Overview

The point of the Street Fighter III series was to be completely different from previous Street Fighter titles. To take the sound in a new direction, the creative team rejected the approach to the various themes of the Street Fighter II series. Stage themes were to be crafted based mainly on location rather than character. As a result, mostly incidental music was created to complement the visuals in contrast to the highly melodic approach of its predecessor. Nevertheless, a diverse range of music was created to individualise the diverse locations, resulting in a mixture of jazz and world music. Street Fighter III: New Generation was the first of three editions for the series and, while fairly innovative, it wasn't as refined as later editions. The same was true for its soundtrack, given its composers Hideki Okugawa and Yuki Iwai were still getting to grips with the stylistic approaches and the sound capacity of the Arcade machine was still quite limited.

Body

The defining theme of the Street Fighter III series is "Jazzy NYC". The development team envisaged hip-hop music and graffiti art for main character Alex's New York stage and this inspiration was the main reason they decided to take an urban route for the soundtrack. Hideki Okugawa's resultant composition gets the right image across with jazzy saxophone work, laid-back grooves, voice samples, and even some opening sound effects of emergency sirens. As a stand-alone composition, however, the underground edit is rather disappointing given the saxophone use is very derivative and the melody is quite unappealing. Definitely the worst feature is the prominent yet muffled voice samples comprising a whistle and groan repeated each bar. Given fights are short and soundtrack volume is low in the game, this theme isn't particularly irritating in context, but it is unpleasant in album form.

Most other city stage themes feature further jazz and urban styles. Ken's alternative street edit of "Jazzy NYC" is far more enjoyable, featuring strong jazz solos, walking acoustic bass, and absolutely no voice samples. "Leave Alone" for London's dark rainy stage blends jazzy brass and keyboard melodies with jagged piano chords. Both themes feel very comfortable and free, like Okugawa and Iwai have mastered the basics of an urban style and now feel ready to assert their individuality. Hong Kong's "Crowded Street" refreshingly rejects the oriental influences of its predecessors in favour of another bustling urban mix. It features another of lead saxophone melody that, in my opinion, represents the distinctive Street Fighter III vibe better than even "Jazzy NYC". "Good Fighter" is a great laid-back jazz theme too that represents the evolution of Ryu to a mature fighter.

Moving on to the themes influenced by world music, the beautiful landscapes of Japan are represented evocatively in Ibuki's "Sharp Eyes". What is fantastic about this theme is the way Okugawa maintains the jazzy vibe of the game even with the use of oriental instrumentals and atmospheric soundscaping. Iwai convincingly represents tribal warriors in Brazil's "Cave Man" and Africa's "Tomboy" with exotic rhythms and harmonies. However, the subsequent jazz melodies and improvisation added on top seem inappropriate and convoluted overall. She compensates with "Get on a Train", a fairly conventional jazz track nevertheless tinged with the coldness of Siberia. The final boss' "The Judgment Day" is not an intense affair, featuring upbeat brass melodies against a repeated two chord motif and some rapid drum beats. However, it is still moderately enjoyable to listen to.

Throughout the soundtrack, there are various short compositions to select a character or celebrate victory with. They're all very effective in the game and about as enjoyable as their Street Fighter II counterparts on a stand-alone level. An exception is "Continue" with its reuse of the "Jazzy NYC" voice samples. There are also different ending themes for most characters. Unlike most Capcom fighting soundtracks, these themes are all well developed and refined. Most will inspire relaxation with their smooth synth pads and light jazz motifs, though "Flash Back" is a surprisingly extravagant big band work and "Escape" features lengthy jazz improvisation. The staff roll theme "Beginning to the Next" is another piece for easy listening with its mixture of tuned percussion, saxophone, and supporting piano work, also featuring fragments of "Jazzy NYC". The soundtrack ends with comprehensive voice and sound effects collections.

Summary

The Street Fighter III: New Generation soundtrack has some major problems. The approach to the different styles is often derivative, some of the compositions lack development or rationale, and the sound design by Satoshi Ise is often disappointing. Nevertheless, the new audio direction for the series is refreshing after the endless pop-oriented soundtracks of its predecessors. It also fits the game excellently by fitting the innovative theme of the title and helping to create convincingly characterised stages across the world. Most themes are pretty listenable too even if the original New York stage theme and exotic stage themes are disappointing. While the soundtrack is a solid accomplishment, is it worth purchasing? Subsequent editions of the Street Fighter III series featured better implemented and more enjoyable soundtracks. Nevertheless, this album is a decent investment if you've enjoyed later soundtracks and want more music in a similar style.