I suck at 2d fighters [Archive] - Retrogaming Roundtable

biggzy

09-10-2007, 06:09 PM

Though I have quite a few in my collection, I've never been any good at any 2d fighter I've played. Hell, I can't even pull off super combos in the SFA series because I've never been able to figure out what to do once my gauge is full!

The reason I bring this up is that I've tried time and again to find a good beginners guide or faq for those of us who are somewhat behind the curve on these sorts of games which, though they require quite a bit of skill that can only be gained through hours of practice, contain move sets that are quite difficult for a n00b to the genre to figure out on his own.

I'd love some ideas for where to look for guidance to finally get my skills up to snuff. Is it because I just missed out on quality SF2 time during my adolescence or am I just not looking in the right places? Also, do you guys think that this can be a hard genre to "break into" or am I just missing something?

Chuplayer

09-10-2007, 07:04 PM

Hell, I can't even pull off super combos in the SFA series because I've never been able to figure out what to do once my gauge is full!

http://www.gamefaqs.com

Cornelius

09-10-2007, 07:07 PM

I totally suck at them too. I've only been sort of good at two: Mortal Kombat that I had on the computer 15 years(?) ago, and I looked up a guide online to learn the moves for sub-zero. The other was the Star Wars Teras Kasi game, which is not entirely 2D, and has the moves in the instruction booklet.

Back in the day I totally kicked ass at Tenchu. Once went almost 60 rounds victorious in a room with 4 of my friends taking turns, and Tenchu is usually one hit kill. That's about the only fighter boasting I can do :(

heybtbm

09-10-2007, 07:21 PM

I always thought I was pretty good until SF2 for XBLA came out last year. When matched up against the people on XBL, it is apparent that I suck.

Big time.

cyberfluxor

09-10-2007, 07:42 PM

I also fall under the "I love to hate fighters." I buy them and play for awhile but end up stopping. They just don't hold my interest for long and they are usually too easy or so difficult I give up. I don't like grinding it out for so many hours fighting the same cheap computer character just to learn some combo system and master one of a dozen characters. I actually get more enjoyment watching others fight because they make it look so good.

Barbarianoutkast85

09-10-2007, 07:59 PM

I'm in the same boat as you, I suck. I've practiced and practiced. Not just 2d fighters all fighters. The only fighter I've been good at was Tekken tag and the only aspect of that game I was good at was the the tekken bowling.

rurouni318

09-10-2007, 08:00 PM

Besides Gamefaqs as Chuplayer recommended, I would have to add www.Shoryuken.com . This site has guides for every character for any big 2d game you can think of. This would be a good place to start if you don't like gamefaqs.

I like to think that I am pretty good at most 2d fighters, I am not amazing but decent. I do pretty well online and at the arcades, it's just I am waiting for some new fighting game to come out.

CosmicMonkey

09-10-2007, 08:36 PM

You have to find a game that you 'click' with.

Back when the genre took off in the early 90s I used to play a few games of SF2WTFBBQ but was never that good. Couldn't stand Mortal Kombat or any of the other SF2 clones/rip-offs either.

But then I played Last Blade on MVS. The game is incredibly beautiful and very stylishly designed. And the game somehow 'clicked' with me: I was able to pull off combos and super cancels and all sorts after reading a few FAQs. Same with Guilty Gear XX: there's just something about the game that I really get on with.

Once you're pulling off daft combos in one game, it's only slight adjustments to timing to learn other games. I'm still a bit funny with Capcom fighters though, I find them hit-or-miss as to whether I get on with them. 3rd Strike and Alpha 3 are generally accepted as pinnacles of the genre and I really enjoy them, but I'd still rather play a few rounds of Last Blade.

bangtango

09-10-2007, 08:49 PM

I have a hard time doing special moves and combos consistently in the SF2 games. I can do the Fireball and Hurricane Kick regularly with Ken and Ryu but I have a very low success rate pulling off a Dragon Punch. Needless to say, those are the only two guys I use in an SF2 game. I get pounded anytime I use most of the other characters, especially against the computer on the highest difficulty levels.

I also have a fair amount of trouble doing most of the special moves and fatalities in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat 2. As a result, I am limited to using Scorpion most of the time. His moves are the easiest to perform, both the harpoon and the MK1 fatality.

Overbite

09-10-2007, 09:12 PM

I like fighting games in general though I don't bother to get better at them because I have no one to play against.

I'm not bad at them but I don't learn combos or anything. And there's no way I could memorize a characters moveset in a 3D fighter.

Icarus Moonsight

09-10-2007, 09:16 PM

I'd say go to an arcade but, yeah... you know.

