1892 lines
119 KiB
Plaintext
1892 lines
119 KiB
Plaintext
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...01. Forward..............................................................
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.....02. Special Moves......................................................
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.......03. Throws...........................................................
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.........04. Regular Moves..................................................
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...........05. Other Stuff..................................................
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.............06. Version Differences........................................
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...............07. Ken Kombos...............................................
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.................08. Some More Tactics......................................
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...................09. Fighting Human World Warriors........................
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.....................10. Fighting Computer World Warriors...................
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.......................11. Afterword........................................
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.........................................
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...01. Forward..............................................................
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....................
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Ken, when used properly, and with a great degree of skill, is definitely
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one of the most powerful characters in the game of Street Fighter 2. With
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the transition from Classic to Champion Edition and then to Hyper Fighting,
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Ken has become more and more popular among the world SF2 players. A good
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combination of ground and air tactics, mixed with decent speed, a better
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than average throw, killer combos, and perhaps the _single_ most powerful
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move in the game, makes Ken a force to be reckoned with.
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In the original World Warrior game, Classic, we found that Ken and his pal
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Ryu were *identical* in their moves and tactics. However, with the advent
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of the Champion Edition, Ken and Ryu became less alike. Ken had increased
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the range of his Strong and Fierce Dragon Punch by about 150%. While losing
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a bit of power on the way, he more than made up for in the number of combos
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gained with the new range. His Hurricane Kick has now become a fast flurry
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of spinning kicks, that if placed right, can easily dizzy the opponent. The
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strength of these kicks is considerably less than Ryu's. Now, in this day
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we are blessed with HF, the powers of Ken seem more useful than before. His
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speed is increased even more, the Dragon Punch has lost a bit of the delay
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after landing, his fireball delay has also been shortened. He and friend
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Ryu have added a new dimension, the ability HK in the air. Now is the time
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to document strategies for him.
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........................................
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.....02. Special Moves......................................................
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....................
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Assuming that you are facing to the right, Ken's special moves and attacks
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are done and can be described as below. If you are facing left, just do the
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mirror image of the move shown, i.e. left->right and right->left.
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Dragon Punch (DP) --O | \ and then any punch button.
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----------------- O O
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The dragon punch is invulnerable all the way up to the apex, but after that,
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you must wait until you hit the ground. The Fierce DP will hit twice if Ken
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is close enough to the opponent. If the second hit of the Fierce DP hits,
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the opponent will fall down. If the opponent is in the air, and is hit by
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any DP, s/he will fall to the ground. If Ken hits with a Jab or Strong DP,
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the opponent will always fall after the first hit, and there is no way of
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hitting twice with either of them (unless blocked), unlike in Classic.
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Fireball (FB) | \ --O and then any punch button.
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------------- O O
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The fireball is a ranged projectile, with which the speeds can vary. The
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delay after Ken throws a fireball is short, but not short enough to not get
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hit by every incoming aerial attack. This weapon is used to tick energy off
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the opponent one by one as they block. It can be used to trap the opponent
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in the corner. It cancels other projectiles. Beware if you play Ryu, the
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delay for Ken is just long enough so that the number of hits that you take
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from the mistiming could cost you the round. :(
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Hurricane Kick (HK) | / O-- and then any kick button.
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------------------- O O
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To do the hurricane kick in the air, do the Hurricane Kick motion while you
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are airborne. If you do it while jumping forward or straight up, you will
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then go to the right, if done while jumping backwards, you will go left. He
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does not have invulnerability at any point of the HK like Ryu. Ken can do
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the HK over the Yoga Fireballs and the Sonic Boom. His HK can be used from
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the air to strike taller opponents, and possibly dizzy them. The HK can hit
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the opponent many times, getting them in an "eggbeater" type trap. From a
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large distance, the Short HK can be used to go over projectiles in order to
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avoid blocking the projectile. The most I have seen the Roundhouse HK hit
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is around 7 to 8 times, which usually resulted in a dizzy, it was not very
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damaging, unfortunately.
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Strategies for the special moves can be very irritating. Perhaps the most
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annoying "trap" in the game is the Fireball-Dragon Punch trap. It is most
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effective while holding the opponent in a corner. Once the opponent is in
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the corner, throw fireballs of various speeds, fake occasionally, and Dragon
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Punch the opponent if they make an effort to escape or attack you to get
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out. It must be executed without pattern, and it may kill the opponent when
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executed flawlessly, but there are *few* people who can do this. There was
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an article posted a long while back on how the FB trap might be executed to
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incinerate Guile. Worth reading.
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........................................
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.......03. Throws...........................................................
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....................
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To throw the opponent, stand close to them, then press towards or away
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from them, and hit Strong or Fierce to do a shoulder throw, or hit Forward
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or Roundhouse to do a back roll throw. Each type of throw does the same
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amount of damage, but it *seems* easier to get off the Strong and Forward
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throws. His range on HF has been _vastly_ increased. If you charge up the
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"extended throw range", you can grab the opponent from about 2 to 3 inches
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away. To get a better feel for throw range, try to use throws instead of a
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combo when the opponent misses a special move. Try to throw them from larg-
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er distances until you've found the maximum range for his throws. I also
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suggest that you read the "Art Of Throwing" and "Counter-Throwing" guides by
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Eu-Ming Lee to get an in depth look at throwing in general.
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I have noticed a difference, in case you didn't, here it is. The kick
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throws will put you farther away from the fallen opponent than the punch
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throws will. If you plan on KO'ing them with throws by any means necessary,
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then the punch throws are the way to go. You will be within a range that is
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easily reachable after the guy hits the turf. The kick throws propel the
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enemy farther away from you, a bit more than 2/3 screen distance. Choose
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your throw wisely, as it can set up your next attack. Make note of the
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effect of throwing the opponent into the corner while you are in the corner
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with the kick throws; you will be near them afterwards unlike an open screen
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throw.
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As *I* became more and more skilled with Ken, I found that his throw was
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probably his second most useful weapon, only behind the DP. Once I learned
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the ranges, and of course the timing for the throws, I became a better play-
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er overall. This holds for any character, but unlike some other characters,
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Ken's throw really isn't *needed*, but since he does have it, it should be
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exploited to it's full potential. At his peak, a "cheap" Ken style is per-
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haps the most devastating of the "cheap" played characters. But, be careful
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of where and to who you do this to!
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........................................
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.........04. Regular Moves..................................................
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....................
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Standing
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--------
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Jab: Can knock opponents out of some special moves.
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Strong: As the Jab, more difficult to time.
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Fierce: Looks as Strong, decent range for opponents outside throwing range.
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Short: A kick towards the head, stays out for a while.
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Forward: Looks as Short, more hang time.
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Roundhouse: A crescent kick, can be used for air-counters; cool combos.
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============================================================================
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Standing Close
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--------------
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Jab: Useful to begin ticking your opponent.
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Strong: An elbow in the face of most characters.
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Fierce: A standing pseudo-uppercut(?), semi-air counter.
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Short: A low-hitting knee.
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Forward: A knee in the groin of most characters. Style!
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Roundhouse: A double hitting axe kick.
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============================================================================
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Crouching
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---------
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Jab: Ticking, and counters some special moves.
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Strong: Straight punch.
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Fierce: An uppercut, useful as an air counter.
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Short: Useful to begin ticking the opponent.
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Forward: A foot sweep that doesn't knock down opponent.
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Roundhouse: A foot sweep that knocks the opponent down.
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============================================================================
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Jump Up
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-------
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Jab: Punch down. Counter Blanka Ball and Sumo Torpedo.
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Strong: Punch down, useful to get a quick air counter.
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Fierce: Like Strong, more damage, less priority.
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Short: Gimpy kick, looks strange.
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Forward: Like Short kick, good priority, range.
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Roundhouse: Gull-type kick, good damage, decent priority.
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============================================================================
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Jumping Towards/Away
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--------------------
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Jab: Like straight jump up.
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Strong: Like straight jump up.
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Fierce: Good to begin combos with, similar to jump up.
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Short: Flying knee attack, good to begin "cheap" attack or combo.
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Forward: Low damage, better priority vs. body attacks, use as Short.
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Roundhouse: Good damage, combo starter.
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........................................
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...........05. Other Stuff..................................................
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....................
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Ken's uniform colors are as follows:
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Any attack button --> Blue/Purple (Indigo)
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Player start button --> Original Red (Classic)
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Battle Quote: "Attack me if you dare, I will crush you!"
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For those of you who don't already know, Ken's ending is all mushy and what-
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ever. His girlfriend Eliza comes over from the States and meets Ken after
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he puts Bison six feet under. Then he asks her what she is doing there, and
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then there is some obligatory stuff, then they get married. Big deal.
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Then, he takes his place on the winner's podium, at number 1!
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........................................
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.............06. Version Differences........................................
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....................
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Here is a (hopefully) near complete list of the differences for Ken (and
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in general for the other 11 characters) in the versions of SF2.
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>From Classic->Champion Edition
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------------------------------
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New uniform color is added: jet black (Classic red is still present).
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Less damage for all moves (about 65-75% of Classic).
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New Hurricane Kick is faster, hits more often.
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New Dragon Punch knocks down upon strikes with Jab and Strong.
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DP also knocks down with the second hit.
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DP has much better range than before.
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Speed increase allows smoother combinations.
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DP range increase introduces TOD combo.
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HK combos work to an extent.
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>From Champion Edition->Hyper Fighting
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-------------------------------------
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New uniform color is added: indigo (jet black is gone)
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It is easier to get the DP and do DP combos.
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Can now do the HK in the air.
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Damage has been INCREASED for the DP, relative to CE.
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Other moves do less damage in relation to CE.
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Dizziness is easier to induce upon opponents.
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HK combos do not work now, except air HK combo.
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Overall range of effectiveness for DP is increased.
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Ken has foot speed and DP speed increase.
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Blocking delay is decreased.
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FB combos are more likely to be blocked.
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TOD combos involving the Jab and Strong DP are more likely to connect. For
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example, flying Roundhouse, Standing Fierce, Strong DP.
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........................................
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...............07. Ken Kombos...............................................
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....................
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Ken is the *most* versatile of the street fighters in the number of combos
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that he is capable of performing. You may want to see the FAQ for a defini-
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tion of a combo. It is imperative that you can buffer as well to pull off
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the most dangerous of the combos. If you have problems with these, remedy
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it by reading the "Buffering and Combos Workbook" by Tom Cannon for a good
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look at how these can be done. One of Ken's combos is covered in this guide
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as well.
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Practically all of the Ken Kombos follow this pattern: jumping towards air
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attack that hits late, most any attack from the crouching or standing close
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position (not a special move), buffered into any of the three special moves.
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The best of the combos uses the DP, the easier of the three involves the FB,
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and the most difficult and best looking are the HK combos. Unfortunately,
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most of the time, the HK combos do not work, and are not as useful with Ken
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as they are with Ryu, for obvious reasons.
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Any of the regular attacks may be used for the air attack, as long as it
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strikes the opponent late. The second strike of the combo will be close in,
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and can be any of the buttons except a Roundhouse. Which of the standing
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or crouching attacks you do depends on the special move, and how fast you
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can do the move itself and the move between the buttons. The last hit is
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the most important, since it pushes your opponent far away, or will knock
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them down. You must know how to buffer attacks for these to work. These
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are the most impressive and difficult combos to learn, but once they are
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learned, you will be a more dangerous Ken player. Here are common combos:
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"Touch Of Death": Flying Roundhouse (Neck Kick works best for 4 hits)
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Standing or Crouching Fierce
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Fierce DP.
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"Triple DP": Standing Close/Crouching Strong/Fierce
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Fierce DP (any other DP knocks down after the first hit).
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"Air Hurricane": Jumping Towards Attack that hits high
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Immediately followed by an aerial HK.
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"Sweep Fireball": Jumping Towards Strong/Fierce/Forward/Roundhouse
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Crouching Forward
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Strong/Fierce FB.
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"Ground Hurricane": Jumping Towards Strong/Fierce/Forward/Roundhouse
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Standing Close Fierce
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Forward/Roundhouse HK.
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"Jab Dragon": Jumping Towards Fierce/Roundhouse
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Jab DP.
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There are many variations of Ken combos, and it is not set in stone about
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which buttons you need to use. Most of the buttons will work for the combos
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but it may be more difficult to get a certain set of attacks to work. There
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is also a defensive "combo", if you will. It follows the above pattern, but
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it is not really a combo. It is designed to push the opponent a good dist-
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ance away from you. If you are playing in the "Krazy Ken" style, this is
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not what you want, but it is useful at times. It is the following:
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"Defensive Combo": Jumping Towards Fierce/Roundhouse (late strike)
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Crouching Roundhouse
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Any FB.
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Any of the air attacks may be used, but you will want to stiffen the penalty
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for not blocking... Using Roundhouse will knock the opponent down if not
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blocked, but if blocked, the FB pushes them further away. Mix up the speed
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of the FB's to throw off your opponent, and you may get a lucky FB strike in
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once in a while. Be careful, there are some players who may try to jump
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over the FB as it comes towards them and get a deadly combo on you. Most
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better players, though, are able to switch their intended combo before the
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first ground strike, so that a crouching Roundhouse will not be used if the
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air strike hits, leading to a much more damaging combination of strikes. In
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the above mentioned combo, there is one character that can counter it with
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reliability. That person happens to be Ken. After the crouching Roundhouse
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sweep, it is possible to launch a DP into the opposing Ken's face if he goes
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for the FB. Not an easy tactic to see coming, but is worth mentioning for
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both sides, offensive and defensive.
