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Looking Back at Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

Street Fighter II was one of the biggest titles in gaming history. As time passed and Capcom released supplemental versions that upgraded the original game, the hype for the developer’s next mainline entry surged. The first attempt at a third installment put a ton of focus on the number – with the cabinets reading Three: A New Generation of Street Fighters – how new and fresh the next World Warrior tournament was going to be, but after a troubled development, full of fresh faces in and outside of the game, Street Fighter III: New Generation wasn’t living up to the hype and would need a follow-up. 

That came quickly, and although 2nd Impact: Giant Attack was a major improvement, it still wouldn’t be the end, as fans received Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike in arcades on May 12th, 1999. Now, 25 years later, many consider this game one of the greatest 2D fighters of all time, but the anticipation and hype weren’t translating into success back then.

A Troubled First Round

Reviews weren’t the problem, as most people who knew the genre and could see how the game had truly matured were singing its praises, but from a monetary standpoint, the game was failing. There were a few reasons for that. Firstly, many fans didn’t like how much of the roster was full of new characters instead of the fighters they were familiar with, and there had been rumors that the development team had originally considered leaving out Ken and Ryu since they had Sean, with Chun-Li only being added in 3rd Strike.

Many simply didn’t know the game was out or had access to it, as this was when the presence of arcades had dwindled and the only home port of the game was on the Dreamcast, which was experiencing its own problems with reach. Not to mention that having three different versions of the game (and later a PS2 release) could be confusing for those who weren’t following the developments closely. This was also a period when many fighting game fans, especially casual players, were way more into 3D experiences. In many ways, this was an incredibly bleak time for one of their greatest franchises, but not only would the series return, 3rd Strike would endure and thrive.

Over the years many competitors held on to their passion for the game and brought in new players, especially as the Fighting Game Community (FGC) grew. Even some who were first turned off by the game and its presentation warmed up to it. I have my own fond memories when it comes to this version of Street Fighter, especially of trying to master Sean in the arcade, but I wanted to bring in a few friends (O’Neil, Damon, and TC) to share their thoughts about what the game means to fans now.   

Rising to the Top

3rd Strike had several positive aesthetic qualities that felt natural and progressive considering when it was released. That new fresh feeling was immediately evident from the intro. The game nailed the street-styled artwork and it stretched into the visuals of the gameplay. Sure, the backgrounds weren’t improved overall, with a couple of the reworked stages looking a bit bland compared to 2nd Impact, but the characters and the way they moved against the environments are the real eye-catchers. Damon told me, “The game’s animations are fluid and detailed,” making many of the high-level matches with the fighters bouncing around and executing their moves look more like a living tapestry.

These sights were, of course, amplified by the music, which flowed along with the vibe the art was shooting for, “3rd Strike really ushered in what I call ‘hip hop influence’ into Street Fighter,” O’Neil continued, “A lot of the music was poppy with vivid beats.” The urban street touch was covering the game, but Damon went on to expand what emphasis it was pushing, especially in the sound, “This time around, the focus was on jungle, drum n’ bass, rock, electronic and, of course, hip-hop.” It’s a varied soundtrack, but Damon spoke more about the heavy hip-hop influence and its legacy with the series, “Hip-hop and Street Fighter are like peanut butter and jelly. Rappers have been referencing the game since the heyday of Street Fighter II.” Part of the reason for that, he told me, was how catchy the music was, “It’s rare when you find yourself rapping along to the character select music,” showing just how memorable these tracks were for players, “it’s a varied soundtrack that is regarded as one of the best in the series.”  

Canadian rapper Infinite provided songs for the game as well as taking on announcer duties, an aspect that stuck with O’Neil, “He was a smooth operator,” talking about why the slick and calm voice worked for him, “The way he’d say things like, ‘all right, that’s cool’ when the round finished was iconic. It made you feel ‘cool’ too.” There were also several songs sampled and snippets from various areas of pop culture for the mixes. 

This style was also evident in the range of new characters and their designs, as it is believed that a couple of them may have come from the developmental days before this game was even going to be a Street Fighter sequel. 

A Bold Approach

Some players, like TC, appreciated the boldness of an almost completely revised roster, “including a whole set of new characters no one had ever heard of before really broke the old Street Fighter 2 tradition,” a move that may have hurt their mainstream appeal at the time, but inspired other franchises to broaden their horizons, “I believe 3rd Strike showed other game developers that they could break traditional rules of sticking to the main cast and step outside the box with characters, combos, and animations.” Like any fighting game, there are higher and lower-tiered fighters, but all of them are enjoyable to experiment with, and watching complex gameplay makes each one look badass, “you got to see characters that you didn’t think were any good, but they’d absolutely dominate.”  

