Kept, compiled, and maintained by:
caine@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Caine Schneider)
and
mlm@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Mike McCool)
If you have any additions, corrections,
suggestions, comments, or the like,
please e-mail one of the above.
Special thanks to the following:
gkomatsu@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu (the above header)
inkblot@leland.stanford.edu (buffering/combos/ticks)
This is, if you haven't already guessed, the Frequently Asked Questions
about the game Street Fighter 2. With any luck, the FAQ should always be
posted bi-weekly. Of course, that is subject to change, but if so, there
will be a post saying when it will be posted.
Ahh, yes! The FAQ. What a fantastic place to put all the most commonly
asked and answered questions from the newsgroups rec.games.video.arcade,
alt.games.sf2. A lot of this stuff comes right from the people who post to
those newsgroups, and that makes this thing really the work of everyone who
posts *useful* or *insightful* information that may lead to better playing
in the game itself. But along with all this comes the other stuff, other-
wise known as crap, but we can ignore it since we all knows what it looks
and smells like :). Anyhow, a few things to point out: This is NOT, I
repeat, not a strategy guide or moves list. I would add one to it, but why
waste the bandwidth? No long info guides either. Those things are huge,
and this thing would be 6 times bigger than it is already.
Please note that I tried (for lack of a better answer) to answer the ques-
tions on my own, relying on what I know and have read elsewhere. If you
have a better answer to any question, or think an outdated question needs to
be updated (like Classic matchups, HINT!), go ahead and mail it to me, and I
will see what I can do. If you happen to be the writer of a file, and need
to change or update it, tell one of the guys who keeps this thing.
Last thing: I tried to be as accurate as I could. I'm human you know, so
I do make mistakes once in a while, so if you see something, tell me! So do
not come crying back to me when you post something and you say, "But it says
in the FAQ...". Yeah, I know what an attitude, but there is a lot of stuff
here. Not everything can be exactly right, I try to close as possible, so
don't take everything literally, use your good judgment, which I know you
all have. On errors, sometimes it's not my fault, but I should have caught
the error. Either way, the idea is to be as error-free as possible, and I
hope that is how things are. Enjoy!
****************************************************************************
** Table Of Contents **
****************************************************************************
** General Questions **
01. Which character is the best? How do characters compare against one
another?
02. I've heard that there is a way to find out many times a character has
been played on a particular machine. How is this done?
03. What is the correct method for doing Sagat's Tiger Knee?
04. How can I do Dhalsim's teleportation move?
05. Can Ken do a Hurricane Kick over Fireballs (from the ground in HF)?
06. What do the characters names mean? Also, what are they saying, and
what does it mean?
07. How did Sagat get that HUGE scar on his chest?
08. What's the deal with the final four character's names?
09. How is "Ryu" pronounced?
10. When I get dizzy, sometimes there are birds above my character's head,
and other times, there are stars. Does this affect the dizziness?
11. I've seen a game where you could do every special move in the air.
What kind of machine is this?
12. When will SF3 be released?
13. In a magazine, I saw that you could fight Sheng Long by getting to
M. Bison without getting hit by any other characters. Is this true?
14. Where or how can I get information about ?
15. How can I separate SF2 rumors from truths on the net?
16. I want to post about Streetfighter II to the net, is there any
etiquette that I should observe?
17. I see all these abbreviations used, what do they mean?
18. What about move lists/FAQs for other video games?
** Technical Play and Strategy Questions **
01. I see the word combo (combination) used all the time. What is it?
02. What is meant by buffering a move?
03. Many people talk about "ticking". What are they talking about?
04. What is considered "cheap"?
05. What is the "Touch of Death (TOD)" combo?
** Information about the Versions **
01. What are the different endings for the different versions?
02. What's the scoop on the versions of the game?
** Info on the home and PC versions **
01. I've heard talk about a PC SF2. What is it and where can I get it?
02. What is the character vs. same character code for the SNES?
03. Can I play Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison in SNES?
04. What are the Game Genie codes for SF2: SNES? What do they do?
** FTP Index **
/pub/local/sf2
/pub/local/sf2/guides
/pub/local/sf2/jpg
/pub/local/sf2/misc
/pub/local/sf2/misc/prose
/pub/local/sf2/other
****************************************************************************
** General Questions **
****************************************************************************
01. Which character is the best? How do characters compare against one
another?
These are my ratings for matchups in SF2-CE based on my experience. A
score given to a character is the number of times he can win out of ten
when fighting master vs. master.
Rank Character Score %age Crushes Crushed by
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1) Guile 71 59.2 Balrog (10) Sagat/Ryu (3)
2) Sagat 70 58.3 E. Honda (8) Blanka (3)
3) M. Bison 69 57.5 Balrog (8) Guile/Zangief (4)
4) Vega 68 56.7 Dhalsim (9) Guile/E. Honda (4)
5) Ryu 67 55.8 Balrog (9) Sagat (3)
6) Blanka 62 51.7 CL/Dh/Sag (7) Balrog (2)
7) Dhalsim 61 50.8 Balrog (9) Vega (1)
8) Ken 58 48.3 Bal/E.H. (8) Dha/Veg/Sag (3)
9) Zangief 57 47.5 Balrog (7) Hon/Gui/Sag (3)
10) E. Honda 53 44.2 Balrog (8) Ryu/Ken/Gui/Sag(2)
11) Chun Li 51 42.5 Dha/Bal/Sag(6) Guile (2)
12) Balrog 33 27.5 Blanka (8) EVERYONE!
Guile is the most powerful character when matched against all of the
characters. However, often only a few characters are selected to be
played in a match. These are the characters which have few enemies.