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.........................................
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.................08. Some More Tactics......................................
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....................
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Here are some common tactics, attack series, and other things that you may
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want to try out in the course of your fighting. These aren't necessarily
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combos, and some of them are mentioned in the Fighting Human World Warriors
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section coming up. These are by no means guaranteed for everyone, and in
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general, it helps if you are speedy on the buttons and with the joystick.
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Two crouching Short kicks, followed right away by either a Forward or Round-
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house sweep, and then a Jab FB, and on some characters, it is safe to follow
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up with a Fierce FB. In the case that it is not safe, use a Fierce instead
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of Jab FB. Better be fast on the buttons, some players can throw you or get
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an attack in before you are finished. Ken is one of them.
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This is a combo, but it is a little combo... Use it when the opponent is
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getting up. Don't do this all the time; you CAN be thrown out of the Short
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kick! Try doing a crouching Short, then a buffered Jab DP. You will fall
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out of the range of most characters afterwards, in addition to doing no less
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than two ticks of damage. A bonus occurs if they don't block low. You may
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use the Forward sweep if you want, it is easier to get thrown out of though.
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This is an unusual tactic/tick. It freaks out some players because of your
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stance at first, and it really shouldn't be hard to counter, but people have
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problems with it sometimes. Walk near the opponent when they are getting up
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and do a standing Jab. That is the freaky part. Throw 'em. The evil part!
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Another evil tactic, but it can be countered by those not scared of the 1st
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hit in this series. Neck kick, Short sweep, throw. Hahahaha!
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Like the one above with 2 Short kicks, the sweep/FB attack, this works vs.
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Blanka moderately well, and is a pain for some others. Jabs, crouching
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Strong, Strong FB.
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This is a tactic that works sometimes well and other times not-so-well...
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Short air HK then when you land, hit with a DP of some sort. Use the air HK
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to avoid big damage from the DP in some cases, and also to escape some trap-
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ping and other previously (in Classic and CE) unavoidable damage.
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There are countless others. Just watch Ken players. They come up with a
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lot of the different ones, like doing many buffered attacks in a row invol-
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ving the FB and DP. Not all attacks hit, but it sure as hell looks cool.
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........................................
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...................09. Fighting Human World Warriors........................
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....................
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The following is a set of strategies and hints for defeating human contr-
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olled World Warriors. Most of the strategies are what I use to defeat the
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specified player, and others are ones I have seen work for other players.
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Hints are given to help you play better versus the named character. Not all
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of these strategies will work in every given situation, or against every
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different style of play. They should, however, work against a good portion
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of the players out there, especially those who know what they are doing, but
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don't quite know everything to win consistently. I try to cover many of the
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play aspects for each of the characters, by mentioning special moves or cer-
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tain situations that may arise during play. To save a great deal of space,
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some things have been left out, such as doing air counters, and DPing the
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opponent if he is close. You are expected to already know the rather ob-
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vious points of play. If you do not yet know these, find the local Ken or
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Ryu (suitable for general purposes) masters and watch them to pick up these
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"obvious" points. I hope that these are somewhat complete, and clearly des-
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cribe a way in which you might be able to defeat your opponent. Good Luck!
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============================================================================
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Ryu: Ryu's main advantage over Ken is the faster Fireball and the faster
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---- recovery after the Fireball. The Hurricane Kick can be used with some
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effectiveness, but smart play will not let you get hit by it. Avoiding the
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very powerful Dragon Punch of Ryu will be a key in securing a victory. How-
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ever, Ken is not at a loss in all aspects, he does have some major differ-
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ences that will aid you in your quest for a win. Number one is the range of
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Ken's Dragon Punch, and the relative ease (compared to Ryu) of getting the
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high knockdown hit when further away. In addition, Ken has better range and
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speed overall on the Dragon Punch, so you can go slightly faster, and have a
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better chance of hitting from further away than Ryu. The last and second of
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the major differences in favor of Ken is foot speed and move speed. Ken is
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flat out faster than Ryu in every aspect, except the Fireball. You can out-
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run Ryu on the ground, your moves execute faster, and you jump up and come
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down faster than Ryu, so it is necessary to have very fast reflexes when you
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play Ken, especially if you are a Ryu-to-Ken convert. Ken also appears to
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|
have an easier time with ticks and countering than Ryu does, partly due to
|
|
his DP speed, and partly due to speed in general.
|
|
|
|
Most Ryu players are generally what I (and many, many others) call "Boring
|
|
Ryu" style. Well, that is how Ryu is played almost everywhere , and since
|
|
Ryu's moves and speed lend more to this type of play, you will see many of
|
|
these players in a place where other characters are not powerful, and where
|
|
Ken players are rather dominant. So Boring Ryu will come in, and, more than
|
|
likely, either defeat the Ken player, or give an outstanding battle that
|
|
annoys the Ken player. But, not all Ryu's are played that way, and I
|
|
especially dislike that method of play for Ryu. I can do quite well playing
|
|
Ken-style Ryu. And you will occasionally see this type of play. Since you
|
|
play Ken, it is easy to recognize this type of play, he will more than
|
|
likely be going for ticks and playing around with ranges, throwing an occ-
|
|
asional FB, not relying on corner trapping to defeat you. So then, it is
|
|
most like fighting a slower and slightly more powerful Ken (see Ken section
|
|
below). The main changes in the style lie in timing your jump ins after
|
|
badly placed FB's. You must be able to anticipate the FB and be willing to
|
|
take that risk. Ryu has no TOD combo, so he must resort to a flying attack,
|
|
Strong, Strong DP combo, or the more popular flying attack, Forward sweep,
|
|
FB combo. You are not as likely to come out dizzy after one of these att-
|
|
acks, so watch out for a surprise short kick or throw soon after the combo
|
|
strike.
|
|
|
|
For Boring Ryu, the most annoying (and lame) tactic that he has, but is so
|
|
useful due to his FB speed and recovery time, is the corner FB trap. This
|
|
is made up of the FB attack forcing you to block, then is you make a foolish
|
|
attempt at escape, you are likely to be put back in there, probably by a
|
|
very painful DP. Ryu will probably mix up the speed of the FB enough as to
|
|
get a hit now and then if you make an attempt to jump straight up over the
|
|
incoming attack, but it can yield results if Ryu is in FB trance and tosses
|
|
another before you lose your chance to try something like a Short air HK
|
|
to gain a close in spot, and perhaps a quick DP on him. Not likely to work
|
|
many times, but it is worthwhile to keep in mind. Among the other options
|
|
that are available are regular attack, the FB and DP. The HK will be use-
|
|
less since you can not use it to escape this projectile attack from the
|
|
ground. The regular move option will only be useful if the opponent is in
|
|
close enough to get hit by a foot sweep, either a Forward or Roundhouse.
|
|
The Forward has a bit more range, but not that much. The Roundhouse will
|
|
put him to the ground, but any well executed FB trap will not place Ryu at
|
|
such a close distance. But is case Ryu is in this close, you can also hit
|
|
him with a Strong or Fierce DP, to put him to the ground, but be careful of
|
|
the range at which you do this from, as there is a critical distance at
|
|
which you will miss, and be suspect to a combo. If Ryu is out a bit further
|
|
than normal, it might be possible to interrupt to flow of things by using
|
|
the to escape an inevitable FB strike, or cancel one his FBs with one of
|
|
your own. But if Ryu happens to have the distance correct, which practic-
|
|
ally all of the veteran Ryu players will have down pat, it is difficult for
|
|
you to escape taking a sizeable amount of damage before getting out. You
|
|
want to increase the chance that you can escape this nearly impossible sit-
|
|
uation. So look to well timed and placed Jab DPs, straight jump ups, and
|
|
possible fake outs to lure Ryu into a situation that will allow you to knock
|
|
him to the ground, letting you free. Not much more can be said about this,
|
|
as getting out of it is a task that must be learned and dealt with as the
|
|
situation and other player allow. You might want to take a risk and do any-
|
|
thing that might confuse the other player, creating an opening for you.
|
|
Perhaps one of the best ways to learn of ways how to get out might be having
|
|
a friend apply different situations to you so that you can determine what
|
|
might be the better choices at that time. Also, try FB trapping the higher
|
|
level computer opponents, and see what they do to get out, but be aware that
|
|
there are certain things that the computer can do in order to compensate for
|
|
not having artificial intelligence. And the computer will only be able to
|
|
provide a good solution if you able to provide a difficult problem (i.e. if
|
|
you are able to execute the FB trap correctly).
|
|
|
|
Your FB attack is limited in its uses vs. Ryu, and that is evident when
|
|
you are in close proximity to him. Try to avoid throwing a FB from a range
|
|
at which you will not be able to recover in time to DP or block the HK. You
|
|
will pay heavily in damage, or sometimes, the Ryu player will risk jumping
|
|
in on you to get a possible dizzying combo. The safe distance is something
|
|
like 1/3 of the screen or more. Any closer, and you run the risk of getting
|
|
hit by a HK. Please note that this HK knocks you down on the first hit, and
|
|
it might be used as a lead in for a FB trap or tick. Some of the combos
|
|
that you use involving the FB can be escaped with a perfectly timed HK, or
|
|
mistimed combos can be easily escaped, and you not like the results after a
|
|
HK to the head. If and when Ryu ever uses the air HK, you simply need to
|
|
place yourself correctly, get the timing, and let it rip with a simple DP
|
|
combo. If you happen to dizzy Ryu, the best choice will be to get as much
|
|
damage as possible while placing yourself at the lowest risk. This would
|
|
be a FB combo, or the TOD combo with the Jab or Strong DP. Ryu does too
|
|
much damage to risk an Fierce and expect to be able to make a solid comeback
|
|
everytime.
|
|
|
|
Once you get Ryu to the ground, the safest attack is obviously the FB from
|
|
the safe range. And that is just about it, you can't have a 100% confidence
|
|
that jumping in will not result in a DP counter, and attempting a neck kick
|
|
is worthwhile, but the DP counter is still present, plus it is not that
|
|
difficult for the Ryu player to counter-throw you as you land, or for that
|
|
matter just block and accept the FB for the pixel or so of damage. Ticking
|
|
is a good option, but the risk of a DP, or a throw into a corner is usually
|
|
enough of a threat to prevent me from trying it many times. I try it once,
|
|
if it works, I try again a few times later, but once it fails, I will not
|
|
try it again, or will wait two or three times longer than I normally would
|
|
have. If you are a fan of the Short sweep/Jab DP combo as the opponent is
|
|
getting up, Ryu can use his DP to get you while you are doing the Short
|
|
sweep, and if you happen to time it so that you are doing the DP at the same
|
|
time, Ryu has a good chance at hitting you as you lose the invulnerability.
|
|
Determine what the most likely response from this player will be when you
|
|
jump in, then adjust your attack accordingly so that you will be able to max
|
|
out the damage that you will be able to get as he is getting up.
|
|
|
|
You might want to try playing versus Ryu in the Boring Ken style, which
|
|
has a chance at succeeding, but the main flaw in this type of attack plan is
|
|
the speed and recovery time of your FB. It is simply too slow to allow you
|
|
to get an effective FB trap for very long. Your damage is also a bit lower
|
|
as well, and you do lack the invulnerability of the HK at the beginning and
|
|
end that can be so useful to Ryu at times. You must be a truly good and
|
|
experienced player to defeat the best of the Ryu players. Ken is at a loss
|
|
in this fight, so you must exploit your advantages, however meager to have a
|
|
decent shot at consistently winning this tedious battle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
E. Honda: Honda at least commands some real respect in HF. His damage is
|
|
--------- is very good compared to the other opponents, and he has a nice
|
|
array of double hitting attacks, as well as a pair of slightly invulnerable
|
|
moves, a couple of grab attacks, and the Hundred Hand Slap to boot. In my
|
|
opinion, the best way to beat Honda is to be random. You can't just sit in
|
|
close on him for the whole round since he will eventually hit you some how
|
|
or grab you, but you can't stay away forever either because he can avoid the
|
|
attacks you use from the range also. So, try to fight Honda a bit like you
|
|
would fight vs. Blanka. About an average distance of 1/2 to 2/3 the screen
|
|
away should be effective in the long run. At this distance, most of Honda's
|
|
attacks are neutralized, and you can control Honda from there. He shouldn't
|
|
be able to get too close to you, but he will be able to move back so far
|
|
until he has to stop. The main danger at the range at which you play will
|
|
be the Sumo Butt Dive (the new attack for HF). The range on this move isn't
|
|
quite what the computer uses, but it still is decent enough to reach you at
|
|
about 2/3 screen distance away. Fortunately, this move requires a large
|
|
amount of charging, and you should be able to anticipate the coming of this
|
|
move well in advance. If you can't meet the move in the air before the 1st
|
|
hit, then you should block it if necessary , or wait until he begins coming
|
|
back to the ground. When he does this, the solution is simple: DP. You,
|
|
however will not always be close enough to make the DP worthwhile, so if you
|
|
can't get the big damage part of the DP to connect, go for the Roundhouse
|
|
foot sweep to take him down.
