Street Fighter Alpha 2

Between the first Street Fighter and the cult sequel there yawns a story gap, and it was filled precisely by the Alpha series. Street Fighter Alpha 2 is its second installment and for many fans the peak of the entire prequel branch. Stylized anime graphics, a brisk pace and a thoughtful combat system make it one of the best fighting games of the nineties.

Capcom released Alpha 2 in 1996, originally into arcade machines on the CPS2 board, and subsequently onto home consoles including the Super Nintendo. The conversion to the SNES was technically demanding and used an add-on chip in order to faithfully carry over the colorful and animated world of the arcade original. Even so, it was one of the most ambitious fighting games on the console.

In combat, Alpha 2 stands on the Super Combo gauge system and especially on the new Custom Combo mechanic, which lets players chain their own attacks and create devastating series. The roster offers the return of classics and characters like Dhalsim, Sagat or Rolento, and each fighter has their own destructible background and musical theme. The pace and control over the match feel tuned and fair.

Culturally, Alpha 2 cemented Capcom's position as the king of fighting games in the mid-nineties, at a time when the genre was peaking in arcades all over the world. The anime-reminiscent stylization and the emphasis on the characters' story backgrounds gave the series its own identity, distinct from the main Street Fighter II line.

The game received many ports and re-releases across generations of consoles and to this day appears in tournament retro communities. For many players Alpha 2 remains a showcase of how tuned and stylish a 2D fighting game could be.

Why play: A stylish, technically tuned fighting game with the depth of the Custom Combo system, one of the peaks of the genre's golden era.