War Machine Strategy Guide v1.0
------written 3/29/98----------
Guide by: TursT
e-mail :
[email protected]
I. Introduction
II. Moves
III. Strategies/Combos
IV. Versus
V. Conclusion
-----I------
Introduction
------------
War Machine is a terribly underestimated character. Most people will
laugh as you pick him, so it is up to you to prove their laughs to be a
mistake. He is, of course, an Iron Man clone, and since I don't know
anything about Marvel Comic characters, I won't be giving any history on
him. All I can say is that War Machine has won me many victories. 30 wins
in a row with him and Ryu says a lot, espeically when I only used Ryu in
about 10 of those games.
The key to him playing him is very easy: don't play an orthodox War
Machine. Instead, play him as you would Spiderman.
--II--
Moves
------
-=Special Moves=-
Shoulder Cannon - Standing - D,DF,F + P
Crouching - D,DF,F + K
War Machine shoots a laser out of his shoulder. It
works the same as Cyclopses eye-beam. If it hits a
fireball it will continue through to hit the
character who through the fireball.
Repulsor Bast - D,DB,B + P
War Machine puts his hands over his head, and an orb
starts shooting lasers out. If an opponent is dumb
enough to get hit by this, then they'll bounce around
on top of the orb for about 2-3 hits.
Smar Bombs - Short + Strong (ground or air)
Two bombs will fly out of War Machine's shoulders. These
are great for setting up combos or just keeping people
away. Use them on characters who just turtle and wait for
you to jump in. Jump at them, and right as they hit their
launch button, use the bombs.
Flight - D,DB,B K (ground or air)
This is probably War Machine's greatest little trick. You can
do it at anytime you want. Some people will argue that all 3
kick buttons have to be used. Well, they are wrong. One is
enough. Repeat the motion to get out of the air. More about
the uses of flight in the Strategies section.
-=Super Moves=-
Proton Cannon - OUCH! This one hurts if it hits. That's a BIG "if" too.
Basically War Machine pulls out a HUGE cannon.. POWER!
Don't use this move unless you know it is going to hit.
There are a few sure ways to get it "comboed" in. More
about that in the Strategies.
War Destroyer - This is the War Machine super to stick with. It does
excellent blocking damage and it is pretty invulnerable
to supers. How is this? Well, as long as you get one
missle off, any character who tries to super will usually
get hit and knocked out of their super. This super shoots
missles out of a pack that War Machine seems to materialize
out of no where. It is easily comboed, and the recovery
time on it is minimal.
-=Team Moves=-
Team Counter - Repulsor Blast
I never use the Team Counter when War Machine is coming
into play unless A) My other character is almost dead or
B) My opponent is in jumping in at me. If either of these
isn't the case, then War Machine will be left wide open.
Team Super - Proton Cannon
Though it is toned down a bit, the Proton Cannon will still
deliver a large amount of damage. It is best used with
characters like Spiderman. See the Strategies section for
more info. Don't forget that the Proton Cannon will still
have it's regular delay, and it won't instantly connect.
-=Regular Moves=-
Launcher - S. Roundhouse
G. Magic - Stronger
A. Magic - ZigZag
Jab - Use this punch to just be a pest. If you are playing against
a jumping character like Stryder or Spiderman, you can just jump
at them with a jab. It is old school Street Figher playing. If
you weren't around back then, people like me were, so learn to
play the game of hit priority.
Strong - For some reason I hardly use this button at all. When used in
a crouch it acts as a mini-launcher which has to be followed
by Roundhouse to actually launch. If you accidentally hit with
the crouching strong, quickly hit the Jab Shoulder Cannon. The
Repulsor Blast might also hit, but I've never actually tried it.
Fierce - When standing, a burst of energy will shoot from War Machine's
hands. It will blast any character who is hit (outside of Hulk)
across the screen. Cancel into the Jab Shoulder Cannon for some
extra hits. If crouching, a missle will fly out of War Machine's
shoulder. This can be cancelled into the Proton Cannon if you
are lucky enough to hit with the missle.
When jumping, War Machine can use this punch to aim a short beam
in the air. Pushing up on the controller will shoot the beam
upwards (allowing you to combo in a Jab Shouder Cannon). Pushing
down will cause the beam to go down (go figure, right?). To have
the beam shoot straight, just don't touch the controller.
Short - Use this like the Jab. Basically it does little damage, but it is
quick.
