Street Fighter Alpha 2 General Information

Last Update: Jul 30th, 1996

Before You Start

Street Fighter Alpha 2 is the sequel to Capcom's Street Fighter Alpha, and is the most recent episode in the never ending Street Fighter series. New features have been added, some features have been taken out, and several new (but not so new) characters join the fight: 

Dhalsim     The Yoga Master from Street Fighter 2
Zangief     The Russian Wrestler with the SPoD (Spinning Piledriver of Death)
Rolento     Boss from the fourth stage of Final Fight
Gen         A fighter from Street Fighter 1 (the old days)
Sakura      Truly a brand new character; she fights MUCH like Ryu
also Akuma, M. Bison and Dan are now normal, selectable characters.

Insert Coin

Go on... do it! You know you want to. After you insert your money, you're instantly faced with the question of all questions:

Who Do I Choose

If you started on P1 side, your cursor will start on Ryu (top-left), if you started on P2 side, your cursor will start on Ken (top-right.) Once you have moved your cursor over the character you'd like to play, then you need to...

Choose A Color

Normally, each character can choose from between four different colors: 

Color #1    Press any punch button
Color #2    Press any kick button
Color #3    Press any two punch buttons together
Color #4    Press any two kick buttons together

Auto-Blocking Or Not?

Some games have the AutoBlock feature of SFA2 available while others do not. If your machine has this option available, you will be given the choice directly after choosing your color. Choosing to autoblock will give your character yet ANOTHER different color.

Auto-blocking is fairly balanced out in this game. If you are not properly blocking nor attacking when somebody attacks you, the computer will automatically block for you. However, when you have AutoBlock turned on, a sliver of power is removed for every hit that you block.

Ready... FIGHT!

First of all, when describing moves in this game, I will use a standard Moves Legend so that there won't be any confusion.

Meters and Gauges

Throughout the course of your match, you'll have to meters to keep an eye on:

  1. Health Meter
  2. Super Meter

Their use is pretty much self-evident. When your health meter is all the way down, you lose the round (and the match if it's your second loss.) The more you attack, the more your Super Meter will go up. You use your Super Meter for different kinds of special maneuvers during the course of the game.

Your Super Meter rises in "Levels" and your level is clearly indicated on the meter itself. The highest Super Meter Level you can attain is Level 3.

Alpha Counters

One of the most used (and hated by many people) features of SFA2 -- The Alpha Counter. When your Super Meter is charged up to at least Level 1, you can perform an Alpha Counter by doing the appropriate motion (AC - B,DB,D) and pressing either a punch or a kick button.

Each person has two Alpha Counters depending on whether you press a punch button or a kick button. Although not always the case, Punch Alpha Counters (ACs) generally counter high, and kicks are generally low. However, it's very important to know the effect of your character's two different Alpha Counters and the situations that they can effectively counter.

When blocking an attack, if you quickly do the Alpha Counter motion and press a button, you'll hear a sort of "loud blocking" noise and the Counter will come off. Merely doing an AC does not guarantee that you will hit your opponent and there are many cases where you'd be better off just not doing it.

Super Combos

Each character has at least two Super Combos that they can use when there Super Meter gets to Level 1. The higher your Super Meter, the more options you have for Super Combos. When your Super Meter reaches Level 2, you have the option of doing two Level One strength SCs or one Level Two strength SC.

Super Combo strength Level is determined by how many punch OR kick buttons you press when doing the SC motion. For example: to do Ryu's Level 3 Fireball SC you do the Fireball SC motion (2xFB+punch(es)) and press all three punch buttons. To do Ken's Level 2 Shoryureppa you do 2xFB and press two punch buttons.

Custom Combos

Chain Combos have been pretty much removed from SFA2 on a whole, and have been replaced (although both concepts are entirely different) by "Custom Combos" (CC). A CC requires that you have at least Level 1 Super Meter to do.