|
|
|
|
What to do when Honda is knocked down is, of course, dependent on the
|
|
habits of the Honda player. The vicious Honda players will always Torpedo
|
|
you if you try to jump in. A pretty good idea, and some of those players
|
|
have the timing that will allow them to be able to get you with two hits of
|
|
the Torpedo if you mistime or misplace your jump. Not a worthwhile gamble
|
|
for Ken since Honda can dizzy the opponent easily with one or two more hits
|
|
soon after the Torpedo. The other Honda is not willing to take the risk,
|
|
either not realizing the ease of Torpedoing the opponent as he jumps in, or
|
|
simply not smart enough to try it. In this case, the only other options for
|
|
Honda to counter your jumping in attack is a standing Fierce, which is quite
|
|
painful as veterans of fighting the computer can attest, or the new attack,
|
|
the Sumo Butt Dive. I wouldn't count on the new attack as being effective,
|
|
but there is bound to be someone out there who is capable of getting this
|
|
move off regularly. The Fierce is much like Zangief and Dhalsim's standing
|
|
Jabs as you come in. It starts near their head, and makes a sweep over the
|
|
head and down towards their body, capable of taking down airborne opponents.
|
|
To avoid this, jump in a bit sooner, but make sure that you connect and
|
|
finish promptly with another attack. Honda can easily grab you from between
|
|
these attacks if you put any delay there. So, what is the best option? I'd
|
|
have to say that you should take the time that he is down to get yourself
|
|
better ground position, or throw a FB at him that he must block. Make sure
|
|
that it will connect with his body; some Hondas will be attentive and try to
|
|
get either the new attack or the Torpedo off.
|
|
|
|
When Honda grabs a hold of you, chances are that he will chase you down
|
|
with a HHS mow attack. If you are up to it, a DP placed right can put Honda
|
|
in his place, or you can opt to throw him if the distance is appropriate.
|
|
If you are willing to block the hits that are coming to you, be certain that
|
|
you block low, not high. Even when you block high, there are attacks in the
|
|
HHS that hit low enough so that you need to block low also. Honda grabs
|
|
a hold of you in two ways usually, one way is when you mess up a move when
|
|
you are close to him, the other way is a tick. Hondas tend to do this with
|
|
a double knee then throw. Do not try to sac-throw this tactic. Chances are
|
|
pretty good that the knee will dizzy you, then Honda can do it again and go
|
|
for the throw if he wants. The throw won't be used all the time, since the
|
|
grab leaves you close enough once you get out of it to be mowed down by the
|
|
HHS. Once you are out of the block forced by the HHS, if Honda insists on
|
|
trying to hit you, you only need to use crouching Jab to stop the Hands.
|
|
|
|
The air game is not a great choice vs. Honda, so stick to the ground if
|
|
at all possible. Honda does too much damage in the air where you have no
|
|
chance to block. The sumo wrestler also has good priority over your attacks
|
|
while you are airborne. Use the never fail counter to airborne opponents if
|
|
he is close enough while in the air. To gain ground backwards easily, the
|
|
air HK away from the opponent should let you obtain better positioning. But
|
|
don't do the HK from the ground, or from the air at a range that will put
|
|
you very close to Honda, it is too easy for Honda to use the Torpedo, the
|
|
grab, or any of his attacks to make you pay for your mistake, and you will
|
|
pay in a big way.
|
|
|
|
The last mistake to not make vs. Honda is trying to get a triple-DP combo
|
|
to hit all three times on Honda. It simply won't hit Honda three times no
|
|
matter how close you are. It is hard enough to get the DP to hit twice, let
|
|
alone twice after being pushed back a small distance from the attack in the
|
|
triple. If you must go for a TOD combo, switch over to Strong or Jab DP,
|
|
otherwise you will make an easy target for the mighty E. Honda.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Blanka: Here is one of the toughest fights for Ken and Ryu, especially Ken.
|
|
------- Ken is faster than Ryu, but Blanka is even faster than Ken. Ken's
|
|
slow FB's don't help any, but at least he has a fast DP. The key here is
|
|
ranges. You don't want Blanka to stay back in the corner far from you, but
|
|
you don't want him to be able to jump in and hit you either. The compromise
|
|
is about 2/3 the screen away; throw a FB when he is at this range. Not-so-
|
|
patient Blanka will jump over the FB and can be easily taken down with a
|
|
crouching Roundhouse. If he gets in close to you, you will want to try to
|
|
back away from him, but you want to avoid getting trapped in the corner.
|
|
It is hard to keep him away, since his jump and speed work well vs. the FB
|
|
traps. Once Blanka is in close to you, he usually likes to try and hit you
|
|
with a crouched attack, usually a Fierce or Roundhouse; they have very good
|
|
range... If you want to be risky, try to DP his arm or leg. If you must
|
|
play defensive, wait till he is close, then after he attacks, or when is
|
|
walking towards you, throw a Fierce FB from close range. The Blanka might
|
|
take the hit without blocking it; this is an unusual tactic, and that is why
|
|
it is not blocked. Remember ranges. Know when you can hit him with a DP.
|
|
Ryu isn't as dependent on the DP as Ken, since he has his HK to get him out
|
|
of hairy (heh) situations. This might not work well, since Blanka can adapt
|
|
easily, but if the Blanka you play against isn't too smart, he will die
|
|
quickly and very painfully. To counter a ball attack from the air, try
|
|
jumping back and using an attack other than fierce or roundhouse. Using
|
|
those you usually don't get a trade or a clean hit for that matter, but with
|
|
Forward and Strong you should be able to trade damage. It is not a great
|
|
trade, but it will be good if you can dizzy him or KO him if you have the
|
|
life left to take the hit. You do not want to strike him with the thigh
|
|
part of the leg. When you use Forward or if you insist on using Roundhouse,
|
|
the ankle part of the leg is the best place to hit him if you jump in (know
|
|
your ranges!), especially if he is getting up from a knockdown. The same
|
|
goes for the Fierce and Strong punches. Try to find the range where you can
|
|
usually hit him without risk of getting ball attacked. This is just far
|
|
enough so that you will land clearly in front of him, while just striking
|
|
him as he gets up. Follow the rest of the move up with a FB combo that will
|
|
push him a ways back, and maybe even connect if he gets careless.
|
|
|
|
The neck kick on Blanka in CE was a beautiful weapon. It still is, but
|
|
Blanka now has that annoying vertical ball attack. If you can manage to get
|
|
him down, and you are close enough, you might want to go for this. Hit him
|
|
with a neck kick, if he blocks, proceed with a Short kick, then a throw. He
|
|
usually can't counter this if he didn't get you with the ball, so go for it.
|
|
If you manage to connect, go for the gusto, and wallop him with a big combo.
|
|
Chances are he'll be dizzy, so then go for the kill after that. Even if you
|
|
manage to hit Blanka, and don't want to go for the combo, still go for the
|
|
Short kick/throw tactic. It is very possible that he will come up dizzy
|
|
after this quick assault. The neck kick seems to dizzy easier, so either
|
|
way, he could be dizzy if you hit him.
|
|
|
|
Pretty much forget about the HK for Ken. Not much he can do with it vs.
|
|
Blanka. Perhaps you may use it as an escape tactic of sorts, but you should
|
|
have only limited success with it. Doing the Air HK towards Blanka is a no-
|
|
no. He can take you down with a standing Fierce or a vertical ball. If you
|
|
are tricky, it is possible that you can figure out a way to consistently hit
|
|
Blanka while in the air with this move, but I would doubt it, and the damage
|
|
is weak compared to how much you are likely to take from Blanka anyhow. Do
|
|
not use the HK as a means to escape the horizontal ball. If you are in the
|
|
air already, and unless you are going to get hit, don't use it. You might
|
|
just land right smack on top of him when he finishes, and then you can kill
|
|
him with a deadly combo, much the same as Honda.
|
|
|
|
Defensive Blanka will present the most problems for nearly any Ken players
|
|
anywhere. Blanka need only sit back and wait for the chance to damage you.
|
|
In this case, work your way towards him, using FB's and doing some standing
|
|
Jabs every now and then to prepare for the ball attack. Eventually, you may
|
|
get him backed to the corner. Don't get too close. About 1/2 to 2/3 screen
|
|
distance will be good from here. The disadvantage with the corner is that
|
|
you are close to it as well, so don't get trapped back there for too long.
|
|
Be bold once in a while as well. You can't just cower behind your FB's for
|
|
the match. You might win, but have fun for once! Try just walking forward
|
|
without pulling any attacks. See what the Blanka does. If he balls you,
|
|
then next time you do it, watch the guy's hands or watch the screen very
|
|
closely to anticipate the ball coming, then DP him. If he seems to do no-
|
|
thing, see how far upon him you can get. Move in and out, and figure out
|
|
what this player will do when you threaten from close range. Many Blankas
|
|
rely on the crouching Fierce, Roundhouse sweep or ball to counter your move-
|
|
ments on the ground. Watch it if you are hit with a crouching Fierce, it is
|
|
very possible that you will get dizzy in one or two more hits, the same can
|
|
be said for both the horizontal and vertical ball attacks. The DP is the
|
|
best weapon vs. these attacks, but on occasion it may be necessary to use
|
|
the crouching Fierce to counter the vertical ball as it comes down. If you
|
|
do, make sure that you know where Blanka will come down so that you can hit
|
|
him. In any event, the DP at this stage will likely be the best option. If
|
|
you don't already know, learn the intricacies of the vertical ball so that
|
|
you know what it will do in certain situations.
|
|
|
|
Knowing what to do in all situations for Blanka is very important, more-so
|
|
than other characters since he does more damage, and there tends to be a
|
|
"hate" towards Blanka from Ken players. I hate Blanka myself, and I like
|
|
this fight because it is challenging for me. I learned a lot about this
|
|
fight recently, and the thing that helped me most is the fact that you sim-
|
|
ply can't attack him all the time like you can vs. Chun Li. Learn to play
|
|
vs. many situations, not patterns. Patterns will be covered by most players
|
|
and they will not be much problem. The players that mix it up a lot are the
|
|
tough ones to beat. I still ain't great at this battle, though...
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Guile: You are man enough to fight with this guy. If you can win this fight
|
|
------ using Ryu, then you are in for a major battle plan change. The HK
|
|
is practically useless vs. Guile. Easy for Guile to come up with a Flash
|
|
Kick (FK) or crouching Fierce punch (ouch!). If he decides to do neither of
|
|
those, it is a safe bet that he will be going for the throw, and this is the
|
|
opportunity to get him if he messes up. A DP or a throw are the most common
|
|
attacks used in this situation. Don't count on Guile screwing this up, do
|
|
not use the HK as an offensive weapon except to show off when you kill him
|
|
when he has to block it or whatever. At long ranges, it is safe to use the
|
|
Short HK to go over the Sonic Booms (SB) that are annoying. You might want
|
|
to experiment with the other two HK's to get better positioning on Guile.
|
|
Know the ranges of this special move.
|
|
|
|
Ken's greatest assets versus Guile are his speed and DP. The FB isn't too
|
|
great vs. Guile (not like Ryu's), and the HK is limited in use. Ken moves
|
|
faster than Guile on the ground, but Guile is not a snail. Many Guiles can
|
|
still get the slow SB/throw sometimes. It shouldn't happen vs. Ken, unless
|
|
he tricks you with a fake or something else. If Guile does this, then it is
|
|
up to you. You can go for the Jab DP for the easy knockdown, or mess around
|
|
with the timing for the throws. The throw is foolproof. Either you get the
|
|
throw, or you get thrown yourself. The DP is different. If you manage to
|
|
hit him, he will be on the ground and at your mercy, but there is not a law
|
|
that states that he must proceed to meet your fist. He might stop, wait for
|
|
you to miss, then go for the throw. What fun. This is where it gets tricky
|
|
for Ken. You have many options, but only a handful will provide you with
|
|
something that might be useful afterwards. You might want to get some Short
|
|
kicks in there. Trying to stop Guile's forward progress is not a bad choice
|
|
at all. A well timed Fierce or Strong will put an end to this situation. I
|
|
realize that not every one has immaculate timing, but if you have no sem-
|
|
blance of good timing, this is one of the ways to learn it. Even a simple
|
|
Roundhouse or Forward sweep may put an end to your worries, but you must
|
|
know when you have the time to do these moves. If you wait until Guile is
|
|
breathing down your throat, then the only real options are throwing and the
|
|
Dragon Punch. If you have a window to get him, then a regular attack should
|
|
tie Guile up for a moment.
|
|
|
|
Most Guile players cannot $afford$ to play an offensive style vs. Ken. It
|
|
just won't work, since Guile will get hit at every opportunity, usually by
|
|
a painful DP. So, Guile likes to play defensively, and annoy you with low
|
|
kicks and backfists. The backfist problem can be corrected. It usually is
|
|
used after you throw a FB in close quarters. Well, don't throw a FB from
|
|
within his backfist range, unless you anticipate it and counter with a DP.
|
|
The backfist is used primarily after you do a FB, but keep a sharp eye for
|
|
it when you are in the corner. One of the forward sweeps might be replaced
|
|
by one of these punches. In any case, blocking is a safe bet, but if you
|
|
have the eye for it, nothing beats a DP. On occasion, Guile will come
|
|
knocking on your door, probably with a surprise up his sleeve, usually a
|
|
Forward sweep, throw, or Fierce punch. Anticipate these moves (esp. the
|
|
sweep) and give Guile the boot (heh), er..., fist.