Forward - This is a good ground move to use. The crouching version will
act as a knock down. War Machine will slide a little when this
is done, and he has a bit of lag if it misses. Make sure you are
going to hit when you pull this off because a good player can
come back with a quick combo or even a super. In the air this
kick acts as War Machine's best combo starter. Pushing down
and Forward at the same time will cause War Machine to do a
knee dive. If you just let the dive hit, then War Machine will
bounce backwards away from his opponent. To get a combo going
you'll have to cancel into either Fierce or Roundhouse.
Roundhouse - Standing Roundhouse will act as War Machine's launcher. His
leg will fly straight up, making it lack a bit of range. It
works well for people who continually jump in, but the timing
is hard to learn. There is a bit of delay in starting the
move. In the air his leg will fly downwards, unless you push
up on the controller. This is a good jump in move, though the
jumping Feirce (while holding down) works a bit better.
------III--------
Strategies/Combos
-----------------
So you're ready to learn how to really use War Machine to his true level. As
I mentioned earlier, the trick is to play him like people wouldn't expect. Most
people come into a battle with War Machine thinking it's going to be a game of
keep-away. While that technique works, I'm not going to talk about it. You can
read countless other FAQ's about War Machine to pick up on that style of play.
Personally.. I hate people who play all defense and no offense. My simple
answer for people like that is: THROW THEM. Yep.. just taunt.. then throw..
repeat until they learn to fight. It won't take long, trust me.
I'll be breaking the strategies into different sections. There won't be many
combos listed here. For more help on those, check on a webpage like
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/5027/index.html ..there you can find just
about anything you need to know about Marvel vs. Capcom.
-=Section 1=- Teamwork pays off..
The most basic part of War Machine's game is who should be picked as his
partner. Think about it for a bit. War Machine is a rather cumbersome and
slow character, perhaps a fast character would be his best partner? I
sure think so. A good player should combine a character with speed alongside
a character with strength. This allows for a versatile game that can take
on any opponent. Here are the partners I suggest:
Ryu - Hey, he's old.. he's still in the game. there's bound to be a reason.
Ryu isn't popular because of his looks, it's his playability. Actually
I recommend switching into Ken instead of sticking with regular Ryu.
Ken is fast, and his supers are easily comboed.
Spiderman - Oh.. the king of cheese is yet again placed in a Capcom game!
I admit I love playing him. He's good to team up with War Machine
because of one little reason. If you do a team super, with
Spiderman starting off the super (meaning he's the character
being replaced), you can almost always hit with the Proton Cannon.
Just wait for your opponent to super jump, then do the super.
Spider man will shoot across the screen and your opponent will
land on the proton cannon, unable to block!
Zangief - Power with power.. it works well. In this team War Machine is the
quick character. The double final atomic buster does as much
damage when using War Machine as it does when using Hulk. That's
a super advantage.
Jin - Who doesn't like Jin.. he's everyone's favorite! He can play as anyone's
partner. You just can't miss with Jin!
-=Section 2=- Know who should help you..
The second fundamental part of playing an effective War Machine is in picking
his helper. This is where you get to become one of the countless Colossus
users. Pick Colossus (start + Jab + Strong + Forward) everytime when you
play War Machine (or at least when you are against a good opponent).
Colossus is great for comboing in the Proton Cannon. Remember to use
Colossus wisely! It does no good to use him when your opponent is on the
ground. Wait for a Stryder or Spiderman to coming jumping in, then let
Colossus do his job. You'll see almost 30+% of your opponent's energy drain
away in no time. Psylocke can be used too, but it is
a lot easier to catch an opponent with Colossus. If you want some variety in
your game, then pick Lou (start + Strong). Use him before starting a jumping
combo or when someone is jumping in on you. He's simply the best anti-air
helper you can find. He's also a crowd pleaser - if you beat your
opponent with one of his ar rows
that is.
Keep in mind that you shouldn't use all your helpers in a row. Most people
have a bad habit of using their helpers one after another. Listen, no one will
fall for that. Use them almost at random, and remember to save a few (at least
1 if not 2) until the last 20 seconds or so. When time is running out,
that's when people start making major mistakes. It is the best time for
a little help from the sidelines.
-=Section 3=- Death from above..
Remember that little Knee Dive that comes from jumping and then pushing down
on the controller and Forward? Well.. that is one of the key parts of the War
Machine warrior. Here's a little combo to master:
Jump .. Smart Bomb .. Knee Dive .. cancel to Fierce (pushing down).. crouching
short .. standing Fierce .. cancel to Jab Shoulder Cannon ..
..other combos include air combos which use ZigZag magic.. make sure to follow
them up with a Fierce (pushing up) and a Jab Shoulder Cannon..
