============================================ | | | M M A RRRR V V EEEEE L | | MM MM A A R R V V E L | | M M M A A RRRR V V EEEE L | | M M AAAAA R R V V E L | | M M A A R R V EEEEE LLLLL | | | | V V SSSS | | V V S | | V V SSS | | V V S | | V SSSS o | | | | CCCC A PPPP CCCC OOO M M | | C A A P P C O O MM MM | | C A A PPPP C O O M M M | | C AAAAA P C O O M M | | CCCC A A P CCCC OOO M M | | | ============================================ AMATEUR GUIDE ============================================ Marvel Vs. Capcom Amateur Guide by Joe Zaza (joezaza@geocities.com) Version 0.5 (C) MCMXCIX - MM Joe Zaza A brief note: Any section of this document that begins with this indicator (//) is merely my subjective take on a matter and not to be taken as fact. It is either my opinion, personal advice, or just a side-note. These sections will be indicated as over either with this symbol (\\) or whenever another section in the document begins. ================= TABLE OF CONTENTS - MvC FAQ ================= Revision History A Fighter's Dictionary The Main Entry Word Arrangement Of Entries * Cross References * Variant Names * Hyphenated Compounds * Abbreviated Words * Sub-Definitions Part Of Speech Labels Word Etymology Dictionary Gameplay Basics Moving Standing * Crouching * Dashing * Jumping * Super Jumping * Dashing (Air) Attacking Normal Attacks * Command Attacks * Throws * Special Attacks * Hyper Combinations/Super Attacks * Crossover Combinations/Team Supers * Duo Team Attack/Two On One * Crossover Assistants/Helpers Switching Blocking Standing Block * Crouching Block * Air Block * Advancing Guard (Push) * Crossover Counter Who In The Hell Is Joe Zaza? Acknowledgements ================ REVISION HISTORY ================ Version 0.5: Released 12 - 16 - 99 A beta version of the guide. I am publishing it pending questions, comments, and objections before I submit the first version. (joezaza@geocities.com) ====================== A FIGHTER'S DICTIONARY ====================== THE MAIN ENTRY WORD =================== ------------------------- A. Arrangement of Entries ------------------------- All main entries, including single words and hyphenated compounds are listed in strict alphabetical order and are set in uppercase type, extending fully to the left of the document. They are followed (from left to right) by a colon (:), which is followed by the word's part of speech. ------------------- B. Cross References ------------------- Every word that has its own entry is listed in uppercase type the first time it is mentioned in an entry block. Every time that it is mentioned thereafter, it will be listed in lowercase type. ---------------- C. Variant Names ---------------- Variant names for words with the same definition are indicated with an AKA in the parenthesis that follows the entry word of what I think is to be the 'proper' definition. Some of the more common names have separate entry blocks that will simply cross-refer to that 'proper' definition. ----------------------- D. Hyphenated Compounds ----------------------- Every entry that has more than one word will have a hyphen between every word. This is done to prevent the reader from confusing two separate cross references that are side by side from the cross reference of a single, hyphenated compound. -------------------- E. Abbreviated Words -------------------- Entries that define abbreviated words or parts of a word will indicate what the abbreviation stands for in the parenthesis that follows the entry word. ------------------ F. Sub-Definitions ------------------ Some definitions will have sub-definitions that attempt to explain the significance of the concept when applied to the game. These, I hope, should help clarify the word's usage even more. PART OF SPEECH LABELS ===================== Part of speech labels are given for every main entry word. The following labels for the parts of speeches into which words are classified in traditional English grammar are used in this dictionary. They appear following the entry word in parenthesized, uppercase type. N. noun V. verb ADJ. adjective When an entry word has more than one part of speech, double dashes introduce each different part of speech in the entry block and each part of speech label appears in parenthesized, uppercase type. WORD ETYMOLOGY ============== The old notion that there is a single, true meaning for a word has been replaced by the concept that words are essentially nothing more than controversial symbols whose use and pronunciation may vary even from person to person, let alone group to group. Over the course of time (since Street Fighter II...) such variations may so alter the form and meaning that only patient retrospection can trace the course