CAPCOM VERSUS SNK: GEESE HOWARD FAQ (EX-tra version) -= SAL's guide to the original 'king of fighters' =- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NORMAL ATTACKS: (Note: His Light Punch and Light Kick moves are all pretty basic, and I don't think really need any explaining, so I'm leaving them out of this list) HARD PUNCH (far) A long straight punch striking out in front of him. It can be used to tag some characters outside of the range of their normal attacks, but often misses crouching characters completely because it's so high. It's generally better to use his standing Hard Kick or the F + Hard Punch when you're far away instead of this. HARD PUNCH (close) A quick palm strike. This can be cancelled into special moves, and has excellent priority, making it one of his best combo starters on the ground. F + HARD PUNCH A hammer punch that looks like it should be an overhead, but it isn't. Good range though, the best among his punches at least. It does a lot of damage but also knocks the opponent down, so comboing other moves off of it isn't really possible. You can still cancel it into a special move after they block it if you want to though, in the hopes they'll mess up and not block the second attack. D + HARD PUNCH A quick anti-air move, pretty much like just about everyone else's crouching Hard Punch in this game. Use it to swat jumpers whenever you want. Not the best air counter he's got, but it's definately the easiest one of them to perform. You can also chain special moves off of this on the ground, just like with the standing Hard Punch. And since it has about the same range and priority, the two are pretty much interchangable as a good reliable combo starter. HARD PUNCH (while jumping) A double flying punch. When coming down on some of the larger characters with this, you can score two hits before even hitting the ground, and then chain on additional ground hits as well. Obviously this is great stuff in the air-to-ground department. HARD KICK (far) A flying kick sort of resembling his jumping Hard Kick. This has great range and priority, and is an excellent way to advance on your opponent relatively safely. Get the range down in your mind so you can use it when the opponent is just within it's leaping distance, and this will be sure to get you some free hits here and there. HARD KICK (close) A quick double kick. Does pretty good damage for a normal attack, but you can't cancel it into a special move. It's usually better to use his Hard Punch when in close and chain something else onto that. D + HARD KICK Your standard foot sweep. Like most ratio 3 characters in this game though, Geese's sweep has excellent range, speed, and priority, and can be used often without much worry. Just don't do it extremely close, like within throw range, and you should be alright. Remember that if you're in that close you can always chain a few crouching Light Kicks together, and then do the sweep when you've pushed yourself out a little bit. HARD KICK (while jumping) A flying kick that has some really long horizontal range. Great for air-to-air combat, as well as tagging people while making a jump that don't quite land close enough for the jumpimg Hard Punch to be effective. This is his best jumping attack in my opinion, since it has the most versitility. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL ATTACKS: REPPU-KEN - D,DF,F + Light Punch Geese throws a wave of energy in front of him. Unlike the normal version, this one isn't a projectile, but more of an extended striking special attack. I really can't see any significant reasons to use this over the Double Reppuken though, so let's just forget about this and move on to that instead. DOUBLE REPPU-KEN - D,DF,F + Hard Punch Geese Slashes his arms out and cuts the air with a blue wave of energy. The first slash is just the normal Reppuken, but then he slashes with his other arm and adds a second hit with another Reppuken attack. The single Reppuken doesn't knock an opponent down, but the second hit added on with the Double Reppuken will. The best way to think of this move is sort of like a weak Raging Storm type of move, with the range of that move out in front of him increased in distance, but the range above and behind him eliminated completely. The most noticable similarity is how if the opponent gets caught in the first Reppuken, they remain stunned and the second hit is usually guaranteed. The best thing about this move is that it leaves Geese surprisingly unvulnerable to retaliation after being blocked. He seems to recover just as fast from the Double Reppuken as from the single Reppuken, with both of which having nearly no lag time whatsoever. Note that although the risk of punishment is generally always very low, there is still some risk involved when doing it extremely near to the opponent, just as a blocked foot sweep would typically leave you more open when done closer in. The rule of thumb is generally just not to do the move within throwing distance, and you should be okay. The fast speed of this move makes it ideal for combos, and chaining it off of a crouching or standing Hard Punch gives you a nice clean and