The release of the Smart Bomb keeps your opponent from doing a launcher on you.
There are a number of combos that can be done in this same fashion. This is
just a basic one to get you started on. Most players won't know how to react
to a con tinual Knee Dive. Just keep jumping back and then Knee Diving,
until they catch on. As long as you keep cancelling into the Fierce or
Roundhouse they won't be able to hit you. However, don't over use the
Knee Dive. Try to mix in a dashing crouch-short here and there. There
are a few characters (primarially the larger ones) who can be han dled in
about 3 hits. I'll get to that in the Versus section. REMEMBER: You can
cancel from the S. Roundhouse (launcher) into the War Destroyer. This
does excellent amounts of damage!
-=Section 4=- Take to the skies..
War Machine has the ability to fly for a reason. He can use this to dodge
many beam supers and ground attacks. He flies instantly when the Flight
motion is done, and he cancels out of it just as quickly. It is about his
ownly non-delayed move. You can also Knee Dive to get out of flying.
This works well against an opponent who is trying to jump up and hit you. You
are also able to use Smart Bombs when flying. Mix up your attacks, and
never fly around for a long amount of time. It usually won't take a good
player long to knock you out of the sky if you are just
goofing off.
If you are playing against a Ryu player (or similar type character) who just
keeps throwing fireballs (gee.. can we say Megaman players love this too?),
simply take to the air! You can actually take off, get above your
opponent, and Knee Dive before they recover from their fireball if you
anticipate it and are quick. Don't let people keep you away. Fly into them.
-=Section 5=- Don't take BS from anyone..
Don't let a turtler get you upset. don't let a constant jumper throw you off..
and don't let a Stryder or Spiderman intimidate you. By giving into any of
these situations you are opening yourself up for some hurt. Try not to
be tricked in to using your shoulder cannon to fend off attacks. It's
slow, it's weak, and you can do better! You aren't Cyclops, though most
people compare War Machine to him. The thing to do is taunt (hit start in
case you didn't know). Taunt.. throw.. anger them into just coming at
you. Throw someone 3 times in a row, and I guarantee that
they'll be jumping in on you and trying to do NOTHING but throw you. Use that
to your advantage. As cheesy as it sounds, games like this have a high
mental factor to them. If someone is visibly upset or pissed, you'll see
it in their fighting style. They get sloppy.. so this isn't just a War
Machine tip.. it's a tip for any character. Just remember not to take
anything they might say to heart (a lot of upset players with bad
attitudes will lose, walk away, and they'll be chanting
about how cheap you are the whole way to the change machine). Hey, cheap is a
state of mind.. and at least you're not forking over $5 trying to beat
someone off the machine! :)
-=Section 6=- Back to real War Machine stratagies..
This is just a bit of random and general fighting tips for War Machine. Again,
I still hear people say to play him as a keep away character. I think that is
a bad idea. I don't think any character should be played that way. Some of
the best offensive players get swept into that "Let's use them to play
keep away" genre.
Let War Machine get on the offensive. Launch a player a few times when they
jump in, cancel into the War Destroyer, and they'll go on the defensive.
No one wants to continuously jump in and lose 20-30% of their health!
Let Colossus teach them that the Proton Cannon is waiting for anyone who
foolishly jumps in on you. It is easy to pull off both these "comboed"
supers, but it gives the impression that you really know what you are
doing. That is an advantage. Remember I said the game was hightly
mental, so any type of psyching out you can do is good.
Try to stick with basic attacks mixed with the Smart Bombs. Only use your
Shoulder Cannon against a fireball throwing player. Never use the
Repulsor Blast unless it's sure to hit (after a Dragon Punch or missed
super). It does little damage and leave you wide open for almost ANY
attack (super or regular). I can't stress enough, tho ugh, how important
the Knee Dive is. Get use to chaining combos together with it. Finally, if
a player is low on health, nothing chips better than the War Destroyer. It
might be super-cheese, but it will keep you on the game.
Oh.. and remember.. never let down on your attacks.. that means.. be
offensive! Dash in with the S. Fierce.. Knee Dive.. jump around with the
Jab or Short to deliver painful taunts.. and keep the Smart Bombs coming
out to protect you when you Knee Dive!
--IV--
Versus
------
Chun-Li - Oooh.. now she's an intimidating one! Ever since they gave her that
air super, she's more deadly than ever. Before going against a Chun-Li
player, see if they know how to chain in her air super. If not, then you know
it's safe to jump in on her. Again, launching Smart Bombs before Knee Diving
is always a way to cover your bases. She'll try dashing in, bouncing on your
head, and all sorts of things. Be patient, she's fast.. much faster than
you.. but most people play her with an incredibly easy pattern to follow.
