6. Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998)
Controversial one. Street Fighter Alpha 3 brought some huge changes to the prequel subseries, with a much larger cast and a hard-edged new soundtrack and presentation style. But the most earth-shaking difference came in the new “-ism” system, which essentially created three versions of every character.
X-ism was a throwback mode, based on Super Street Fighter II Turbo; X-ism characters got a damage bonus and just a single level-3 super. A-ism was closest to Alpha 2, with air blocking, alpha counters, three levels of super, etc. at the cost of a damage nerf. Finally, V-ism kept those Alpha benefits but did the least damage per hit, and ditched super moves in favor of Alpha 2-style custom combos.
There was a problem: In mid- to high-level play V-ism completely outclassed the other two styles, and also opened the door to tedious, infinite air juggles. Some of the real Alpha 3 sickos love this state of affairs, while other players wish X-ism and A-ism were viable at high levels, too. Funnily enough, 2001 arcade update Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper took some steps to curb V-ism’s dominance, but no one likes to play that version, which has its own flaws.
So here we are, with a game that’s simultaneously beloved or reviled for its extreme imbalance and altered aesthetics, and additionally, often cited for having very good single-player aspects, such as well-done arcade story modes, three-character “dramatic” battles, and the home versions’ popular and influential World Tour mode.
Me, I’ve never been a fan of Alpha 2’s custom combos, so don’t love seeing a game dominated by them! However, Street Fighter Alpha 3 is like a massive sandbox that is what you make of it. If you like the single-player, great. If you wanna hold X-ism / A-ism only tourneys, let me join! And if you’re a true believer who embraces Alpha 3’s full-spectrum chaos, well, no one can blame you for playing the game as Capcom made it. — Alexandra Hall
Revisions:
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998)
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper (2001)
