Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

1999 video game
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike (flyer).png
Japanese arcade flyer
Developer(s)Capcom
Iron Galaxy Studios (Online Edition)
Publisher(s)Capcom
Dreamcast
Producer(s)Yoshiki Okamoto
Noritaka Funamizu
Kouji Nakajima
Designer(s)Toshiba Ishizawa
Haruo Murata
Tomonori Ohnuma
Composer(s)Hideki Okugawa
SeriesStreet Fighter
Platform(s)Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
Release
May 12, 1999
  • Arcade
    Dreamcast
    PlayStation 2
    • JP: July 22, 2004
    • NA: August 31, 2004
    Xbox
    • JP: October 28, 2004
    • EU: October 29, 2004
    • NA: February 22, 2005
    PlayStation Network & Xbox Live Arcade
    (Online Edition)
    • JP: August 23, 2011
    • NA: August 23, 2011
    • EU: August 24, 2011
    Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, & Xbox One
    (Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection)
    • NA: 29 May 2018
    • EU: 29 May 2018
    • JP: 25 October 2018
Genre(s)Fighting game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemCP System III

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future (ストリートファイターIII サードストライク ファイト・フォー・ザ・フューチャー) is a 2D fighting game developed and published by Capcom, originally released in 1999 for the arcades and in 2000 for the Dreamcast. In 2004 it was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. A downloadable online version titled Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition was released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2011.

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike is the second and final follow-up to Street Fighter III, following Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact. Like its predecessors, it runs on the CP System III hardware. 3rd Strike increased the character roster by adding five new characters, notably including Chun-Li. It also added further refinements to the previous game's play mechanics and rules. The game was well received in all of its versions and has since been regarded as one of the greatest fighting games of all time. On 29 May 2018, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future was released as a part of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, and Xbox One.

Gameplay

Released in May 1999, the third and final installment of Street Fighter III brought back the classic Street Fighter II character Chun-Li, along with four new characters (Makoto, Remy, Q, and Twelve), extending the selectable roster to 19 characters, with Akuma[4] now being a regular character. All of the returning characters from the previous Street Fighter III games were given new stages, endings, and voice actors for certain characters, continuing the overall storyline from where the first two games left off.

The commands for air parries, throws/holds, 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" because the character turns red when performing it. The game also introduces a grade-based "Judgement System", in which the winning player in a single or two-player match is graded after the match based on offense, defense, techniques, and extra points. Special points are also awarded after fulfilling specific requirements.

The single-player mode consists of fighting ten regular opponents, which includes a character-specific rival as the penultimate opponent and Gill as the final boss for each of the characters except for Gill himself, whose final boss is Alex. Despite his status as a regularly selectable character, the CPU version of Q can only be fought in the single-player mode as a secret challenger. The "Parry the Ball" minigame from Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact returns as well as a new version of the "Crush the Car" minigame from Street Fighter II.

By clearing the game with every character including Gill, the extra options, such as infinite super arts, will be available for toggling on/off.

Characters

All the characters from 2nd Impact returned, with the exception of Shin Akuma, a computer-controlled version of Akuma with more powerful techniques (although the character still exists in the game's code). All of the returning characters, with a few exceptions, had new voice actors for 3rd Strike. The following five characters were added to the roster:

  • Chun-Li (voiced by Atsuko Tanaka) - She is looking for a young orphan under her care who was kidnapped under mysterious circumstances.[5]
  • Makoto (voiced by Makoto Tsumura) - A young Japanese girl, trained in karate. Since her father's death, Makoto's dojo, Rindoukan, has been floundering, so she seeks to challenge other fighters around the world to restore her school to a flourishing state.[6]
  • Q (voiced by Len Carlson) - A mysterious figure[7] wearing a mask and an overcoat who is being pursued by the CIA because of sightings around the world near accidents and he is even thought to have been the cause. While he can be chosen as a playable character, he is a hidden computer-controlled opponent in the single-player mode.
  • Remy (voiced by Eiji Sekiguchi) - A long-haired fighter from France wearing a leather jacket emblazoned with an omega. He bears a grudge[8] against all fighters after he and his late sister were abandoned by their father who decided to go fight. His move set is similar to that of Guile and Charlie.
  • Twelve (voiced by Lawrence Bayne) - A shapeshifting soldier developed by Gill's organization.[9] Twelve is ordered to hunt down his prototype, Necro, as his first mission.

Release

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike was originally released for the arcades in 1999. There are three revisions[10] of the arcade board, with differences in bugs and gameplay mechanics (specifically, "unblockables" for the characters Urien and Oro).

The Dreamcast version was released in 2000. Like Double Impact, this version features an Arcade, Versus, Training (with normal and parry training) and Options modes, as well as a "System Direction" mode which allows the player to adjust several of the game's features. Like in Double Impact, Gill can be selected by the player, but only after fulfilling certain requirements. Also, one additional remix of each character's musical theme, not present in the original arcade version, was composed for this version, and it was played during the third round of each match. These additional remixes were also included in the PlayStation 2 version.

