Tips for Fighting Games

[Jolly Co-operator]

So, in a lovely little bit of serendipity, I happened to find a cheap fighting game controller at the same that Street Fighter 4 went on sale on Steam. Despite having never been one for fighting games before, I've found that I'm really enjoying them, now that I finally have a control stick suited to doing the special moves.

I'm still not very good as of yet though. With my two best characters (Dudley and Guy) I've only managed to beat arcade mode on medium difficulty. What general tips do you have for the genre, and what other games do you recommend? (I've recently picked up Blazblue: Calamity Trigger as well). The games can be either for PS3 or PC. Thanks in advance.

 

[krazykidd]

I would suggest UMVC3, but that game is no longer available QQ ( digital download on console, wasnt available on pc).

As for tips. Play against people and lose. Not on purpose, but do your best and lose anyways. You will lose a lot, but learn from your lost. It's usually not " because the other guy is better" like most people think. It's mostly because you were doing something wrong. Like jumping too much for example. Know your character and what he and she can do. SF is less about combos and more about spacing and reading/punishing your opponent . So play people you like and learn what they can do.

Also look up tournaments on youtube, i find those highly entertaining and very educational, no matter what fighting game you play. You'll learn a lot from watching the pros, EVO2014 is soon, watch it, especially the top 64.

On and here, this should be fun to watch


This is episode one, they make weekly content every sunday, they are up to 17 now.

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

You'll probably hear this everywhere and it will seem obvious, but practice practice practice. First you need to reach a point where combos come naturally instead of you having to think about them. Combo timings need to be hard-coded into your fingers so you can execute them without thinking. Then there's reaction speed which is also something that will only improve with practice. Dig up youtube videos to see how Dudley and Guy are best used. Guy has quite a few counters and not very common at tournament levels, but ultimately playing ANY character for a long time will help you improve your game overall.

See if you can clear all the training challenges for most characters, it can be quite frustrating for a new player and in SSF4 the timings (at first) will seem stupidly tight and unforgiving but keep going at it. Also keep fighting other players in match/tournament mode to get a feel of how people use various characters.

You can also learn about all the terminology and technical stuff (frames, pokes, sweep, vortex, etc) and knowledge about frame-timings, immunities, counters, etc. But that is really at the more advanced stage once you've got your basics sorted out.

So yeah...just keep playing

Other fighters include Skullgirls, UMCV3 (IMO not fun at higher levels due to infinite combos), Tekken, etc. Whatever floats your boat. I personally consider SSF4:AE as the best fighter currently.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I suppose the simplest advice I can give is to play to win, don't be disheartened when you lose because you will (a lot) and always try to learn. Try to never let a match go by, win or loss, where you don't learn something. Maybe it's a new tactic, maybe it's a read on an opponent, or maybe it's just a "damn, that was dumb.. I'm not gonna do that again."

As for more specific stuff, I'd say make sure you're learning the right things. Learn how fighting games actually work instead of just relying on what is passed off as a training mode in most of them. Being able to do all of those fancy "training mode" combos won't do you any good at all if you don't understand the basics of space control, move properties, conditioning your opponent, basic punishes, etc.

If you're looking for some sources to learn from, I would suggest checking out this basic video on Street Fighter (it's a tutorial for Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, but the main tenets still apply):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0cFs5mHQC4

I would also suggest going to Youtube and checking out the UltraChenTV channel. Pay special attention to the First Attack series of videos. Great stuff for learning.

As for what fighting games to try, I'd say you've actually got a really good start with what you have. SF4 is the most widely played fighting game in the world. It's not really regarded as technically the best by many experienced players but because so many people play it, it's easily the most explored and researched game. It's also a great building block given that most other 2D fighting games can be reduced to "it's like in SF, but.." BlazBlue is also great because it can be viewed in many ways as a more advanced SF. Once you have the basics in SF down, getting better at BB will likely end up making you better at SF and can be a gateway into games like Marvel VS Capcom if you're interested. It also opens up the entire ArkSys catalog including the coming Persona $ fighter expansion and the new Guilty Gear game.

