Street Fighter Alpha: Arcade vs PS1 vs Sat vs PC + Comparison

Street Fighter Alpha was originally released in 1995 for Arcade - CPSII. There were several ports, and here we'll be analyzing each, comparing to the arcade game.
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Was PlayStation version that bad, with less animation frames?
Enjoy!
Animation Analysis - 1:05
CPS Changer Analysis - 2:11
PlayStation Analysis - 3:59
Saturn Analysis - 6:29
Windows Analysis - 8:10
PlayStation 2 Analysis - 9:57
Game Boy Color Analysis - 11:19
Mobile/Java Analysis - 13:03
NES (Unlicensed) Analysis - 14:07
Arcade/CPS2 Gameplay - 15:55
CPS Changer Gameplay - 18:54
PlayStation Gameplay - 21:59
Saturn Gameplay - 25:47
Windows Gameplay - 30:04
Game Boy Color Gameplay - 32:33
All versions side-by-side - 36:54

[@Tempora158]

The GBC version felt great because it was the rare fighting game on the system that actually ran at 60fps.

[@Theshark15z]

Because small amount of character animation data in Street Fighter Alpha, Capcom was able to develop a near arcade perfect port for the Saturn and Playstation.

[@Clesarie]

I know you dont have much content but holy hell. You're doing Gods work over here. Preserving things and remember them historically accurate. Just amazing detail.

[@IMDLEGEND]

I'll never forget Nick Rox giving SFA a lower score on the Sega Saturn for Die Hard Gamefan magazine because he didn't like the blue shadows for that version (vs the PS1 version). Fortunately, the Sega Saturn versions of SFA2 and SFA3 absolutely destroyed the PS1 versions.

[@sleazyfellow]

IMDLEGEND I remember that, I swear gamefan had some paid Sony people working there. Saturn had way better 2d games than the original PlayStation had. I remember seeing that crash bandicoot score too, definitely not a 10/10 game, especially the same month where mario64 came out.

[@tightlypackedcoil]

IMDLEGEND not to mention that it was a complete non-issue. The new "super shadows" were in fact an improvement, but could be set to resemble the arcade original if desired. Better gameplay, superior loading times, arcade original sound effects, and no issue with the upward scrolling revealing a "void" in the background like the PS1 version...the saturn version was clearly superior.

[@solcreate490]

sleazyfellow To be fair, I do believe they just missed thr option to turn the shadows back on in the menu. I think Nick Rox was trying to be thorough as far as the differences between ports, looking for the version that was the holy Grail: arcade perfect. Around the same time the mag was very honest about the Saturn's ports of stuff like XCOTA. And Rox also had a middling review, saying how outmoded the port was, of the original Darkstalkers on Playstation -- actually complaining about improved transparency effects because that "wasn't aracde exact, and therefore lame -- comparing it negatively to Night Warriors on Saturn. The Sega fanboys often saw conspiracies where there were none.

[@sdzero]

16:11 ...I noticed Rose's Energy Ball looks less animated on some version compared to others. They actually added some slight animation embellishments for some of the console ports. Thanks for making this by the way. Amazing work.

[@ryanhines-kazama4904]

I rented this game for the Playstation and it was great. Now I have it for the PlayStation 2 and it brought back memories for me.

[@juelzsantana211]

Very great video! I love your attention to detail dissecting the major differences between each port. Would definitely love to see more videos from you on capcom games

[@thebeardofpepew4538]

Nice to see you doing this. I used to do the same as a kid. Keep up the good work!

[@90sallthewaybaby]

great job on these videos!! Keep it up!

[@321driftoff8]

Wow! Iv'e seen port comparisons, but not as detailed and in depth as this. I mean, you're breaking down frame by frame, color by color, thats some real dedication right there!

[@MrClockw3rk]

This is fantastic... keep going!

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Nice video!

[@simon41978]

Very interesting. Would like to see a SFIII 3RD Strike video.

[@vintagesid4384]

please more Videos. great work.you have my abo.

[@ahuman9864]

Developing games in the 90s wasnt biased, but im pretty sure being a developer 90s and porting games for a Sega machine felt great. I was a teen in the 90s and Sega were gigantic and held with higher regard than Nintendo in parts of the world. In the mid 90s when the Playstation first launched, the immediate general consensus was “Here’s another CD based system thats going to fail”.... “Heres another 3DO” etc. And even though Sega was CD based, it was Sega. Failing or not, it was still Sega and Sega will always be around. Theyre everywhere from Bowling alleys, pubs, pool halls, leisure centers and amusement parks. They pioneered alot of graphical and gameplay techniques with the help of Yu Suzuki. Am2 were magnificent in the 90s and so whenever a developer ported a game, they had shoes to fill. I’d bet when a developer ported a game they went the extra mile even if Saturn was a pain.

