Street Fighter Alpha 3 Combo System and General FAQ
Copyright 1999 Colin Caldwell
[email protected]
http://members.spree.com/sip/nefdar
Hi, and welcome to my Alpha 3 FAQ! Okay, let me state up front what this
document will contain. This will not have any moves for any of the
characters, or any specifics about any character except as used for
examples. What this will have is a complete breakdown of the combo system,
and any other general information about the game(how to release secret
characters/modes, all the universal moves). I wrote this especially
focusing on the combo system, since many people don't fully understand how
the loose juggling system works in Alpha 3 and I hope to help out.
The rest of the information in here is kind of old news, but I figured for
the sake of completeness I'd add it.
Okay, so here's the table of contents, hope this is useful! Check out my
other Street Fighter FAQ's on Gamefaqs.com, I have one for Adon up now and
have an Akuma one in the works.
This FAQ applies to the American release PSX version, but other than the
obvious(extra characters, etc.) it is applicable to the arcade version as
well.
Contents
I. The Controller
II. The Combo System
a. Normal Combos
b. Juggle Combos
c. Anti-Air Combos
III. General moves
a. Blocking
b. Ground Recovery Roll
c. Air Recovery
d. Throwing/Tech Hits/Holds
e. Taunting
f. Damage Reduction/Dizzy Recovery
g. Guard Protection
h. Counter Hits
i. Alpha Counters
j. Reversals
k. Super Combos
l. Variable Combos
m. Special moves in mid-air
IV. The Isms
a. X-ism
b. A-ism
c. V-ism
V. Special Modes
a. Unlocking the special modes
b. Classic
c. Saikyou
d. Mazi
VI. Secret Characters
a. Balrog
b. Juli
c. Juni
d. Guile
e. Evil Ryu
f. Shin Akuma
VII. Character Charts
a. Damage chart
b. Guard meter length chart
VIII. Thanks
I. The Controller
This section is basically going to end up being a shameless plug for
the InterAct ProgramPad that I often use to play Street Fighter with,
so I'm going to go ahead and get that out of the way. The pad is
actually capable of performing the moves with great accuracy, unlike
the default PSX controller. Maybe since I've never used it much I'm
just not used to it, but it takes me ten minutes of practicing to do
a combo into a super move using the normal PSX controller, it really
sucks at controller motion moves(although the charge moves seem to be
fine). On top of the excellent pad, you also have six buttons on the
front of the controller so you can set it up in a normal Street Fighter
setup(3 punches on top, 3 kicks on bottom) and still have the R1 and R2
buttons for 3P and 3K for flipping out, rolling, and throws. An
excellent controller for the game.
Another one I use is the joystick put out by Asciiware for the PSX, you
can recognize it as the one with the Street Fighter layout of buttons
except that there are four on top and bottom to accommodate all of the
shoulder buttons. It's not as good as it looks, the joystick just
doesn't feel the same as an arcade stick, but it is still useful.
Just make sure you don't become a computer-fighting couch potato just
because there's a home game out, go out to the arcade and enjoy
yourself every now and then, for most people that's the only place for
real competition.
Here's a legend for the button names and directions that I will use
for this and all of my FAQ's...
For a character facing right:
UB U UF
B N F
DB D DF
Punches: Jab Strong Fierce
Kicks: Short Forward Roundhouse
3P: All three punches
3K: All three kicks
II. The Combo System
Combos in Street Fighter Alpha 3 follow drastically different rules
than in any other Street Fighter, or any other game for that matter.
The system is loose enough to allow creativity, yet tight enough to
require skill. As far as combos go, this game is by far my favorite
Street Fighter(I like SFIII a lot, but that's mainly for the parrying,
the combo system in that game is way too loose and easy to use,
allowing people to spazz and cancel their fireballs into supers and
such). Variable combos won't be discussed here, look in the VC section
below for that.
a. Normal Combos
A normal combo in SFA3 is just like in any other Street Fighter game,
it follows the basic sequence:
Jumpin attack, grounded normal move(s) CANCEL INTO special move or
super combo
Naturally, you can skip the jumpin at the front, or the special at the
end, but this is a full combo sequence.