Blanka is powerful because his natural enemy (Balrog) is seldom played.
Ken, Ryu, and Guile used to be more dominant at UIUC before Sagat players
got better.
Of course this is a biased file. But, this guy has more experience than
most of the people on the net. I thought it was realistic when I saw it at
first (I play at UIUC). However, I am working on a HF matchuips file that
is in the process of being compiled. It should reflect the matchups of
characters here this school, but should be fairly accurate as an overall
guide for the characters.
02. I've heard that there is a way to find out many times a character has
been played on a particular machine. How is this done?
On many of the SF2 machines (version doesn't matter), you can put in the
following sequence of moves with the 2-player joystick, while a DEMO fight
is going on: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Strong, and then
Jab. This displays a couple rows of numbers at the top of the screen. The
lowest row is how many times each player has been played since the machine
was last reset or turned on. The numbers follow the character selection
screen in this manner: Ryu, Honda, Blanka, Guile, Ken, Chun, Zang, Dhal,
Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and Bison. So the 5th number is how many credits have
used Ken as their character to fight with. I don't know what the other
numbers mean. On Classic, the last four numbers don't appear. I have tried
this on the HF machine here, and it didn't work, but it did work when it was
still a CE, so they must have removed it, but here is what the numbers mean
in case you happen to spot them:
0001 - No idea, probably some sort of "experience points" for 1P side.
0002 - The no. of tokens/quarters put in in the left-hand slot.
=> It's not the first player. I tried inserting into the right-hand
slot and pressing 1P button. The number showed up in 004.
0003 - Same as 0001, but for 2nd player.
0004 - Same as 0002, but for right-hand slot.
0005 - No. of times Ryu has been used.
0006 - No. of times Honda has been used.
0007 - No. of times Blanka has been used
0008 - No. of times Guile has been used.
0009 - No. of times Ken has been used.
0010 - No. of times Chun Li has been used.
0011 - No. of times Zangief has been used.
0012 - No. of times Dhalsim has been used.
0013 - No. of times M.Bison (US version) has been used.
0014 - No. of times Sagat has been used.
0015 - No. of times Balrog (US version) has been used.
0016 - No. of times Vega (US version) has been used.
I am not sure about 0001 and 0003, so if anybody has any idea what they are,
please email me.
It turns out that this an operator adjustable feature, and that will explain
any machines on which this does not work.
03. What is the correct method for doing Sagat's Tiger Knee?
There are two methods that work. See the moves list for the correct
motion. Which one you use should be determined by how effectively you can
do it. I guess neither can be called correct, but I've seen it argued that
the shortest joystick motion should be the _correct_ one. You decide:
| \ --O O and kick *OR* / or | then O and kick
O O / O O /
The SNES SF2:Turbo manual shows the following method, I guess it works for
the SNES, but I don't know about the arcade:
This question has been asked so frequently, that I thought that I should
include it in the FAQ. The symbol "|" means or. This is out of my HF
moves guide called moves.hf.graph.
Teleportation --O | \ and all Kick|Punch
O O Other side of opponent
O-- | / and all Kick|Punch
O O Same spot or thereabouts
The SNES SF2:Turbo manual indicates that punches and kicks put you in
locations closer to or further from the opponent, but I don't remeber which
is which.
05. Can Ken do a Hurricane Kick over Fireballs (from the ground in HF)?
I had tried and tried this many times months ago. It NEVER worked. And
it will never work. He's not invincible at the beginning of his HK like
Ryu. He can only HK over Sonic Booms and Yoga Fireballs. If you have a
problem with this, mail me, and I'll prove it. Of course, this in CE or
HF. In Classic, Ken and Ryu cannot HK over Yoga Fireballs and Flames. And
since I got some stupid comments about how you can do air HK with Ken, I
added the ground thing into the question.
06. What do the characters names mean? Also, what are they saying, and
what does it mean?
First, the names:
RYU means vigorous or abundant (as in successful). It's
different from the ryu in shou ryu ken, which means dragon.
KEN means fist or punch. A lot of people say that Ken means
sword but that's written differently.
CHUN means spring and LI means beautiful.
HONDA is just a common Japanese name. The E stands for Edmond.
The sayings:
RYU/KEN
Dragon punch -- shou ryu ken
shou: rising
ryu: dragon
ken: fist/punch
Hurricane kick -- tatsu maki sen puu kyaku
tatsu maki: tornado
sen puu: whirlwind
kyaku: leg(s)
* Some people think that this means dragon kick but this is a
* mis-translation of the word tatsu maki. (Tatsu itself means dragon.)
Fireball -- ha dou ken
ha: wave
dou: motion
ken: fist/punch
* This is not wave energy punch as EGM claims.
E. HONDA
Torpedo -- dos koi
* This is a sumo saying that has no real meaning. It's
* like the huh! when the characters throw.
CHUN LI
Wind kick/throw -- yap
* This doesn't mean anything.
Spinning bird kick -- supiningu baado kikku
supiningu: spinning
baado: bird
kikku: kick
* This is just spinning bird kick said with a Japanese accent. I
* have no idea how EGM decided that she is saying ha dou che.
* When she wins -- yatta!
* This is similar to alright! Literally, it's "[I] did it!"
The other characters speak English so it should be pretty obvious
what they are saying.
The following is from Bethany Cox (coxb@carleton.edu):
BTW one *teeny-tiny* thing you might want to add to the SF II FAQ under #06,
"What do the characters' names mean?" You mention that the name "Honda" is
a common Japanese name [which is true enough]. It is in fact written with
the Chinese characters that the Japanese use to mean "origin" and "field"
[pronounced "hon" and "da", resepctively, in this reading]. I'm taking this
from the book "Kanji & Kana", which upon one page literally shows the the
name "Honda" written with these two characters.
