STREET FIGHTER EX 3

—by Kenneth Lee

Another title that accompanies RIDGE RACER V for the launch of the Sony Playstation 2 is Capcom's STREET FIGHTER EX 3. You may remember that I just reviewed STREET FIGHTER EX 2 PLUS in the previous issue, which ended with a call for better graphics for a true sequel. It seems my prayers have been answered with the release of STREET FIGHTER EX 3, which features a complete graphical overhaul of the SF EX characters. But like the other launch title, STREET FIGHTER EX 3 while being graphically pretty, offers little new to the fighting genre.
When STREET FIGHTER first went 3D, many gamers wondered what the point was. After all the 2D, hand drawn renditions of the characters and backgrounds had so much life and detail to them. By comparison STREET FIGHTER EX 1 was a shadow of its former self in terms of graphics, with blocky characters and an overall lack of polish. Well, with the power of the Playstation 2, Capcom is closing the gap between its richly detailed 2D games and their 3D polygonal incarnations. STREET FIGHTER EX 3 features the prettiest renditions of the fighters since STREET FIGHTER III. The much higher polygon counts in the characters really help, allowing you to see facial expressions for each of the characters and a much smoother, stylized look overall. The backgrounds are even more stunning, with beautiful 3D objects and plenty of light sources littered throughout the stages. Adding to that are the supers and the special effects for all their moves and Capcom is sitting pretty.
Unfortunately, with increased polygon counts, a previously hidden flaw becomes very apparent—the animations. While earlier games are more forgivable, with the really sharp and detailed 3D look this time, comparisons to other 3D fighters like SOUL CALIBUR, or DEAD OR ALIVE 2 are inevitable. And by comparison STREET FIGHT EX 3 is very poorly animated. It may be the prettiest version of STREET FIGHTER to date, but its ancient hand animated characters have to go. It is not that they look horrible, but rather rough and unpolished, outdated by today's standards.
The game play remains the same as STREET FIGHTER EX 2 PLUS, with the loss of Excel Combos but the addition of tag team action. You have an extra partner per match, and you can switch them out anytime during it, just like the VERSUS series. This means you can have up to four players, adding some crazy fun to the mix. There are some unfortunate drawbacks though, like in Arcade Mode where in certain matches that feature two-on-one or three-on-one fights. With three to four fighters all on screen at the same time, massive slowdown occurs. It is this reviewer's opinion that it is not so much a negative against the power of the Playstation 2, but rather Capcom's rushing this game to make the PS2 launch date. After seeing the amount of polygons pushed by the PS2 RIDGE RACER V and DEAD OR ALIVE 2 on the Dreamcast, there is no reason for the game to slow down this much, other than unoptimized code caused by an eagerness to have a launch title.
There is also a very unique End Credits sequence where hordes of generic thugs come charging after you, and you have to take down as many as possible before the credits finish. During this time, with five to ten characters on screen at once, the game understandably slows down a lot as well. Luckily the slowdown only occurs in those situations, so when playing against one-on-one with a friend, there is nothing like this to hamper the game.
The major changes to the game come from the addition of the aforementioned tag team action, the loss of Expert Training mode (executes the major skill combos for each fighter), and the addition of a new Character Edit mode, where you can actually create your own fighter, Ace. You can actually buy new moves for him and then import him into the game. This is kinda cool, but more customization would have been nice, like what they did with their LEGION OF HEROES/JUSTICE GAKUEN games.
What STREET FIGHTER EX 3 lacks in terms of polish and innovation, it somewhat makes up for with solid game play. While it still feels like you're playing STREET FIGHTER EX 1, but with tighter controls and tag team action and combos, the graphical facelift really helps make the game much more palatable. If you are looking for some good old STREET FIGHTER action, pick up STREET FIGHTER EX 3 and give it a try. People looking for the next level of gaming will have to wait a bit longer.

Rating: 8.0 / 10

Sony Playstation 2
3D Fighting
1 to 4 Players
SLPS 20003
¥6800
Available now in Japan
Where to buy