On a jumpin, if you want to follow with a ground attack, then you need to
hit very deep, meaning that you attack just as you are about to land
on the ground. Then you can hit them with a ground attack or two(most
characters can repeat jabs and shorts, while a few can do other chains
of normal moves), then during the animation of those attacks you
perform the command for a special move, canceling the normal move and
going into the special or super.
Most people understand this part, so I'm not going to go into it too
much, but I will mention a few points:
When canceling moves, make shortcuts when possible. For example,
say that you wanted to cancel a low short into a dragon punch. You could
press:
crouch, press short, F, D, DF, punch.
but that will often fail, because it is hard to move from the crouching
down position to forward, then finish the move, all before a short kick
retracts. Better to:
F, D, press short, DF, punch.
That way, you press short during the crouching part of the special
move's motion. This results in the short instantly canceling into the
special move. With a little practice, doing things this way is much
easier. This makes canceling into super moves easier too. For
example, say that I wanted to cancel a low forward into a Shoryureppa
with Ken. I could:
D, DF, press forward, F, D, DF, F, punch.
or:
D, DF, F, D, press forward, DF, F, punch.
placing the forward kick within the super move's motion. This makes
those difficult cancels a lot easier. This works even better for
charge moves, in my opinion. Say I want to do a jab, short chain
canceled into a Sonic Break with Charlie. I can try to charge away, then
press jab, short, then press F, B, F then punch, but the short comes
out so fast that it is unnecessarily difficult. Instead, try:
charge B, jab, F, short, B, F, punch.
Or if I wanted to cancel a low jab/short chain into the Somersault
Justice, I could:
Charge DB, jab, DF, short, DB, U, kick.
Using this technique, it is also possible to cancel a standing attack
into a charge D, then U special move or super. It seems impossible, but
you can do it. I want to cancel a standing strong punch into a Vertical
Roll with Blanka. I would press:
Charge D, go to neutral, press strong, U, press kick.
If you stop the controller at neutral and use your normal attack, you'll
be standing. Then if you quickly press up and the special move
button, you will still retain your charge and go into the special. You
can do this with charge D, U supers as well:
Charge DB, DF, DB, neutral, press fierce, U, press kick
would cause you to cancel a standing fierce punch into a Somersault
Justice with Charlie.
If you are not used to doing this, then it will be hard at first, but
after a while you'll wonder how you ever did combos any other way.
Another thing to watch out for is SF's button press/release rule. In
any SF game since SFII, if you hold down a button, do a special move
motion, and release it, then the move will be performed just as if
you had pressed the button. This does a lot more harm than good for me,
because it causes moves to often accidentally come out(especially in
VC's). Here's an example:
I want to cancel a low forward kick into a Rolling Attack with Blanka.
So I press:
charge DB, press forward, F, punch.
But instead of doing a Rolling Attack, I get that stupid Backstep
Rolling move, and miss. This happens because I pressed forward kick
to do the first move, and was releasing it as I moved to the F position
on the stick to do the second move. Since a release of a button counts
as a press when doing special moves, the machine interprets this as
CB, F, FK and does the forward Backstep Rolling. There are two
ways to avoid this:
1. Make sure and release the button first before continuing motions
on the stick, by tapping the button lightly, or
2. Hold the first button down until the second move has come out to
safeguard against an accidental button release causing the wrong move.
A note on chain combos:
Almost all characters can do simple chains in SFA3, and I'm not talking
about repeated jabs. Most people can chain from their quick attacks(jab,
short) to their power attacks(fierce, roundhouse). The trick is, you
have to get a counterhit on the short or jab opening move. A counterhit
causes a longer hit stun, allowing you to follow up with another attack
as long as it comes out quickly. Take Adon as an example. He can
chain a low short into a standing roundhouse for 3 hits, as long as the
short hits on a counterhit. You must have good timing, but once you
get used to it it is easy. And getting counterhits on jabs and shorts
is not too difficult either, you'll find that most of your hits with
these buttons are probably counters since they often come out fast with
high priority.
b. Juggle Combos
Now here's the complicated part. Your opportunities to juggle in
SFA3 are numerous and often. Many moves and throws set up juggles,
as well as counterhits. But there is a difference between a juggle and
a juggle combo: a juggle combo is guaranteed, because they can't
flip out. How do you do this?
