Street Fighter III
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Street Fighter III | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Yoshiki Okamoto (producer) |
| Release date(s) | 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Versus fighting |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Input | 8-way Joystick, 6 Buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system(s) | CPS-3 |
| Arcade display | Raster, 512 x 512 (Horizontal), 4096 colors |
Street Fighter III is a fighting game produced by Capcom, released in 1997 on Capcom's CPS-3 hardware, which is a continuation of the famous Street Fighter series.
The game was produced in three editions, each adding more characters as well as making minor modifications to the gameplay:
- Street Fighter III: New Generation
- Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact - Giant Attack
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future
Story-wise, 2nd Impact overwrites New Generation, while 3rd Strike is a continuation of 2nd Impact.
The games are often referred to by their subtitle. For example, 2nd Impact or 3rd Strike.
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[edit] History
A sequel to Street Fighter II was in high demand, due to the popularity of the second game. Rather than releasing a sequel, Capcom created four updates (each one taking about as long as a sequel generally would at the time) to Street Fighter II, and created a prequel spin-off series called Street Fighter Alpha before finally creating Street Fighter III. Some fans began to become impatient with Capcom's unwillingness to release a true sequel (and this was one cause for the rise of the rival Mortal Kombat series in the U. S.), while others saw the constant fine-tuning as an effort to make sure the game would be known for its great gameplay.
Street Fighter III: New Generation, or alternately, Three: A New Generation of Street Fighters (or simply Three as it was called on its marquee), was the true sequel to Street Fighter II, and retained the duo of Ken and Ryu which many fans of the series loved. Because of the high number of animation frames used per character (the most fluidly animated fighting game sprites as of now), the original edition of Street Fighter III only included ten characters; however, the second and third editions of the games slowly added new characters, as well as reintroducing Chun-Li and Akuma. Some fans were put off by some of the added characters, viewing them as overly exotic and remniscent of the Darkstalkers series (Vampire in Japan) more than anything from the Street Fighter II series or even the Street Fighter Alpha series. Many were also disappointed in the lack of more classic characters from previous Street Fighter games. The later updates were named 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike. 3rd Strike is notable for having a soundtrack that was heavily influenced by the hip hop and acid jazz genres of music.
While not unsuccessful, the series' success was hindered by a number of factors: it was released at a time when the arcade market was beginning to decline, 3D fighting games such as Tekken were on the rise, its old school gameplay wasn't as easy to learn or as visually flashy as other 2D/3D fighting games, and the decline of fighting games in general as a popular genre. None of the three Street Fighter III games were able to match the success of the Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, or Capcom Vs. series. The most current release of the series is a port of 3rd Strike, which is included as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The first two games in the series are only available on the Dreamcast as part of Street Fighter III: Double Impact at this time.
[edit] Gameplay
The most important technical addition to the games was "offensive blocking" (known to European and American fans as "parrying"), and differs from simple blocking (guarding in the Japanese version) in that no damage is taken from the opponent's attack, and the person performing a successful parry has no block stun. A block stun is the split second after a block is executed where the character cannot make another action. This enables the player to immediately counter attack after a parry. Parrying is a skill that requires a lot of honing and practicing, however, as it requires that you press forward (or down, if it's a low attack) during a small window of frames when the opponent's attack would make contact with you. 3rd Strike allowed a wider time-span for a player to execute a parry; this has made parrying somewhat easier than previous editions. Incorrect timing of parrying will leave your character wide open for counter attacks. Skilled players learn to parry as many single attacks and combos as possible, which caused the game to be focused primarily on quick "pokes" (light attacks) leading into long, preferably uncommon combos.
The Air Block, which was introduced in the Alpha series, was removed in order to keep with the differing rhythm of the game, and perhaps to encourage parrying over blocking in order to have a defensive option while airborne.
The Super Arts system is similar to most super moves in 2D fighters. However, there is a big difference. In Street Fighter III, the player is asked to choose one of three Super Arts before the match starts. Each Super Art has its own meter length, and amount of "stocks" it can hold. This is the main difference between Street Fighter III and other fighting games, which tend to have static meter lengths for each combatant as well as a variety of Super Art-esque moves available at any time. Some moves take a long time to charge up, and can only be stocked once, while others accumulate stocks quickly and allow for multiple executions of the same Super Art.
