Gamer Journal - Day 33

Cammy is a beast.

Quick spin knuckle is all about timing, passes through fireballs, but I heard isn't the best way in on projectile characters.. This isn’t the greatest move, but the half circle movement of the stick is a bit of a bitch. Using charge characters all this time has restricted my attack style, so Cammy is great for building up fireball and rushdown techniques.

The Cammy quick combo is as useful a kid with turrets at a funeral, being that it will only work in the most stupid of situations.

I've heard that use of the ex meter is essential in competitive fights, so spin drive smasher is almost out of the question. Her Gyro drive smasher, though, is the shit for punishing fireballs.

Hooligan combination seems to land too slowly, but I guess it's the ambiguity that's the key. Spiral arrow is what it is..

Gotto work more on spike cannon..

She's a beast.. And is really showing why he's upper tier..

Winner Quote - Alex Valle

"Life is good when you made that guy break another 5 dollar bill in the quarter machine."

http://m.kotaku.com/5248956/the-last-of-the-great-arcade-fighters

Fighter Focus - Alex Valle

Recently noticed I'd really been overlooking a huge ass proportion of why I'm doing this.. The real arcade heroes.. The inspiration, passion and dedication of champions..

So let's talk Valle.. Alex Valle.. Peruvian-American Street Fighter II player extraordinaire..

"His style was and still is aggressive. Aggressive and relentless. Relentless and brutal. "Almost instantly, Valle understands your game, and from there he gets inside your head and just violates you," says Seth Killian, long time Valle pal and resident Street Fighter expert at Capcom. "While some other top players would hang back and try and grind you down, he pioneered his own 'rushdown' style, where he was on you so fast, and in so many different ways, you were constantly on the defensive. While you were trying to figure out what just happened, he was on you again with a new setup, so his opponents would really just fall apart. It's paralyzing." Valle explains, "There isn't much time to think when the game starts, so my strategy involves overwhelming my opponent before they can adapt.""

Axel Valle is a legend in the SF community.. Not 'was', 'is'. The only problem now being A SFII-arcade player, living in a SFIV-online world.. Valle's Exploits during the 90's have made him one of the most respected fighters of all time in. "Players needed guts of iron. Way back in '96, Valle put himself on the map with his fight at Southern Hills Golfland arcade with rival John Choi at the B3: Battle By The Bay, the unofficial West Coast Street Fighter Alpha 2 arcade grand championship. Two years, at the SFA3 World Tournament, Valle went head-to-head against Daigo Umehara (yes, that Daigo) in Daigo's first international fight."

Check out some of the greatest fights in history, and witness the awesome power, which is the Valle, 32 and still primin.

There's a lot to learn from this guy.. Developing your style nowadays is much easier than for Valle, back in the day, but coming up the hard way forced his style to be rushdown. It's what fits and what works..

http://m.kotaku.com/5248956/the-last-of-the-great-arcade-fighters

Gamer Journal - Day 32

Straight up, the practice isn't goin so well.

SF is pulling me in with its 2D simplicity (yeah, yeah, troll all you want) and it's range of flashy techniques, I'm becoming a bit of a junky for super combo and ultra finish’s.. But scratchin deeper into the technical side; cancels, combos and footsies, is still beyond me. Arcade Edition has a huge number of characters, and to be honest, it's kinda overwhelming, even getting the basic techniques of characters like Gen is causing deep ball ache.

Having training partners is the way to go, absolutely, but being so basic a player, dealing with the cheap shit might cause me to bust a nut. If I play a Sagat, I'll just end up with a face full of fireballs.. And my partner a plain face full of balls.. I don't know if I can deal with that shit at the moment..

By the end of the week I wanna have the basic play if each character covered.. And still I've gotto work on Cammy..

Winner Quotes - Charlie Sheen

"I blinked and I cured my brain... Everybody has the power.. Can’t is the cancer of happen.. Can’t is the cancer of happen.. The Nike slogan doesn’t say “Just try it”.. No, “Just do it” man."

Arcade Review - Mikado

A pretty god dam epic place if you’re looking for a classic arcade is Mikado In Takadanobaba.

So what have we got here? For one thing it's located 2 minutes from Takadanobaba station (5mins from Shinjuku or Ikebukuro to anyone on the JR line)

That alone cannot be beaten for convenience... And having a Lawson next door.. It's bliss, grab food, play, grab more food, play.. It's amazing.. And we haven’t even gone inside yet!

