Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - the Newcomers <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Playing as Joe Higashi >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> version 1.01 - Nov. 24th 2003 by Twipol / fran-c@tele2.fr Copyright 2003 by François Collette available on www.gamefaqs.com only seen it elsewhere ? please e-mail me. *******please view this document in any fixed-width font, eg Courier New******* Note : I tried to write the kind of FAQ i would be glad to read, that is, as much precise and detailed as possible. However i did my best to avoid superflous comments, and i hope you will find this FAQ interesting. Anyway, please e-mail me for any comments. _______________________________________________________________________________ Version history 1.01 - 24/11/03 Minor corrections. 1.00 - 13/10/03 First release. Second FAQ ever, the first one being devoted to RB2 Duck King. _______________________________________________________________________________ Contents I) Some boring but necessary legal stuff II) Why on earth did i write this FAQ ? III) What to expect from this FAQ ? IV) Abbreviations V) Playing as Joe Higashi VI) Joe's moves VII) Joe's combos VIII) A few last words IX) Usual ending stuff *************************************** I) The boring but necessary legal stuff *************************************** Okay, looks like nobody omits this part so i guess i have to do it as well. So, firstly, all trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders, but i'm sure you've already heard this before. Secondly, i would like us to be friends forever, therefore don't publish the contents of this FAQ on your website without my permission, or even worse, use it for any commercial purpose. You are free to link to the GameFAQs FAQ list pages, but not directly to the FAQs. Anyway you can find my e-mail above for any request. Bearing this in mind, every personnal use of this FAQ is allowed, like giving it to your friends, sending it to Santa Claus or frying it into a pan with onions. Etc, etc, done it. *************************************** II) Why on earth did i write this FAQ ? *************************************** Simple, here i'm back again trying to make my modest contribution to Real Bout 2's cause. There are a very few FAQs related to this game on GameFAQs, compared to King of Fighters games. I wrote this FAQ to help gamers, as much as possible, fully enjoy the game, because it is worth trying to play it in depth - and it deserves you do so. After having explored Duck King's amazing techniques, i want to tell you a couple of things about Joe Higashi, a much more classical, easy-to-use character. He's my most efficient character in this game, or at least one of my most efficients. *********************************** III) What to expect from this FAQ ? *********************************** I don't want to leave you alone with a big move & combo list and not any kind of further explanations at all. That's why, besides Joe's detailed move list and combo section, you'll find strategy notes. Then again, you won't find overall instructions about the game engine, cause this FAQ has been designed as an extension of general Real Bout 2 FAQs you can also find on GameFAQs. We're gonna talk about line shifting, chain combos, big & small jumps, breakshots, Power moves, overhead attacks... if it sounds unfamiliar to you, first check those general FAQs. Please note that English is not my mother tongue so if you find anything weird here, e-mail me ! ***************** IV) Abbreviations ***************** Most abbreviations used in this FAQ are very usual, but to make sure we understand each other i prefer to explain them. u = joystick/pad up d = " down f = " forward (or towards your opponent, if you prefer) b = " backward ub = " diagonally up/backward (so guess what for uf, db, df) Default Neo-Geo setting for buttons is used here : A = light punck B = light kick C = strong blow D = line shift Always lower-case letters for joystick/pad directions and upper-case letters for action buttons. So don't mistake b for B or d for D :) d,C means "down then C" d+C means "down and C simultaneously" A+B means... right, let's go on u+d means i screwed up something C(X hits), A means "after X hits from C, press A" A,(A or B),B means "A, then A or B, then B". What else !? Joystick/pad motions : qcf = quarter-circle forward (d,df,f) qcb = quarter-circle backward (d,db,b) hcf = half-circle forward (b,db,d,df,f) hcb = half-circle backward (f,df,d,db,b) dp = dragon punch motion (f,d,df) That's all. Why stuff like qcb,A instead of qcb+A ? Simple : in almost every fighting game i've played so far, the proper command for any special move is "joystick motion THEN attack button", you're not supposed to press the last direction and the button at the same moment - even if, for obvious reasons, it's also gonna work ! ************************* V) Playing as Joe Higashi ************************* Joe is an excellent classical character, that kind of efficient all-rounder, endowed with both fast and damaging moves and a good bunch of combo possibilities. He tends to have a rather offensive style, but he also has great counter skills, with useful breakshot moves. One