So "Honda" literally translates to "orgin in the field" or thereabouts.
It is very common for Japanese names to have translations like this:
"Yamashita" roughly translates to "base of the mountain"; "Tanaka" to
"middle of the field", etc. Of course, the translations may well have no
more bearing on the individual [there are plenty of people named "Tanaka"
who do not live in the middle of the a field, to be sure] just as the
English names "Smith" & "Glassmaker" have lost their original connotations.
08. What's the deal with the final four character's names?
Due to legal reasons, the names of the last four computer opponents were
switched around in foreign releases of SF II. In Japan, M. Bison was meant
to sound like M. Tyson. Well, when coming over to the US or elsewhere,
Capcom decided to avoid any possible legal troubles with the name and
likeness of Bison and the way (our) Balrog looks. BTW, Balrog is some
demon from the Tolkien books. It was some type of demon. In the SF2 comic
books from overseas, Bison is made to look like a devil!
M. Bison (boxer) in Japan, Balrog elsewhere
Balrog (pansy) in Japan, Vega elsewhere
Sagat (kickboxer) in Japan, Sagat elsewhere
Vega (dictator) in Japan, M. Bison elsewhere
RYU is most closely pronounced like "Roo." "Ree-you" or "Rye-you"
are other ways of saying it. I've been told that the actual pronunciation
is the first, though. And that would make the other two ways obviously not
correct. Read the comment below for a little lesson in Japanese.
The 'r' sound in Japanese doesn't really exist as we say it. It is really
a kinda cross between an r and l. If you put the tip of your tongue at the
front roof of your mouth and then try to say Ryu all as one syllable then
you will get a "L"-ish sounding "R" sound. This is the proper way to say
RYU. I speak Japanese...it's my major.
10. When I get dizzy, sometimes there are birds above my character's head,
and other times, there are stars. Does this affect the dizziness?
When a character gets dizzy, either stars or birds appear above his head.
Generally, the bird dizziness lasts a bit longer than the star dizziness...
It's a good way to judge whether you have enough time to run in and land a
combo. Of course I always try to regardless :)
11. I've seen a game where you could do every special move in the air.
What kind of machine is this?
It is an illegal "accelerated" version. They are mainly responsible for
the creation of HF. They are not as balanced, or as playable as the
official one. The are notoriously unpopular.
I've only heard a rumor that game creation and programming has begun.
Until I hear official word on this subject, I'd say that nothing has been
started on this game, considering how well SF2 is doing.
Here is something a bit more concrete:
Just thought I would pass this along. It is from the latest issue of
_Diehard Gaming Magazine._ They say that SF3 will contain only Ryu and Sagat
from SF2, plus there will be 14 new characters with new special moves, etc.
I'm sure this is very early, so things will probably change, but I thought
all you SF players would get a kick out of it. :-)
After reading this on the net, there was another comment that was logical
as well: It said that this made sense. Why? Look at the endings for all
the CE characters. Everyone of them except Ryu and Sagat have a resolved
ending. Ryu waits for the next great fight, and Sagat only wishes to
defeat Ryu. So if Ryu is there, Sagat will be there, too.
The latest release date has been put at September 93 as stated in _Replay_
magazine, an arcade industry publication.
And the latest installment in this saga has SF3 delayed indefinitely since
there were fights amongst the programmers, and hence Capcom is rumored to be
serving up *another* version of SF2 with 4 additional characters as first
leaked waaayyy back in the spring.
13. In a magazine, I saw that you could fight Sheng Long by getting to
M. Bison without getting hit by any other characters. Is this true?
No, this is pure bull, and the magazine that originally published this
trick did so intentionally, as an April Fool's Joke. A LOT of people fell
for this one. :) There are even other magazines that went so far as to
doctor up a picture that made it look like Sheng Long actually existed.
This is a general answer for a general question. The newsgroups are often
subject to receiving many requests for move lists or information on how to
do something, or a request for a guide to a certain character. At the very
end of the FAQ, there is a list of all the files available via anonymous ftp
from a site that the writers hold an account on. They are in charge of put-
ting new material in the site. Below is a summary of what you can find.
Movelists for Classic/CE/HF; Bugs for Classic/CE;
Guides for EVERY character (some are better done than others);
Beginner's help and guides; Listings of some combos;
How to throw and counterthrow effectively;
Archaic info about Ryu's belt, the background signs, etc;
Stuff about the characters; tournament rules;
Lots of stuff.
I don't want to put a list here, because it would be pointless to repeat
the stuff since it is down below. I just want an earlier mention of it
in the FAQ.
15. How can I separate SF2 rumors from truths on the net?
Alt.games.sf2 and rec.games.video.arcade is awash with people full of
shit. If someone posts using the following phrases/words, you can have your
doubts:
"A friend of mine", "A friend of a friend", "My brother's friend", etc.
"credible", "reliable", etc. to describe the above. "I didn't see it
myself, but", "I wasn't there but", "I wasn't really paying attention,
but", "Out of the corner of my eye", etc. "secret move", "secret screen",
"secret character", etc. "secret"
Generally, the less people reporting something *and* the less details
given, the greater the chance it's bullshit. Likewise, the more people
agreeing on something *and* giving specifics, the more credible. But you
should always question whatever you read, *especially* when reading
newsgroups.
16. I want to post about Street Fighter II to the net, is there any
etiquette that I should observe?
Please post to alt.games.sf2 (the devoted Streetfighter newsgroup) if your
site carries it in order to keep bandwidth down.
