Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

"Finally, a complete fighting game"

This is surely the best Fighting Game I've played so far. It never bored me and I kept on playing until my hands get tired. We all know that the Street Fighter Series is the best fighting game series of all time. But this game has gone way beyond the limits of a great fighting game. Here is my criteria for judging this game.

Gameplay/Controls (10 pts): This one really took into consideration what a fighting game really should be. Each character has his/her own fighting style and it will also vary depending on the opponent. You can do lots of things with your characters like Hyper Arts and Combos. The Parry system, which was introduced in the first Street Fighter 3 is also plus. These concepts contribute to the strategic side of this fighting game. You'll feel that it's not just the win that counts, but also how you did it. It's fun and exciting especially when you have an opponent which is controlled by the second player. Style and Strategy goes hand in hand. For the controls, there's nothing more I can say except that it's perfect. It's easy to maneuver the character and the button sequences are easy to follow.

Storyline (7 pts): For the storyline, it is very much the same as its predecessors. Each character has his or her own ending. Although they're not entirely connected to each other, it's good to know the background of each one of them.

Graphics/Sounds (9 pts): What can I say? The graphics is excellent. The movements of all characters are life-like and they're very nice to look at. The backgrounds, on the other hand, are splendid. With the Dreamcast projecting the graphics, it's flawless. For the Sound, it is very very pleasing. It's very audible and clear. The sound events (i.e. Punches, Kicks, Special Moves, etc.) are very accurate to the actual movement of the character.

Replay Value (9 pts): What about the Replayability of the game? Well, I'll bet that you'll play this game a lot of times and you won't get bored. Ever. With lots of character and lots of special moves and combos, you'll even want more. Although, the story will be repeated if you play the same character again, it's the fighting that counts.

So, if you have a Dreamcast and you're wondering what fighting game you should play, then you don't have to look further. This game is a MUST for fighting game fanatics. Really well worth the money spent. So go now and buy it. Now, any challengers?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/09/00, Updated 12/09/00