Street Fighter III - 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future (Japan)
PlayStation 2
🇯🇵
Reviewed in 2004
86
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✪ Reviewed on June 3, 2023
80
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike Fight for the Future is a peak of Capcom 2D. Sublime animation, the iconic parry system and endless technical depth. A timeless benchmark.
Your verdict
Category
Fighting2 players12+
Description
A Capcom 2D fighter released in 2004, the standalone Japanese edition of Street Fighter III 3rd Strike. Reissue of the 1999 cult arcade on PS2 (also included in Anniversary Collection). 19 fighters roster (Yun, Yang, Makoto, Ibuki, Q...), revolutionary Parry/EX system and the arena considered the most perfect of the genre. The absolute 2D fighting reference. Japanese edition.
Street Fighter III - 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Animation reaches a peak here: every fighter moves with an organic fluidity, drawn frame by frame with a goldsmith's patience. Living backdrops and charismatic characters compose one of the finest fighting games ever made. This virtuosity of line remains, years later, a lesson in art in motion.
Jazz, hip-hop and breakbeats signed by Hideki Okugawa give the bouts a wild class, a world away from martial fanfares. The legendary "Jazzy NYC '99" and its cousins stick to the millimetric tempo of the parries. This stylish freshness, unique in the genre, remains inseparable from the game's cult aura.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
The parry, which means deflecting a blow at the precise instant it lands, lifts this 2D versus to heights of tension and depth that competitors are still exploring. The animation, among the finest the genre has produced, and the readability of the exchanges elevate every round. Demanding yet rare in its elegance, its combat system remains an absolute benchmark of technical fighting.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The peak of technical 2D fighting: a perfectly timed parry system that rewards boldness and turns every exchange into a duel of reads. The fluidity of animation, the inimitable style and the abyssal depth make it an absolute benchmark. Accessible on the surface, bottomless to master, it delivers an instant thrill and a satisfaction savoured for years. A timeless masterpiece.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Reading your opponent's attack to neutralize it with a parry to the thousandth of a second turns every duel into a peak of tension where the slightest exchange can turn everything around. Mastering a character and refining your combos endlessly revives the practice. The technical barrier is high, but this superb animation, this depth of play and this parry system keep a legendary pull.
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
The technical pinnacle of Street Fighter's third generation, this entry rests on a parry system of dizzying depth. Mastering each character, reading your opponent and climbing in versus demands a long-haul investment. That demand, paired with sumptuous animation, earns the title a stubborn reputation as a cult fighting game.
Technical info
💾0,54 GB📅22/07/2004
Published by Capcom
Street Fighter III - 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future (PS2) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
The standalone Japanese edition of Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, an absolute peak of technical versus praised for its parry system and competitive depth. Kept Japan-only as a separate run, it appeals to purists wanting this classic outside any compilation in its original packaging. Its interest lies in this benchmark status and this distinct Japanese release.
Better with friends
A jewel of 2D fighting whose split-second parry elevates the duel to an art, rewarding perfect daring and reads. The competition reaches peaks of tension: a single well-felt parry can flip a whole round and make onlookers leap. Demanding for beginners but bottomlessly deep, it captivates for good those who dive into it two-player for all-time duels.
Is Street Fighter III - 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future still worth playing in 2026?
Released on PS2 as part of Capcom's reissues, this port of Street Fighter III - 3rd Strike gives access to one of the most respected two dimensional fighting games in history. The sprite animation, of a fluidity still unmatched, the parry system that rewards perfect reading and a charismatic roster make it an absolute benchmark of technical versus fighting. The depth of the system still feeds a lively competitive scene. Without the ideal controller or a modern netcode, the PS2 experience shows its limits. Essential for devotees of sharp fighting and for lovers of two dimensional animation at its finest.
