True to SF's of the past, in Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, I can do all my moves exactly like the previous versions right from the the start. surprise? Akira-san demonstrates pure ingenuity. Not only does the game play just like its predecessors, but it also adds new features such as Guard Breaks and Super Cancels (more on that later). Although this game is primarily constructed of polygons, the characters look and move just as smooth as the 2D counterparts (and in some cases, smoother). One area which I felt would be a problem was in terms of speed, but surprisingly, it's pace seems like second nature and feels 100% like a Street Fighter game.

EX gives a lot of attention to the gameplay, an important area indeed. Further, Akira has created an additional 12 new characters for the SF universe. New as in, wow, I never seen this character before, new as in never, ever created. Impossible you may think, but it has happened. Well OK, some characters do bear resemblance to existing folk (aha!), but they have their own unique and deadly styles. Their names however, leave a bit more to be desired. With titles like Doctrine Dark (who by the way, is one of my favorites), Purman Purna, and Skullomania you may not want to take them seriously. Yet, if watch them in action, you'll see that they can easily 'kick it' with the best of em.

As mentioned earlier, Guard Breaks are what really brings the gameplay into the loop. GB's are offensive attacks which nullify your opponents defenses. This move, like an Alpha Counter, uses one bar of your Super Meter. To initiate the move, you must press any punch simultaneously with a kick button. A slow move, but quite effective against turtles in particular. Guard Breaks open your opponents easily into what are called Super Cancels. This feature basically allows you to literally chain supers together. So once you're done doing your standard 3 or 4 hit combo into a 'fireball', you can two-in-one into your Super Fireball, then a super Hurricane Kick, then another super (if you have a full level 3 bar). This is simply madness, for such a combo would drain over 60% of your opponents life. I can't stress enough on how tight the matches will be when played with seasoned players.

More good news: Sakura and Dhalsim, were placed into the game (they apparently didn't exist in the arcade version). They even play exactly as they did in their respective 2D versions. As a matter of fact all of the characters do with exception of Guile and Chun-Li who have been tweaked (that's just a polite word for gypped). Chun-Li lost her fireball, as well as the new top down attack given to her in SFA. She's not as fast either, nor can she jump off the wall (madness). Guile has literally lost over 60% of the normal moves which made him so formidable in the past. On the plus side, Zangief's 360° is incredibly easier to do and he is the only one other than Akuma and Evil Ryu that use a Level 3 attack. Zangief's Atomic Buster is just way too powerful now, it drains A LOT.

The best added feature has to be the training mode. It's broken up into two sections: Standard and Expert. In the expert mode, you must successfully complete all 16 moves per character totaling 2,454 points. You select your fighter and a training partner (CPU); in turn, moves will flash on the screen which must correctly input. Each successful entry advances you complete more elaborate, complex combos. Once you complete all of the characters missions, what do you get in return? Well, for players that have not received the joy of beating it... is a bonus barrel stage?!?! Yep, that's all you get, really. Still, the fact that you can sharpen up your training is a nice plus, and perhaps Akira will improve the Easter eggs in the next version of EX.

All in all, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha measures up as a great game for new and seasoned players alike. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something new.

· · · Bahn