I'm a pretty big fighting game fan. When I heard that Third Strike, one of the best fighters around was coming to XBLA, I got pretty excited. For me at least, its definitely lived up to the hype.
Gameplay: 5/5
The gameplay is as good as ever. You have the basic fighting game formula, six attack buttons of varying strengths, special moves, EX moves, supers and the lot. However, one of the biggest features is the parry system which allows you to counter attacks without taking damage if you time it correctly. The game is pretty much arcade perfect, the only changes are visual or audible and don't effect gameplay in any way.
Graphics: 5/5
Unlike HD Remix, Third Strike Online does not have redrawn sprites or backgrounds, but that's mostly because the sprites and backgrounds still hold up to this day. The animations are fluid and the backgrounds are pretty nice with little details that you may notice from time to time.
Soundtrack: 4.5/5
This game's soundtrack is one of my personal favorites as far as video game music goes. Each theme is unique and works as fight music. However, there are remixes that can be unlocked that just don't capture the same feeling as the originals. There's a few ok remixes, but I'll just stick with the original tracks.
Features: 5/5
Third Strike Online has several features and modes to keep people busy. There's the standard arcade mode, training, local and online multiplayer along with a trial mode that contains parry-based trials and individual character trials, an in-game achievement system where completing challenges gives you experience to spend in the vault on artwork, music, or videos, and a replay system that will support Youtube uploading in the near future. For visual settings, you can choose sprite filters and different aspect ratios including an option to make it look like an arcade cabinet with or without scanlines. One other big thing is the dipswitches that allow you to change different aspects of the game for local matches, though a good deal of them are only unlocked after beating arcade mode with every character.
Online: 4/5
For online matches the game uses GGPO, a netcode designed for arcade-styled games. It works really well and is probably one of the best netcodes around. The only time it really messes up is when you and your opponent both have a bad connection with each other. Instead of the slowdown usually associated with online, GGPO will bring you back to an earlier point in the match, usually a few seconds ago. As long as you and your opponent have a decent connection, things should go smoothly.
Conclusion:
For hardcore fighting game fans, Third Strike Online is definitely worth a purchase. I'd still recommend it to casual fans, though its more difficult to play than Street Fighter IV or Marvel vs Capcom 3 and may take them a bit of getting used to. It was overlooked on its original release because of the lack of fan favorites and some odd character designs, but maybe that will change this time...
9/10
5.0