Let's not kid ourselves.

There are very few games for the Game Boy Color that were actually decent. Before the Game Boy Advance came out, these games had colors that would make your head spin counterclockwise and do the hula. Oftentimes, players have to suffer through barely legible graphics. I'm sure there were some good GBC games that escape my memory. As for the other games? Well, I wish I could forget them...

Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams is the only Street Fighter game Capcom released/ported for the Game Boy Color. It's a good thing too because I don't think I could handle another Street Fighter game like this. I haven't played many Street Fighter games myself, but I know enough about it to know that this game doesn't come close to how well this game could have been. I've looked at other reviews from other sources to see if anyone else shared my negative viewpoint on the game. It seems very few people have the complaints that I have. Therefore, I may stand alone on my opinion, which is thus: Bleh.

First of all, the graphics are about as good as Nyquil laced with arsenic. I'd give the game some leeway, but I can barely read the text on most of the menus! It's still legible, but the font is too pixelated on occasion. The characters are in a similar predicament. I do realize that not having good graphics doesn't mean that the game itself is terrible; however, this game just looks bad. Sadly, the backgrounds are the best-looking thing in the game. Honestly, in my opinion, the actual characters themselves look like they were drawn with the early versions of Microsoft Paint. I do, however, have somewhat positive things to say about the animations. The animation is actually not bad for a fighter style game on the Game Boy Color. This is evident when looking at Rose's attacks. She may be a few colored pixels on the screen, but her hair and ribbon whooshes look kinda cool. Of course, after playing the PlayStation version of Street Fighter Alpha, I can tell that the developers severely downgraded both the graphics and the animations in the Game Boy Color version.

Street Frighter.

One thing that is unique about Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams is the lack of a two-player mode. I usually play alone anyway, so this isn't much of a big deal to me. The only problem is, with this game I would actually prefer to play with someone else. After playing the game a few times through with different characters and different difficulties, I found a "foolproof" method to defeating all the adversaries. All you have to do is spam the "body slam" move, and you'll get a PERFECT almost every time. Even the final boss was no match for me! (He wasn't that hard to begin with anyway. His teleportation skills are easy to beat compared to battling the steel thighs of Chun-Li.) Once I found out that technique, the game stopped being kind of fun. If I were ever in a sticky situation, I would resort to body slam spam to get through the remainder of the fight. If you want an actual challenge with Street Fighters Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, I would recommend playing through it on the highest difficulty setting. That was the highest setting where I found my KO technique would not be as effective all of the time.

One thing I really liked about SFA:WD (I really don't feel like spelling it out again and again) is that each character has his or her own ending. Once you defeat the final boss, the game plays an interaction between your character and the final boss that hints at a sequel. Unfortunately, Game Boy players did not get the chance to see the continuation of the story. Street Fighter Alpha 2 was never released for any Game Boy system, but you can get it for the SNES! The next Street Fighter game that Game Boy-ians got was Street Fighter Alpha 3 on the Game Boy Advance. I hope they fixed the obvious lack of music in that game. I'd rather listen to a stranger describe their last bout of Montezuma's Revenge than sit through these completely silent credits again. The music isn't the only thing that lacking; there is a lack of vocals as well. That really is too bad. I always looked forward to hearing the announcer say "FIGHT." Personally, I think it adds to the game; even if it sounded like a baboon in a blender, at least it would be something.

The game plays pretty well! Even with the fermented garbage graphics, I actually enjoyed playing the game (until I found out the secret body slam move.) The enemies gradually increase in difficulty, but not so much as to make the game incredibly frustrating. Your adversaries put up a good fight, and (sans "cheating") you'll find yourself with an equalized battle. Who will win? Who knows! Even a difficult enemy can be defeated with a well-placed combo attack at the right time. What the game lacks in prettiness, I suppose it almost makes up for in enjoyment/fun.

In short, SFA:WD doesn't even come close to the other versions of Street Fighter Alpha. However, with this game being the only one for the Game Boy at that time, it's not exceptionally horrible. Sure, it looks like a car engine vomited up roadkill, but at least it still has the same fighting spirit that all Street Fighter games have. I would personally recommend playing the PlayStation or original arcade version, but if you have no other options, give the game a whirl for yourself.

...and for some reason, I saw THIS during the game. What bonus content!