Well, if you continuously cancel one move into another without returning
to your normal standing position, then your opponent cannot flip out.
Here's an example.
I met my opponent in midair with a fierce punch and got a counterhit.
I land under him, and he is falling headfirst. At this point, he can
use his air recovery to flip out, since I am no longer hitting him with
a continuous stream of attacks. I can still juggle him if he
does not flip out, but that is unlikely against anyone with any skill.
But say that I got a close fierce counterhit, which knocks your
opponent into the air, then cancelled that fierce punch into a Axle
Spin Knuckle with Cammy(the F, DF, D, DB, B, punch move). The opponent
has all day to flip out while Cammy winds up the move, but he can't
because you cancelled the moves together in a combo without any pauses.
You will get the extra juggle hits, guaranteed.
The concept of a "continuous string" is important here, that is what
defines an actual combo instead of something which may or may not be
flipped out of and countered.
There are also a few more instances where your opponent cannot flip out,
even when there is no continuous string, but these are rare. One is
if your opponent is juggled very close to the ground. Your opponent
cannot flip when they are only about waist level from the ground, but
they can still be hit. Akuma has a combo that utilizes this:
jumpin fierce, low forward, SK hurricane kick, standing fierce, fierce
fireball.
The SK hurricane kick, if distanced perfectly, will hit your opponent
into the air. They cannot flip out until the hurricane kick is over,
because your constant stream of attacks is not over until then. By
the time the kick ends, they are too close to the ground to flip, and
the rest of the combo juggles them(this is a very painful combo, by
the way). Of course, your distance and timing must be tight in order
to pull this off.
The last instance when your opponent cannot flip is caused by what I
call the "corner rule". This refers to how many times an opponent
can be juggled. I goes like:
If your opponent is not in the corner, then you can juggle them as
many times as you want until you reach the corner. Once you reach the
corner, then you can juggle them with one more continuous stream of
attacks, then you cannot hit them anymore until they touch the ground
and regain control. However, after that last juggle, they can flip
out if they choose and try to attack. If you hit them after they
flip out in the corner, then you cannot juggle them anymore and they
cannot flip out anymore, they must hit the floor afterwards.
This rule exists because if not many characters would have several
infinite corner juggles. You can only juggle once in the corner, then
your combo ends. You are only allowed to flip out once in the corner,
and if you are hit out of it, then you must hit the floor.
Use this to your advantage: if you are juggled in the corner, then
don't flip out! They can't hit you anymore after that first juggle,
so just fall and roll behind them to put them in the corner!
Also, remember the "continuous stream of attacks". If you knock someone
up into the air in the corner, you can do a normal attack cancelled into
a super combo, or do a VC of continuous moves, as long as you don't
stop canceling one move into another smoothly then your juggle can
continue.
Finally, the final exception to the rule is air throws.
An air throw can be used to juggle an opponent anytime that a normal
move could hit them. However, as long as you do nothing else, you can
continuously airthrow an opponent in the corner over and over. Sagat
and Sodom can both do this. It is easy to flip out of, but still
possible.
c. Anti-Air combos
This final section refers to combos that I often use, but don't see many
other people use all that much. They are based upon juggles of your
opponent after counterhitting them out of the air. If your character
has a quick high jab, or a good anti-air move that is cancelable, then
these can be a gold mine for you. You see, if you counterhit someone
on the ground, then they are only launched into the air if you used
fierce or roundhouse, but if you counterhit someone jumping in, then
any button will set up a juggle. Also, since as long as there is a
continuous stream of attacks they cannot flip out, if you cancel the
anti-air into a special or super then you get a decent combo as
retaliation against a jumpin attack. Here are a few good examples that
will help explain:
Adon:
opponent jumps in, standing strong counterhit CANCEL INTO Jaguar Kick RK.
