Street Fighter IV Impressions

[EvilHomer3k]

I have had good luck with quick matches for the most part.  It was tough last night but normally it only takes one or two tries.  I try to be really quick when finding a good connection, though.  I had a tough time in ranked matches last night.  I only won 2 out of probably 10 matches.  My win/loss rate is about 50% in unranked but last night I got matched up with people in the 1500-2500 point range (I started at 0). I played a couple of Zangiefs that seemed to throw constantly.  Most of the matches were pretty close but generally came down to missing a special move at the wrong time.  That and I could not remember Cammy's Ultra.

I like Cammy for Ken scrubs a lot.  Her spinning fist avoids fireballs quite nicely. You can cancel the second hit and throw (I need to get much much better at this) if they block it. She's pretty fast, too.  I also had some success with Chun Li.  Ryu is my best character and I didn't win a match with him. Most were close but just missed a few opportunities and moves. It's frustrating to be able to get things consistently for most of the match but miss it just enough times to lose.

[WinoMcCougarstein]

Also, I must admit, I do have fun playing as Ken every once in a while.  It's just so easy to be relentless with his moves/speed.  I don't care if that makes me a 'scrub.'  In fact, I honestly couldn't care less.

[EvilHomer3k]

Playing Ken doesn't make you a scrub. There just seems to be a tendency for scrubs to pick Ken so he gets a bad rap. 

[depward]

Yeah, honestly I really don't care about someone's choice to play.  Kind of a 180 of the mentality when I first got the game but now I could care less.

I'm rollin', rollin', rollin' with my Balrog.  Also playing fairly well with my Bison.  NEED TO PLAY MOAR

[TiLT]

I care about other people's choice of character to play only because it directly affects me. I hate having to face Ken after Ken after Ken. I've only seen about 6-7 different fighters across 54 multiplayer battles. That's just wrong.

[madpeon]

I'm still trying to determine which character I want to focus on when my stick gets here (damn you Best BUy  ).

Something is telling me stomping faces with E. Honda will be very, very satisfying.

[Teggy]

Thought you guys might find this interesting...

Guy who worked on SSFIIHD says SFIV isn't newb-friendly

Actually, the link I had to the article basically said he didn't think it was newb-friendly. If you read the article he kind of just generally trashes it.

[EvilHomer3k]

That's a nice read and I think it's pretty accurate.  I'm not fighting game newbie.  Quite the contrary.  I spent the bulk of my gaming time playing one fighting game or another.  I think what is meant by newbie friendly is that the basics are fairly easy to do.  I think the gripes he has with the game are entirely accurate regarding the number of button presses and the tiny window for combos.  Being able to do many of them requires lots of practice.  Missing a throw or move because you missed a button is annoying.  Casual players aren't going to be able to do low short, strong, dragon punch, Focus attack dash cancel, Ultra. Certainly not with such precise timing and dexterous button pressing.

[TheMissingLink]

Blind selection for ranked is a no brainer, tbh.

I actually got the 5 online wins in a row achievement tonight...as well as my first hatemail for using Sagat  calling ME a noob after beating a dude

He is so goddamn powerful.

I switch to Rose and get my arse whooped.  And speaking of not-so-used fighters, Abel sucks.  I don't see anything redeeming or dangerous in his game.

[Harkonis]

[TiLT]

Lol, that describes most Kens I've met online.

[Destructor]

The problem though is that's a great way to play him. It works really well on a n00b level.

[EvilHomer3k]

Blind selection for ranked is a no brainer, tbh.

I actually got the 5 online wins in a row achievement tonight...as well as my first hatemail for using Sagat  calling ME a noob after beating a dude

He is so goddamn powerful.

I switch to Rose and get my arse whooped.  And speaking of not-so-used fighters, Abel sucks.  I don't see anything redeeming or dangerous in his game.

I played an Abel who was really really good.  Ranked match, too.  The guy destroyed me. 

Does anyone have any tips for getting past good akuma players?  Not your typical fireball spamming scrub but someone who uses the air fireball and standard fireball well?  The guy would do a slow fireball and follow it.  Akuma seems to be able to get close enough to do a low/overhead/throw if you block the fireball.  I beat this guy last night as Blanka while he played Zangief.  He switched to shoto fighters and I lost 8 in a row.  Some were close but I missed things at key times (some simple throws and some ultras).  Just enough to lose.  Anyway, I had a lot of trouble with Akuma.  I could get by most of the fireballs with Cammy or duck under them with Blanka but most of the time it just lead to another fireball. 

[pr0ner]

Blind selection for ranked is a no brainer, tbh.

