Street Fighter 3: Double Impact

Capcom finally relents and adds the number "3" to the end of the name "Street Fighter," and all I have to say is "is this it?" The most successful arcade series of all time finally gets a sequel and "pffffft." No big whoop. In case you don't already know, this is actually two games in one: SFIII and SFIII 2nd Impact. Despite the "3," and some small adjustments to the fighting-engine, both are still basically Street Fighter. The greatest enhancement to previous games is a stunning increase in animation--each character moves almost like a Disney cartoon. Of course when the game gets going you don't notice those enhancements too much since the focus is on the fighting. Specials arrive in the form of three different "Super Arts," which are selected pre-match, and the game adds parrying (an offensive-block performed like Alpha Counters), but they encourage turtling and can slow down matches. Although this package includes both of the first two SFIII games, you'll really only play 2nd Impact since it has more characters and a more evolved fighting-engine. This essentially renders Double Impact a Single Impact, with the first game merely an afterthought. Too bad; this really should have come as a trilogy--especially considering that 3rd Strike, the final chapter in the series, will be out in less than two months. Unless you're a hardcore fan, rent before you buy, or check out the identical arcade version.

Why oh why did Sega ever go for this strange controller design? If you can stand choosing your super move before each game, got a good fighting controller handy and have nothing against fighting the Jesus-like boss character, this is the 2D fighter for you. The quality of animation on the huge characters in SFIII is staggering-it makes Street Fighter Alpha 3 look like a Genesis game. And hey, you even get two perfect arcade conversions on this disc (including 2nd Impact, a game many call the best in the series). While I'm more a fan of the vs. series, there's no question that SFIIhDI drips quality. Lose that mushy controller and get in on!

I know a lot of people didn't like SFIII in the arcade, but I could never quite figure out why. Some lame characters yes, but overall this is a damn solid 20 fighter. The gameplay is familiar and comfortable, but with the graphics (which are amazing--2D fighting fans are gonna be in heaven) and a couple new features to make it interesting. I like the risk/reward involved in parrying effectively, although I hear it can be abused by master players. And a nod to Capcom for packaging both games in one-honestly, though, they are too similar to warrant purchase separately. Normally I'd say buy, but with 3rd Strike coming so soon you might want to just rent.