Final Fight 3

Final Fight 3 (Final Fight Tough in Japan), released in 1995, is the third game in the beat 'em up Final Fight series set in the Street Fighter universe. Unlike the original Final Fight but like Final Fight 2, Final Fight 3 was never released in the arcade and was instead developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Story
After the dismantling on the Mad Gear Gang in the previous game, the power vacuum caused the other gangs of Metro City to fight for dominance. Eventually the Skull Cross Gang won and started making moves to seize control of the city.

Several months later, Mayor Mike Haggar was in his office speaking with his old friend Guy when an explosion rocked Metro City. Detective Lucia Morgan of the Special Crimes Unit rushed in and informed Haggar that a huge riot had broken out in the center of town. Haggar and Guy hurried to help and an unnamed stranger appeared suddenly, offering his assistance and saying that he knew where the gang was headed. Haggar, pressed for time, accepted the stranger's help but threatened to grind him into dust if it was a trap.

The quartet headed to the Police Station where a breakout had just occurred in lockup. Following the trail, they were accosted by Dave, a cop in the employ of the Skull Cross Gang. They defeated him but he had delayed them long enough for the rest to make their getaway - the entire riot had been staged as a smokescreen for the gang to break out one of their leaders from jail. With time no longer an issue, the stranger who had led them there introduced himself as Dean and explained that he had been just another street fighter until he had refused to join the Skull Cross, whereupon they had slaughtered his family.

They then continued to Skull Cross HQ where, at the the helipad on the roof, they faced Marshall Black, the overall leader. After a long fight, one of them kicked him into a high-voltage transformer, killing him and setting off a chain reaction that eventually blew up the building. They escaped, however, and mused how it would be Haggar's job to rebuild the city. Dean said his goodbyes as the sun rose.

Gameplay
The game can be played by up to two players simultaneously, with each player controlling a different character. Before the game begins, the player chooses between the four main characters:


 * Haggar


 * Guy


 * Lucia


 * Dean

Each has his or her own fighting style and attributes. Lucia is the weakest but has faster attacks, Haggar is the strongest but also the slowest, with Guy and Dean being more balanced - Guy slightly faster but weaker than Dean.

The controls consists of the d-pad and two buttons for attacking and jumping. The player character can move in any of the eight directions, but can only face and attack to the left or right like in most beat-'em-ups. Pressing both buttons simultaneously performs a special move that attacks in both directions, though uses a little health. Players can also grab and throw opponents, as well as use various weapons.

New innovations in the series include the option to have the computer AI control the second player, and the introduction of command-input "special moves" like in the Street Fighter series. Another addition is the introduction of a Super Gauge like in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which fills as the player strikes enemies and, when full, allows the player to unleash a devastating Super Move. Also, the player can run and backdash, with character-specific special running attacks possible while running. Furthermore, the game introduces weapon specializations - each character has a weapon they're most proficient in and when they have it, they are able to use a special weapon attack in addition to the regular variation that the other characters can do when holding that weapon. Finally, the game introduced hidden areas, branching game paths and multiple endings.

Rounds
Final Fight 3 consists of six stages or "rounds", as well as two bonus rounds. Each round takes place in a different locality in Metro City, with most rounds featuring more than one level. At the end of each round the player will face a boss character unique to that round.

The game possesses a branching path system wherein the player will take a different route through the game depending on the fulfilment of certain criteria - most significantly, Round 4 will take place in one of two different locations (with different bosses) depending on whether the player took the bus in Round 3 or not.

The rounds are:
 * Police Station
 * Main Street
 * Scrap Yard
 * Ship or China Town
 * Bonus Stage
 * Factory
 * Bonus Stage
 * Skull Cross HQ

Trivia

 * If the player takes the path to the Ship and beats the boss there, a cutscene is triggered that mentions that the Skull Cross Gang appear to be smuggling weapons for someone else, with the only clue being a manifest with the words "Sims Inc.". This appears to foreshadow another, larger menace, but since there was never a Final Fight 4 this loose end has never been tied up.