|
|
|
|
Knocking Guile out of the FK isn't what it used to be in Classic, so don't
|
|
be hoping for this to happen anytime soon. The fail-safe methods to counter
|
|
attacking the FK is a FB or DP. Or, if you happen to be lucky enough to be
|
|
on the weak side (how, I don't know), then you can smash him in the air if
|
|
you like, but it is much more fun to break his jaw when he lands after any
|
|
missed FK. If close enough, give him reason to go home, and smack him with
|
|
a furious triple-DP combo. He should be dizzy if you got all three hits,
|
|
then it is a moot point after that. Otherwise, it is not a bad trade. I
|
|
have yet to see a Guile player do anything devastating after a missed DP to
|
|
a Ken/Ryu/Sagat. The worst is usually a throw or punch/FK combo. Guile is
|
|
not quite the (unbalanced) monster he was in Classic with absolute zero
|
|
delay time. He stands there for about 1/2 second with his eyes glazed. So
|
|
don't think you can't reach him, your throw range is awesome, and if you are
|
|
remotely close, you should be able to inflict more damage than a measly FB.
|
|
|
|
Once you have Guile to the ground, you might want to go throw him around a
|
|
bit, or try playing tricks on him. Walk up near him like you are going to
|
|
tick him, then step back, and counter his move. You can also do the small
|
|
Short kick/Jab DP combo above, but be sure to mix it up with plain Jab DP's
|
|
and ticking. If you do the same thing over and over, Guile is sure to FK or
|
|
throw you. Feeling risky? Go for a neck kick. Only the best of the Guile
|
|
players will be able to change the direction of the upcoming FK. However,
|
|
many of them will be able to throw you as you are coming down. If this is
|
|
the case, try jumping in earlier or later on different occasions to keep the
|
|
other guy wondering. Jumping in on Guile from the front is generally a risk
|
|
that doesn't amount to much. The most you should come away with is one FB
|
|
that was blocked. If you got lucky and scored more than that, the other guy
|
|
made a mistake. A FB combo when you jump in is the safest bet. Stay on the
|
|
ground when you are near a grounded Guile. He can move fast, and has the
|
|
range to hit you from long ranges.
|
|
|
|
Guile's feet are extremely suspect to being hit by the DP. Keep your eyes
|
|
open for these opportunities while he is on the ground and in the air. You
|
|
should be able to get more damage if you get him with the strong part of the
|
|
DP as he comes down with his foot extended near your head in the air. Diz-
|
|
ziness has become a part of Guile's life it seems. He apparently falls into
|
|
dizzies more easily than he used to, so it is worth the extra effort to get
|
|
three quick hits on Guile. If he is still standing after three Fierce or
|
|
Roundhouse attacks, then that Guile probably should be considered lucky...
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Ken: An MK mirror match! Ken vs. Ken is one of the most exciting battles to
|
|
---- watch and play in. The fact that Ken is able to pull off such damaging
|
|
combos, and jump back in the game is the big draw to him. This match can
|
|
easily sway on one mistake, made by either of the players. This situation
|
|
is both good and bad, depending on what happens to you. In any event, you
|
|
are almost always assured an exciting battle that will raise your heartrate.
|
|
It is likely that you will see one of two major types of Ken players. One
|
|
is influenced by Ryu slightly; the other is much more free and more likely
|
|
to make the big moves that can give him or cost him the match. If you are
|
|
up against a "boring" Ken, then you should fight in a way that is similar to
|
|
the style of fighting against Ryu. For brevity, I'll just go over some
|
|
lighter points, and focus on the Krazy Kens out there.
|
|
|
|
The boring Ken relies more or less on basic FB-DP strategy to keep you at
|
|
bay. If he can't DP you, he will count on a foot sweep to hit you when you
|
|
land as a deterrent. You can avoid this sweep, if you can get the air HK
|
|
off in time. When you come upon one of these pattern type players, you must
|
|
attempt to break the pattern. Play in close to them and be krazy. Jumping
|
|
over a misplaced FB to capitalize on the excessive delay time will provide
|
|
an easy victory with the right combos. If you jump into the DP of this Ken,
|
|
or Ryu for that matter, try to lessen the amount of damage that you will
|
|
eventually sustain. Do an air HK before you get low enough to take the
|
|
brunt of the damage. This will keep you off the _very_ painful part of the
|
|
DP. This Ken style is not really reliant on much more than hurting you a
|
|
bit at a time, since his tactics don't really allow for much attacking.
|
|
Prance and dance around outside the Roundhouse sweep range, perhaps a bit
|
|
further. The other Ken might panic in this situation and go into a blocking
|
|
frenzy, freezing up mostly, and not offering much resistance in the way of
|
|
countering, just blocking and reactionary playing. Go up and throw them.
|
|
That will wake them up, and possibly shake them for the remainder of the
|
|
round or match, which is to your advantage. This type of Ken sometimes uses
|
|
the extra range of the Fierce DP to just nick you for a bit of damage. He
|
|
usually just hits your foot, fool them by doing an early Roundhouse kick, or
|
|
doing nothing at all, then whoosh!, up he goes and you have a free combo on
|
|
him. Probably is dizzy afterwards, so go kill 'em.
|
|
|
|
Boring Ken is just a nuisance, really. The real match up comes when the
|
|
other guy is just as krazy about Ken as you are. Air HK's now become an
|
|
effective tool for getting out of tight spots. The DP is a factor in the
|
|
match, but it can kill you if you are careless with it. The same can be
|
|
said for the FB. The DP is primarily a defensive attack, except when used
|
|
in deadly combos. In the case of dizziness, Krazy Ken will try to kill you
|
|
with the big combos, too. So, play it safe with the TOD, and go with a Jab
|
|
or Strong DP when they will not be KO'ed by it. This will leave you with
|
|
the opportunity to gain ground or lengthen your lead. Follow some of the
|
|
tactics listed in the following section for some added results.
|
|
|
|
Krazy Ken as an opponent is a great fight. Fast and furious action to the
|
|
max, plus the possibility of huge combos, and quick fights. However, you
|
|
will want to ensure that you don't wind up on the short end of too many of
|
|
these fights, as they can be short. So, to make it go a bit more in your
|
|
favor, try some of the following tactics. If they fail once, then it would
|
|
not be wise to attempt it more than once more. Also, on success, unless the
|
|
Ken is an utter idiot, it probably won't work more than twice either, so it
|
|
is time to try something new once in a while, and improvise. Here are some
|
|
tactics that may lead to success with varying degrees, depending on how well
|
|
you are able to mix and match with your moves. Many of the Kens have seen
|
|
this before: the Forward sweep used as a common offensive weapon. The kick
|
|
has less retraction time than the Roundhouse sweep, and is therefore less
|
|
likely to counter with regularity. Try to get a fireball out with each of
|
|
these kick to maximize the effectiveness, but watch out if you miss, you may
|
|
be fodder for an easy combo if you do the FB at the wrong time. Another
|
|
tactic that worked well for a while, then everyone figured out how to throw
|
|
out of it, but you might still be able to catch some people with it if you
|
|
can time it right. This would be the neck kick. Quite effective, and if
|
|
you are fast enough on the buttons, you can make this as safe as the other
|
|
guy allows, depending on if he gets hit or not. If he is hit, only one real
|
|
choice for me here: TOD! Otherwise, if he blocked, try one or two Short
|
|
kicks then a throw. This neck kick/short/throw will often dizzy if the neck
|
|
kick connects, so it might be to your advantage at certain times to go for
|
|
the throw instead. Mix it up a little by throwing more Short kicks then
|
|
doing a Roundhouse or Forward sweep/FB series on him. Watch out for the Ken
|
|
players who seem to get a hit in before the Roundhouse sweep, but after the
|
|
Short kicks. Once you see this, stop this attack tactic at once, you will
|
|
be paying in the future if you insist on continuing with the attack. If you
|
|
are upon this situation where you will be on the receiving end, the most
|
|
obvious counter will come to mind, the DP. Good choice, but you need to be
|
|
good enough to get it everytime without doubt, otherwise an incorrect choice
|
|
could lead to your early demise.
|
|
|
|
As you know, Ken's HK is mostly a joke in most situations, but be on the
|
|
look out for the clever players who range it right to come down at get you
|
|
with a surprise DP or throw. In the air HK case, I usually play it safe for
|
|
once, and just hit the up in the sky, or just as they are coming down before
|
|
they hit the ground so that they will not have a chance to throw me.
|
|
|
|
The key to defeating another Krazy Ken is no patterns, and better no pat-
|
|
terning than the other guy. You must mix it up a lot, and know what the
|
|
options are in every situation. For a boring Ken, just see the Ryu section,
|
|
but will have a bit more freedom since Ken is not really meant to be played
|
|
like Ryu.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Chun Li: Ken should be able to cleanly defeat most Chun Li's, but there are
|
|
-------- the occasional few that are a real pain to defeat. The best way
|
|
to defeat her is to get ahead on her, and then she will usually try to get
|
|
in close to you to do lots of damage in a short amount of time. The pesky
|
|
Chun Li players will use the Spinning Bird Kick a lot. They will use it as
|
|
an air defense, as an escape, or as an offensive weapon. This move is a
|
|
real trip, it will almost always dizzy you after two hits, plus it does a
|
|
ton of damage. The main reason why people get hit by it so much is lack of
|
|
knowledge of how to get out of it. If she does it close in, wait until she
|
|
is already spinning and kicking in the air, then just hit her with a crouch-
|
|
ing punch. If you are hit cleanly by the first hit, don't try to hit her
|
|
before the second hit comes, just block instead. You are in danger of be-
|
|
coming dizzy soon after the first hit. Chun Li's also like the SBK as a way
|
|
of escape in the air. She will get the heel stomp on you somehow, then will
|
|
flee at the peak of her rebound with a SBK. In this situation, you are left
|
|
with two options. You can turn around, and immediately DP her for a small
|
|
amount of damage (this is not risky usually), or if you are feeling con-
|
|
fident, chase her down, then as she is falling, try to catch with the strong
|
|
part of the DP (the hit next to Ken's body on the ground). You will do good
|
|
damage, plus you leave yourself in a better attack position afterwards. In
|
|
this case, for the most setup after the DP, use a Strong or Jab instead of a
|
|
Fierce, since you will come down faster.
|
|
|
|
Once you get Chun Li to the ground, after a sweep, DP, or whatever, it is
|
|
a good idea to press the attack on her. Of all the options you have, this
|
|
is the silliest if Chun Li likes to use the SBK a lot: jumping in, and try-
|
|
ing to do a kick. She will just use the SBK when she stands, you will not
|
|
hit her since she is invulnerable at that moment, and you will usually fall
|
|
into the flurry of her feet, sometimes leading to an easy dizzy. So what
|
|
should you do? You can jump in with a punch, which won't hit her, then you
|
|
will fall under her as she is beginning the SBK. At this time, you can use
|
|
a crouching Fierce to nail her, or go for a DP. The DP is a bit more risky
|
|
but worth it if you can get it every time you do this jump in. Those are
|
|
good if you are nearby her, what if you are across the screen, or not within
|
|
safe jumping range. Well, the FB trapping is a good idea, but it is hard to
|
|
keep her in one place with Ken, so don't rely on this for very long at all,
|
|
as a matter of face, count on her escape, but have a plan to do a move that
|
|
will keep her there. I don't know what you will do, but a DP usually does
|
|
the trick. If you are feeling risky, or the Chun Li isn't so hot at throws,
|
|
walk up and do a crouching Short-Jab DP to tick off some life. Or you can
|
|
do the "defensive combo" described above to push her back. Watch for her
|
|
jumping over the FB after the Roundhouse though. Some Chun Li's are the
|
|
trickiest little things when it comes to throwing. To find out what type of
|
|
thrower she is by doing a Roundhouse sweep that misses. If she comes in to
|
|
try and throw you before the sweep retracts, then you need to be extra care-
|
|
ful about missing foot sweeps for the rest of the match. This type of thing
|
|
can cost you 1/3 of the life bar easily.
|
|
|
|
Don't underestimate Chun Li's FB! The best of the Chunners can fire them
|
|
just as fast as you can, plus, they tend to not fall into the "I gotta FB"
|
|
mentality. Her delay is about as long as Ken's is, but not nearly as short
|
|
as Ryu's, thank God! Since your HK is the weenie version, you can't do the
|
|
HK over it like Ryu would be able to do. So, you will either have to match
|
|
FB's or come up with something of your own. Her FB is comparable speaking
|
|
in terms of speed, but it does little damage, usually. With Chun Li's delay
|
|
you can jump over it the FB and still have plenty of time to hit her if she
|
|
threw it from the wrong distance. If she was too close, you can get a dead-
|
|
ly combo, and put her near death, if she isn't there already. Chun Li has
|
|
good air "priority", and likes to use the air throw, since it is now much
|
|
easier to do than in the CE. The FB can be used to make you jump over it,
|
|
and then she will meet you in mid air usually with a Forward kick, or an air
|
|
throw. If you feel that you might be thrown, go into a HK while in the air
|
|
to minimize the chances that she will get you, or if you prefer, you can try
|
|
a Jab or Short kick to keep her away. Ken's air game doesn't strike too
|
|
much fear in hearts of Chun Li players, and therefore, you should try to
|
|
limit your game to the ground when possible, only leaving the ground to get
|
|
her when she is vulnerable. Look out for the Chun Li who uses the FB to
|
|
draw you into the SBK as you come down. If you see this happening, your
|
|
best bet will be a punch if you haven't already attacked, or go for the HK
|
|
before you get too close. It is possible that you will hit her out of the
|
|
SBK if you are lucky but there are no guarantees here, it all depends on the
|
|
timing of the Chun Li player.
