Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition – review

PS3, Xbox 360, Capcom, out now

Released at the fag-end of the 90s, a decade in which Capcom had taken the fighting game to a mass market and then, with countless iterations, relegated it to the doldrums, Third Strike was largely overlooked. With the fighting genre reborn, it seems an appropriate time for its return.

While the publisher's last downloadable remake, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, was given a thorough overhaul, with re-drawn sprites and some balance tweaks, it has left Third Strike intact. An array of graphical filters and screen settings mean the game can be given an HD sheen, or remain true to the original arcade cabinet – scanlines, curved screen and all.

Online play is offered in lobbies of up to eight players, a host of tournament options, and the ability to upload saved match replays directly to YouTube, while, offline, a set of challenges and trials provide an exacting test of your ability to perform combos and the game's signature mechanic, the parry, but there's little here for newcomers. This was always a hard game and, in the context of its modern counterpart's relaxed input windows and comeback mechanics, it is harder than ever, but those prepared for a challenge will find Third Strike one of the most rewarding titles of its kind.

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