Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Box Art

System: PS3, Xbox 360
Dev: Capcom
Pub: Capcom
Release: August 23, 2011
Players: 1-2, Online Tournament
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Suggestive Themes, Violence

The music has also been totally updated, with brand new themes for menus, character select, and stages. The game defaults to modern themes for the menus and classic themes for stages, and you have to spend vault points to unlock the rest. You should do this right away; the rap themes for the menus and character select are incredibly annoying. (They even rhyme the word "one" with itself. Several times.) Switching back to classic is the way to go. Meanwhile, the new remixes for the stage themes are an absolute treat to listen to. They put a new spin on themes we know and love, and they sound way better than the classic Third Strike music (even if they aren't as nostalgic.)

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Screenshot

I don't honestly think that Third Strike Online Edition will grandly revive the Third Strike community. There are too many good fighting games out right now and too many great ones coming up to get people too hyped about Third Strike again. However, this is easily the best version of Third Strike to ever come out. It's great for nostalgia purposes, awesome for side tournaments, and a wonderful way to spend a night with some of your old fighting game buddies. It will make you better at the game than you ever were, and will allow you to test your skills against players on the Internet. It can even make you an Internet celebrity if you luck out and upload a popular replay.

The game doesn't do much for newbies and won't hold up very long for casual players, but there is one sort of person who should get Third Strike Online Edition: those who have played Third Strike in the past and want to play it again. Luckily, that's a pretty huge demographic.

By Angelo M. D’Argenio
CCC Contributing Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.2

Graphics
The filters don't do much to help really, but the large number of animation frames Third Strike originally had still holds up today.

4.7

Control
I have to agree when Capcom says that Third Strike is the best Street Fighter ever.

4.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Other than the new menu themes, the remixed stage music is an absolute treat to listen to.

3.3

Play Value
The allure of Third Strike will fade quicker this time with so many new fighters coming out, but being able to play online with your friends makes this a solid purchase.

4.1

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Upload your favorite replays to YouTube.

Practice parrying difficult block strings.

Play online in ranked matches and tournaments.

Practice combos in trial mode.

Featuring all new art and music.