There had been fighting games before Street Fighter (remember Karate Champ?), but not in the way we think of them today. In fact, few would remember Street Fighter had it not been for the technological improvements of Street Fighter 2, whose graphics and handling brought into the spotlight a game of paired fighters leveraging muscle, mass, and forces of nature in a mano a mano battle for supremacy. The series owes its success not only to the fact that outcomes of each fight rest on the growing abilities of players, but also because it breaks the video-game stereotype that commonly links size to strength--isnt it refreshing to see a small character like Chun Li take down a big oaf like Blanka? Also, this veteran series benefits from regular infusions of new blood; it features an ever-expanding cast of characters, each with different origins, fighting styles, strengths, and weaknesses.

With Street Fighter 3: Double Impact, you get two full coin-op games built into one Dreamcast disc: Street Fighter 3: New Generation and Street Fighter 3: Second Impact. New Generation features returning vets Ken and Ryu and introduces us to a new group that includes a tough New Yorker avenging his defeated martial arts instructor; twin Chinese kung fu masters; a sophisticated Afro-British boxer; a teen-aged female ninja from Japan; a daughter of an African tribal leader; a Rus sian cyberpunk; a Brazilian student; and Oro, a 140-year-old hermit who fights with only one arm. Second Impact sees that ante and raises it with three additional characters. The games allow players to deflect oncoming attacks with a technique called parrying; players can also customize characters with one of three different Super Art moves before each fight begins.