damaging knockdown combo. You can also pressure people with this move on it's own by using it by learning it's maximum range of impact and using it just within that distance, or even slightly beyond it, since if the enemy tries to attack it will usually hit them out of their attempted move. Remember that since it doesn't leave you open there's basically no risk to using this move, unless they dodge it and hit you from behind, or counters it with a move that out-prioritizes the Double Reppuken (of which there aren't very many). JA-EI-KEN - F,DF,D,DB,B + Kick Geese slides forward and will perform an auto 3-hit combo upon impact. The Hard Kick version slides further across the screen, but the Light Kick version starts up faster. Neither one has too much priority though, and it leaves you horribly vulnerable if blocked. When you come in contact with an opponent, Geese performs a 3-hit combo attack, regardless of whether they block it or not. Even if the opponent is in the air, Geese will go into the combo on the ground when he intercepts their horizontal position. The only exception to performing the 3-hit combo routine is if he doesn't reach the opponent while sliding forward, in which case he stops and does nothing at the end of the move's sliding distance (which varies with the Kick button used). Since the lag time after the 3-hit combo is pretty bad though, using it on it's own is generally a bad idea. While this makes the Hard Kick version mostly useless, the good news is that the Light Kick version can be chained into combos, which should be done frequently. A simple combo of jumping Roundhouse Kick to standing Fierce to Ja-Ei-Ken can inflict almost 50% damage off some ratio 1 characters, which is more than some ratio 2 characters can accomplish even with super moves. Overall this move should usually be limited to combos due to the high vulnerability it has when it's blocked, but occasionally it's a good way to cover some distance and intercept an opponent who's recovering from a missed move some distance away. In this case either version of the move is good, as long as you time it correctly to hit the opponent in a vulnerable frame of animation. You can also use the Light Kick version to cover some distance when you're a full screen distance away, in which case you'll move about half way to your opponent quickly and then stop. This still leaves you potentially vulnerable to running into attacks they may happen to throw out while you're rushing forward though, especially projectiles and super moves which the Ja-Ei-Ken is typically helpless against. Basically, what it comes down to is that you usually want to make absolutely sure there's a 100% chance of this move connecting (or really close to it) before you activate it. JOUDAN-ATEMI-NAGE - F,DF,D,DB,B + Light Punch A counter throw which is inescapable, but must be triggered by the opponent once the move is initiated. This version of the move is triggered by being hit by any jumping attack or special attack, excluding projectiles, super moves, and unblockable throws. CHUUDAN-ATEMI-NAGE - F,DF,D,DB,B + Hard Punch A counter throw which is inescapable, but must be triggered by the opponent once the move is initiated. This version of the move is triggered by being hit by any standing normal attack and some crouching normal attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUPER MOVES: RAGING STORM (level 1-3) - DB,F,DF,D,DB,B,DF + Punch After gathering a bunch of power through his hands, he slams them down and creates a giant cage of energy rising up around around him. A fantastic air counter, as well as a way to stop just about anything coming in on the ground as well. Each hit takes off a fairly large amount of damage on it's own, and once they get hit once they're trapped in the move and remain getting hit until the move ends. The level used determines how long he maintains the cage, and therefore how many potential hits it can inflict in total. Note that if the opponent enters the energy cage late though, some of it's time has already run out, and you won't get the maximum hits you would have if they had gotten trapped in it right off the bat. In total, it can potentially score up to 3 hits on level 1, 4 on level 2, and 5 on level 3. Knowing when to use this isn't too complicated to figure out (basically anytime you think they'll run into it), but performing it can be. When practicing this move, try doing the motion slower if it's not coming out. It doesn't have to be done fast, and trying to do so can pretty much guarantee you messing it up a lot in the beginning. Be sure to do the movements precisely, getting that full half circle in there and hitting the diagonals directly on. A good way to start to get the feel of this move if you're totally new to it is to actually watch your hand on the joystick while practicing it in non-threatening situations (like against the pitiful computer AI), to visually see that you're getting the whole motion in. Once you can start to reliably do the move slowly, then you can start to try speeding it up a little gradually. DEADLY RAVE (level 3 only) - F,DF,D,DB,B,F + Light Kick, then Light