I actually got the 5 online wins in a row achievement tonight...as well as my first hatemail for using Sagat  calling ME a noob after beating a dude

He is so goddamn powerful.

I switch to Rose and get my arse whooped.  And speaking of not-so-used fighters, Abel sucks.  I don't see anything redeeming or dangerous in his game.

The fact that the last hit of his combination special is unblockable is pretty redeeming and dangerous.

[wonderpug]

Does anyone have any tips for getting past good akuma players?  Not your typical fireball spamming scrub but someone who uses the air fireball and standard fireball well?  The guy would do a slow fireball and follow it.  Akuma seems to be able to get close enough to do a low/overhead/throw if you block the fireball. ... Anyway, I had a lot of trouble with Akuma.  I could get by most of the fireballs with Cammy or duck under them with Blanka but most of the time it just lead to another fireball.

I haven't played a really good Akuma in this game yet, but based on how you're describing your problems it seems like working dashes into your game could help a lot.  If you have room to backdash you'll get the added moment of invulnerability dodging the air fireball while messing up the spacing for his antics.  A dash forward under the air fireball could also potentially work depending on the spacing.

[EvilHomer3k]

Blanka's got a dash that is different than most (he has the regular one too).  He seems to be able to cover a lot of ground on the dash and do it repeatedly.  It works well to confuse several people last night.  I'll have to try back dashing and then blocking/jumping.

[TheMissingLink]

Blind selection for ranked is a no brainer, tbh.

I actually got the 5 online wins in a row achievement tonight...as well as my first hatemail for using Sagat  calling ME a noob after beating a dude

He is so goddamn powerful.

I switch to Rose and get my arse whooped.  And speaking of not-so-used fighters, Abel sucks.  I don't see anything redeeming or dangerous in his game.

The fact that the last hit of his combination special is unblockable is pretty redeeming and dangerous.

Ultra, Super?

And okay, one thing.

[Harkonis]

Blind selection for ranked is a no brainer, tbh.

I actually got the 5 online wins in a row achievement tonight...as well as my first hatemail for using Sagat  calling ME a noob after beating a dude

He is so goddamn powerful.

I switch to Rose and get my arse whooped.  And speaking of not-so-used fighters, Abel sucks.  I don't see anything redeeming or dangerous in his game.

The fact that the last hit of his combination special is unblockable is pretty redeeming and dangerous.

Ultra, Super?

And okay, one thing.

Abel can be very strong and has all the tools to be one of the top players.  His roll evades projectiles and he does good damage with his throws for starters.  He's a pretty tough character to use well, but he's definitely not lacking in potential.

[pr0ner]

Blind selection for ranked is a no brainer, tbh.

I actually got the 5 online wins in a row achievement tonight...as well as my first hatemail for using Sagat  calling ME a noob after beating a dude

He is so goddamn powerful.

I switch to Rose and get my arse whooped.  And speaking of not-so-used fighters, Abel sucks.  I don't see anything redeeming or dangerous in his game.

The fact that the last hit of his combination special is unblockable is pretty redeeming and dangerous.

Ultra, Super?

And okay, one thing.

Neither ultra nor super.  Just part of one of his special moves.

Plus, as Hark said, the throw damage is pretty high.  He is a wrestler, after all.

[TheMissingLink]

Blind selection for ranked is a no brainer, tbh.

I actually got the 5 online wins in a row achievement tonight...as well as my first hatemail for using Sagat  calling ME a noob after beating a dude

He is so goddamn powerful.

I switch to Rose and get my arse whooped.  And speaking of not-so-used fighters, Abel sucks.  I don't see anything redeeming or dangerous in his game.

The fact that the last hit of his combination special is unblockable is pretty redeeming and dangerous.

Ultra, Super?

And okay, one thing.

Abel can be very strong and has all the tools to be one of the top players.  His roll evades projectiles and he does good damage with his throws for starters.  He's a pretty tough character to use well, but he's definitely not lacking in potential.

I guess I have yet to play a strong Abel then, because I feast on Abel online/in single-player.

[TheMissingLink]

On a completely unrelated note:

I have "Indestructible" stuck in my head...and I like it.

[Destructor]

On a completely unrelated note:

I have "Indestructible" stuck in my head...and I like it.

So do I. Unlike you, I'm not sure if I like it yet or not.

One thing - Blanka can outright duck fireballs too. Not sure how though, as I don't play him.

[gellar]

That song is wretched... and catchy at the same time.  I want to shoot whoever wrote it.

gellar

[wonderpug]

One thing - Blanka can outright duck fireballs too. Not sure how though, as I don't play him.

