Street
Fighter III: 3rd Strike

REVIEW:
Capcom's
third and last installment to their epic SFIII series marks the return
of Chun Li and adds four newcomers: Remy, Makoto, Q and Twelve. The
returning SFIII characters have been given
new moves, many new outfit colors and even some new (and notably witty) win
quotes, many of which are character-specific! The Street Fighter III series quickly became known in the
fighting game universe for its breathtaking 2D animation
and rock solid gameplay, and 3rd Strike continues the trend... with
style.
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Make your first move... so
what's it gonna be?
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The Parrying system from the previous installments is still intact and impressively more solid than before. Parrying
is a skillful way to defend against your opponent's
incoming attacks (by tapping forward in time with your opponent's attack), instead of
just holding back to block. By parrying,
you can quickly counter-attack your opponent with a priority attack, special
move, or even right into a combo or super move if you have such skills.
The fluid pace of SFIII's animation makes it easier for the eyes to
anticipate incoming attacks,
which is why parrying works so well with this game. You can of course parry
while standing, parry low attacks by tapping down and parry in the air (with
more punishable outcomes this time around since fighters aren't "pushed back" like in New
Generation).
The commands for air parries, throws and leap
attacks were
changed from 2nd Impact. Additionally, the player can perform a
"guard parry" or a parry during a guard stun if the timing is right. A
guard parry is also known as a "red parry" due to the fact
that the character turns red while performing it. The game also introduces the "judgment
system," where the winning player is given a letter grade based on their
performance in several different categories: offense, defense, techniques and
extra points... pretty cool!
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Daigo VS Justin "EVO Moment 37" put 3rd Strike on the map in 2004!
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Parrying also adds
power to the super combo gauge, which of course allows players to perform a devastating
super art (or two) against their opponent. The super combo gauge can also
be used to perform "EX specials" which enhance regular special moves by making them faster or
more damaging (This mechanic was introduced in the prequel, 2nd Impact).
Characters have a great selection of priority attacks, command attacks, special
moves and a choice of three hard-hitting super moves. Overall, the characters are represented incredibly well and
are some of the "deepest" 2D fighting game characters to date. Thanks to the
updated character roster, SFIII is definitely more fun than ever, but that's not
all that's changed...
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Possibly the best "traditional" 2D fighting game of all time.
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3rd Strike also features a brand new soundtrack
which can be summed up as a "mix" of techno, jazz and hip-hop... an interesting choice that takes some getting used
to, but the end result is a win! BGMs are particularly well done... each song actually
has three different remixes, which kick in during the beginning of each round
and brilliantly flow with the "pace" of the fight. The new tunes also
do a superb job at creating the feeling of "unique atmosphere" in each
location. The 2D backgrounds themselves are also completely new to the Street
Fighter series and look excellent for the most part.
Also updated from the prequel was the character voice acting. All voiceovers for
each and every character were completely re-done and sound spot-on for the most
part. However, I must say that I prefer 2nd Impact's voice acting (and
music) over 3rd Strike's... but I was still glad to see that they
actually took the time to update the sound in this installment. Capcom
definitely paid close attention to presentation this time around, which some of
us more "nitpicky" fans really appreciate. 
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Wanna git gud? You best learn to parry... and parry with style.
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In closing, 3rd Strike's overall
presentation is expertly done; from the flashy (yet simple) introduction, to the
awesome music & sound, to the slick game menu & options. Visually, it
stands out as one of the best looking 2D video games ever made... 3rd Strike
is also one of those fighting games that "looks good" regardless of
the skill level of the people playing the game. It's literally a "work of
art" in motion. And this game is definitely not all about looks,
because (if you didn't know) Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
is one of the deepest 2D fighting game experiences in existence. It's a
timeless fighting game, and you'd be a fool not to play it and like it.
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Page Updated: |
January 10th, 2021 |
Developer(s): |
Capcom |
Publisher(s): |
Capcom |
Designer(s): |
Tomoshi Sadamoto
Producer
Hidetoshi Ishizawa
Planner
Obata Shinichiro
Planner
Yasuhiro Seto
Tomonori Ohmura
Halachie du
Harais
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Artwork
by: |
Daigo Ikeno
Character Art
Harumaru
Soundtrack & Covers
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Platform(s): |
Arcade,
Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 (in SF Anniversary Collection), Xbox (in SF Anniversary Collection),
PSN (as SF3: 3rd Strike Online Edition), Xbox Live (as SF3: 3rd
Strike Online Edition)
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Release Date(s): |
May
12th, 1999
Arcade
June 29th, 2000
Dreamcast
Oct. 4th, 2000
Dreamcast
July 22nd, 2004
PS2
Oct. 28th, 2004
Xbox
Oct. 29th, 2004
Xbox
Feb. 22nd, 2005
Xbox
Aug. 23rd, 2011
PSN - as SFIII: 3rd Strike Online Edition
Aug. 24th, 2011
XBLA - as SFIII: 3rd Strike Online Edition |
Characters: |
Ryu,
Ken, Chun-Li,
Remy, Makoto,
Q,
Twelve, Alex,
Yun,
Yang,
Ibuki, Dudley,
Necro,
Sean,
Oro,
Elena,
Hugo,
Urien,
Akuma,
Gill
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Featured Video:
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Related Games: |
SFIII:
3rd Strike Online Edition,
SFIII: 2nd Impact, SFIII: New Generation,
Street
Fighter, Street Fighter 2, SF2 Champion Edition,
SF2 Turbo, Super SF2,
Super SF2 Turbo, Super
SF2 Turbo: Revival, Super SF2T HD Remix,
Ultra SF2, Street Fighter
4, Super SF4, Super
SF4: 3D Edition, Super SF4: Arcade Edition, Ultra
SF4, Street Fighter 5, Street Fighter Alpha, Street
Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, SFA3 Upper,
SFA3 Max, SFA
Anthology, SF
Anniversary Collection, Street Fighter EX,
SFEX2, SFEX3, SF The Movie,
Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo,
Super PF2T HD Remix, Pocket
Fighter,
Garou: Mark of the Wolves,
Martial Masters |
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Gameplay
Engine
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10 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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9.0 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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10 / 10
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Animation
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10 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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9.0 / 10
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Innovation
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8.5 / 10
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Art Direction
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9.5 / 10
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Customization
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9.5 / 10
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Options / Extras
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9.5 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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9.0 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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10 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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10 / 10
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Characters
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10 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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9.8
/
10
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Review based on Dreamcast
version
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Final
Words: |
As far as traditional 2D fighting games go, it really doesn't get much
better than Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. You're simply not a true fan of
2D fighting games if you don't like Third Strike... my words can't really do
this game justice; you just have to play it. Flawless animation, awesome and
memorable characters and breathtaking martial arts action!
The character roster isn't huge, but this time it's about
"quality," not "quantity". The gameplay & parry
system is spot-on and also stands out as unique in the fighting game
genre. 3rd Strike is fun to pick up
and play, but an incredibly tough game to master... it's a timeless
fighting game and will always have a place in history as one of the all time
best.
~TFG
Webmaster |
@FIGHTERS_GEN
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