A PlayStation 2 version of 3rd Strike was released in 2004, with all of the features from the Dreamcast version, including a choice between the arcade and Dreamcast version's respective soundtracks. It was released in Japan as a standalone game, with a limited edition package containing an All About Street Fighter history book, a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, and a strategy DVD. The PS2 version was released in North America as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, a two-in-one bundle that also includes Hyper Street Fighter II. The PS2 version was not released in the PAL region. The PS2 version was re-released in Japan on September 18, 2008, in a two in one bundle with Capcom vs. SNK 2.

An Xbox version of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection was also released during the year in all three regions. The Xbox version of 3rd Strike includes all of the features from the PS2 version, as well as an online Versus mode.

Online Edition

At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, Capcom announced that an online edition of 3rd Strike titled Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition was in development. The game features enhanced visual settings and GGPO-built online play. The version was done by Iron Galaxy Studios and has similar features to Final Fight: Double Impact, including visual filters, an optional remixed soundtrack by Simon Viklund, and bonus content unlocked by completing in-game achievements. Other new modes include Tournament and Spectator modes, as well as Trial modes that teach the game's fundamentals and the ability to share replays on YouTube.

Online Edition was released for PlayStation Network on August 23, 2011, and on Xbox Live Arcade on August 24, 2011.[11][12] Although marketed as "arcade perfect", its codebase is derived from the PS2 version.[13] The game reached #8 at the PSN download sales chart.[14] A final patch to correct certain issues with the game was released on February 12, 2014.[15]

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection

The arcade version of 3rd Strike is a featured game in 30th Anniversary Collection (released 2018); this game, in conjunction with Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 3, has online functionality. Unlike Online Edition, 30th Anniversary Collection features a proprietary netcode solution developed by Digital Eclipse.

Soundtrack

The themes for the games are predominantly house, jungle and drum and bass, with some jazz, hip-hop, and techno elements. While Yuki Iwai worked on the soundtracks for New Generation and 2nd Impact, Hideki Okugawa worked on all three games. The soundtrack to the first game in the series was released on CD by First Smile Entertainment in 1997, while the 3rd Strike original soundtrack was released by Mars Colony Music in 2000 with an arranged version afterward. The soundtrack to 3rd Strike features three songs and announcer tracks by Canadian rapper Infinite.

Reception

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike has received positive reviews. In Japan, Game Machine listed the game on their July 1, 1999 issue as being the most-successful arcade game of the month.[46] In 2004, Game Revolution said that it "just isn't a very exciting addition. The game is essentially like all the other Street Fighters, but with a parrying system", before concluding that it does not do "anything remotely interesting graphically; unsurprising when you consider that these games have barely grown at all visually in fifteen years"[47] IGN said it was "worthy of just about anyone's private collection... that is unless you already have Double Impact," while CNET said it was "weaker in the graphics department than its predecessor."

Chet Barber reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "A very deep and complex game that's a blast to play, with welcome new characters and a few extras. But if you've already played SFIII, you're probably as burned out as we are."[36]

Retrospectively, 3rd Strike was ranked as the 11th best arcade game of the 1990s by Complex;[48] the magazine also placed it tenth on their list of best 2D fighting games of all time in 2013, stating it "is a lot better than many people ever gave it credit for."[49]

Legacy

While not particularly popular at the time of its release (which is generally attributed to it being a 2D fighter during a 3D craze and the growing power of home consoles over arcades), 3rd Strike is now very highly regarded in the fighting game community as one of the best fighting games of all time and is considered by many to be the best Street Fighter game. Aside from gameplay, it is also highly regarded for its spritework, which many feel is only matched by few games such as Garou: Mark of the Wolves and The King of Fighters XIII while the animation is also considered to be better than in the later 3D installments.[50] 3rd Strike is also notable for being the game played in the now-famous Evo Moment 37 (where Daigo Umehara performed the "Daigo Parry"), which is often considered the most iconic moment of competitive gaming and inspired many to start playing 3rd Strike which brought new life into the fighting game community during a time when the community was in a state of stagnancy.[51][52] In 2022, IGN named it "the greatest fighting game ever made."[53]