by which a modern term (or word used by myself) has come to its present use, sense, and form. Finding satisfaction with each and every word's definition has proved to be impossible, but I went ahead and wrapped the thing up (I'd rather have a common frame of reference for the versus game terminology than simple, unfounded jargon.). I've gathered every definition from the context in which I hear or see the corresponding word being used; they are usually either uttered in an arcade or written in an FAQ (The alternative to doing this, which is asking people "What does 'this word' mean?" either on the arcade floor or by E-mail usually proves to be too complicated for those I ask... Gathering a consensus for the definition of a term, either in the arcade or on the internet, proves to be even harder.). I cannot justly say that the definitions I assign these terms are completely unbiased by myself because such a statement would be a lie. I did, however, try my best to prevent myself from doing so by taking precautionary measures such as gathering different perspectives for the meanings and seeking confirmation from many other people. Nevertheless, I am sure that anyone experienced who reads this FAQ will take issue with at least several of the definitions that I have assigned to specific words. I am all ears to those who dissent with entries in my dictionary (E-mail me any concerns). However, I will not immediately change definitions for such people unless I 1) am provided with sufficient evidence against the meanings I assign to such terms and 2) get a consensus from at least six other experienced fighters. Know from now on that I hold none of my definitions in high regard (I don't consider this dictionary to be proclaimed or accepted as absolute truth, nor a universal referral.). I don't go through the trouble of studying the origin and development of the words I use for one reason: such a pursuit would be esoteric, endlessly debatable, and ultimately, too cumbersome. I have relied and will rely on the general, implied consensus to help me define these terms. Hell, most people don't stop to think about what the word they just used meant. The purpose of this dictionary is to provide a ground for those who do and to help introduce new peeps into the world of crossover games. = = = = A = = = = AC-FINISHER: (N; abbr. Air Combo Finisher) an ATTACK that will finish an AIR-COMBO An AC-finisher can be a NORMAL-ATTACK, SPECIAL-ATTACK or even a SUPER-ATTACK. Sometimes after an AC-finisher is executed, the FLYING-SCREEN will be activated, sending your opponent crashing to the ground. Otherwise, an AC- finisher will send your opponent too far out of range for you to follow up with any more attacks. Knowing which moves are AC-finishers is a valuable part of being a COMBO master. *Always* finish your air combos with an AC-finisher... if not, your opponent has the opportunity to COUNTER-ATTACK, which is definitely not wanted. ADVANCING GUARD: (N) a move (activated by all pressing all three punch buttons during BLOCK-STUN) that literally pushes the opponent away while you are BLOCKING: can be done both on the ground and in the air AIR-COMBO: (N) a series of air ATTACKS that CANCEL or LINK into each other Air-combos can be done by either JUMPING-IN, CHASING, or LAUNCHING. The most assured way to perform one, though, is by launching. AIR-TICK: (N) a form of TICKING that involves a mid-air THROW after the opponent repeatedly JUMPS-IN on you unsuccessfully //I think this definition is a bit unclear and that the term is best defined through example: Suppose player one is standing his/her ground when player two jumps-in. Player one, then, uses a quick ground anti-air to prevent attack. Player two blocks it, and for some inexplicable reason, jumps-in again. The same process is repeated by player one and once again, player two blocks and lands. He jumps in again (I don't know why the hell some people do this...), but this time player one, knowing that player two expects to block an anti-air (thusly is not attacking), jumps toward him and performs a mid-air throw. The whole process sounds idiotic, but it *does* happen, and when it does, most people fall for this tick. I can't for the life of me understand why someone would wave a "I'm predictable!" flag like that, but it happens. ANTI-AIR: (N) an ATTACK that can be used to prevent your opponent from JUMPING-IN on you The better the PRIORITY, the better the anti-air. ANTI-CHASER: (N) an ATTACK that can be used to prevent your opponent from CHASING you ANTI-FIREBALL: (N) an ATTACK that can connect with an opponent who is in the process of shooting a PROJECTILE Anti-fireballs usually require anticipation and split second