Doctrine Dark Character Guide Street Fighter EX (Arcade) version 2.0 By John Culbert (tigeraid@geocities.com) VERSION UPDATES: ---------------- -corrected Tech hit section -extra Guard Break motions -corrected stupid SC buffering mistake (see A WORD ABOUT... COMBOS) -renamed the "Slice `n' Dice" to its proper name AND rewrote its whole section -did up the Blade Slash section -corrected/added to the Combo Section -little bit more in Vs. Section -revised credits INTRODUCTION: ------------- For once our arcade actually got a game fairly early!! This should help me get a fairly good head start on doing some strategy and such for EX. Street Fighter EX IMO could be thought of a LOT like SSF2T. There are NO chain combos (Except of course things like C.Short -> C.Short with Ken/Ryu), NO ACs (YES!!!! YES, YES, YES!!!), and also thankfully, no CCs. Yes, Street Fighter EX is, for the most part, a collection of all the things we classic SF players like--it has no CCs, ACs, or chain combos, but retains good ol' Super Combos (wouldn't be a fighting game without them these days), tech hits (I'd prefer if these weren't there, personally!), and a rigid combo system. And of course, probably the biggest thing about SFEX is the fact that it is the FIRST Street Fighter game that is polygon-based and 3-D! In my opinion, it's kinda nice, and doesn't detract from the gemeplay that much (some of the basic movements like jumping are a little different and require some getting used to, however). WHO'S THIS DOCTRINE DARK GUY? ----------------------------- Apparently, Dark is a former soldier under Guile's command. After Rolento destroyed the troop, Dark rebelled and blamed Guile for the massacre. For both of his costumes, he's wearing a flight suit (black when choosing with Punch, light brown when choosing with kick) and a flight mask that fighter pilots wear. He has bright blonde hair and wide-open staring blue eyes, that excentuate how crazy he really is. NOTE: In the "A word about..." section, I use examples in my explanations involving OTHER fighters. I prefer to leave D.Dark for the actual D.Dark guide, and I find examples with other fighters are easier to use. Therefore, I recommend you find a general SFEX FAQ, like Darklancer's, if you don't know what moves I'm talking about. ############################################################################ ******* LEGEND: BUTTONS ******* .-------------Jab D-PAD | .-----------Strong | | .---------Fierce U/B U U/F | | | \|/ | | | B--o--F | | | /|\ O O O D/B D D/F O O O | | | | | | | | | | | ----------Roundhouse | ------------Forward -------------Short QCT= Quarter Circle Toward (roll the joystick from D to F) QCB= Quarter Circle Back (roll the joystick from D to B) HCT= Half Circle Toward (roll the joystick from B to D to F) HCB= Half Circle Back (roll the joystick from F to D to B) + = enter commands simultainiously N = Neutral (return D-Pad to center) J. = Jumping S. = Standing C. = Crouching XX = indicates buffering Some Short Forms Used in This FAQ: ---------------------------------- SF2= Street Fighter II: the World Warrior (may also refer to it as Classic) SF2CE= Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (may just be CE) SF2T= Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting SSF2= Super Street Fighter II: the New Challengers SSF2T= Super Street Fighter II Turbo (may refer to it as Super Turbo) SFA= Street Fighter Alpha: Warrior's Dreams SFA2= Street Fighter Alpha II DP= Dragon Punch- can be referring to Ryu's, Ken's, Akuma's Special move, or to the similiar joystick/D-Pad motion (F, D, D/F) HK= Hurricane Kick- can be referring to Ryu's, Ken's or Akuma's Special Move, or to the similiar motion (QCB+any kick) FB= Fireball- can be referring to Special Move possessed by many characters, or to the similiar motion (QCT+any punch) SC= Super Combo CC= Custom Combo- pertaining to Custom Combos from SFA2 FK= Flash Kick- Guile's (and Charlie's) move, or similiar motion (charge D, U+any kick) SB= Sonic Boom- Guile's (and Charlie's) move, or similiar motion (charge B, F+any punch) YF= Yoga Flame- pertaining to Dhalsim's OLD Special Move or similiar motion (HCT+any punch) SBK= Spinning Bird Kick- pertaining to Chun Li's pattened move TBK= Thousand Burst Kick- Chun Li's Super Combo SPD= Spinning Pileriver- Zangief's pattened move, or similiar motion (roll 360 degrees) FAB= Final Atomic Buster- Zangief's pattened SC, or similiar motion (roll 720 degrees) A WORD ABOUT... *************** THROWS AND GRABS: A Throw or Grab (including SPD or other Special Move Throw) must be done right up close, and is unblockable; it can only be avoided (some exceptions, like Zangief's Running Bear Grab, do exist). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TECH HITS: To perform a tech hit, hold B or F and hit Strong or Fierce (or Forward or Roundhouse if your fighter has a Throw with those buttons) just as the opponent grabs you; basically, you perform a Throw at the same time the enemy tries to Throw you. YOU CANNOT TECH HIT SPECIAL MOVE THROWS (eg. Zangief's SPD) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLOCKING: To block an oncoming attack, hold in the opposite direction. To block a low attack (i.e. the enemy hits low, like a sweep), hold D/B to crouch and block. As FAR AS I KNOW, there is NO Air Blocking SFEX! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- GUARD BREAKING: --------------- The only truely new (non-combo) feature of SFEX is the Guard Break; taking up one level of the Super Meter, a Guard Break will break through an enemy's block, and stagger them for QUITE a long time, allowing you to set up some devastating combos. To perform a Guard Break, press Fierce+Roundhouse, or Jab+Short, or Strong+Forward. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TICKS: A tick is an attack that, if you connect with it, you can go into a combo or some other follow-up of your choice, and if blocked, you will recover in time to throw another attack before your opponent can; note that they also recover from their blocking frames at relatively the same time, so they will also be able to block the follow-up. But, since Throws are unblockable, you can nail them with a Throw! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPER METER: Underneath your Health meter is a meter which will fill up when you perform Special Moves or when you hit the enemy. Once filled to one level, it will flash and you can now perform one SC (or one Guard Break). It can also continue to be filled to a max of 3 levels. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPER COMBOS (SFA2 and SSF2T): Your fighter has the ability to perform a powerful multi-hit attack known as a Super Combo (SC). You will know a character has executed a Super Combo because the screen will grow dark for a moment as they gather "chi" (spirit). ALL ANIMATION except for the gathering of the character's energy will stop, so your opponent cannot move. If you finish your opponent with an SC, the screen will flash brightly, and for some ODD reason in SFEX, a METEOR will fly through the screen! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMBOS: A combo is a series of attacks that, once the first hit connects, are totally unblockable until the opponent is knocked down or the attacker is pushed too far away to continue. In SFEX, the combo system has been ALMOST returned to the original system in SSF2T. Combos in SFEX generally follow the pattern of Jump-in -> Standing or Crouching Attack buffered into Special Move. You can also start simply from a Standing or Crouching Attack and buffer into a Special Move (see "buffering" below), and in some cases, more than one Standing or Crouching attack can be used (eg. two S.Jabs). ONLY CERTAIN REGULAR ATTACKS ARE BUFFERABLE! So what's different about SFEX's combo system? Well, first off, there is a juggle system now, moreso than ever; for example, one time I was using Guile, and I hit a jumping opponent (Ken) with my Jab SB. I then jumped and actually hit him with a J.Fierce before he landed, for a 2-hit combo! Still, the only big difference is that you can now buffer a SPECIAL MOVE into a SUPER COMBO, and a Super Combo into a Super Combo! There are no longer different SCs depending on the Super Meter level (except in some cases, like Akuma's dreaded Raging Demon) but this is remedied by the fact that you can string together up 3 SCs to make, in essence, a L3 Super Combo anyways. And hey, all you whiners who complain about no more huge multi-hit combos, take this example combo for Chun Li! J.Roundhouse XX Roundhouse TBK