"Pure Street Fighter bliss."

I would like to start of f by saying that SFZ3 is the FIRST Street Fighter game I have ever purchased. I have always been a fighting game fan, but I was never really interested in Street Fighter games of the past. Street Fighter II has (ignorantly) been my image of all SF games for about 7 yrs. Then, after purchasing my Japanese DC and hearing large praise for SFZ3, I decided to go out and buy the game. On the drive home with my newly purchased game, I was expecting the game to turn out to be some kind of "jazzed up" version of Street Fighter II. How very wrong I was. And after owning this game for nearly 3 months, it is safe to say that I am thoroughly impressed.

Graphics 10/10: Simply amazing. Capcom has definitely done a great job of converting this title to the Dreamcast. Despite the fact that the game is built around the CPSII hardware, which is considered by many to be outdated, the graphics in this game really do shine. The backgrounds are richly detailed and very imaginative- from M.Bison's raging thunderstorm, to Cody's "jail break" scene, it shows that Capcom put a lot of time and effort into this area of the game. The animation of the characters is very well done with all the attitude and detail that we have come to know and love in all of Capcom's games. To say the least, this game is a work of art.

Sound 10/10: What can I say? The sound is as good as it needs to be. The music is very upbeat and catchy (especially R.Mika's tune) making every song a treat for the ears. So catchy in fact, that most of the music is stuck in my head for hours after I finish playing. The voices in the game are also very well done. Every character's voice comes across very clearly, and is always easy to understand. All aspects of the sound in this game are great, so if you've got a stereo, don't be afraid to crank it up.

Control 10/10: The controls are quick and responsive, making it easy to execute any move almost exactly when you need it. The only problem is that I found it very difficult to play this game with the standard Dreamcast controller, so I ALWAYS play it with my arcade stick (which is a superb peripheral). It makes the game much more enjoyable and gives you that "arcade" experience. Therefore, if you are going to buy this game, I highly recommend buying an arcade stick as well.

Gameplay 9/10: Veteran Street Fighter fans and even people that are new to the series will enjoy this game. It is very import friendly and provides hours and hours of intense, and involving gameplay. But, I gave this category a 9 and not a 10 because of one small detail. The learning curve. This game has an unbelievably steep learning curve that will make any Mortal Kombat loving scrub tremble with fright. If you want to get good at this game, you have to practice, practice, practice. Unlike some other games 'cough' Soul Calibur 'cough' in which you can "button mash" your way to devastating juggles and cheap victories. This fact alone might scare inexperienced fighters away. Aside from that, this game is pure Street Fighter bliss.

Final Thoughts: If you're thinking about buying a fighting game, this should be your first choice. With its great graphics, sound, controls, and almost unlimited replay value, what's not to like? -Blastoidkill

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 01/13/01