The Jaguar Kick will juggle them cleanly every time.
Balrog:
opponent jumps in, standing jab counterhit CANCEL INTO Turn Punch.
You can pretty easily knock someone down with Balrog's standing jab,
since it is so quick. Then the Turn Punch comes out and smashes them.
(By the way, if the punch is charged all the way to final, then this
combo can do about 80 percent damage for 2 hits, and all they have to
do to open themselves up for it is try to dropkick you once)
Cody:
opponent jumps in, standing fierce counterhit CANCEL INTO Bad Stone FP.
Cammy:
opponent jumps in, standing jab counterhit CANCEL INTO
Killer Bee Assault.
You can combo her level 3 super this way. Just charge DB, and if you
see them jump towards you, then go DF, DB, then neutral and press jab.
If you time it well and can predict when they'll attack, then you can
counterhit them, then press U and kick to do the super. This must
all be done pretty fast of course, but you will get major props for
pulling it off.
And so on.
Just don't always rely on your low fierce and dragon punch to knock
down jumpers, get imaginative and deal some real damage to them with
a juggle combo. Be careful though, watch for the counterhit flash on
the screen, and if you don't get a counterhit, then don't do the rest of
the combo or you may be left open.
III. General Moves
Everything outlined here can be performed by any character, and in any
-ism unless stated otherwise in the description.
a. Blocking
Just like all Street Fighters before and hopefully all after, you block
high by holding B and low by holding DB. If you block high, you are
safe from jumpins, high and midrange attacks, and overheads. However,
low attacks will hit you. If you block low, then you block or avoid
high, midrange, and low attacks, but a jumpin or overhead will hit you.
Blocking a special move takes off a small amount of energy, heretofore
referred to as "cheese damage". You can also block in the air. You
can air block any normal projectile, or any attack that your opponent
does in the air, but you cannot air block a super combo(with the
exception of Charlie's Sonic Break) or an attack that your opponent
performs from the ground.
For example, if I jump in and Ryu meets me in midair with a jumping
roundhouse, I can air block that because he is in the air. I could
also airblock if he threw a fireball. But if he does a low fierce,
since he's standing on the ground, I cannot airblock. I also could
not airblock if he did a super fireball. If he does a dragon punch, then
I could airblock it if he does it early enough so that his feet have
already left the ground when it reaches me(thusly, he is in the air so
I can airblock normally). But if the punch hits me while his feet are
still on the ground, I am hit.
New to SFA3 is the guard meter. That's the little bar under your
lifebar. Each time you block, a chunk is knocked out of it, and once
it wears out, then you are stunned(much like being dizzied). During
this time, you are vulnerable to anything. Also, after having your
guard crushed, you lose one block from the guard meter for the remainder
of the round.
Airblocking is not available in X-ism or Classic mode.
There is no guard meter in Classic mode.
b. Ground Recovery Roll
Unlike the rolling command in SFA2, in order to roll in SFA3 you must
press 3 kick buttons as you are about to hit the ground. You can only
use this in situations where you could have used an air recovery, which
means that you can't roll after sweeps and most throws. Furthermore,
if you hold F while rolling, then you will roll further and end up
behind your opponent where you can try a surprise attack.
This is not available in X-ism or Classic mode.
c. Air Recovery
New to SFA3 is Air Recoveries, or flipping out. There are three
different ways to flip out. Whenever you are knocked into the air,
press:
F+3 punches to flip toward your opponent
N+3 punches to flip straight down to the ground quickly
B+3 punches to flip away from your opponent
Most players use the B+3P version almost exclusively, but this keeps them
in the air longer and thusly allows them to be juggled more by
someone who saw it coming. My favorite is the neutral recovery, since
that lands me safely on my feet quicker. However, try to flip out
differently every now and then, if your opponent can read how you
will flip then you will be juggled quite a bit.