of his great strenghts is his Tiger Kick, probably the best Dragon Punch-like move in the game, a notch above Chonrei's. His Slash Kicks have speed, priority and range, he can fake his projectiles, his Bakuretsu Ken is great for combos, his Ougon no Kakato can surprise and counter sweepers and fireball junkies, and finally he has an excellent A+B attack, again one of the best in the game along with Andy's. Cool, huh ? Now let's check all that stuff. *************** VI) Joe's moves *************** ====================== A) Miscellaneous moves ====================== _________________________________________________ 1) Special taunt : d,C when opponent knocked down Right, Joe has a pursuit move, but it's just a technically useless taunt. I would perform this especially after a successful Screw Upper. It's not cancelable, so don't do it from to close, or you'll be sorry . ______________________________________________ 2) Knee Kick Combo : near opponent, (b or f)+C Joe's normal throw. It does very weak damage, so use Multiple Knees instead. _______________________________________ 3) Multiple Knees : near opponent, df+C Joe's command throw. Whenever you have to throw, use this one. Mash the buttons and move left and right (i mean the directions, not yourself) for more damage. ____________________ 4) Slide Kick : df+B Good old sliding attack, that hits low. I don't use it very much, but it can surprise the opponent from time to time. ________________________ 5) Roundhouse Kick : b+B A high, long ranged, comboable kick. It's not very useful, being less reliable than a Tiger Kick as an anti-air move, and than an A+B attack for poking and long-ranged two-in-ones. Maybe you can think of it against small jumps. _________________________ 6) (dodging attack) : A+B Joe performs a mid level side-hitting kick. As any A+B attack, it leaves you invincible at the very start, and it is comboable. A great move. It has long range, excellent priority and can always be followed by a B Slash Kick. You can keep your opponent at respectable distance with it. You will often poke with it, and connect B Slash Kicks into it, which means you're able to inflict damaging 2-in-1s at far distance very often. ================ B) Special moves ================ __________________________ 1) Hurricane Upper : hcf,A Joe's projectile. It's quite good because of its size. Well, use it from time to time to pressurize your opponent, and mix it with some fakes to nail him (see below). Can be used as a breakshot, but it's not the best move for this. _______________________________ 2) Fake Hurricane Upper : d,A+C Note that, as for any special move, the proper command is down THEN A+C and not down+A+C. It's always good to have a fake projectile against human opponents ! Once they saw you sending a couple of Hurricane Uppers, try a fake. Then either you watch for their reaction, or you speculate ^^ - If you prefer to wait and see, you should have enough time to counter with a Tiger Kick or b+B whenever they jump (if they shift to back line and rush, hit them with a standing D and combo into something). - If you have S. Power or a flashing red vitality gauge, you might want to try a Screw Upper, and that's what i refered to as speculation. Indeed you won't be able to check your opponent is jumping then react with a Screw Upper, it's to slow to come out. You'll have to peform your Fake and then your Screw Upper immediately, and hope the fake fooled the guy alright. Anyway i think you should try this, it fells so good when successful ^^ Note that these fake "strategies" don't work against CPU, of course... ______________________________ 3) Bakuretsu Hurricane : hcf,C Joe performs two Hurricane Uppers in succession. Not much to say about this, it can be used for block damage against waking up opponents (but block damage is very insignificant in this game), bearing in mind a H. Powered (or above) fighter can roll to back line while standing up. Also remember this move offers enough time for a line shifter to attack while you recover. Its good aspect is its efficiency against other normal projectiles, which will be canceled by the first tornado, leaving the second one ready to hit the opponent. Can be used as a breakshot, but it's not the best move for this. ________________________ 4) Slash Kick B : db,f,B Note that this is not a charge move, you can do it instantaneously. This is an excellent move, it travels half a screen distance very quickly, and strikes with good priority. But i would tend to use it mainly in 2-in-1s with A+B dodging attacks, as i suggested above. ________________________ 5) Slash Kick C : db,f,C This one travels a whole screen distance, it hits twice and is very damaging, but if it's block, you'll be wide open for retaliation. It's better using it as a combo finisher. Note its initial lag is a bit longer than for the B version, thus it has less combo opportunities. If you feel like it you can also try to launch a Hurricane upper from a whole screen distance and follow with that move, it could surprise the opponent sometimes. __________________________ 6) Fake Slash Kick : f,A+C Note that, as for any special move, the proper command is forward THEN A+C and not forward+A+C. Well, nothing much to say about