With the recent cracking of CPS-3, I thought it might be interesting to post a list of differences the old SF3 games have compared to Third Strike. I’m pointing out general differences between the games and individual character differences. For CPS-3 info, see the stickied thread in Tech Talk.
Don’t ask about ROMs or ask to be PMed about ROMs; it will get you banned.
Each character is compared to their Third Strike version. The only exception is True Gouki who is compared to the normal Second Impact version of himself.
While blocking a multi-hit move, like a super art, you don’t have to hold back on the stick. You can block the first hit and all of them should be blocked.
Damage from moves is pretty consistent across the series, with a few exceptions. It’s nothing like the difference between SF2WW and SSF2T.
The DC versions of these game were not perfect ports. Some infinites were removed and parries work differently.
My list is very incomplete. I know almost nothing about some characters. Feel free to make your own comments and I’ll edit them into the list.
New Generation How is it different from Third Strike?
-In Third Strike you have to go to neutral in between parries. Not in NG (for at least the first parry), which is where the “empty DP parry” comes from. DC lost this feature.
-Parry timing feels different
-No EX moves
-No red parries
-No taunts
-UOH is d,d,P/K
-Throws are f/b+P/K
-As a consequence, kara-throws probably do not exist for non command throws
-Can parry in the air by pressing d
-If you parry in the air by pressing f, a lot of backward momentum is added to your character. This is true even if you jumped straight up. So if you super jump forward and air parry Ken’s jHP, you will fly backwards before you have a chance to counter.
-If you parry in the air by pressing d, a lot of forward momentum is added to your character. Same as above but you get thrown toward the opponent. The parries in Third Strike are most similar to this one, but it’s still different.
-You can quickstand from some Super Arts
-You don’t get meter for quickstanding
-All charcters do much more stun damage
-Characters are usually faster on their normals. This allows for many links that would be impossible in 3rd strike. There are a ton of these and I only know a handful, so I will not usually list these.
-Everyone builds meter faster
-Stun bar lengths are the same in across games. For example, Dudley, Alex, and Oro are always harder to stun than Ryu and Ken.
These are the character specific differences I can think of. Very incomplete. c= close, d= ducking
-
RYU*
Shinku Hadoken is 1 bar, does not recover fast enough to allow normal follow ups
Shinshoryuken hits 3 times, has more horizontal range, does a huge amount of damage to crouching targets
HK hurricane can hit multiple times in the arcade only(?)
HDP hits twice; opponent stays on the ground for the first hit
No air hurricane
Fireballs knockdown airborne targets
Has an infinite with the Shinshoryuken
Doesn’t have f+HP
Can’t charge Denjin faster by rotating the stick -
KEN*
No air hurricane
No double LDP combos
Fireballs knockdown airborne targets
Rolling throw only rolls once
b+MK is now f+MK
Doesn’t have f+MK
Doesn’t have f+HK
Shinryuken is 2 bars
SA3 hits 1 more time
Infinite is LDP*n against a target that was in the air.
jMK has a smaller hitbox -
SEAN*
DP is the Dragon Smash
Arcade only can cancel Hado Burst into itself(?)
HP is a different move
HK is a different move
dLP cancels fireballs(!)
Target combo is MP,HP
Doesn’t have f+HP
Has either got invincibility frames or a screwed up hitbox on his parabolic kick
MK uses the same animation as LK
Can link SA3 from many specials
Can charge meter too quickly by holding f/b and pressing any non light normal
SHOTO NOTES
dMK is has less range, is harder to supercancel from
dMK doesn’t move you forward like it does in Third Strike.
dHK has less range
dLK,dLK, super is much harder to do
-
ORO*
Can’t EX his super arts
No double jump
Arcade has an infinite with Tengu Stone
Tengu Stone lasts longer
Blocking the Tengu Stone does way too much damage -
DUDLEY*
Has an infinite against himself: MK,HK, repeat. Works on DC, good for about 4 repititons.
Corkscrew Blow does stun damage
Dudley Notes Dudley’s 100% combo against Dudley is MK,HK,MK,HK,MK,HK,MK,HK,Corkscrew Blow(stun)…
-
ALEX*
Arcade can Hyperbomb from anywhere on the screen, like SF2 Zangief’s magic SPD
MP Flash Chop infinite against Elena only. Works on DC
Doesn’t have Backdrop Bomb
Doesn’t have f+HP
Doesn’t have the Elbow Slash
Doesn’t have the Spiral DDT
A few normals use different animations -
ELENA*
? -
YUN/YANG*
These two share the same moves
They don’t have Raishin Mahaken and You-Hou
There are no Mantis Slashes
Arcade has an infinite
Air target combo is jLP,jLK, 3 hits, knocks down
Air target combo does block damage on the second and possibly third hit
MK is now cMK
Target combo is cLP,cMP,HP
Target combo is LP,LK
Genei Jin lasts longer
Tenshin Senkyutai has more priority and stun damage -
NECRO*
Magnetic Storm is 2 bars
Elbow command is different (df+HP)
Uppercut command is different (db+HP)
Has an infinite against Dudley
HP and HK have less range -
IBUKI*
Has the Hashin-Sho instead of Yami Shigure
Infinite is cHK*n. Removed in the DC.
Can’t dash through opponents
dMP is different
dMK is different
b+MK is now MK
Doesn’t have QCF+P
If the opponent is blocking the Yoroi Dooshi up close, the Super Raida won’t process -
GILL*
Resurrection is his only super
Cyber Lariat is unblockable up close
Second Impact How is it different from Third Strike?