timing. ATTACK: (N) any move that has the potential to lessen the life on a LIFE- GAUGE See the entries for NORMAL-ATTACKS, SPECIAL-ATTACKS, and SUPER-ATTACKS for more information. //The word "move" as a noun is often used interchangeably with attack (Some people refer to what I call in this dictionary 'normal-attacks', 'special- attacks' and 'super-attacks' as 'normal moves', 'special moves' and so on.) This is probably because the word "move" (as a noun) is used for any action that breaks you away from the normal stance (Since the word 'move', as a noun, means the act of changing place or position.). Using that rationale, every ATTACK is a move. Although this particular semantic relationship is justified, I use the word "attack" according to the definition above and "move" according to any incidence of changing position for the sake of less confusion. ATTACK-NOTATION: (N) the system of abbreviations used to represent attack buttons or combination of such People use many different sets of attack-notations throughout their FAQs and game guides. The ones one might use in such a document usually correspond with those attacks listed in his/her particular legend. Here is a list of the ones I use: AP......................any punch AK......................any kick LP......................light punch (jab) MP......................medium punch (strong) HP......................heavy punch (fierce) LK......................light kick (short) MK......................medium kick (forward) HK......................heavy kick (roundhouse) 2P......................two punches 2K......................two kicks 3P......................all punches 3K......................all kicks & indicates a pressure of the last attack button with the following one (e.g. HP & HK; switch) See MOTION. = = = = B = = = = BLOCK: (V; BLOCKED, BLOCKING) to impede the passage or progress of an ATTACK If and when you block any NORMAL-ATTACKS, your character will is not damaged. However, when you block any SPECIAL-ATTACKS/HYPER-COMBOINATIONS, every CONNECTION the attack makes will CHIP from your LIFE-GAUGE. If the opponent blocks your attack(s), that implies that it (they) "connected unsuccessfully". Most THROWS cannot be blocked. BLOCK-STUN: (N) the effect or condition of BLOCKING an ATTACK You cannot attack or move until block-stun ends. You can however, perform a MOTION just before it ends and REVERSE an attack when it does. You cannot be thrown or grabbed during block-stun. BUFFER: (V; BUFFERED, BUFFERING) 1) see CANCEL; buffers are notated in COMBO diagrams as "XX" 2) to absorb a part of the damage a HIT gives; see DAMAGE- BUFFERING = = = = C = = = = CANCEL: (V; CANCELLED, CANCELING; AKA BUFFER; AKA CHAIN) to interrupt a move or ATTACK from its course of action NORMAL-ATTACKS may be cancelled into certain others if they make a CONNECTION. The order that they can be cancelled in, however, depends on a character's COMBO-SYSTEM (Canceling normal-attacks into others is called CHAINING.). Normal-attacks can always be cancelled into SPECIAL-ATTACKS and SUPER-ATTACKS whether they make a connection or not (This kind of canceling is called buffering.). Special-attacks, however cannot be cancelled under any circumstances (There is only one exception to this rule, which is Hulk's Gamma Charge.) SUPER-ATTACKS can never be cancelled. CHAIN: (V; CHAINED, CHAINING) see CANCEL; chains are notated in COMBO diagrams as "->" CHASE: (V; CHASED, CHASING) to jump and follow a mid-air opponent in order to harm them Because of your relative position to the opponent (they have the high ground), chasing is usually not a good idea. It should only be considered if you have an air ATTACK that heads upward and has high PRIORITY. CHEAP: (ADJ) costing little labor or trouble; easily got Cheap is usually said of tricks or strategies that are easy to do for people. It should not be said of people. (It is an insult that, ironically, is most commonly reserved for people who those that use it *lose* to... Since it means 'easily got', whoever says such of a person in similar cases is contradicting him/her self. As a consequent, it makes people who use it in such a manner not too bright.) //If you master a certain move or procedure that is generally hard to do, it has become cheap for you to do. Cheap is a relative term, remember that. As far as I or anyone who accepts this definition is concerned, it's good to be cheap.