Street Fighter EX3

Street Fighter EX3 (ストリートファイターEX3) is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, developed by Arika and published by Capcom. It is the third and final console installment in the Street Fighter EX series. The game was first released on March 4, 2000 in Japan and on October 26, 2000 in North America as a launch title exclusively for the PlayStation 2, making it the first game in the Street Fighter series to be released on the console. It was subsequently released in Europe on March 2, 2001.

Mechanics
Street Fighter EX3 features a similar gameplay system to its predecessor Street Fighter EX2 Plus with characters being able to pull off similar moves like Super Combos and Meteor Combos. However, a difference here is that the "Guard Break" system from the previous installments has been removed and replaced with a similar system called the "Surprise Blow" ("Hard Attack" in Japan), which does not use up energy stored in "super bars," although the attack can be blocked (only when standing).

Other additions are the "Critical Parade" (calling out a tag-partner to simultaneously battle your opponent for a limited time) and "Momentary Combo" (following a special attack with another). Some characters received new moves, such as Skullomania having a vertical projectile.

The core gameplay is essentially the same as previous installments. However, Street Fighter EX3 features Tag Battles, similar to Tekken Tag Tournament, allowing players to switch between characters and offering greater combination possibilities.

Modes
In Original Mode, the player can recruit a team of up to four characters that were the last to be defeated by the end of the level, and can choose the next opponent(s), as is possible in Street Fighter III. The bonus stage is a simplified version of the beat 'em up genre. In this mode, there are also missions, which the player can complete in order to gain Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze trophies, which in turn unlock various features.

In Arena Mode, Dramatic Battles are possible, with 2-VS-2, 1-VS-3 (similarly to Battle 1 in Original Mode), or even 2-VS-1 (similarly to Battle 3 in Original Mode, if with a partner) with flexibility via a multitap over each character being controlled by human or computer. Original mode uses new music based on the background stage, while the VS and Team Battle modes reuse themes from earlier games, which are based on the chosen characters.

In Character Edit Mode, the player can complete a series of challenges with the new character, Ace, and earn experience points, which can then be used to obtain new Special Moves and Super Combos for Ace, which can then be applied to him to create a custom move list. A configuration example would be the Shoryuken, Sonic Boom, and Spinning Piledriver, as used by Seth in Street Fighter IV. Ace is also playable in the other available game modes.

Characters
Multiple costumes are available for each character, depending on the button used on the character in the Character Select screen.

Default characters
 * Ace
 * Ryu
 * Ken
 * Chun-Li
 * Guile
 * Zangief
 * Dhalsim
 * Blanka
 * Vega (Balrog in Japan)
 * Sakura
 * Doctrine Dark
 * Hokuto / Bloody Hokuto (Chi no Fūin Tokareta Hokuto in Japan)
 * Cracker Jack
 * Skullomania
 * Sharon
 * Nanase

Unlockable characters
 * M. Bison (Vega in Japan)
 * Sagat
 * Garuda
 * Shadow Geist
 * Kairi
 * Vulcano Rosso
 * Area
 * Pullum Purna
 * Darun Mister

Hidden characters
 * Evil Ryu (Satsui no Hadō ni Mezameta Ryū in Japan)
 * Bison II (Vega II in Japan)

CPU-controlled
 * Shin-Bison (True Vega in Japan, only playable through the use of a cheat device)

Ace (エース) was introduced in Street Fighter EX3, is a government agent ordered by the prime minister of his nation to find information about a secret weapon being developed in an underground base. Ace uses a custom fighting style, which the player can edit by passing a series of trials in the game's Character Edit mode. He was designed originally with the idea of implementing a side-scrolling action game mode into the title.

Reception
Street Fighter EX3 received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Maxim gave it a mixed review almost two weeks before the PlayStation 2 launch.

Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot complained in his review of the Japanese import that the character animation is unimproved from Street Fighter EX2 and found the frequent sound changes jarring, but liked the sound effects and the bonus touches to the gameplay such as the stage which plays during the credits. He commented, "The tag-team fighting adds a nice new element that the previous game totally lacked. EX3 may feel a bit rushed in some spots, but overall it's a fun and great-looking fighting game that won't disappoint longtime EX fans." Chester "Chet" Barber of NextGen said of the game, "The EX series has always fallen short of the quality of many of the 2D Street Fighter games. However, if you're a fan, you probably won't be able to stop yourself from checking it out." In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of 32 out of 40. Uncle Dust of GamePro said of the game, "When it comes down to it, this is just a prettier version of the PlayStation's EX series, but it's not pretty enough to make up for its so-so combat. Street Fighter fanatics will have fun with it on their PlayStation 2, but the SF series is much better in 2D on the Dreamcast."

In its week of release, the game made the top 10 in the Japanese sales charts, with 207,000 units.