If you ever want to get into 3D fighters, you can't go wrong with Virtua Fighter 4 or 5. They're kind of clunky as games and they feel pretty archaic, but they're cheap and the tutorial/training mode is so good it's worth a purchase even if you never touch the actual game.

 

[Compatriot Block]

Playing strictly against computer characters can actually make you worse, in the long run. You might learn to rely on strategies that only work because they are exploiting AI flaws.

Not to mention, Guy and Dudley aren't the most beginner-friendly characters. You'll be able to pick up most characters with enough work, but at this point you should be learning fundamentals primarily.

Personally I recommend Ryu, Cody and Balrog(the last one only if you like charge characters, which I do not). Ryu and Balrog can teach you stuff like spacing, and Ryu especially can teach you anti-airs and spacing fireballs. Cody can teach you some easy links (linking together moves, which is different than canceling them into a special), but his poor wake-up options means you'll be forced to learn to block well, which is especially important in a game like Street Fighter 4.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

There are guides for each character's hidden tricks and advantages on GameFAQs, and there's lots of professional replays available to watch on Youtube.

Beyond that, SF4 is like most fighting games in that it boils down to mastering the mechanics, learning which moves are supposed to counter what (for example I believe every character now has at least one move that passes right through/over projectiles to deter their overuse, and they created Focus attacks to stop constant blocking).

Most fighting games also utilize cancelling, which means using a move that reduces or eliminates the lag time of the one used before it. If you find a move you like that keeps whiffing and gets countered due to high recovery time, go into practice mode and try experimenting with all of your normal and special attacks immediately after that move. One of them should be able to eliminate the lag time and create a combo unless it's a finisher (and even then some of the rising uppercut finishers let you juggle afterwards).

 

[Artaneius]

I honestly wouldn't bother playing fighting games unless you have a lot of free time to dedicate to getting good. It takes a LONG time to actually see any kind of progress in fighting games considering that they usually have a very high skill gap and ceiling.

My main fighting game is Smash Bros Melee and it took literally 3-4 years for me to perfect the glitches and exploits necessary to pull off the huge combos you like you see on my profile pic. It may look easy, but it isn't. Secondary is SF III and again took a very long time to parry good. Most fighting games are as bad as Quake and Unreal Tournament when it comes to the skill gap. Pretty much the only way to catch up to the veterans is dedicating your life to the game for a long time.

 

[The Wykydtron]

First, forget about combos and learn your character (I only play one or two characters in any fighting game, Mu-12 represent) combos mean nothing if you don't know how to get in and hit the guy first.

What is your character's range? Does she have any projectiles? Invincibility frames to exploit? How good are her normals? What is horribly unsafe? What can you cancel? For example you cancel Mu-12's insanely unsafe forward heavy into gun placement if it hits while blocking but straight whiffs you can't. Just press buttons/mash your dash while doing her moves you'll figure it out

Yes 99% of my characters end up being female, how could you tell? Male characters are so boring for some reason... Aside from our lord and saviour Hazama of course.

[sub][sub] Hi, i'm Ragna! I'm a very unique main anime character with a sword! This is my brother Jin who is also a main anime character with a sword![/sub][/sub]

Learn to input your supers perfectly since they're going to be important. Especially if you have a multi stage super like BlazBlue's Makoto. You can freaking drop Particle Flare after you've already hit it and the damage disappears...

Oh and you might want to pick up the newest addition(s) to BlazBlue. Either BlazBlue Continuum Shift: Extend or Chrono Phantasma which is the very newest one (PS3 only though otherwise I would already be playing it T_T)

The online will end up being dead by the time I get it, I can feel it. At least PS3s are relatively cheap after the PS4 release I suppose.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

Gonna say that whether you can beat Arcade Mode in any fighting game doesn't really matter in terms of how good you are compared to other players considering how cheap (and also stupid) fighting game A.I. can be.

Combos are important depending on your character in Street Fighter and typically fairly important in many other games. But you also need to worry about spacing and knowing which attacks to throw out at which distance in order to outsmart and potentially frustrate your opponent.

