A quick look back at the history of STREET FIGHTER: The first game was released in 1987 and was a bleep under everyone’s radar for being frustrating to play despite presenting an innovative 6-button set-up. The second game came out in 1991 and wowed everyone with its smooth fighting mechanics and slick gameplay to the point where an entire genre of video game was born. And then… we got a whole bunch of prequels, updates, sidegames, puzzle games, and just about everything but a clear cut Street Fighter III. Jokes were made about Capcom not being able to count to three – which is actually quite funny in hindsight when you think about it, because this is the same company that has churned out Mega Man sequel after Mega Man sequel on the NES, which proves that they can count just fine, but let’s run with the joke for a minute, shall we?
When the year 1997 rolled around, it proved to be a monumental year for video games. Why? Because Capcom finally learned how to count to THREE… okay, joke over. And people were mixed in its reception. Some liked it, some hated it, but most agreed it was different from most Street Fighters played before… okay, not really, but still… at least they can count to three. Can’t wait until they count to Number FOUR!
Um, sidenote: It wouldn’t be until 2009 that Capcom would release a Street Fighter IV… which turned out to be Street Fighter II in 3D! Lame.
Anyway, all kidding and snarkiness aside, Street Fighter III was released and later got a slight revision called Second Impact… and then got another revision/sequel/remake called Third Strike, which is considered by most to be one of the finest fighting games ever developed and I have to agree. But in the interim, Capcom released both SF3 New Generation and SF3 Second Impact onto a Dreamcast disc almost appropriately titled Double Impact. Sadly, there’s no Jean-Claude Van-Damme to be found… oh wait.
STORY: The story of Street Fighter III (any of them, take your pick) is the same as Street Fighter II; a bunch of guys from all over the world compete in a tournament held by a mysterious man named Gill, who has two skin colors… wait, the final boss ISN’T M. Bison? There’s NO plot involving Shadowloo in any way shape or form? Holey Moley! This is a new game. Of course, as usual, each character has their own purpose for being in the game and in the case of Second Impact, each has their own final boss, similar to the early SF Alpha games. Different? Yes… and that’s good. 8/10
GRAPHICS: What a nice improvement they made over the previous titles. The fighters have more detail and life to them than the years-old sprites from the Alpha games that constantly get reused over and over again. They seem to animate much better than previous games too and the Dreamcast manages to pull all of this greatness off with relative ease and perfection that it almost seems like having the arcade game… er, games at home. From what I can recall from the arcade version many moons ago, there doesn’t seem to be any loss in graphical detail and the fighters seem to be the same size as they were, so whatever losses might have been made don’t seem too noticeable. Regardless, this is a nice looking game for the time and I commend Capcom for the awesome job they did here. 9/10
SOUND: Crisp and clear sound – can’t go wrong with that. The various punches, kicks, impacts, and voices are all smooth-sounding and solid. I’m particularly fond of the soundtrack used here – it gives it a rather different feel from other fighting games of the time and yet is distinctively suitable for this Street Fighter game. I know some people could care less for the soundtrack, but I actually think it’s good and at the time, playing a Street Fighter game that had all-new music tracks as opposed to tired remixes was a nice thing. 10/10
GAMEPLAY: SF3, in general, boasts a smaller roster than the Alpha series. Ten fighters (technically eleven if you count Yang, who is just a palette-swap of Yun) are available for you to choose from in New Generation and of the ten (eleven including Yang), only Ryu and Ken are returning fighters. The rest of the cast are all-new. Second Impact adds two new characters, separates Yun and Yang into separate characters, and brings back the secret fighter Akuma. Even so, this is a comparatively small roster, as most fighters will have 18 to 20 choices.
The set-up for both games is similar enough. Upon choosing your fighter, you’ll have to choose one of three Super Arts to commit to. Super Arts are basically a fancy word for Super Combos and each Super Art has its own requirements and attributes (meter size varies, number of stocks allowed varies). I found this to be rather interesting and although it might be perceived as a restriction on a player’s offensive options, it really isn’t. It makes for strategic gameplay and also simplifies the arsenal you have at your disposal.
From there, the fight begins. At first, it plays similarly to previous SF games. You have six buttons, a number of special moves, and the first person to knock their opponent out wins. The thing that defines the SF3 line of games is a parry system, which is sort of an alternative block move that allows you to quickly absorb your opponent’s attack and counter with your own. It’s a relatively simple move that can take a while to master, but once you do, it absolutely makes the game. But even without the parry, you’re still playing your usual brand of Street Fighter. There’s very little adjustment to be made here. Control on the Dreamcast version is surprisingly responsive and comfortable, as I was able to pull off moves without much trouble. So kudos. 8/10
CHALLENGE: It’s the usual with most fighting games: adjustable difficulty settings allow you to set it to be as easy as possible or as tough as you’d want it to be. In any case, however, expect a tough fight from a couple fighters in this game, including the final boss himself. 8/10
REPLAY VALUE: You get two games in one… and while they both play similarly enough, there are a couple differences in Second Impact that make it a somewhat better game. As a result, you’ll probably end up playing that one more than New Generation, which may only get a couple playthroughs strictly for the curiosity factor and possible nostalgia factor if you’re fond of that version of the game. Either way, there’s some fun to be had once you unlock the Special Options and fiddle around with some of the features. 6/10
OVERALL: For all intents and purposes, people will tell you to skip over this title and just find yourself a copy of Third Strike, which is considered to be one of the best fighting games in the history of video games and the best of the Street Fighter III titles. Indeed, the only reason to pick this up (outside of the collector’s aspect) is merely for the sake of curiosity to see how the game evolved to that point. I wouldn’t snuff Double Impact entirely; at best, it’s probably worth a look if you want to know where Street Fighter III began and it is a good compilation of games in their own right… just try to find a copy that’s cheap. I hear this thing goes for big bucks. 8/10
dtm666 