[@kekeke8988]

@Harris Zaindi Neither did the PS1. If you paid any attention at all, the PS1 version has no cut animation frames. There simply aren't nearly as many as the Marvel games to begin with.

[@kekeke8988]

@Harris Zaindi I was talking Alpha 1 only. The other games on the Saturn cheat with the ram cart. Without the ram cart, Saturn versions of games have most of the same animation cuts as the PSX versions, as seen in Marvel Super Heroes. Also, this video is the first time I've ever heard it mentioned that the ps1 is actually using polygon for the sprites. That's hard to swallow. It just doesn't look anything like polygons and most 3D models of that era were ugly and blocky, which the SF Alpha sprites on PSX are definitely not, unlike say SF EX. The loading times don't bother me too much. Sure, it's better to have faster loading time, but It's just a few seconds here and there. A minor inconvenience and totally not the biggest deal in the universe. In the case of Xmen COTA, the port was just botched by an incompetent developer. The PSX can do better than that, as evidenced by PSX version of Darkstalkers 3, which is almost on par with anything the Saturn put out without the ram cart.

[@oussamavids9731]

you need more likes ,man

[@Jaytecx]

Best music in Alpha One

[@sobesons]

Your work was incredible. Open a Patreon and make more videos, please.

[@WWammyy]

The Sega Saturn Shadows seem to be a point of contention these days but to be honest, I did try the blue shadows by changing the music to the Arcade version but I quickly changed back to the coloured shadows because to me they just look better. The PC version looks a bit strange at 30fps

[@BotcherRyu]

as someone who owned alpha for the GBC i can vouch. that game was a gem. really good for what it was. Do you know the difference between the long box SFA for PS1 and the fighters edge edition? like maybe balance changes?

[@felixfelicisfelixis9171]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You've done my DREAM reality. There are some differences between original Hz of CP-S 2 and the other versions (59.6294 vs 60 or something). Play Station version it also has transparencies. Thank you, and keep going with this fantastic channel! Sorry about my broken english xD. I'm just learning.

[@LostChildOfTime]

You forgot to mention that the music in the PS1 version - the original soundtrack, is compressed. It is distinctively muffled compared to the arranged remixes. Also, since Alpha 1 on PS1 was one of the earliest PS1 titles, the disc doubled as a CD that plays music, meaning you could play the soundtrack from a CD player using the game disc. Only other thing I can add is that the music in the PS1 version fades out after one playthrough and has to start over if it's set to original. The arranged mixes however looped one more time before fading out and staring over. Saturn version has incorrect sound effect at 27:00. That crouching LK sounds like a LP. Again at 28:48 with a standing LK sounding like a LP. That would irk me forever lol. I think Chun's jumping MK has the wrong sound effect as well as it sounds like an MP. I only played CPSII and PS1 when they were current and it seems the Saturn version has some missing sound files.

[@bgasman]

STREET FIGHTER ALPHA!

[@hansweiss469]

STREET FIGHTER... ZERO!

[@robertgamingtechandmore6004]

6:06 The version on the left has a... how do I say this... a darker pallet... when the screen begins to go black. I can tell with Ken's name being Orange.

[@boiii3productions945]

6:57 the Saturn animation is actually diagonal like PS1 and arcade not up then down

[@EWOODJ]

The logo animations are in every version of the game. Diagonal is always first, then up and down. There are a bunch different ones afterwards.

[@SegaFanatic5188]

Did anyone else notice the backgrounds on the PS1 version are not scrolling correctly in the vertical direction? You can see the edge of the image and the black background color when it moves too far down.

[@tightlypackedcoil]

SegaFanatic5188 it's because the vertical resolution isn't correct, and expands past where the art ends.

[@Tempora158]

The art was designed for arcade monitors with a large amount of overscan that hides the blank areas at the edges of the screen.

[@SegaFanatic5188]

Yet no other version does that. Saturn, Arcade, and the Capcom System Changer don't have that issue. Only the Playstation version has that problem.

[@tightlypackedcoil]

Tempora158 as pointed out, no other version does this. It's because the PS1 port uses a resolution whose proportions are significantly different from the arcade. Diehard Gamefan Magazine had a lot of nerve rating the PS1 port higher than the Saturn's...

[@Tempora158]

Okay, I see my mistake now. The PC version is also the only other version to exhibit this problem since it's a port of the PS1 version. I was thinking that it was the same situation with Mortal Kombat 1-3 where there are blank spaces and background elements not lining up at the edges of the stage because the monitor overscan hides those problems.

[@hackercdc]

Great job. Make comparison the game Street Fighter Alpha 3 Please. Thanks !!!