|
|
|
|
There are Chun Li players who will attempt to play around outside your
|
|
range, flirting with your FB's and Roundhouse sweeps. In this situation, it
|
|
is wise to avoid the DP if at all possible. She will con you into it, then
|
|
throw you when you land. She is fast enough to get in that close . Same
|
|
thing for Roundhouse sweeps. If you miss, she can come in and grab you from
|
|
the back for an easy throw. You will want to back away from her, or try to
|
|
trick her and go if for a throw of your own. This is a tense situation, and
|
|
you must stay alert. Moving back may work, but Chun Li will tend to follow
|
|
you where you go. Here it is your chance to psyche her out, and maybe get
|
|
a combo if you do it right. Tossing a FB at the right time may give you the
|
|
time needed to get away from her. Be tricky and use fakes to get her either
|
|
in the air or further back by forcing her to jump. This is a fun fight, but
|
|
you have to have a game plan when she starts to get into that area where you
|
|
must think to win. Your mileage may vary with this, but I do well enough in
|
|
this match to think that this will work for most people. Another tactic
|
|
that should be implemented if you are to win is to stay on the offensive.
|
|
If Chun Li has you at a disadvantage, make sure that you weren't playing too
|
|
defensive. Chun Li has the tendency to be able to annoy you with Forward
|
|
kicks and her long reaching punches, in addition to her excellent priority
|
|
air attacks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Zangief: This is one of the harder fights for me, so I enlisted the help of
|
|
-------- Jowfus (Justin Hogue). He gave me some tips on how Ken players he
|
|
faces give him problems. I have tried some of them out when possible, and
|
|
they seem to be reliable, and in line with how Ken really should fight vs.
|
|
Zangief. So, special thanks to Jowfus for the help here.
|
|
|
|
First of all, Zangief is slow... You can take advantage of that by not
|
|
getting very close to him. He lacks the speed to seriously challenge Ken's
|
|
speed or DP. The style of air attacks that are successful are either very
|
|
close in, or very far away. When you have Z on the mat, you can exploit the
|
|
speed of him in the following ways. You can tick him. Zangief is not that
|
|
great of a counter thrower, but I'm sure that there are some that will be
|
|
able to make you pay with a SPD or throw everytime, so look out for this
|
|
brand of Zangief. This is one of the cases where you will be getting close
|
|
in on Z. Generally, you want to make him block several Short kicks or the
|
|
like, then drain a bit of energy with a FB or two. Say, Z is down, jump in
|
|
with a Fierce punch that will hit him on top of the head or right in the
|
|
face, follow up with Short, Short, Roundhouse/Forward, then FB or something.
|
|
If you are lucky, you can get a dizzy if he tried something when you came in
|
|
on him. The hit should get there right as he stands up, so all the sudden
|
|
his head and the fist will connect. Too soon and you get Jabbed or hit with
|
|
a Spinning Lariat. Too late, and it is very possible to get SPD'd, thrown,
|
|
or swept. From afar, the goal here is to nip him as he stands. Jump in and
|
|
use a Roundhouse kick. It should have the same timing as the above Fierce
|
|
attack. The tip of the foot should just connect with him, preferably in
|
|
the chest area or a bit lower. In this case, you might land too far to hit
|
|
with another Roundhouse sweep, so land then wait. If he does nothing, try
|
|
a throw or something. He is probably shocked that you didn't attack right
|
|
away, so you might also be able to DP a foot that he stuck out in anticipa-
|
|
tion of something else.
|
|
|
|
Some Ken players have such difficulty with Zangief, for me, it is just in
|
|
the head, but for others, it lies in the style. Patterns or Fireballs are
|
|
most likely the problems in this situation. Getting in a pattern vs. Z is
|
|
a no-no. Most Z players are probably accustomed to overcoming patterns, and
|
|
will probably smash you for doing so. Everytime you jump in, don't do the
|
|
same things. Try the first three hits the same when you jump in, and vary
|
|
what you do after that. Like throw another FB right after the previous one.
|
|
That seems to work especially well once you get Z stuck in the corner. FB's
|
|
can cause problems though, and will cause death. Never throw a FB in close
|
|
range if you hadn't 'block stunned' him right before. Don't keep doing this
|
|
over and over. He is likely to eventually get you with something. If you
|
|
are feeling scared (Ken should not be scared), you can retreat back to the
|
|
other side of the screen, and make it difficult for Zangief to reach you,
|
|
but that is not likely to be successful for long. Try walking up and doing
|
|
a Roundhouse sweep. Your sweep is much faster than Zangief's is, plus Z is
|
|
at a big disadvantage when you knock him down. Knocking the big man down
|
|
provides you with a chance to hit him with the air HK combo. Don't try it.
|
|
He will do something horrible when you touch down...
|
|
|
|
In general, the HK vs. Zangief is limited in its use. I use it to escape
|
|
from a tight situation or to improve my position, but only rarely to attack.
|
|
The only time I would use the HK to attack would be if I was really, really
|
|
desperate, or wanted to surprise kill him. It is too easy for Z to hit you
|
|
when you pass by him, so try to stay away from the HK if at all possible.
|
|
|
|
Play basketball? Then you have heard of this concept: stick 'n move. In
|
|
other words, stay in one spot for a while, then move in for an attack. Move
|
|
back out afterwards, then wait, then repeat. Basically, you have to annoy
|
|
Zangief to death. He takes less damage from opponents, so the blocked FB
|
|
still has the same effectiveness vs. Dhalsim as Zangief. Make Z block a FB
|
|
if at all possible. But don't stick there too long, move! A strange move
|
|
would be to Fierce DP as he gets close. If you miss, the side that of Z
|
|
that you land on is likely to be the other side, and that could throw him
|
|
off. Not very reliable, and I wouldn't count on the opponent making such a
|
|
big mistake, but it does happen.
|
|
|
|
In the air, you can overtake Zangief if you have the distance right. You
|
|
need to catch him as he comes down. He will almost always get the hit if
|
|
you are too early. Z's air game isn't great, but it doesn't have to be when
|
|
he takes less damage and dishes out more than other characters. The air HK
|
|
actually works OK vs. airborne Zangief. If you have no other option in the
|
|
air while he is up there, do this, and sometimes, good things come from it.
|
|
|
|
This is another one of those battles that I have problems with, and these
|
|
tactics work with good success, but I am not patient enough to sit around
|
|
fighting against all the Zangiefs. It is best to get a feel for what this
|
|
Zangief will do in certain situations, and play around those, for example,
|
|
watch for the standing Jab from the defensive players, and the Roundhouse
|
|
sweep as you are getting up. The best way to counter the SPD for me is to
|
|
wait until they try it, then DP. If they have some problems with it, I can
|
|
get the throw out in time. I'm sure that you might try another attack in
|
|
there, but the faster the move, the better your chances for getting out of
|
|
the SPD situation. If jump towards him in the air, watch for the SPD as
|
|
soon as you hit the ground. Some of the Z's out there are good at grabbing
|
|
you from a mile away and taking you for a ride (a lot like the CPU). You
|
|
need to find out how aggressive with the SPD this player intends to be. The
|
|
Lariat attacks/defenses can be annoying, but you needn't worry as long you
|
|
aren't foolish with the FB and the jump in timing. As long as you time your
|
|
jump ins right, and the FB spacings, you should never have to deal directly
|
|
with the Spinning Lariats. Be sure you can recognize the Spinning Lariat
|
|
versions right when they are executed.
|
|
|
|
Perhaps a little known bit of info to keep in mind, not only for Ken, but
|
|
for the other characters as well. Zangief takes less damage than other
|
|
opponents do from the same moves and combos. Just watch his life the next
|
|
time you get him with a TOD combo in the middle of the round. It tends to
|
|
do about 35-40% on Z, while about 45-50% on most other characters, most of
|
|
the time. I guess it helps to be as big as Zangief is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Dhalsim: Most Dhalsim players give a very tough fight for Ken , but in the
|
|
-------- end, Dhalsim wins more then Ken does. There are a few Dhalsims
|
|
out there who can not be beaten with Ken, and will give Ryu an exceptionally
|
|
difficult time. This is perhaps one of the more annoying fights for Ken.
|
|
All of Ken's moves are lightning quick, while all of Dhalsim's remain on the
|
|
slow side. Doesn't help Ken any though. Dhalsim's moves are geared towards
|
|
defeating Ken and Ryu. Ken seems to be the weaker of the two overall, even
|
|
with the improvements he has, but Ryu's power and patience seem to be key in
|
|
defeating Dhalsim. So, that is what can defeat Dhalsim, patience. Ken can
|
|
not sit back and wait for Dhalsim to come charging in. Any Dhalsim trying
|
|
to jump in on you and surprise you must be a newbie or trying to lose so
|
|
badly that they are willing to sacrifice themselves. The main key to take
|
|
out Dhalsim is hitting his limbs and knocking him down when possible, then
|
|
overloading his defense with a relentless assault of ticks, fakes, and power
|
|
moves. Playing back in a corner for the whole match will not get you any-
|
|
where in this fight unless the Dhalsim is a moron for getting his limbs
|
|
snapped off.
|
|
|
|
Playing in the corner for the whole round obviously will not work, but it
|
|
might be necessary to go in the corner for a while in order to knock him off
|
|
his feet, or perhaps to protect a comfortable lead. If you are in the lead,
|
|
you are probably safe until the timer runs out. The only problems you will
|
|
encounter will be avoiding too much damage from the Yoga Fireballs and Flame
|
|
attacks (if they are used at all). Make note that the HK can go over the
|
|
Yoga Fireballs only when you are completely in the air, not at the beginning
|
|
or end of the HK (when Ryu cannot be hit). It is useless to attempt to go
|
|
over a Yoga Flame at anytime, since you will get hit. Dhalsim's projectile
|
|
attacks are the only ones that will knock you down if you get hit by it, so
|
|
be aware of this fact when you are playing, as to be wary of the slide/tick.
|
|
When you are in the corner, the best bet for you is to jump straight up and
|
|
try to hit Dhalsim's limbs with the punches. It will work with the kicks,
|
|
but Dhalsim needs to a bit further back for that to work. The best Dhalsim
|
|
players will not stick their limbs out in vain like this too many times, if
|
|
at all, during the fight, so watch out. Jumping in on Dhalsim from the
|
|
corner is usually bound to fail unless you manage to trick Dhalsim into
|
|
something he shouldn't have. You want to watch out for when you hit D, if
|
|
you hit him too high, and you are close to him when you land, I'd say that
|
|
there is a good chance that you will be thrown or noogied. Among the other
|
|
options that are available to you when you are in the corner is the air HK
|
|
to attempt a high escape path. It will fail unless you somehow manage to
|
|
trick Dhalsim, like usual. If you have the range right when you are on the
|
|
ground, it is possible to hit the ends of Dhalsim's limbs with crouching Jab
|
|
punches.
|
|
|
|
If Dhalsim uses the teleport, it is likely that it was used to escape an
|
|
incoming attack of yours. I would consider it foolish for D to try and use
|
|
the teleport to gain an inside attack on Ken. Ken's strong game is when he
|
|
has an opportunity to attack the opponent right away, when there is a window
|
|
of vulnerability, and that is what the teleport provides, so if you see him
|
|
coming in right next to you , a triple-DP combo should dizzy him, then you
|
|
can get the TOD to hit four times from the neck kick, and sometimes four
|
|
from the front if you space the jump in correctly. Dhalsim's most dizzying
|
|
move is the headbutt, if he manages to get both hits of the headbutt, then
|
|
it is very advisable for you to take a breather in order to avoid an almost
|
|
certain dizzy on the next hit. Just blocking low for a time will usually do
|
|
the trick, but sometimes there is a Dhalsim that will use an air based
|
|
attack in order to catch you off guard. As a rule of thumb, it is safe to
|
|
block high vs. air attacks. Unless it is obvious that it will hit you in
|
|
the feet (as is the case of the best placed foot drills), then it will be
|
|
necessary to block low. If Dhalsim makes a mistake, or foolishly thinks
|
|
that they can use the head spear in close quarters, they are seriously mis-
|
|
taken. It is easy for you to throw them right as they land, or for that
|
|
matter, smash them with a triple-DP combo.
|
|
|
|
Once you have Dhalsim to the ground, it will be your chance to inflict
|
|
some damage. Jump in so that there is no airspace between you once he gets
|
|
up, otherwise it is possible for him to teleport away, or even use a Jab
|
|
to stop you. I find that it is better to come in close to his body by using
|
|
Fierce punch as the air strike, then following up with a F B combo of some
|
|
sort, or even throwing him. Watch out for Dhalsim's throw, it has good
|
|
range, and is relatively easy to use in comparison to the other character's
|
|
throws. Instead of coming in with a punch, you might want to try a neck
|
|
kick, which is a good idea against a character that is not used often in a
|
|
close combat situation. It might catch the other guy off guard, so mix it
|
|
up a little when you have the chance to jump in on him because I'm sure that
|
|
ther will not be very many opportunities. Any air attack that Dhalsim does
|
|
has much horizontal range, so wait until you think that he will attack, then
|
|
just a split second after you see the move come out, use a DP to knock him
|
|
down. You will probably be far away, so you will need to use a FB to do
|
|
some long distance damage. Make sure that the FB connects when he stands
|
|
up. Unlike other characters, Dhalsim can slide under the FB given enough
|
|
time, and he will hit you if you are too close. When Dhalsim has you at his
|
|
best range (about the length of his Fierce punch extended) , it is not safe
|
|
to use a FB, so don't use one, otherwise you will probably get knocked down
|
|
by the Roundhouse slide.
