This amazing fighter stars 18 brawlers from the STREET FIGHTER III universe and introduces the new Leap Attack. Plus, a new Grade Judge system evaluates player performance at the end of each match. Huge characters and an innovative Hit-Frame system team up with the return of the Super Arts Fighting Styles. Experience totally seamless animation in the newest chapter of the greatest arcade series ever!   So do I think this game is worth playing still today? Let's take a look at the usual 7 points given for every review.   Graphics 10: Given the fact that the game came out to the Dream Cast back in 2000 (18 years ago) it is still a joy for the eyes to look at. The colors and sprites are still very bright and vibrant. They are very well detailed.   Sound 10: From the music to the various sound effects the game is an absolute joy to listen to from the first stage to the last. Its one of the best sounding Street Fighter game I've heard in a long time.           Addictiveness 10: The game is very addictive. Boasting of its largest roster at the time, there is a character fit any and all play styles player may have.   Story 0: When it came to the story aspect of the game there really isn't an overall story. Each of the 20 plus characters have their own individual story. That's why I hated to do it but I did end up giving the game a 0 for the story. Then again it is a fighting game, how much of a story does there need to be anyway?   Depth 2: The game isn't really all that in depth. All you really do is pick your favorite character and go through the stages. Wish there was more depth to the game but there really isn't.    Difficulty 5: The difficulty is in the middle. While not to hard, it isn't easy either. It offer a fair bit of challenge while staying pretty balanced as well.   Overall 8.3: While not perfect, 3rd Strike has a lot to offer for what's there. Its not the best in the franchise but it is certainly not the worse either. Give it a shot. Who knows you might end up enjoying it just like I did.   Final Thoughts: As a long time fan of Street Fighter I often find myself going back to 3rd Strike time and time again. While Street Fighter 2 and its various versions are certainly worth your time to play through. Even though I like the various Street Fighter 2 versions we got back during the 16 bit era I was ready for a change. To put it bluntly I was getting tired of playing through the various Street Fighter 2 games. Once I got my Dream Cast and a copy of 3rd Strike I knew I was hooked. So yeah I absolutely without a shadow of a doubt recommend this game to any Street Fighter fan or any fan of fighting games in general.                                                                  

Your review doesn't read like a 5.3. It actually reads more like an 8. Most 5.3's I read are far more critical of a game and usually are used when a reviewer doesn't recommend a game. It is at about the 7 or 8 range that the reviewers start to recommend a game. At 5-6 it becomes "maybe" or even "no". I'd suggest changing the review score to reflect how you feel about the game, rather than grading it according to some standards that ought to be weighted differently (for example, some games that hardly have or don't have a story at all end up getting perfect scores. My favorite example might be Pac Man Championship Edition DX+. Critics ate the game up (pun intended) because its gameplay led to an incredible rush of adrenaline and satisfied their "arcade itch" in a way no other game before it did).

Just because a game doesn't have a story or a poorly told one doesn't mean that the game should be given a score much lower than if it did.