XX Kikosho (In case you're wondering, I'm saving the D. Dark combos for later). This is an excellent example of how easy it is to pull of a HUGE multi-hit combo, if you have the timing down pat. For this reason, it is a VERY good idea to cancel Special Moves into Super Combos for MASSIVE combo damage. RESTRICTIONS: Their are TWO restrictions to the Super Combo buffering: 1. If the SC is ground-based, your character's feet MUST be on the ground when you perform the buffered SC. The best example is with Ken; a powerful combo for him is a Fierce DP buffered into a Shoryureppa--but wait, doesn't the DP cause Ken to rise into the air? This problem is solved if you perform the Fierce DP. This is because the first 2 hits of the _Fierce_ Dragon Punch leave Ken grounded, then he takes off for the the 3rd (now non-flaming) hit. The buffered SC WILL work IF you buffer it in before the 3rd hit of Ken's SC. So this means that, for example, you cannot perform a Flash Kick with Guile, then quickly cancel it with a Double Flash Kick SC, because Guile will be off the ground with the first FK! BTW, this restriction does of course not apply to air SCs; for example, the CPU Ryu did this HORRIBLY powerful combo to me: J.Roundhouse, C.Forward XX Roundhouse HK XX SUPER HK Ryu cancelled the 2nd hit of his regular HK into the mid-air Vacuum Hurricane and juggle me repeatedly in mid-air! This combo HURT. I would assume that he could do the same thing with his DP, perhaps cancelling the DP near the peak of its ascent! 2. You CANNOT BUFFER AN SC INTO ANOTHER OF THE SAME SC. The big mistake that lancer pointed out to me (see combos) is that you cannot buffer two of the same SCs. For example, D.Dark cannot buffer his Dark Shackle into ANOTHER Dark Shackle. This affects the combos I have listed, so see Dark's combo section for more info. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- BUFFERING: This is a technique used in 90% of all fighting games out today. To buffer means to do the motions of one move while the animations of another move are still being performed. Here's an example for Guile: -C.Strong XX Roundhouse FK a) hold D and hit Strong, then U+Roundhouse In order to perform this as a true combo, you must "cancel" the Strong with the FK, in other words, the Flash Kick must come out before the animations of the Strong are finished (before he draws the punch back after it connects). If you are too late the Kick will be blockable and won't count as part of the combo. Eg. 2- (same button buffering) -C.Strong buffered into Strong Sonic Boom There are two ways to perform this combo: a) begin holding D/B, then hit Strong, then F+Strong b) hold D/B, then press and HOLD Strong, then F and release Strong Some may find the second easier, but I actually use both. Again, the idea is to make the Sonic Boom come out before the punch is finished. The second way is easy simply because there are less things to do, and may keep some big combos a little more simplistic. Remember of course that you can now buffer Special Moves into SCs and SCs into other SCs; the same idea applies, i.e. perform the motion before the first move's animations are complete. ############################################################################# DARK'S MOVES: ------------- -Rising Slice: F, D, D/F+any punch -Explosive: QCT+any kick -Snap Wire: QCT+any punch *Snap Wire Spark: any punch when opponent's caught in wire *Snap Wire Yank: B+any punch when opponent's caught in wire -Cyclone Kick: F+Forward -Blade Slash: F+Strong -Stomach Throw: F or B+Strong, Fierce or Roundhouse (close) -Guard Break; Shudder Blade: Fierce+Roundhouse -Super Combo 1; Dark Shackle: QCT, QCT+any kick -Super Combo 2; Dark Slicer: QCT, QCT+any punch REGULAR MOVES ANALYSIS: ----------------------- Jab: Both are basic quick punches, standing and crouching respectively. These are good in combos and great moves to use up close, and if the opponent isn't really quick, they can tick well. Strong: S.Strong is kinda useless and is definetely unbufferable. C.Strong IS bufferable, as lancer tells me (see combos). Fierce: S.Fierce is a devastating roundhouse punch that knocks the enemy back. A really cool looking move that does good damage, but it's slow, so don't just throw it out anywhere. Looks really cool after a