Games WORLD: Street Fighter Alpha 3 Free Download For PC

Street Fighter Alpha 3 discards the "Manual" and "Auto" modes from the previous Alpha games by offering the player three different playing styles known as "isms". The standard playing style, A ism (or Z ism in Japan), is based on the previous Alpha games, in which the player has a three level Super Combo gauge with access to several Super Combo moves. X ism is a simple style based on Super Street Fighter II Turbo, in which the player has a single level Super Combo gauge and access to a single but powerful Super Combo move. The third style, V ism (or "variable" style), is a unique style that allows the player to perform custom combos similar to the ones in Street Fighter Alpha 2. In X ism, players cannot air block nor use Alpha Counters. Alpha 3 also introduces a "Guard Power Gauge" which depletes each time the player blocks if the gauge is completely depleted, then the player will remain vulnerable for an attack.

The controls for several actions has been modified from previous Alpha games. For example, the level of a Super Combo move in A ism is now determined by the strength of the attack button pressed (i.e. Medium Punch or Kick for a Lv. 2 Super Combo), rather than the number of buttons pushed; and throwing is now done by pressing two punch or kick buttons simultaneously.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 has a total of 34 characters, four of which become unlocked only after you play through the game's various modes. The alumni from Street Fighter Alpha 2 are joined by four new fighters: Karin Kanzuki, Rainbow Mika, Juli, and Juni. However, only Karin and R. Mika can be considered truly new since both Juli and Juni have moves and animations derived from Cammy. For Street Fighter Alpha 3, Capcom also brought back old favorites like Guile, E. Honda, Blanka, Balrog, Dee Jay, and Fei Long. In an effort to give the game detail beyond any of the previous Street Fighter Alphas, Capcom has given each character a unique ending. This means that bonus characters such as Guile, Evil Ryu, and Shin Akuma all have endings that reflect their origin or purpose. Each of the older characters retains moves from previous Street Fighter games, while a few receive new abilities that are balanced through the "ism" system. Street Fighter Alpha 3 employs the ism system as a method of establishing balance and strategy. X ism, A ism, and V ism determine moves and attributes that carry their own pros and cons. The isms are imbued with advantages and limitations so you will need to discover which mode fits your fighting style most. For instance, the advantage of X ism is that it has the highest damage rating, but you can't air block or ground recover. X ism also has the upper hand when it comes to guard power this makes the mode ideal for players accustomed to classic Street Fighter 2 regulations. A ism, on the other hand, is the mode most players have become accustomed to since the premiere of Street Fighter Alpha. The "A" in the name represents Alpha, where abilities such as air blocking, air and ground recoveries, taunts, a three tiered super meter, and Alpha counters have all become the de facto expectation. V ism stands for "variable" mode and is by far the most difficult mode to master in Street Fighter Alpha 3. With V ism, you have the ability to activate Alpha 2 style custom combos. Aside from the various pros and cons of each ism, there are also a few moves that are ism specific. All of these considerations factor into choosing the right ism for your fighting style.

Capcom might have had a spotless game had it not overlooked one important aspect of Street Fighter Alpha 3: game balance. While it's important to sport a large and diverse roster (34 characters in all), it is also key to make sure that no one character's move or combo can be abused to spoil the versus game. This, unfortunately, is Street Fighter Alpha 3's biggest problem. Characters such as Rolento or Zangief all have techniques that can be exploited to make a versus game extremely frustrating. For example, Rolento nullifies the brilliance of the guard crush system simply by nature of his attacks (his normal attacks do incredible guard meter damage). Other problems include characters who are ranked fourth tier or worse simply because their moves have such low priority that they're altogether useless. Throw in the volatile world tour creation system, and you have a fighting game rife with gameplay exploits. Even so, most Capcom fans will be delighted with Street Fighter Alpha 3 simply because the home version is so over the top with bonus modes and extra characters. We can only hope that Street Fighter Alpha 3 is the first step for Capcom in a trend to make console games exceed their arcade predecessors.