Street Fighter EX3
Street Fighter EX3 arrived on the 4th of March 2000 in Japan. It served as an exclusive launch title for the PlayStation 2 console. Arika developed the game while Capcom published it. This release marked the first time a Street Fighter game appeared on that specific home system. The project also stood as the third and final console installment within the Street Fighter EX series. Developers later released a spiritual successor called Fighting EX Layer in 2018.
The development team removed the Guard Break system from previous installments. They replaced it with a new mechanic known as the Surprise Blow. Japanese players referred to this attack as Hard Attack during its initial run. This new move does not consume energy stored in super bars. Players can block the attack only when standing upright. Other additions included Critical Parade, which calls out a tag-partner to battle simultaneously. Momentary Combo allows players to follow a special attack with another strike. Some characters received unique moves like Skullomania's vertical projectile.
Players could switch between characters using Tag Battles similar to Tekken Tag Tournament. Original Mode allowed recruitment of up to four characters defeated by the end of each level. The bonus stage simplified the beat 'em up genre for this entry. Missions let players complete tasks to earn Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze trophies. Arena Mode enabled Dramatic Battles with flexible configurations like 2-VS-2 or 1-VS-3. Character Edit Mode introduced Ace, a government agent ordered by his nation's prime minister. He used a custom fighting style editable through trials within the game.
Default characters included Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Zangief, Dhalsim, Blanka, and Sakura. Vega appeared as Balrog in Japan while M. Bison was listed as Vega there. Unlockable fighters featured Sagat, Garuda, Shadow Geist, Kairi, Vulcano Rosso, Area, Pullum Purna, and Darun Mister. Hidden characters included Evil Ryu and Bison II. CPU-controlled Shin-Bison remained playable only through cheat devices. Multiple costumes existed for each character based on button selection during the character select screen. Ace served as the new playable character created via editing challenges.
Metacritic aggregated mixed reviews for Street Fighter EX3. Maxim published a review almost two weeks before the PlayStation 2 launch. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot criticized unimproved animation from Street Fighter EX2. He found frequent sound changes jarring but liked the bonus touches to gameplay. Chester Barber of NextGen noted the series fell short of quality compared to other 2D Street Fighter games. Famitsu awarded the Japanese version a score of 32 out of 40 points. Uncle Dust of GamePro called it a prettier version of the PlayStation's EX series.
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Common questions
When did Street Fighter EX3 arrive in Japan?
Street Fighter EX3 arrived on the 4th of March 2000 in Japan. It served as an exclusive launch title for the PlayStation 2 console.
Who developed and published Street Fighter EX3?
Arika developed the game while Capcom published it. This release marked the first time a Street Fighter game appeared on that specific home system.
What new mechanics replaced the Guard Break system in Street Fighter EX3?
The development team removed the Guard Break system from previous installments and replaced it with a new mechanic known as the Surprise Blow. Japanese players referred to this attack as Hard Attack during its initial run.
Which characters were available as default fighters in Street Fighter EX3?
Default characters included Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Zangief, Dhalsim, Blanka, and Sakura. Ace served as the new playable character created via editing challenges.
How did critics rate Street Fighter EX3 upon release?
Metacritic aggregated mixed reviews for Street Fighter EX3. Famitsu awarded the Japanese version a score of 32 out of 40 points.