|
|
|
|
Never just sit there and let Dhalsim annoy you to death. That is what the
|
|
Dhalsim player likes to do. He does so little damage compared with you
|
|
though that you can afford to take a hit now and then as long as you are
|
|
able to return the favor. Get close in on Dhalsim, do your damage, then
|
|
annoy him to death by not letting any of his attacks do damage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Balrog: This man was a wus in CE, but he is back with a vengeance. He is
|
|
------- an opponent to be taken seriously... He can induce dizziness very
|
|
easily, and his blows do good amounts of damage, which could lead to a short
|
|
round if you are not careful. Something that is easy to exploit about 'Rog
|
|
players is to determine if they like to TAP (Turn Around Punch) through your
|
|
FB's. If they don't, then just ignore that part, and things should be a bit
|
|
easier for you, how lucky! Balrog has long arms, so be wary if he is about
|
|
1/4 screen distance away. Few things he can do from this range: TAP through
|
|
a FB if you decide to throw a FB, try to trade damage by using a standing
|
|
Fierce punch to hit you in the noggin, or he can jump. It is usually not a
|
|
good idea for Balrog to be jumping in, unless he is able to anticipate very
|
|
good, or is able to catch you with the very end of the glove. If he gets an
|
|
air attack on you, you can try to DP him when his next punch comes, or throw
|
|
him as he lands. Do not use the Fierce DP's vs. Balrog, unless he is dizzy!
|
|
You can hit him all over the place with the DP, but he never seems to fall
|
|
down when the big DP connects. Use the Strong if you need the range. His
|
|
fists and arms make very good targets for a DP. But... there is always a
|
|
down side. Be selective when you DP, Balrog's long range make it easy for
|
|
him to hit you when you miss even a Jab DP. That pretty much covers basics
|
|
for fighting him, now some more good stuff.
|
|
|
|
The HK: a weak weapon, and a liability if you use it carelessly. He can
|
|
simply charge after you with an uppercut, or duck under, then hit you with
|
|
a crouching Fierce. Also, Balrog seems to snatch Ken up after a missed air
|
|
HK very easily, so if you must, HK from the ground. So, the moral is,
|
|
unless you are Ryu, it's not a good trade... This would be a good tactic
|
|
for when he is getting up, to do the air HK combo to drain off some life,
|
|
but the headbutt is very capable at grabbing you after you are finished. See
|
|
the rest below, but you'd better be early if you do this, otherwise, you
|
|
won't be doing any damage. The best of the Balrogs use all the punches like
|
|
there is no tomorrow, and will not hesitate to use one to hit you out of
|
|
the air HK. Even if you go backwards with it, he still can charge after you
|
|
with an uppercut for easy damage. Same thing for just jumping backwards. I
|
|
think that if you must air attack him, use a punch, as opposed to a kick for
|
|
a better chance at a clean hit, or at least a trade.
|
|
|
|
So, what now? You've knocked Balrog's big ass to the ground, what to do?
|
|
Well, if you are going to jump in on him, you'd better be early, cuz Balrog
|
|
just loves to hit you out of the air with his Strong or Fierce punch. Stay
|
|
on the ground or arrive early. If you attack from the air, go for a combo
|
|
with a FB in it. That should keep him back a bit. A DP combo attack is not
|
|
such a good idea, too easy for Balrog to hit you after a miss, or otherwise.
|
|
Tick him every so often to keep him from being able to anticipate your next
|
|
move, but be careful with yourself if you are weak. Balrog can do lots of
|
|
damage very fast, not good for you. If you are a good anticipator, DP his
|
|
lengthy limbs (not with a Fierce!). It does good damage considering how far
|
|
away you are. If you like risk, when he charges at you with a charging
|
|
punch or TAP, you might try to strike his fists with one of yours. A stand-
|
|
ing punch will usually do the trick. That is good to hit the foolish Balrog
|
|
who TAP's from too far away.
|
|
|
|
When Balrog gets you in a headbutt, beware of the things that so many of
|
|
the craftier players will do afterwards. The best 'Roggers mix it up a lot,
|
|
and rarely go for the same attack within a few tries of each other. These
|
|
are the things that you might see. After he lets you go, a TAP is not un-
|
|
common, and then it is usually followed up by another attack, sometimes by
|
|
a dashing punch, other times by regular attacks. You must avoid getting hit
|
|
by the TAP, or tons of damage will be yours to keep. Try just blocking or a
|
|
DP. You can never tell though, he might come in for another headbutt after
|
|
the TAP, so keep you eyes peeled. The other thing Balrog might do is to run
|
|
behind you after he lets go, then Jab or Short punches you for some surprise
|
|
hits and a possible headbutt. This is tricky the first couple of times you
|
|
see it, so don't get angry, get even the next time he does it, and give him
|
|
a throw for Christmas, or better yet, a well timed DP. Ah, but Balrog isn't
|
|
quite the idiot... He might decide to just do the fast punches, then step
|
|
back or whatever, and wait for you to go up and down (a DP you moron :) for
|
|
an easy grab or punch in the back. It is usually safe to try a Forward or
|
|
Roundhouse sweep to push him back, but watch your range so that the sweep
|
|
connects, else you will get a fist in the head.
|
|
|
|
The last part to defeat Balrog is to be smart. He can hit you at oddball
|
|
times. Especially after a missed sweep or punch. He will take anything to
|
|
whittle your lifebar away, and the Balrog corner is not a joke. If he gets
|
|
you there, it is very possible that you will panic and die. In this case,
|
|
you will need iron nerves. A relentless attack will fry you with your first
|
|
mistake. Then, you are limited to a few tactics. However, lookie here for
|
|
some helpful hints: do not jump straight up. Try it once, and you'll see
|
|
why. Jumping towards is a good attempt, but no good there either. Seems
|
|
hopeless? Well, Balrog's major weakness is his feet, obviously. But the
|
|
good Balrog will try to protect them, so it's up to you to try and hit them.
|
|
If he moves a tad too close, a Roundhouse sweep will make him sit down. You
|
|
had better knock him down, or he'll still be able to attack you. If you do
|
|
not seem to have any luck there, remember this... his hands can be hit! A
|
|
standing Jab maybe your ticket out of this. Experiment a little, as Balrog
|
|
is an under played character, and styles of these guys is unique from player
|
|
to player because of it. Hence, you must be able to adapt well to win.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Vega: Begin the round by stepping back, do not jump. Waiting for Vega to
|
|
----- come to you at first is a good idea. You must be quite proficient at
|
|
the DP for this tactic to be effective. You must throw fireballs occasion-
|
|
ally to force the opponent to jump. If he jumps anywhere near the DP range,
|
|
smack him with it. You want to knock him down a lot. When you knock him
|
|
down, go after him. Jump in and use a combo, even if it is blocked. Try
|
|
to make it a combo with a DP or FB. If you use the HK, confidence in your
|
|
throw as you land is important. Another good tactic would be to use the
|
|
"Air Hurricane" combo described above as you fly in on him. Vega is very
|
|
tall, and can be hit easily while he is on the ground from the air. Mixing
|
|
up speeds of both your HK's and FB's is important. Vega is much faster than
|
|
Ken, so use your abilities to control where he goes. If he goes for an
|
|
aerial attack from the wall, hold your ground at first, then strike quickly
|
|
with a DP. If you are in the corner, a standing Fierce or Roundhouse will
|
|
do. The air HK is good, but you need to be in the air early. As Vega hits
|
|
the ground after being knocked out of the wall attack, he may fall right
|
|
next to you. If he does, either move FAST or do a Jab DP or a Roundhouse HK
|
|
to prevent the easy throw. If he's going to throw you, make him take damage
|
|
first.
|
|
|
|
If you make a mistake, and Vega does not throw you, but you are taking
|
|
many quick hits, it is VERY difficult to get a DP in between those strikes.
|
|
Just take it like a man. Vega's attacks are very weak compared to Ken's.
|
|
It takes him two to four strikes to do what one of yours would. Be careful
|
|
after taking a series of these though. You may get dizzied very easily.
|
|
Making a mistake vs. Vega is not that bad... What if it were Ken? Probably
|
|
the worst he can do is throw or do the rolling claw. Watch yourself if he
|
|
slices you with many of the rolling claw strikes. If Vega rolls at you
|
|
while you are on the ground, almost any attack placed right can stop him
|
|
cold. If Vega rolls at you as you are getting up from a fall, place a DP in
|
|
his face. Never use the HK to try to stop the rolling claw, you will almost
|
|
always get hit. It won't even trade, HK wisely, as you can trap Vega in the
|
|
eggbeater, resulting in an easy dizzy.
|
|
|
|
Vega's Roundhouse slide can be quite obnoxious at times, but block it at
|
|
the right time or place, and Vega is meat for a well placed combo, foot
|
|
sweep, or throw. In the air, Vega can be a terror, but the air HK has
|
|
good priority, and can take most airborne opponents out, including Vega.
|
|
Using this attack from the air to hit Vega while he is on the ground is a
|
|
good way to disorient your opponent. If you manage to get him dizzy, the
|
|
TOD is a nice thing, but be careful if you mistime, Vega will throw you. It
|
|
may be safer to walk up and do a triple.
|
|
|
|
If the Vega is a sucker for the Backflip, the you only need wait until he
|
|
is finished in his little romp, then bash his head in with a triple combo,
|
|
or toss his skinny body into the corner. Vega is more prone in the corner,
|
|
and if you fight the computer often enough, you will know this. This is the
|
|
perfect opportunity to tick him, or do the air HK combo, or your favorite
|
|
pestering attacks on him. You don't want to throw many FB's since he can
|
|
escape easily. Go for foot sweeps, HK's and DP's to keep him there.
|
|
|
|
A lame strategy if you knock his claw off: Go wait in the corner, cont-
|
|
inually doing Short kicks, this will stop his attacks from the ground inclu-
|
|
ding his tumbling claw and foot slide. Then if he jumps at you, or tries
|
|
the wall attack, you know what to do...
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
Sagat: He is a tough one... for Ryu. Ken's speed and DP range are big ad-
|
|
------ vantages vs. Sagat. Sagat can be a problem at times, but, if you
|
|
follow Eu-Ming Lee's Krazy Ken style, you should be well off. Sagat's big-
|
|
gest advantages over Ken are his TU damage and FB speed. On the down side
|
|
though, he is very tall and lacks many really powerful combos. Obviously,
|
|
you will want to avoid being stricken with the TU if at all possible since
|
|
it is a real life drain. Also, his Firebirds are quite hazardous to your
|
|
health, since the FB's dizzy you quite easily. Ah, you say, avoid these and
|
|
I should be okay. Wrong. His other attacks rate right up there in damage
|
|
with Ken and Ryu. His limbs are quite long, making a mistimed FB a big mis-
|
|
take since you should get a foot or long reaching fist to the head. OK, now
|
|
that you know something about Sagat, here is the real stuff. As usual,
|
|
start the round off this way: Either a Fierce FB or defense. You can also
|
|
try to predict a FB before the round and jump in for the death combo. Of
|
|
course, this is risky, but it is worth it if you tag him. His high Firebird
|
|
attack is annoying, but bear with it. If you are close to him, and he is
|
|
crazy enough to think he can hit you, let him try. Then smash his arm with
|
|
a Strong/Fierce DP. If you're feeling a bit lucky, try to walk in on him
|
|
for the throw. This may be successful, as Sagat's throw range is PATHETIC!
|
|
He can only defensively throw you, and since his recovery time is longer
|
|
than yours, take advantage of it. Or if you guessed well enough, you can
|
|
jump on him for a lethal 4-hit combo.
|
|
|
|
His low FB's are another story... You must block them low. However, you
|
|
can use a Short HK to go over it w/o problems from the right distance. Jump
|
|
up over some of them, and cancel one now and then with a FB of your own, but
|
|
do not try to match him one for one, that is a losing battle. OK. Once you
|
|
work your way closer to him, say about 1/3 screen distance, then you might
|
|
want to take a shot at jumping in on him. Beware of the TU zone when you do
|
|
this, the idea is to put as little of yourself within that range while get-
|
|
ting yourself close enough to barely hit him with a flying attack. The
|
|
tip of the Roundhouse works well, or if you happen to know that you are just
|
|
a bit too close, use a punch instead, you might get lucky and nail Sagat if
|
|
he tries a TU at this range. A trick tactic is to jump in from the, shall I
|
|
say, horizon range for the TU. Jump in on him so that the Roundhouse will
|
|
get nailed, BARELY, by the TU, but don't stick your foot out. As you go to
|
|
the ground, Sagat will narrowly miss you and sail to the sky. Make him pay
|
|
dearly with a "triple DP" combo.