this. I don't have the feeling an opponent is likely to do anything you could take advantage of when you pretend to do a Slash Kick. Use it for fake combos (see the combo section) if you prefer this to a fake Hurricane Upper. ____________________ 7) Tiger Kick : dp,B Cool, Joe has probably the best dragon punch-like move in the game. It is very fast, doesn't fly too high, has an excellent priority and also a very good range for that kind of move. Using this move should be an instictive reaction to almost anything you see coming at close distance. It also comboes off everything. Can be used as a breakshot, which is good. __________________________ 8) Ougon no Kakato : qcb,B Another excellent move with good priority and strong damage. It will counter a lot of mid-distance assaults, like sweeps and projectiles. Reliable, and also safe, because its recovery time, when you land, is short. Once you've connected with it, even if it's blocked, you can risk to launch a Tiger Kick or Thunder Fire (P. Power) that would nail anyone trying to retaliate (note that it works *very* often against CPU). Can be used as a breakshot, but obviously this is not an appropriate use at all for this move. ________________________ 9) Bakuretsu Ken : tap A - follow with Bakuretsu Hook : qcf,A or C The main use for this move is combos. It now has a new follow up (C version of Bakuretsu ken) which sets for juggle opportunities (Tiger Kick or Slash Kick B, the latter being the more damaging). The A version of this follow up is pretty useless : it hits overhead, but Joe doesn't have any low-hitting alternative for this, so any player that knows the game will just block standing. Speaking of this, Bakuretsu ken is good for some block damage, BUT not against someone who's got H. Power or more. Indeed that kind of multi-hit assault is easy to counter with breakshots. Also, an H. Powered knocked down opponent can roll to back line while standing up then attack you. Even without H. Power, a good player can counter you with a wake-up move, for example a properly timed A+B dodging attack (the CPU is good at this...). Can be used as a breakshot - then followed with what i suggest above. Thus Joe has the ability to cause very good damage with a breakshot. ============== C) Power moves ============== - S. Power move _______________________ Screw Upper : f,hcf,B+C That good old Screw Upper. Well, it looks cool but it's not the best S. Power Special in the game. It's a bit slow to come out, making it nearly impossible to react to something with it. You can only rely on your intuition for it, and even so it's less reliable than Terry's Power Geyser, which delivers full damage in one hit (with a Screw Upper you sometimes get only a few of the 6 hits). You can try to trap your opponent with a fake Hurricane Upper as i suggested above. But if you miss, this move may leave enough time to line shifters for retaliation. Well, the good news is that the Screw Upper is comboable, while many characters cannot combo with their S. Power move. I found only one way to do it, but a decent one (no corner condition or wathever requiered). See the combo section. - P. Power move ______________________ Thunder Fire : f,hcf,C A very cool-looking move. It comes out instantaneously, making it highly comboable and efficient in close situations. You might want to try it after a blocked Ougon no Kakato, even if it's a bit risky (see above). It's a classical P. Power move in its uses, you'll use it like most Supers in Street Fighter or KOF (97 and above) games. ***************** VII) Joe's combos ***************** I'm not into writing a full list of possible combos without any comment. I prefer writing comments than writing three times the same combo, changing only the name of the special move at the end. Thus you'll be able to design your combos as you fancy, still i'll suggest you the most reliable possibilities in section B). ====================== A) Combo possibilities ====================== In this section * signals cancelable moves. I will only display * in the basic description of chains, not in the combo examples i suggest. __________________________ 1) From a standing close C Well, the basics ^^ You can do almost anything after this : Hurricane Upper, Bakuretsu Hurricane, Slash Kick (any version), Tiger Kick, Thunder Fire and even Bakuretsu Ken. Yes, the timings are so cleverly designed in this game, that you can easily press C then tap A for a successful 2-in-1. It's theoretically possible in other games, like Street Fighter games (Chun Li's standing fierce into her "thousand kicks" stuff) but very much harder. ______________________________________________ 2) From a standing D when opponent on backline Same as in 1). ______________________ 3) From a standing A+B Cooool, one of Joe's great strenghts ! In close situations, you have the same possibilities as in 1), but what's cool is that this A+B attack is very long ranged and allows you to combo with Slash Kick B. Always be ready to do it. You can even use the Slash Kick C but only if you're sure it's not gonna be blocked. Also check section VI) A) about this move. ____________________________________ 3) From a C attack while on backline In this game, this attack allows you to follow