Max damage punishes and all that (taking advantage of the opportunity to do the most damage off of an unsafe attack frame-wise whiffing or being blocked).

Don't get frustrated too much in the beginning. I wouldn't call myself more than a decent fighting game player in any game but I'm certain I've improved a bit over the 4 years I've been playing them.

 

[blackdwarf]

Play a lot and play against other players. tend to focus on one character and learns it strengths and weaknesses. Find out what are possibilities you can do in certain situations. and in case of Streetfighter, Learn to punish! when the opponent whiffs (misses his attack), you should go in there and punish his mistake.

for other fighting games, just try some stuff. I personally really like Tekken, which is a 3D fighter. But other 2D fighter work different from Streetfighter.

 

[Wasted]

I have been a fan of fighting games since I remember picking up Street Fighter II: The World Warrior on the Super Nintendo. I have played hundreds of fighting games and invested thousand of hours into them. That being said, my skill compared to people online in SF$ is below average at best. Expect to lose a lot but as long as you have fun playing then you will enjoy the genre immensely.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Just have fun and get comfortable playing dont worry about in depth stuff if you are starting out I played SF2 with pretty much two buttons for years as a kid (HP and HK do the damage why use others right?) it didnt help me learn combos but it did teach me about punishing unsafe moves and misses and of course spacing.

Just so you know Ultra SF4 is out now I think in america via digital download on PS3 (and probably 360) but the boxed console version and the PC version will be released later August over in the UK maybe a bit earlier elsewhere.

SF4 is a good game to start and carry on with TBH but there has been a wealth of amazing fighters last gen so you are spoilt for choice.

A few of my favourites released last gen would be:- (no order)

King of Fighters XIII
SF4
Soul Calibur 5
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
Skullgirls
DarkStalkers Resurrection (this a collection of old games but they are very good)
Persona 4 Arena (a must for fans of persona who also like fighters)
Blazblue Chronophantasma

There are loads more the only ones I have not liked very much are

Arcana Hearts 3 (cant say anything bad about the game though its just not for me)
Injustice (ugly models and horrendous animation)
SF X Tekken (hated the art style and the way the game played)

and to a lesser extent MK9 but that was only due to the models and animation like Injustice (same people) but the game is more entertaining that Injustice imo.

Oh and it will take a very very long time to get decent so good luck I am pretty bad at most of the ones I play and I have been playing them since SF2 first released in arcades.

SF4 will have the most competition most likely the SF name carries a lot of weight still and ofc Ultra is being released (has released as an update) so that should reinvigorate the game for a bit at least.

Persona 4 Arena 2 (not its official title which is much cooler longer and crazier) is also coming out soon and I am even more hype for that than USF4 tbh, Guilty Gear Xrd is also on its way Arc are pulling out the stops atm. Heres hoping Capcom announce Darkstalkers 4 at E3.

 

[Jolly Co-operator]

Just have fun and get comfortable playing dont worry about in depth stuff if you are starting out I played SF2 with pretty much two buttons for years as a kid (HP and HK do the damage why use others right?) it didnt help me learn combos but it did teach me about punishing unsafe moves and misses and of course spacing.

Just so you know Ultra SF4 is out now I think in america via digital download on PS3 (and probably 360) but the boxed console version and the PC version will be released later August over in the UK maybe a bit earlier elsewhere.

SF4 is a good game to start and carry on with TBH but there has been a wealth of amazing fighters last gen so you are spoilt for choice.

A few of my favourites released last gen would be:- (no order)

King of Fighters XIII
SF4
Soul Calibur 5
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
Skullgirls
DarkStalkers Resurrection (this a collection of old games but they are very good)
Persona 4 Arena (a must for fans of persona who also like fighters)
Blazblue Chronophantasma

There are loads more the only ones I have not liked very much are

Arcana Hearts 3 (cant say anything bad about the game though its just not for me)
Injustice (ugly models and horrendous animation)
SF X Tekken (hated the art style and the way the game played)

and to a lesser extent MK9 but that was only due to the models and animation like Injustice (same people) but the game is more entertaining that Injustice imo.

