History YMMV / StreetFighterIII

** The expensive and time-consuming process of making brand new sprites also resulted in ''III'' only having 11 playable characters (even with Ryu, Ken and Sean [[HeadSwap sharing the same body]]) at launch, which seemed downright paltry at the time. For comparison, ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter'' (released the same year) had 17 playable characters, while ''Tekken 3'' (released the following year) had 23.

** The game was more complex and difficult to master than the previous ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' games, alienating casual players even further. While ''III'' did later gain a major following among tournament players and in the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity, to this day, it still has a reputation for being very unfriendly to newbies.

** The expensive and time consuming process of making brand new sprites also resulted in ''III'' only having 11 playable characters (even with Ryu, Ken and Sean [[HeadSwap sharing the same body]]) at launch, which seemed downright paltry at the time. For comparison, ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter'' (released the same year) had 17 playable characters, while ''Tekken 3'' (released the following year) had 23.
** The advanced graphics meant that ''III'' could not be ported to most of the then-current consoles without [[PortingDisaster sacrificing animations and features]]; the only console that could have handled the game without major difficulty was the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, which was not only the least successful console from its generation, but had Sega pull the plug on it less than six months after the game was released to arcades. Consequently, the ''Street Fighter III'' series was initially ported exclusively for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast -- which sold barely any better than the Saturn did. It wasn't until 2004 when ''3rd Strike'' was re-released as part of ''Street Fighter Anniversary Collection''.[[note]]In Japan, it was re-released exclusively as a standalone game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.[[/note]] Because of the failure of the CPS-3, Capcom's future 2D fighters, such as the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' series, were either developed on the CPS-2 or Creator/{{Sega}}'s new NAOMI system board. ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'' was released the following year on the CPS-2, and while the sprites weren't as good as the ones used in ''III'', it was significantly more affordable for most arcade owners. The less-refined graphics also meant it could be more easily ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, where it sold a million copies.

** Ken has earned a lot of scorn from mostly online players because so many fans use him online. No one knows why, but it might be due to his ease of use instead of Ryu, who somehow got harder to use as time passed.

** The advanced graphics meant that ''III'' could not be ported to most of the then-current consoles without [[PortingDisaster sacrificing animations and features]]. Consequently, the ''Street Fighter III'' series was initially ported exclusively for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. It wasn't until 2004 when ''3rd Strike'' was re-released as part of ''Street Fighter Anniversary Collection''.[[note]]In Japan, it was re-released exclusively as a standalone game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.[[/note]] Because of the failure of the CPS-3, Capcom's future 2D fighters, such as the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' series, were either developed on the CPS-2 or Creator/{{Sega}}'s new NAOMI system board. ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'' was released the following year on the CPS-2, and while the sprites weren't as good as the ones used in ''III'', it was significantly more affordable for most arcade owners. The less-refined graphics also meant it could be more easily ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, where it sold a million copies.

* EarWorm:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFSqdUTZNdI The intro and character select themes]] for ''3rd Strike'':
--> ''Make your first move, so what's it gonna be?''
--> ''You're trapped in the new world of Street Fighter III!''
--> ''The third chapter, so what's it gonna be?''
--> ''The 3rd Strike y'all, it's Street Fighter III!''
--> ''Make your first move so what's it gonna be?''
--> ''You're trapped in the new world of Street Fighter III!''
--> ''Fightin' for the future so what's it gonna be?''
--> ''The 3rd Strike y'all it's Street Fighter III!...''''
--> ''(Let's get it on now), Select and make your first pick,''
--> ''(Let's get it on Yo) 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,''
--> ''(Let's get it on Yo) Choose and pick the best one''
--> ''(Let's get it on now) 5, 4, 3, 2, 1''
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-d5nbeTqOA Elena's]] awesome ''3rd Strike'' theme. "Beats in my head," indeed!
** The theme from the E3 2011 trailer for ''3rd Strike Online Edition'' by Adam Tensta:
--> ''(Welcome to the world of Street Fighter III)''
--> ''As I stare at myself in the mirror, and the noises around me fade''
--> ''No fear for my health, never give up though the voices around me say:''
--> ''"It's a long shot, it'll never happen - don't put you money on that" as they're laughin' (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha)''
--> ''I know I'm up against the best but we fightin' in the streets - left right, right left''
--> ''This is what I live for right here - you think I'm gon' fold cause the lights glare?''
--> ''Like I don't know what this life is? Well think again cause I won't no hype is''
--> ''Ever what they paint it up to be, and the underdog is evidently''
--> ''The one who got more to win - I'ma make you taste the ground; here's my Hadouken!''
--> ''You know what they say: "The Third Strike is what counts"''
--> ''And you can get it too - don't think that l can't knock you out''
--> ''Out, out knock knock you out''
--> ''Out, knock knock knock you out''
--> ''Out, out knock knock knock you out''
--> ''Don't think that l can't knock you out''
--> ''(Prepare for Battle)''
--> {{Beat}}
--> ''Out, out knock knock you out''
--> ''Out, knock knock knock you out''
--> ''Out, out knock knock knock you out''
--> ''Don't think that l can't knock you out''
--> ''(It's over)''

