Capcom's first venture into the CPS3 universe was SF3: New Generation. With breathtaking animation and an emphasis on one-on-one combat, along with a brand new roster (apart from the requisite Ken and Ryu), New Generation fell victim to it's own hype. A rather generic sequel followed, introducing Final Fight veteran Hugo and end boss Gill's alter-ego-----his brother, Urien. Last in the SF3 series, 3rd Strike was Capcom's swan song for it's abandoned CPS3 hardware.

Overview
The crew is back, as is fan-favorite Chun Li. New to the mix are Q, a metal-faced man in a trench coat, Remy, a European version of Guile with a funky look to him, Twelve, the mysterious morphing freak-thing, and Makoto, a tomboy-ish girl who appears to be the antithesis of every Capcom character to date. Gill reprises his roll as the boss, and is tougher than ever. Your street fighting skills will be pushed to the max as you slug your way to victory!

Graphics 9/10
The art and animation are the best in Street Fighter history. 3rd Strike's animation has yet to be rivaled in the 2-D realm. At first glance, the backgrounds appear to be a huge disappointment, but they were made relatively static to portray the mood of the game and give entire emphasis to the actual fighting that is taking place. Everything is simply beautiful!

Gameplay/Controls 10/10
Simply put: I've never played a more complex fighter! You are NOT going to be good in this game by simply memorizing the commands for moves. Oh, no. Success will require investing a large amount of time in learning the fighting system, and this may turn off some. It's not cut and dry; no fireball traps here. You'll have to at least learn the basics of parrying, as well. Thankfully, the controls are smooth as a baby's bottom with grease and...you get the idea.

Sound/Music 7/10
This is your typical fighting game fare. Smacks, whacks and thuds abound, and the music is nothing show-stopping. I must say, however, that a few of the background tracks are quite enjoyable, and there's one (Elena's) that will stick in your head whether you love or hate it!

Replay Value 10/10
It's terrific fun, and I actually played it quite a bit one player, although competitive 2-player is where it's at. The gameplay is refreshing and challenging, without feeling cheap. 99.9% of the time when I lose I know it's because I failed to execute. Characters are for the most part balanced out, and most play completely different from one another. The endings won't keep you coming back, but the action will.

Overall 10/10
This is my favorite fighter of all time. A match between two experts is like art in motion, and there is much more emphasis on the actual fight in this game than in previous Capcom efforts to date. Fans of the friendlier VS series may be turned off by SF3: 3rd Strike, but anyone who is willing to spend time with it will not be disappointed. I will go so far as to say that this is in my top 3 videogames of all time list! It's just that good, and I can only hope that the next Street Fighter is as excellent.

- by Red Runner (taken from Snk-Capcom)