There are plenty of indie arcades scattered around Tokyo, but Mikado is different.

First floor covers a lot of the old school gaming scene with set ups like famicom Mario, Darius, Outrun, an a whole slew of games you've long forgotten.. Even got a goddam pinball machine there!

So floor 2. You will never see more of a mad selection of beat em ups anywhere. As a Tekken player, I'm a bit guttered that we've been reduced to a single cabinet, but I get the feeling that it'll change pretty soon. Bias aside.. Has a huge set up of SF, MB, GG, and a bunch of games I've never even heard of.

One-point kicks this place clean out of the ball park for me; the tourneys.. Day in, day out, tourney this, competition that.. It's amazing, backed up with announcers and prizes; it's the perfect place for players to get a foot in..

Never rammed, plenty to get your teeth into, good facilities, accessible.. Shit.. It's the shit.

So all in all, one of the best arcades I've seen, and absolutely a must for any gamer, big time or noobie. Dudley award for a jolly good show!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=takadanobaba&hl=en&ll=35.712667,139.703486&spn=0.001198,0.001725&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.22949,56.513672&radius=15000&z=19&layer=c&cbll=35.712667,139.703486&panoid=ky6xeDSqwamXfJuCpQtU7g&cbp=12,336.48,,0,-7.28

Resource - iplaywinner

Move lists, strats and frame data.. Surprising hard to find on the net, mainly due to trolls talking nonsense, arguing, debating, and everyone wanting to voice an opinion.. 

Praise god for iplaywinner.com. Since finding their podcasts a few months back, they have kinda sorted me out with a bunch of pointers, mainly to do with the Sf scene.

The fact they cover all the major fight game bases is a huge plus, you've got your BlazBlue, KoF and whatnot, but as a quick and simple, you can't beat it. Sure SRK has the news first, but being a nobody working my way up from absolute zero, it seems like iplaywinner is really catering for ground level up fighters.

Shit is broken down real simply into exactly what the characters strength and weaknesses are, tactics and matchups .. Shamefully, recognizing a rush down character in SF is still not totally clear to me.. (With the intro of arcade edt. About 20 new characters popped up.. And that's a shit lot of work!)

In terms of tactics in fighting games, any of the guys can be played in whatever style suits you.. But going against the grain will limit your choices..

"Cammy" for example is much better suited to in their face beat downs, she's a rush down character.. That's the bottom line.. "Guile" more for turtling.. Blanka, countering .. Basic shit, but ipw just gives it to you straight up..  Hit points, tier ranking, usability.. Perfect

That's what I like, that's what I want.

Focus - Cammy

CANNON SPIKE

FORWARD, DOWN, DOWN-FORWARD + KICK

This is Cammy's "Dragon Punch" and her go-to anti air attack. This is also one of the main special moves you will use within combos.

You can FADC this attack and combo another Cannon Spike directly afterwards.

Although it is obviously unsafe on block, Cammy will fly back much further than say when Ryu's Dragon Punch is blocked. She is safe from some typical punishers, but most characters will be able to counter attack with something if the player knows the match up. 

SPIRAL ARROW

QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD + KICK

A low two hit attack that is most useful in combos. Try to resist the urge to throw this out whenever you feel like it considering its really unsafe when blocked, but if you do miss, FADC the first hit to make it safe. 

QUICK SPIN KNUCKLE

HALF CIRCLE BACK + PUNCH

This is an attack that allows Cammy to pass through fireballs, although many players wont be using it too often due to the fact that she has better ways of getting in to do damage against projectile characters.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION

DOWN-BACK, DOWN, DOWN FORWARD, FORWARD, UP-FORWARD + PUNCH

This is a flying attack where Cammy can either grab the opponent or hit them with a sweep. Pressing nothing will execute the sweep, while pressing throw will grab the opponent if they are standing or in mid air. If the opponent crouches, the throw will wiff and no attack will come out at all.

CANNON STRIKE

IN AIR 

JUMP TOWARDS, QUARTER CIRCLE BACK + KICK

This attack is a key element in Cammy's offense, allowing her to apply intense pressure to the opponent and also set up combos. The trick is to use this move right off the ground when up close in most cases. You do this by inputting Quarter Circle Back and ending in Up-forward then pressing kick.

SUPER - SPIN DRIVE SMASHER

QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD X2 + KICK

Cammy will need all her EX meter to be competitive in most match ups, so using the Super is not recommended unless you know it will take out the opponent in the final round.

