by Can Tran

Created on: May 14, 2009

"Street Fighter EX3" is the third and final installment of Capcom's Street Fighter EX series. It is the first and only Street Fighter EX title to be ported on the Playstation 2. Like the other two Street Fighter EX games, this title makes the transition from 2D to 3D graphics. However, this does play more like a 2.5D game. While the game has 3D graphics, it plays similar to "Street Fighter II."

So far, Street Fighter EX3 was definitely an improvement in both graphics and game play. Some old concepts were taken out and replaced with new ones. While Street Fighter EX3 has improved, there is still some room for more improvement. Still, it is a pretty decent fighting game. But, it is not fully on par with the likes of Namco's "Tekken" and "Soul" or Sega's "Virtua Fighter" series. Still, it is a game that holds its own.

STORYLINE: C-

The storyline behind Street Fighter EX3 is not at all much different from the "Street Fighter II" or "Street Fighter Alpha" series. It revolves around M. Bison and his Shadaloo Organization trying to take over the world and want to use Ryu as their main weapon. In all cases, it is pretty much like Street Fighter Alpha but with the use of 3D graphics and new characters added to the mix.

CHARACTERS: B+

I do wish certain characters would return. But, you cannot get everything you wish for. The main cast of Street Fighter EX2, with the exception of Hayate, returns for Street Fighter EX3. Unfortunately, there are no new characters with the exception of Ace. However, there is nothing really special about Ace.

Ace is somewhat similar to Seth of "Street Fighter IV." By passing tests in the game's edit mode, one can assign techniques to Ace. Overall, he has moves by every character in the Street Fighter EX series. He is nothing more than an amalgamation of characters such as Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, etc.

GRAPHICS: B+

The graphics of Street Fighter EX3 have improved. But, there is still much left to be desired. It would seem that Capcom has been trying to tap into the popularity of games such as Tekken, Virtua Fighter, and Soul Calibur. However, the graphics of Street Fighter EX3 could not really compare. Still, the game sprites have improved a lot. The character sprites look sharper and cleaner than the sprites in Street Fighter EX2.

GAME PLAY: B+

Game play is relatively the same as the other Street Fighter games. You have a super meter with three levels. You can pull off super combos and meteo combos. The game play in Street Fighter EX3 is smoother than the last two Street Fighter EX games for the most part.

However, the "guard break" technique was taken out. There are the additions of "critical parade" and "momentary combo." Capcom tried to take into the success of Namco's "Tekken Tag Tournament." This is the first pure Street Fighter game to have tag battles. However, the game play was overall not that impressive. But, it was still fun.

OVERALL: B+

Street Fighter EX3 is a decent fighting game. However, one should think of this as a Street Fighter game with 3D graphics. If you know how to play any sort of 2D fighting game, you should be able to play Street Fighter EX3. If you have played the recently released "Street Fighter IV," you should be able to play this game. For fans of the Street Fighter series, you may want to go ahead and check this one title out.

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