\\ //Wolverine is a cheap character. First of all, he can chain all six of his NORMAL-ATTACKS in almost any of their forms (sans super-jumping). In addition to this, almost all his ground normals have unpunishable recovery time once they CONNECT (The only ones that do are his S. fierce, S. rhouse, and his Sliding Claw COMMAND-ATTACK.). Second, he has an excellent DASH that is fast and hard to see coming. Third, his walk is fast enough to catch you with certain forms of TICKS, and fourth, two of his SUPER-ATTACKS have almost instant start-up, making them easy as pie to COMBO. So, if you call Wolverine cheap, you are right. But, just because you play against someone who picks a cheap character doesn't necessarily mean that he/ she sucks or has eliminated certain characters you can pick to win the battle. All it means is that you'll have to struggle more than he/she does to earn the victory. The key to winning against a character who is cheap is to play better than its human counterpart (that is, to exploit his/her errors.), not the character. If Wolverine is fast, then *you* are going to need faster reflexes and perception, whether you use Zangief, Hulk or even Wolverine himself. CHIP: (N) BLOCK damage; the pixel(s) of strength a blocked SPECIAL/SUPER- ATTACK causes --(V; CHIPPED, CHIPPING) to use a SPECIAL-ATTACK/ HYPER-COMBINATION primarily for its block damage Chipping is often attempted by a fighter whenever their opponent is either low on life (5%) or close to dying (has a few pixels of life left). CLOSE: (V; CLOSED, CLOSING) to draw near horizontally or vertically, cutting off any escape in either fashion COMBO: (V; COMBOED, COMBOING; short for COMBINATION) to CANCEL or LINK ATTACKS into others --(N) any series of successfully CONNECTED attacks that follow this process See DAMAGE-BUFFERING for more information. COMBO-SYSTEM: (N; AKA MAGIC SERIES) the set or arrangement of NORMAL-ATTACKS that can be CHAINED into others There are five types of combo-systems in Marvel Vs. Capcom: 1) ZIG ZAG: (AKA full scale, hunter) allows the cancellation of... any punch button into any punch or kick of higher strength value. any kick button into any punch or kick of higher strength value. any punch button into any kick of equal strength value. //Everyone of the following diagrams display the order in which the normal- attacks can be chained... keep in mind that you can make a jump from any low number to any number higher than itself, that you can start on any number with a precedent, (2, 3, 4, or even 5 if you so choose) and that you can *never go backward*.\\ ZIG ZAG Diagram: _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 3 | | 5 | \_/ \_/ \_/ _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 2 | | 4 | | 6 | \_/ \_/ \_/ SJ ZIG ZAG, which is a variation of ZIG ZAG, does not allow you to chain fierce into roundhouse in a super jump. SJ ZIG ZAG Diagram: _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 3 | | 5 | \_/ \_/ \_/ _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 2 | | 4 | | 5 | \_/ \_/ \_/ 2) STRONGER: (formerly zig zag; AKA higher) allows the cancellation of... any normal-attack into any normal-attack of higher strength value. STRONGER Diagram: _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | \_/ \_/ \_/ _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | \_/ \_/ \_/ 3) WEAK START: allows the cancellation of... any light attack (jab, short) into any punch or kick of higher strength value. WEAK START Diagram: _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 2 | | 2 | \_/ \_/ \_/ _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 2 | | 2 | \_/ \_/ \_/ 4) ONE TO ONE PUNCH TO KICK: allows the cancellation of... any punch into any kick. ONE TO ONE PUNCH TO KICK Diagram: _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | \_/ \_/ \_/ _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 2 | | 2 | | 2 | \_/ \_/ \_/ 5) NONE: doesn't allow chaining NONE Diagram: _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | \_/ \_/ \_/ _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | \_/ \_/ \_/ COMBOABILITY: (N) the condition of being COMBOABLE COMBOABLE: (ADJ) that can be COMBOED into successfully COMMAND-ATTACK: (N) any NORMAL-ATTACK that requires the positioning of the joystick in a certain direction to perform A few well-known examples of command-attacks are Ryu's Overhead Punch (towards +MP), Chun-Li's Mini Kikosho (towards+HP), Zangief's Knee Dive (down+MK while jumping), Morrigan's Shell Kick (down+MK while jumping), Strider's Sliding Kick (down towards+HK), Jin's Tornado Drill (down+HK while jumping), Captain America's Axe Kick (down+HK while jumping), War Machine's Knee Dive (down+MK while jumping), and, what I believe is to be the most famous (or infamous, rather) Wolverine's Drop Kick (down+HK while jumping). CONNECT: (V; CONNECTED, CONNECTING) to make a CONNECTION CONNECTION: (N) an ATTACK (other than a throw) that touches the opponent; a connection is either a HIT (successful connection) or a BLOCKED