Is 3s The Most Balanced SF Game?

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

www.eventhubs.com/news/2015/jun/05/poll-which-old-school-street-fighter-title-had-best-balance/?page=2



A little ways back, we asked our users which version of Street Fighter 4 had the best balance, with Ultra Street Fighter 4 winning by a large margin.

Today we wanted to open up a new poll for every old school entry in the franchise, running from Street Fighter 2 (1991) all the way through Street Fighter 3 Third Strike (1999), to find out which version our readers thought had the best character balance overall.

The poll includes all major releases from Capcom in the Street Fighter series, before SF4, but doesn't include the Vs. or EX titles.

You can find the early results below, along with a spot where you can cast your vote.

[JACK-2]

3S the most balanced? Eh...I mean it's my favorite game and all, but I dunno about that. Honestly, this is being decided by voting, lol?! The results are worthless then.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 7, 2015 10:27:32 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

3S the most balanced? Eh...I mean it's my favorite game and all, but I dunno about that. Honestly, this is being decided by voting, lol?! The results are worthless then.

Yea, old school games were never heavily balance because it wasn't as easy to balance them and you didn't have the widespread information and youtube vids to point out stuff.

But most balanced? No. It has its issues. I wouldn't say Alpha 3 is the most balanced and I love that game. Why do people think just because they like something, it's the best in all areas.

[JACK-2]

Jun 7, 2015 10:44:54 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

But most balanced? No. It has its issues. I wouldn't say Alpha 3 is the most balanced and I love that game. Why do people think just because they like something, it's the best in all areas.

I never got this trend of being uncritical of something you like. Just fanboy logic, it's why I don't bother. If it were a discussion by top players about which street fighter game was the most balanced. Then I would be all ears, but a poll. Ugh.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 7, 2015 10:48:51 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Jun 7, 2015 10:44:54 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

But most balanced? No. It has its issues. I wouldn't say Alpha 3 is the most balanced and I love that game. Why do people think just because they like something, it's the best in all areas.

I never got this trend of being uncritical of something you like. Just fanboy logic, it's why I don't bother. If it were a discussion by top players about which street fighter game was the most balanced. Then I would be all ears, but a poll. Ugh.

Democracy in action. People like something therefore it's good. It's even worse when their logic is hypocritical and you have fans of other games bashing 3s and then doing the same with their game.

I see this in other fandoms too, like versus battles.

[JACK-2]

Then there's the logic that you can't be a "True fan" unless you're uncritical. I got the samething from dumb anime fans when I tell them that the animation for anime in general isn't good. People in general can be moronic.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 7, 2015 11:02:02 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Then there's the logic that you can't be a "True fan" unless you're uncritical. I got the samething from dumb anime fans when I tell them that the animation for anime in general isn't good. People in general can be moronic.

I think the best fans are the honest ones. Badass character fanboys are annoying too. The Raphael fans complaining that Leonardo got focus in the 03 series, when they all got focus in that series and Raph gets shoehorned front and center every movie is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Arguing with fanboys gives others the impression that you hate the subject matter, when you often don't.

[JACK-2]

Fanboys are just retard, any criticism is seen as being a "hater". Then you have anti-fanboys who just bash something because they have an axe to grind. I just can't stand idiots.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 7, 2015 11:09:00 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Fanboys are just retard, any criticism is seen as being a "hater". Then you have anti-fanboys who just bash something because they have an axe to grind. I just can't stand idiots.

Sorry I had to tease you about that part.


You notice these die hard groups all argue the same, from fanboys, to SJW's, to religion. If you disagree with them you "hate" xxx? It's just shaming language.

[Great Dark Hero]

Oh... What?!
... Heh, heh, heh, heh...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHHAHA!!

SPOILER: Click to show

LOL Chun Li practically pillaged and had her way with most of the other characters in terms of balance.
But, on a serious note, the parry system is factor in how balanced 3S can but... Chun Li is... a little "too" good in this game. Not necessarily "broken" but more like just a little "too" solid compared to the majority of the other characters. A monkey wrench so to speak. Ken, Makoto, Dudley, Urien, Gouki, and Yun are also recurring. This game is not really that balanced in retrospect yet it still has it's universal mechanics to fix a few problems to a degree...

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 7, 2015 22:43:44 GMT -5 Great Dark Hero said:

Oh... What?!
... Heh, heh, heh, heh...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHHAHA!!

SPOILER: Click to show

LOL Chun Li practically pillaged and had her way with most of the other characters in terms of balance.
But, on a serious note, the parry system is factor in how balanced 3S can but... Chun Li is... a little "too" good in this game. Not necessarily "broken" but more like just a little "too" solid compared to the majority of the other characters. A monkey wrench so to speak. Ken, Makoto, Dudley, Urien, Gouki, and Yun are also recurring. This game is not really that balanced in retrospect yet it still has it's universal mechanics to fix a few problems to a degree...