If you post to rec.games.video.arcade, please put "SF2" or "Street Fighter
2" or something thereof in your subject header. As hard as it may be to
believe, there really *are* people who do not want to have anything to do
with Streetfighter II. Please respect that, so they can kill SF2 posts.
(And likewise, SF2 fans could mark *only* SF2 posts.)
If you've heard a neat, unconfirmed trick, don't pass it off as truth.
Let everyone know that this *is* a rumor. Otherwise, you'll find people
quick to flame, and you probably deserve each and every flame that comes
your way. ;-)
READ THIS! Since there are now 4 versions of the game, it makes sense to
include an inkling of which game you speak of. So include HF, CE, Classic,
or SNES in your subject header. Without this (unless what you are talking
about is obvious) you may get misleading information. In other words, it is
correct, but for the wrong game. Thanks, Ming.
17. I see all these abbreviations used, what do they mean?
Here are the most common abbreviations used when talking about a certain
character's moves and whatnot. When the abbreviations are used, the
character in question is usual mentioned.
DP Dragon Punch HK Hurricane Kick
FB Fireball TU Tiger Uppercut
TK Tiger Knee WK Whirlwind Kick
LL Lightning Leg HHS Hundred Hand Slap
TAP Turn Around Punch RC Rolling Claw
SB Sonic Boom RK/FK Razor Kick/Flash Kick
SPD Spinning Pile Driver SL Spinning Lariat
SSL Super Spinning Lariat SF2 Street Fighter 2
CE Champion Edition HF Hyper Fighting
TOD Touch of Death SNES Super Nintendo
SG Sega Genesis
Here are some common abbreviations used when making comments about some-
thing. They are used for short phrases, etc.
BTW By the way IMO In my opinion
a.g.sf2 alt.games.sf2 r.g.v.a rec.games.video.arcade
IMHO In my honest/humble opinion
FTP File Transfer Protocol
MMSF Modern Museum of Street Fighter (a person)
I'm sure that there are others, and I don't know all of them, but if you
see one you don't know, try to match it with the context of the rest of
text, and guess at it's meaning.
18. What about move lists/FAQs for other video games?
I happen to gather all these from the Net. I have the FAQ or move lists
or whatever you want to call it for the games listed below... None of this
stuff is my own work, so if I remembered to leave it on the original file,
the person who wrote it gets credit, not me.
Art of Fighting
Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury 2
Mortal Kombat
NBA Jams
Sega CD
Sega Genesis
Terminator 2
Time Killers
World Heroes
****************************************************************************
** Technical Play and Strategy Questions **
****************************************************************************
01. I see the word combo (combination) used all the time. What is it?
A combination (combo) is a series of moves that, under most conditions, is
un-blockable after the first move connects. Please note that I said _most_
conditions. There is always some crack-pot situation where nearly every
combo fails, and lots of 'combos' don't actually work when your opponent's
not in the corner. Nevertheless, this is a general (if loose) definition.
The simplest combo is 'jab + jab + jabjabjabjab.' It fits the definition,
but that is not type of combo that this guide will concern itself with.
Rather, this guide is concerned with the BIG combos, the combos that involve
special moves and that maximize the penalty for your opponent's mistakes.
Combos almost always follow pattern below...
JUMPING ATTACK + GROUND (standing or crouched) ATTACK + SPECIAL MOVE
The jumping attack + ground attack isn't too impressive, even the computer
can pull them off. What defines something as a combo is what comes after
the second hit. So let's go through step by step, and look at the execution
of a combo:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST HIT: Jumping attack
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The way combos work is that you're hitting your opponent with a new blow
before they can recover from the first one. So, the first thing you want
to make sure of is that your jumping attack hit's your opponent _late_.
That way, you have time to hit the ground and start your next move before
they recover from the first blow. Think of it as aiming for your opponent's
chest or stomach instead of his head. If the 2nd blow of your combos is
getting blocked, you're probably hitting too high.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECOND AND THIRD HITS: Buffering
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
What happens next in dependent on what type of combo you're doing. If you
are 2nd hit is a jab or short, you have no problems. Hit the jab/short,
then do your special attack (3rd hit) as quickly as you can. End of combo.
BUT, if you're playing the right character, and you want to do a bit of
extra damage, you're going to have to buffer the special attack.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
By: T. Cannon Feel free to repost, so long as this document is not
copyright 1993 altered in any way. Send comments, suggestions, and
corrections to inkblot@leland.stanford.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A 'buffered' move is a move executed _while_ the move before it (always a
'normal' hit) is still going on. When you finish the special technique, the
animation of the normal attack is cut short, and the special attack
immediately begins. Because of this, the two blows happen one right after
the other with very little pause. This is why combos work. There are two
ways to buffer a move. The 'press-press' technique and the 'press-release'
technique. I'll use the fierce + fierce dragon punch combo to illustrate
each technique:
PRESS-PRESS BUFFERING
---------------------
Press-press buffering is identical to executing a jab + special move combo.
It requires two presses of the button(s). Do execute this type of buffer-
ing, press your 'normal' attack button, then do a special technique _right_
after the press. Pretend like you never hit the first button. If you're
fast, you'll get the combo. An example is:
FIERCE + --O | \ + FIERCE
O O
Note that the motion of the stick isn't started until after the first button
press. If the first button is pressed after the --O , you'll get a throw
instead of a combo. Also note that only certain attacks can be used as the
lead in of a buffered attack. A roundhouse at the front end of this combo
just wouldn't work. In each character guide, I've noted which moves are
'bufferable' in the COMBINATIONS section.