In addition, the Super Art meter is used for EX Moves (similar to the Enhanced Special moves in Darkstalkers), which are powered up versions of character's special moves. EX Moves are performed by pressing two punch or kick buttons at once, while performing the same directional motions as with normal special moves. The Super Art meter depletes depending on the character and the attack performed. The acknowledged downside to EX Moves lies in their lack of variability, as opposed to normal special moves which can be performed to varying degrees of fierceness using the three levels of attack buttons present in every Street Fighter game. EX Moves are a major contributor to the status of 3rd Strike as one of the most refined fighters of all time; they allow the player to choose between Super Art conservation for sudden, devastating Super Arts (such as Chun-Li's infamous Houyoku Sen) or a constant barrage of EX attacks.
While taunting is an available action in all three version of Street Fighter III, each character's taunt in "3rd Strike" is also accompanied by an additional benefit if completed successfully; for example, Ryu's taunt will lower his stun gauge, and Q's taunt raises his stamina.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Featured in New Generation
- Alex - The new main character of the SF3 series who fights with close-range wrestling and quick rushing attacks. His goal is to avenge the defeat of his friend Tom at the hands of Gill.
- Dudley - A British boxer who is trying to retrieve an antique car that Gill has stolen. His character is an homage to anime series Ashita no Joe and Hajime no Ippo.
- Elena - An African princess who uses the fighting style of capoiera. She seeks to make new friends.
- Gill (final boss. Selectable only in console versions. Twelve X-Copy in arcade Third Strike.) - The leader of the secret organization known as the Illuminati, he wants to restore balance to the world. He can manipulate fire and ice.
- Ibuki - An aspiring ninja whose fight in the tournament is part of her final exam. She is very quick and agile.
- Ken (returns from Street Fighter II) - Knowing that Ryu has entered the tournament, Ken enters to test his strength against his old rival.
- Necro - His real name is Illia, and he is the initial result of the Illuminati's "G-Project", considered a failure by the organization. In Third Strike, he found a companion named Effie who follows him and mimicks his actions.
- Oro - An ancient hermit who seeks a fighter that is worthy to inherit his fighting style. He magically binds an arm in order to avoid harming his opponents.
- Ryu (returns from Street Fighter II) - As usual, Ryu enters the tournament to better his skills and find worthy opponents.
- Sean - A young Brazilian fighter who is being trained by Ken, Sean wants to improve his skills and prove his ability.
- Yang (Yang is only a palette swap of Yun minus the cap in New Generation.) - The twin brother of Yun, he fights alongside him, but desires to escape his shadow.
- Yun - A cocky fighter who, along with Yang, protects his hometown in Hong Kong. He's a happy-go-lucky person who likes to do things his own way.
[edit] Introduced in 2nd Impact
- Akuma (returns from Super Street Fighter II Turbo and has a "Shin" version) - Continues to seek perfection through the way of the warrior.
- Hugo (inspired by the Andore enemies from the Final Fight series) - A professional wrestler who wants to find a strong tag team partner. He is often accompanied by his manager, Poison. He is a rival to Alex.
- Urien - Gill's younger, bitter brother who wants to forcibly take the Illuminati from him. He can manipulate electricity and metal.
[edit] Introduced in 3rd Strike
- Chun-Li (returns from Street Fighter II) - She is looking for a young orphan under her care who was kidnapped under mysterious circumstances.
- Makoto - Since her father's death, Makoto's dojo has been floundering and she wants to gain prestige so that new students will come for training.
- Q - Voiced by Len Carlson. Q is a mysterious figure, with a featureless facemask and a concealing overcoat. While he can be chosen as a playable character, he is a hidden boss as a computer-controlled opponent.
- Remy - He bears a grudge against all fighters since his father disappeared and his sister died. He has moves similar to Guile, but is not related to him.
- Twelve - Voiced by Lawrence Bayne. Twelve is one of the first successful soldiers of the Illuminati's "G-Project" experiment, and can shape his body into weapons. Twelve is ordered to hunt down and kill his prototype, Necro, as his first mission.
[edit] Trivia
- Originally, Ryu and Ken were not to be in this game, instead being replaced by Sean as the lone Ansatsuken fighter. Capcom changed their minds as the result of these two characters' strong followings, and included them in the final release. Despite this, neither of the two is the main character, as Alex was given that title. Later, other highly popular characters returned: Akuma in 2nd Impact, and Chun-Li in 3rd Strike.
- Street Fighter III was the second game to run on Capcom's CPS-3 hardware. Warzard (also known as Red Earth) was the first.
[edit] External links
- Official
- General resources
- Street Fighter III at The Killer List of Video Games
- Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact: Giant Attack at The Killer List of Video Games
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future at The Killer List of Video Games
- Shoryuken.com (the online center of competitive Street Fighter)
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