Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
(LAST UPDATE: 6/20/08)

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General: Following Capcom's tradition with the Street Fighter series, SF3 gets it's first "update." The sequel adds 3 new characters; Hugo, Akuma, and Urien... Two of which are sprite "clones" or palette swaps, but at least they have new move animations! The big surprise here was the addition of Hugo or "Andore," a baddie from Capcom's classic arcade hit Final Fight. SF3: New Generation didn't really have a big guy besides Alex, so Hugo gladly filled the role as the new BIG guy... And damn is he big.

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   The gameplay is as solid as ever, with a newly added gameplay element that allows you to use your super meter power to make some of your special moves faster and/or more powerful. You still select from 3 super arts, and now have the choice of using that super art when your meter fills up, or using it to "power-up" your regular special moves. It's actually really fun, and a great way to speed up the gameplay as well... which may have been a complaint that fans had about SF3.

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   Graphically the game is superb as expected. The new characters look great and animate with incredible fluidity, especially the giant powerhouse that is Hugo. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a 2D character sprite move so smoothly. He even sticks his tongue out and licks the ground when he takes a fall... Gotta love those details.

Manufacturer: Capcom
Platforms: Arcade, Dreamcast
Release: 1998
Characters: Ryu, Ken, Dudley, Alex, Yun, Yang, Ibuki, Necro, Sean, Oro, Elena, Hugo, Urien, Akuma, Gill
Related Games: Street Fighter, Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Super Street Fighter 2, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Revival, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, Street Fighter 3: New Generation, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, Street Fighter 4, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max, Street Fighter Alpha: Anthology, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX 2, Street Fighter EX 3, Street Fighter: The Movie, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, Pocket Fighter
 
Gameplay Engine
9 / 10
Story / Theme
9 / 10
Overall Graphics
10 / 10
Animation
10 / 10
Music / Sound Effects
10 / 10
Innovation / Creativity
9 / 10
Customization / Options
 8.5 / 10
Intro / Presentation
8 / 10
Replayability / Fun
 9.5 / 10
"Ouch" Factor
10 / 10
Characters
9 / 10
Overall Score
9 / 10

Closing Comment: I loved Street Fighter III, and also fell in love with the first "update" to Capcom's shiny new SF series. Of course it's not a completely new game, but why change something that's already solid? Second Impact is definitely more fun than the original SFIII due to the new characters, new gameplay enhancements, and bigger movelists! I actually prefer the music and voice acting in 2nd Impact over the next installment (Third Strike), but of course, Third Strike as a game owns all. ~F.Yagami, Webmaster of TFG
  

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