|
|
|
|
Playing at about 1/3 screen or closer is ideal vs. Sagat. There's a great
|
|
defensive effort on Sagat's part to keep you away, and bewilder you with a
|
|
maze of FB's. Coming in this close usually forces him to stop throwing them
|
|
since you could jump in at any time. So, he will have to change his posi-
|
|
tioning. You must stay with him. If he happens to stick out a lengthy arm
|
|
or leg for you, strike it with a DP, or if you are closer, knock him to the
|
|
ground with a Roundhouse. When Sagat is on the ground, try something other
|
|
than the usual FB. Go up to him and sock him with a Jab DP. Sagat usually
|
|
tries a TU if you come in close to him, either that or tries a really crappy
|
|
throw. Vary it slightly by coming in with a modified triple DP combo. Do
|
|
a crouched Forward followed by a Jab DP. If Sagat was absent minded, and
|
|
forgot to block low, bam, you've got two more hits. If he did block, you
|
|
will still take two ticks of life from him. This little Forward-DP thingy
|
|
is quite useful, and is somewhat difficult to counter with a throw, so use
|
|
it occasionally against Sagat, as well as vs. the other 11. Watch for the
|
|
Tiger Knee as you are close in to Sagat, 1/5 screen distance or closer. He
|
|
may try to surprise you by hopping over a misplaced FB. Be aware, and look
|
|
for the easy throw when this happens. If all else fails, go really "cheap"
|
|
on Sagat. He is a terrible counter thrower for most players, and you can
|
|
take him out this "easy way" if you prefer. Be sneaky on how far you stand
|
|
when you begin Short kicks, and do them sporadically to trick Sagat into
|
|
hitting air with a TU. Hopefully, you meet with some cheap success.
|
|
|
|
Last thing. The HK is not a good weapon vs. Sagat. Not a good trade when
|
|
he racks your balls with a full TU. Really only useful for long distance
|
|
escape of low FB's. If you're feeling really lucky, do the "air hurricane"
|
|
attack on him once in a while. You might dizzy him that way, but why mess
|
|
with it? In the air, Sagat is OK vs. Ken. But if he ventures into the air
|
|
too often, give him some DP medicine, and he should stick to the ground. If
|
|
the Sagat player is for some reason, "air happy", let him be. Sagat seems
|
|
to be most effective from the ground, and should not pose too many problems
|
|
for Ken. If you must meet him in the air, go for a Fierce punch rather
|
|
than a kick. Sagat's long leg will hit your leg, and you will go down. In
|
|
regards to what is said in the first paragraph, this fight is _not_ easy for
|
|
either of the fighters, you want to be a headache for Sagat when you fight
|
|
him, keep him guessing, and don't let him get you too close to the corner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
M. Bison: As dangerous as he may seem, Bison should pose no real problems
|
|
--------- for Ken. Ken has all the advantages over Bison, including long
|
|
range projectiles, and a move that can stop any of Bison's dead in it's
|
|
tracks. The beginning of each round will begin with you either fireballing
|
|
or him doing his body attack (flame torpedo or scissor knee). If you feel
|
|
confident that Bison isn't foolish enough to mess with the DP at first, go
|
|
ahead and throw a fireball, if not, just block or jump back right away.
|
|
Jumping back or straight up gets you out of the way of his moves, and it is
|
|
possible to strike him as you are coming down. If you are going to get hit
|
|
by him as you come down, try an aerial HK to avoid serious damage or the
|
|
throw. Bison is somewhat easy to keep away if the Bison player is not very
|
|
creative. If he is a torp-throw, torp-throw type, try throwing a steady
|
|
barrage of slow fireballs to keep him off your back. While doing this, mix
|
|
a few Strong and Fierce FB's to keep 'em clean. Beware if he's ahead
|
|
though, he may just sit back in the corner jumping over the FB's as they
|
|
come by. When this thing happens, continue the above, but inch forward each
|
|
time you throw a FB. Eventually, he will be backed into the corner, and
|
|
then you can command his actions from there. Bison's hang time in the air
|
|
is a big drawback vs. Ken. Use this little quirk about Bison to your advan-
|
|
tage, and learn the distance at which he can safely escape. Keep your eyes
|
|
open for the Head Stomp as well. While not very damaging, it has a surpris-
|
|
ing amount of dizzying "power". Bison's foot slide can be a pain if you are
|
|
not paying attention. I know I am able to catch many people off guard when
|
|
I play Bison using the Roundhouse Slide. Wide open eyes and quick reflexes
|
|
will prevent the slide from hitting you. Block it, then throw him, or if
|
|
you are fast enough, give him a "triple DP" combo. Should dizzy him.
|
|
|
|
If Bison somehow manages to play in close to you, it is not likely that he
|
|
will do a flame torpedo, it's too obvious and easy to counter, so look for
|
|
the standing Forward and Roundhouse kicks: they have good range and damage
|
|
along with good speed for such a strong attack. If you can anticipate one
|
|
of these coming, give him the 'ole DP in the foot. Close in, you can rip
|
|
Bison to shreds, but avoid doing a risky Jab DP if he can block it, a flame
|
|
torpedo will be coming your way if you do this. Instead, try being "cheap"
|
|
on him. Throw often vs. Bison, as he has the capability to come back very
|
|
quickly with that throw and torpedo. When you jump in on Bison, use the
|
|
"defensive combo" described far above to move him away. Don't use any one
|
|
jumping in combo all the time; try to smack him with an "air hurricane"
|
|
combo as he is getting up, or strike late and do a walk in throw. You are
|
|
capable of many different styles of play, and Bison cannot counter many of
|
|
them very well. If you want to play defensively vs. Bison, do this: When
|
|
the torpedo starts flying, DP if you can, otherwise take the hits, and throw
|
|
him out in to the center of the battle arena. Bison likes his opponents out
|
|
in the open, so put him there instead, don't let yourself stay out in the
|
|
open of the fighting area, because that gives Bison a greater chance to hit
|
|
you with more of his moves, besides, you will force him to jockey for posi-
|
|
tion, while you have one spot all to yourself. When you are waiting in the
|
|
corner, and he does a torpedo, jump back into the wall and do a Roundhouse,
|
|
it usually knocks him out of it. Also, the distance away from you after the
|
|
torpedo is different when you are in the corner. Take it from there, play
|
|
wisely, and you should defeat him.
|
|
|
|
On the offensive end of the battle, throw him into the corner when you get
|
|
the chance. The trick is to keep him there. For defense you put yourself
|
|
in the corner, well this time, put him there and go after him. Once he is
|
|
fallen in the corner, throw a fireball at him, then jump in. Hit him so
|
|
that you do not fall right next to him. At this point, you should be just
|
|
outside of his throwing range. It is up to you to decide what you want to
|
|
do to him, but you can throw, try combos on him, FB trap him to the corner
|
|
or whatever, but you want to prevent him from making any attacks at all.
|
|
Continuously attack him, striking with FB's, and DP's if he goes to the air.
|
|
Use the markings given on the stages to gauge the correct distance to stand
|
|
from him. Jump from there, and attack from there as well. This should pro-
|
|
vide all you need to beat him. Bison has no really effective air counter,
|
|
and his special moves are slow to start, so you should be able to stop them
|
|
as they start off. Of course, don't do a Jab DP if he will block it, that
|
|
will allow him to escape. This will lead to an eventual win as you will
|
|
effectively annoy him to death with FB's and DP's. Once you get started on
|
|
this, Bison should find it very difficult to escape, provided that you re-
|
|
main unpredictable. One more thing, when you dizzy Bison, go in for the
|
|
"Touch Of Death" combo. It should always hit him four times if you use the
|
|
neck kick, and sometimes it gets four hits from the frontal attack. If you
|
|
must attack him from the front, try a HK or FB combo instead, as it is much
|
|
safer to do, or if you are a stud, switch the DP button to Strong or Jab.
|
|
|
|
If you were good at fighting Bison in CE, look out for his faster speed
|
|
out of the head stomp and the torpedo. Those are the changes in his favor
|
|
that will be somewhat troublesome. His scissor kick has massive delays at
|
|
the start and finish of the move. Also, Bison who head stomps can go for a
|
|
throw if he crafts the movements right in the air, so be careful of when you
|
|
try to hit him, or you'll pay for it with a hip toss.
|
|
|
|
|
|
........................................
|
|
.....................10. Fighting Computer World Warriors...................
|
|
....................
|
|
|
|
Now, this part is not going to be as long as the previous section, since
|
|
the computer tends to stick to 2 or 3 different patterns for the most part,
|
|
and will stray from it once in a great while. If you know the patterns for
|
|
all the characters, then fighting them simply allows you to practice your
|
|
stuff to keep them from getting dull. This strategy is how I have defeated
|
|
a better than average computer with great consistency. Not too much variety
|
|
in it, but I can stay sharp on what I feel is important to my game in this
|
|
way. Each one will be considerably shorter than the human ones for rather
|
|
obvious reasons. Fighting the computer can only get you so far, and if you
|
|
wish to become better at fighting in the game of Street Fighter 2, you will
|
|
have to fight humans. On that note, I have never seen a person who fights
|
|
only the computer win at SF2:HF's computer opponents. It seems that the
|
|
fighting styles of the opponents is meant to match those of the players who
|
|
are better than the average lot with that player. The basic strategy that
|
|
won't be mentioned all the time is learn the patterns!
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Ryu-=> He is a punk now. One of the toughest fights if you get him as
|
|
the last of the computer opponents. Keep these things in mind: rarely does
|
|
the HK, never does the air HK, loves FBs, usually throws two FBs then waits,
|
|
will always use the DP if you jump in when he is down, and it is almost im-
|
|
possible to beat him in the air. Remember and learn his FB patterns since
|
|
those are the times at which you can easily kill him with combos. Don't try
|
|
to meet him in the air with any attack except a DP or jumping straight up
|
|
attack. Jumping towards him won't get you anywhere, and the computer does
|
|
more and takes less damage than you, in general. When Ryu is on the ground,
|
|
it is best to throw FB's at him from a safe distance. If it is not safe for
|
|
him to jump over, he will do something that benefits you somehow. If it is
|
|
safe to jump over, he probably will take to the air with a Roundhouse kick,
|
|
and then will proceed with FBs. Ryu likes the air Roundhouse/foot sweep
|
|
combo a lot, and it is really annoying since you can never block it. Watch
|
|
for the times that he will jump in early when you are getting up making you
|
|
think to block high, and then foot sweeps you. Every now and then he will
|
|
walk towards you. Try to wait until he is next to you, then throw or combo
|
|
him.
|
|
|
|
Don't challenge in the air.
|
|
Take advantage of his small, but consistently vulnerable FB delay.
|
|
No jump ins after he has fallen.
|
|
He never does the air HK, and the ground one only rarely.
|
|
The computer is not afraid to throw you, and ground ticks almost never work.
|
|
Don't miss Roundhouse foot sweeps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-E. Honda-=> Only one way to do this fight. Most boring, but it is how I
|
|
win this battle. Depending on when I fight, I throw a FB. If it is before
|
|
the first bonus stage, I do, otherwise, I just back up. The rest of the
|
|
round comprises of FBs and DPs when he comes in with an attack. Mixing up
|
|
the speed of the FBs will sometimes fool Honda into jumping on one of them,
|
|
which in turn will force him to block another as he is getting up. To beat
|
|
Honda with some consistency, and in general, without getting smashed to by
|
|
his new move all the time, follow this. Keep a lot of space between you and
|
|
him; you'll need it. Throw various speeds of FBs at him. The big idea is
|
|
to make Honda do his 'Sumo Butt Dive' attack. This move has better range
|
|
than any human player does, so watch out for the surprise hit from a seem-
|
|
ingly safe spot. Every now and then you will get hit cleanly as he is going
|
|
up, and the other times you will be able to block, he will miss, or you will
|
|
be able to get an attack off. In any of the cases where you are able to hit
|
|
him when he is coming down is your chance. Crunch him with the big damage
|
|
part of the DP as he falls to the ground. Repeat the FB thing over and over
|
|
pretty much until he his dead, or you screw up. If the Butt Dive attack
|
|
hits you twice, you are probably guaranteed a dizzy, so don't throw a FB if
|
|
you are too close to him. Never jump in on Honda when he is getting up from
|
|
a fall, you will get Sumo Torpedoed.
|
|
|
|
He does a lot of damage.
|
|
Watch for his Bear Hug, he will take lots of damage if he wants to.
|
|
Don't jump in if he is fallen.
|
|
Your DP is faster than any of his attacks, so make use of the fact you can
|
|
knock him down very easily.
|
|
Mix FB speeds up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Blanka-=> Toss a FB at the beginning of the round. Then wait until he
|
|
walks toward you, then throw another one. Repeat pretty much until he goes
|
|
dizzy, then combo him. You can beat him in the air from the right distance.
|
|
Beware of his silly vertical ball, horizontal ball "combo". He will do two
|
|
vertical balls of Strong or Jab speed at distance that will get him closer
|
|
to you, so hit him then. If he goes into electricity, just throw a FB at
|
|
him since is more likely to ball you than get hit out of it with a DP . If
|
|
you can get the range right, just throw him out of it. If he does some jump
|
|
around stuff away from you, then you must move closer, or try to make him
|
|
jump right into a FB. When Blanka is getting up, throw a Strong FB so that
|
|
it will get to him a split second AFTER he gets up. He is stupid enough to
|
|
try a ball attack into the FB. Repeat until dizzy, then kill.
|
|
|
|
Never jump in, you will get ball attacked.
|
|
He does lots of damage, and can do impossible combos.
|
|
Will do a walking forward ball attack on occasion.
|
|
Watch out for his bite attack.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Guile-=> About the stupidest of the computer guys. If he is on a low
|
|
level of attack (like one of the 1st 3 computer opponents) just toss FBs and
|
|
then use DPs and jump ins until he is dead. If he is on a high level of
|
|
attack, go about 1/3 the screen away, and do a Jab DP. He will Flash Kick
|
|
that should not hit you, or will be blocked. When he comes down, lay a huge
|
|
triple-DP combo on his for a dizzy, then finish him off with a TOD. If it
|
|
comes down to the nitty gritty battle, the plan is to use the FB trap on him
|
|
and then smash his body with a DP as he comes down. This battle should be
|
|
easy if you have the Jab DP range down where he won't hit you.
