Street Fighter Zero 3 (Euro 980904)

This record is the European 980904 arcade build of Street Fighter Alpha 3, the 1998 Capcom fighting game called Street Fighter Zero 3 in Japan and several Asian markets. Developed and published by Capcom for its CP System II hardware, it closes the original Alpha trilogy with one-on-one battles on a six-button arcade layout.

The arcade roster totals 28 fighters once its hidden selections are available. Returning regulars such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Sagat, Zangief, Dhalsim, Sakura and Akuma fight alongside additions including E. Honda, Blanka, Vega, Cammy and Balrog. The new faces also bring in Final Fight's Cody, Karin Kanzuki, Rainbow Mika, and Shadaloo Dolls Juni and Juli, giving the game a broad mix of Street Fighter veterans and crossover characters.

Before a match, each fighter chooses an ISM, a ruleset that changes meter use, defensive tools and parts of the move list. A-ISM is the all-round style, with a three-level Super Combo gauge and access to multiple supers. X-ISM concentrates the gauge into one especially damaging Level 3 Super Combo, while V-ISM trades Super Combos for activated custom-combo sequences that let normal and special attacks be linked under a draining meter.

The systems make that choice matter beyond flashy attacks. Blocking consumes a Guard Power Gauge, and exhausting it leaves a fighter open to a guard break while also reducing the bar's future maximum. Air blocking, Alpha Counters and defensive durability vary by ISM, so a character can play very differently depending on the selected style. Throws, chains, specials, juggles and meter management support both deliberate neutral play and high-pressure combo routes.

Its coin-op format provides the direct arcade ladder and head-to-head competition expected of a CPS2 cabinet, with an attract-mode presentation, character endings and unlockable extras tied to play. Later home conversions expanded the character list and added features such as World Tour; those are separate versions, not features of this original European arcade set. The later 2001 arcade update Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper is likewise a different NAOMI-based release with additional console-derived fighters and balance changes.

Euro 980904 identifies the European program revision dated 1998-09-04, rather than a separate game named Zero 3. In this region the title is Street Fighter Alpha 3; contemporary Japanese and Asian sets use Street Fighter Zero 3, while MAME also distinguishes earlier 1998 revisions such as USA 980629 and Japan 980727 or 980629. This 980904 European set is the standard parent entry in MAME's current CPS2 catalogue and should not be conflated with those earlier revisions or the later Upper edition.