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port at 86 vs the 84 and runs borderline arcade perfect (borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port). It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from Evo Moment #37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing it's missing is the inclusion of the stages and characters from the first two iterations of ''SFIII''.

* CultClassic: ''Street Fighter III'' didn't do particularly well when it was released, and is the ''Street Fighter III'' series is the only one to ship less than 1,000,000 units on a single system. It started picking up in popularity through the early 2000s in the Fighting Game Community, with many considering ''3rd Strike'' the best ''Street Fighter'' game for competitive play, even if it was still largely forgotten by the general public. Come the release of ''3rd Strike: Online Edition'' in 2011 and later the arcade port in the ''30th Anniversary Collection'' in 2018, and ''Street Fighter III'' is considered a classic with deep gameplay that has aged much better than its polygon-based contemporaries like ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' or the ''[[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Tekken 3]]''.

* CultClassic: ''Street Fighter III'' didn't do particularly well when it was released, and is the ''Street Fighter III'' series is the only one to ship less than 1,000,000 units on a single system. It started picking up in popularity through the early 2000s in the Fighting Game Community, with many considering ''3rd Strike'' the best ''Street Fighter'' game for competitive play, even if it was still largely forgotten by the general public. Come the release of ''3rd Strike: Online Edition'' in 2011 and later the arcade port in the ''30th Anniversary Collection'' in 2018, and ''Street Fighter III'' is considered a classic with deep gameplay that has aged much better than its polygon-based contemporaries like ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' or the ''[[VideoGame/Tekken Tekken 3]]''.

* CultClassic: ''Street Fighter III'' didn't do particularly well when it was released, and is the ''Street Fighter III'' series is the only one to ship less than 1,000,000 units on a single system. It started picking up in popularity through the early 2000s in the Fighting Game Community, with many considering ''3rd Strike'' the best ''Street Fighter'' game for competitive play, even if it was still largely forgotten by the general public. Come the release of ''3rd Strike: Online Edition'' in 2011 and later the arcade port in the ''30th Anniversary Collection'' in 2018, and ''Street Fighter III'' is considered a classic with deep gameplay that has aged much better than its polygon-based contemporaries like ''Mortal Kombat 4'' or ''Tekken 3''.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port at 86 vs the 84 and runs borderline arcade perfect (borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port). It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from Evo moment 37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing it's missing is the inclusion of the stages and characters from the first two iterations of ''SFIII''.

* CultClassic: ''Street Fighter III'' didn't do particularly well when it was released.[[note]]The ''Street Fighter III'' series is the only one to ship less than 1,000,000 units on a single system.[[/note]] Many fans, however, consider ''3rd Strike'' the best ''Street Fighter'' game for competitive play.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port at 86 vs the 84 and runs borderline arcade perfect (borderline in that the code is taken from the PS2 port). It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from Evo moment 37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing it's missing is the inclusion of the stages and characters from the first two iterations of ''SFIII''.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port (86 vs. 84) and runs borderline arcade perfect. It has both original and reworked soundtracks (with vocal and sound effects remastered from the arcade original), a ton of visual options, tutorials, stage select, and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact'', and a dip switch that lets you mess around with pretty much all the game's settings.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the PSN and Xbla is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port (86 vs 84) and runs borderline arcade-perfect. It has both original and reworked soundtracks (with vocal and sound effects remastered from the arcade original), a ton of visual options, tutorials, stage select, and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''Second Impact'', and a dip switch that lets you mess around with pretty much all the game's settings.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the PSN and XBLA, has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port (86 vs 84). The game runs borderline arcade-perfect and has both original and reworked soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials, stage select, and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock tons of bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''Second Impact'', and a dip switch that lets you mess around with pretty much all the game's settings.

** Chun-Li is S+ tier in the ''Arcadia'' list, and Ken is A+, with Akuma not far behind. Especially tragic since this plays into ComplacentGamingSyndrome (see below). Let it be noted that these are not tiers decided at the margins, Chun and Ken all have 7-3 and 8-2 matchups against much of the rest of the cast. Thankfully the high tiers are also populated with new, fun and unique characters like Yun, Makoto, and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Dudley]].