Well everyone parries, so the characters who end up being the best are the ones who are the best without it in most cases. It also depends on who can punish the best.

Broken is a strong word. Only a few non boss characters share that distinction. Cinder from KI and the 4 Gods in MvC2 qualify.

[Great Dark Hero]

One thing that I do find rather idiotic is how many players within the current gen of fighting games will toss the term "broken" around carelessly... even if the individual has not even played the game.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 8, 2015 7:17:18 GMT -5 Great Dark Hero said:

One thing that I do find rather idiotic is how many players within the current gen of fighting games will toss the term "broken" around carelessly... even if the individual has not even played the game.

I blame a lot of it on the tier lists we get where the top 5 or 10 characters are S or S+. Really stupid IMO. S-tier used to have a meaning. It was like ST Akuma or something who had a tremendous advantage over the cast unless counterpicking was. An option.

[JACK-2]

Jun 7, 2015 22:43:44 GMT -5 Great Dark Hero said:

Oh... What?!
... Heh, heh, heh, heh...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHHAHA!!

SPOILER: Click to show

LOL Chun Li practically pillaged and had her way with most of the other characters in terms of balance.
But, on a serious note, the parry system is factor in how balanced 3S can but... Chun Li is... a little "too" good in this game. Not necessarily "broken" but more like just a little "too" solid compared to the majority of the other characters. A monkey wrench so to speak. Ken, Makoto, Dudley, Urien, Gouki, and Yun are also recurring. This game is not really that balanced in retrospect yet it still has it's universal mechanics to fix a few problems to a degree...

That's what I'm saying. The game has universal mechanics, but the top 4 are still OP as hell. Ken especially, back in 06 Jesus it was was Ken vs Ken all the day. Thank God for low tier domination post 06 or I would have dropped 3S. I love that game, but it's definelty not the most balanced SF game.

[JACK-2]

Jun 8, 2015 3:17:38 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

Well everyone parries, so the characters who end up being the best are the ones who are the best without it in most cases. It also depends on who can punish the best.

Broken is a strong word. Only a few non boss characters share that distinction. Cinder from KI and the 4 Gods in MvC2 qualify.

You forgot Ivan Ooze and Karai.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Those are bosses like boss Evil Ryu though. Noob Saibot in MKT was atrocious however.

Jun 8, 2015 8:52:01 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Jun 7, 2015 22:43:44 GMT -5 Great Dark Hero said:

Oh... What?!
... Heh, heh, heh, heh...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHHAHA!!

SPOILER: Click to show

LOL Chun Li practically pillaged and had her way with most of the other characters in terms of balance.
But, on a serious note, the parry system is factor in how balanced 3S can but... Chun Li is... a little "too" good in this game. Not necessarily "broken" but more like just a little "too" solid compared to the majority of the other characters. A monkey wrench so to speak. Ken, Makoto, Dudley, Urien, Gouki, and Yun are also recurring. This game is not really that balanced in retrospect yet it still has it's universal mechanics to fix a few problems to a degree...

That's what I'm saying. The game has universal mechanics, but the top 4 are still OP as hell. Ken especially, back in 06 Jesus it was was Ken vs Ken all the day. Thank God for low tier domination post 06 or I would have dropped 3S. I love that game, but it's definelty not the most balanced SF game.

I myself prefer balance over imbalance quite a bit. It doesn't automatically make the game better as SF4 Ultra is more balanced. I just hate the logic that bad balance=good game.

[Great Dark Hero]

If I do play 3S, I normally just play Makoto, Gouki, Remy or Ibuki.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 8, 2015 10:38:26 GMT -5 Great Dark Hero said:

If I do play 3S, I normally just play Makoto, Gouki, Remy or Ibuki.

How did you fare with bottom tier Remy?

[JACK-2]

My main is Oro.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 8, 2015 20:42:25 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

My main is Oro.

Really? after all of these years I never knew that.

[WarMachineRhodey]

hmmm. i would think super street fighter 2 turbo would have that title. maybe alpha 2 might be able to be in the running for most balanced sf. cant really say for sure.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 9, 2015 13:25:00 GMT -5 WarMachineRhodey said:

hmmm. i would think super street fighter 2 turbo would have that title. maybe alpha 2 might be able to be in the running for most balanced sf. cant really say for sure.

Yea SF2 Turbo was pretty solid, although it had some BS. Hyper Fighting was solid too. A2 had some problems with custom combos as did A3, but those at the top of the list makes more sense than 3s which was a broken mess.

[JACK-2]

Jun 9, 2015 2:44:30 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

Really? after all of these years I never knew that.

My bad man, I should keep you more on the loop. He fit's my play-style to a tee. Good back-dash, projectiles, infinites and so forth.

