Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike

Introduction

Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike is the latest revision of the SF3 series, the two previous games being SF3: New Generation and SF3: Second Impact. The main differences found in 3rd Strike include: a new way of performing throws (done by pressing LP+LK), universal overheads (MP+MK), a "choose your opponent"-style path in Arcade mode, the return of the "Crush the Car" bonus round, a new soundtrack, new stages and 5 new characters. (Chun-Li, Q, Twelve, Remy and Makoto)

Home versions of Street fighter 3: 3rd Strike can be found on the Dreamcast, PS2 and Xbox. The Dreamcast version was released in 2000 with slight differences to the arcade version. In 2004, Capcom released 3rd Strike as part of the "Street Fighter Anniversary Collection" for the Xbox and Playstation 2 which also included Hyper Street Fighter 2. Today, the Playstation 2 and Xbox versions of the game are widely considered the tournament standard since those two versions are very close ports of the original arcade game. However some differences are still debated to be present, the Xbox version is frequently said to be slightly faster than the original arcade version, and the PS2 version slightly slower. This most notably affects gameplay when the parry system is employed.

Notation

Joystick Notation

• F - Forward - Tilt stick forward/towards the opponent. (X-axis)
• B - Backward/Back - Tilt stick backward/away from the opponent. (X-axis)
• U - Up - Tilt stick upwards. (Y-axis)
• D - Down - Tilt stick downwards. (Y-axis)
• QCF - Quarter circle forward/Hadouken/Fireball - Tilt stick downwards, then to downwards and forward, then forward.
• QCB - Quarter circle backward - Tilt stick downwards, then to downwards and backward, then backward.
• HCF - Half circle forward - Tilt stick backwards, then to downwards and backward, then to downward, then to downwards and forward, then forward.
• HCB - Half circle backward - Tilt stick forwards, then to downwards and forward, then to downward, then to downwards and backward, then backward.
• DP - Dragon punch - Tilt stick forwards, then to downward, then to downward and forward.
• 360/FC - Full circle - Complete a full rotation of the stick.
• 720 - N/A - Complete a 720 degree rotation of the stick.
• Charge - Hold a tilt - Hold the stick in either B or D (Depending) then move to F or U respectively.

X-axis functions can be used interchangeably with Y-axis functions and vice versa. X-axis functions cannot be used in conjunction with another X-axis function and vice versa.

Six Button Notation

Expressed in the form: Notation - Move - (X-box Default Map) - (PS2 Default Map)

• LP - Weak/Light/Low/Jab Punch - (X) - (Square)
• MP - Medium/Middle/Strong Punch - (Y) - (Triangle)
• HP - Heavy/Hard/High/Fierce Punch - (Right Trigger/White) - (R1)
• P - Any punch - (X/Y/Right Trigger/White) - (Square/Triangle/R1)
• LK - Weak/Light/Low/short Kick - (A) - (X)
• MK - Medium/Middle/Strong Kick - (B) - (Circle)
• HK - Heavy/Hard/High/Roundhouse Kick - (Left Trigger/Black) - (R2)
• K = Any kick - (A/B/Left Trigger/Black) - (C/Circle/R2)

Occasionally people may use "Notation" and "Move" interchangeably.

Descriptors

Connectors

• +: Used between two other pieces of notation to signify that they should be performed at the same time. i.e. "X" + "Y", "X" should be performed at the same time as "Y".

e.g. F + MP

• -> (Sometimes > or ,): Indicates the next part of a sequence. i.e. "X" -> "Y" -> "Z", After "X" is performed, "Y" should follow, then "Z".

e.g. Dash -> Fierce Jet Uppercut

• xx (Sometimes x): Used between two other pieces of notation to signify that the first should be cancelled (Interrupted earlier than it would finish otherwise) into the second. i.e. "X" xx "Y", "X" should be cancelled into "Y". Moves can be cancelled from in ascending manner in this way: Normals > Specials > Supers.

e.g. MP, HP xx SA III

• ~: Indicates that the preceding action should link (immediately follow with) into the next action. i.e. "X" ~ "Y", "X" should be followed immediately by "Y"

e.g. LK ~ MP ~ HP

• /: Used to show when two or more options are available at that point in a sequence, invariably to show that they both produce similar if not identical results.

State Modifiers

• s. - The following move should be performed in the standing position (neutral in the Y-axis). i.e. s."X", perform "X" whilst standing.
• c. - The following move should be performed in the crouched position (held down in the Y-axis). i.e. c."X", perform "X" whilst crouching.
• j. - The following move should be performed in the "in the air" position (After having held up in the Y-axis). i.e. j."X", perform "X" whilst in the air.