Thing is you'd be amazed how much improvement you can make with the "loser pays - winner stays" formula. How many quarters are you going to offer up before you decide sucking is no longer an option? LOL It's a baptism of fire, but very effective. Especially if the guy handing you your ass is charitable and offers some tips. :)

On consoles and such you have to play someone at least better than you and attempt to keep up, match or surpass them. Solo? ramp up that diff to max and have at it until you can win a set. Then move your next goal up a notch.

DreamTR

09-10-2007, 09:54 PM

Moo Cow

09-10-2007, 10:30 PM

Your best bet is to practice against good people. Though that is all relative, sometimes everyone thinks that they are great at fighters because they beat everyone in their local area, but they can't win one game at a tournament....

The last part of that statement is important to remember: I can beat anyone around me in a good 2D Fighter, but I know I wouldn't last for shit if I went to a tournament.

Family Computer

09-10-2007, 11:12 PM

It takes at least 6 months practice to get reasonably good at a fighter. Also, fighters are only fun with good players playing against good players.

deaditeash2

09-10-2007, 11:24 PM

I refute that last on the following:

4 lousy players
+
one copy of Soulblade for PS1/PS2
+
two cases of beer
=
One Helluva Tag Team Match

(It is the sworn duty during any individual match of both onlookers to thoroughly trash talk both players!)

bangtango

09-10-2007, 11:25 PM

The last part of that statement is important to remember: I can beat anyone around me in a good 2D Fighter, but I know I wouldn't last for shit if I went to a tournament.

Chalk me up as someone who could beat anyone in my neighborhood at the Street Fighter 2 games but would struggle at a real tournament. The first reason that comes to mind is that I am accustomed to playing the game primarily on SNES pads and not with any type of arcade sticks. I've never been to a tournament so maybe I am 100% wrong but somehow I doubt most of these hardcore SF2 tournaments use the SNES version. I'd expect them to use the actual arcade game. Maybe someone here would know?

During the SF2 craze, the closest arcade to me that had the game was at least an hour away. For two weeks each summer, we had a "roaming fair" that would come to my town and happened to bring along a bunch of arcade games in a huge 18-wheeler including the various versions of SF2 (WW/CE/Turbo) but that was about the only time I ever played it outside of a home console.

The other reason I wouldn't do well is because I do a lot of really cheap and repetitive tactics that my local competition never had an answer to but some pro would find a ton of holes in my attack. Basically I play a defensive game, relying more on counter attacks than an aggressive assault.

To my credit, though, I always severely handicapped myself on the SNES version's option screen to give all the neighborhood kids a really lopsided advantage over me and I'd still prevail over those chumps! :p

Hwj_Chim

09-11-2007, 12:47 AM

All I can say is keep practicing and you will get better. It is also very important to find a fighter you like and stick with it. Gulty Gear XX:rocker: is a well balanced game that I would recommended that you start with. Also Play around with all the characters and find one you like and that also fits your play style. Remember practice mode, it is your friend.

otaku

09-11-2007, 01:44 AM

I used to be pretty good and played quite a bit in arcades and such but haven't in some time. Funny this came up though cause the other day I blew away a bunch of kids (and the dad) playing capcom vs snk in the store I work at all I did was pull off a combo something like 33 hits. Amazing how many people can't do combos. or special attacks.

Gentlegamer

09-11-2007, 01:49 AM

I used to be so good at the SNES Street Fighter II that I could beat most of my friends playing with only one hand on the controller, using only the left shoulder button for attacks.

Family Computer

09-11-2007, 05:39 AM

No offense, but even a great player couldnt beat another good player player in street fighter 2 utilizing only 1 attack button.

Summary: Your friends were not good at the game.

Gentlegamer

09-11-2007, 08:43 AM

No offense, but even a great player couldnt beat another good player player in street fighter 2 utilizing only 1 attack button.He could if he were using Ken or Ryu, which I did.

Iron Draggon

09-11-2007, 09:21 AM

I've always just gone crazy on all the buttons and learned moves by figuring out what I did to make something happen and remembering it... that is the only way I've ever studied any moves, unless some moves were printed in the manual, and even then I only used the manual for reference to confirm the button combos after pulling them off by accident and not knowing how I did it... and I can hold my own with most good or better players... only once have I gone up against a better player who consistently handed me my ass, no matter what I did, and he was an expert who knew all the moves for all the characters... so hell yeah I'd totally suck at a prize tournament, but I usually dominate against serious players who play to win and don't suck...