After flipping out, you can airblock or perform an air attack, just
like a normal jump. This allows you to dodge or block your opponent's
juggle attempts. You have a small moment of invincibility just as you
flip out, to pass through attacks.
Note that you cannot flip out if your opponent is performing a
constant string of attacks, even if there is a pause between the hits.
You also cannot flip out in Classic mode, or if you have already flipped
out once in the corner without touching the ground.
d. Throws, Tech hits, and Holds
Throwing in SFA3 is different from previous SF games. You must press
F or B and 2 punches to throw. You can also throw in midair, by
jumping and performing the same command. Most characters have extra
throws done by pressing F or B and 2 kicks.
The throw commands are a welcome addition, and were added to keep
people from accidentally throwing, as well as to make throwing a little
less effective to prevent it from being overused. If you are not
close enough to throw and do the command, your character will hug the
air in front of them in a "missed throw" animation, and be vulnerable.
If you input the throw command right as your opponent is throwing you,
then you can Tech Hit the throw, allowing you to land on your feet, as
well as halving the throw's damage. Tech hitting also allows you to
avoid juggles that are performed after throws.
Finally, some throws allow you to hit your opponent many times, like
Blanka's PP throw and Ken's KK throw. During these holds if you
rotate the stick and rapidly press buttons you can get more hits and
damage, but if your opponent does the same then he can reduce the hits
and damage. If you Tech Hit a hold, then you can avoid damage
altogether.
Throws and Tech Hits are available in any mode or -ism.
e. Taunting
Press Start on an arcade machine, or Select on your PSX controller,
and your character will taunt. These serve no real practical purpose
except to provoke your opponent, but are very useful to that degree.
Also, if you taunt and get away with it, then many opponents will feel
the need to taunt you back, so that creates an opening for you. At
the very least they will try to quickly approach and hit you, possibly
giving you an opening. Don't do this unless you know what you're doing,
or else you are just going to get beaten up and piss people off!
Many characters have multiple taunts that can be done by holding F, D, or
B while pressing the button. You can only taunt once per round, except
during a VC where you can taunt infinitely, or in the case of Dan who
can taunt as much as he likes. Taunting is not available in X-ism or
Classic mode.
Some characters have taunts that can hit. All taunts do 1 damage, and
thusly are not your attack of choice, but if you knock someone out with
one it is very embarrassing for them! The following characters can hit
with their taunt:
Akuma, Birdie, Chun-Li, X-ism Dan, Rolento, Sakura, Shin Akuma, and
Sodom.
Dan and Dhalsim can also taunt in midair.
You can also cancel any normally cancelable regular attack into a taunt,
just like it was a special move.
Finally, the king of taunting Dan can gain a little super or VC power
from taunting(but not the jumping one). He also has special and super
taunts.
f. Damage Reduction / Dizzy Recovery
If you are dizzied, then rapidly wiggle the joystick and press buttons
and you may be able to recover before your opponent hits you(though it
is unlikely...)
This also works to recover quickly after being guard crushed.
Likewise, if you are blocking or being hit by a multihit combo, special
move, or super, then you can wiggle the joystick and press buttons to
reduce damage. You'll know if you are doing it right because your
character will flash red.
I don't like this much and normally forget to use it, but it's in there
if you want. I suppose every little bit of saved energy helps, but I
personally would rather take the damage than sit there wiggling the
stick and spazzing out. This doesn't reduce the damage all that much
in any case.
g. Guard Protection
If you press B or DB to block an attack just as it is about to hit you,
instead of holding it ahead of time, then your character will flash blue.