ULTRA 1 - GYRO DRIVE SMASHER

QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD X2 + KICK X3

Cammy's original Ultra allows her to go through fireballs, and you can even combo into the first part after an FADC'd Cannon Spike.

ULTRA 2 - CQC (CAMMY QUICK COMBINATION)

QUARTER CIRCLE BACK X2 + THREE PUNCHES

Cammy's new Ultra is fairly useless in that it will only counter attacks that are not armor breaking and it is over all very easy to bait. It's best use is as an anti-air, catching jump in attacks.

http://iplaywinner.com/cammy-ssf4/

Gamer journal - 30 days in..

Street Fighter

With SF, the improvements have been pretty dramatic, coming up literally from zero and been able to mess up some high level players.. I’m lovin it. Maybe the 2 wins won't really account for the progress, but this past weekend saw at least 5 hours in SF, figuring out the basics all over..  compared with about an hour in Tekken. 

Of course the improvements are rapid in SF but still ex cancels, dash cancels and some of the bigger juggles are way beyond me. With Chun as my main I'm finding it hard to find a backup. Being a bit of a turtle, her anti airs are perfect, lightning kick juggles into kikousho ultra; she's got reams of responses.. Sakura is fun, but I have a mass of problems getting her ultra to come out, and the practical use of her jumping head crack looks lousy..  Rose is more of a rush down character, as is Ibuki and maloti..

The time spent on Ibuki showed her to be a pretty technically demanding player, and since I'm still covering my basics.. It's better to stick with what works. Her challenge mode was pretty tough, although having excellent rush down abilities, her ultra ultimately flawed her..

So this week I'll move onto.. Cammy

Tekken

Defense and throw techs have improved a lot. A bunch of time was spent just playing the defense counter game with Nina and the results were good.. Shit like Lili's sweep, that used to be a constant bitch, suddenly gets blocked every time.

It's a good time to look into the counter throw downs for players abusing sweeps or low kicks.. If I can block.. Then parrying should be no trouble..

Also with the backup tag player, I've really got to start knuckling down.. It'll be a slaughter..

Ok, decided, it's going to be Anna.. This week Anna will be my main, so I've got to het a shit lot of practice in. Honestly speaking I avoid that bitch at all costs.. There's something about her slow movements, which really mess up my play style.. But I like the idea of the sister’s combo.

Highlights

A 6 game win streak in Tekken, after a pretty disappointing month, against a high level Lili player. Even with the bitch ass, 60% combos, it showed how much the player was relying on juggles..

That shit is important, but can't replace tactics and mind games..

Strat Corner

A little about Strat Corner

Hello, and welcome to the Video Gaming Federation Strat Corner podcast section of our site. Before listening to the podcasts, I wanted to provide you with a brief preface so that you know what this podcast is, how it works, and what to expect in the future.

As you will know based simply on the titles, the Tekken edition (our only current series) is devoted to one character in the Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion console fighting game, each podcast focusing on a different character. The next big fighting game release is expected to be Tekken Tag Tournament 2, so with that in mind, it made sense for us to devote some time to Tekken 6, a game Tag 2 will invariably pull most of its mechanics and technical details from. Although we do discuss tiers in our podcasts, the order in which our podcasts will be released is not directly associated with how we rank characters; rather, we’re simply going through the characters that you’re going to see most often, which usually coincides with what most players would consider good characters, so you’ll notice that the order of the podcasts will line-up, in a general way, to most players’ tier lists.

The ultimate goal is to provide a player that is new to the character–whether it be playing that character or playing against that character–a solid overview that they can apply in-game, while still giving more expert-level players new things to consider. As opposed to some other podcasts out there, ours is neither technical nor general, but a nice medium: We won’t go through every single move a character has, but we’ll certainly examine some; we’ll also discuss big picture but still keep the focus reigned in. In other words, our discussion will be categorical and not simply generic or overly technical. Despite this, there are certain things we will presume you already know, such as common notation and what frames are. If you’re unfamiliar with basic gameplay, we recommend visiting tekkenzaibatsu.com and going through their basic guides.

Each podcast follows a general outline that you can use to skip around if there are certain sections that don’t interest you. After a short introduction, we will immediately jump into the character discussion by providing a quick, 10 to 15-second summary of that character’s strengths and weaknesses. Using that summary, we’ll get into our more lengthy discussion by examining the categories we feel compose a character. These include punishing, tracking, damage, okizeme, grab games, launchers, and so on. After that core section, we’ll discuss where we believe the character falls on the tier list, what we’re seeing from tournaments, and what we’re hearing from players. We will then end our podcast with news or other noteworthy topics that we feel like discussing.

