Street Fighter Alpha Anthology [PS2]

The cast in Alpha is a great group -- especially in Alpha 3, where the character list is over 25 deep. Of course, most returning Street Fighter players will pick Ryu or Ken; but pre-SF II folks like Rolento and Guy are worth mastering, as are new personalities like Rose and Sakura.

Super Gem Fighter, the oddball of the collection, is definitely a strange game. Picture a fighting game designed for little girls -- like Final Fantasy X-2 but sillier. It's only got three buttons to worry about, and is extremely easy to control. You'll see characters morph into others while executing special moves; you never know which Capcom employee will show up. Also, cameos are everywhere; it's hilarious to see M. Bison sledding down a slope behind the fighters. The Gem Fighter cast list features a lot of Darkstalkers stars, which should appease fans of Capcom's gothic fight series. It's a great addition to the package.

It doesn't need to be said that Street Fighter Alpha Anthology is great for multiplayer. Almost every gamer has a history with the series, and will love getting reunited with their favorite characters -- but again, don't be surprised when they just pick the fireball hurlers. However, it's disappointing that Capcom fails to include online multiplayer yet again. Yes, Xbox makes it much easier to do than PS2, but come on, Capcom. You'd easily make up for the resources by the increase in sales!

Anthology does include a different strange feature, though. For those of you who own a PS2 hard disc drive (all four of you), this game can be stored onto it. This eliminates a lot of the load time that occurs between bouts -- especially when you lose and have to re-select your character. These times aren't grueling by any stretch, but it's nice, and obscure, that Street Fighter Alpha Anthology allows you to bypass them.

This isn't a perfect collection by any stretch: Alpha 2 Gold's enhancements are negligible, and online and Alpha 3's great console modes are nowhere to be found. Still, Alpha Anthology is a lot of Street Fighter fun for around $30. Fighting-game veterans will definitely get their money's worth. It is recommended, though, to drop a few more bucks on top of that $30 to pick up a used copy of SFA 3 for PSone, so you don't miss out on killer World Tour and Survival modes.