|
|
|
|
Guile likes to throw.
|
|
Jumping in on a fallen Guile is not a good idea, but it can work.
|
|
Watch out for his infamous standing Flash Kicks and walking forward SBs.
|
|
Take advantage of his foolish double Roundhouse kick, easy DP target.
|
|
He doesn't use the backhand too much, so canceling his SB is a safe bet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Ken-=> Until Ken goes nuts, he is tough, but after that, just block and
|
|
then kill him with big combos when he does the patented Fierce DP flurry.
|
|
Ken won't block a lot of FBs, he will jump over or cancel it with his own.
|
|
Use this fact to force him into a jumping in situation, and then hit him
|
|
with a DP. When he is getting up, toss a Strong FB at him, and he usually
|
|
will take the hit, and then be more suspect to a dizzy. He tends to miss
|
|
his attacks after you do a Fierce DP, so you can feel somewhat safe after
|
|
you use it in a TOD of combo, but don't make a habit out of it. When he
|
|
goes Krazy, just block until you have any easy shot at him. His DP is like-
|
|
ly to dizzy you since he has the fortune of almost always getting the 2nd
|
|
hit of the Fierce. Also, watch out for his insane attack series of DPs and
|
|
HKs which can drain a lot of life even when you block, so place your attack
|
|
in there carefully.
|
|
|
|
Like Ryu, don't challenge him in the air, or jump in when he is fallen.
|
|
He will use the HK and DP offensively, but recklessly.
|
|
Can be beaten with FBs from across the screen, but he can do his jump back-
|
|
and-forth routine to annoy you.
|
|
This Ken is easy to dizzy.
|
|
Watch out for his neck kick attack.
|
|
Likes to throw you if you aren't paying attention.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Chun Li-=> She is not quite the opponent she used to be, but she can be
|
|
difficult at times, especially since she fights like Ryu in a way. Once you
|
|
get Chun Li knocked down, it should be safe to jump in with a FB combo. She
|
|
will sometimes take the hit from the FB. Since Chun Li likes to attack from
|
|
the air, use the DP to take her out whenever possible since she will then
|
|
fall to the ground. Chun Li will use her FB attack in a style like Ryu, she
|
|
will throw two and then wait or jump back. You can take advantage of her FB
|
|
delay and use a big damage combo on her, or you can coax her into jumping by
|
|
walking towards her. The easiest way to beat her it to get her in the cor-
|
|
ner and making her jump around a lot so you can have your way with her.
|
|
|
|
Difficult to beat in the air.
|
|
Throws two FB's in a row.
|
|
Safe to jump in on, usually.
|
|
Doesn't use the SBK much, at least not offensively.
|
|
Likes to use the wall spring and heel stomp.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Zangief-=> He cheats a lot. You will get tough breaks every once in a
|
|
while in this fight, so bear (heh) with it. The cheese strategy is just to
|
|
use straight up and down Roundhouse kicks, or if you are in the corner, jump
|
|
back and use Roundhouse, then sweep/FB or DP when you land. Most people are
|
|
scared of Z though, and you should be able to get a lot of damage on him by
|
|
taking the offensive. As long as you don't mess up your combos and stay
|
|
next to him for too long, you should be safe from the SPD. When you knock Z
|
|
down, jump in so that you can hit the top of his head with a punch, or so
|
|
you can knick him with a kick. Then proceed with combos from there. Never
|
|
stay in one spot for too long, since he will come for you eventually. You
|
|
can wait till he gets close enough to you, then throwing a nearly point
|
|
blank FB at him when he has no chance for jumping over it. It works in some
|
|
cases, and can be a good way to dizzy him. If he knocks you down, and he is
|
|
right next to you, you can easily throw him. And in many other instances,
|
|
it will be OK to walk into him and throw him if he is somewhat nearby.
|
|
|
|
Z takes less damage from your attacks.
|
|
Can SPD from a long ways away, so watch out.
|
|
Uses the Spinning Lariats a lot, hit his face with a punch, or use a DP to
|
|
make him stop.
|
|
Block if he knocks you down and tries to foot sweep you.
|
|
Use throws when you get desperate.
|
|
Don't be foolish, Z does a lot of damage, it can be hard to come back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Dhalsim-=> The easiest way to defeat him is throwing him to death. Pick
|
|
a point at about one edge of the rug on the screen, then throw FBs from that
|
|
spot. Dhalsim will is likely to jump over, take the hit, or teleport behind
|
|
you for an easy combo or throw. If you decide to throw him, toss him back
|
|
to the place he came from, and then repeat with FBs. Jumping in on Dhalsim
|
|
when you have him can work, but be alert when he does the teleport from
|
|
under you as you come in. There will be a time in the match when Dhalsim
|
|
starts to do the body torpedo (head first). Once he does this, you can be
|
|
assured the match. Block the attack, and right when he lands, nail him with
|
|
a triple-DP combo. He should be dizzy, jump in as close to him as you can
|
|
without doing the neck kick, and do the TOD, it should get him four times.
|
|
If you don't have the right ranges for throwing a FB, try using foot work to
|
|
make Dhalsim do something. If you don't have the space, try a ground or air
|
|
HK to get better positioning on him.
|
|
|
|
Remember to be careful if he hits you with the headbutt.
|
|
HK over his FBs, or cancel them.
|
|
If he does a Yoga Flame, then air HK nearer to him and attack from there.
|
|
Triple-DP combos hit three times more often vs. Dhalsim.
|
|
Mix up the FB speeds often.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Balrog-=> He is still one of the weaker computer opponents, even though
|
|
he can do tons of stuff that no one else can. Simple FB trapping might be
|
|
enough to put an end to this match, but there is an easier way if you can
|
|
get him down. Once you have him knocked down, it is pretty safe to go ahead
|
|
and jump in on him as he gets up. You want to get there so that your attack
|
|
arrives at him as he stands. It should connect, then finish with a combo.
|
|
If he gets dizzy, and TOD is likely to hit four times, and then the match
|
|
will be about done. If Balrog starts hitting you with standing Fierces and
|
|
other types of hits, then take a short breather by blocking, and then wait
|
|
for an opening where you can foot sweep him for a knockdown. If you want to
|
|
meet Balrog in the air, you need to far enough away so that you get in the
|
|
air and have your foot or fist higher than his when you contact, otherwise
|
|
you will get hit, not him.
|
|
|
|
Balrog can kill you quickly, be careful if you are close to dizziness.
|
|
Be careful of how far you are when you throw a FB at him. He can jump over.
|
|
Combos when is getting up can win you the match, so take advantage of his
|
|
lack of blocking.
|
|
The HK isn't greatly useful, but it can be used when is getting up.
|
|
Throw if he tries a TAP from close range.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Vega-=> First step back, wait for him to go off the back wall, then hit
|
|
him with a DP as he descends. Then do what you would have in Classic, jump
|
|
towards him until he is in the corner, and throw or crush him with a combo.
|
|
You really need not throw any FBs in this fight, since he will jump over
|
|
them all anyway. You can make Vega jump by walking towards and away from
|
|
him. Moving the screen around Vega will make him want to jump. When goes
|
|
for the wall climb, back up so that the DP will hit, and let it fly when
|
|
Vega does. You might want to go back into a corner and try a Fierce punch
|
|
when he comes in for the attack, but this is risky. It does pay off though
|
|
if you connect, since Vega doesn't block right afterwards, and you can get
|
|
him with a triple-DP combo. Any attack that Vega does can be DPed, so do it
|
|
if Vega lets you.
|
|
|
|
Vega does little damage, but he can dizzy you quickly.
|
|
The screaming eagle tends to do more damage than his other attacks.
|
|
If you miss a Jab DP, Vega will throw you when you are close enough.
|
|
You can attack him with just about anything when he does the rolling claw.
|
|
His Roundhouse slide can be annoying, so remember to block low until you are
|
|
ready to make a move.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-Sagat-=> Of the boss characters, Sagat is probably the toughest for Ken.
|
|
This seems to carry over from the good fight that he can give if played by a
|
|
human, but with the right strategy, Sagat can be defeated. Since Sagat has
|
|
a habit of throwing many high FBs , you can hit his hands with a jumping in
|
|
kick or punch quite easily, and then finish with a combo, or you can stay on
|
|
the ground and try to do something sneaky from there. As such , you might
|
|
try to DP his arm when it is extended, or duck under it then do something
|
|
like a throw from there. Don't attempt to get in a FB war with Sagat, since
|
|
the computer throws without fail and in pattern, plus his FB is faster. You
|
|
try to jump in and do damage when he throws FBs, but there are sometimes you
|
|
will want to trick Sagat into missing a Tiger Uppercut. When you make Sagat
|
|
do this, hit him with a triple-DP combo as he comes down. The beginning of
|
|
the round can set the tone for the rest of that round, so you will want to
|
|
make sure that you start off correctly. Sagat usually jumps in with his
|
|
knee (Short kick) attack, and then will jump kick a few more times. Just DP
|
|
him here, then do some sort of ground series of attacks on him, like Short,
|
|
Short, Roundhouse, FB. Be careful of how many times you do this, since the
|
|
computer has the timing able to put a TU after the Short kick. I have never
|
|
seen the computer Sagat throw, so you don't have to worry about that, rather
|
|
watch out for his standing punches and kicks in their place. A DP will take
|
|
any of his moves out, so keep a sharp eye for opportunities. Sagat is very
|
|
tall, so you should be able to hit three- and four-hit combos without too
|
|
much problem.
|
|
|
|
His TU does a lot (about 1/3 life bar at max) of damage. Try not to get
|
|
hit by it. He is not invulnerable either.
|
|
Sagat is suspect to low attacks when he does high FBs.
|
|
He is easily attacked from the air when he throws low FBs.
|
|
Don't jump in on Sagat as he is getting up, you will get TUed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================================
|
|
|
|
<=-M. Bison-=> Still one of the hardest fights, IMO. I only win this about
|
|
50% of the time. Bison is weaker than he used to be, but the speed increase
|
|
from CE is murder, literally. Bison can now do the Flame Torpedo without
|
|
any delay from the beginning, but thank God that he can't throw everytime
|
|
when he could. I usually start off the round by jumping straight up, but
|
|
Bison doesn't always come in with a head stomp, so I try backing up right
|
|
away sometimes, and I find that it is a better start off, since you have to
|
|
put more space between the two of you at first , then you can close in once
|
|
you knock him down. Once Bison is knocked down, you can go in with just
|
|
about any FB combo in the book, and as long as you do it cleanly, he will
|
|
always have to at least block it, and maybe he will even take the FB hit.
|
|
When you jump in on him, you need to get there as he gets up , much like you
|
|
have to for Zangief and Balrog. Otherwise, he can get a kick or Torpedo off
|
|
in time to scorch you. Bison comes out of dizziness fast , much like the
|
|
tougher regular opponents and high level computer opponents, so unless you
|
|
are close enough to get a guaranteed combo, jumping will probably get you
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flamed, but if you do connect, a big combo works well, in fact, just about
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any combo with a FB always hits Bison. Never just sit back in the corner
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doing nothing; Bison doesn't hesitate to walk up and throw you. And never
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stand next to him when he is getting up, he will throw you. Bison loves the
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throw whenever he can get it, so watch out for it. The scissor knee should
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not provide much problem since you can always DP it , and the head stomp is
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used to fool you, but if you can block it, you will be safe.
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Bison is an air attacker (for some reason), stay on the ground.
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He will throw you if are close to him.
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Bison rarely uses crouching kicks, so he will be using punches instead.
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Keep in mind the reach of his standing kicks.
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Block the flame torpedo if you can't DP it; too much damage.
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Jumping in with punches is generally safer if you are close enough.
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........................................
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.......................11. Afterword........................................
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....................
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This thing took forever to write, mainly due to waiting until I felt more
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comfortable fighting all of the opponents, namely Guile, Blanka, and Ryu.
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This is in no way supposed to be completeness for fighting with Ken. I use a
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lot of _Improv_ play when I do battle. I stick to a very, very basic strat-
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egy: win. I do what I must to win. No patterns over the long haul. A
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round of pattern play is OK, but patterns will not win you matches over and
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over against the better human foes. I mix it up in the many ways that Ken
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allows. Before sometime in late May '93, I had been thinking about one of
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the strategies that I point out up in the combos section. This has to deal
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with that "defensive combo" and Ken's ability to escape it. Obviously it is
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not a real combo versus the wily Ken players. I found this out by trying it
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when I had nothing to lose (I had a round, and was ahead in the 2nd). The
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best way to play Ken is picking up your own style. Reading all this babble
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might give some pointers, but play in a way that will allow you to win, not
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like I think that Ken should be played. I play in one of the many ways that
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Ken can be played.
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--
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Internet: musjndx@gsusgi2.gsu.edu Fidonet : Jonathan Deitch@1:133/411.7
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jdeitch@gisatl.fidonet.org Bellnet : 1 - 404 - 261 - 3665
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Atlanta 1996 !! | Play Pinball !! | Don't Panic ! | "I hate it when I can't
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--------------------------------------------------| trust my own technology!"
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"Thrills! Chills! Magic! Prizes!" -- Hurricane | -- Geordi LaForge
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Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov, Jim Henson, Dr. Seuss, Mel Blanc ... Sigh ...
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