is a 1999 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcades. It is the second and final updated version of Street Fighter III, following Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact. Like its predecessors, it runs on the CP System III hardware.
3rd Strike increased the character roster by adding five new characters, notably including Chun-Li. It also added further refinements to the previous game's play mechanics and rules, including improvements to the parry system. It was ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. In 2004, it was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. A downloadable online version titled Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011.
Although not very popular upon release, it amassed positive reviews, and eventually gained a large cult following years after release. The game has a significant competitive gaming scene, which included Evo Moment 37 (also known as the "Daigo Parry"), often considered the most iconic moment in competitive gaming history. On May 29, 2018, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike was released as a part of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.
Gameplay Released in May 1999, the third and final installment of Street Fighter III brought back the classic Street Fighter II character Chun-Li, along with four new characters (Makoto, Remy, Q, and Twelve), extending the selectable roster to 19 characters, with AkumaOfficial Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Akuma character biography (in Japanese): "Fist Master"... Akuma. A ferocious yet pure obsession with "fighting". Carrying tens of thousands of dead people on his back, he wanders between the underworld and the real world in search of the next strong man. "My fist... no one will break it!" now being a regular character. All of the returning characters from the previous Street Fighter III games were given new stages, endings, and voice actors for certain characters, continuing the overall storyline from where the first two games left off.
The commands for air parries, throws/holds, and leap attacks were changed from 2nd Impact. Additionally, the player can perform a "Guard Parry" or a parry during a guard stun if the timing is right. A "Guard Parry" is also known as a "Red Parry" because the character turns red when performing it. The game also introduces a grade-based "Judgement System", in which the winning player in a single or two-player match is graded after the match based on offense, defense, techniques, and extra points. Special points are also awarded after fulfilling specific requirements.
The single-player mode consists of fighting ten regular opponents, which includes a character-specific rival as the penultimate opponent and Gill as the final boss for each of the characters except for Gill himself, whose final boss is Alex. Despite his status as a regularly selectable character, the CPU version of Q can only be fought in the single-player mode as a secret challenger. The "Parry the Ball" minigame from Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact returns as well as a new version of the "Crush the Car" minigame from Street Fighter II.
Characters and timeline All the characters from 2nd Impact returned, with the exception of Shin Akuma, a computer-controlled version of Akuma with more powerful techniques (although the character still exists in the game's code). All of the returning characters, with a few exceptions, had new voice actors for 3rd Strike. The following five characters were added to the roster: Chun-Li (voiced by Atsuko Tanaka) - After having retired from fighting for a while, she becomes a fighter once again when a young orphan under her care is kidnapped under mysterious circumstances and sets off to find her.Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Chun-Li character biography (in Japanese):Chun-Li had been away from fighting for a long time. But the incident happened suddenly. A student of hers at a kung fu class suddenly disappears. In order to track her whereabouts, she decides to return to the arena of fighting.
Makoto (voiced by Makoto Tsumura) - A young Japanese girl, trained in karate. Since her father's death, Makoto's dojo, Rindoukan, has been floundering, so she seeks to challenge other fighters around the world to restore her school to a flourishing state.Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Makoto character biography (in Japanese): The Rindoukan is a prestigious karate dojo. However, there is no longer a shadow of its former prosperity. Makoto, the only daughter, swears on her father's dojo suit, "I will make it a major karate school once again! Once again... we will make you a major player!
Q (voiced by Len Carlson) - A mysterious figureOfficial Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Q character biography (in Japanese): "We hate to admit it, but we have concluded that, given our organizational capabilities, we are unable to formally confirm his existence at this time," CIA spokesman Richard Bergman said. wearing a mask and an overcoat who is being pursued by the CIA because of sightings around the world near accidents and he is even thought to have been the cause. While he can be chosen as a playable character, he is a hidden computer-controlled opponent in the single-player mode.
Remy (voiced by Eiji Sekiguchi) - A long-haired fighter from France wearing a leather jacket emblazoned with an omega. He bears a grudgeOfficial Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Remy character biography (in Japanese): There are people I cannot forgive. My heart is roaring to defeat them, to crush them. When the eyes hidden behind his silver hair sparkle with a moment of madness, the young man's heart is stained with darkness. A feast of revenge... there's no turning back now! against all fighters after he and his late sister were abandoned by their father who decided to go fight. His move set is similar to that of Guile and Charlie, but has a different fighting style known as Savate.
