Street Fighter Alpha 3 (CPS2, 1998)
“Triumph or die!” 

It’s more or less common knowledge that of the three games in the Alpha trilogy, the third is the broken one. With an expanded roster, new stages, new music and the ability to choose one of three unique fighting styles, Alpha 3 could have been the best of the bunch. The truth of it, though, is that the V-Ism fighting style completely shatters any semblance of balance the game might have enjoyed. It’s the reason most SF aficionados prefer Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold.

That said, I really, really like Alpha 3. I had the PSOne port when I was a kid and sunk countless hours into the surprisingly in-depth World Tour mode. Mostly, I remember being jazzed that you could play as Cody from Final Fight, and that he had Super moves referencing his skills in that game.

I also believe it has the best attract mode of any arcade game. You don’t quite get the full effect without the music blasting in your ears, but it’s easily one of the most kinetic openings I’ve ever seen. There’s just so much stuff happening, so much flying past you, so much raw energy. It just makes you want to slap your quarter on the dash and get to fighting… Which, of course, is the desired effect.