Street Fighter III
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| Street Fighter III | |
|---|---|
 A promotional European flyer for Street Fighter III, featuring Alex prominently. Although Ryu and Ken were returning characters, Alex was promoted as the lead character over them. |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Tomoshi Sadamoto (producer) Yasuhiro Seto, Tomonori Ohmura, Obata Shinichiro, Halachie du Harais, Hidetoshi Ishizawa (planner) |
| 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
The original Street Fighter III and 2nd Impact follows the same storyline (much like the first two Alpha games), while 3rd Strike is a continuation of both (much like Alpha 3).
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[edit] History
A sequel to Street Fighter II was in high demand, due to the popularity of the Street Fighter II and its four revisions (Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting, Super and Super Turbo). 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 (as it was called on the American marquee), was the true sequel to Street Fighter II, and retained the duo of Ryu and Ken (the only characters to be in every Street Fighter game since the original). 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 reminiscent 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 being the first commercially released high profile title having a soundtrack comprised largely of Jungle and Drum and Bass compositions, both technically complex subsets of the overarching Techno moniker from underground rave music fame. Heavy influences of note include hip hop and acid jazz genres of music.
While not unsuccessful, the series' success was hindered by a number of factors: it was released during the decline of arcade gaming (caused in part by increased mass market appeal of console gaming due to the flashier graphical prowess of then current gen console's gaming finally reaching past the level gamers would previously only be able to experience in an arcade setting), 3D fighting games such as Tekken were on the rise, its old school gameplay had a much steeper learning curve, wasn't 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 Marvel vs. Capcom series. The most current release of the series is a port of 3rd Strike, which was sold as a stand alone game on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 (in Japan and the PAL region) is included as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection on the PlayStation 2 (in North America) and Xbox. The first two games in the series are only available on the Dreamcast as part of Street Fighter III: Double Impact.
Street Fighter III: Third Strike was also released in a stand alone format, completely separate from the Anniversary Collection for the PS2, but only in Japan. Released alongside it was a Limited Edition of the same PS2 version which included a bonus DVD of "master" player bouts, a SFIII guide, and a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle. Both versions are currently out of print, however on December 11 2006 in Japan a CapKore version of the standard PS2 version was released.
[edit] Gameplay
A significant 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) such that the player performing a successful Parry has no Block Stun. After Blocking an attack, the defending player enters a brief period of Block Stun where they cannot immediately react with any hostile actions. However, as a defensive action, a Red Parry (a Parry executed during Block Stun) can be attempted should the attacker continue their barrage of attacks.
Parrying defends against the Chip Damage (a.k.a. "Cheap" or "Cheesy" as in the Alpha series) normally inflicted when Blocking an opponent's Special Attack or Super Art. Although reduced from its normal damage, a Blocked Special Attack or Super Art causes minuscule but noticeable Chip Damage, allowing attackers the opportunity to at least partially punish the overly defensive player who chooses to simply Block all incoming attacks, thus motivating a player to attempt a Parry.
Parrying's inclusion in the fighting genre allows both players to instantly wrest control of the fight's momentum, moving it away from excessive "sitting in the corner and blocking" and "attacking relentlessly" that hinders most fighting games' restrictive combat flow. The lure of a Parry's potential success or failure, offers the attacking and defending players myriad options for mind games, since at any time the player's attack can be used against the player.
Due to Parrying's open ended nature, the player is enabled to freely decide the appropriate response to the Parried attack given the situation. This differs from the limited Attack Reversal system of Tekken or Virtua Fighter, which, upon the defender's successful execution, automatically initiates a predetermined attack.
Parrying may seem daunting initially, just as any skill that requires practice. To perform a Parry simply tap toward the opponent on the joystick to defend High and Overhead attacks (or down, when the attack would hit Low). Parrying too soon or too late leaves the character wide open to receive the intended attack. There is only a small window of Attack Frames (the portion of the attack that can cause damage) in which a Parry can be successful. This occurs just as the opponent's attack would make contact with the player.
3rd Strike broadened the time-span in which a player can successfully execute a parry; increasing its appeal and functionality over its predecessors. As players skillfully learn to parry commonly used attacks, such as quick "pokes" (attacks with fast execution, high priority, good range and safe recovery), varying attack vectors comes into focus, as abusing the same tactics makes for predictable patterns.
The Air Block, which was introduced in the Alpha series, was removed (along with the Block Meter) in order to keep with the differing rhythm of the game, and to limit defensive options while airborne.
The Super Arts system is similar to most super moves in 2D fighters, where attacks inflicting damage and those that miss completely, allow the player to build enough meter until it is full. However, in Street Fighter III, the player selects one of three Super Arts before a match starts, this causes for a more specific direction to be taken with how players plan to play their character. Each Super Art has its own meter length, and amount of "stocks" it can hold. Other fighting games tend to have one static meter length to equate that enough meter has been acquired to use any of the multiple "Supers" available to that combatant. While this may seem less restricted due to the larger amount of attack options this opens up, enabling too many moves actually confines a defending player due to their increased vulnerablility. While Super Arts take a longer time to charge up, and can only be stocked once, some accumulate stocks quickly and allow for up to as many as three consecutive executions of that Super Art.
Additionally, the Super Art meter can be partially spent to execute EX Moves (a.k.a. EXtra special), (the ES, a.k.a. Enhanced Special moves were first introduced in Capcom's Darkstalkers), which are powered up versions of character's special moves. Although not as strong as a Super Art, a portion of the Super Art meter is consumed when using an EX Move. The acknowledged upside to EX Moves lies in their utility to further attack variability when coupled by alternating strength of Special Attacks, as all of which are performed to varying degrees of fierceness, using the three levels of attack buttons present in every Street Fighter game. For example, when performing Ken's Dragon Punch Special Move, pressing Jab Punch, the fastest attack button, executes a version of the Special Move which: covers less distance, does less damage, but executes more quickly than a Strong Punch or Fierce Punch. The EX Move version travels the farthest distance, does the most damage and has causes additional hits. A move is EX'd by pressing two punch or kick buttons simultaneously, while performing the same directional motions the Special Move requires normally. A contributor to the complex ballet of 3rd Strike, EX Moves allow the player to choose between Super Art conservation for sudden, devastating Super Arts (such as Chun-Li's infamous Houyoku Sen) or a 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 all versions
- 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 capoeira. She seeks to make new friends.
- Gill (final boss. Selectable only in console versions. Although Twelve can use his Super Art X-Copy to transform into Gill when fighting against him.) - 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 (in the first version of Street Fighter III, Yang was only an alternate version of Yun selectable only as if he was a palette-swap) - 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 as a secret character and has a non-playable "Shin" version. Was made a regular character in 3rd Strike while his "Shin" version was removed.) - Continues to seek perfection through the way of the warrior.
- Hugo (inspired by the Andore enemies from the Final Fight series, also a direct nod to professional wrestler Andre the Giant) - 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] External links
- Official
- General resources
- Street Fighter III at the Killer List of Videogames
- Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact: Giant Attack at the Killer List of Videogames
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future at the Killer List of Videogames
- Shoryuken.com (the online center of competitive Street Fighter)
- Fan Sites
- Denjin Video (Southern California Tournament Video Site)
- NewChallenger.net (Street Fighter III Third Strike Combo Video Collection)
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