with something as soon as you're back to the fore line. Well, this is where Joe's "A+B into Slash Kick" comes in handy, because of its range (its always gonna connect after a C from backline, because your opponent will never be pushed away too far for it). Experiment against CPU Billy Kane for example : when his life gauge flashed red he often does his S. Power move "Cho Kaen Senpu Kon" for no apparent reason. So move forward, move to backline, dash and press C when he's about to launch the flames, and immediately follow with A+B then Slash Kick C. If you see you'll end up close enough after a C attack from backline, you can connect with one of the combos described below (like A, C, Slash Kick C). _____________ 4) Air combos Whenever you jump on tall opponents (Franco, Yamazaki, Laurence, Krauser and even Geese) remember you can hit them with A or B, then C while in air, then combo as you like when landing. But it doesn't work during small jumps. Moreover, Joe isn't very good at this, because his A and B jumping attacks are very short-ranged. ______________ 5) Fake combos Fakes moves (see the special moves section) can also cancel normal moves. Thus it allows you to cancel the last frames of a normal attack, so that you get rid of the recovey lag, leaving you enough time to follow with something else. For all i know, for a successful fake combo, before the fake move should come an attack of C or A+B type (good hit stun) and after the fake move should come an attack of A or B type (comes out fast). For example : close to the opponent, A,C, Fake Hurricane Upper (d,A+C), B,C, Slash Kick B. ____________________________ 6) Main chain combo family : (close to opponent) __A / ___A*___ /___B* A*____ / \ / \__/____B*____\__/_____C d+A*__/ \ / \ \__d+B*__/ \____u+C \ \__df+C Right, the versions that end with C or A can't be followed by anything, they are for beginners. The u+C ending hits overhead. There is no low-hitting alternative for it, but you can confuse blocking opponents with something like A,d+B,u+C (they'll have to crouch and then to stand up quickly). The B ending is cancelable, and a Slash Kick B, Tiger Kick or Thunder Fire will connect, but the possibilities described below are more damaging. Last but not least, the df+C ending is cancelable, allowing you to juggle with Tiger Kick, Slash Kick, Ougon no Kakato (most damaging) and also Screw Upper. This is the only way i've found to combo with a Screw Upper, and one of your main opportunities to land this move at all. Do the whole thing standing for this, or sometimes you won't be close enough for the 6 hits of the Screw Upper to connect. So the best is : A,B,df+C, Screw Upper. (Soon after i found this out, CPU Joe did it to me !) This combo already existed in Real Bout Special, but only with the P. Power version of the move (which has been replaced by Thunder Fire in RB2). _____________________ 7) Other chain combos - Standing far A*,B,C A basic 3-hit chain combo. - (A* or d+A*),C The best ground-based combo starter. It does more damage and causes longer hit stun than A*,B*,B* stuff. It is both good for two-in-ones and fake combos. - close B*,C* Similar to the above, a little bit more damaging, but less reliable : it pushes the opponent further (so it's less good for fake combos) and has an annoying problem. Indeed, at a certain distance you still get the close version of standing B, but you're to far for the C to connect. Use it only from *very* close. - far B*,C*,qcf,C Nice looking chain combo ! Make sure you're far enough to get the far version of standing B at the beginning, because of the problem explained above. The qcf,C command at the end activates a nice series of three kicks, none of them being cancelable. That's a pity, but you can juggle a cornered opponent with a Tiger Kick after the last hit ! Groovy. If your opponent is not in the corner then replace the last part by a Slash Kick B, it will be more damaging. That means "far B,C, Slash Kick B". ========================== B) Best examples of combos ========================== Technically speaking you now have all the elements you need to know to find the examples below by yourself, but i wanted to give you them just in case. The ground-based combos described here can also follow a jumping C, or even sometimes a jumping A or B, C in air (but the latter wouldn't be worth the trouble). The word "Fake" refers to a Fake Hurricane Upper (d,A+C) or a Fake Slash Kick (f,A+C), pick the one you prefer. ____________________________________ 1) Most damaging ground based-combos (without S. Power and/or flashing red life gauge) opponent in corner : A,C, Fake, B,C,qcf,C, Tiger Kick Nice-looking and very damaging (about 45% damage). Without corner condition, here are the best possibilities : - A,C, Bakuretsu Ken (4 hits - 5 in corner), Bakuretsu Hook C, Slash Kick B - A,C, Fake, B,C, Slash Kick B A bit less damaging, but easier : - B,C, Slash Kick C - A,B,df+C, Ougon no Kakato Less damaging again, but useful when you're too far from the opponent for the examples above : - A+B, Slash Kick C (use B version if you're not *sure* it connects) - far B,C, Slash Kick B _______________________ 2) S. Power move combos (requires S. Power or flashing red life gauge) Well, as i told you