After the hideous demo code of a game, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo Revival, on the Game Boy Advance everyone was expecting much, much better when the next one came out. When Alpha 3 was announced people were scarred since it seemed unlikely that it would fit onto a cartridge but thankfully Crawfish did a ok-ish job of it.
All of the fighters from the Dreamcast version were present, but a lot of other things (stages, music, endings, modes, animations etc) were all cut out. Especially disappointing is the fact that all Final Fight stages and music are gone. The game still plays the same as before, so that means all of the annoying flaws from before are still present, especially the cheesy AI.
The main problem with the game is it's terrible control method. Six attack buttons are required in Street Fighter games, but the GBA only has four standard buttons. In Turbo Revival, they got around this problem by having pressure sensitive weak and medium punch and kick buttons. But in Alpha 3 Upper, to do a medium punch or kick, you have to press two buttons together, which is a complete pain and makes really makes the game suffer.
But, in a vain effort to try and redeem itself, Crawfish added another 3 bonus characters, these being Yun (from Street Fighter 3) Eagle (From the first Street Fighter) and, more importantly, Maki. All three of these characters used the same sprites from Capcom vs. SNK 2 but obviously scaled down.
Maki now only has one win pose but as far as I can tell everything else is present animation wise. Her speech samples are all gone, and she only makes generic noises that fighters like Cammy use. Her knocked out scream is just a "Ha!" now, for instance. All of her moves are still present, including her supers.
When you choose Maki for the arcade mode it tells you her story. She is looking for Guy, which makes sense, but this game isn't canon to the Street Fighter story line since it would be impossible for Yun to make an appearance in this game. Maki shares the same ending as almost all of the other fighters, which is short and boring. She does, however, have her own set of win quotes, which differ for each fighter she faces, as well as a few normal ones, but all of them are quite funny. Check them all out here:
Normal win quotes:
Thank you! Come again!
Sorry! You deserve another chance!
You know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed..."
OK, let's call it a day!
This is what Bushin style is all about! Hey, are you listening!?
What could you have done to me? I mean, you are just so weak!!
Don't take it so seriously, I didn't!
You were stronger than I expected...
Character-Specific Win Quotes:
[vs. Ryu] Stop being so serious. Relax and enjoy the battle!
[vs. Ken] I heard you were powerful, I guess I heard wrong.
[vs. Akuma] Your "murderous intent" must be coming from your hair antenna!
[vs. Charlie] Your greatest weakness comes from your greatest strength!
[vs. Chun-Li] You're the police?! I could get away with anything here!
[vs. Adon] There is a reason why you are known as second in your land...
[vs. Sodom] Mad Gear... Are they still around?! I can't believe it!
[vs. Guy] What!? I won? You can't be the real Guy!!
[vs. Birdie] What a punk! You deserve to be beaten with hair like that!
[vs. Rose] Oops! I should have asked my fortune before hurting you.
[vs. M.Bison] A cape?! Only wanna-be heroes and losers wear capes anymore!
[vs. Sagat] It's only natural you scare people. Just look at your face!
[vs. Dan] Your daddy can't save you now so stop crying his name!
[vs. Sakura] Weapons are a girl's best friend! Remember that!
[vs. Rolento] Are you supposed to be a highly trained officer of some kind?
[vs. Dhalsim] A strong mind and body is what makes a person complete!
[vs. Zangief] Whew... What strength you possess!! What... EVER!!
[vs. Gen] I try to respect the elderly, but I can't respect poor skills!
[vs. Cammy] You live and you serve. They have a name for that... SLAVE!
[vs. Evil Ryu:] Evil surrounds you...
[vs. E.Honda] I start perspiring just by looking at you! Go away!
[vs. Blanka] What are you anyway?! A beast? A human? No, a LOSER!
[vs. R.Mika] Wow! You deserve to win just for wearing that insane costume!
[vs. Cody] You know Guy, right? Tell me where he is!!
[vs. Vega] What? A Spanish Ninja? Now I've seen it all!
[vs. Karin] Clever and clean, but no real substance. Typical...
[vs. Juli] Copycat! Copycat! Don't you know that it's all in your head?
[vs. Juni] Copycat! Copycat! Don't you know that it's all in your head?
[vs. Guile] Both your moves and hairdo are extreme. Viva America!
[vs. Fei-Long] Don't you remember? In real fighting, you make contact!
[vs. Dee Jay] Maybe you should practice a new style of music like the blues!
[vs. T.Hawk] Your motives are pure, but mine are stronger!
[vs. Balrog] Sensei said to knock you out! Sensei said to knock you out!
[vs. Eagle] You don't know how to handle sticks do you?!
[vs. Maki] A copy can never compare to the beauty of the original!
[vs. Yun] You know what they say right, "The third time's a charm!"
Here is some Alpha 3 Upper stuff for your viewing pleasure:
The top picture's (the one that is all in Japanese) artwork was used for the front cover on the Japanese version box. In the US and Europe and boring picture of Zangief was used that most people had seen before. The bottom picture was used whenever Maki said a win quote, and at other points like in the credits and at her story introduction.
Maki's Introduction text:
As you know, all the fighters have some kind of introductionary text that explains there story. So here is Maki's:
Maki... She's a modern Ninja and an expert in Bushin style. Searching for her missing rival Guy, she travels the world. She must prove to herself that she is the legitimate successor.
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