Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

"A dissapointment in almost every way..."

Since Street Fighter 2 was released, fans have been eagerly awaiting a true sequal. Instead, we were given countless updates, prequals, and spin-offs. Let me see if I can count them off: There was SF2 Champion Edition, Turbo Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter 2, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha 1, 2 and 3, Street Fighter Ex 1, 2 and 3, and lets not forget Street Fighter: The Movie. Street Fighter 3 was finally released quietly into the arcades. Third Strike is the most recent version that has been ported to the Dreamcast. This is the first version of Street Fighter 3 I have played, so keep that in mind.

Graphics: 8/10

The characters in this game are the most fluidly animated characters I have ever seen in a game. They jump, kick, and move so realistically (for the most part) and they are extremely detailed. Nothing can top this animation on the dreamcast. The backgrounds, however, are a different story. While they look nice, they aren’t as detailed and don’t have as much going on as in, say, Marvel VS. Capcom 2, or even Street Fighter Alpha 3. Also, the special moves for each character look pretty bland. Even the Super Arts each character has are a bit lacking.

Sound: 8/10

The sound and music do the job, but they aren’t anything to get excited over. I guess they just didn’t really add anything to the game, but they aren’t bad.

Control: 9/10

If you have played any other Street Fighter game, you know what to expect. Hit detection in this game is nearly perfect. Each character has their own set of normal and special moves. Some of the moves can be pretty tough to pull off in the middle of a fight, especially ones that involve doing a 360 degree motion with the control pad. I never understood why they felt the need to makes certain moves so difficult to perform. The biggest problem isn’t a fault of the game, but rather the Dreamcast controller. Because you need 6 buttons, you are forced to use the trigger buttons, which do not feel comfortable at all. This can cause problems when trying to perform some combos, which call for very precise timing.

Gameplay: 6/10

The game has about 20 characters to choose from, but only Ryu, Ken, Chun li, and Akuma are from Street Fighter 2. The other 16 characters are brand new for Street Fighter 3. How can you make a Street Fighter game without all of the characters we have grown up with? Where is Guile, Blanka, and Bison? The characters that did return from Street Fighter 2 haven’t really changed all that much. The new characters really aren’t that interesting. A lot of their moves are borrowed from old characters. Overall, I think the game would have really benefited by including the characters from other Street Fighter games with new moves and looks.
After you choose your fighter, you must choose the Super Art you want to use. That’s right, you can only use ONE Super Art during the fight. Why you can only use one, I will never understand. The decision was supposedly to add strategy, but if anything, I think it really limits your options. You can only use your Super Art when you have a full super meter, which fills up by attacking your opponent. Each character can also perform EX moves, which are basically souped up versions of their special moves, by pressing two punch or kick buttons, instead of one. These moves usually add hits and damage to the regular move, making them more viable in combos. Using these moves takes a bit of your super meter, however.

A lot of the elements from Street Fighter Alpha 3 have been taken out. There are no air blocking or alpha counters in this game. Instead, a parrying system has been introduced. Basically, you can parry just about any move with the right timing. I guess this could really add a lot of strategy, but getting the timing down is incredibly difficult, and usually involves a lot of luck.

Overall, the gameplay is reminiscent of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, minus interesting characters. I know that they were trying to go back to the roots for this game, but there is a reason why games evolve. The improvements to Street Fighter games over the years have refined the game into a masterpiece, which culminates with Street Fighter Alpha 3, which is the best Street Fighter game ever made, in my opinion. In comparison, this game just doesn’t have much to offer.

It really hurts to give this game this low of a rating, but Street Fighter 3 should have redefined the genre. Unfortunately, it doesn’t even come close.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/26/01, Updated 11/26/01