[@sdlock83]

Can you do a video on SF3 3rd Strike and SSF2T also?

[@renegadenolram6978]

Makes comparison of street fighter zero 3, vampire savior, the king of fighters. Marvel vs. series too.

[@DinUntame]

Have you ever try the version fro PS4 ??

[@Gladson]

I had no idea there was a CPS1 and a CPS2 version. The GBC version is very good, I have it for years. The only thing I don't like are the black shadows on characters that hide a lot of details.

[@dominicblair5029]

The cps1 version i could understand you not knowing but how did you not know the game came out on cps2 where it originated from in the first place lol?

[@kcalb3180]

again, needless to say, Saturn FTMFW!

[@sebastiangomezinsua2654]

Intro on CP System is not arcade perfect though, it`s missing the wind sounds

[@Octo4533]

Well nah. It's DEEEEFINETELYYY not because of the lack of a Q Sound in the CPS-1. it used a Yamaha soundchip similar to the Genesis.

[@LRon-ef7ni]

For blue shadows on Saturn, set music to “original”.

[@kekeke8988]

Music setting changing the shadow color? What geniuses.

[@LRon-ef7ni]

Kekeke89 Ha. Maybe a bug? Or maybe they “remixed” the shadows to go with the remixed music?

[@ConfusionDistortion]

Doesn't seem to be mentioned in the video, but the Saturn port has the original blue shadows and better soundfx/voices. Changing the music from original to arranged in the options swaps the shadows, etc. This was one of those things that Die Hard Gamefan overlooked when they reviewed the Saturn port and gave it a lower score by mistake.

[@Darknight0681]

ConfusionDistortion so it was an arranged mode vs original thing? Cool. Come to think of it, that’s actually an effect the arcade game wouldn’t have been able to do as its probably an alpha based rendering effect. They did it like this on PS1 as well, but it’s not nearly as comprehensive as it is on Saturn.

[@solcreate490]

I'd say the voices are degraded on Saturn, not Playstation. Playstation typically did better with sound than the Saturn, and this showed up in Capcom's ports. The tinniness in stuff like this and Marvel Super Heroes stood out on Saturn, and only seemed to be fixed with the 4MB ram cart.

[@Darknight0681]

solcreate voices were clearer maybe, but often times, especially on the marvel titles they were still either cut short or sped up. Or muffled too. Later CPS2 ports exhibited all three issues. With the Saturn it came down to the RAM like the PS1, but it was also in the way it handled sound too.

[@VOAN]

Seems to me that Nintendo always got the inferior versions of these games in the Street Fighter Alpha series: Street Fighter Alpha for Game Boy Color only, Street Fighter Alpha 2 for Super NES only, and Street Fighter Alpha 3 for GBA only while their more powerful hardware (N64, GameCube, and Wii) which could handle games like these were ignore.

[@burningwreckage00]

For the n64, I can think of 2 reasons for that, space and cost. Carts were more expensive to produce than cd, especially ones with more space. More space could've given them more room for sound but it still wouldn't have been enough and I doubt capcom would've been interested in reprogramming the music for that system. Lack of Gamecube ports was probably due to lack of consumer interest in the system at the time, due to Nintendo's own decisions regarding certain things.

[@icekokoro2708]

burningwreckage00 lol I would’ve loved to have seen that. Maybe if the 64DD had been released in time and perhaps combing it with the expansion pak as well as maybe extra ram in the cartridge slot.

[@wongyc5585]

Should have ported this to SNES instead of SFA2, less characters than SFA2, it could have fit to the 32Mb or 48Mb without using the sdd1 compression chip.

[@GoukiTehPwner]

Name of tracks played?

[@ricmagus]

Street Fighter 97 Zero 2. LOL

[@wormaheldharrier3122]

ShaiderUK with fries.

[@lemonviper]

All the characters in the game liked.

[@GooseDaPlaymaker]

You didn't mention how the PS1 version's intro is not vertically aligned properly (a portion of the bottom is at the top)...😐

[@koala254]

Please make comparison between Rival Schools 1 from Arcade and PS1

[@sdlock83]

Syoma vs. Shoma, lol!

[@MrWhis-fe5hs]

I'd give street fighter alpha and third strike the awards for best ost in the series so good

[@townnet]

14:09 Nes win.

[@fabiomoreiras5750]

Sega Saturn!

[@SK_yg]

In my childhood after ssft2 the sfa blasted me away on my PS1.

[@kekeke8988]

How were you able to determine that the PSX is using polygons for the character sprites? That doesn't sound right at all considered how nice they look compared to blocky clunky 3D models during that generation.

[@theobserver4214]

Nearly all PS1 games do this internally.