Miscellaneous Notation

• SA (I, II, III) - Short for "Super Art", and the number indicates which Super Art it is for each respective character.
• EX - EX Special - Used to show that a special move can be "EX-ed". i.e. Two of the same appendage buttons pressed at the same time during a special motion to produce a better version of it. (Consumes Super Meter)
• Twds/Twd - Towards or forward in the direction in which your character is facing.
• x(Integer) - Number of times - Shows how many times that particular part of a sequence can be repeated.
• xx - Cancelling a move into another, usually used for canceling a move into a super art (example: Ken mp, hpxxSA III)
• Tap/Rapidly - Repeatedly press a button.
• Deep/Close - How close a move is performed - When the sprites are overlapping.
• Far - How close a move is performed - When the sprites aren't overlapping.
• Tick - Refers to it's viability for tick throw attempts (throwing immediately after a safe attack, to confuse)
• Reversal - Executing a move in the exact frame that you are granted the ability to do so.

Game Mechanics

Parrying

(Also known as "Blocking" or "Teching" in Japan) A defense mechanic that gives a slight frame advantage to the defender and leaves the opponent open for a counterattack. The Parry can also be done in the air.

As a general rule:

• Against High/Mid attacks: Tap Forward

• Against Low attacks: Tap Down

However some moves can be parried with either.

Throw

A close-ranged grappling maneuver. Throws can be also be Teched (avoided) by pressing the throw command when your opponent reaches for a throw. Holding a direction while doing the command launches the opponent in that direction.

• LP+LK

• (B/F + LP+LK)

Kara-Throw

This is a special version of a normal throw which makes your character move forward by cancelling the first few frames of a normal move into the throw.

Kara-throws are very useful. They seize your throw range.

Not every character has got a (useful) Kara-Throw. Read the character specific strategies for further information about which normal move has to be initiated to do the Kara-Throw.

How to perform :

In Alex's case -> Fierce cancelled into Jab + Short

This has to be done very quickly.

Universal Overhead

A quick mid/overhead attack that hits crouching opponents. Low attacks will miss your character when the UOH is performed.

• MP+MK

Personal Action

(Commonly abbreviated as "PA") A taunt that gives your character a stat bonus in either attack power, defense, stun ability, etc. The bonus is different for each character and only lasts until the round is over.

• Alex:

Unheld taunt - Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 9.4% for the first taunt and 6.3% for each additional taunt. Maximum: 6 taunts, 37.5% bonus.

Held taunt - Increases damage for the next hit/combo or throw by 6.3% per extra arm turn. Maximum: 8 turns, 50% bonus.

• Akuma:

Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 43.8% and increases stun damage for the next hit/combo by 28.1%. One taunt is the maximum.

• Chun-Li:

Yawn (happens 100% of the time) - Increases stun recovery rate by 10% for the first yawn and an additional 21% for the second yawn. Lasts the whole round. Maximum 2 yawns, 33% bonus.

Shoulder tap (happens 21% of the time) - Increases defense by 18.8%. Lasts for the whole round. Maximum one shoulder tap.

Neck stretch (happens 38% of the time) - Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 31.3%. Maximum one neck stretch.

Back stretch (happens 15% of the time) - Increases defense by 31.3% (more than the shoulder tap) for the whole round. Also increases damage for the next hit/combo by 31.3%. Maximum one back stretch.

• Dudley:

Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 25% if a rose is thrown. Like Sean, there's no bonus if the rose isn't actually thrown. One taunt is the maximum.

• Elena:

Increases stun damage for the next hit/combo by 18.8% per taunt. Maximum 4 taunts, 75% bonus.

• Hugo:

Unheld taunt - Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 18.8% (maximum 1 taunt). Also increases defence for the rest of the round by 6.3% per taunt (maximum 4 taunts, 25% bonus).

Held taunt - Increases damage for the next hit/combo/throw by 25%. One taunt is the maximum.

Poison - No bonus.

• Ibuki:

Increases damage for the next hit/combo/throw by 43.8% only if she gets the leapfrog. Otherwise you get nothing. Maximum one taunt.

• Ken:

Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 31.3%. One taunt is the maximum.

• Makoto:

Part 1 - Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 31.3% per taunt. Maximum 2 taunts, 62.5% damage.

Part 2 - Replaces a second Part 1 taunt. One two-part taunt is the maximum.

Part 3 - Increases stun recovery rate by 10% for the first full taunt and an additional 21% for the second full taunt. Lasts the whole round. Maximum 2 full taunt, 33% bonus.

Hayate taunt - No bonus.

