It was a mistake to come back to Metro City, Guy realised. With the Mad Gear gang defeated he'd hoped for a pleasant day where he could catch up with people, but instead he finds himself in a tricky situation. Stood in the Mayor's office, he's trying desperately not to comment on Haggar's ridiculous ponytail. He can't take it any more, but just as he opens his mouth to offend his friend there's a stroke of good luck when a riot breaks out. The Mad Gear gang may be gone, but the Skull Cross gang that has taken their place are just as unruly. Joined by detective Lucia and mystery man Dean, Guy and Haggar head off to kick some bottom as Final Fight 3 begins.
The first Final Fight and its sequel played very similarly, but Capcom made some adjustments to the formula for this game that made even the returning characters feel fresh. Each of the four playable characters has a range of regular moves (punches, kicks, throw, elbows) that are performed using various combinations of the d-pad/control stick and attack and jump buttons. As before there's also a special attack that depletes a little of your energy meter but helps you out if surrounded by thugs. In addition to this each character has a special move performed by using a fireball motion, with Lucia and Dean also possessing a second special move.
As well as those ways to smack about the criminal element, a double tap forwards will make your character run, opening up the possibility of further attacks such as a combo from Guy or Haggar's running clothesline. Holding either of the shoulder buttons will keep your character facing forwards; it's not used often but it does give you the chance to retreat from a miscreant without turning your back on them. The most devastating attack in your arsenal is your character's Super move, unleashed after building the super meter from your regular attacks. You only have a limited amount of time to perform the move once available but it's very useful when faced with dwindling energy and a tough opponent. The input command varies from character to character, but you can always bring up the electronic manual if you're unsure what to do.
At times it feels needlessly complicated, but these new elements work well and make Final Fight 3 fun to play through. Of course Final Fight games provide even more fun in two-player mode, but as is the norm for these SNES on New Nintendo 3DS re-releases the regular two-player mode is unavailable. An alternative is provided in the form of "Auto 2P Play" where the CPU controls the second character to give the illusion of playing with a friend. Partnering with an A.I. is not quite the same as teaming up with a human companion, however:
"I've got these HAL. Go punch that other guy in the face."
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Well at least stop kicking me in the gut!"
"Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose any more. Goodbye."
"HAL? HAL!"
Even when playing Final Fight: Double Impact online with no communication with the other player, you quickly come to an unspoken understanding of who is doing what, but here your CPU-controlled companion favours doing its own thing over the well being of your, or even its own, character. This leads to a strange way of playing as you spend as much time staying out of your partner's way as you do fighting off gang members. Another problem with this mode (and regular two-player were it available) is the slowdown which constantly occurs during a playthrough. Get a few hooligans on screen or smash part of the destructible scenery and there's a noticeable dip in performance; at its worst seeming like you've activated the Slow VFX Power in Viewtiful Joe.
Luckily the game still works well as a single player experience, with each character handling differently and giving you lots of different techniques to try out. There's a range of goons with different fighting styles you must learn to deal with - some have moves similar to the Mad Gear members of the previous games, but others are new. There are branching paths throughout the game, allowing for different routes through the levels to see different sights and indulge in different fights - sometimes even skipping the boss character. There are six levels during a playthrough, but seven in the game; the fourth level differs depending on what you did in the third.
The game has a new visual style that's halfway between the look of the previous Final Fights and the Street Fighter Alpha series. A little more cartoony than the first two games, it lacks some of the grit but still works well with a variety of locations visited throughout the city. The various hoodlums have different designs too, and whilst some of the designs look a little strange, they help add some visual variety to the beatings. The only returning foes are the family of Andore giants, although the new character designs (incorporating chains) makes them less Fezzik-like in appearance; in fact they have a slight Frankenstein's monster look about them. Special mention should also be made of Mayor Mike Haggar, who has decided to squeeze into some very tight shorts. It's a strange decision for him to have made, but it does go someway to explaining his strange walk animation.
There are four difficulty settings in the options menu, although the first two should only really be used if you're looking to practice your moves. There are six possible endings in the game depending on the character you're using and the route taken, but they are not actually that different from one another. The multiple routes and choice of characters adds some replayability to the game and it works well in small bursts when travelling. You may not have time for a full level but the trusty suspension and restore points are here to break up your play as needed.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a game to download to your New 3DS that offers classic sidescrolling brawling action you should probably get 3D Streets of Rage 2, but if you really want a Final Fight title as well then number 3 is the one to go for. As always the two-player mode is unavailable, and although there is an alternative provided it's really not the same as playing with a friend. On the plus side there's a lot to entertain the solo player with four playable characters to choose from, and the branching paths make for differences on subsequent playthroughs. The range of moves and special attacks mean it doesn't offer the simple straightforward fun of the earlier titles, but there's plenty of entertainment to be had from beating up the various villains with your numerous attacks. All in all Final Fight 3 is a good choice for those seeking quick fighting thrills when out and about.
Comments (45)
Streets of rage all the way
@Other_Dave Pretty decent review. I do think that around 90% of the readers won't get the 2001 reference, though. You would need to be a "bit" older than the average subscriber...