Snap Wire! (albeit kinda weak.) The C.Fierce is an uppercut, and ideal air counter along with the Rising Slice. The recovery is kinda slow, so again be careful with it. Short: The C.Short is a great tick with decent range and great speed. Good up close move. Forward: S.Forward has little use, but good ol' C.Forward is a MEAN attack, like most C.Forwards. It isn't much to look at, but it has decent range a will take out a lot of attacks in close range. VERY good when going offensive on the ground. J.Forward is also a great attack, with decent range and good air-to-air priority. Roundhouse: S.Roundhouse is a high kick, which makes a decent air counter for far jump-ins. Again, it can be ducked, and is quite slow, so don't use it too often. C.Roundhouse is your basic knockdown sweep. It has great range, and does good damage--it is the perfect move to use if you've ducked the enemy's high attack up close. If blocked you are USUALLY safe from counter, except maybe from a buffered SC (they started the motions during the animation of your sweep), but it CAN be taken out fairly easily by hopping or mid-level moves (eg. Ryu's F+Forward). The J.Roundhouse is a great jump-in with good range. Use it, especially for combos. ############################################################################# MOVES ANALYSIS: --------------- -Rising Slice- Description: Dark rises spinning into the air with his blade for multiple hits. A damaging DP-like move, great in combos and very cool looking. The Fierce version is one of the best follow-ups to a Snap Wire Yank for good damage. The Jab Rising Slice is an awesome air counter as well. As per usual, if it is blocked or missed, D. Dark's vulnerable on his way down. THIS MOVE DOES NOT GO THROUGH PROJECTILES!!!! BTW, don't try to use this up close in the same fashion as Ken or Ryu, i.e. to take priority over regular attacks and such--it is more vertical than the Shoto-bros, and it also doesn't seem to have the priority in this case. -Explosive- Description: Dark says "Explosion" and lays a small, timed explosive on the ground in front of him. IMO a very important part of Dark's technique; the Short Explosive goes off almost instantly, the Forward goes off after a couple of seconds, and the Roundhouse blows up after about 4-5 seconds. WHEN THE ENEMY IS HIT BY THE EXPLOSION, THEY ARE _STUNNED_. When the opponent is stunned by the explosion you can snag 'em with a Snap Wire, or if you're close you can simply combo from there. There IS a small lag and Dark is vulnerable as he is laying the Explosive, so make sure the enemy cannot hit you easily when you do this move (most easily by jumping in on Dark). BTW, if the Explosive hits the enemy right when Dark throws it, it blows up automatically. -Snap Wire- -Snap Wire Spark- -Snap Wire Yank- Description: D. Dark snaps out a thin wire like a whip, and if it hits an unblocking opponent, they will be caught in it, momentarily stunned. If Dark does nothing, the enemy shakes free and Dark snaps the wire back to himself. Or, Dark can fire a Spark along the wire, which explodes on impact with the opponent, or he can yank on the wire and bring them to him for further punishment. The core of Dark's strategy, the main goal throughout your fight should be to connect with this move; the Spark follow-up, done by hitting punch, is a quick and easy move that does decent damage and keeps the enemy around the same place that you first caught them. The Yank brings them right to you, where you can easily combo them for good damage. The Jab Snap Wire goes just under 1/2 screen, the Strong Snap Wire around 2/3 screen, and Fierce goes JUST ABOUT full screen. Also note that the Snap Wire is basically a projectile, and therefore can negate other FBs (NOT Super projectiles!). Doing this is not only a safe way to deal with the projectile, it's also good for intimidation, because it just looks SO cool and annoying when Dark "whips" the fireball out of existance! :) SEE TACTICS FOR MORE INFO. -Cyclone Kick- Description: Dark lunges forward and performs a spinning crescent kick. This is a good mid-range move with excellent recovery, and looks cool after a Snap Wire. It MAY be good on ducking attacks, I'm not sure yet (not sure wether or not it can even be ducked!) -Blade Slash- Description: Dark slashes forward in an arc with his blade. Thanks to lancer... This move IS an Overhead Strike, meaning it cannot be blocked low. Still, it is fairly slow, so only use it on opponents who persistantly crouch. -Stomach Throw- Description: like most Stomach Throws, Dark grabs the enemy's shoulders, falls onto his own back, places his foot in the enemy's stomach and shoves them off. I HATE this. Apparently, we have the English version of this game (see end of FAQ for a VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!!), and D.Dark's original Strong/Fierce Throw in Japan had him grab the enemy and slice their throat! Now all he does is a stupid, boring ol' Stomach Throw. Oh well. Anywho, both Throws are important moves up close, as they allow you to put some distance back between you and your adversary. The damage is also quite good. Remember of course that they can be tech hitted. :( SEE TACTICS FOR MORE INFO. -Guard Break; Shudder Blade- Description: Dark forces open the opponent's defense with a strike of his blades. Boy, do I love these moves! The Guard Break is kinda slow, but it leaves the enemy stunned for a VERY long time, enough to even begin a JUMP-IN combo! Basically, use this when the opponent blocks consistantly. SEE TACTICS FOR MORE INFO. -Super Combo 1; Dark Shackle- Description: Dark lunges forward while swinging his arm blades up and down repeatedly. If they are not blocked, he finishes by picking them up under the arms with his blades, slamming them to the ground, than blowing them up with an explosive. Anything bad I said about this move before, I take it back!!!! At first I thought all he did was the swings of his blades, and they alone do pitiful damage. However, if you can connect solidly to a standing opponent, he will do all hits for aroun 35% damage!!!! This SC is best used after stunning them with an Explosive up close, or after a Guard Break. BTW, it is IMO NOT worth it to buffer this into a Dark Slicer... -Super Combo 2; Dark Slicer- Description: D. Dark performs multiple Rising Slices. Definetely the better of the two SCs, and VERY potent. Up close, it acts quite like Ken's Shoryureppa and takes priority over pretty much EVERY regular attack at this range. It's best used in this fashion, or in combos. REMEMBER, like those foolish Ken scrubs like to do, DON'T use the Dark Slicer as an air counter, as you'll only get a couple of hits and about as much damage as you would if it was blocked! SEE COMBOS FOR MORE INFO. ############################################################################# TACTICS/STRATEGIES: ------------------- I cannot stress enough, the game plan for D. Dark is to get the enemy in the Snap Wire. From here is where Doctrine Dark can work his magic. ABOUT THE SNAP WIRE: First off, you MUST learn to use the different strengths of the Wire at the appropriate times. NEVER use the Fierce Snap Wire when you're anywhere near the opponent; it comes out quite slow and can be snuffed by long range attacks or other, faster attacks. And, it also has extremely bad recovery, so if they block or jump it from close, you're screwed. The Jab Snap Wire is VERY fast and also recovers quickly, so use it primarily from up close. Likewise, the Strong one should be used from mid-range. Now, the Snap Wire will only snag the opponent if they are standing on the ground; if they are in the air, the Snap Wire basically works like a whip, and just smacks them, knocking them to the ground. The Jab Snap Wire is actually a decent air counter, if the enemy is going to land a few steps in front of you. One thing to note is that you can only hit them with the END of the Wire; for example, if you throw a Fierce Snap Wire at the opponent from a far distance and they jump OVER it, it will look like they are going to land on the wire. However, they will pass through it and Dark will continue to go through the animations. This is very dangerous if the opponent jumps from anywhere near you, because this allows them to jump, and even if the DON'T reach you, give them time to get up close and hit you. And of course, you still have to be weary of projectile counters (see Vs. Strategies). ABOUT THE EXPLOSIVE: IMO, it is a good idea to have one of these on screen at all times, except when you're in an up close battle (as they can hit you during the move). A Roundhouse one should always be there in case the enemy is foolish enough to mistime a jump, or ground attack when they're over it. For example, you lay a Roundhouse Explosive, then coax the enemy into jumping by faking them out with a Jab Snap Wire; hopefully, you were far enough away that you can recover from the Wire in time to back up SLIGHTLY, and the opponent will land on the explosion (learn how long it takes for each strength of Explosive to charge, and time it so they will land as it blows up). You don't REALLY need to get away, since you can just block their jump-in either way. From here, you will be in a good position to whip out another Snap Wire and combo off of the explosion, dragging them in for further pummeling. Use the appropriate Explosive for the occasion, i.e. if the enemy is coming in FAST and you think you can surprise them, use a Short instead. If the opponent manages to block the Explosives and you're fairly close, you can try for a Throw, or even better, a Guard Break followed by a BIG combo! This is what makes the Explosive so effective--if it hits, it leaves the enemy open for a combo, and if it is blocked, it leaves them open for a Throw or Guard Break combo provided you're close (and you're timing is perfect--I've only done it a few times.) D. DARK UP CLOSE: Doctrine Dark can have a hard time up close. He is best played at a distance, stressing the Snap Wire and trapping them with the Explosives. If you end up getting the enemy near you and they can attack, you must try very hard to put some distance between you and your foe. Stress the C.Forward to take out the opponent's regular attack (however, most can take out your C.Forward with a WELL-TIMED SC), then back off. If the enemy is defensive, yet tries to peck away at you with their own high-priority attacks (eg. Guile), use the S.Jab and C.Jab--if they connect, buffer in a Rising Slice for a quick combo and back off. If the Jabs are blocked, Try hard for your Throw, which will also toss the enemy a fair distance away. And of course, use the Guard Break if they block consistantly, and trick them into blocking longer with a Short or Forward Explosive if you can get it in. And hey, if you're really desperate, don't forget the Dark Slicer; it takes priority over pretty much everything, so pull it out if you're in a tight spot. ############################################################################# COMBOS: ******* Dark is quite devastating with combos involving the Snap Wire, and can chain together 2 Supers easily! Remember, whenever the enemy is hit with an Explosive, follow with a Snap Wire and drag 'em in! (or if you're close, just combo straight from there if you like). NOTE: after hitting the enemy with a stunning guard Break, follow with ANY of the below combos, with or without the Snap Wire depending on your distance. And also note that unlike the stun of the Explosive or Snap Wire, you CAN Throw the enemy during the Guard Break stun! CORRECTION: yet another correction to this combo section; the combos I used to have with the Dark Shackle XX Dark Shackle XX Dark Slicer are in fact impossible (see A WORD ABOUT... COMBOS for reason). Those combos were actually theoretical, and I had never pulled them off before. I suppose I should learn more about the combo system before putting these things down... REGULAR COMBOS: --------------- 1. J.Roundhouse, C.Strong XX Fierce Rising Slice Comments: thankfully, I found out that the C.Strong is bufferable, so this is the easiest damaging combo that Dark has. 2. J.Roundhouse, C.Roundhouse Comments: kinda _blah_, but the damage is very good, and because of the range of the C.Roundhouse, you can jump from afar and usually connect with this. Don't use it too often, or you'll be scorned as a button-masher. ;) 3. J.Roundhouse, C.Strong XX Dark Shackle XX Dark Slicer Comments: extremely powerful combo involving 2 SCs! Note that I personally prefer not to cancel the Dark Shackle, as it looks better by itself (and the damage difference isn't that bad!). 