Most will just try to continually dash in on the ground or air jump. Learn
where they have the most delay, then dash in at that time. Once you are on
the offensive, don't let up. She's weak.. you aren't.. she'll be dead before
she knows what hit her.
Ryu - Again, he's a pretty predicatable character. Most people love to throw
fireballs until the cows come home. Fly over them and Knee Dive on him. Get
Ryu to start jumping in on you, then lauch him into your War Destroyer.
Remember.. if someone is playing Ken or Akuma, they can't block on the way
down to the ground if they do a regular jump followed by a fireball. Using
Colossus right as they throw their fireball will setup your Proton Cannon.
Zangief - He shouldn't be hard to beat, unless you are playing a total Zangief
pro. He's a big lug as far as I'm concerned (though I love playing him). An
easy combo to set him up into your War Destory is this: Knee Dive .. cancel
into Roundhouse .. S. Roundhouse (to launch) .. War Destroyer. This combo
will work well on him since he's so big. Don't try it on the smaller
characters though because the S. Roundhouse doesn't have enough range to knock
them up unless the Knee Dive is extremely deep. Flying against Zangief works
well. He's one of the few characters that it's okay to play keep away with.
No one wants to be next to this guy!
Morigan - Playing against her is like playing against Ryu! ..especially the
Colossus call after her fireball from a regular jump. I've hit the same
people over and over with that move and they still haven't learned to stop.
Captain Commando - The Cap is a good character who will love to dash in on you
or keep you at a distance. If he uses his Captain Fire, give him a Shoulder
Cannon in return. Yours will hit, his won't. It is best to keep from flying
against him, unless you like getting hit by the Captain Sword. If his super
meter is charged, make sure you Smart Bomb before Knee Diving, or you'll be
launched into a major Captain Sword. OUCH! If he misses with a Captain
Storm, give him a Colossus to suck on (and make sure to throw in a side of
Proton Cannon).
Mega Man - This little guy is the king of keep away. With his easy to do
fireball and his whirlwind.. it can be hard to get near him. Just wait for
him to throw a fireball and give him some Shoulder Cannon in return. If he
tries to chip you with a Hyper Mega Man, just fly away, and Knee Bash him as
he recovers from the move. It is also easy to fly over his fireballs and
whirlwinds while pumping a Smart Bomb on his unsuspecting head. And if it
comes down to it, two can play keep away. Your character is better equiped
for it (I have yet to figure out why people play keep away with an offensive
character like Mega Man). He also takes lots of damage, so a few short combos
should weaken him a lot. If he tries to Beat Plane you, just give him a War
Destoyer to think about.
Stryder - Everyone who plays a slower character, like War Machine, gets
intimidated by Stryder.. well.. that is until you learn that Stryder is just a
big wimp. He Takes more damage than anyone in the game (minus Hyper Venom).
If he jumps in on you, let him meet fate with Colossus.. or just use your
launcher to setup a War Destroyer. If he starts super jumping, just wait for
him to get directly above you.. War Destroyer again for some quick block
damage or actual hits. If you start to play agressive against Stryder, most
people will not know how to react. Remember they are the ones who are use to
being the agressor (it's good to know that all people realize he isn't a keep
away guy). When you see the ultra-cheese "I've got level 3 plus Psylocke and
I'm going to Legion you to death" ""combo"" coming, give a nice Proton Cannon.
If both of you do your super at the same time, you'll blow all his little
birdies and kitties away.. oh.. and you'll hit him too! :)
Spiderman - He is the same as Stryder, basically. Remember to watch out for
his crossovers when he combos. If he ends his air combo off with a fierce
punch instead of a kick or web swing, then he's going to try and cross over.
Learn to anticipate this move! Also remember to jump while using
the jab or short buttons. This will keep Spiderman (and Stryder) from hitting
you (unless they catch on and start using their jab/short.. it's a priority
thing). You'll definitely hit if they are using Fierce or Roundhouse. You
won't want to fly against Spidey though because his Maximum Spider will catch
you everytime.
Jin - Unless Jin is in the hands of a master player, then he's not much of a
threat. His long delays leave him open for your delayed moves. Have fun with
him. Give him Shoulder Cannons everytime he strips down into his skivies
and blows up. :) Playing against Jin is just a matter of learning his timing.
