Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike was the final of three versions of the Street Fighter III series. It expands the cast by four entirely new selectable fighters, and one returning veteran by popular demand, Chun-Li. Much like the Street Fighter Alpha series, the events third version take place immediately after those depicted in the second version, making this title a mini-sequel to the second.

Chun-Li's play style changes quite a bit from the Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Alpha series, but she is still recognizably Chun-Li. The new cast members are Remy, a Frenchman who plays eerily like Guile, Makoto, a young and determined student of martial arts out to prove her worth as a fighter (much like a young Ryu), Q, a mysterious man in an iron mask, and Twelve., the product of an Illuminati genetic engineering lab.

Capcom mixes up some of the rules for the game a little more from the second version than it did between the first two versions -- throws are changed to two button commands, similar to a change they made in Street Fighter Alpha 3; players are given the choice between two future computer controlled opponents in VS mode; and a very tough grading system has been implemented to indicate the level of player performance.

3rd Strike was first release around the world for the Sega Dreamcast (following Capcom's compilation release of the first two versions, Street Fighter III: Double Impact). It was later released in Japan for the PlayStation 2. Outside of Japan, it was included for sale along with Hyper Street Fighter II in the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.