PRESS-RELEASE BUFFERING
-----------------------
Press fiece and hold it down. Go ahead. Got it held? Good. Now do the
stick motion for a DP, and RELEASE the button at the end. If you time it
correctly, you get a DP. The computer registers every PRESS and RELEASE of
a button as a 'press.' So, it's possible to do a combo like the one
mentioned above (the triple DP) with just one press of the fierce button.
Here's how it goes...
--O | press fierce \ release fierce
O O
Note that this gives you a crouched fierce + DP combo, where as we got a
_standing_ fierce + DP combo using the press-press method. With practice,
you can change that press-release to a 'tap.' When you get this good, you
can do triple DPs with one tap of the button, just like a normal DP (only
the tap is timed differently) IMHO, this is where the confusion on the
triple DP arises. People can get 3 hits with one tap, so they assume
that they're doing only one move, when in fact they are executing two.
The only real disadvantage to this is that you can only use it with combos
that require the same button for both attacks. This method would not work
for a crouched strong + flash-kick combo.
ADVANCED TACTICS
----------------
So what do you do if you want a fierce + jab DP? You could use the press-
press method, but I think you'll find the press-release to be easier with
practice. So, an option here is to use a 'hold-press' method. In this
technique, you press the first button, HOLD it down, then press the second
button. An example is shown below.
--O | press and hold fierce \ press jab
O O
Because you never released the fierce button, only one 'press' was
registered. If you just tried to press the fierce, the release may trigger
a fierce DP instead of a jab DP. Even if you prefer the press-press
method, I recommend using this for crouched DP combos. The press-press
alternative is....
/ press fierce --O | \ press jab
O O O
The hold-press method may sound complex, but if you can press-release, you
can hold-press very easily. The first button press (the 'hold') is timed
exactly the same way as the 'press' in press-release. The only difference
is that you hold the button down, and hit another button immediately
afterwards. A good way to get the second press is to think of it as
drumming your fingers. It can be that fast. Note that the hold-press
technique can also be used for an easy jab + TU combo. Also, there's no
reason to use the hold-press method if you're first button press isn't
related to the special technique. Consider the combo below.
| press forward \ --O press fierce
O O
This with give you a crouched forward + fireball combo, even if you use the
press-press. The reason is that there's no way the release of the forward
button can be associated with the joystick motion. | \ --O + forward
isn't a special move, so the computer ignores O O
the release.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
By: T. Cannon Feel free to repost, so long as this document is not
copyright 1993 altered in any way. Send comments, suggestions, and
corrections to inkblot@leland.stanford.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
03. Many people talk about "ticking". What are they talking about?
Back in the early days of Classic, back before combos, back before Guile
was overpowering, back when even the best couldn't DP consistently (we're
talking about nearly _right_ after the game was released), there was a
rather large SF2 tournament in Iceland Bowl, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Guile won the tournament, and here's how: He'd sit in defensive crouch
till he could knock you down with a flash-kick. Once he did, it was jab-
jab throw. You'd block the jabs, thinking you were safe, but would be
thrown anyway. This was the first time anyone had seen anything like this,
so countering was all but impossible. So, this Guile player, using only one
technique, breezed through _many_ (over 6) rounds of the tournament and won
undefeated.
After the Guile's victory, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Because the technique was _literally_ inescapable at the time, the players
decided that it had to be some sort of over-sight on Capcom's part. They
gave it a name, a tick. Why tick? 'Cause that's the sound of the repeated
jabs right before you get thrown. *tick tick HUUURRG!* Once they'd named
it, it was immediately banned. The house rules all over the city (not just
this arcade) suddenly became....
I. Tick your opponent and he gets a free hit (throw at first which later
developed into combo) on you
II. Tick to win a round and you forfiet the next round.
So, the original, formal definition of a 'tick' is throwing someone _right_
after they've blocked one of your attacks. If you did this to a player in
Albuquerque, NM (even now), he'd be expecting to get a free hit on you.
ANYTHING else you do... fireball traps... sac-throwing... even magic
throwing (on Classic) is _not_ a tick under the original definition, so in
Albuquerque, it's O.K.
In a subsequent mail message, I found out that the jumping in attack in
which you make the opponent block then throw is a tick under this defini-
tion. Just see the preceeding paragraph. It says "throwing someone _right_
after they've blocked one of your attacks." So this is a tick, but the
counter for it (ie sac-throw) is not. Go figure, eh?
This is actually a tough one to answer. Most people say something is
cheap is they can't seem to stop something that kills them. Of course this
varies from place to place. You would want to ask many local players what
they think. Most things considered "cheap" are playing styles. You might
constantly electrocute your opponent w/ Blanka, but he should have blocked.
Of you may grab the opponent w/ Honda, then pummel them with a HHS. People
may not like this, and you might be called cheap for doing so. One last
thing that may be considered cheap is jumping attacks then throwing. This
is not uncounterable, but it may be difficult to see. Here are some
examples of play styles that may be called "cheap":
Fireball Traps Cheesing them w/ Bison
Grabbing then HHS w/ Honda Electricity then bite w/ Blanka
Zangief's SPD (not!) Doing FB-DP all the time
Playing keep away Jumping all the time
Picking Vega or Bison (!) Chun Li's flipping neck breaker
More or less anything that people might find difficult or nearly
impossible to defeat. It might be annoying, but cries of cheap
might be heard instead. It might all be related to your skill level
in the game as well, or how inventive you are.
Most people say that "ticking" is cheap. (See the question.) This is so
because it is *easy* to execute and *impossible* to counter. Now, for some
master players, this is not so since it is part of how they play against
each other (I play this way). To the average player though, such things as
jumping a lot, making the opponent block all the time, waiting in the corner
after seriously damaging the opponent, etc. might be considered cheap. It's
kind of a broad definition, depending on who you ask. Just for the record,
I don't think that anything is cheap. As your skills improve, your defini-
tion of cheap may or may not change. It depends on how you play, where and
who you play against. For all those concerned: this might be an opinion of
what cheap is. Most importantly, it may be biased by where I play and who
I play against. Ask who you play!