Punch (x2), Light Kick (x2), Hard Punch (x2), Hard Kick (x2), D,DB,B + Hard Punch A long and complicated series of combo hits that results in a huge and devastating 10-hit string of attacks. The pattern is relatively easy to remember, but the timing of the button presses can be a bit tricky. You basically have to double tap each button fairly rapidly, but then leave a small gap before double tapping the next one. Be very careful to only press each button exactly twice, because a wrong input in the string of commands will cancel the attack immediately. Also note that you can skip the last hit of the combo and add on your own combo in it's place instead, increasing the damage potential if you don't mind forfeiting a super combo finish. Obviously it can do a large amount of damage, but unless you can reliably pull the whole thing off every time I can't recommended it as a practical use of three levels of super energy. In fact, the level 3 Raging Storm does around the same damage and guarantees all the hits if the first one connects, making it a better choice overall in my opinion. The Deadly Rave does have the quick sliding horizontal advancement that the Raging Storm lacks, but having the Ja-Ei-Ken in this mode, which is essentially a non-super version of this move, makes that usually a more sensible move to use in cases where the opponent leaves themselves open a little ways off. While it has a little more usefulness in his normal mode, I can't really make any real suggestions of using this with EX Geese at all, and highly recommend using your super energy on Raging Storms instead of ever wasting three levels on this thing in a serious match. Of course, it's real purpose is likely that of simply looking cool and showing off, which it accomplishes well without a doubt. ;) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LEARNING TO PUT THOSE PUNKS IN THEIR PLACE WITH THE ATEMI-NAGE: One of the most potentially powerful abilities of Geese is without a doubt his Atemi-Nage series of counter-attack moves. These are also probably his most confusing moves to get a grip on using properly, because of some of the inherent unintuitive aspects of these moves. Because of this, I figure it's worth the time and space to write up some of these confusing properties in detail, beyond what I've written about them briefly in his list of special attacks above. First, to make it easier to know which one I'm talking about, I'm going to label them as high or middle counters from now on rather than their more confusing real names (to most non-Japanese speakers, at least). Here's a quick lowdown on which one is which: Joudan-Atemi-Nage - F,DF,D,DB,B + Light Punch - 'high counter' Chuudan-Atemi-Nage - F,DF,D,DB,B + Hard Punch - 'middle counter' Now, there's two things to remember about these moves that's a little unexpected to most people. The first is that the moves each of these is used to counter really has nothing to do with where Geese is getting hit from. Instead, it merely has to do with what category the move technically falls into in terms of how it is performed. All standing normal attacks must be countered with the middle counter, for instance, while the high counter is triggered by all jumping attacks, but also all special attacks as well, excluding projectiles and unblockable attacks. This last part is really unintuitive some of the time, especially against low hitting special attacks which you would normally think the high counter would be the least likely to be the correct one to use for. Crouching normal attacks are the only thing a little more confusing here, due to Geese losing his Gedan-Atemi-Nage (low counter) in this mode. The middle counter seems to have picked up some of the low counter's functioning in his EX mode, but not all of it. I've found that crouching Hard Punches seems to trigger the middle counter now, for instance, while you would have normally had to use the low counter for them with normal Geese. crouching Hard Kicks, however, do not seem to be counterable at all anymore, as they will successfully trip Geese while in his middle counter stance. Note that super moves can never be countered by any Atemi-Nage. This means that throws, projectiles, and super moves are uncounterable by the Atemi-Nage moves, but that almost everything else in the game is, and makes it quite easy to determine which specific Atemi-Nage will do the job. The second thing to note deals with the fact that this is actually a triggered throw, which is different from a triggered independant attack (like Yamazaki's Sadomazo counter) in that the opponent is forced into specific frames of animation upon it's activation. In other words, if an Atemi-Nage move is triggered by the opponent they get thrown, no matter what they're doing or where they are on the screen; it's completely inescapable. Realizing this opens up incredible countering possibilities for long range moves, and combined with knowing which Atemi-Nage to use in every situation makes you a real force to be reckoned with. Now here's some examples of these unintuitive points in action, in the form of a list of certain character's moves and the