You’re also probably wondering who your hosts are. My name is Scott, and you can find me on both the SRK and TZ boards under the handle Xiang, spelled xiang. My co-host is Dan aka JannaKazama on the TZ boards. We’ve both been around the scene for a long time, with nearly two decades worth of experience in the community. We’re also decent players in our own right, so at the risk of sounding arrogant, we know our stuff, at least enough to feel confident that our opinions hold water. Occassionally, we will bring on guests to help in our discussion and in keeping with the Midwest orientation of the VGF, we’ll try our hardest to get Midwest peeps on the podcast, although we certainly won’t shun anyone who isn’t. Good conversation is good conversation, no matter where you’re from. Ultimately, though, our opinions are our own–and we love to voice them–so always keep that in mind.

Also, the intention of this podcast is to get the creative juices flowing and help any struggling players out there. The forums are filled with great information, but like anything on the internet, there’s also a lot of junk, so filtering through it can be awfully time-consuming. This podcast should help cut off the fat and give you the essentials. It’s not meant to replace or compete with any other podcasts, so be sure to check out podcasts like Avoiding the Puddle at avoidingthepuddle.com, where aris, a well-known name in the community, interviews big names from Tekken, not only from the community but also from the gaming industry. If you’re looking for something incredibly technical, iamtekken.com does a great podcast called Level Up Your game, where they break down each move a character has. There’s also the Powerup podcast devoted to big names in the Midwest. Links to all of these sites can be found under the “Links” tab.

Lastly, looking to the future, since the VGF supports 3 games–SSF4, Marvel 3, and T6–we’d like to do at least one series for the other games, but SRK does such a great job with their podcasts that it’s hard to think of something interesting that hasn’t already been done. It really is a one-stop shop for a lot of things. But we’re a creative bunch, so expect something in the coming months, especially once Tekken Tag 2 releases. We’ll also have all of our podcasts on this page.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to use the contact page. We’ll also have a thread in the general discussion board of T6 on tekkenzaibatsu.com, so feel free to chime in there as well. (TZ thread)

Thank you for taking a listen, and we hope you enjoy the podcasts

http://www.videogamingfederation.org/strat-corner/

Ibuki .. Sucks?

COMMAND NORMALS

BONSHO KICK

F + HK

The Bonsho Kick is an effective mid to close range attack allowing Ibuki to pass over many of the opponents moves. It can also beat many Special Moves when timed properly such as E. Honda's Headbutt and M. Bison's Scissor Kicks. 

HAMMER KICK

F + MK

The Hammer Kick is an overhead attack that has many potential follow ups such as Standing Light Punch or Standing Light Kick. It is useful in the corner where many players will end up blocking low with nowhere to go. 

REVERSE SPIN KICK

B + MK

SAZAN

DF + MK

The Sazan is one of Ibuki's most useful attacks for controlling space. This move allows her to not only close in on the opponent and possibly do a bit of damage in the process, it also passes under fireballs -- even low Tiger Shots! That said, do not get too predictable with the Sazan and try to use it at max range in order to avoid being punished for using it. 

AGEMEN

B + MP

Agemen is Ibuki's go-to anti air move, allowing her to beat most jump in attacks when timed properly. 

IBUKI - SPECIAL MOVES - SUPER STREET FIGHTER 4

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KUNAI

^{IN AIR} 
IN AIR, QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD  + PUNCH

Ibuki's projectile attack that can only be done in the air. Each strength punch will determine the angle in which the Kunai is thrown. It does not cancel out projectiles like fireballs, so this is not a move to be used in projectile wars but more to annoy and mix up the opponent. You can follow up with a Kunai after an EX Kazeigri.

One of the more effective ways of using the Kunai is after an untechable knockdown to set up an ambiguous cross up. For instance, after a Neck Breaker, you can super jump and immediately throw out a light Kunai. As you drift to the other side of the opponent, they will have to predict which way the Kunai will hit. This is known as her "Vortex", although there is much more to the Vortex than just Kunais.

TSUJIGOE


FORWARD, DOWN, DOWN-FORWARD + PUNCH

Ibuki will jump and flip in the air at different angles, depending on the strength of the punch. From here she can toss out a kunai to create mix up and cross up opportunities.