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the PSN and XBLA. The game runs borderline arcade-perfect and has both original and reworked soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials, stage select, and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock tons of bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''Second Impact'', and a dip switch that lets you mess around with pretty much all the game's settings.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the PSN and XBLA. The game runs borderline arcade-perfect and has both original and reworked soundtracks, a ton of visual options, and an arcade cabinet view and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock tons of bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''Second Impact'', and a dip switch that lets you mess around with pretty much all the game's settings.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the PSN and XBLA. The game runs borderline arcade-perfect, and includes in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock tons of bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''Second Impact'', and a dip switch that lets you mess around with pretty much all the game's settings.

** Alex was a very contested character at first; Replacing Ryu as the face was always gonna be met with concern and apprehension, and being a Grappler with charge moves instead of an easy to learn shoto character didnt help. [[VindicatedByHistory However over the years Alex got a lot of traction from fans]] and became a classic and iconic character in his own right due in fact to his very striking and iconic design, memorable moves like the Reverse Hyper Bomb and his signature smack talk ("At Ease Losah!" "WEAK!" "I DON'T LOSE!" "YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!"). It also doesn't hurt that his theme, Jazzy NYC, is one of the most beloved songs in the series in part to it playing in the most famous moment in fighting game history.
** Elena is this as it's hard to dislike her optimistic personality and you'll find plenty of fanart of her. She even made it into ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' as DLC and later showed up in ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'' Her 3rd Strike theme is a huge contributor to this fact, being probably the most recognizable Song in the Street Fighter 3 series.
** According to a [[http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2015/jan/02/street-fighter-5-poll-results-find-out-which-characters-eventhubs-readers-most-want-see-playable-capcoms-upcoming-fighter/ 2014 poll,]] Alex and Q were the top two most desired characters for ''Street Fighter V'', and Alex eventually made it into the game as DLC. Q for his part would get the character G as a SpiritualSuccessor in ''V'', who has possible connections to him (and has become a darkhorse in his own right).

** Alex was a very contested character at first; Replacing Ryu as the face was always gonna be met with concern and apprehension, and being a Grappler with charge moves instead of an easy to learn shoto character didnt help. [[VindicatedByHistory However over the years Alex got a lot of traction from fans]] and became a classic and iconic character in his own right due in fact to his very striking and iconic design, memorable moves like the Reverse Hyper Bomb and his signature smack talk ("At Ease Losah!" "WEAK!" "I DON'T LOSE!" "YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!"). It also doesn't hurt that his Jazzy NYC is one of the most beloved songs in the series in part to it playing in the most famous moment in fighting game history.

** Alex was a very contested character at first; Replacing Ryu as the face was always gonna be met with concern and apprehension, and being a Grappler with charge moves instead of an easy to learn shoto character didnt help. [[ VindicatedByHistory However over the years Alex got a lot of traction from fans]] and became a classic and iconic character in his own right due in fact to his very striking and iconic design, memorable moves like the Reverse Hyper Bomb and his signature smack talk ("At Ease Losah!" "WEAK!" "I DON'T LOSE!" "YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!"). It also doesn't hurt that his Jazzy NYC is one of the most beloved songs in the series in part to it playing in the most famous moment in fighting game history.

** Elena is this as it's hard to dislike her optimistic personality and you'll find plenty of fanart of her. She even made it into ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' as DLC and later showed up in ''Ultra Street Fighter IV''.

** In NG, Alex can continually Flash Chop Elena into a KO due to a delay in her animation.
** In both NG and 2I, certain characters can float and reset their animations in midair. This is includes Ibuki in both games, and Ken doing a Shoryuken during Gill's Ressurrection in the second game.
** In both NG and 2I, Sean can fill his EX meter twice as fast as any other character by holding Back on the directional pad while tapping an attack button.
** In 3S, Akuma's Fierce Shakunetsu Hadoken can juggle opponents completely across the screen, provided they hit the tip of the fireball at just the right angle.
** Aside from copying Guile's moves, Remy also has one of his classic World Warrior glitches. He can freeze Urien by getting hit right after his neutral throw animation connects. The most common way to do this is when Urien's Aegis Reflector is triggered. Not only does it let you escape from the Super Art, but it completely freezes Urien as well. He will be unable to attack or even move until Remy hits him again.

-->'''Urien:''' "[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Lie there as long as you want, I've had my fun with you.]]"

** Yun actually managed to mostly avoid this despite being one of the top-tier characters in ''3S'', but would later fall prey to this in ''SSFIV: Arcade Edition'' and ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', [[YMMV/StreetFighterIV as explained here]]. Some of [[UsefulNotes/FGCAces the top tournament players]] like Daigo, however, found their interest in ''3S'' waning long before the advent of ''SFIV'' due to Yun's shenanigans.