• Necro:

Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 31.3%. Holding the taunt does nothing bonus-wise. One taunt is the maximum.

• Oro:

Recovers stun by 600-800% as the taunt is held longer.

• Q:

Increases defense for the whole round by 12.5% (maximum 3 taunts, 37.5% bonus). Also increases stun recovery rate for the whole round by 10% (one taunt is the maximum).

• Remy:

Increases stun damage for the next hit/combo by 18.8% per taunt. Maximum 4 taunts, 75% bonus.

• Ryu:

Increases stun recovery rate by 10% for the first taunt and an additional 21% for the second taunt. Lasts the whole round. Maximum 2 taunts, 33% bonus.

• Sean:

Increases stun damage for the next hit/combo by 12.5% per ball thrown. If Sean throws nothing (ie. another ball on the screen), there is no bonus. Maximum 3 balls thrown, 37.5% bonus.

• Twelve:

It turns you invisible for a while.

• Urien:

Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 31.3%. One taunt is the maximum.

• Yang:

Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 31.3% and increases damage for the next throw by 6.3%. One taunt is the maximum.

• Yun:

Unheld taunt (works for held too) - Increases damage for the next hit/combo by 6.4% for each taunt/hat twirl. Maximum 8 taunts/twirls, 50% bonus.

Held taunt only - Increases damage for the next throw by 6.3% for the first extra twirl and 3.1% for every additional twirl. Maximum 7 extra twirls, 25% bonus.

Dash

A method of moving your character quickly over a short distance. You cannot block whilst you are dashing.

• Forward Dash: Tap Forward, Forward

• Backward Dash: Tap Back, Back

Super Jump

Similar to a regular jump, except that it carries you furthur, and takes longer to start up.

• Tap D,U

Quick Stand

Upon falling to the ground, your character rolls backwards into a standing position. Extremely useful in avoiding wakeup games after you are knocked down, where you must guess in order to

defend properly against an opponent's attack (i.e. high, low, throw). Do not quick stand in the corner, because your opponent may be able to dash through the roll and cross you up, making

it extremely confusing to defend properly.

Note: You cannot quick stand after being knocked down by a super.

• Tap D as soon as your character hits the ground

Character information

Every character is different in terms of taking damage, be stuned, number of frames to wake up or jump, speed of a dash, etc. Here you have detailed information for every character about some of their differences.

Stamina

Stamina (or defense) is the term used for explain how much health or life a character have. The health bars are all the same lenght, but this doesn't mean that every character can take the same amount of damage. Every character have different stamina values (defense ratings). Remember, the more stamina a character have, the more damage they can take. Here's the ranking, from the higher to the lower in terms of stamina (numbers are a very close aproximation of the damage they can take, and are when their health bar are empty, but they aren't KO yet)

• 1. 2050 - Q (with 3 taunts)
• 2. 1870 - Hugo (with 4 taunts)
• 3. 1705 - Q (with 2 taunts)
• 4. 1670 - Hugo (with 3 taunts)
• 5. 1535 - Hugo (with 2 taunts)
• 6. 1400 - Q (with 1 taunt) / Hugo (with 1 taunt) / Chun-Li (with 1 "back stretch" or "shoulder tap" taunt)
• 7. 1385 - Hugo
• 8. 1300 - Gill
• 9. 1285 - Urien
• 10. 1200 - Alex / Q / Ryu / Ken / Dudley / Makoto
• 11. 1120 - Sean / Chun-Li / Oro / Elena / Necro / Remy
• 12. 1050 - Twelve
• 13. 1035 - Ibuki
• 14. 1020 - Yun / Yang
• 15. 985 - Akuma

Stun

Under the health bar, there is a black little bar. This is the "Stun Bar". When you take a hit, this bar will fill at different rates, and depend on what attack you've been hit, some attacks will fill the bar a lot, others not so much, and even others don't will fit it at all. When the bar is full, you're stunned or dizzy, and you cannot move in a short period of time. Like with stamina, not all the characters have the same lenght in the Stun Bar. There are 3 types of Stun Bars, the long (72), the normal (64) and the short (52). With the long Stun Bar you will not be dizzy easily, while the short one means "be careful". Here's a list of what Stun Bar the characters have:

• Long Stun Bar (72) - Hugo / Gill / Alex / Q / Dudley / Oro
• Normal Stun Bar (64) - Urien / Ryu / Ken / Makoto / Sean / Elena / Chun-Li / Necro / Twelve / Yun / Yang / Ibuki
• Short Stun Bar (52) - Remy / Akuma

