With the success of “Street Fighter II” and both “Street Fighter Alpha” games, many fans were excited to see where the third entry would take this beloved series.

However, it would have take a long time for the third entry to be loved by many as the first few attempts had been less fruitful.

“Street Fighter III” is the third entry for the franchise after years of updated versions of “Street Fighter II” and “Street Fighter Alpha” and “Alpha 2.”

The games used Capcom’s brand new CP System III capable of visually pleasing sprite animations and newer instruments of music for each character/stage.

“Street Fighter III” takes place years after “Street Fighter V” as Shadaloo has been fully destroyed but a new organization has arisen, The Illuminati lead by GILL.

Wanting to find warriors that would be perfect for his Utopia, he holds another world warrior tournament to see who’s the strongest. Alex, the main protagonist, joins the tournament to avenge his friend that lost to GILL, Ken, and his student Sean joins the fight hoping to get the chance to face off against Ryu again.

Ryu enters the tournament and meets Oro, an old hermit, who trains him to control the raging demon inside of him and prepares for his fight against Akuma.

Story-wise it could have been better but it’s solid, and for Third Strike, it could have been less confusing but each character story is understandable and easy to get.

Gameplay-wise each version plays similarly with a bit of balance tweaking and adjustments to characters. The parry system helps players block an attack that doesn’t drain health but is difficult to pull off. The game also has the option to use multiple super art moves but you can choose only one out of two or three for one match.

Second Impact adds in EX moves which are powerful versions of command input moves and an easier way to grab opponents.

Third Strike includes a red parry which is when you parry a block stun attack. It’s super difficult to pull off but deals a lot of damage.

Visually, it’s amazing, one of the most beautiful looking Street Fighter games to date, with its background looking colorful and character animations looking clean and well animated.

The music is great, with some songs feeling jazzy and easy to dance to at times.

Some problems with the games is that it may feel too difficult to play with the speed of the game being faster and harder to do combos.

But even then, “Street Fighter III” is one of the most aesthetically pleasing and greatest Street Fighter games that is still being played to this day, even by new fighting game players.

These games get a ★★★★½ and are highly recommended. It’s available as part of the “Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.”

Here’s the Timeline for all versions of the game.