If only I could go back in time and bought the game when I had in my hand the day it showed up at local retailer... how could I ever imagine it would be sold nowadays for ridiculous amounts of moneys!?
@ThanosReXXX I suspect you're correct, but I couldn't resist.
I'm gonna be honest, I love SNES, along with PS2 and 3DS (mainly the New 3ds XL), it's my favorite console of all time, but play SNES games on the go is a blast, and may be even better than play the original version.
At least Haggar went with tight shorts and not the wrestling briefs Zangief wears.
Streets of Rage > Final Fight, always will be that way, even though Final Fight 3 is pretty good.
@gizmor Ha I disagree I think Double Dragon is still the best!
But they play and feel so differently to me and I like them both it's just fun to punch 80's/90's street thugs in the face.
Wish this was still on the Wii VC. It had 2 player mode still intact. I don't know why they removed it. I would have picked up up there. I am still buying Wii VC games because they look and play great on that platform.
In other words...This sucks but gets 7/10 as it's on New3DS.
Excited for this but very frustrated without the two player option. I know someone mentioned wishing punisher came out and I would love to add my unrealistic dream of adding life and death of superman game or separation anxiety. I love good beat em up games.
I remember once playing an Aliens v. Predator beat-em-up by Capcom at the arcade when I was a teenager; it was a four player game in the 80s, big cabinet, four joysticks. You controlled a Predator warrior and moved through the levels fighting Aliens. You could even do an unstoppable shoryuken move with the Predator. I played it only that one time and never encountered that game again, but that would be awesome if they could release that some how. Probably won't be that awesome in today's times, lol. Finally, how about some Battletoads action?
I love this game , i used to play this game with my brothers for hours.
Is this coming to the North American eShop?
I bought it on Wii then upgraded it to Wii U not too long ago. I'm more of Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle guy, but I get into FF3. Way better than FF2 at that.
This is the best Final Fight the SNES has to offer.
I enjoyed the writing in this review.
@gizmor Maybe the First Final Fight is better than Streets 3, but the Streets of Rage 1&2 Dominate Final Fight 2&3 .. i really disliked Final Fight 2 .. what a tounge twister that was lol .. ohh and just because my Avatar picture has streets of rage doesn't mean that I am biased lol
@ThanosReXXX mane, I could only agree if the avg was 5 years old. Lion's share of cartoons and tv shows refrenced it, so unless you don't have tv and live under a rock, I could agree. 2001 is not something obscure. The author wasn't even first nor the last to refrence it. Trying to say it's obscure and "most won't get it" is trying to be special snowflake.
Although on the other hand, we live in the age of braindead teens who were amazed that Titanic movie was based on real events and the ship actually existed.
I riked all of them - the first one for SNES only kinda sucked, because no 2-player. Thankfuly, PS3/360 arcade version exists.
@Dave24 Your English is pretty tough to read, but I get most of the message. And I disagree (and so does the author of the article, since he agrees with me). There are a LOT of people on here that are quite young and that will almost certainly never have seen the movie. It's a 1968 movie, so I think it's pretty safe to say that if we would make a poll about it, that 80% or more will answer 'no' to the question of whether or not they have seen it. And having seen a reference of it in another TV program is hardly the same as knowing what the actual movie is or what it is about...
@ThanosReXXX so by your logic most do not know from where "use the force" is, because it's a quote from 70s movie.
"so I think it's pretty safe to say that if we would make a poll about it, that 80% or more will answer 'no' to the question of whether or not they have seen it"
And what does it have to do with anything? You don't have to see something to acknowledge it. You can know the quotes, characters etc. without seeing the movie. I know it's hard concept to grasp.
@Hey-Cha-La Alien vs. Predator is still great fun today. Capcom made some other great scrolling beat 'em ups back then too, like Armored Warriors. I discovered many of these lost arcade games via MAME.
@Dave24 Well, obviously, Star Wars movies survive to this day and have been re-released time after time, as late as far into this decade, and then there are all the animated series of it. 2001 is just one movie, so it would be rather dense to compare the two.
And you most certainly do have to know the context of a quote or why it is fitting, even if it is used in another movie, series or article, otherwise you won't know what it is supposed to mean.
And what you can "know" of a movie without seeing it, is only by what others tell you or what you read about it, which again, is not the same.
@BionicDodo The Death and Return of Superman is also another good game in the genre, as well as the Spiderman games, if you are still looking for a couple more...
@ThanosReXXX Always looking to discover new beat 'em ups although I already have more than I have time to play.
Favourites include: Streets of Rage 2, Bare Knuckle III, D&D Shadow Over Mystara, Sengoku 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Men, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, The Punisher, Captain Commando, River City Ransom, Vendetta, Night Slashers...
@BionicDodo Haha, yeah, I recognize that problem. I still have it with modern games. Whole stacks of boxes and games that I've bought months or even over a year ago and haven't touched yet...
But better get 'em now while they're still available, right?
@ThanosReXXX My backlog goes back to the Master System!
@BionicDodo Ouch...
@ThanosReXXX still, you can know origins of the quote without watching the movie.
Also, not every star wars movie or cartoon uses this quote and your argument is only about brand recognition (in that case you're right), 2001 also got DVD releases and you can watch in on telly.
Or you're trying to say every Kubrick movie faded into obscuirty?
@Dave24 I don't agree with that. How can you know where the quote originated from if no one ever told you or if you have never seen or read where it came from?
And besides that, you are missing the main point. Yes, 2001 has also been released on DVD and Blu-ray, but it is not a series of movies that is still fresh in the mind of the public, so how would a modern audience come to know of 2001, unless some older person told them about it or if they are a huge sci-fi fan that also watches old movies?
Otherwise there is no reason for them to watch, let alone know the movie.
Star Wars is still ongoing and will remain relevant for the coming generation. Because of that, there is also much more incentive for younger people to also go and watch the movies that started it all, and the original trilogy is also shown on TV channels all across the world on a pretty regular basis, which 2001 isn't.
And we were only talking about this one movie, not about his entire lifetime's work.
Found this in a second hand store that mostly sold VHS tapes and comic books for 5 bucks a decade ago. Eventually sold it on Ebay. Lucia is gorgeous and I enjoyed having a computer AI partner even if their skill level was weak which ensured they'd be out of lives by stage 3.
@ThanosReXXX again, you talk about brand recognition.
Also, you say you don't agree with not knowing about the quote without watching, and then, in the very next sentence, give 3 ways to learn about it. You try way too hard.
@Dave24 No, not three ways to learn, three exceptions. Otherwise there are no reasons or options to know about this. Why would a young person in this generation want to know about this movie or see it?
And what you said still does not explain why someone would understand a quote from the movie made in a TV show like the Simpsons or like now, in this article if he or she has no knowledge of or connection with the movie. That was my primary point which you turned into a rather useless and off-topic discussion.
And although Star Wars is a brand, that is NOT what I'm talking about, so you completely misread me.
I'm talking about the simple fact that access to Star Wars quotes is more readily available because of the movies still being connected to current generations. If 2001 would have been a series of movies, then the same would have happened for that, but it didn't.
And I'm not trying hard at all, it's pretty easy to unravel your rather mediocre debating skills.
Now I think about it, the only fun factor of Final Fight is the big characters. Other than that any of the games in the series is more boring than any of the games in the Street of Rage series.
@BionicDodo I'm also a big fan of beat-em-ups and have extensively played most of the major ones. Many of my favorites are on your list. Capcom was on fire starting with Captain Commando. A shame Armored Warriors hasn't received a modern, digital release as it's one of the few great Capcom beat-em-ups without a license to make things complicated.
@liveswired Correction...it's an excellent game that deserves at least 8/10 on SNES, but it only gets a 7/10 as it's on New3DS with no multiplayer options.
I certainly prefer "Streets of Rage 2" (and "Streets of Rage 3" if we ever manage to get an uncut and uncensored Western release), but this is a great option as well and easily the pinacle of the Final Fight series. Sure, it may have lost some of its simplicity, but the expanded control options work seamlessly and offer excellent depth, and nobody says you can't just do a playthrough while ignoring said extra options.
@ThanosReXXX @Dave24 While I agree with Thanos that a young person these days is much more likely to be familiar with a Star Wars reference than a Space Odyssey 2001 reference due to the ongoing nature of the franchise, I do have to agree with Dave that you don't have to have seen a movie to recognize a reference to it. I've never seen it, yet I got the reference right away. As long as something has enough of a cult status, young people can still easily pick up the gist of it through other references or mentions of its basic plot found throughout modern pop culture. All I really know about the movie is that Dave was one of human characters and HAL 9000 was a sentient AI aboard a space station that went rogue and tried to kill all the humans (along with its most famous line), knowledge picked up here and there throughout the years yet enough to still enjoy the reference.
@BulbasaurusRex Fair enough. Although even your own experience told me that you learned of it by someone or something. Out of hand this quote will mean nothing to someone of the current generation, and that was basically my entire point.
I can put in some quotes of Lost in Space, Casablanca or Gone with the Wind and no one here except for the oldest members and a couple of people that are more invested in stuff like that will know. Anyways, I feel I have made more than enough off-topic comments here, so with all due respect, but I am out of here...
@ThanosReXXX Well, my point is that plenty of people of the younger generations will still pick up the basics of famous older movies via the same indirect methods I did. I'm sure if you made a reference to the famous ending scenes of either "Casablanca" or "Gone with the Wind," a large chunk of the younger crowd would recognize them as well.
If you don't get off the bandwagon that younger people know nothing about old movies, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but frankly Thanos, I don't give a darn. (Oh, and that's our shortstop.)
@BulbasaurusRex Don't worry, my friend. I ain't on no bandwagon...
Rosebud...
Which is the best version to play on the original SNES? For me, Streets of Rage 2 was the best on Genesis but I never had the SNES.
Before the turn of the century, my cousin and I beat it the same day we rented it. It had decent music and loved the extra fighting moves you can spam on your enemies. I know there were times where I was going, "Wait, wait! Don't break-- D'aww, you broke it! Now the bus won't come!"
@HeySonny i'm wondering the same thing, i sure hope so...and if not i wish i knew a way to get this version
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