Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is the third installment of the Street Fighter III Series, released in 1999. A sequel to Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, it continues the series' use of the parry system, command grabs, and overhead attacks. At Comic Con 2010, a new version entitled Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition was announced.[1]
Characters
3rd Strike differs from the previous installments of this series (known for having none of the original characters other than Ryu, Ken, and Akuma) by re-introducing series regular Chun-Li as a new addition. In addition to Chun-Li and the fighters already in 2nd Impact, four other new characters are introduced; Q, Remy, Twelve, and Makoto.
Returning 2nd Impact characters
Name | Appearance | Notes |
---|---|---|
Akuma (Gouki in Japan) | Appears in 2nd Impact as a secret character and has a non-playable "Shin Akuma" version which can be selected in the Dreamcast version of the game in Double Impact. He is 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. Voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike. | |
Alex | The lead character of the Street Fighter III games. He 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. Voiced by Michael Sommers in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and Patrick Gallagan in 3rd Strike. | |
Dudley | A dandy British boxer who is trying to retrieve an antique car that Gill has stolen. Voiced by Bruce Robertson in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and by Francis Diakowsky in 3rd Strike. | |
Elena | An African princess who uses the fighting style of capoeira. She seeks to make new friends. Voiced by Hotaru Fujino in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and Mie Midori in 3rd Strike. | |
Hugo | A professional wrestler who wants to find a strong tag team partner. He is often accompanied by his manager, Poison. Based on the Andore enemy character from Final Fight, also a direct nod to late professional wrestler André the Giant. 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 New Generation. Voiced by Wataru Takagi in 2nd Impact and Len Carlson in 3rd Strike. | |
Ibuki | An aspiring ninja whose fight in the tournament is part of her final exam. She is very quick and agile. Voiced by Yuri Amano in all three games. | |
Ken | Knowing that Ryu has entered the tournament, Ken enters to test his strength against his old friend. Voiced by Koji Tobe in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and Yuji Kishi in 3rd Strike. | |
Necro | 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. Voiced by Michael X. Sommers in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and by Lawrence Bayne in 3rd Strike. | |
Oro | A hermit 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. Voiced by Kan Tokumaru in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and by Takashi Matsuyama in 3rd Strike. | |
Ryu | As usual, Ryu enters the tournament to better his skills and find worthy opponents. Voiced by Wataru Takagi in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and by Toru Okawa in 3rd Strike. | |
Sean | A young Brazilian fighter who is being trained by Ken, Sean wants to improve his skills and prove his ability. Voice by Isshin Chiba in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and Mitsuo Iwata in 3rd Strike. | |
Urien | Gill's younger, bitter brother who wants to forcibly take the Illuminati from him. He can manipulate electricity and metal. Voiced by Yuji Ueda in 2nd Impact and Lawrence Bayne in 3rd Strike. | |
Yang | Yang is a Kung Fu expert from Hong Kong, and the twin brother of Yun. In New Generation, Yang is selectable only as a "palette swap" of his brother Yun. In 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike, Yang is a separate character, with his own unique set of Special Moves and Super Arts. Voiced by Wataru Takagi in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and by Kentaro Ito in 3rd Strike. | |
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. Voiced by Koji Tobe in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and by Masakazu Suzuki in 3rd Strike. | |
Gill | The leader of the secret organization known as the Illuminati, he wants to restore balance to the world. He can manipulate fire and ice. He is the final opponent for all the characters in New Generation and 3rd Strike, and for most of the characters in 2nd Impact. He is a playable character only in the console versions of the games. Voiced by Bruce Robertson in New Generation and 2nd Impact, and Lawrence Bayne in 3rd Strike. |
Additional Characters
Name | Appearance | Notes |
---|---|---|
Chun-Li | She is looking for a young orphan under her care who was kidnapped under mysterious circumstances. Voiced by Atsuko Tanaka. | |
Makoto | 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. Voiced by Makoto Tsumura. | |
Q | A mysterious figure, with a featureless facemask and a concealing overcoat. While he can be chosen as a playable character, he is a hidden computer-controlled opponent in the single-player mode. His design is based on K, the main character of the tokusatsu show, Robot Detective K. Voiced by Len Carlson. | |
Remy | A long-haired French 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 special moves are similar to those used by preceding Street Fighter characters Guile and Charlie as they are mostly charge based specials. Voiced by Eiji Sekiguchi. | |
Twelve | 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. Voiced by Lawrence Bayne. |
Story
3rd Strike tells the story of what happened after the events of Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact; however much of the battles within the game are not canon - for example, very few characters actually fought Gill after the conclusion of the Third World Warrior Tournament. A side-effect of this is that none of the characters introduced in this game should be considered competitors in the tournament. Among the battles in Third Strike that are confirmed to have happened are:
Alex vs Ryu - Ryu encounters and defeats Alex comprehensively, leading Alex to become obsessed with fighting Ryu again and becoming a better fighter.
Ryu vs Ken - The two friends face off once more and Ryu again narrowly defeats Ken, lauding him as his worthiest opponent.
Chun-Li vs Urien - Chun-Li demands the return of a kidnapped child and Urien agrees to comply if Chun-Li can provide an entertaining match. Though the victor is unknown, although it is implied Chun-Li won, as the child is returned.
Gameplay Additions and Alterations
New game play mechanics introduced in third strike is the Guard Parry, also known as 'Red Parry'. A player is able to parry during a guard stun if timing is correct. Also introduced are player evaluations after match, where the winner of a two-person match is given letter grades in Offense, Defense, Tech, and Extra. A player in Arcade mode will always be evaluated, even in case of a loss. The grades range from E to MSF(E,D,C,B,A,S,MSF). Also re-introduced was the fan favorite 'Destroy the Car' bonus stage during arcade mode.
thumb|300px|right|The Game's Super Arts
Home versions
A PlayStation 2 version of 3rd Strike was released in 2004, with all the features from the Dreamcast, including a choice between arcade and Dreamcast version's respective soundtracks. It was released in Japan as a stand-alone game, with a limited edition package containing an All About Street Fighter history book, a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle and a strategy DVD. The PS2 version was released in North America as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, a two-in-one bundle that also includes Hyper Street Fighter II. The PS2 version was not released in the PAL region. The PS2 version was re-released in Japan on September 18, 2008 in a two in one bundle with Capcom vs. SNK 2.
An Xbox version of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection was also released during the year in all three regions. The Xbox version of 3rd Strike includes all the features from the PS2 version, as well as an online Versus Mode.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition
An "Online Edition" of the game will be released for the PS3 & Xbox 360 as download in summer 2011. All the bugs, glitches, and quirks of the original game remain so that veterans of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike will feel right at home, The E3 trailer revealed that the game will feature enhanced visual settings, Youtube Sharing, GGPO-built online play and will be ported by Iron Galaxy. The game will also feature a new Trials mode, which is broken up into a number of different sections, each focusing on a different aspect of gameplay (for example parrying), Other trials are similar to those from the Street Fighter IV games. All the EX moves and super art combos from the original Third Strike return, complete with their over-the-top animations and visual effects. There's also a separate group of challenges to master, which are similar to achievements, but they award you with points that you can spend on unlocking new content.
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See Also
List of moves in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike