Street Fighter III
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| Street Fighter III | |
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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) |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Release date | SFIII: New Generation: February 4, 1997 SFIII 2nd Impact: September 30, 1997 SFIII 3rd Strike: May 12, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Versus fighting |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Input methods | 8-way Joystick, 6 Buttons |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | CPS-3 |
| 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).
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[edit] History
Street Fighter III, released in 1997, was the first numbered sequel to the original Street Fighter since the first version of Street Fighter II, which came out six years earlier. Between that time, Capcom produced four subsequent versions of Street Fighter II (Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting, Super and Super Turbo), as well as Street Fighter Alpha and Alpha 2, a pair of prequels featuring characters from the original Street Fighter and Final Fight.
The first iteration of Street Fighter III, fully titled Street Fighter III — New Generation, brought back Street Fighter mainstays Ryu and Ken, who were joined by a new character roster led by Alex. The original idea for Street Fighter III was to include an entirely new character roster with Alex as the new lead character, but after negative feedback from players during the location testing phase of the game's development, Ryu and Ken were brought back too.
Several months after the first version of Street Fighter III was released, Capcom produced Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact — Giant Attack, an upgrade which added two new characters, one of them being Hugo, a character who was intended to appear in the first Street Fighter III, but was left out due to time constraints. 2nd Impact also introduced recurring hidden character Akuma to the Street Fighter III universe.
In 1999, following the release of Street Fighter Alpha 3 for the arcades, Capcom released their third and final iteration of the Street Fighter III series titled Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike — Fight for the Future. 3rd Strike brought back Chun-Li from Street Fighter II, along with four new characters. 3rd Strike differs from the first two games as it features a soundtrack composed by Lockdown Entertainment featuring Hip-Hop, Jungle and Drum and Bass tunes. It would be the last mainstream Street Fighter game released for the arcades (not counting Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper and Hyper Street Fighter II, which released for Japanese and Asian arcades) until the announcement of Street Fighter IV in 2008.
[edit] Gameplay
A significant technical addition to the games was "parrying" (referred in the Japanese version as "blocking"; in Japan blocking an attack is referred as "guarding") 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 block damage normally inflicted when blocking opponent's special attacks and Super Arts. Although reduced from its normal damage, a blocked special move or Super Art causes minuscule but noticeable block 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. 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 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 the Super Combos in Super Turbo and the Alpha series, 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 Street Fighter 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 specials, similar to the "Enhanced Specials" introduced in 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 an EX Moves lies in their utility to further attack variability when coupled by alternating strength of special moves, 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 Rising Dragon Punch, pressing "Jab", 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" or "Fierce". The EX move version travels the farthest distance, does the most damage and causes additional hits.
A regular special move can be turned into an EX by pressing two punch or kick buttons simultaneously, while performing the same directional motions the move requires normally. 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, or "Personal Action", is only available in 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.
[edit] Ports
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 stand-alone release of 3rd Strike. The Xbox and PlayStation 2 also received ports of 3rd Strike, as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (apart from PAL regions for the PS2). 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.
[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 - 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.[citation needed]
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. Despite his Russian origins, in Third Strike he speaks with an English accent.
Oro — Voiced by Kan Tokumaru in Street Fighter III and Second Impact, and by Takashi Matsuyama in Third Strike. A sennin who seeks a fighter 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.
[edit] 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).
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.
[edit] 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 fighting style is suggestive of a more traditional style of karate. Her physical appearance is similar to Akane Tendo from the manga Ranma ½.
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. His design is based on K, the main character of the tokusatsu show, Robot Keiji.
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. His moves are very similar to that of Guile from Street Fighter II- 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.
[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
- Street Fighter III guide at StrategyWiki
- Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact guide at StrategyWiki
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike guide at StrategyWiki
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