attack (unsuccessful connection) NORMAL-ATTACKS, no matter what COMBO-SYSTEM they have, cannot be CHAINED into others unless they CONNECT. COUNTER-ATTACK: (N) any ATTACK that swiftly follows any move that your opponent pulls; ANTI-AIRS, ANTI-CHASERS, and ANTI-FIREBALLS are examples of counter-attacks CROSS: (V; CROSSED, CROSSING) to go or extend from one side of your opponent to the other: either with over, under, or through Crossing the opponent implies the reversal of the directions which both of you face, move forward and BLOCK. Crossing the opponent can either be extremely useful or a potentially fatal mistake. Learning to use (and consistently defend against) this procedure will advance your OFFENSIVE and DEFENSIVE skills considerably. CROSS-UP: (N) any ATTACK and/or move that either CROSSES a character quickly or is done a short time prior to a character crossing the opponent Examples of cross-ups as moves include the ROLL, Wolverine's Berserker Slash, and Hulk's dash. Examples of a cross-up as an attack include War Machine's War Destroyer, Jin's Great Cyclone, and Ken's Shinryuuken. OFFENSIVELY using a cross-up to your advantage requires anticipation of your opponent's position, good timing, and sometimes, some fancy finger work. If you find that your opponent simply cannot defend against cross-ups, using moves of this sort should be all it takes to win the match. Defending against cross-ups, whether they be attacks or moves, is tough. Since they reverse the direction that you use to BLOCK quickly, the best way to defend against any cross-up is usually to hold the joystick in (what you thought was) the direction going toward the opponent... which, of course, is against your instincts. When you are confronted with these types of moves, think fast and use your head. CROSSOVER-ASSISTANT: (N; AKA HELPER) any of twenty-two characters (called by pressing MP & MK) that help your team attack your opponent(s); each "helper" has a unique form of attacking and can be summoned a designated amount of times Helpers can be used to set up HYPER-COMBINATIONS, distract, CHIP, or just plain hurt your opponent. You can pick whichever helper you want to use by holding start and a variable combination of buttons after you pick your second character. Below is a listing of every helper button code: NAME BUTTON CODE USES ----------------------------------------------- Unknown Soldier LP 4 times Lou MP 8 times Saki HP 7 times Pure and Fur LK 5 times Psylocke MK 5 times Michelle Heart LP + LK 6 times Arthur LP + MP 8 times Juggernaut LP + MK 3 times Ton-Pooh LP + HP 9 times Thor LK + MP 8 times Magneto LK + HP 7 times Iceman MP + MK 4 times Devilot MP + HP 5 times US Agent MK + HP 5 times Cyclops LP + LK + MP 7 times Storm LP + LK + HP 6 times Colossus LP + MP + MK 5 times Anita LP + MP + HP 5 times Shadow (hidden) LP + MK + HP 3 times Jubilee LK + MP + HP 8 times Sentinel (hidden) MP + MK + HP 4 times Rogue LP + MP + HP + LK 6 times //Personally, I despise helpers. First of all, I feel that you can easily grow dependent on them. Some people just suffer without Colossus or Psylocke... It's also a damned shame when you see someone depend on their helper for their offensive strategy. These types will just use them, dash in, use them, dash in, etc. until they run out. Then, they will subsequently withdraw into the corner for the rest of the match. I believe that without helpers, we might have had a better general growth of offensive skill in this game's crowd. I also believe that they have distracted from many of the newer character's overall moves and strategies. (Morrigan, Captain Commando, Megaman, Strider Hiryu, Jin, and Venom are all new to the Marvel games!) Without helpers, I bet that the MvC crowd would have seen many of the newer, technical combos for these characters only a short while after the game was released. Hell, we are still finding more new and improved combos for these guys today! CROSSOVER-COMBO: (N; short for CROSSOVER-COMBINATION; AKA TEAM-SUPER) a form of SWITCHING (Level 2; QCF+HP & HK) that involves both members of your team performing a variable SUPER-ATTACK simultaneously Every character in Marvel Vs. Capcom has a specific HYPER-COMBINATION (which is usually conducive to attacking an opponent on the ground) that they perform during the crossover-combo. This attack requires two levels of HYPER- METER. //The following table shows which super-attack each character will use when the crossover-combo is activated. Note that, for some people, the super- attack will be different if the crossover-combo is not activated by that character.