Street Fighter II really revolutionized the video game world, bringing the fighting game genre into the forefront. It was a hugely popular game in the arcades and it was a heck of a lot of fun playing on the old Super Nintendo. The same kind of excitement returned when Capcom launched Street Fighter IV on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Veterans of the Street Fighter franchise may already be familiar with most of the characters, but the tactics involved in Street Fighter IV open up a whole new can of worms. Do you know your stuff when it comes to focus attacks? How about EX moves and ultra combos? Are you getting schooled on Xbox Live and don’t know how to put up with yet another killer Sagat?
Look no further. We’ve got you covered with this Street Fighter IV strategy guide. You’ll be racking up those Battle Points and Grade Points in no time.
Chun-Li: Beware the Man Hands
Although Chun-Li’s mammoth-sized hands look awfully impressive, it is with her well-known thunder thighs that you will be able to dish out the most damage. She has never been the most powerful combatant on the roster, but Chun-Li is one quick cookie. Her greatest strengths will be her quickness and agility. Use these to your advantage.
Many of her normal moves come out very quickly and have high priority in the game. For example, a simultaneous jump attack will usually go Chun-Li’s way. Further still, you can make use of her incredibly slow light punch Kikoken to close in the gap against projectile fighters like Ken and Ryu. Toss the slow Kikoken and follow it up with a quick jump kick or a quick jab into a throw.
Make good use of her Lightning Kick attack, especially after you do a crossover attack. This is when you jump into your opponent as to hit them from behind with a kick. Chun-Li does not have very good anti-air techniques, but the EX Spinning Bird Kick can send them across the screen. Also remember that Chun-Li’s Ultra can pass through fireballs and it quickly dashes across almost the entirety of the screen. Timing is key.
Blanka: Acting and Reacting
Truth be told, Blanka has always been my favorite character, because I never had to learn any complex multi-move combos with this green beast from Brazil. Instead, it was about finding just the right times to counter your opponent’s attacks and coming forth on the aggressive at just the right moment. Since Blanka isn’t very heavy on the combos, you’ll find that the majority of your damage will be based on a series of single attacks.
Make use of all of his special moves. The Rolling Attack is great for accumulating small bits of damage, even when your opponent is blocking. A well-timed Backstep Roll can jump over most projectiles and the Vertical Roll is the perfect anti-air technique when you can trick your opponent into jumping. If you have someone that tends to hover over you when you are down, light them up with the Electric Thunder.
One of the greatest challenges that you will encounter is when you face off against projectile-heavy characters. As Blanka, you’ll need to find a way to get in closer with these types of players. The Amazon River run (down-toward + hard punch) slides under fireballs and sweeps them out.
Blanka’s Ultra is a great trick against players who aren’t as familiar with its tactics. You can catch players in mid-air, it’ll freeze players who get caught in mid-move, and it’ll hit players who are blocking low. Even if they block the whole time, you get some good “chip” damage.
Zangief: Keeping It Close
Are you the kind of player who doesn’t want to bother with speed attacks and chipping away at the energy bar? Zangief is easily one of the strongest players in the game, meaning that even beginners can dish out some very heavy damage using regular moves. However, he’s also very slow and can get outplayed by the quicker players.
By far the biggest tool in Zangief’s arsenal is his Spinning Pile Driver, so you’ll want to learn as many ways to lead into this incredibly punishing attack as possible. To pass through fireballs and other projectiles, time the Banishing Fist and combo directly into the Spinning Pile Driver. You can also “tick” your way into the piledriver with a quick jab.
Counter cross-up approaches with the Lariat, which can also be used to avoid damage from projectiles. Also be sure to take advantage of the huge reach afforded by Zangief’s focus attack, which can lead right into, you guessed it, a Spinning Pile Driver.
E. Honda: Master the Oicho Throw
The sumo wrestler from Japan may be one of the most underrated players in the game, but he is also not without his shortcomings. In Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, you were able to pass through projectiles with a Light Punch Sumo Headbutt. This tactic has been removed for Street Fighter IV, making E. Honda much weaker against players who rely heavily on projectiles.
In order to do well as E. Honda, you’ll need to be very patient and you need to pay close attention to spacing. Being a full screen away as E. Honda will leave you at a severe disadvantage, but getting in too close could leave you vulnerable against faster players. You want to stay somewhere in between, making use of the Sumo Smash, for instance, to crush Ryu as he blasts out a Hadouken.
