Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

"Street Fighter III, Street Fighter III: Double Impact, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike... deja vu?"

Introduction
It's that time again.. what time is it you ask? It's time for Capcom to make another long series of unnecessary remakes of the same game over and over again. Unless you've been under a rock for the past decade, you can remember when Capcom pulled this routine years ago with SFII, making countless remakes. SFII, SFII Turbo, Super SFII, Super SFII Turbo, SFII Champion Edition, maybe even a few others I don't know about. Despite somewhat different titles, and the fact that SFII was a great fighter which forever reshaped the genre, THEY WERE ALL THE SAME GAME. That said, it wouldn't be so bad for Capcom to repeat this, if Street Fighter III didn't suck arse like a rabid nurse with an affinity for injections in the rear end..

Graphics
It's a Capcom fighter, you know what to expect. The same old sprites used in countless games in the past, some almost seven years old. The older sprites such as Chun Li and Ryu certainly show their age in a very NOT subtle manner, with pixilation and horrid stiffness at times during some special moves. All of the other character sprites are at least three years old, they're all the original sprites used for the first travesty which was Street Fighter III. The only thing remotely impressive are the nicely done backgrounds, but the backgrounds aren't what's to be focused on, unless you want to get your ass kicked by a deranged Dhalsim wannabe while you stare at a bunch of naked Japanese chics in a hot spring. Everyone's favorite end boss *coughsarcasmcough*, Gill, REALLY shows Capcom's lack of sobriety and sanity as they made him a graffiti sprayed freak in women's panties. It's times like this when I wonder why a really good company like SNK goes down the drain for lack of sales while Capcom makes recycled crap and gets away, reigning as one of the top video game companies in the world, when all of their fighting games, and most of their other genre titles are just remakes of the same game.

Sound/Music
I usually separate Sound and Music as two totally different categories, but SFIII: 3rd Strike has not earned that kind of precious time from me. Sound is fairly typical. The common Japanese battle cries resampled to be crisper and cleaner than they did in the years before. Fairly run-of-the-mill stuff here. The music is dreadful. Most of it is upbeat and holds no place whatsoever in a fighting game, while the rest is techno rock crap which isn't even done well. This is low even for Capcom's standards. I would've liked to have heard some remixes of classic themes from older Capcom fighters, but nooooo....

Plot
Well... I really don't know if this game even has a plot. Most Capcom fighters don't have plots at all, which is the main factor that sets SNK and Capcom apart. SNK likes to go that extra mile to add intriguing storylines to their fighters, leaving you with a cliffhanger at the end, forcing you to go get the sequel to see what happens. Capcom shows how lazy it is, not only in graphical recycling, but in vague or nonexistent storylines.

Gameplay
Your same old boring array of punches and kicks, special moves, and super moves. You know how it goes. Fight a little, try not to get hit, wait for your gauge to fill up, and murder your pathetic victim with a long chain combo polished by a ludicrously powerful super move. The gameplay presents nothing new to the fighting genre. Another thing that hurts SFIII: 3rd Strike is it's lack of nostalgia. Ryu, Ken, Gouki, and Chun Li are the only characters kept from the older games. The other familiar faces have suffered unknown fates. Although Capcom wanted to steer toward having a totally fresh cast, it didn't work out that way. The new cast is basically the old cast with minor changes. Dudley - M. Bison (Balrog), Necro - Dhalsim, Alex - Guile, etc. So it's not as fresh as you might think. That's about all the gameplay commentary this game deserves.

Replay Value
Zero, zip, nada, nil. Unlike Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or Capcom Vs. SNK, there isn't a huge abundance of hidden characters to unlock or hidden options to unveil. No classic theme remixes to unearth or hidden modes of play. Everything available to you on the initial option screen and a handful are all the secrets the game has to offer. You get no real reward for beating the game. You don't get any Groove Points and whatnot, just a vague ending and a credits roll. There's no real reason to play this game a second time.

Overall
Do not, I mean DO NOT give into the hype spawned by this turd of a fighting game. It's not worth the five bucks I paid to rent it. I'll bet that in the months to follow, yet another remake of SFIII will be made. If you're interested in a great, fresh fighter for Dreamcast, I suggest you get off your American high-horse and import Guilty Gear X, Last Blade: Final Edition, or buy locally released gems like Capcom Vs. SNK, King Of Fighters '99: Dream Match, and the like.

Scores
Graphics: 4
Sound: 6
Music: 1
Plot: N/A
Gameplay: 1
Replay Value: -666
Overall: 1

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 05/06/01, Updated 05/06/01