Oh and it will take a very very long time to get decent so good luck I am pretty bad at most of the ones I play and I have been playing them since SF2 first released in arcades.

SF4 will have the most competition most likely the SF name carries a lot of weight still and ofc Ultra is being released (has released as an update) so that should reinvigorate the game for a bit at least.

Persona 4 Arena 2 (not its official title which is much cooler longer and crazier) is also coming out soon and I am even more hype for that than USF4 tbh, Guilty Gear Xrd is also on its way Arc are pulling out the stops atm. Heres hoping Capcom announce Darkstalkers 4 at E3.

I'm actually curious about Persona 4 Arena. I'm a huge fan of Persona 3 and 4, and my inner fanboy squeals with glee at the idea of the two casts being brought together. Without really spoiling anything, could you tell me if the plot is at least decent, and if it's mechanically sound as a game?

 

[Username Redacted]

I would suggest UMVC3, but that game is no longer available QQ ( digital download on console, wasnt available on pc).

For someone who's looking to improve at fighting games I would recommend almost anything but UMvC3 as that game teaches terrible habits and requires fuck-all for fundamentals. It is also incredibly slapped together such that basically 1 + 1 =/= 2. It is also IMO becoming an increasingly boring game at higher levels as the majority of players seem completely content to let 2-3 top players dominate rather than trying to innovate and find ways to beat them. The fact that Justin Wong is still winning tournaments with a team he started playing the first month of "vanilla" MvC3 (i.e. he hasn't been forced to "update" his strategy in 3 years) is depressing and should be embarrassing to his competition.

Personally I recommend Ryu, Cody and Balrog(the last one only if you like charge characters, which I do not). Ryu and Balrog can teach you stuff like spacing, and Ryu especially can teach you anti-airs and spacing fireballs. Cody can teach you some easy links (linking together moves, which is different than canceling them into a special), but his poor wake-up options means you'll be forced to learn to block well, which is especially important in a game like Street Fighter 4.

Agree on Ryu and Balrog for being beginner friendly motion and charge characters respectively. Very much disagree on Cody. Yes his combos are piss easy but that's the only time him and 'easy' reside in the same postal code. His game plan is very high level and hit confirming with him is tricky at the best of times. I might toss T. Hawk out there for being the easiest grappler character to play if throwing your opponents around and losing a lot appeals to you (that said T. Hawk is reportedly much improved in Ultra Street Fighter 4).

To the OP directly the best advice would be simply to practice.

 

[Compatriot Block]

I would suggest UMVC3, but that game is no longer available QQ ( digital download on console, wasnt available on pc).

For someone who's looking to improve at fighting games I would recommend almost anything but UMvC3 as that game teaches terrible habits and requires fuck-all for fundamentals. It is also incredibly slapped together such that basically 1 + 1 =/= 2. It is also IMO becoming an increasingly boring game at higher levels as the majority of players seem completely content to let 2-3 top players dominate rather than trying to innovate and find ways to beat them. The fact that Justin Wong is still winning tournaments with a team he started playing the first month of "vanilla" MvC3 (i.e. he hasn't been forced to "update" his strategy in 3 years) is depressing and should be embarrassing to his competition.

Personally I recommend Ryu, Cody and Balrog(the last one only if you like charge characters, which I do not). Ryu and Balrog can teach you stuff like spacing, and Ryu especially can teach you anti-airs and spacing fireballs. Cody can teach you some easy links (linking together moves, which is different than canceling them into a special), but his poor wake-up options means you'll be forced to learn to block well, which is especially important in a game like Street Fighter 4.

Agree on Ryu and Balrog for being beginner friendly motion and charge characters respectively. Very much disagree on Cody. Yes his combos are piss easy but that's the only time him and 'easy' reside in the same postal code. His game plan is very high level and hit confirming with him is tricky at the best of times. I might toss T. Hawk out there for being the easiest grappler character to play if throwing your opponents around and losing a lot appeals to you (that said T. Hawk is reportedly much improved in Ultra Street Fighter 4).

To the OP directly the best advice would be simply to practice.