[JACK-2]

Jun 9, 2015 14:01:33 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

Jun 9, 2015 13:25:00 GMT -5 WarMachineRhodey said:

hmmm. i would think super street fighter 2 turbo would have that title. maybe alpha 2 might be able to be in the running for most balanced sf. cant really say for sure.

Yea SF2 Turbo was pretty solid, although it had some BS. Hyper Fighting was solid too. A2 had some problems with custom combos as did A3, but those at the top of the list makes more sense than 3s which was a broken mess.

I think Hyper Fighting is the most balance. ST super arts were poorly implemented, Alpha versus 3S is very interesting. I think Alpha 3 is very underrated.

[JACK-2]

Eventhubs is so dumb, reading the comments makes my head hurt. Someone still thinks V-ism alone is what dominates A3. When X-ism Dhalsim was top tier at one point. Morons.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

V-ism was definitely powerful, but parrying is powerful as well. People tend to put too much emphasis on one thing and custom combos were strong in A2 as well. Custom combos are pretty much always cheap.

Jun 10, 2015 5:26:57 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Jun 9, 2015 2:44:30 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

Really? after all of these years I never knew that.

My bad man, I should keep you more on the loop. He fit's my play-style to a tee. Good back-dash, projectiles, infinites and so forth.

You are a wise sage like him too.

Jun 10, 2015 5:28:12 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Jun 9, 2015 14:01:33 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

Yea SF2 Turbo was pretty solid, although it had some BS. Hyper Fighting was solid too. A2 had some problems with custom combos as did A3, but those at the top of the list makes more sense than 3s which was a broken mess.

I think Hyper Fighting is the most balance. ST super arts were poorly implemented, Alpha versus 3S is very interesting. I think Alpha 3 is very underrated.

Super arts did tip the scale.

I love Alpha, but it gets so much hate. The presentation, style, and modes of play were top notch. I could spend hours playing that game alone. No wonder it has more ports than any other SF.

[JACK-2]

Jun 10, 2015 5:42:35 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

V-ism was definitely powerful, but parrying is powerful as well. People tend to put too much emphasis on one thing and custom combos were strong in A2 as well. Custom combos are pretty much always cheap.

I'm not sure, but I believe A groove was the first time they balanced out Custom Combos. Yeah, people always just dismiss everything because of one issue. SRK and eventhubs love using this retarded strawman that you can parry everything thus ruining the metagames. Realistially, someone like Remy can still lock you down with his projectile game. It just plays out differently.

Jun 10, 2015 5:42:35 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

You are a wise sage like him too.

Thanks for the compliment, I do try.

Jun 10, 2015 5:42:35 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

I love Alpha, but it gets so much hate. The presentation, style, and modes of play were top notch. I could spend hours playing that game alone. No wonder it has more ports than any other SF.

You gotta remember how much bandwagons are around SF community. People just wank SF2 and SF4, everything else is dismissed because of "Gimmick mechanics".

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Jun 10, 2015 5:49:58 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Jun 10, 2015 5:42:35 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

V-ism was definitely powerful, but parrying is powerful as well. People tend to put too much emphasis on one thing and custom combos were strong in A2 as well. Custom combos are pretty much always cheap.

I'm not sure, but I believe A groove was the first time they balanced out Custom Combos. Yeah, people always just dismiss everything because of one issue. SRK and eventhubs love using this retarded strawman that you can parry everything thus ruining the metagames. Realistially, someone like Remy can still lock you down with his projectile game. It just plays out differently.

Jun 10, 2015 5:42:35 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

You are a wise sage like him too.

Thanks for the compliment, I do try.

Jun 10, 2015 5:42:35 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

I love Alpha, but it gets so much hate. The presentation, style, and modes of play were top notch. I could spend hours playing that game alone. No wonder it has more ports than any other SF.

You gotta remember how much bandwagons are around SF community. People just wank SF2 and SF4, everything else is dismissed because of "Gimmick mechanics".

A groove did it much better, but it still had a few problems and it was probably the strongest groove. Being able to press to buttons and become invincible whether on ground or air and do huge damage off of any poke or just force a guard crush is too much. Even HD mode in KoF XIII had this problem with the "touch of death". It's still an excellent game and with solid balance, but making it so a person can lose and do huge damage off of a poke is just stupid. It was the worst part of a great game.


You could argue that super arts in SF2 were a gimmick mechanic. Lol these bandwagon jumpers are dumb. I thought most old school players hated on SF4 and the newbs loved it. I know many people say SF3 is the best ever without even playing it for their FGC "cred". Look at that poll. People talking about stuff they don't even understand.

[JACK-2]

Yeah, the blockstrings in V-ism plus guard crush was insane. V-Akuma could chip from range iirc.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Don't forget shosho and paint the fence.