above there is only one : - A,B,df+C, Screw Upper It does almost 50% damage. _______________________ 3) P. Power move combos (requires P. Power = S. Power AND flashing red life gauge) Don't bother too much, at least if not in corner : - A,C, Thunder Fire - close B,C, Thunder Fire - close C, Thunder Fire It does about 50-55% damage. This one looks nice but is slightly less damaging : - A,B,B, Thunder Fire ___________________________________________ 4) Max number of hits & most damaging combo (requires both P. Power and corner conditions) Here is the best i could find : - Jumping C, A,C, Fake, B,C, Thunder Fire It is a 17 hits combo that does about 75% damage. Not only does it require P. Power and corner conditions, but it also doesn't work very well against some characters (especially small characters). You might think that, against tall characters, you can reach 18 hits by doing jumping (A or B), C in air instead of just jumping C, but then you'll be too far away for the far standing B to connect later. However if you can do it, e-mail me ! ********************** VIII) A few last words ********************** - Now, let's sum up : how are you supposed to play as Joe ? Well, experiment everything i've explained above. Often poke with A+B, followed by Slash Kick B from time to time. Always be ready to launch a Tiger Kick, it will counter so many things. Break the opponent's assaults from mid distance with Ougon no Kakato. When you notice they usually try to retaliate immediately to this move when it connects, follow with a Tiger Kick next time (or with a Thunder Fire as a desperate attempt !). Always remember to use breakshots (Tiger Kick and Bakuretsu Ken being the best choice for this) when you block combos. It's great that Bakuretsu Ken can be used as breakshot, because you can follow with qcf,C then Slash Kick B - remember this, it makes Joe an excellent breakshooter. - Want to get rid of the CPU ? Use the techniques i suggested, but especially Ougon no Kakato then Tiger Kick. I works very, very, very often against CPU. You can easily beat the game at level 8 with that. - Use his C+D taunt ! It looks and sounds very funny. - Have you noticed that little hit-combo count bug ? When you hit opponents with a Slash Kick B, then immediately hit them with Tiger Kick as soon as they land back, sometimes the two hits of the Tiger Kick are added to the previous number of hits. It happens sometimes. - Look at the guy at the corner of the ring in Joe's stage. It's probably Hwai Jai from Fatal Fury 1. It's funny to se him react to Joe's performances on the ring. Franco Bash and Bob Wilson, sharing the same background, also have their own coach at this place. ********************** XI) Usual ending stuff ********************** 1) Requests The first request is : your opinion ! Don't hesitate. Tell me what you think, it can help me to improve my FAQs. Even if you have only nice things to say, do it because it will encourage me to write other FAQs ! Also, if you know something that should be added to this FAQ, tell me, and you will be given proper credit for it. 2) Things to come Possible updates of this FAQ. Really, e-mail me for any comments, no matter they are positive or not. FAQs about Kim and Mai. Maybe others later. Maybe a general RB2 FAQ, because i made some suggestions to Omega Mad and Marc "Flea" O'Neill, i had some feedback from Flea but i suppose they no longer have the time or the motivation to update their FAQs. However they have my respect for their work. 3) Special thanks First i would like to thank GameFAQs staff. They had a brillant idea with that website, also i really like the fact it gives more importance to being clear, fast and functional than to flashy effects and agressive advertising strategies. It becomes scarce on the internet. I would also like to thank Matanza and Gathershot because thanks to their FAQs i realized that fakes could be used in combos, that you could hit tall characters twice in air and that send-to-backline moves could set an opponent for juggles in 1-line stages. Thanks to the Neo Encyclopedia ( http://web.tiscali.it/neoencyclopedia ) webmasters, to Omega Mad and to Flea for their move lists and the move names. Thanks to David Taborda, Lionel Vilner and Michael Valensi for having given so many good hints about the Street Fighter II series in magazines, at a time when almost nobody in France could combo a standing fierce into a dragon punch ! Thanks to Christophe Delpierre for having written so many good reviews of fighting games in french press so far. J'espère qu'un jour on pourra se rencontrer, taper la discute et se faire quelques parties sur des jeux mythiques ! Thanks to Reyda Seddiki as well, and all those who wrote in Player One at its greatest time - je fais partie des nombreux gens que vous ne connaissez pas mais qui se souviennent de votre travail ! Bravo. Thanks to Renaud, Julien and Brice for being brillant sparing partners when we have the time (avec une réserve sur Renaud qui en fait est plutôt mauvais - hey du calme, je blague. Non pitié, pas dans les dents le tornado kick). Thanks to Capcom and SNK for all that great fighting games. ----- by Twipol / fran-c@tele2.fr Copyright 2003 by François Collette ***breathe and let do***