Atemi-Nage version that works against it. - Dhalsim's F + Hard Punch or F + Hard Kick: Middle counter. Geese counters his long-range poking strategies with ease, making him a certified Dhalsim killer in the right hands. Remember that an opponent will get 'sucked into' throw animation even from half a screen away if they trigger an Atmei-Nage. - Cammy's Cannon Drill, Vice's Decide, etc.: High counter. Even though some specials like these are hitting about as low as you can get, they're still special attacks, and therefore must be countered high. With Vice this gets doubly unintuitive, because you can counter her sleeve whip from across the screen, similarily to the way you can with Dhalsim's stretching limbs. - Various characters' crouching Hard Punch anti-air moves: Middle counter. This has changed from Geese's normal mode, in which you would use the low counter. It's probably more intuitive to use the middle counter on a lot of these moves anyway, but could be a confusing switch if you're used to playing normal Geese. - Various characters' crouching Hard Kick footsweep moves: nothing. Although the middle counter has now taken on the low counter's ability to be triggered by crouching Hard Punches, it strangely does not get it's ability to counter foot sweeps. This creates an additional crack in Geese's Atemi-Nage defense that you'll have to make note of. - Yamazaki's Hebi-Tsukai series of moves: High Counter. Yamazaki is able to alter the high/low aspects of his belt whip, but Geese doesn't have to bother altering his Atemi-Nage in response. Remember that because all Hebi-Tsukai moves are special attacks, they're all countered high. - Ryu's Shoryuken, Kyo's Oniyaki, etc.: High counter. Even against attacks that are seemingly invincible, or at least partially so, Geese still comes out on top. What's happening here is that the Atemi-Nage's success is only concerned with whether it's triggered or not. Since invincible uppercut type moves don't fall under the category of projectile, throw, or super, they do in fact trigger the high counter, resulting in the character's assumed invincible move being surprisingly halted, and them getting thrown. I could go on with more examples of initially unintuitive situations like these, but this should probably be sufficient to get the idea across. Just keep in mind what specifically each Atemi-Nage counters, and then think about which of the categories an opponent's move falls into that you want to counter. Again, remember that the only things which cannot be countered with an Atemi-Nage are projectiles, unblockable throws, super moves, and now some crouching normal attacks. Becoming proficient at using the Atemi-Nage against everything else is a big part of turning Geese into the powerhouse character he has the potential to be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GEESING IT UP A NOTCH WITH SOUTHTOWN FIGHTING STRATEGY TIPS: Geese is all about countering, pressure tactics, and traps. He has one of the highest (if not the highest) damage to hit ratios out of anyone in the game, and with his new improved combo abilities in his EX mode he's simply a monster. A 3-hit combo of standing Hard Punch into Double Reppuken, for instance, can take off more damage than some ratio 1 characters' super moves. Still, this doesn't mean you can just go wild with this guy and have his increased damage ratio bring you out on top on it's own. With that said, this section is dedicated to listing some various general tactics and tips on using the boss of southtown to his fullest potential. (GEESE HOWARD'S NEW GROOVE) First off, you may be wondering which Groove you should be using with this guy. Well personally, while I use SNK Groove more than Capcom Groove in general, Geese is an exception for me. Now he doesn't really need more than one level of super most of the time, so the limitation you have there with the SNK Groove before your life bar starts flashing isn't too much of an issue. What I do find to be a big issue though is the fact of your super meter dropping once it's maxed out. Geese's supers aren't the kind you really want to throw around recklessly, but instead wait until you have a good opportunity to pull them off. With SNK Groove's gradual depletion of the super bar once it's maxed out, it encourages you to use the super too often and too recklessly in my opinion. The Deadly Rave also isn't really a reason to choose SNK Groove for the higher potential for pulling off level 3 supers repeatedly (when your life is low at least), because it just isn't that good a super in general. It's much more effective to build up your Capcom Groove bar and use it on Raging Storms when you have an opening, without worrying about losing the bar because it's depleting on you. On top of this, and putting the Atemi-Nage aside, Geese is best played very offensively, which in turn raises your Capcom Groove quickly and effeciently without even thinking about it. So that's my two cents on Groove selection, but remember that it's still a personal choice. If you find that you enjoy a SNK Groove Geese more than a Capcom one, by all means go for it. (PRESSURE WITH THE