-No red parries
-True Gouki can be fought if you never lose and defeat Gouki with either a perfect or SA
-Taunts give much more meter
-Arcade allows you to EX your universal overhead, it drains meter and does nothing else (Gouki can’t do this)
-air parrying is more wild and can be done by pressing d or f, this still feels a bit less wild than in New Generation
-the game runs faster, and some characters “feel” faster anyway
-
RYU*
Denjin is 2 bars
Shinku recovers slower so follow ups are harder
cHP, HK Donkey Kick combos against non-stunned standing targets in this game only
doesn’t have f+HP
Fireballs knock down airborne targets
LK Hurricane spins more times -
KEN*
No double LDP combos
Rolling throw only rolls once
Can link supers from his ground EX Hurricane
Fireballs knock down airborne targets
b+MK is f+MK
Doesn’t have f+RK
doesn’t have f+MK
Can link HDP from ground EX Hurricane
SA3 hits 12 times against some people, 9 times against everyone else
About Ken
Without meter, less dangerous than his 3S counterpart. With meter, he is more dangerous since almost every move except HK results in a super. Much better at linking than in 3S.
- SEAN*
DP is the Dragon Smash
Several supers will hit a grounded Hugo after the overhead throw
HK is a different move
HP is a different move
Can link SA3 from many moves
Can charge meter too quickly by holding f/b and pressing any non light normal
About Sean
Hyper Tornado links from MP, cMP, cHP, cHK, dHP, dMP, Tornado Kick, EX Tornado Kick, EX Parabolic Kick, target combo.
-
DUDLEY*
Has the Thunderbolt -
IBUKI*
Has the Hashin Sho instead of Yami Shigure
dMP is different
dMK is different
b+MK is now MK
Doesn’t have QCF+P
If the opponent is blocking the Yoroi Dooshi up close, the Super Raida won’t process -
ELENA*
? -
YUN*
Can’t juggle with Genei Jin as long as he can now
Can’t link LP into the MP,HP,b+HP target combo
Doesn’t have Dragon Kicks
Has Yang’s rolling kicks
Doesn’t have f+HP
Has the target combo LP,LK,MP
dHK has a different animation -
YANG
*Raishin Mahaken is 2 bars, starts faster, is unsafe if blocked
Can link Tenshin Senkyutai from LK,MK,HK target combo
Has the target combo dLK,dMK,dHK. dHK doesn’t combo -
NECRO*
Elbow command is different (df+HP)
Uppercut command is different (db+HP)
Blocked elbow pushes Necro back too far
Drill kicks are safer(?)
HP and HK have less range -
URINE*
Spheres don’t freeze opponents in place
Can’t delay spheres by holding the button
EX Sphere looks different
If Aegis unblockables exist no one has reported it
Violent Knee attack doesn’t knock down ground opponents
Doesn’t have f+HP
Doesn’t have f+MP
Has f+MP (different from Third Strike’s)
Can juggle longer with EX Headbutts
Jupiter Thunder does much less stun damage and cannot be blocked on reaction
Tyrant Punish cannot be blocked on reaction -
HUGO*
Arcade has rapid fire jabs (DC can only get 3 hits, arcade hits 5 or 6 times)
Arcade has a corner clap infinite
His HP is the same as Third Strike’s f+HP
His cHP is the same as Third Strike’s HP
Has a Gill-only infinite
EX Lariat can’t be delayed by holding the buttons
cHP resets airborne opponents
Claps push opponents back further, making some combos more difficult or impossible
LP is super-cancelable
SA3 holds the opponent in place upon activation for a longer period of time -
ORO*
No EX Super Arts
No double jump -
GOUKI*
Has a move similar to Sean’s roll
Doesn’t have the Demon Flip
Doesn’t have the Kongou Kokuretsuzan
Different animation on MP
Air fireball angle is different
Dive kick is better, angle is more shallow, opponent has more recovery frames(?), safer if parried
SA1 pushes the opponent up and has more reovery, making some Third Strike combos impossible or very difficult
Air SA1 misses hits more easily since the opponent is pushed away
Grounded SA3 cannot be blocked on reaction
Doesn’t have cHK
SA2 is the same as Ken’s SA1
SGS can be input as LP, forward, LK, HP
SA3 does a very small amount of stun damage
Messatsu Gourasen (the ground version of SA3) cannot be blocked on reaction
About Gouki
He feels about an extra 50% faster than his Third Strike version.
SA1 is much harder to use in combos. SA2 is worse than it used to be. SA3 is better than it used to be.
Shoto Notes
dMK doesn’t throw them forward upon connecting, making some Third Strike combos more difficult or impossible
Different crouching parry animation
Can hit Hugo with several supers after the over-shoulder throw
-
ALEX*
Can link SAs 1 and 2 after LP Flash Chop
Missing some Third Strike normals
EX Charging Elbow Slash doesn’t knock down
Doesn’t have f+HP
Doesn’t have Spiral DDT
Boomerang Raid has a much shorter meter -
GILL*
Doesn’t have Seraphic Wing
Can’t supercancel from fireballs -
TRUE GOUKI*
Better defense
All attacks do more damage
Larger cancel window on some moves
Two air fireballs
Recovers faster from SA1
Shun Goku Satsu is faster
Some of Gouki’s combos must be performed differently with him
Got some info from very old posts here on SRK: Strider-Hiryu and ngamer7 for some Necro, Twin, Oro, and Alex items for Second Impact. Apoc for Sean’s projectile-killing dLP.