If this happens, then the damage to your guard meter done by the
attack is halved. Try to do this as often as possible, especially if you
have a small guard meter, but don't take too many risks to get it, your
guard meter should not be much of a problem unless you are playing
way too defensively.
h. Counterhits
If you hit your opponent right as they are beginning an attack as well,
then you will get a counterhit. The screen flashes, and the hit
sound is louder than usual. Counterhits do extra damage, and cause a
longer hitstun than a normal hit. If you counter a grounded opponent
with fierce or roundhouse, or an airborne opponent with any button, then
they are launched into the air and ready to be juggled. Canceling
the counterhit into another move is an excellent way to set up
guaranteed juggles, and you can often chain off of your jabs and shorts
if they hit as counterhits. There are instances where you can get a
counterhit even after your opponent's attack has passed, such as when
they are in a fireball toss animation.
i. Alpha Counters
If you press F and two buttons of the same strength(jab+short, strong+
forward, or fierce+roundhouse) right after blocking, then you will
perform an Alpha Counter. These are high priority counterattacks
meant to hit your opponent during their attack animation. This
consumes 1 level of super in A-ism, and half a VC gauge in V-ism. It
also removes 1 block from your guard power gauge for the rest of the
round.
Alpha counters generally do 4 damage, which is less than that of your
average jab. They also miss often, and have a high cost. It is
best not to use them except in a few select situations, like if
someone is about to kill you from cheese damage, if they have caught
you in a VC trap in the corner, or if you are sure the counter will
kill them.
Some characters, instead of hitting their opponent, will warp behind
them or flip over them for their counter, setting them up to hit their
opponent in the back. These AC's are a little more useful, but still
generally not worth it.
Alpha Counters are not available in X-ism or Classic mode.
j. Reversals
Many characters have attacks that can only be performed as reversals.
A reversal is when you attack right after regaining control of your
character, such as when you first get up, get out of block stun, or
get out of hit stun.
The following characters can perform their reversal-only moves after
getting up from a knockdown, getting out of hitstun, or getting out
of blockstun:
X-ism Chun-li, Balrog.
The following characters can perform their reversal-only moves after
an air block, or any time that they could normally flip out:
Cody, Dhalsim.
Sodom can perform his F, DF, D, punch and B, DB, D, kick reversals in
any of these situations. He can use his D, DF, F, kick reversal after
getting up off of the floor.
k. Super Combos
These are powerful attacks that consume super power, and do big damage
normally. In X-ism, you have one super combo, and you can only perform
it at maximum power(equal to a level 3 A-ism super). In A-ism, you
have 3 levels on your super bar, and you can use as many or as few as
you want. The more levels you use, the more powerful the combo will
be. The strength of the button used determines the super combo's level
(jab or short for level 1, strong or forward for level 2, and fierce or
roundhouse for level 3). These can be cancelled into, just like a
normal special move. Many characters have attacks that can be cancelled
into super combos, but not into specials(the 2nd hit of Birdie's low
fierce, for example).
Super Combos are not available in V-ism or Classic mode.
l. Variable Combos
These are your power attacks in V-ism. When you activate a VC, you
get a shadow that follows you and mimics your actions. This shadow
can hit the opponent, just like you. Also, you can chain almost any
attack into any other attack during a VC, and you can cancel the
recovery time after a special move into another special move or
normal attack. This allows you to make a long continuous series of
attacks for a massive juggle combo. You can also attack multiple times
in the air during a VC.
To activate a VC, press two buttons of the same strength. A VC
can be activated in the air or on the ground.
If you use jab and short, then the shadow will follow you very closely
and attack almost right after you. This is probably the most useful
one, it allows you to have your shadow hitting your opponent along with
you during your combo very easily.
If you use strong and forward, then the shadow follows at a good
distance, attacking about a second after you do. This is good for
pressure games in the corner, almost anyone can do the following VC
in the corner:
jump in, (strong + forward) in the air, jumpin attack, low 2 hit chain,
jump in, repeat.
As your shadow is following with the jumpin, you are hitting low, making
blocking impossible or difficult. As you jump back in, your opponent
is getting hit by the shadow low, not only preventing most anti-air
but also making blocking almost impossible. Pretty much anybody but
Dhalsim can do this combo in some form or another, and it is surprisingly
effective, it takes a perfectly timed attack, an AC, or a counter VC to
escape.