OPPRESSOR) EX Geese is best used as a close to medium range fighter. If you're at opposite ends of the screen, you generally always want to be moving in, either through dashing and rolling on the ground, or super jumping in the air. Once you're within punishing distance (ie. less than half a screen away), it's time for the mind games and traps to begin. Remember to use your standing Hard Kick from just out of foot sweep range a lot, as it's pretty much completely unpunishable from this distance, and will tag an opponent who tries to do just about anything, including jump. His foot sweep is also recommended to abuse as long as you're not in too close. Just tap the opponent with the end of your foot with either of these kicks, rather than having it so close it looks like it's going through them. Toss in a few hammer fists (F + Hard Punch) when you're in range and always cancel them into a Double Reppuken. (ROCKIN', ROLLIN', AND JUMPIN') Now this stuff is all good when they're pinned, but let's deal with what they're going to try to do to get out of this situation. First they may try to roll. If they like rolling a lot, you can try tossing out Double Reppukens to try to intercept them when they come out of the roll. This new Double Reppuken isn't quite the roll-killer that the normal mode projectile version was though, so you really have to be more careful with the timing of it now. The Ja-Ei-Ken can also be used to punish rollers, but again must be timed well to avoid it being blocked, in which case you'll be the one getting punished. If those aren't working for you, I'd suggest just going back to the generic roll defense of crouching Light Kicks or Light Punches. This won't score you too much damage, but you can try stringing some simple combos off of them to make it worthwhile. Another likely alternative for the opponent is jumping. Now here you can go for the Joudan-Atemi-Nage if they like to attack in the air a lot, since it's worth the damage this move will inflict. If they wise up and try jumping without attacking though, it's time to start swatting them out of the air with a crouching Hard Punch. Since this isn't unstoppable by any means, you may want to go back to mixing in the Joudan-Atemi-Nage if they start trying to use air specials to overpower your crouching Hard Punch. Finally, if you think you're up to it you can always go for the a Raging Storm, which is essentially a guaranteed punishment against anything they try to come in on you from the air with, if you can get it off in time (and that's a big 'if'). This is by no means a flawless pinning strategy, but I've found it to nullify the threats of jumping and rolling on the part of most opponents quite effectively in my personal experience. (CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THAT 'NAGE) The one thing left for opponents to use try against your onslaught is to pit their own moves against yours in the hopes they'll outprioritize you or manage to strike through a vulnerability you've left open in your offensive tactics. This is where things come down to a guessing game at times, with the winner being the one able to be the most unpredictable with their own moves, while at the same time able to predict the moves of the other person with sufficient accuracy. Use of the Atemi-Nage moves can make a real difference in a poking war. Know your opponents' moves, which Atemi-Nage is used to counter each one, and then observe your opponent's tendencies. The standing Hard Kick allows you to test this somewhat, by using it to leap at the person and then blocking whatever they try to do afterwards. If they try poking you often with standing Hard attacks with long range and high priority, like Yamazaki or Kyo's standing Hard Kicks, then start watching for where to stick in that Chuudan-Atemi-Nage in response. Likewise for crouching Punches they may try to throw out in hopes of being able to chain a combo onto them if they connect. And if they like to overuse Shoryuken type specials for their low risk and nearly invincibile priority, show them just how irrelevant the extreme priority of those moves are to the Joudan-Atemi-Nage. Unfortunately, without the Gedan-Atemi-Nage's counter against crouching Kicks, a low poking war can become more troublesome at times, though the Double Reppuken can help to turn the tables somewhat back in your favor. Since the Double Reppuken comes out so fast, and is almost completely unpunishable when blocked, it can often be the perfect card to have up your sleeve in a ground-based poking war. If you know your opponent is going to try using low kicks that can't be countered after blocking your standing Hard Kick, for instance, you might as well toss out the Double Reppuken instead. The worst thing that can happen is the two moves will trade off, doing damage to both characters. Because of Geese's damage ratio though, the Reppuken will almost always trade favorably in the damage department with whatever one hit you took in return. But more commonly you're probably likely to have your Reppuken cancel the other character's attack completely, in which case they'll take the full Double Reppuken damage