I don't think it's a hard genre to break into at all, if you follow my approach to it, which was the best advice that anyone else ever gave me about it... and I agree that certain games and certain characters will fit your playing style as it develops over time better than others... I've pulled off combos with some characters in some games that had players who were much better than me scratching their heads and asking me what the hell I did to them... and of course I had no idea, as I was as surprised as they were, until I would figure out what I did and pull it off again... then I'd tell them what I did and still hand them their ass, as they couldn't do it as good as I could do it...

getting pissed off seems to help alot too... if someone better than you kicks your ass hard enough for enough times in a row, eventually you will become aggressive enough to get the upper hand on them, and keep it... timing is everything in these games, and often the first set of blows will determine the outcome... but alreadys remember, it's not over until it's over... I've had people come back at me to kick my ass with only one hit point left, while I was enjoying a perfect game with all my hit points remaining, and I've made the same kind of miraculous comebacks from near certain death myself... so never give up hope before you get KO'ed, and never believe that you're gonna win for sure, until you do win for sure... just believe you CAN win...

Icarus Moonsight

09-11-2007, 11:39 AM

Your best bet is to practice against good people. Though that is all relative, sometimes everyone thinks that they are great at fighters because they beat everyone in their local area, but they can't win one game at a tournament....

That's me! At least I slightly know what I'm doing. I get real irritated when a player claims to be great and they end up nothing but a spastic button-mashing stick-waggler. If you're sweating buckets 30 seconds into a match you are doing it wrong! LOL

No offense to you Iron. :p You're 1 up on the mashers since you learn through the method and not rely on it completely for a win. :) If I am pressed I mash out of frustration and sometimes you come out on top that way.

TheDomesticInstitution

09-11-2007, 11:39 AM

Yeah...I'm super bad at them too... I mean really bad. I picked up a street fighter game for the genesis a few weeks ago, and had a hard time beating the 1st character (Cammy?) on a normal setting. I don't have the instruction manual for this one though... so maybe I'll try looking it up online. I also just bought the sreet fighter game for the xbox, and wouldn't even dream of trying to play online yet. I couldn't even get a special move from 10 minutes of button mashing on the practice mode.

Family Computer

09-11-2007, 12:11 PM

He could if he were using Ken or Ryu, which I did.

you are kidding yourself if you think you could beat a good player with 1 of the 6 attack buttons....end of discussion

You are in the category discussed about�people that can beat everyone around them easily but would get taken quick in a tournament.

Seriously, no ambiguity about it, if you think you can beat a good player with 1 button then you are only fooling yourself.

heybtbm

09-11-2007, 01:00 PM

you are kidding yourself if you think you could beat a good player with 1 of the 6 attack buttons....end of discussion

You are in the category discussed about�people that can beat everyone around them easily but would get taken quick in a tournament.

Seriously, no ambiguity about it, if you think you can beat a good player with 1 button then you are only fooling yourself.

How many threads can you entirely miss the point of someone's comment? Is English your second language or are you just overly agrumentative? I'm being serious. It's almost like you have no understanding of context. Why are you so insistent on telling someone that they suck based on a 1 sentence comment? It's bizarre.

Family Computer

09-11-2007, 01:19 PM

Yes, English is my second language.

I am not saying he sucks. He said that he is so good that he can win with one hand using 1 attack button. Sorry, I have played this game for years, and even an amazing player couldn't beat a remotely good one with these tactics.

It is not a diss, just reality I think

Iron Draggon

09-11-2007, 01:43 PM

That's me! At least I slightly know what I'm doing. I get real irritated when a player claims to be great and they end up nothing but a spastic button-mashing stick-waggler. If you're sweating buckets 30 seconds into a match you are doing it wrong! LOL

No offense to you Iron. :p You're 1 up on the mashers since you learn through the method and not rely on it completely for a win. :) If I am pressed I mash out of frustration and sometimes you come out on top that way.

LOL it bugs the hell out of me when someone claims to be good and all I get to fight is yet another wet blanket too... there's going crazy on the controls, and then there's just going crazy... and I may be one of those spastic stick wigglers myself, but at least I do it with finesse... most players don't believe that I have no idea what I'm doing, which I guess is true, since I do know some of the moves and I can kick ass with any character... that's the other thing that bugs the hell out of me... people who always play with the same character... if I wanted to fight a pattern, I could just play against the CPU!

heybtbm

09-11-2007, 02:18 PM

Jorpho

09-11-2007, 07:02 PM

8bitgamer

09-12-2007, 07:21 AM

I somehow manage to be pretty decent at fighting games, even though I don't usually learn many special moves (except by accident). I'm primarily a button masher with these types of games, and it generally works pretty well.

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/

CosmicMonkey

09-12-2007, 07:45 AM

... the chore of trying to memorize long lists of fancy button combinations and I completely fail to see why this is supposed to be fun.

I can completely understand your point. Looking at lists of combos and specials is a bit mind boggling initially.

As for why I enjoy 2D fighters (and shmups): if you die it's because you're crap. No ifs, no buts, you died because you didn't fight well enough or dodge the pink pulsating blobs of doom. There's no dying due to a shite 3D camera that gets stuck behind a wall so you can't see the cliff edge. No dying because targeting multiple enemies in a 3D environment isn't the easiest thing to do.