Dash

Explained before, it's an universal move to quickly move into a short distance, forward or back. But again, every character have different speeds and different moving distances. The bigger the "moving distance" number, the larger the distance they travel. Frames only mean how fast they recover from the dash, not how much fast they are "traveling" in the dash. For the speed of a dash, you should compare the moving distance with the frames. Here's the information about the characters:

Character	Dash Forward (frames)	Moving Distance	Dash Backwards (frames)	Moving Distance
Alex	17	1,5	19	1
Akuma	13	1,5	13	1
Chun-Li	16	2	23	2
Dudley	18	2	17	1,5
Elena	13	2	24	2
Hugo	22	1	20	1
Ibuki	19	2	33	2,5
Ken	16	1,5	13	1
Makoto	11	2	12	1
Necro	22	3	18	3
Oro	17	2	11	1,5
Q	19	2	21	2
Remy	17	2	17	2
Ryu	13	1,5	13	1
Sean	13	1	13	1
Twelve	20	1,5	16	1,5
Urien	15	2	17	1,5
Yang	23	2	27	2,5
Yun	23	2	27	3

Wake up

Again explained before, and again every character wakes up at different speeds, this is also for "Quick Stand". All the information below are in frames, a higher number of frames means a slow wakeup, and a small number of frames, a faster wakeup.

Character	Normal Wake up (frames)	Quick Stand (frames)
Dudley	55	45
Yang	57	41
Twelve	59	49
Necro	59	53
Yun	60	41
Elena	64	50
Alex	67	49
Remy	67	47
Ibuki	68	53
Hugo	69	54
Makoto	71	43
Oro	71	52
Q	72	46
Ken	75	48
Urien	76	56
Ryu	77	50
Akuma	77	50
Sean	77	50
Chun-Li	88	61

Tiers

Please note: Tiers are HIGHLY debatable so all lists should be taken with a grain of salt. If a character is only a place or two away from where they "should" be, please refrain from wildly editing this section.

Tier-list

A tier list from Arcadia magazine, showing match-ups (Order is the same)

(Formatted from matchup chart, large gaps in points change the tier)

Top Tier:

Yun

Chun-Li

Upper Tier:

Ken

Makoto

Dudley

Yang

Middle Tier:

Akuma

Urien

Ryu

Oro

Ibuki

Elena

Low Tier:

Necro

Alex

Remy

Q

Hugo

Twelve

Bottom Tier:

Sean

Representative Tier-list

When considering a tournament, with a large number of competitors, you find that there is invariably more people playing the higher tier characters. Almost to the point where very few (if any) lower tiers appear.

As such, it is sometimes improper to base a Top level tournament tier list on ALL the match-ups. After taking a flat tier list, and selecting those characters with the highest frequency of appearance (In this case, Yun, Chun-Li, Ken and Makoto). By ranking every character by their match-ups against those four characters, you end up with a more tournament based tier-list.

This list, essentially, ranks characters on their ability to place in a large scale tournament.

• Characters who have ranked up are marked by a bold font.
• Characters who have ranked down are marked by an italic font.

Top Tier:

Yun

Chun-Li

Upper Tier:

Ken

Dudley

Makoto

Middle Tier:

Akuma

Urien

Yang

Ryu

Ibuki

Oro

Elena

Low Tier:

Necro

Alex

Remy

Hugo

Q

Twelve

Sean

Strategy

Strategy is a very basic concept. It is the principle of using X to beat Y, where X has some sort of advantage over Y. Be it a flat statistic superiority, or a mind game.

Here are some general tips to help you begin.

• Know your options (and your opponent's). Consider how easy a move might be to super counter. If you keep doing a c.HK with Ryu, sooner or later, your opponent will catch on and punish you, and you DON'T want it to be a super that they choose to punish with.

• Super after Parry, if you have been parried by someone, hope is not all lost! Try supering. If you are against someone who parry-counters excessively, it can really throw them off, as invariably a super will beat the move they attempt. This is very risky however, as the opponent always has the option to block.

• Bait Throws. Particularily basic players will try to throw whenever you are close to them. So get close to them, avoid their throw, then punish it. Justin Wong, to name just one name, does that all the time.

• Mix-up can roughly be interpreted as: "Doing something that is different to what you have just done, to force the opponent to change his block zone". If you aren't hitting high, try hitting low! A mix-up is a using a variety of moves that make your strategy unpredictable.

The Characters

• Alex
• Akuma
• Chun-Li
• Dudley
• Elena
• Gill
• Hugo
• Ibuki
• Ken
• Makoto
• Necro
• Oro
• Q
• Remy
• Ryu
• Sean
• Twelve
• Urien
• Yang
• Yun

Miscellaneous

Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike