So 3SO is coming out on the 360 tomorrow. But I’ve never really played 3S, so I don’t know what character to play, and there aren’t really any guides to help me out.
Basically, I like characters who have good pokes and footsies. I like be on the defensive and poke my opponent to death. I’m not really the type to get in their face and wail them with combos. (I remember trying to play Makoto in AE. Yeah, it didn’t work >_>) I also like charge characters. Not to the degree that I absolutely can’t play a “motion” character, but I much prefer the feel of charge motions.
As a reference, I play Vega in SSF4 and Jade in MK9.
chun is the best poke character. But shes not “really” a charge character in 3s, aside from sbk.
if you insist on charge characters, try remy.
I prefer Chun Li when she’s not a charge character, but I’ve never played 3s either. At any rate, EventHubs just put up a section regarding character stuff for SF3 3SO frame data, guides, character colors, and other stuff. You can look there for some beginning strats. Otherwise, just use search and talk to people here, and look under the Strategy Zone section of the forums, and there will be a list of games under that with one of them being SF3 3S. Generally, Capcom made the game as close to the original as possible, so the old PS2 and Dreamcast strats should still work.
I have similar preferences to you, and I’m going to start out with Oro in 3S, but I always get to know everyone before I figure out who I am going to try and hardcore learn.
Ken would be a decent generic choice, then from there you can decide on someone else.
Pick someone who looks cool 
Also Dudley is really fun. And Urien, Urien is awesome xD
Charging isn’t in this game like other games. To really use a charge character (meaning really only Remy and Urien, and to a smaller extent, Oro), you need charge partitioning down to a decent level.