** Right off the bat, the decision to replace most of the cast from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' proved to be a disastrous one. While Creator/{{Capcom}} had previously been able to successfully pull off a near complete cast changeover from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterI'' to ''II'', that was largely because the first ''Street Fighter'' game wasn't particularly successful, meaning few fans cared about those characters. Conversely, the characters from ''II'' had proven to be extremely popular and had subsequently reappeared in the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' games and the various movie and TV adaptations based on the ''Street Fighter'' franchise. This meant there was far more backlash to their omission than there had ever been over the cast of ''I'' not returning for ''II''. It was particularly telling that at first, Sean was going to be the sole representative of the Shoto archetype, but Capcom made the move to at least bring back Ryu and Ken to satiate long time fans. Those two, along with Akuma in ''2nd Impact'' and Chun-Li in ''3rd Strike'', were the only veterans from either ''II'' or ''Alpha'' to return in this sub-series.

** The game came out as the arcade scene was dying ''and'' while 3D games like ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' and ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' were becoming increasingly popular. ''III'' was also developed on Capcom's new CPS-3 operating system, which allowed for more fluid and detailed sprites than had previously been seen. Unfortunately, this also made ''III'' much more expensive, and this, coupled with the declining popularity of 2D fighters and arcades in general, meant that many arcade owners passed on ordering the game.

** The advanced graphics meant that ''III'' could not be ported to most of the then-current consoles without [[PortingDisaster sacrificing animations and features]]. Consequently, the ''Street Fighter III'' series was initially ported exclusively for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. It wasn't until 2004 when ''3rd Strike'' was re-released as part of ''Street Fighter Anniversary Collection''.[[note]]In Japan, it was re-released exclusively as a standalone game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.[[/note]] Because of the failure of the CPS-3, Capcom's future 2D fighters, such as the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' series, were either developed on the CPS-2 or Creator/{{Sega}}'s new NAOMI system board. ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'' was released the following year on the CPS-2, and while the sprites weren't as good as the ones used in ''III'', it was significantly more affordable for most arcade operators. The less-refined graphics also meant it could be more easily ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, where it sold a million copies.

** While the story takes no pains to hide that she is, in fact, a girl, people not familiar with the series often mistake Makoto for a boy. But given that [[{{Tomboy}} she]] is ''[[TheLadette as feminine as a truck driver]]'', her gi is quite concealing, and that Makoto is [[GenderBlenderName a gender neutral name in Japan]], the misunderstanding is almost expected. The fact that she's absolutely ''ripped'' for a girl her age and has ''huge'' man-like hands and feet does not help matters. Her ''SSFIV'' in-game model, however, has her cleavage slightly more exposed, enough to avoid confusion in full. Previously, it was only visible during her dizzy animation, in which the shoulder of her gi slips off.

** While the story takes no pains to hide that she is, in fact, a girl, people not familiar with the series often mistake Makoto for a boy. But given that [[{{Tomboy}} she]] is ''[[TheLadette as feminine as a truck driver]]'', that her gi is quite concealing, and that the name "Makoto" is a [[GenderBlenderName name for both males and females]] in Japan, the misunderstanding is almost expected. The fact that she's absolutely ''ripped'' for a girl her age and has ''huge'' man-like hands and feet does not help matters. Her ''SSFIV'' in-game model, however, has her cleavage slightly more exposed, enough to avoid confusion in full. Previously, it was only visible during her dizzy animation, in which the shoulder of her gi slips off.
* VindicatedByHistory: The ''Street Fighter III'' series was trashed when it was initially released because it was a complete departure from the considerably more user-friendly ''Alpha'' series, and some professional reviewers even went so far as to dock it for looking "[[CriticalResearchFailure like an SNES game.]]" Eventually, tournament-level players latched onto the series as most mainstream fighting games began to resemble ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' more and more and they desired something a little more technical, and casual fans discovered the game through emulation and a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} re-release of ''3rd Strike''. The series is now a mainstay at the EVO tournament. This came full circle with ''3rd Strike Online Edition''. It ended up being better received by the fanbase than the more casual-friendly ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix''.

** According to a [[http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2015/jan/02/street-fighter-5-poll-results-find-out-which-characters-eventhubs-readers-most-want-see-playable-capcoms-upcoming-fighter/ 2014 poll,]] Alex and Q were the top two most desired characters for ''Street Fighter V'', and Alex eventually made it into the game as DLC. Q for his part would get a SpiritualSuccessor in the form of G in the same game. A character who has possible connection to him (and who's become a darkhorse in his own right).