None of this would matter, however, without the core gameplay to back it up and build from. Part of the goal for the team was to keep Street Fighter feeling approachable while making sure that it ran quite deep and never felt like two players controlled identical characters the same. “I think the accessibility of the game made it stand out and future fighting games tried to mimic that,” TC explained, “just about anyone could pick up 3rd Strike and play, but to watch high-level competition was insane.” This was a game that attracted all types, but would hold on to the diehards because it wasn’t a button masher, more like a simulator that tested players on their responses to opponents’ movements. 3rd Strike asked its operators to get comfortable and spend time in the ‘combotorium’ or the lab, developing formulas for the various characters, and urging techniques to match the flashy fighting styles.

“A good chunk of the community considers [3rd Strike] the only fighting game with zero flaws in its gameplay,” O’Neil started, “the offense is fast and fluid, but the defense options are also great. It has a parry system that requires you to tap forward during the final frame of an attack, which was extremely satisfying and ingenious at the time,” meaning others had to take note.

“Many games have replicated this style, such as Tekken with its low parry system.” TC agreed, speaking in broader terms of what the gameplay showed the industry, “It was one of those titles that changed how fighting games were made,” as the true art of the combat was realized after the dust from a poor release window settled. “The gameplay will test the mettle of both old-school combatants and newcomers,” according to Damon, and that’s because of what the experience offers.

This iteration in the series, much like SF2, was building, meaning that 3rd Strike had refined many of its mechanics and fixed most of the problems with the code, providing players with techniques like dash and back-dashing, Guard Parry, leap attacks, as well as stun meters, just to name a few. The game was also judging players now, grading their performances and calling in the Judgement Girls in the event of a tie in the third round. The most popular additions seemed to be the ability for the player to choose their combatants’ Super Art and, for the first eight fights, choosing between the two characters they could face. It might seem like a small action, but player choice is always a highlight.

A Perfect Combo

Putting all of those moves together and testing them out against another player, it’s a great feeling that’s hard to describe, but something that TC and others speak highly of. “Playing in the arcade for the first time was epic,” he said plainly, “I remember playing it in the old bar next to the Red Lobster, dumping ten dollars worth of quarters just to get to Gill,” the game’s near-nude red and blue final boss, “beating him, just for him to come back to life and destroy me,” he told me with a laugh. Damon mentioned how he didn’t play 3rd Strike as much these days, but would always be up for a few rounds, talking about the hype of watching other highly-skilled players compete, and TC added, “The Dreamcast version was spot on, but nothing will beat playing in front of a crowd.” Some claim that there has never been an arcade-perfect port, but many hardcore players still tout the 3rd Strike: Online Edition (2011) as amazing.

3rd Strike has been a significant game for the FGC for some time and the two have both benefited over the years from an incredible instance, an event that’s often referred to as “Moment 37,” or the “Daigo Parry.” O’Neil described it as ‘infamous,’ as many have since seen the footage from the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in 2004 where Daigo (playing Ken) was successfully able to deflect a 15-hit Super Art from Justin Wong (playing Chun-Li) in what epitomizes the definition of risk versus reward that the parry system strived for, “one of the greatest moments in gaming history took place in 3rd Strike.”

Doing this on a sliver of life, coming back to win – just the excitement of that moment was so palpable that most forget or don’t even feel it important to mention that neither of the two men made famous by this contest went on to win the championship that year. It doesn’t matter, because their confrontation was the defining moment that stood out and showed many players how great 3rd Strike could be. Damon gushed about it as well, saying it was one moment that, “shot 3rd Strike into the spotlight while also introducing an entire planet to the experience of competitive gaming.” I’m not even sure I realized how important of a moment it was myself until Damon told me about the book he had centered on it.

A Legend of the Fighting Game Community

I don’t think I need to tell anyone that 3rd Strike still holds up and deserves to be in the conversation 25 years later. The three people I interviewed for this all called it one of the greatest fighting games ever made in their own way, even Damon, who admitted that he wasn’t a “huge fan” of it, spoke about revering the game, watching others come around on the entry, and understanding its importance. The hardcore fans, those who have been playing for over two decades and are almost untouchable at it now, are the people who have come to give the game the respect it deserves, but there are many casual fans out there who still haven’t experienced just how good this game became in its final form. 

Damon said it best with, “Love or hate, one cannot deny what 3rd Strike has meant to the fighting game community,” and to a large number of Street Fighter fans in general. There’s a good chance that people will still be singing 3rd Strike’s praises 25 years from now also. 

Do you play Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, which version is your favorite and why? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.