10 Best Video Game Prequels

10. Street Fighter Alpha

Upon a time the old joke went that Capcom were afraid to count to three. Street Fighter II got numerous upgrades and became a cash cow for Capcom, both in the arcades and at home. When it came time for a brand new entry in the series though, that made for a lot of pressure.

Thankfully, Street Fighter Alpha paid off.

Even after spending years tweaking SFII, Capcom weren’t resting on their laurels. Alpha introduced many important instruments to the Street Fighter toolkit; Airblocking, Chain Combos and the tiered Super Combo system, which gives players a lot of choice about their super moves. Do you fire them off weak and often, or wait for the all powerful Level 3 Super?

Known in Japan as Street Fighter Zero, Alpha takes place between the original Street Fighter and its sequel. In fact, it specifically references the Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie duel between Ryu and Ken, and M. Bison.

Street Fighter Alpha's placement in the timeline - between Sagat and Bison's tournaments - allowed for a more character-led style of storytelling, with its cast wandering the world pursuing their own goals.

Alpha also introduced new characters who would go on to be regulars, such as Dan, as well as crossing Final Fight characters into the Street Fighter universe.