NECK BREAKER

   
HALF CIRCLE FORWARD + PUNCH

Ibuki's sliding neck breaker which hits low on opponents. EX versions will do multiple hits. Set's up an untechnable knockdown and is one of her most effective specials in combos due to the fact that it will set up her "vortex". After the Neck Breaker, you can execute a Light Kunai just as they are waking up to set up an ambiguous cross up, or jump in with Medium Kick or Light Kick for similar results.

RAIDA


HALF CIRCLE BACK + PUNCH

Ibuki's command grab, although it is not like many other command grabs in that it can be blocked. That said, it will catch jumping opponents and can also be connected after a EX Tsumuji in the corner.

KASUMI GAKE


QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD + KICK

Ibuki's dashing teleport which travels different distances depending on the strength of the kick. Light Kick and a Medium Kick   will keep her in front of the opponent from close range, while the Heavy Kick version will allow her to go through the opponent completely, ending up on the other side. It is useful within block strings to use this move to confuse and mix up the opponent.

KAZEGIRI


FORWARD, DOWN, DOWN-FORWARD + KICK

Ibuki's Dragon Kick which is primarily useful within her chain combos. The EX Version will allow her to follow up with a Kunai, keeping the opponent at bay although they can hit you with a Level 2 Focus as you make your way down if they predict the follow up Kunai. EX version is best used as Anti Air and is a decent wake up move as well. 

TSUMUJI


QUATER CIRCLE BACK + KICK

Ibuki's multi-hit whirlwind kick which is primarily useful in combos and block strings. After the initial hit, you can either let the rest of the attack hit mid, or press down and kick for the move to end in a low attack. Ending in a low will allow her to start her "vortex" as mentioned above. 

HEIN


BACK, DOWN, DOWN-BACK + KICK

Ibuki's overhead stomp kick which is not as useful as it was in Third Strike, which isn't saying much. She will hop on the opponents head and then bounce off after the attack. Using the EX Version will allow her to jump to the other side of the opponent, which can make it useful for escaping corner pressure.

SUPER - KASUMI SUZAKU


^{IN AIR}

IN AIR, QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD X2 + PUNCH

Ibuki builds meter quickly with her being such an offensive character and has one of the more useful Supers in the game.

ULTRA 1 - YOROITOSHI

    
 HALF CIRCLE BACK X2 + THREE PUNCHES

This is Ibuki's grab Ultra, and only has limited uses due to the fact that is has relatively slow start up. you might catch your opponent off guard a couple times with this one, but her second Ultra will typically be the go to Ultra for Ibuki players.

ULTRA 2 - HASHINSHO

QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD X2 + KICK X3

This will most likely be the preferred Ultra for most Ibuki players considering it has multiple uses and applications. The most effective way to use it is from a Super Jump Cancel off of one of her normal moves. For instance, she can Super Jump Cancel most of the final attacks of her chain combos and end with this Ultra making it extremely useful in her overall gameplan. 

IBUKI - COMBOS - SUPER STREET FIGHTER 4

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CHAIN COMBOS

Jump Heavy Punch, Forward + Medium Kick

Jump in Light Punch, Forward + Heavy Punch

Jump In Light Kick, Forward + Medium Kick

Light Punch, Medium Punch, Hard Punch

Light Punch, Medium Punch, Forward + Light Kick

Light Punch, Medium Punc, Down + Hard Kick, Hard Kick

Back + Medium Kick, Forward + Medium Kick

Hard Punch, Down Hard Kick, Hard Kick

Light Kick, Medium Kick, Hard Kick

KUNAI COMBOS

RAIDA COMBOS

KAZEGIRI COMBOS

Many of Ibuki's chain combos can be finished with a Kazegiri -- example:

Light Kick, Medium Kick, Kazegiri

TSUMUJI COMBOS

Many of Ibuki's chain combos can be finished with a Tsumuji -- example:

Light Kick, Medium Kick, Tsumuji 

YOROTOSHI COMBOS

HASHINSHO COMBOS

Ibuki has the ability to Super Jump Cancel from many of her chain combos. To Super Jump Cancel into the Hashinsho, you will buffer two quarter circle forwards, ending in up-forward, then press all three kicks -- example:

Light Kick, Medium Kick, Super Jump Cancel, Hashinsho

Light Punch, Medium Punch, Hard Punch, Super Jump Cancel, Hashinsho

Close Hard Punch, Super Jump Cancel, Hashinsho