Using fierce and roundhouse is good for confusion tactics. Your shadow
attacks about 2 and a half seconds behind you. If you sweep someone,
then your shadow will immediately sweep them again as they get up.
If you have a quick move to cross to your opponent's other side, then
you can have yourself and your shadow hitting on opposite sides
making blocking difficult. It is also easy to pull off dirty tricks
like you doing an overhead while your shadow does a low attack,
guaranteeing you a hit.
When you activate a VC, you get several frames of invincibility, allowing
you to pass through jumpins, anti-air, and oncoming attacks with a little
timing. You can even pass through most oncoming supers and attack.
Here is the big caveat: You cannot block during a VC, so you are super
or counter VC bait when you perform one unless you keep the pressure
on nonstop.
In V-ism, your super bar is replaced by a VC bar. You can perform a VC
anytime the bar is over 50 percent full. The more energy you have, the
longer the VC. A VC bar fills up about three times faster than a
super bar.
VC's are only available in V-ism.
m. Special moves in mid-air
Many characters can perform special moves in midair. This is simple
enough, what many people don't know is that these characters can easily
perform these move quickly after jumping by incorporating the jump
into the move's motion.
Say I want to quickly hurricane kick into the air. I press:
D, DB, B, kick
normally for a hurricane kick. Try this:
D, DB, B, UB, kick.
You will hurricane kick backwards into the air. Say you want to
hurricane kick straight up. Then press:
D, DB, B, U, kick.
or to do it forward:
D, DB, B, UF, kick.
This works with charge moves too. X-ism Chun-Li can Spinning Bird Kick
into the air by pressing:
charge B, UF+kick.
IV. The Isms
a. X-ism
In this mode, you are modeled after a character from Super
Street Fighter 2 Turbo. You have one, slow filling super bar and one
super combo to choose from. You have no air blocking, ground recovery
roll, alpha counters, or taunting. Your super combo in X-ism does the
same damage as the same combo in A-ism done at level 3(except for
characters who have a different X-ism super, of course, like Cody and
Dhalsim).
However, on the bright side, all of your attacks do extra damage,
both your normal moves and specials. This makes this mode have
the highest damage combos on the average.
There may be other additions or penalties in X-ism, depending upon
your character.
b. A-ism
This mode is modeled after a normal Street Fighter Alpha character.
You have a normal 3 level super bar, as well as all of your super
combos(except for Cody and Dhalsim's X-ism supers). You also have
access to taunts, AC's, rolling, and air blocking.
On the down side, all of your normal attacks and special moves do
less damage than in X-ism.
c. V-ism
This mode has all of the abilities of A-ism, except for Super Combos.
You have access to Variable Combos in this mode, which are harder
to perform than a Super Combo but are potentially more damaging.
If your character has moves that are performed automatically when you
are standing close to your opponent, then you can control when you will
do them by holding B. Your VC bar fills much faster than a super bar
of X or A-ism.
On the down side, you have no super combos and all of your attacks do
less damage than in any other ism.
V. Special Modes
a. Unlocking the special modes
On the PSX version, all of these special modes are released after
beating the Arcade Mode on level 4 difficulty or more. Thereafter,
you can select your mode just before you pick your -ism in all modes
except Arcade mode, and use the select button to choose your -ism
in Arcade mode.
On an arcade machine, you have to wait for the machine to have been
installed for a few months, until the title screen turns light blue.
Then these modes are selectable after this point through the following:
Classic: put in money, hold FP + RK press start, release FP + RK, then
play normally.
Mazi: same as Classic, except hold SP + FK.
Saikyou: same as Classic, except hold JP + SK.
b. Classic mode
Classic mode is sort of like a 4th ism. If you use this, you do not
get to select your ism normally. Classic mode is just like X-ism
in almost all respects, except that you are modeled after an even
earlier Street Fighter character: you have no super bar. This is bad.