Remember to do lots of crouching blocks because Jin will sucker you into them
everytime.. well.. not the blocks.. but hits. Rest assured that if you are
tripped you will either be supered or dynomited!
Captain America - Man is it just me or do his Fierce hits take off too much.
He's a tricky guy to play against, if you are on the ground that is. Keep
to the skies, that's where your power will be in this fight. The more you
are on the ground, the more you will be hit. Only stay on the ground if
you want to launch him into a War Destroyer or if you have a Colossus to give
to him. Don't ever pull off a Proton Cannon for chipping damage against him
because a Final Justice is waiting around the corner if you do. Use
the War Destroyer instead. Remember: it has almost no delay after its use!
Venom - This guy's a joke as long as you stay on him. If you continually Smart
Bomb him followed by a Knee Dive, you are almost sure to win. It seems that
most Venom players are constantly waiting to throw you (that is.. the Strong
throw which wraps you in a web coffin for a few moments). If you happen
to get caught in this don't lose hope, instead start jiggling the controller
to the left and right as quickly as you can (there's no need to push any of the
buttons).. and I mean.. do it super fast because you'll come out of the
web before Venom can launc h you. Yep, it works - I have yet to be launched
because of being stuck in a web. I always get out of it. Since most Venom
players will turtle and wait for you to come to them (hey.. that's just like a
real spider), give them a reason to be agressive.
Mind games..... .... . . .
Hulk - aka combo engine .. :) .. He is easily beaten if you know how to get
hits in. You can play against him pretty much the same way you would against
Zangief. Simply Knee Dive into him, and then hit Roundhouse twice. For some
reason this almost always hits the big guy.. that is.. because most Hulk
players will try to use a Fierce punch against you. After they are launched
just give them a combo or a War Destroyer. If that doesn't work, try
delivering volley after volley of Smart Bombs at them. Eventually they will
jump in to attack, that's when you launch them.
A word of warning though. Don't Knee Dive carelessly or you'll end up
getting a boulder in your face via a Gamma Crush (trust me.. I figured that
one out the hard way).
Gambit - He's a tough one. His Fierce makes it hard to just Knee Dive in, so
make sure you Smart Bomb before hand. Use the C. Forward after he Cajun
Strikes.. that'll put him on the ground. He's another character that might
need some distance, but only for small periods. Find his vulnerable spot.
Like Chun-Li players most Gambit players have a rather boring pattern that
they follow. If they get you into a corner just bump them off (all three
punch buttons when blocking).
Be patient against Gambit. If you just run in at him he'll make you
regret it. This isn't an excuse, however, to just play cat and mouse the whole
game. War Machine is a good comeback character, so let Gambit have it when
he thinks it's in the bag. Again - on the mental thing - when someone is
winning they tend to lose focus.
War Machine - Hey, you're fighting yourself. This is where you get to think a
little. It's time to change your fighting style a bit, unless he is playing
keep away (he obvioulsy hasn't read this FAQ.. heh..). When two War
Machines are in a battle and one plays keep away, I guarantee the other
one will win. Don't let it be you who is playing keep away. If both
of you are playing offensively, then it is time for you to think
"How would I beat myself?" Have fun with that idea.
Wolverine - If it isn't Mr. One-Button-Combo! Yes, he's my least favorite
character to play and to fight against. He's quick, he's strong, and his
supers are incredibly easy to chain. The best thing to do against him is
simply bump his attacks off, then do a regular jump to Knee Dive. Another
thing is good'ole Colossus. Players who continually jump in will always fall
victim to the wrath of Colossus. Never, I repeat, never think it is save
to Repulsor Blast against Wolverine. Try it once.. get a Weapon X in return..
and you won't make the mistake twice.
----V-----
Conclusion
----------
I can't stress enough how important it is to get War Machine into the battle.
He was built for WAR, not for observation! :) Also, don't forget how much of a
mental thing the game is. Play an opponent for all they are worth. It's as
much a game of wits as it is fast fingers and reactions.
Finally, remember that it is all in fun and games. If you aren't having fun,
then you are doing something wrong. Practice will make perfect. Making fun of
the person who beat you (or calling them cheap .. or blaming the controller)
will not do anything for you but make you look like a fool. So relax.. go to
the change machine.. put a quarter up to mark your spot.. and play a little.
A tip: never spend more than $2 on beating one person. They obviously
know how to beat you, so persistance won't pay off.. though it might.. some $5
or $10 down the road.. and that's a bit extreme! Save some of that cash for
a future date when you'll be winning as much or less than you are losing! :)
Take care of yourself.. and good gaming.
-TursT-