References

  • Studio Bent Stuff (Sep 2000). All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Games 1987-2000. A.A. Game History Series (Vol. 1) (in Japanese). Dempa Publications, Inc. ISBN 4-88554-676-1.
  1. ↑ "SFIII 3rd Strike Flyer". Archived from the original on 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  2. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Now Available". Archived from the original on 2001-04-19.
  3. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike". Chipsworld. Archived from the original on May 29, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Akuma character biography (in Japanese): "Fist Master"... Akuma. A ferocious yet pure obsession with "fighting". Carrying tens of thousands of dead people on his back, he wanders between the underworld and the real world in search of the next strong man. "My fist... no one will break it!"
  5. ↑ Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Chun-Li character biography (in Japanese):Chun-Li had been away from fighting for a long time. But the incident happened suddenly. A student of hers at a kung fu class suddenly disappears. In order to track her whereabouts, she decides to return to the arena of fighting.
  6. ↑ Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Makoto character biography (in Japanese): The Rindoukan is a prestigious karate dojo. However, there is no longer a shadow of its former prosperity. Makoto, the only daughter, swears on her father's dojo suit, "I will make it a major karate school once again! Once again... we will make you a major player!
  7. ↑ Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Q character biography (in Japanese): I hate to admit it, but our organizational capacity has led us to the conclusion that it is difficult at this time to formally affirm his existence." CIA Spokesman Richard Bergman
  8. ↑ Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Remy character biography (in Japanese): There are those who cannot be forgiven. The heart howls, "Beat them, crush them. When the eyes hidden by his silver hair gleam in a moment of madness, the young man's heart is dyed in darkness. A banquet of revenge... there is no turning back now!
  9. ↑ Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Twelve character biography (in Japanese): The ultimate humanoid killing weapon created by the Gill organization. The transformable bio-body is the completed form of the prototype Necro, which has been enhanced and improved. Absolute desperation hunts down the target!
  10. ↑ "News Flash: Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike Has 3 Revisions". Living with John Choi. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  11. ↑ E3 2011: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition Preview Archived 2016-03-15 at the Wayback Machine by GamesRadar.
  12. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition - SDCC 11: Features Trailer". Gametrailers. Archived from the original on 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  13. ↑ "The New Challenger: Fighting Game Development With Iron Galaxy Studios' Dave Lang". iPlayWinner. 24 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  14. ↑ "February 2015 PlayStation Store Sales Charts in North America: Dying Light Beats Every Other PS4 Game". Playstationlifestyle.net. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  15. ↑ "Update #3 on the 3SOE Update". Iron Galaxy Studios. Archived from the original on 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  16. ↑ "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike for Dreamcast". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  17. ↑ "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike for Dreamcast Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  18. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  19. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Crisan, Neidel (2011-08-22). "Street Fighter III: Online Edition Review for PS3, 360 from". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  21. ↑ "Review: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition". Destructoid.com. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  22. ↑ Parkin, Simon (2011-08-23). "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Review • Page 1 •". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  23. ↑ ドリームキャスト - ストリートファイターIII 3rd STRIKE Fight for the Future. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.42. 30 June 2006.
  24. ↑ Leahy, Brian (2011-08-23). "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Review for PS3". G4tv.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-09. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  25. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Review". G4tv.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  26. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Review". Gamerevolution.com. 2000-10-01. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Review". Gamerevolution.com. 2011-08-25. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  28. ↑ "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Review for Dreamcast on GamePro.com". 2004-03-15. Archived from the original on 2004-03-15. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  29. ↑ "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition Review from GamePro". Archived from the original on 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  30. ↑ "ZDNet: GameSpot: Dreamcast Reviews: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Review". ZDNet. Archived from the original on 2000-12-15. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  31. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Review (PS3)". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03.
  32. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Review (X360)". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-13.
  33. ↑ Games, issue 114, published 29 September 2011.
  34. ↑ "Street Fighter III Third Strike - IGN". Uk.ign.com. 2000-10-05. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition Review". IGN. 2011-08-22. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Barber, Chet (December 2000). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 3, no. 12. Imagine Media. p. 113.
  37. ↑ PlayStation: Official Magazine UK, issue 63 (November 2011), published 28 September 2011.
  38. ↑ Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition Review, Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine, issue 78 (November 2011), published 30 September 2011
  39. ↑ "Official XBOX Magazine | Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition review". Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  40. ↑ Play, issue 209 (September 2011), published 1 September 2011.
  41. ↑ PlayStation: The Official Magazine, November 2011, page 85.
  42. ↑ "Review: Street Fighter III- 3rd Strike". gaming-age.com. Archived from the original on 2001-05-15.
  43. ↑ "Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Review (XBLA, PSN) - Gaming Age". Archived from the original on 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  44. ↑ "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition review – fight for the future | Metro News". Metro.co.uk. 2011-08-24. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  45. ↑ Retro Gamer, issue 94 (September 2011), published 15 September 2011.
  46. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 590. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1999. p. 17.
  47. ↑ "Street Fighter Anniversary Collection: Right street, wrong direction review". gamerevolution.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-17. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  48. ↑ Rich Knight, Hanuman Welch, The 30 Best Arcade Video Games of the 1990s Archived 2014-07-10 at the Wayback Machine, Complex.com, August 28, 2013.
  49. ↑ "The 25 Best 2D Fighting Games of All Time". Complex. 2013-08-15. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  50. ↑ "A pixel artist renounces pixel art". Polygon. 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  51. ↑ "Justin Wong: EVO moment #37 may have helped save the FGC as many games were dying at the time, it brought some new life to the scene". 22 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  52. ↑ "How a Parry Saved Street Fighter: 20 Years of 3rd Strike". 13 May 2019. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  53. ↑ "The 10 Best Fighting Games". ign.com. 10 August 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.

External links

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