Yeah his frametraps are high level, but if he's playing against people around his skill level that shouldn't be as much of a problem. Besides, at least in my experience, frametraps are ineffective against newer players who aren't afraid to mash reversals.

cr. lp, cr. lp, cr. lk > Criminal Upper is a pretty easy hit confirm.

Then again this is all my opinion. Some parts of Cody are undoubtedly harder to learn, but the fact that he can't mash an easy reversal on wakeup taught me to block better.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The main tip for someone who is starting to play fighting games:

You aren't actually playing the game until you've learned every single move that every character has, before that point you're just button-mashing.

I know that's a lot to take in, but if you're playing against human opponents then that's really the way it is. Different people use different characters, and favor different attacks and tactics. If you don't know the attacks of every character in the game then you can easily get blindsided by a character you've never paid attention to and get your ass completely kicked because you don't know that character's move-set. High level play in fighting games against human opponents is all about mind games, and these only work when both players know the capabilities of each others characters.

 

[blackdwarf]

I'm actually curious about Persona 4 Arena. I'm a huge fan of Persona 3 and 4, and my inner fanboy squeals with glee at the idea of the two casts being brought together. Without really spoiling anything, could you tell me if the plot is at least decent, and if it's mechanically sound as a game?

The story is ok. It is kind of simple compared to the RPG games and it requires to play story mode with multiple characters. The story only consists of a couple of fights and a lot of text scenes. the story self is more an excuse for the fighting that takes place between the main cast. the fighting games itself is really solid. fun and unique characters and easy to understand mechanics.

Problem is that ARC system has a abysmal publisher plan with their fighting games. Being an European I had to wait several months for the game, without any good explanation, and was still expected to pay full price. luckily I got it for less, but now we get a new version, with new characters and rebalanacing. Looks great, but it is disc only and again full price. So, I have to pay again the full price for content that could easily been done with DLC. Never mind that it still isn't clear when the release in Europe is. So I don't expect I will be picking the new version up. Probably worth if you are a new player.

 

[Username Redacted]

I would suggest UMVC3, but that game is no longer available QQ ( digital download on console, wasnt available on pc).

For someone who's looking to improve at fighting games I would recommend almost anything but UMvC3 as that game teaches terrible habits and requires fuck-all for fundamentals. It is also incredibly slapped together such that basically 1 + 1 =/= 2. It is also IMO becoming an increasingly boring game at higher levels as the majority of players seem completely content to let 2-3 top players dominate rather than trying to innovate and find ways to beat them. The fact that Justin Wong is still winning tournaments with a team he started playing the first month of "vanilla" MvC3 (i.e. he hasn't been forced to "update" his strategy in 3 years) is depressing and should be embarrassing to his competition.

Personally I recommend Ryu, Cody and Balrog(the last one only if you like charge characters, which I do not). Ryu and Balrog can teach you stuff like spacing, and Ryu especially can teach you anti-airs and spacing fireballs. Cody can teach you some easy links (linking together moves, which is different than canceling them into a special), but his poor wake-up options means you'll be forced to learn to block well, which is especially important in a game like Street Fighter 4.

Agree on Ryu and Balrog for being beginner friendly motion and charge characters respectively. Very much disagree on Cody. Yes his combos are piss easy but that's the only time him and 'easy' reside in the same postal code. His game plan is very high level and hit confirming with him is tricky at the best of times. I might toss T. Hawk out there for being the easiest grappler character to play if throwing your opponents around and losing a lot appeals to you (that said T. Hawk is reportedly much improved in Ultra Street Fighter 4).

To the OP directly the best advice would be simply to practice.

Yeah his frametraps are high level, but if he's playing against people around his skill level that shouldn't be as much of a problem. Besides, at least in my experience, frametraps are ineffective against newer players who aren't afraid to mash reversals.

cr. lp, cr. lp, cr. lk > Criminal Upper is a pretty easy hit confirm.

Then again this is all my opinion. Some parts of Cody are undoubtedly harder to learn, but the fact that he can't mash an easy reversal on wakeup taught me to block better.

