Best version of Third Strike?

[Deleted]

Fellas, I've been hearing bad here and there of the Dreamcast version of Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and honestly, I'm not sure why... but I'd just like to ask if the PS2 or XBOX versions in Street Fighter: Anniversary Collection are preferable, and why? And is there really a difference between the PS2 and XBOX versions as well?

[Haz]

They're probably all emulated...

[morzas]

Just play the CPS3 version. From what I've heard, the Dreamcast version has lag, the PS2 version is a bit too slow and the Xbox version is a bit too fast. In a game where you need to have really precise parry timing, anything less than the perfect version is going to hurt you in the long run.

[Ganelon]

Speed is the exact same on Xbox and PS2, which are both a little faster than the arcade. DC not only has input lag (messing up parry timing among all else) but the version is based on revision 3 in the arcades so it has missing Aegis Reflector unblockables. The PS2 and Xbox versions (based on revision 2) are considered accurate enough to use in console tournament play although there are a few trivial discrepancies from the CPS3 (e.g. no blue Aegis Reflector).

And if you're looking for more superficial differences, PS2 and Xbox have both original and arrange soundtracks (CPS3 only has original, DC only has arrange), the PS2 version loads slightly faster off disc (both are negligible though), and Xbox can correctly record matches.

[Discoalucard]

Xbox version also has online play. It's also compatible with the 360, although I hear there's a bit of slowdown during certain special moves.

[Warchief Onyx]

I'm perfectly fine with the PS2 version on the Anniversary Collection. Any differences between it and the CPS3 version as far as gameplay goes are pretty negligible. From what I played of both it and the XBox version, it's pretty much the same thing. It's all down to controller preferences and if you play online or not.

And yes, the DC version sucks.

[Yuan]

The Dreamcast version does have one redeeming feature, though.

You can set it in the original resolution and frequency of the arcade, which is great if you have RGB.

[Ganelon]

Yeah, the PS2 and Xbox versions do look pretty awful with higher quality video connections due to upscaling.

[vysethebold]

I have the Xbox version and I have no problems with it.

[Deleted]

Heh... when you don't know what you're missing, it's not as bad. It's like how I played through and beat the Playstation versions of Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger with apparently inferior sound quality and loading times, but having never played the SNES versions, it was no issue whatsoever. Just like here, how I've only played the DC version (until recently, where I played the emulated arcade version) but was not privy to the differences in others. If I can find SFAC for not too much, I think I'll pick up the XBOX version.

[Yuan]

I would really recommend at least playing it once in it's original progressive resolution.

It has some of the best and most fluid pixel art found in a fighting game.

PS2 and Xbox don't support the original CPS3 resolution, and since it's so weird, integer scaling is impossible, so it has to be filtered.

For a traditional video game artist like me, it's just unacceptable

PS: Chrono Trigger for the PS was okay, if you played the japanese one. The other versions load horrendously...

[Warchief Onyx]

sotenga said:

Heh... when you don't know what you're missing, it's not as bad. It's like how I played through and beat the Playstation versions of Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger with apparently inferior sound quality and loading times, but having never played the SNES versions, it was no issue whatsoever. Just like here, how I've only played the DC version (until recently, where I played the emulated arcade version) but was not privy to the differences in others. If I can find SFAC for not too much, I think I'll pick up the XBOX version.

It originally retailed for $20-30, I think, so you should be good there. I'd honestly be surprised if it was more than $15 used.

[justjustin]

Actually, I bought the PS2 version about 3 days ago, used. 30 bucks. "Eh, not too bad," I thought. I peeled back the price label, though, and saw the price it used to be. 25 dollars. Damn, thanks a lot EB. Personally, I think you should get it asap. The price of this game will just keep rising.

[Warchief Onyx]

Gamestop.com has the XBox version for $15 used. For some reason, the PS2 version is $30 used. Ah, GameStop and its inconsistent and extortionist price gouging.

Might want to try Gamecrazy or your local indy game shop, too.

[recap]

ganelon said:

DC not only has input lag (messing up parry timing among all else)

I believe that's only true on the Western versions of the game (given the people who usually complan about it). The Japanese original doesn't have lag at all. What they did in the process, I don't know.

The Dreamcast version does have one redeeming feature, though.

You can set it in the original resolution and frequency of the arcade, which is great if you have RGB.

That's not exactly true, either. You can select a true low-res (15 kHz progressive) mode, but it's not the "original resolution of the arcade". This one displayed 384 vertical lines, while the DC low res mode is of 320, so DC 3rd Strike's graphics are downscaled. It's still the best result one can get from any home version, but you get some imperfections obviously absent on the original.

Anyhow, I'm with you. The PS2 an XB versions are too far from the arcade presentation to be considered acceptable at all. Graphics, in essence are ruined.