"The series that started it all...IS BAAACCCKKK!!!"

For those of you who played Street Fighter 2 in the arcades, Circa 1991, you'll find everything to love about Double Impact, plus a few extra goodies thrown in that should keep you coming back for more.

First off, this is two games in one, Street Fighter 3, and Street Fighter 3 Second Impact, which mirrored Capcoms ''upgrades'' of SF2 (i.e. - Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting ). Personally I prefer Second Impact as it has more characters, deeper gameplay, and the addition of my personal favorite character, Yang.

GRAPHICS - 10

What else can you expect from Capcom but near perfect graphics. Every stage is so beautifully and colorfully drawn, and abound with details. It's truly 2-D eye candy at it's very best.

Control - 10

Of course this is also to be expected from Capcom, and it's a must have in any fighting game. Here Capcom delivers the goods. Every character has their own set of very individual moves, which are pulled off by imputing a (usually) simple, smooth motion on the controller. In this game you'd be hard pressed to miss a Dragon Punch or fireball, as in both games the moves are easy to pull of, smooth as silk my friends (as opposed to the control of its predecessor SF2, which while great for it's time, is a bit clunky in comparison). Another interesting addition to this series is the idea of the ''parry'', which allows you to deflect your opponents move (except graps and throws) the instant before they hit by tapping forward on the controller. This also allows you to come back with...basically anything you want. A super, a combo, anything. I can't tell you how innovative this system is and how it deepens the gameplay. If you learn how to parry consistently, you can effectively sway the outcome of the match to your side, even if you're very low on health...it's that powerful!!! Although it's more powerful in Second Impact.

SOUND: 8

While all the voice acting is very well done in both games and the announcers voice is WAY cooler than in SF2, the music is not always the type of music that you'd want to fight to. Oh well, we can forgive Capcom here, with so much else to enjoy.

ANIMATION: 10 (10, 10, 10, 10 ALL THE WAY!!!)

Every character in these games are so well animated, so fluid, it's almost like watching Anime!!! Capcom pulled out all the stops here to give some of the best animation I've ever seen in a 2-D game. Every nuance of the way the characters move, their stances, reactions, win-poses...everything is so well thought out and beautiful to watch it's absolutely jaw-dropping.

CHARACTERS: 9

Between both versions, I'm sure any fighting game fan will find at least a few characters they really like. Of course Ryu and Ken are always favorites, but Yun and Yang (chinese brothers) Dudley (an English Boxer), Alex (an American street brawler) are all great characters. Of course, each has their own strenghths and weaknesses and strategies. My personal favorites are (still) Ryu, Yang, Yun, and Dudley.

OVERALL: 9

This game (while not as good as the sequel, 3rd Strike) stands as a testament to how good fighting games still are. Beginners will easilly pick up the controls, and moves. Veterans will excel with the new techniques available, like the Parry and Universal Overhead. SF2 players or any fighting fans will feel right at home here, but I would highly recommend it to anyone due to it's fun factor and replay value! Fighting games just don't get much better than this!!! Buy don't rent this game!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/02, Updated 01/22/02