ROW 1... FIGH!!

Alpha 2 is micro-metres away from being the peak of the Street Fighter franchise. They raised the minuscule amount of characters in Alpha 1 from 10 to 18, hits feel more satisfying, the CPU is completely fair.. it basically improves upon everything in the first game.

Also, the 8 fight structure is fucking great. Imo, it adds so much replay value since with iy you can blaze through like game pretty quickly (not saying you won't come back for extra playthroughs though).

The 1st Alpha game would definitely have a much higher score if this masterpiece wasn't made, but thank god it was. We've finally reached the first peak SF game, and with Alpha 3 and 3rd strike approaching, it won't be the last.

Alpha 3 is an really good game, no doubt about it, however, there's one glaring flaw that makes the overall experience weaker and Alpha 2.

Lets start off with the most notable feature, which is the presentation. I've already said in my previous reviews that I love the anime-esque art style (i don't really like anime either, so good job on achieving that SFA!), but other stuff like how much enthusiasm the announcer has (GO FOR IT, MAN!), how much personality these 2D sprites have and the music really make the experience.

The gameplay itself? Well, it's basically Alpha 2 all over again, which means it fucking fucks. Go read my Alpha 2 review to find out more.

So what's the glaring flaw? M-Bison. He is my least favourite final boss.. no, boss in any game. He is BRUTALLY unfair. I tried playing defense like everyone says to do, but then he does this unavoidable diving kick. I try playing offense, but then he does his super and takes half of my health. I try. I try. AND I FUCKING FAIL. Not only that, if you lose a match against him? Instant bad ending, no retries. Fuck you greedy ass motherfuckers at Capcom. For now I have it as Played, but I might finish it tomorrow once I regain my nerve. What's the point of playing a game if i'm not having fun?

Edit: After finally beating Bison, I really don't think he's as bad as I said he was. He definitely an unfair fight, but his attacks are very methodical, so once you get him he isn't too bad. My original rating was 3.5 star, but i'll raise it up to 4.

Hell yeah, I can finally talk about Street Fighter 3!

Now, before I start, I do have to admit that this game isn't as objectively good as i'll give it credit for in this review. It has only 10 (11 if you count Yang) fighters, 7 stages and the fighting can feel a bit jank. Objectivity doesn't exist though, so i'll say whatever I want.

The New Generation fucking rules. I know I said that for my Alpha 1 review, but this one REALLY fucking rules. Fighting is feels great, and the lower speed compared to the Alpha games makes each hit so damn satisfying. Special moves also feel easier to pull off (except for supers.. one day i'll learn how to do them).

One of the most commendable things about the Street Fighter 3 games is the atmosphere. I find it.. hard to describe. It's one of those things you have to feel for yourself.

The pixel art in this game is stunning, maybe even surpassing the Alpha games. Apparently each character has 700-1200 frames of animation, and Jesus does it show.

The characters are also pretty cool! Ryu and Ken are back (it would be a sin not to include them), but there's also Elena, Dudley (who's just a better Balrog, don't @ me), Ibuki, Sean etc. What happened to Chun-Li though?

Overall, a really fun game with a few issues that are ironed out in the next 2 entries.

One last thing, i've heard loads of people struggled on the final boss, so i'd like to share the way I beat him. It makes him a cakewalk.
OK, so as soon as the fight starts, begin to back away. He'll follow you, but continue backing away, even once you hit the invisible wall. Soon, he'll try dashing for you, but he won't hit since your blocking. Now throw him, and back away to the other side, rinse and repeat till he dies or the time runs out.

There are also times when while you're waiting for him to do his dash, you can hit him with a hard kick. It's OK if he blocks it, but make sure you do it at a time where he won't attack back. Good Luck.

Capcom always does the best Number 2's.

To put it simply, 2nd Impact is an improved New Generation. I love New Generation, so I fucking adored this one.

So, what's new? Firstly, there are an additional 4 characters (which don't matter, since you're going to be picking Sean), there's an additional stage, Gill is now the penultimate boss instead of the final one, the combat is alot smoother.. that's all that comes to mind right now, but trust me, you can feel the difference.

Also, if you hate how good Sean is in this game, you just hate fun. It really makes me wish 3rd Strike had an intensely OP character. Well, i'm OK sticking with my boy Ken.

As much as I love 3rd Strike, there's something these first 2 editions have that it doesn't. Pretty damn good game, all things considered.

Alright, that's cool.

3rd Strike is not only the definitive Street Fighter, but the definitive fighting game, period. Ever since I first played it a few years ago, it's been comfortably slotted in my Top 10 favourite games of all time, and after this replay, it might be in my Top 5.

To start this off, let's talk about the gameplay. Simply, it's the best Street Fighter has ever been. Everything runs butter smooth, specials and super arts work perfectly, hits feel like orgasms, and to top it off, it's insanely addictive. Hell, after typing that last line, I started playing it again, this time as Chun-Li. I ended up getting to the 5th stage before stopping and coming back to finish this, and I know damn well that right after I do, i'll hop back in.

Next on the list is the atmosphere and OST (i'm including them together since they basically go hand in hand in this), and fucking hell, they nail it. It really leans into a late 90's and early 2000's vibe with the soundtrack, even having the announcer be the same guy who sings the opening and character select music. On that topic, holy shit idk his name but he fucking COOKED with the character select music. It's probably my favourite song in the entire game, that or Chun-Li's theme.

Now, since I talk about the final boss in most of these reviews, I might as well do it here too. Gill is a tough boss, no, a REALLY tough boss, but unlike another game cough Alpha 3 cough you don't get a single try to beat him. Also, there's no input reading, the AI is just really good, and it makes for a tough, but fair opponent. That's the best way to describe the difficulty of this masterpiece.

I don't believe any game is perfect, no matter how much I love them. Goddamn though, does 3rd Strike come close. Peak game.

"We await your return, Warrior."

Now, if you came here to read about 3rd Strike, you can stop reading now, this part has nothing to do about it. I wanted to mention that my 2nd Impact review was my 200th on this site! To all of my followers, anyone who liked my reviews, commented on them, etc, I just want to say thank you for all the great times, and God bless you all.

Wolfenstein II doesn’t truly get going until about an hour or 2 in, but once it does, it fucking GOES. Come on ID software, wheres my sequel, The New Ballsack?

There are some lows, like how messed up the difficulty settings are, like Jesus Christ maybe it’s a skill issue but why was I struggling on Don't Hurt Me? But the highs of it (monster is a top 10 mission of any game oat imo) mostly make up for it. I’m right now typing this on a phone so I can’t get into as much detail as I wanted to, but goddamn, if New Order is just as good, if not better than this, I better get to that asap.

BILLIE JEAN IS NOT MY LOVER
SHES JUST A GIRL WHO CLAIMS THAT I AM THE ONE
BUT
THE KID IS NOT MY SON
HOOOOO
SHE SAYS I AM THE ONE