In the original meaning of the word, it is a combo done with Ken that goes
like this: You get the combo on them once, and they are dizzy, you do the
combo while they are dizzy, and then that is it, they are KO'd. It's
meaning came about from one touch, and your dead. Pretty effective combo,
and you'll see why... It consists of three attacks, hitting usually three
times, but occasionally four times, and it involves the three most powerful
attacks that Ken possesses. This is it:
1. Jump towards the opponent, hitting with late roundhouse/fierce attack.
2. As soon as you land, immediately follow-up with a standing fierce. Do
this along with pressing towards the opponent at the same instant. You
should not throw them; you normally have to take a step to do so.
3. Then buffer a Fierce Dragon Punch into the Fierce. It may hit once, so
a Jab or Strong DP may be substituted. Four hits can connect if Fierce
is used vs. the taller opponents and Dhalsim. If you use a neck kick for
the flying attack, you should not have problems getting four hits on most
characters. And the neck kick version can be used to bewilder the poor
guy who is on the receiving end of this. It can be easily countered by
many characters, but if they fail if blocking at the right time, they
will be at a huge disadvantage afterwards.
(Note: the standing Fierce needn't be used. You can easily switch this
over to a crouching Fierce simply by going towards then down just as you
are about to land, then quickly hit Fierce, then move to the diagonal and
hit Fierce for the DP.)
The timing on this move is perhaps a bit confusing. The hits go like this:
smack--smack-smack-smack (the 4th hit sometimes). The button presses aren't
too different. I go like this: press---press-press. There has to be a
longer delay cuz you have to hit and then land. Yes, the rest of the DP
motion has to be crammed into the small space, but if you have done the DP
hundreds of times, this shouldn't take long to learn. If you encounter
problems, try to first learn a FB combo. If you can do flying attack into
standing fierce/FB combo, just put a triple-DP combo in instead of the
press-press FB. Read the buffering section, and then this will be a bit
clearer. You have to see someone's hands perform the motion to really
understand how it goes. Anyways, I hope that this is clearer than mud to
most of you...
Other characters may have a "Touch of Death" combo, but they are not known
or are very difficult to pull off.
****************************************************************************
** Information about the Versions **
****************************************************************************
01. What are the different endings for the different versions?
CLASSIC
a. If you finish the game, you get to see your character's ending.
b. If you finish the game on one quarter, without challenges, you see the
characters fight as credits roll by.
c. Finish without challenges, or losing a round, it's the same as b, but
you also see mugshots of the programmers.
CHAMPION EDITION
Better endings for each character, plus boss endings. Same as for Classic
except that if you do c, it shows the characters attack some of the
various inanimate objects such as barrels and oil cans, etc. Endings for
the bosses are pretty generic.
TURBO/HYPER FIGHTING
Same as for Champion Edition. The last shot is a platform showing the
following:
Win with Bison: #1 Bison, #2 Sagat, #3 Vega
Win with Sagat: #1 Sagat, #2 Bison, #3 Vega
Win with : #1 , #2 Bison, #3 Sagat
Ryu does show up on the platform (sellout!), like his ending says he
shouldn't. I thought that the fight was all...
SUPER NES
Level 0-2: Why don't you try the harder difficulty level?
Level 3-5: Personalized ending for your character
Level 6-7: Credits scroll across the screen as characters battle.
Level 7: Beat the game without changing characters, a special showing the
original eight warriors.
Level 7: Don't use any continues, same as above, but all 12.
Level 7: Don't lose a round, same as above. Pushing start will make Chun
Li's sound of "Ya Tai."
SUPER NES TURBO
Level 0-2: Same as for regular on SNES
Level 3-7: ???
I only played this on the default and the hardest level. The default was
incredibly easy, and the endings are like for the arcade HF. The hardest
level is quite difficult, and it is easy to see how much the computer cheats
on everything (Sagat even throws you!). There is a digital picture at the
end no matter how you finish, but I was unable to beat it without having to
continue at least once.
CLASSIC Early 1991 $3500 new
There are 4 versions of the original game, the differences are below:
Version 1 and 2: Guile's bugs, no Dhalsim bugs, Ryu/Ken can destroy
the car with roundhouse only.
Version 3: Guile's and Dhalsim's bugs, no char vs. char.
Version 4: No Guile bugs, Dhalsim's bugs though, char vs. char.
This is the least balanced of the versions; Guile and Dhalsim were the
most dominant. This game is quite slow, the Dragon Punch did not have
the knockdown capability among other things.
CHAMPION EDITION Early 1992 $4000 new
One version of this game. It sports character vs. character, as well as
the ability to play the boss characters. Many graphical changes, as well
as changes to the characters. Each fighter has an additional uniform
color. The game is quite a bit (about 50%) faster than the Classic.
The endings for the characters were revised with better graphics, and
the bosses got generic endings...
TURBO/HYPER FIGHTING Winter 1992 $500 upgrade
The newest version gives each character a new uniform color along with
the Classic colors. Most characters are changed significantly enough
so that the game is a bit difficult to catch on to. Many new moves were
added, most notable is the ability to do some moves in the air, and the
new vertical attacks. This game is 10%-25% faster than CE, depending on
the prototype. Some are slower, some faster. There is an appended
ending for each character.