\\ Chun-Li Kikosho (Active), Constrained Senretsu Kyaku (Inactive) Ryu Shinkuu Hadouken (CWA) Ken Shouryuu Reppa (CWA) Akuma Messatsu Gou Hadou (CWA) Zangief Double Final Atomic Buster (Active), Hyper Lariat (Inactive) Morrigan Soul Eraser (Active), Constrained (Inactive) Captain Commando Captain Sword (CWA) Megaman Hyper Megaman (Active), Constrained (Inactive) Strider Hiryu Legion (Active), Constrained (Inactive) Spider-Man Crawler Assault (CWA) Jin Blodia Punch (CWA) Captain America Hyper Stars N' Stripes (Active; CWA), Hyper Charging Star (Inactive) Venom Constrained Death Bite (CWA) Hulk Constrained Gamma Wave (CWA) Gambit Royal Flush (CWA) War Machine Proton Cannon (Active), Constrained (Inactive) Wolverine Berserker Barrage X (CWA) Hyper Venom Constrained Death Bite (CWA) Orange Hulk Constrained Gamma Wave (CWA) Gold War Machine Proton Cannon Shadow Lady Big Bang Laser (Active), Constrained (Inactive) Lilith Brilliant Shower Roll Constrained Hyper Roll Constrained = This means that during the crossover-combo, either the super- attack will not last as long as it usually does, that certain elements of the attack are hindered, or that the attack cannot reach its full damage potential. CWA = This indicates that the attack can be (C)OMBOED (W)hile (A)ctive. More specifically, the super-attack can be comboed if that character activates the crossover-combo. CROSSOVER-COUNTER: (N; AKA COUNTER) an ATTACK (Level 1; BTD+HP & HK during BLOCK-STUN) that, when performed, will SWITCH the current character that is playing on screen with his/her partner After that partner comes in, he/she will perform a variable SPECIAL-ATTACK. //The following table shows which special-attack each character will use when the crossover-counter is activated.\\ Chun-Li Kikoken Ryu Hadouken Ken Hadouken Akuma Gou Hadouken Zangief Running Bear Grab Iron Body Zangief Vodka Fire Morrigan Soul Fist Captain Commando Captain Corridor Megaman Mega Upper Strider Hiryu Ame No Murakamo Spider-Man Spider Sting Jin Saotome Dynamite Captain America Charging Star Venom Venom Fang Hulk Gamma Charge Gambit Jab Cajun Slash War Machine Repulsor Blast Wolverine Berserker Barrage Hyper Venom Lunge Bite Orange Hulk Gamma Charge Gold War Machine Shoulder Cannon Shadow Lady Miracle Drill Lilith Soul Flash Roll Roll Buster = = = = D = = = = DAMAGE-BUFFERING: (N) a system of processing damage that lessens the power of each proceeding ATTACK that HITS in a COMBO The more hits that are behind one in a combo, the less that hit takes off (compared to how much damage the move would give outside of a combo). The more powerful the proceeding hit in a combo, the more the BUFFERING [2] on the next. One more quality the damage-buffering system has that is exclusive to Marvel VS. Capcom is that HELPERS buffer any hits that combo after them immensely (...compared to a normal-attack hit with the same damage value.). //If you were hit somebody with a jab -> strong -> fierce combo, fierce wouldn't take off as much in that combo as it would if you were to do a strong -> fierce combo. Furthermore, fierce wouldn't take off as much in *that* combo as it would if you were to do a jab -> fierce combo, and finally, it wouldn't do as much damage as fierce would alone (outside of a combo.).\\ Characters without HIT-STUN (Gold War Machine and Iron Body Zangief) do not have damage-buffering. DASH: (N) any move activated by either by tapping the joystick twice in any direction or by holding that direction while pressing all three punch buttons Dashes are relatively quick ways to get around (quick relative to your character's walking speed.). They do not increase your character's walking speed in any proportion to his/her walk, but they are always faster than it. You can CANCEL both ground and air dashes by doing a NORMAL-ATTACK, but you can also cancel ground ones by holding the joystick in the direction opposite of where the dash is headed. Furthermore, you can cancel any ground dash by ducking; doing this will give you a bit of leverage before you come to a complete stop. Remember, though, that canceling the dash by performing a standing normal-attack gives way more leverage than when canceling it by ducking (...and then attacking.) This means that by canceling the dash with a standing normal-attack, you can follow up with more hits than if you cancel with a ducking attack... *Very* useful information. DEFENSIVE: (ADJ) of or for a scheme; strategy which involves the use of consistent defense in order to attack whenever the opponent's offense is flawed or fails DUO-TEAM-ATTACK: (N; AKA TWO-ON-ONE) a procedure (Level 2/3; QCB+HP & HK) that, when activated, will make your active character taunt the opponent while your inactive character jumps on-screen attacking; once your then inactive player lands, both characters will be controllable (active) for a limited amount of time (depending on how much HYPER-METER you had when you activated the procedure) and have unlimited hyper-meter during that time There are certain restrictions to the duo-team-attack. One is that supers that affect the screen in any way will not be able to be done. (e.g. Chun-Li's Sichisei Senkuu Kyaku and Jin's Blodia Vulcan will not work.) Another is that the FLYING SCREEN procedure cannot be activated. This means that SUPER-ATTACKS like Venom's Death Bite and Hulk's Gamma Wave will not have their normal damage potential. CROSSOVER-ASSISTANTS cannot be called (by whoever activated the procedure) when the procedure is activated, and Level 3 super-attacks cannot be done at any time. //Now that you know its restrictions, the move doesn't seem too hot to trot, huh? In actuality, it is a good move. It just takes a bit of practice to get used to. Once experienced with it, you can try and exploit one of the many INFINITE COMBO possibilities it can yield. It also works great for assured CHIPPING damage. Did I mention that this is the only reason why characters such as Gold War Machine and Roll stand a chance in this game? When used offensively, it is very challenging to combat. Defending against this move seems like a long, complicated endeavor (While the move at its most lasts about twelve seconds.). I think the key to resisting substantial damage during this ATTACK is to remember that being OFFENSIVE is the biggest mistake you can make (...until the procedure is about to end, that is.). This is because both opposing characters as a whole have no recovery time that you can exploit. As soon as one of their attacks end, the other one's can begin, leaving you in the helpless state of either BLOCKING or evading. This, I believe is where you should put you evasive maneuvers to the test. What you have to do is keep moving away from both opponents. While doing so, steer clear of both of their vast array of attacks and make sure you don't screw up. Else, it could mean looking through sewer realty pamphlets for the rest of your life. = = = = F = = = = FIREBALL: (N) see PROJECTILE FLYING-SCREEN: (N) the act or process when the game's view (screen) follows a character who is being dragged by or flying from their opponent's HIT AC-FINISHERS, HYPER-COMBINATIONS, and KNOCK-OUTS all may activate this procedure. Every time the flying screen is activated, the character who landed the hit dashes on screen to catch up with his/her opponent. This is a requirement for a hit to qualify as one that activates flying screen. If you recover in time to perform an OTG to the opponent after you successfully CONNECTED a ground ATTACK that is supposed to activate flying screen but is done in the corner, you cannot perform a "LAUNCH cancel", SPECIAL-ATTACK, CROSSOVER-ASSISTANT (HELPERS), hyper-combination, CROSSOVER- COMBINATION, DUO-TEAM-ATTACK, or SWITCH until the opponent recovers. You can, however, perform a quick chain COMBO afterwards. (In a nutshell, any attack that can cancel normal-attacks [other than normal- attacks themselves] cannot be done after a ground flying screen attack has been done to the opponent in the corner.) //Damn it, that crud was a mouthful! Wolverine lovers should understand that part more than the common Joe. = = = = H = = = = HELPER: (N) see CROSSOVER-ASSISTANT HIT: (V; HIT, HITTING) to come against, usually with force; attack. --(N) the act of an ATTACK delivering its full damage to the opponent To make a hit implies that your attack "CONNECTED successfully". HIT-STUN: (N) the effect or condition of being HIT; in which you are recovering from said HIT You cannot attack or move until this stun ends. Furthermore, you cannot be thrown or grabbed during hit-stun (...unless the grab can be blocked.). Characters who cannot block (Iron Body Mode Zangief, Gold War Machine) do not have any hit-stun. HYPER-COMBO: (N; short for HYPER-COMBINATION; AKA SUPER) any of a character's several SUPER-ATTACKS; requires at least one level of HYPER-METER to activate Whenever a hyper-combo is executed, the character gets into a certain position that is followed by a freeze frame. (The time that it takes to get into this position is usually the difference between whether the attack can be COMBOED easily or not.) After the freeze frame, the character attacks. (Any non-BLOCKING opponent who is close to the character after this freeze frame will be HIT.) Supers, on average, take fifty percent from your LIFE-GAUGE if not comboed. They can veritably turn the game around for a losing character. There are ten types of hyper-combos: AUTO COMBOS..