First I would argue that the combo should be cr.lp, cr. lp, cr. mp xx Criminal Upper/MK Ruffian Kick (damage vs. spacing). Also just because the combo is easy doesn't mean it's an easy hit confirm as in this case it starts with an attack that can be blocked either standing or crouching. Even Balrog, whose basic combo is similar, has other combos that start off of low attacks or overheads. Cody's ability to open someone up depends almost entirely on frame trapping and convincing the opponent not to mash on reversal. That isn't easy. That said you're probably correct that Cody will be effective against low level players. It's just that I'd be worried that the second that OP stepped up in competition that there's going to be a much more issues facing him than if he where playing a more fundamentally sound character.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

The best general tip for the genre is simple - pracitce the move set for a character you like until you can execute them on a whim without referencing a cheat sheet. Once you can do this the game (when played against people) is no longer about technical mastery but rather psychology; it becomes a game of bluff and counter bluff.

 

[Compatriot Block]

I would suggest UMVC3, but that game is no longer available QQ ( digital download on console, wasnt available on pc).

For someone who's looking to improve at fighting games I would recommend almost anything but UMvC3 as that game teaches terrible habits and requires fuck-all for fundamentals. It is also incredibly slapped together such that basically 1 + 1 =/= 2. It is also IMO becoming an increasingly boring game at higher levels as the majority of players seem completely content to let 2-3 top players dominate rather than trying to innovate and find ways to beat them. The fact that Justin Wong is still winning tournaments with a team he started playing the first month of "vanilla" MvC3 (i.e. he hasn't been forced to "update" his strategy in 3 years) is depressing and should be embarrassing to his competition.

Personally I recommend Ryu, Cody and Balrog(the last one only if you like charge characters, which I do not). Ryu and Balrog can teach you stuff like spacing, and Ryu especially can teach you anti-airs and spacing fireballs. Cody can teach you some easy links (linking together moves, which is different than canceling them into a special), but his poor wake-up options means you'll be forced to learn to block well, which is especially important in a game like Street Fighter 4.

Agree on Ryu and Balrog for being beginner friendly motion and charge characters respectively. Very much disagree on Cody. Yes his combos are piss easy but that's the only time him and 'easy' reside in the same postal code. His game plan is very high level and hit confirming with him is tricky at the best of times. I might toss T. Hawk out there for being the easiest grappler character to play if throwing your opponents around and losing a lot appeals to you (that said T. Hawk is reportedly much improved in Ultra Street Fighter 4).

To the OP directly the best advice would be simply to practice.

Yeah his frametraps are high level, but if he's playing against people around his skill level that shouldn't be as much of a problem. Besides, at least in my experience, frametraps are ineffective against newer players who aren't afraid to mash reversals.

cr. lp, cr. lp, cr. lk > Criminal Upper is a pretty easy hit confirm.

Then again this is all my opinion. Some parts of Cody are undoubtedly harder to learn, but the fact that he can't mash an easy reversal on wakeup taught me to block better.

First I would argue that the combo should be cr.lp, cr. lp, cr. mp xx Criminal Upper/MK Ruffian Kick (damage vs. spacing). Also just because the combo is easy doesn't mean it's an easy hit confirm as in this case it starts with an attack that can be blocked either standing or crouching. Even Balrog, whose basic combo is similar, has other combos that start off of low attacks or overheads. Cody's ability to open someone up depends almost entirely on frame trapping and convincing the opponent not to mash on reversal. That isn't easy. That said you're probably correct that Cody will be effective against low level players. It's just that I'd be worried that the second that OP stepped up in competition that there's going to be a much more issues facing him than if he where playing a more fundamentally sound character.

I'd agree that he should drop Cody once competition starts getting tougher, at least for a while.

The only reason I used cr. lk instead of cr. mp is because it's somewhat easier to link.

The main reason I even mentioned someone other than Ryu is because some people can't stand the shotos. OP, if you don't mind shoto characters (Ryu, Ken, Akuma, Evil Ryu/Oni sort of), try Ryu. Probably the best for fundamentals, since there's no gimmicky stuff he can do.