SUPER NES Summer 1992 $50-70 game
This is very similar to the Classic version. You can play char vs.
char with a special code. Bosses are also available with a third party
device. Most of the game is like Classic, but there are missing frames
of animation, a lot less blood that the arcade, and the sound is not
nearly as well done. The characters are smaller in relation to the
screen, and there may *slight* play differences as well.
SUPER NES TURBO Summer 1993 $60-80 game
Exactly like the arcade with a few easy to pick up tricks and what not.
It is faster than the arcade on the normal setting, but everything comes
off as normal. The bonus stages are like the old SNES version. Plus
there is other stuff like on the SNES, and a way to get the game to go
extremely fast...
SEGA GENESIS Projected Fall 1993 $65-80(?) game
This game will be like the Champion Edition. One will be able to play
all 12 of the World Warriors in this version and fight character vs.
same in this game without the use of special codes or third party devices.
I haven't had the opportunity to view the picture with a comb, but this
is what I have picked up from what I have seen and heard:
o The characters are slightly larger than in the SNES version.
o The colors are lacking a bit in shading.
o There is a "scoreboard" if you will that contains all the life bars
and scores, etc. It has no background behind it, so it is a black
band across the top with the info in it.
o There WILL be special six button controllers available for the game,
including ones like the Arcade Power Stick and the regular Gen pad.
It CAN be played with the 3-button standard, using the Start button
to toggle between the punch and kick button functions.
The above needs to be updated.
****************************************************************************
** Info on the home and PC versions **
****************************************************************************
01. I've heard talk about a PC SF2. What is it and where can I get it?
It is an arguably legal/illegal version of the game for IBM compatibles.
The graphics appear to be taken from a Classic or Super NES version. The
animation is somewhat choppy, and the reaction slow, but overall, a decent
hack. It can be downloaded from various FTP sites across the nation.
Beware that certain FTP sites have banned this game from their archives.
It comes in many versions, with latest being 1.84 and 1.90. Recently, there
have been many patches by individuals, rather than the creator of the game.
The best patch is the sf_rucky patch that fixes Dhalsim, and fixes some of
the bugs that had been bothering many players. One of the other patches
returns the controls to the original arcade type, plus fixes several of the
throw bugs. It also adds the teleportation move for Dhalsim. Check the
index for the for the file that has the listing of the sites.
02. What is the character vs. same character code for the SNES?
This code will allow you do play same char. vs. same char. with the
CE colors. Nothing else. No extra speed. No playing the Boss characters,
and no extended DP for Ken :(. Nothing new. When you see the Capcom logo
appear on-screen, quickly do this: Down, Button R, Up, Button L, Button Y,
then Button B. If the code works, you'll hear the same chime as if you
selected Game Start or V.S. Battle.
03. Can I play Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison in SNES?
All that can be said is that it is possible with the aid of another
device. The Game Genie has a code that works , but it doesn't work quite
right. The moves aren't done as they are in CE. See the list of files
below for the files containing these codes.
04. What are the Game Genie codes for SF2: SNES? What do they do?
They are too numerous to list here, but there is one very complete and
excellent file at the ftp site. It is called codes.game-genie, it is
avaiable at the ftp site. This file is updated as new codes are discover-
ed by the writers, so any new versions will be there. If you are looking
for Game Action Replay codes, look for the file called codes.action-replay.
Did we leave something out? If so, then check the files list below, and
what you're looking for may be in one of them. If you're not sure, e-mail
one of those guys listed at the beginning of the FAQ. For some reason, I
think that they will know. If it's not in one of the files, or questions,
and you think it should be included, e-mail the said persons and complain!
It will be taken care of.
****************************************************************************
** FTP Index **
****************************************************************************
Here is a list of many, many files that have been pulled off the Net and
put into a directory at a local ftp site. Some of it has not been posted,
such as a lame HF moves guide that Caine made :). Below is this listing.
Some of the questions above refer here, so find the name of the file that
was referenced, and download it! We hope that we haven't missed anything.
If you have any problems, comments, suggestions, etc., you know who to
contact. This is an anonymous local ftp site: mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu . If
you don't know how to ftp a file, mail Caine, and he can get a file that
explains how to do so. But, don't act so fast, read on...
If you don't have ftp access from your site, you can use the ftpmail
server at . For information, send an e-mail message to , with the word 'help' as the only text in the
message body, and with no subject header. You will get e-mail back telling
you how to use ftpmail. If you have problems or questions concerning ftp-
mail, send e-mail to .
This is the directory listing for the FTP site, mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu.
Each file has a very brief desciption of what it is in it. Hopefully,
there are no typos in the listings. If you want any of the files, but
you are too lazy to FTP (you bum! :), then mail caine@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu
and state which file(s) you want. DO NOT reply to this if it was posted!
/pub/local/sf2
--------------
FAQ The Godlike FAQ listing version 4.48
HOW_TO_FTP A guide on how to ftp (ironic, isn't it?)
INDEX Yer lookin' at it!
OLD_FAQ.SS The old vers. of the FAQ by Sinister Stairs
header The header grafix for the FAQ
guides/ Strategy for each World Warrior
jpg/ JPG format pix of the SFer's
misc/ Misc stuff, interesting things, stories
other/ Moves lists, combos, throwing, etc.