for some big punishment. (SPREAD THOSE WINGS, MAJESTIC GEESE) Geese isn't always able to overpower opponents on their own terms, but he usually has an alternate way of dealing with problems like this that makes them disappear quickly enough. Projectiles, for instance, obviouly can't be countered by Atemi-Nage moves, or dealt with favorably in any other direct manner with Geese's EX mode. You'll notice that Geese can cover an enormous amount of distance with his jumping though, which can be used surprisingly well to deal with projectile fighters quite effectively. Even from a full screen away, Geese is able to super jump over a thrown projectile and easily land a jumping Hard Kick into crouching Hard Kick or Double Reppuken combo on the opponent before they've even recovered from the projectile enough to be able to to block. The speed and range Geese has on his super jumping is one of his strongest aspects for long-distance fighting, as it means opponents are almost never safe throwing a projectile against him from anywhere. And combined with the great range and priority of his jumping attacks, he can pose a threat from the air just as intimidatingly as he can on the ground. (DANCE TO THE COMBO BEAT) The loss of Geese's projectiles means the loss of some long-distance fighting potential, but in my opinion EX Geese more than makes up for this with the close-range damage potential of his increased combo abilities. I'm not going to list any overly unpractical or complicated combos here, but instead this is sort of an outline recipe for tossing together some simple yet devastating tools of destruction: 1. jumping Hard Punch, or jumping Hard Kick 2. standing Hard Punch, or crouching Hard Punch 3. Double Reppuken (D,DF,F + Hard Punch), or Ja-Ei-Ken (F,DF,D,DB,B + Light Kick) Basically, what you want to do is just choose any one item from each numbered pair and perform the list in order. One example would be chaining together a jumping Hard Punch, into a crouching Hard Punch, into a Double Reppuken. You of course don't have to start these with a jumping attack, and can just ignore the moves listed in number 1 when beginning the combo on the ground rather than in the air. Simply put these moves together into a pattern of any sort and you'll have some effective combos that are highly damaging but still fairly easy to perform. (HE'S GOOD, BUT NOBODY'S PERFECT) This strategy will be fairly conclusive in handling avoidance techniques, poking wars, and prjectiles, but there are a few things which he cannot always take such an offensive stance against. Super moves can often not be countered, for example, even with his own Super moves. Rolling can be incredibly dangerous when used in the wrong situations, but since most supers have a significantly long lag time I would recommend using that tactic here when you can. Moves like Terry's Buster Wolf can be particularily fristrating to deal unless you simply roll through it and try to strike from behind. The only other large area of problems lies with unblockable moves and throws. Since the Atemi-Nage moves need to be activated by an actual striking hit, they cannot function against moves that cannot be blocked. Rolling is also ineffective against throws, so that saving grace against unpunishable supers isn't even available here. In fact, throws can present such potential problems for Geese that I would rate Zangief as the #1 hardest character to fight against with him. Although his improved combo abilities over his normal version even out the odds a little bit, he still has no real ways to counter throwing directly, which makes for a very dangerous game of tag when trying to land those combos. It's certainly a tough aspect to deal with no matter how you tackle it (or they tackle you) though, and my best suggestion might be to team Geese with another character who is better suited to handle heavy grapplers. Overall, Geese is a character who must typically rely on all of his special moves being used together in order to maintain an effective upperhand against his opponents. In addition, don't overlook his many useful normal moves, especially the extended range abilities of his F + Hard Punch and far standing Hard Kick. And finally, learn the maximum ranges of all of his moves to avoid being left open from using them too close. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alright, that's it for an overview. Remember that it will still take a lot of hands on practice to master this guy though. Character FAQs are meant simply to get you started and compliment gameplay experience rather than act as a replacement for it. The real test of proficiency with a character is not of knowledge, but of skill, and that can only come from challenging other good experienced players at your local arcade. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start having some fun using this master of disaster! :) email me at: bitoku_no_kishi@hotmail.com If you're cool enough to use Geese you're probably also cool enough to enjoy playing Street Fighter III, in which case you'll want to check out my 3rd Strike guides for Twelve and Sean, available at www.GameFAQs.com