[@dionr1168]

Arcade Master Race

[@gabrieleriva651]

I'll never understand how someone at capcom saw some of these backgrounds and said "That's good for release".

[@Tempora158]

The darndest thing is that SFA Anthology DOES have the arranged soundtrack on the disc, but instead of letting you choose that for the music, the only other option besides the Arcade soundtrack is the CPS Changer soundtrack!

[@hansweiss469]

That's actually stupid. Glad that the Saturn version allows you to choose between the remix soundtrack and the original CPS2 music.

[@Darknight0681]

They could’ve let you choose between all 3 on that version. Didn’t make any sense.

[@panterarosa4325]

However the japanese version of sf alpha anthology featured significantly more games from the jp alpha versions of the game even adding the american version of alpha 2 and much more❤❤❤❤❤

[@mortenera2294]

I wonder how a 32MB game boy advance port would be

[@TexasHollowEarth]

CPS2 SFA M. Bison could throw 2 psycho ball projectiles out, on-screen simultaneously. This was removed from the PS1 port (he's limited to 1). It was possible to permanently unlock the 3 hidden characters on the PS1 port & save it to a memory card. I suspect that the Saturn port could do this, also.

[@silabuaped4124]

PC version is my only “Street Fighter Alpha at home”

[@jat4651]

R.I.P Cyclops.

[@ElVlogdeBob]

The PS doesn't have a Sprite generator. That's why they used poligins with pixel textures.

[@RedRanger2001]

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology on the PS2 blows away both the PS1 and Saturn as it's the best one ever. And it even has the two-player versus mode, too.

[@pleasuretokill]

I remember when Dreamcast came out, had it pre-ordered.... it was the first system to truly do arcade perfect ports of games like this. Probably the most underrated system of all time

[@manuefeli]

I like nes/gbc version on their own way.

[@alainazor3990]

Arcade & PS2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🏆 PS1 & Saturn ⭐⭐⭐⭐💿 GameBoy Color ⭐⭐⭐⭐ PC ⭐⭐⭐ Java ⭐⭐⭐ Nes ⭐⭐⭐

[@soijirosata]

Version of the psx has lag input greater than that of saturn.

[@kekeke8988]

Yeah right.

[@theofficialcomment7876]

Playstation controller, saturn/arcade graphics and you have yourself a game

[@marcustuggles8761]

The Saturn was superior in terms of a near perfect arcade replication

[@kekeke8988]

Not by much.

[@marcustuggles8761]

@@kekeke8988 it was confirmed my egm back in 96 and I have both of them and could even tell which was better at the age of 13. Even the sequel was better on the saturn but hey you're entitled to.ur opinion

[@kekeke8988]

@@marcustuggles8761 And I just watched this video. The Saturn version is marginally better due to faster loading times, and that's about it. There isn't a world of difference between the two ports. You're lying out of your ass if you claim there is.

[@iqcontent7797]

street fighter anthology have everything that you will need

[@Ifalvarado]

Nick rox was right, psx is damn near perfect

[@MrWhis-fe5hs]

I don't even like half of the games that you show on your channel but the way you presented is so well done that I watch the videos

[@SaishuuKessen]

interesting video but to say the ps2 port of alpha 1 is no where NEAR close to arcade perfect. It actually has many bugs, one absolutely huge one is that all charge moves take DOUBLE the amount of time as the original game making some combos now completely impossible in it. Also randomly for some reason some moves have different input times etc. Its pretty damn bad actually. This is not fixable with the dipswitch settings in the game either, its just literally fucked. It drops a ton of inputs all over the place its really quite strange how bad it is, and how the fuck they messed the charge times is beyond me.

[@DTM-Books]

7:46 BLUE SHADOWS!! Nick Rox is vindicated!!

[@EJavierPaniaguaLaconich]

it's an option on the Saturn... can choose Saturn or Arcade-style shadows. Nick Rox review was garbage.

[@Octo4533]

That Windows port is just ugly. It's just the colours.

[@devyvalentinoify]

PS1 was the worst for 2D games; 3D games PS1 was the best. Saturn had more RAM and VRAM

[@thompsonpatrick79]

Anyone ever notice how terrible the controls were on the anthology on ps2?? So stiff and unresponsive

[@mortenpotzdidler4677]

Supposedly there's notable input delay. Appears some sort of poor emulation layer. So, yeah, ironically the Saturn and Playstation versions of Alpha are likely better.

[@lemonviper]

What? I just got alpha anthology and it has less lag than the ps1 original.

[@thompsonpatrick79]

@@lemonviper play them back to back. Guaranteed alpha 2 controls better than the alpha anthology

[@lemonviper]

I still see no difference on original hardware.