4. J.Forward, C.Jab XX Fierce Rising Slice XX Dark Slicer Comments: a good example of Special Move -> SC buffering. REMEMBER: buffer the SC into the FIRST hit of the Rising Slice, because after that Dark's feet are off the ground and he cannot do the SC in the air. Good damage. Explosive/Snap Wire Combos: --------------------------- Notes: this is a totally redone section, because I must explain all the little nuances of the Explosive and Snap Wire. First off, WHENEVER you connect with the Snap Wire and yank them in, perform a Short Explosive to "anchor" the enemy to the ground, where all moves will connect properly (i.e. DARK SHACKLE!). As well, if you connect with an Explosive and you're relatively close, forget the Snap Wire and combo off of the explosion. Either way, it is usually a good idea to throw a Snap Wire when they're caught by an explosion. 1. J.Roundhouse, C.Strong XX Snap Wire Yank, Short Explosive, Fierce Rising Slice Comments: a very powerful and stylish combo. From now on, I will leave out the J.Roundhouse, C.Strong portion of the combos, but remember that you can start pretty much any Snap Wire combo with it. 2. Snap Wire Yank, Short Explosive, Dark Shackle Comments: EXTREMELY powerful combo, it is one of the few ways to EASILY connect with the Dark Shackle. 3. Snap Wire Yank, Short Explosive, Dark Shackle XX Dark Slicer Comments: A little more damage than #2, but I prefer to let the Dark Shackle go by itself. :) 4. Explosive, Fierce Rising Slice Comments: easy way to combo off the Explosive FROM CLOSE. 5. Explosive, Cyclone Kick Comments: an easy 2-hit that can be done from a short distance because of the range of the F+Forward. 6. Explosive, Dark Shackle Comments: again, an easy way to get in the Dark Shackle. GREAT damage. ############################################################################# VS. STRATEGIES: *************** Vs. Ryu: -------- Ah, good ol' Ryu. He still has the classic FB/DP and FB/Sweep traps, and they work almost as good as they used too--at least against our Mr. Dark. The main strategy here is to negate his FBs with Jab Snap Wires (once got a guy swearing because he thought I was showing off, snapping off his FBs with a whip!), and try to edge close enough that you can snag him with a Jab or Strong Snap Wire IMMEDIATELY after one of his FBs. If the Ryu you're playing plays offensive, he's actually MORE of a problem. The big problem is that he can Hurricane Kick THROUGH (or over, actually) your Snap Wire, and can then even cancel the damn thing into a Vacuum Hurricane to give you a real migrane. In addition, he can also take you out of the Snap Wire with the good ol' Shinkuu-Hadouken. Basically, refrain from throwing Snap Wires unless you're negating his Hadoukens (use Jab, always), leaves himself open for it, OR to keep him from jumping at a distance (takes GOOD timing). If you see him start a FB close to you, whip out your Dark Slicer FAST, and remember that you can knock him out of his DP ON ITS WAY UP with the Snap Wire. Lay Explosives frequently and back off to prevent him from jumping in without at least blocking the explosion. Vs. Ken: -------- Damn! He's a toughy if played right. He can zone you almost as good as Ryu with his FB, and can also go through the Snap Wire with his Hurricane Kick. Do NOT jump in on him, with his DP and MEGA-DAMAGE Shinryuken. His FB is SLIGHTLY slower coming out, so you may beat him to the draw with the Snap Wire. Remember, you can hit him on his way up in a DP with the Snap Wire. One good tactic (also good with Ryu's actually), is to perform a Jab Snap Wire from about half screen, effectively faking him out; when they do the HK, block and counter with your best combo. Again, remember to lay Explosives frequently, opening him for either a Snap Wire, or Throw or Guard Break. Vs. Chun Li: ------------ She can hop over you're Snap Wire from fairly close with her Swallow Kick. However, if you doa fake-out, you can counter it with a Jab Rising Slice. Her SBK is difficult to counter even if blocked (a Dark Slicer MAY work), but luckily it can be ducked easily, and you can promptly counter FAST with a C.Fierce (Fast, because the last hit of the SBK can hit crouchers.) Not a difficult fight, if you don't throw Snap Wires out constantly, and in the wrong places. Lay your Explosives, and when she jumps in, she'll probably get hit by it even if she hits you with the jump-in IF she uses a Lightning Kick for the combo, because it lasts so long (you may want to use a Forward