Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact

Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Series	Street Fighter
Platform(s)	Arcade, Dreamcast
Release date(s)	Arcade JP: October 1997 NA: 1998 Dreamcast JP: December 16, 1999 NA: June 19, 2000 EU: September 15, 2000
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players simultaneously
Cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	CP System III
Display	Raster, 384 x 224 (standard), 496 x 224 (wide) (Horizontal), 32,768 colors on screen, 16 million color palette[1]

Street Fighter III 2nd Impact: Giant Attack (ストリートファイターⅢ セカンドインパクト GIANT ATTACK) is a competitive fighting game produced by Capcom that was released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1997. It is an update of Street Fighter III: New Generation. Like its predecessor, it runs on the CP System III hardware. 2nd Impact introduced new play mechanics, new characters, and new special moves. The game also brings back bonus rounds, not seen in the series since Super Street Fighter II. It is also the only CPS3 title to have a widescreen feature.

2nd Impact was released in a two-in-one compilation for the Dreamcast titled Street Fighter III: Double Impact, which also included the original Street Fighter III. It remains the only official home version of the first two games. 2nd Impact was followed in the arcades by Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future.

Gameplay

Ryu vs. Ken in 2nd Impact.

Released in October 1997, the second installment of Street Fighter III brought back all the characters from the first game and introduced two new ones: Hugo and Urien. Yun and Yang from the first game also became separate characters, with Yang receiving his unique set of Special Moves and Super Arts to distinguish him from Yun. Series' recurring hidden character Akuma also returned as a secret computer-controlled challenger and selectable character. Thus the playable character roster increased to 14. In addition to the regular Akuma, a computer-controlled version named "Shin Akuma" also appears in the single-player mode.

In addition to Super Arts, the player can also perform slightly more powerful versions of their Special Moves called EX Specials. By using a certain portion of Super Art gauge (after gaining certain amount of gauge), the player can perform an EX Special version of a regular Special Move by inputting the command and pressing two attack buttons of the same type (such as two punch buttons) instead of one. Super Meter length is changed from previous game. Frame data has changed, some characters gained new moves, and some animations are improved. Other new abilities added to the game are "tech throw", the ability to escape from a throwing attack, and "personal action", a character-specific taunt. Each character's personal action is also accompanied by an additional benefit if completed successfully; for example, Ryu's lowers his stun gauge. If a second-player interrupts the gameplay to challenge the other player, then the first player will be allowed to change the Super Art of his or her selected character.

The single player mode was changed slightly from the first game. The player faces against series of eight opponents, including a character-specific final opponent, who will exchange dialogue with the player's character before the match. If certain requirements are met, then the player will also face a rival character during the course of the single player mode and exchange dialogue before a match. If certain other requirements are met, the player will also face against the CPU-controlled Akuma instead of the character's usual final opponent in the single-player mode and depending on the player's performance in his or her fight against Akuma, then a match against a more powerful version of Akuma known as Shin Akuma will also take place. 2nd Impact brings back the concept bonus rounds, which was last seen in Super Street Fighter II. At the end of the third CPU match, then the player will participate in a minigame dubbed "Parry the Ball", in which the player can practice his or her parrying skills against a series of basketballs thrown towards the player by Sean.

Characters

The cast from the original Street Fighter III returned. The twin brothers Yun and Yang, who had identical move set in the previous game, were given different special moves, properties, and Super Arts in 2nd Impact, officially making them separate characters.

• Akuma (Gouki in Japan) - Appears in 2nd Impact as a secret character and has a non-playable "Shin Akuma" version which can be selected in the Dreamcast version of the game in Double Impact. Voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura who would go on to reprise his role for 3rd Strike.
• Hugo - A professional wrestler from Germany who seeks a strong tag team partner for an upcoming tournament. He is often accompanied by his manager, Poison. Hugo is Andore, an enemy character from Final Fight, who was modeled after professional wrestler André the Giant. Hugo was planned to be in the first game, as evidenced by his mobile character with unfinished sprites, and the presence of his stage in New Generation. Voiced by Wataru Takagi in 2nd Impact and Len Carlson in 3rd Strike.
• Urien - Gill's younger brother, who seeks to usurp his brother's leadership as "President" of their organization. He can manipulate electricity and metal. Voiced by Yuji Ueda in 2nd Impact and Lawrence Bayne in 3rd Strike.

Home version

In 1999, Capcom released Street Fighter III: Double Impact (Street Fighter III: W Impact in Japan) for the Dreamcast, a compilation containing the original game and 2nd Impact. The compilation features an Arcade, Versus, Training and Option Mode for both games, as well as a "Parry Attack Mode" in 2nd Impact, where the player gets to test his or her parrying skills in the game's bonus round. This compilation also allows players to use Gill (in both games) and Shin Akuma (in 2nd Impact only), who were exclusively computer-controlled characters in the arcade version.

Music

The themes for the games are predominantly drum and bass, with some jazz, hip-hop, and techno elements. While Yuki Iwai worked on the soundtracks for New Generation and 2nd Impact, Hideki Okugawa worked on all three games. The soundtrack to the first game in the series was released on CD by First Smile Entertainment in 1997, while the 3rd Strike original soundtrack was released by Mars Colony Music in 2000 with an arranged version afterwards.

References

Sources

• Studio Bent Stuff (Sep 2000). All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Games 1987-2000. A.A. Game History Series (Vol. 1) (in Japanese). Dempa Publications, Inc. ISBN 4-88554-676-1. 

External links

Official sites

• Street Fighter III W Impact (Dreamcast version) (Japanese)

General resources

• Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact: Giant Attack at the Killer List of Videogames