Street Fighter Ex3

By now, most everyone who's into fighting games has realized that the EX Street Fighter series is somewhat of an acquired taste. The style has alienated some, but retained enough fans over the years to warrant this third console title. Overall, it's a lot like EX 2 Plus, but a few new features and its presence on the next-generation system might make it a good buy for some. Those who've played the Japanese version know of the slowdown problems this game suffered from overseas. Thankfully, they've been drastically reduced for the American release without killing the framerate, which really helps the gameplay. The battle system is unique, yet somewhat confining. You start off flying solo, then accrue tag-team allies by winning battles. The last of the two enemies defeated in your opponent's party can be taken along to the final boss. While fun at first, this tag-team style should probably have been an extra mode rather than the backbone of this title. I miss the simpler one-on-one fights; there's no such thing here, you can only fight against teams in the single-player mode. Aside from a couple of new characters and the dressed-up artwork, you shouldn't be expecting too much from EX3. While that may sound a little disappointing, it's basically EX3, DOA2 or Tekken Tag if you want to get your fighting fix at PS2 launch. My advice: Wait until a decent fighting stick is out and see what's available then.

While it certainly doesn't have the visual splash found in Tekken Tag or D0A2, Street Fighter EX3 still looks great--albeit nothing the Dreamcast couldn't handle. I've never really loved the EX series though, and this PlayStation 2 title doesn't do much to change my opinion. I do enjoy the fights with multiple characters on screen, and it's cool how Capcom got rid of most of the slowdown (the Japanese version would stutter whenever the action got too intense), but really now, Street Fighter is still a better game in 2D. Why fix what isn't broken? EX3 is a solid title, but both TTT and D0A2 offer better fighting experiences for the PS2 launch.

SFEX3 was nas-tay when it first came out in Japan--it should have been called Slowdown Fighter EX3. But, to Capcom's credit, they made Arika scrub the slowness right outta there. Now what you have is a shiny new SF (which can be considered a good thing since there isn't any 2D action on the PS2), with all kinds of flashy bells and whistles that don't amount to a hill of beans. The game plays like Street Fighter, but isn't as fluid as its 2D counterparts. It's frustrating that Capcom just churned out a gratuitously 3D SF game that doesn't take advantage of the third dimension. With games like TTT and D0A2 around, this is for die-hard fans alone.