Explosive). Her Kikosho SC is not much to worry about as long as you don't jump in very often. The TBK is more deadly, and can take out all of your attacks (except your own SC) from fairly close. Vs. Zangief: ------------ Most importantly, the 'Giefster can Clothesline through your Snap Wire; to confuse him, mix up the various strengths of the Wire to catch him when he comes out of the Clothesline. If he presses offensively with the Clotheslines, lay the appropriate Explosive. And also note that your Dark Slicer takes out the Clothesline nicely. his Running Bear Grab is SLOW, and you can grab him out of it with the Snap Wire with little difficulty. As long as you don't get close, this is an easy fight; from up close, he can tick you WITH ease, and his new kick SC (which looks hilarious) takes priority over most of your attacks. He has his very short jump as usual, so you will frequently take him out of the air with the Snap Wire, and even if he jumps it, you probably won't be close enough to worry about him anyways. Vs. Pullum: ----------- The Arabian bitch is faster than even Chun Li, and does more damage than she should. All of her moves have bad recovery thankfully, so stay defensive and only throw Snap Wires when she's on the ground, and even then be cautious, 'cause she has great mid-air moves. I WILL HAVE MORE ON PULLUM AT A LATER TIME, AS MY BUDDY NOW USES HER EXTENSIVELY, AND HE KICKS MY ASS MOST OF THE TIME!!! Vs. Cracker Jack: ----------------- Balrog, only faster and meaner. He can bat (!) away your Snap Wire, but if you use the right Wire at the right distance, he shouldn't be able to counter. If you block most of his dashing moves, you can counter fairly easily with an SC or combo. As per usual, frequently lay Explosives; it is even more effective against C. Jack, as he can get caught by the explosion during one of his dashing moves! Vs. Hokuto: ----------- Lay Explosive A LOT, and she will get caught often in the middle of her dashing moves. Don't throw Snap Wires a lot even from a distance, 'cause she can counter with that Back Slide/Kick move. Vs. Doctrine Dark: ------------------ Versus your mirror image, punish any inappropriate Snap Wires with your own Snap Wires, and lay Explosives if they get really offensive. Vs. Skullomania: ---------------- This guy is overpowered IMO. He can perform his "SkulloCrasher" and "SkulloSlide" (gah, what stupid names!) as well as the Super versions of both to take out the Snap Wire, so be catious. Hopefully, he'll just throw out one of these moves, hoping to hit you, and you can promptly counter. Lay Explosives to catch him out of the Slide. ############################################################################# WHAT'S MISSING? *************** -MORE COMBOS! -more Vs. Strategies -any correction on tactics -more info on his story -ANY CORRECTIONS (I _HATE_ MAKING MISTAKES, AND I HAVEN'T PLAYED THE GAME _TOO_ MUCH!) ;) IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!!!!! ********************** Would someone tell me what version I'm playing? According to Darklancer's SFEX FAQ, the English Version has NO SPEECH during winning stances, Hokuto's stage is different than the Japanese version, and D. Dark's Punch Throw is the Stomach Throw instead of the Neck Slice. The problem I have is, the characters in our version say everything in their winning stances IN JAPANESE, but D. Dark's Throw IS the Stomach Throw. What the hell's going on? ############################################################################# CREDITS: -------- Thanks to ARIKA (sorry, forget it was made by these guys and not Capcom) for a great game, and now a HUGE thanks to Dark Lancer for e-mailing me a LOT of corrections! :) Be sure to check out this FAQ and some of his at his homepage: http://home.pacific.net.sg/~lancer Also a big thanks to Happy Man Arcade for finally getting a game in fairly early! Finally a big thanks to Jason Jamieson (cka@efni.com), Jarvis, that dude with the pink hat, and all the other guys at the arcade for playing me. :) This and other FAQs can be accessed at my homepage: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/1910 You can also e-mail me at: tigeraid@geocities.com "I said it before and I'll say it again--democracy simply doesn't work!" -Kent Brockman, the Simpsons