2 combatants in an arena, each with basic fighting moves and more powerful signature moves. One of these combatants walks away, the other doesn't. You both have the same chance, it's all down to who's the best.

EDIT: 1000 posts FTW.

TurboGenesis

09-12-2007, 01:17 PM

Whenever I start to read a fighting game FAQ, my eyes start to glaze over as terms like roman cancel, advancing guard, delayed hyper combo, snap back, auto-seconds, x-ism, priority, and so on and so forth start running across the screen. Blech.

Combine all that with the chore of trying to memorize long lists of fancy button combinations and I completely fail to see why this is supposed to be fun.

100% truth!^^

I lost the love of playing fight games when I am read up on how to play and see all this language:roll:
I have a friend who is LOVE to play fight games and he is instruct me using fighterese and I got lost as he is explain things like jump cancel?!?!? How am I supposed to cancel a jump:roll:

I play against the computer on default settings and play at my own level and pace.

scooterb23

09-12-2007, 05:24 PM

Gimme Blanka, and the 4 moves I know...and I'll wipe the floor with you all.

Scooteb23 - master trash talker

isufje

09-12-2007, 11:27 PM

Just watch The Simpsons - Season 1, Episode 6. It's the one where Homer and Bart play Video Boxing. I'm pretty sure everyone has seen it. In the Episode Homer asks the local arcade Wiz-Kid to teach him how to play Video Boxing so he can beat Bart on the Console version. Truely ahead of it's time, Instant Classic!

Gentlegamer

09-12-2007, 11:33 PM

For the record, I never claimed to be some kind of SF2 god, just that I could beat my friends back in the day with one hand. And yes, they were pretty good, but not the "elite" that you would find at the arcades challenging all comers.

DreamTR

09-19-2007, 03:11 PM

Family Computer: There are matches in Street Fighter where some expert players can beat others with just one button. Mainly matchups are the key. Blanka vs Zangief in Hyper Fighting is pretty bad, he has fery few counters to any of his moves to begin with, and I assure you many players could win if they just knew the technique of USE for the one button.

I don't agree that people can be "good" just by button mashing. That may work in games like Tekken and Soul Calibur and Virtua Fighter at first, because there is a high rate of average players (casual) running around playing those games, but in 2D fighters, it's very rare to be able to just mash and win unless you are playing people that have no idea what they are doing.

agbulls

09-19-2007, 03:25 PM

100% truth!^^

I lost the love of playing fight games when I am read up on how to play and see all this language:roll:
I have a friend who is LOVE to play fight games and he is instruct me using fighterese and I got lost as he is explain things like jump cancel?!?!? How am I supposed to cancel a jump:roll:

I play against the computer on default settings and play at my own level and pace.

Awesome. You just coined a new term.

Fighterese: The language of video game tactics that pits two opponents directly against each other using complicated button combinations to achieve ultimate and total victory.

Cool.

TurboGenesis

09-19-2007, 07:24 PM

Awesome. You just coined a new term.

Fighterese: The language of video game tactics that pits two opponents directly against each other using complicated button combinations to achieve ultimate and total victory.

Cool.

;)
Glad to be of help!

neogamer

09-19-2007, 08:31 PM

So do I!

I end up setting them on easy than blowing through them!

The only one I was good at was Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury. I sucked at the sequels though!

Single Player Gamer

09-19-2007, 09:51 PM

I enjoy fighting games but can't say I've put in the time to be very good. Just like anything else...to become a great player you need to practice study and compete. Otherwise you just go into whatever it is with whatever talent you naturally have.

DeputyMoniker

09-20-2007, 03:59 AM

Here's what you do, find a game you wish you were good at. Get yourself a good fighting controller, like the PS2 SNK stick or the SF Anniversary pads, and get the strategy guide for the game. The strategy guide for Cap vs. SNK guide helped me quite a bit. it introduced me to basic 3 hit combos and helped me move into larger combos. I've forgotten everything but at the time, I was okay for a while. At least I had a little technique behind my game.

MrSmiley381

09-20-2007, 07:51 PM

SF Anniversary pads

The Xbox ones seemed like crap to me. Just throwing that out there.

Finding a good 2D fighter to get good at is a bit challenging. I would suggest Guilty Gear, mainly because I've been to tournaments and seen tournament match vids, which has led to me finding out that there's a good spread of character usage.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is amazing, but the scene is shit now. Everyone plays Magneto, usually accompanied by Storm, Sentinel, Captain Commando, or some other top-tier bullshit.

Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike is also amazing. However, have fun fighting all those Chun-Li players and Yun players. Dammit, I wanna see more Hugo Vs. Q!