However, you also have no guard meter. This is good. You cannot air
recover, that's bad. But, you are very hard to juggle, like in the old
days of SF, so that's good. I don't have much experience with this mode,
I don't fool with the special modes much, but if I had to pick one
this would be it.
c. Saikyou mode
Saikyou mode is modeled after Dan's fighting style, Saikyou-ryuu.
Translated, it means, "the strongest", which we all know Dan is not.
In fact in this mode, you are considerably weakened. Your guard
meter is half length, your attacks do reduced damage, and, most
crippling of all, you cannot cancel your normal moves into anything,
making combos virtually non-existent. Use this to handicap yourself
if you want. You can still choose your -ism normally after choosing
this mode. If you get a long win streak with Saikyou mode Dan then
you need to move on to bigger and better opponents...
d. Mazi mode
Mazi, translated, means, "serious". In this mode, you have to be
extremely careful, as any hits you receive do massive damage. Also,
you only have to lose one round to lose the entire match! On the
bright side, all of your attacks do massive damage as well. Many
characters have 100 percent damage combos in Mazi mode, due to the
increased damage.
After choosing Mazi mode, you can then choose your -ism normally.
VI. Secret Characters
This section highlights how to reveal the secret characters on the
arcade and home game.
a. Balrog
PSX: Just put your cursor on him and select him, silly!
If you want the special version of Balrog, which I feel is
considerably weaker, then highlight him, hold L2, and select
him. This will only work if you have beaten him in the
world tour mode.
Arcade: Move to Karin, wait for five seconds, then go to any
random select square, hold start, and press a button.
b. Juli
PSX: See Balrog.
Arcade: Move to Karin, wait for five seconds, then go to any
random select square. If it is on the left side, then hold left, if
it is on the right side, hold right, and press a button. In other words,
hold away from the center of the screen horizontally.
c. Juni
PSX: See Juli.
Arcade: Same as Juli, except hold away from the center vertically.
For example, if the random select square is at the top, then hold
up, if it is at the bottom, hold down.
d. Guile
PSX: Beat him in the World Tour mode. In order to reach his stage, you
must raise your total level to at least 27.
Arcade: N/A
e. Evil Ryu
PSX: Beat him in the World Tour mode. In order to reach his stage, you
must raise your total level to at least 30.
Arcade: N/A
f. Shin Akuma
PSX: Beat him in the world tour mode. You must master 2 of the 3 isms
and reach level 31 to get to his stage. Thereafter, highlight Akuma and
hold L2 while selecting him.
Arcade: N/A
VII. Character Charts
First off, I got this information from Kao Megura's FAQ, double
checked it, and posted it, so yes I know that this is old news. Many
thanks to Kao for saving me the trouble of doing all of this!
a. Damage chart
This shows which characters take more or less damage when they are hit.
They are listed in order from least to most(characters on the same line
are equal). Thusly, Zangief takes the least damage, and Shin Akuma
takes the most.
Zangief
Birdie Dan Gen E.Honda Ken R.Mika Ryu Sodom T.Hawk
Everyone not mentioned elsewhere
Vega Juli Juni
Shin Akuma
b. Guard meter length chart
This shows which characters have the longest and shortest guard meters.
Take into account that your guard meter is a little longer in X-ism.
V-ism Cody has a very small guard meter, too, because of his dodge move.
They are listed from longer to shorter meters. Characters on the same
line are equal.
Birdie Zangief
Karin Sakura M.Bison
Adon Cody E.Honda Gen R.Mika Sodom Balrog
Everyone not mentioned elsewhere
Vega Cammy ChunLi Charlie Juni Juli
VIII. Thanks
Kao Megura, for the info on the damage and guard meter charts.
Everybody over at Diamond Jim's in Peachtree Mall, Columbus, GA. I
don't get to drive out there much, but whenever I do there is always
a good game waiting.
Phoenix, for being a sweetheart always,
and Capcom, my heroes of the digital age!
Check out my Adon FAQ, or any of the others that I may write in the
future, on GameFAQS.com or on my homepage, and thanks!
[email protected]
http://members.spree.com/sip/nefdar
