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| Street Fighter III | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Tomoshi Sadamoto (producer) Yasuhiro Seto, Tomonori Ohmura, Obata Shinichiro, Halachie du Harais, Hidetoshi Ishizawa (planner) |
| Released | SFIII: New Generation: February 4, 1997 SFIII 2nd Impact: September 30, 1997 SFIII 3rd Strike: May 12, 1999 |
| Genre | Versus fighting |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Input methods | 8-way Joystick, 6 Buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | CPS-3 |
| Arcade display | Raster, 384 x 224 (Horizontal), 32768 colors |
Street Fighter III (ストリートファイターⅢ Sutorīto Faitā Surī?) 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).
Contents |
History
Street Fighter II and its four revisions (Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting, Super and Super Turbo) proved tremendously successful and there was world-wide demand for a sequel. However, Capcom chose not to proceed directly to Street Fighter III. First the company created Street Fighter Alpha, a prequel series. Alpha comprised three major games. Street Fighter III: New Generation, aka, "Three: A New Generation of Street Fighters," retained only two fighters from the previous Street Fighter games, Ryu and Ken. The game launched on the CPS-3, which allowed Capcom to include a high number of animation frames per character, giving the game an artistic style distinct from the earlier series. New Generation included ten characters; later revisions would increase this number up to eighteen and reintroduce series regulars Chun-Li and Akuma. The decision to introduce a largely new cast of fighters displeased many fans. Some thought the new characters were derivatives of the Darkstalkers series (Vampire in Japan) and unfaithful to the Street Fighter tradition. In the two years following the launch of Street Fighter III, Capcom offered two revisions: 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike. 3rd Strike is notable for its soundtrack, which included a significant number of Jungle, Hip-Hop and Drum and Bass compositions. They hired Lock Down Entertainment to produce music together with Capcom's in-house composers, under the mentioned genres of music. The series proved less successful than earlier Street Fighter games. Fans attribute the lack of success to a number of factors:
- the series launched at a time when the arcade gaming industry was in significant decline;
- 3D fighting games such as Tekken had become phenomenally popular and were considered more accessible to new players due to their comparatively simple fighting systems;
- the series was not as visually flashy as some of its competitors;
- fighting games in general had fallen in popularity from their peak in the early 1990s. The Street Fighter III series would not match the success of Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, or the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Despite this lack of popularity, many gamers still consider Street Fighter III (particullarly 3rd Strike) to be the definitive 2D fighting game overall.
The first two games were eventually ported to the Dreamcast and sold as one package titled Street Fighter III: Double Impact. The Dreamcast also received a port of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. The Xbox and PlayStation 2 also received ports of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. Street Fighter III: Third Strike was also released in a stand alone format within Japan. Also sold in Japan was a Limited Edition PS2 port which included a bonus DVD of "master" player bouts, a game guide, and a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle. Street Fighter: Anniversary Collection title is now backwards-compatible on the Xbox 360, but suffers from slow-down within certain characters stages and under some animation conditions. The sequel Street Fighter IV, would officially take place before the events of Street Fighter III.
Gameplay
A significant technical addition to the games was "offensive blocking" (known to European and American players 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 Just Defend system of Garou: Mark of the Wolves, which only shortens the amount of time the player is left in block stun. 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 vulnerability. While some 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 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. Taunting, a.k.a Personal Action, is only available in Street Fighter III 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike. Each character's taunt is also accompanied by an additional benefit if completed successfully; for example, Ryu's taunt will lower his stun gauge, whereas Q's taunt raises his maximum stamina.
Characters
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 - Voiced by Bruce Robertson in Street Fighter III and Second Impact, and by Francis Diakowsky in Third Strike. A dandy British boxer who is trying to retrieve an antique car that Gill has stolen. He is a homage to the anime series Ashita no Joe and Hajime no Ippo. He is also based on real life boxers Jack Johnson and John L. Sullivan.
- 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 Alpha series) - Knowing that Ryu has entered the tournament, Ken enters to test his strength against his old friend.
- Necro - Voiced by Michael X. Sommers in Street Fighter III and Second Impact, and by Lawrence Bayne in Third Strike. Necro is a Russian man who was kidnapped and experimented on in the Illuminati's "G-Project". In 2nd Impact, he finds a companion named Effie who follows him and mimicks his actions
- Oro - Voiced by Kan Tokumaru in Street Fighter III and Second Impact, and by Takashi Matsuyama in Third Strike. An ancient, mysterious hermit who seeks a fighter that is worthy to inherit his fighting style. He binds one arm while fighting, to keep from accidentally killing his opponent.(except when performing specific special arts)
- Ryu (returns from the Street Fighter Alpha series) - 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 - Voiced by Koji Tobe in Street Fighter III and Second Impact, and by Masakazu Suzuki in Third Strike. Yang is a Kung Fu expert from Hong Kong, and the twin brother of Yun. Yang is identical to Yun with regards to gameplay in Street Fighter III, but gameplay differences between the two were introduced in Second Impact.
- 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.
Introduced in 2nd Impact
- Akuma (returns from the Street Fighter Alpha series as a secret character and has a non-playable "Shin" version which can be unlocked in the Dreamcast port of the game. Was made a regular character in 3rd Strike while his "Shin" version was removed, though in the arcade game this version is present as a near-complete character, including a recolored stage) - 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 André 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. Hugo was planned to be in the first game, as evidenced by his mobile character with unfinished sprites, and the presence of his stage in the original arcade game.
- Urien - Gill's younger, bitter brother who wants to forcibly take the Illuminati from him. He can manipulate electricity and metal.
Introduced in 3rd Strike
- Chun-Li (returns from the Street Fighter Alpha series) - She is looking for a young orphan under her care who was kidnapped under mysterious circumstances.
- Makoto - Voiced by Makoto Tsumura. Makoto is a young Japanese girl, trained in Rindoukan karate. Since her father's death, Makoto's dojo has been floundering, so she finds Ryu and challenges him to restore her dojo to a flourishing state. Her karate style is very simmilar to that of Shotokan karate
- 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 - Voiced by Eiji Sekiguchi. Remy is a long-haired fighter wearing a leather jacket emblazoned with an omega. He bears a grudge against all fighters since his father disappeared and his sister died.
- Twelve - 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.
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
- Street Fighter III guide at StrategyWiki
- at StrategyWiki
- at StrategyWiki
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| Main series | Street Fighter · Street Fighter II · Super Street Fighter II · Street Fighter Alpha · Street Fighter III · Street Fighter IV |
| Spin-offs | Street Fighter: The Movie · Street Fighter EX |
| Crossovers | SNK vs. Capcom series · Marvel vs. Capcom series |