Down on the joystick and all three punches.

I guess I have yet to play a strong Abel then, because I feast on Abel online/in single-player.

Yeah, he seemed "just ok" to me until I faced a good one in a ranked match.  I simply had no idea how to counter the stuff he was throwing at me, and he can do a lot of damage very quickly.  I've been spending time on the Abel forums the past few days just trying to figure out how to stop the stuff I saw from that one fight.

He strikes me as a more agile version of Zangief.  Extremely dangerous up close.  Not as high on damage as Zangief, but with more agility to make it easier to close the gap.

[Harkonis]

That song is wretched... and catchy at the same time.  I want to shoot whoever wrote it.

gellar

it's not nearly as annoying to me when it's not in english.  I turned off all my music though, it was too annoying.  of course that means now the announcer is crystal clear.   

[pr0ner]

of course that means now the announcer is crystal clear.   

[Nelson]HA.  HA.[/Nelson]   

[wonderpug]

Damn, I thought I had gotten fairly fluent in fighter game jargon, but I just ran into a new one today.

What the hell is an "OTG" attack, or possibly an "OTG motion?"  Also seems to be used in the context of an "OTG throw" and it seems to have origins in Street Fighter Alpha.

[gellar]

Wild ass guess but... Off/On The Ground?

gellar

[kadnod]

Wild ass guess but... Off/On The Ground?

gellar

I think that's right, and for some reason I think it's "off," but I really can't remember why I know that.

[Harkonis]

It is Off the Ground

[wonderpug]

Weird.  I was reading it in reference to an "OTG Cannon Strike" for Cammy, which can only be used in the air.

I didnt think the do tiger knee motion backwards and KK for an OTG EX cannon Strike

 
I swear between the jargon and the typos I need a minor in linguistics to interpret this stuff.  The worst part is that the guy who wrote the above knows way more about playing Cammy than I do and I really need to figure out what the hell he's saying.

(I think he's saying "I didn't realize you could do an EX Cannon Strike by doing a tiger knee motion backwards plus two kick buttons.")

[Harkonis]

he's saying to do her air dive kick the same way that I do Dhalsim's teleport

Basically input the button press immediately after you lift off from the ground.

[Harkonis]

btw, it doesn't seem to work since you can only do that move in a forward jump.

[wonderpug]

It's amazing how much playing for battle points is like gambling.

Back up to 1500 points; I'm on a roll!  1700!  1800!  I bet I can hit 2000 before I go to bed!

Crap, back down to 1700.  Well, I'm getting tired but let me at least win two more to get back to 1800.

Crap, back to 1600.  Well, let me at least play one more so I can end with a win.

Crap, down to 1500.

[Captain Caveman]

I upset some guy with over 2400 BPs yesterday to skyrocket my score to.... 501. 

[wonderpug]

I upset some guy with over 2400 BPs yesterday to skyrocket my score to.... 501. 

I don't get how you and Hark are seeing these high ranked people.  I always set my search to "ranked higher than me" priority and I think just once I've been paired up with someone with more BP than me.

It sucks because I can only crawl upward in score 30-50 BP at a time, but a single loss drops me down a hundred points.  I don't seem to be the only one with that frustration; last night a guy ranked ~1400-1500 took the time to send me a voice message after I beat him, thanking me for having more battle points for him so he could finally take a loss without a huge BP hit.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I majorly suck. I think I've won one ranked match game out of 15 or so. I've come close a time or two, but I just can't finish the job. Part of my problem, I think, is my inability to pull off super or ultra combos. The other part of my problem is that I suck.

[Captain Caveman]

I majorly suck. I think I've won one ranked match game out of 15 or so. I've come close a time or two, but I just can't finish the job. Part of my problem, I think, is my inability to pull off super or ultra combos. The other part of my problem is that I suck.

I'm winning only about 1 out of 3, less than that if I stray from the characters I'm good at using (Blanka is probably my best right now). Like you, I'm not that great yet at pulling off ultras, especially in time-sensitive situations when you need it NOW or you'll miss your window. Of course, the biggest issue for me is that there are just a lot of damn good players out there in the ranked matches. At first this was frustrating, but I'm starting to appreciate how this level of competition gives me an elated "HOLY SHIT, I WON!" feeling when I do manage to pull out a victory.

[skystride]

Achievement whore question: are there any achievements for playing ranked matches other than the consecutive win ones?  I'm thinking maybe some titles might be ranked only and there is probably an achievement for unlocking all titles.

[The Rocketman]

Is an Xbox Live Gold-membership needed to play against other people? If so, I think I'll wait for the pc version...