Twelve (voiced by Lawrence Bayne) - A shapeshifting soldier developed by Gill's organization.Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Twelve character biography (in Japanese): The ultimate humanoid killing weapon created by Gil's organization. Its shape-shifting biological body is the perfected, enhanced version of the prototype Necro. Absolute despair drives its target into a corner! Twelve is ordered to hunt down his prototype, Necro, as his first mission.
Chronologically, 3rd Strike takes place nearly one year after the events of New Generation and 2nd Impact, as confirmed by Elena's official character profile, which notes that nearly a year has passed since she parted ways with her friends in Japan, and hopes to gain new friends while studying in France.Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Elena character biography (in Japanese): Nearly a year has passed since she parted ways with her friends in Japan. Elena is set to study abroad in France starting in the new year. Her fun daily struggles might have to be put on hold for a while... The thought of this made her restless. "Right, let's go find some new friends!" Other character profiles note a continuation of previous character storylines, such as Necro still on the run from Gill's organization,Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Necro character biography (in Japanese): The organization's relentless pursuit of Necro and Effie left them no time for rest. Whether they raced in the darkness or hid in the backcountry, black shadows would appear before them, snatching away any glimmer of hope. But Necro believed. One day, they would have true freedom. Ibuki about to graduate from high school,Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Ibuki character biography (in Japanese): Ibuki is about to graduate from high school. She strongly hopes to go on to a regular university instead of getting a job through a school recommendation. To do so, she has to pass a tough graduation exam. Just thinking about the new encounters and sweet love that await her makes her put a lot of effort into her bitter polishing. 'I'm definitely going to enjoy campus life with a wonderful boyfriend!' and Urien resentful of the fact that he sees himself as living in his brother's shadow despite becoming the new president of their organization (as depicted in his 2nd Impact ending) and seeks to “punish” Gill for being promoted to Emperor (a higher ranking position) instead of him.Official Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike Urien character biography (in Japanese): Urien has achieved his ambition and become the new president of the organization. However, he is extremely dissatisfied. Gil is still sitting at the top of the organization as the "Heavenly Emperor.” How could he allow such an unreasonable situation to continue? "I should be the one to rule! I will bring the punishment of despair to my foolish brother!"
Release Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike was originally released for the arcades in 1999. There are three revisions of the arcade board, with differences in bugs and gameplay mechanics (specifically, "unblockables" for the characters Urien and Oro).
The Dreamcast version was released in 2000. Like Double Impact, this version features an Arcade, Versus, Training (with normal and parry training) and Options modes, as well as a "System Direction" mode which allows the player to adjust several of the game's features. Like in Double Impact, Gill can be selected by the player, but only after fulfilling certain requirements. Also, one additional remix of each character's musical theme, not present in the original arcade version, was composed for this version, and it was played during the third round of each match. These additional remixes were also included in the PlayStation 2 version. This version was based on the third revision of the game that removed the "unblockables" for some characters. In this version, by clearing the game with every character including Gill, the extra options, such as infinite super arts, will be available for toggling on/off. It did however introduce significant lag that EVO 2004 players opted to play on the original arcade version as the definitive version of the game.
A PlayStation 2 version of 3rd Strike was released in 2004, with all of the features from the Dreamcast version, including a choice between the arcade and Dreamcast version's respective soundtracks, but based on the earlier arcade revisions with "unblockables" intact. It was released in Japan as a standalone 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 of the features from the PS2 version, as well as an online Versus mode.
Online Edition At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, Capcom announced that an online edition of 3rd Strike titled Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition was in development. The game features enhanced visual settings and GGPO-built online play. The version was done by Iron Galaxy Studios and has similar features to Final Fight: Double Impact, including visual filters, an optional remixed soundtrack by Simon Viklund, and bonus content unlocked by completing in-game achievements. Other new modes include Tournament and Spectator modes, as well as Trial modes that teach the game's fundamentals and the ability to share replays on YouTube.