/pub/local/sf2/guides
---------------------
balrog.3fist Sheng Shou Fang for Balrog; Eu-Ming Lee
balrog.combos Ming's Balrog combos
balrog.hf-hints.pjs Trouble going from CE->HF /w Balrog?
balrog.mmsf The long lost Balrog by MMSF
balrog.pjs Stroffolino Balrog (newest) guide
balrog.strachman CE Balrog guide
bison.mmsf M. Bison by MMSF
blanka.cpu.ce How to beat up CPU Blanka
blanka.falcon Falcon's Blanka guide
blanka.mmsf Blanka by MMSF
chunli.falcon Falcon's Chun Li guide
chunli.mmsf Chun Li by MMSF
chunli.rauser Chun Li guide
chunli.vs-ken-ryu Tips for defeating Ken/Ryu with Chun Li
dhalsim.ce.falcon Falcon's Dhalsim for CE
dhalsim.ce.odom Brian Odom's complete Dhalsim
dhalsim.falcon Classic Dhalsim guide from Falcon Feather
dhalsim.mmsf Dhalsim by MMSF
guile.falcon Yet another Falcon guide; Guile
guile.flash-combos Combos involving a buffered Flash Kick
guile.handcuffs-fake Throw your opponent around like a yo-yo!
guile.hf.mmsf HF Guile by MMSF (comments only)
guile.hints Helpful hints for Charlie's pal
guile.mmsf Guile by MMSF
guile.moves Moves list for Guile, by Philips
guile.patterns Crying Freeman's pattern Guile
guile.sb-rk-theory Can you keep a RK charged after a SB?
guile.vs-blanka How to beat Blanka w/ Guile
guile.vs-fb-trap Incineration of Guile thread response
guile.vs-ken-ryu Win vs. Ken or Ryu
honda.ce.maestas Terminator's CE Honda.
honda.falcon A guide for every taste, Falcon's Honda
honda.mmsf E. Honda by MMSF
ken.hf.caine HF/Turbo Ken guide (long)
ken.kray-z.euming Eu-Ming's style guide to Kray-Z Ken
ken.mmsf Ken by MMSF
ken.ryu.falcon Classic strategy for Sheng Long's student's
ken.workbook.cannon Get started with Ken, a beginner's guide
ryu.combos Some good combos for Fireball master
ryu.mmsf Ryu by MMSF
ryu.workbook.petit CJ Petit want you to learn Ryu
sagat.cannon Tom Cannon's start on a Sagat guide
sagat.mmsf Sagat by MMSF
sagat.workbook.cannon Learn Sagat w/ help from T. Cannon
vega.falcon Falcon helps you with Spanish Fighter
vega.mmsf Vega by MMSF
zangief.falcon Falcon's tips for a Russian's conquest
zangief.jowfus Justin Hogue's Zangief guide/HF updated
zangief.mmsf Zangief by MMSF
zangief.vs-guile Trash Guile w/ Zangief
zangief.vs-ken Ram his head to the ground one last time
/pub/local/sf2/jpg
------------------
ryu_ken.jpg Ryu and Ken standing back to back, JPEG fmt.
ken_chun.jpg Ken in background, Chun Li in foreground, JPEG
/pub/local/sf2/misc
-------------------
prose/ Prose about the World Warriors
bg-signs That sign, what's it say!?
capcom-address The address of the big company
char.info Info on all the World Warriors
char.martial-arts What martial art does s/he practice?
char.quotes CE/HF quotes for characters
ibm.ftp-sites Listing of sites where SF2-IBM can be found
ibm.info Info about IBM SF2 game
ibm.sprite-data Info for sprites on the PC
mmsf-laughs Cheap laughs from MMSF; response
music-cd A music CD with songs for the Warriors
newbie.do-dont Newbie pointers
pinball.rules Stuff about the pinball game
ryus-belt Close of his belt reveals...
strategy.4-chars.lee Strategy for some of the fighters
strategy.general.falcon Falcon's overview
tourn-rules Capcom's tournament rules
/pub/local/sf2/misc/prose
-------------------------
addiction.cox Are you an SF2 addict?
advice.cox Guile/Chun Li/Vega/Ryu/Bison offer advice
balrog.cox Balrog's beginnings
blanka.cox Tale of the mutant man
bison.cox "The Seed of Evil"
chunli.cox Chun's early days
guile.cox "Before" "Debts Unpaid" "Before III"
ken-ryu.cox "A Lesson To Remember"
vega.cox "The Drive For Perfection"
/pub/local/sf2/other
--------------------
beginners.guide A guide for beginners; recommended
bugs.classic How to do Classic bugs
bugs.magic-throw Details on the Magic Throw
ce.matchups Ming's UIUC matchups listing
classic.ce.differences Differences between the versions
classic.hf.differences Discussion about how these are different
codes.action-replay Game Action Replay codes
codes.game-genie Huge Game Genie Codes list
codes.stats Find out how many times was played
combos.euming General combos from Eu-Ming
combos.nishinaga General combos from John Nishinaga
combos.prock Andrew Prock's Beginner to Expert Combos
combos.shortlist Short listing for a few characters
combos.strachman Strachman's combo listing
combos.ticks.falcon Falcon's combos and ticking guide
combos.workbook.cannon Learn combos and buffering with T. Cannon
computerbehavior The CPU's behavior pattern
dizziness Any idea on how dizziness might work
landing-zone Jumping in 'landing zone'?
moves.ce.sinister Graphical CE moves listing version 2.1
moves.hf.axl Move list for HF by Axl (not Rose)
moves.hf.caine Abbreviated special moves listing for HF
moves.hf.graph Graphical HF moves listing
moves.hf.mac.rich.hqx A Mac format HF/CE/Classic guide
moves.hf.mac.rich.readme Read this file before you get the actual...
snes.faq Common questions about SNES version
snes.sounds Sound ID list for SNES version
throws.art-of Art Of Throwing; Eu-Ming Lee; A MUST
throws.counter Counter Throwing; Eu-Ming; MUST HAVE
throws.speed The old throw "speed" debate; an idea
If you have something, and you think it should be added to the list, post
it to alt.games.sf2 only or mail it to one of us. We'll know what to do
with it.
