Street Fighter 3 Third Strike Coming to Gametap

[RyanDG]

This was posted over on NeoGaf by someone hired on by Gametap -

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=217092

I like my fighting games they same way I like my women -- with big hands and big feet. I'd say that's why Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is my favorite game (not "fighting game") of all time, but I'd be lying. It's because it has Hugo. And Hugo is huge and squashes people.

Which is why I was so very happy to get this email from my boss today-

Quote:
From: DPerry
Sent: Fri 12/14/2007 6:47 PM
To: Me
Subject: Third Strike
Jared, SF Third Strike has been approved for Dec 20.
-- Doug

And so it was written. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is coming to GameTap, holiday present style. So let me give you the details and answer your questions in one shot.

Q: What version is it?
A: Dreamcast.

Q: Does it feature online play?
A: Did the Dreamcast version? Sorry

Q: How awesome is 3rd Strike?
A: So awesome.

I'm just glad that 3rd Strike is still getting distributed in some way, shape or form. Especially since Street Fighter IV is like something like a nightmare ... and not because of its looks. In conclusion-

Though the Dreamcast version of the game isn't perfect by any means, it is interesting to see the game appear on Gametap's library...

[Mozgus]

So awesome. I'm surprised it wont be using the arcade version though.

[GagaMan]

What was there in the Dreamcast version of 3rd Strike that made it imperfect? Just curious as I've never played the PS2/X-Box versions.

[Mozgus]

What was there in the Dreamcast version of 3rd Strike that made it imperfect? Just curious as I've never played the PS2/X-Box versions.

I remember reading that those are actually worse. Casual players will never notice but there's supposed to be subtle flaws in the animations and timings or something like that.

[marurun]

The Dreamcast version of 3rd Strike isn't perfect either, I've read. I understand it's missing a few frames of animation and has slightly constrained graphics. I'm not sure there's an arcade-perfect port available anywhere.

[RyanDG]

What was there in the Dreamcast version of 3rd Strike that made it imperfect? Just curious as I've never played the PS2/X-Box versions.

I remember reading that those are actually worse. Casual players will never notice but there's supposed to be subtle flaws in the animations and timings or something like that.

The PS2/Xbox versions of 3rd Strike are quite a bit better than the Dreamcast port. You are probably thinking about Marvel vs Capcom 2 (a NAOMI based game) that was superior on the Dreamcast than the PS2.

As for the "issues" in the Dreamcast version of 3rd Strike there are several, but the biggest "perpetrators" are the fact that some characters have had some moves removed (which are mostly unblockables - Oro for example has lost one of his "main" combos from the arcades), the speed has been altered significantly, there are some problems with the sprites and hitboxes, and there is a bit of input lag from the DC controller.

The crazy thing is the first release of SF3 and Double Impact on the Dreamcast actually wasn't half bad.

Third Strike though just didn't deliver for those wanting an arcade perfect game.

Of course, those people who never play the arcade version are probably never going to see the difference and for them, the Dreamcast version is perfectly acceptable. Just don't expect your timing and stuff to carry over if you pick up the PS2 version (which is closest to the arcade version) or play in an arcade.

[baphomet_irl]

Was the PS2 version ever released for PAL?

[RyanDG]

Was the PS2 version ever released for PAL?

Yep. It was released in the NA and PAL regions as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection with Hyper Street Fighter 2 Anniversary Edition.

[GagaMan]

But the Anniversary Collection was an X-Box exclusive in PAL land. The PS2 just got a seperate version of Hyper II.

[marurun]

Wait, why would they release the Dreamcast version on PC? I can't imagine it would be easier to get reasonable performance from the Dreamcast version than writing a CPS3 emulator.