Retronauts Episode 435: Street Fighter Alpha
Before Delta, before Omicron, there was Alpha
These days, video game fans hear the word "alpha" thrown around a lot, usually in describing a project that is in the earliest stages of development. It's the phase when a game is certainly playable, but major elements are unfinished and generally in need of many months of attention.
26 years ago, before the internet turned all of us into armchair experts, "Alpha" became shorthand for a brand-new spinoff Street Fighter game, one that purported to depict the events that preceded Street Fighter II. The cast of characters included familiar faces from the original Street Fighter as well as Final Fight, alongside a few new martial artists making their debut.
Joining host Diamond Feit to talk about Capcom's fighting game prequel are Jeremy Parish and Insert Credit's Brandon Sheffield (wishlist Hyper Gunsport on Steam now). A few relevant links to this episode include:
- a 1995 pre-release interview with the Alpha staff
- a 2020 oral history with various Capcom personnel
- Diamond's This Week In Retro column about Street Fighter Alpha (a Patreon exclusive)
Description: It's a dramatic battle of conversation as Diamond Feit squares off against Jeremy Parish and Brandon Sheffield to look back at the time Street Fighter counted from II to Zero with 1995's slick (and literally anime-influenced!) Street Fighter Alpha.
Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.
MP3, 45 MB | 1:39:09 Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Libsyn
Artwork for this episode by Nick Wanserski and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.