After hitting someone with a Sumo Smash, you can catch him as he gets up with the Oichi Throw. This is a surprisingly versatile move and you can link your way into it the same way that Zangief can sneak in with a jab and a Spinning Pile Driver. If they block the Sumo Smash, hit them with a quick crouching jab so they continue to block. Then, grab them with the Oichi Throw.
As strange as it may sound, the Light Punch Sumo Headbutt is also a good anti-air technique, but only from the right distance. Again, you’ll need to manage your spacing well with Honda.
Ken: Shoryuken for the Win
Although he is popular among novice players, Ken can only be used to its full potential by seasoned veterans. This is because his basic attacks can be quite easy to do, but it is only through the complex time and complicated combos that you will be able to dish out the most impressive damage with Ken Masters.
Ken is one of the better players in the game for cross-up attacks, particularly with the forward jumping medium kick. This lends itself into some tricky combos, more often than not accented with a powerful Shoryuken at the end. Each time that you knock an opponent down from close range, you should try to catch them with a cross-up as they start to get up. When they catch on to your tactics, mix up the timing and the spacing.
In case you haven’t figured it out, the Shoryuken (Dragon Punch) is Ken’s go-to move. It’s used for just about everything, from ending combos to countering air attacks. Just don’t use it at the most inopportune of times, because you’ll leave yourself wide open for a counter should you miss.
Vega: Claws to the Wall
Vega isn’t the kind of player that you should use to take initiative. With Vega (known as Balrog in Japan), it’s more about capitalizing on the mistakes of your opponents. Hit them with the Scarlet Terror as they try to hit you with a cross-up attack. The EX Scarlet Terror will beat most attacks. Confuse them with the Sky High Claw when they’re expecting you to bounce off the wall for an Izuna Drop.
If you’re matched up against a player that shoots a lot of fireballs, the sliding sweep of the down-forward hard kick is a great way to throw them off their game. Also from the crouching position, the jabbing claw can get very annoying.
You won’t be able to combo your way into Vega’s Ultra, but timed well, you can catch your opponent in mid-air or pass through a fireball.
Balrog: Boxing with a Vengeance
It’s rare to come across someone who is remarkably effective as Balrog (known affectionately as Boxer, since he is known as M. Bison in Japan), but the people who are good with the pugilist can be very good. In general, you can take on one of two strategies with Balrog. You can be very aggressive or you can take the defensive and counter as needed.
While Balrog was fairly limited with his arsenal in Street Fighter II, he has been given a much bigger range of dash punches in Street Fighter IV. These can be used to counter a variety of players. The Dash Swing Blow crushes players who sit back in a crouch-guard. The Dash Low Straight will sweep out the high blockers. And the Turn Punch, timed correctly, will pass through projectiles.
You won’t be able to do any cross-ups with Balrog, but you can tick your opponent with the crouching Light Punch, baiting them into an opportunity where you can crush them with a Dash Punch of some kind. The Buffalo Headbutt will also pass through fireballs, making it very effective at close range. You can also juggle this into an Ultra.
Akuma: The Raging Demon
This is the guy with probably the largest number of special moves in the game, but you’ll find that you’ll be using the air Hadoken more often that just about anything else. You can use this to keep your distance and keep your opponent on guard. Freezing them with the Zanku Hadoken, you can lead in with a Demon Flip or Dive Kick.
The EX Air Fireball is even better, since it tosses out a pair of fireballs that’ll keep the pressure on with your opponent. You do not want to play coy with Akuma, so you’ll want to keep on with a strategic offence. That said, Akuma takes on a lot of damage when he does get hit, so be careful.
A simple combo that dishes out a fair bit of damage is to link the Light Hurricane Kick into a Heavy Punch Goshoryuken. Use this after crushing your opponent with a focus attack.
By far one of the most satisfying moves to land in Street Fighter IV is the Ultra Raging Demon. It passes through blocks and a variety of attacks, and at full charge, it will lop off an impressive 65% of your opponent’s life. The trouble is that most seasoned players will see it coming a mile away, so you’ll need to pick just the right opportunity.
More Street Fighter IV Strategies and Tips
There’s simply no way that I could have provided the entirety of the strategies and techniques involved in Street Fighter IV in the limitations of this space. One of the sneakier techniques is to shoot out a Light Punch fireball with Dhalsim, only to teleport behind your opponent to crush them with a Yoga Inferno. They can’t really block it, can they?
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