You start a Custom Combo, by performing the CC motion, which is just two press any two punches and one kick, or vice versa. When you do, your Super Meter will be completely drained, you'll hear a power up noise, and a small meter of time will appear above your Super Meter and will begin counting down very rapidly.

During that time, you have the ability to enter as many button presses, Special Moves, or whatever to come off very rapidly. Even Fierces or Roundhouses will come off with jab speed. Multiple fireballs can be thrown on the same screen AND every attack that hits will juggle your opponent if they're in the air.

Although I haven't seen many truly elegant uses of this feature (it's mostly just a button- pounder's dream), I'm sure that they're out there for the people that want to take some time.

Rolls and Recovery

Each character (I think -- not sure about everybody yet) has the ability to recover very quickly from being knocked down, by rolling. This is done by making the Alpha Counter motion (quarter circle - B,DB,D) and pressing a punch button. The strength of the button you press will determine exactly how far you roll. Some rolls, done with Jab, can make it appear as though you never even got knocked off your feet!

This move needs to be done right as you're getting knocked off your feet. If you do the move, when you hit the ground you'll hit the ground rolling instead.

There are some characters (like Sodom and Dhalsim) for example, that have special recovery moves that are done in a similar fashion at the same time. These moves will be listed in each character's page if they have a special recovery.

Throw Softening/Tech. Hit

Because there's so many whiners out there who complain about throwing, in order to shut them up, Capcom put this feature into the game. I don't mind it, because it's saved my rear end a couple times though =)

While you are being thrown by somebody, you have the ability to lessen the damage, or "soften" the throw. The funny part is, I'm not sure exactly how this is done, although I'm finding out for you. Some people say you just wiggle the joystick; I do that as well as press all the punch buttons. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but that's because I believe I'm not doing it properly each time.

There is timing involved when doing this as well; although I'm not sure yet if you do it as soon as you're grabbed, or right when you hit the ground, or what. I'll find out.

Taunts

Each character has at least one, unique "taunting" move that can be done by pressing the Start button in the middle of combat. You are wide open for attack at that point, so be careful to not show this off a whole lot. Especially because it's incredibly obvious what you're doing as you reach your hands past your controls and to your Start button.

Because of how easy it is to be attacked while you're taunting; succesfully pulling off a taunt generally does one of two things to your opponent:

  1. Really makes them mad!
  2. Inspires them to taunt you, which you should be ready for; so as to pound them!

Personally, I think it's much more fun to reach up and press their Start button!

Winning Poses

After you win each round, your character assumes some sort of cocky victory pose, and says something in Japanese which none of us can understand (not all characters do this) If you've seen this, than you've probably seen that each character can do a few different poses, not just the same one all the time (with the exception of Evil Ryu)

To control which winning pose your character does at the end of the round; right after you do the move that finishes that round, hold down the Start button together with any punch or kick button. This "selects" the winning pose that you strike. Some buttons may choose the same pose.

Bosses

Each character has a certain boss that they fight as the last character in their series of fights. Each character always has the same boss, and one character's boss may indeed also be another character's boss.

It is before the fight with your boss, and after that you'll see some dialog between the two characters that gives you a little bit of a glimpse into the whole Street Fighter Alpha 2 storyline.

In addition to having a normal boss at the end of the game, each character also has a

Mid Boss

A "special kind" of boss, this character will only come out:
  1. If you have not lost any rounds
  2. The match (not round) after the 5th round that you've beaten your opponent(s) with a Super Combo.
That means, you must do at least 5 Super Combo Endings, without dying. The earliest that you could possibly see your Mid Boss would be in your fourth match. (One match is the best two out of three rounds against the same character)

When the fourth match starts, the screen will dim and say "Here Comes A New Challenger " Your Mid-Boss will come out and there will be some dialog.

Each character's Boss and Mid Boss are recorded on their Information screens. I'm still building this whole Guide, so if there's anything else you'd like to see: Let me know!