, but it's nothing grave.

As usual, you can choose between two different screen settings: wide (full screen) and normal (with a selectable frame on the sides), but I think the wide version looks perfectly well in proportion with the original arcade version.

Simply put, all our old friends form SFZero were brought to life again.

Sound:

Nothing wrong to report here, as well: FX, music, and voices are the same as the console versions (which is very good).

Control:

Now this is the good part: let's start by saying that normally the control is pretty good, better than in Vampire Chronicles, and you have the usual option of selecting an "easy" input command to simplify the recognition of moves, which can be useful for gaming "on the run".

The best thing is, though, that you probably won't need that: I don't know what Capcom will be doing with Western versions, but the Japanese one (at least the preorder copies) includes a special "support pad" that you can stick on top of the normal PSP d-pad.

This little thing basically turns your PSP into something like the Saturn pad, that is, it'll be much easier to input diagonals on it. Thanks to this, I can easily pull off even the hardest moves: 720°, air QCFx2, etc. I have to say I'm really satisfied.

Oh, and the support pad if officially endorsed by the Saikyou Ryuu Doujou, managed by Dan Hibiki, who says: "if you use this, controllability will RISE! EASY VICTORY!".
:)

Load Times:

Now, this is one the best features fo this port: while generally PSP games have to deal with rather severe load times (even in the case of 2d games), I have to say that this time, they got it right. Except for a rather longish initial loading, all fights load in a matter of a few seconds, and there's hardly any waiting involved. This is really excellent for a portable disc-based console.

Extras:

Since this is not just a normal port, there's a lot of new stuff. First and foremost, all the extra characters of the console ports: Evil Ryu, T.Hawk, Deejay, Fei long, and Guile; plus, the extras from the arcade and GBA "Single Upper": Yun from 3rd Strike, Maki from Final Fight 2 and Eagle from Street Fighter 1 (all in their CvSNK2 versions). Finally, we have the newcomer Ingrid, from the debatable Capcom Fighting Jam.

These characters handle well enough on this version, and they blend acceptably with the rest of the cast, both in look and moves, although Ingrid looks a little out of place with her light effects.

Then there are all the extra modes: World Tour, Edit Mode, Dramatic, R.Dramatic. The console version is famous for the quality of these modes, and here, it's reconfirmed. There's really a lot to do here.

Plus, there are *further* extra modes: the vs100 Kumite (an almost endless survival type mode) and the much appreciated (drum-roll please) tag team match, which adds some extra variety (as if that was necessary).

Story:

I don't know if you care for the story in a fighting game, but I think it can be rather fun, especially the goofy endings, like Dan's and Zangief's, or the "what-if" endings, like Evil Ryu's.

Well, all of them are here, and there are - obviously - extra ones for the new characters, which could not be fitted in the GBA port.

If you really can't wait to see the ending for your favorite characters, you can even play the Final Mode (you just fight the boss).

Other Notes:

I based this review on the Japanese version, since I tend to prefer the original cover art, manual, and the original names (Gouki instead of Akuma, and all that stuff). Moreover, in past versions there have been slight censorship issues (like that pose of Birdie's when he makes a "gesture" at the opponent).

A note of sadness:

Now, my score is maybe a little exaggerated, but it's a really heartfelt score.
Let me say this: in the main screen, the copyright indication reads: Capcom USA 1998-2006. Yes, the sad truth is reminded me again: Capcom Japan has given over the rights of the series to their American associates, who I don't know what will do with it, and the original creator of SF has left Capcom quite a while ago.

Sure, there are other good game designers for 2d fighters, but Capcom... well, what all this means for me is that this game is destined to be a beautiful memory of the past, probably never to be repeated again.

Now, here's hoping Capcom brings along SF3 3rd Strike on the PSP as well.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/06