(Sichisei Senkuu Kyaku, Eternal Slumber [Level 3], Darkness Illusion, Captain Storm, Ragnarok, Maximum Spider, Ultimate Web Throw, Blodia Vulcan, Great Cyclone, Final Justice, Venom Web, Weapon X, Final Mission [Level 3], Luminous Illusion) require the start-up attack to connect in order to deliver the rest of the combo. "Auto combo" supers usually involve only one hit when blocked. BARRAGES... (Kikosho, Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, Rush Drill, Beat Plane, Ouroburos, Blodia Punch, Gamma Quake, Fatal Claw) hit with multiple attacks from a close range. Some have a vacuum effect when they connect. BEAMS... (Shinkuu-Hadouken, Messatsu Gou Hadou [Akuma], Soul Eraser, Hyper Megaman, Proton Cannon, Big Bang Laser, Hyper Roll) shoot a stream of energy that encompasses the full screen's horizontal range. "Beam" supers hold the opponent in place when they connect. With the exception of Ryu's, all beam supers encompass full screen range instantaneously after the freeze frame. BOMBARDINGS..(Tenma Gou Zankuu [Akuma], Beat Plane, Legion, Royal Flush, War Destroyer, Proton Cannon [Gold War Machine], Brilliant Shower, Galaxy Missile) hit with multiple attacks from a long range. GRABS... (Shin Goku Satsu [Akuma, Level 3], Final Atomic Buster, Double Final Atomic Buster [Level 2 CROSSOVER-COMBO], Ultra Final Atomic Buster [Level 3]) are unblockable supers that seize the opponent at close range. "Grab" supers cannot be comboed since grabs do not work when the opponent is in any HIT-STUN frame. MODE CHANGES.(Ryu Mode Switch, Ken Mode Switch, Akuma Mode Switch, Zangief Mode Switch, Iron Body Zangief Mode Switch, Berserker Rage) are supers that change either the speed, REGULAR, SPECIAL, or super moves of the character. RISINGS... (Hazan Tenshou Kyaku, Shin Shouryuu Ken, Shinryuuken [Ken], Siberian Blizzard [Iron Body Zangief], Captain Sword, Great Cyclone, Gamma Crush, War Destroyer, Splendor Love) hit with some sort of vertical incline. Most can be comboed off of a LAUNCHER. These are ANTI-AIR supers. RUSHINGS... (Senretsu Kyaku, Shippuu Jinrai Kyaku [Ken], Shouryuu Reppa [Ken] Messatsu Gou Shouryuu [Akuma], Crawler Assault, Hyper Charging Star, Hyper Stars N' Stripes, Berserker Barrage X) hit with quick and multiple hits while moving towards the opponent. WAVEFORMS... (Silhouette Blade, Death Bite, Gamma Wave, Cajun Explosion) are multiple projectiles that hit in either an up and down or curving and undulating motion. Some will drag the opponent to the end of the screen and activate flying screen when they hit. These, unlike beam supers, take some time to get from you to a far away opponent. HYPER-METER: (N) a gauge, located at the bottom of the screen beneath your LIFE-GAUGE, that allows you to do CROSSOVER-COUNTERS, HYPER-COMBINATIONS, CROSSOVER-COMBINATIONS, and DUO-TEAM-ATTACKS; this gauge gains meter whenever you attack or are HIT BLOCKED ATTACKS gain more than those that are missed, and ATTACKS that HIT gain the most. (COMBOS gain lots!) REGULAR-MOVES gain more than SPECIALS (!?). The more powerful the attack, the more meter you gain. A Crossover-counter requires one level of hyper meter. Hyper-combos usually require one as well, but some require three (Shin Goku Satsu, Ultra Atomic Buster, Eternal Slumber, Final Mission). Crossover-combos require two levels of hyper meter. Duo-team-attacks require at least two. The hyper-meter becomes empty when the Duo-team-attack is finished. = = = = I = = = = INFINITE: (N) any COMBO that can be perpetuated forever There aren't many infinites in Marvel Vs. Capcom. Those that exist are extremely hard to perpetuate until your opponent dies (see DAMAGE-BUFFERING) Since they are so difficult to use effectively (i.e. to the extent of KNOCKING-OUT your opponent,), infinites aren't CHEAP (don't come easy). = = = = J = = = = JUMP-IN: (V; JUMPED IN, JUMPING IN) an offensive jump; any jump that could put your character directly in front of the opponent --(N) short for JUMP-IN- ATTACK If you HIT your opponent while jumping-in (or if you land), you've "successfully jumped-in"; if you block (or get hit by) an ANTI-AIR while jumping-in, you've "unsuccessfully jumped-in". JUMP-IN-ATTACK: (N) any jumping ATTACK (or set of attacks) used when jumping in on your opponent JUMP-IN-TICK: (N) a form of TICKING that involves a JUMP-IN-ATTACK followed by a ground THROW //This form of ticking is pretty rare nowadays but nonetheless useful. The reason that it works is because most people block low expecting a low kick followed by some sort of ground COMBO after a jump-in-attack. If the opponent gets too predictable in that respect, they deserve to be punished with this. = = = = K = = = = KEEP-AWAY: (N) a scheme; strategy that involves the use of long range moves and/or PROJECTILES in order to keep the opponent from CLOSING in KNOCK-OUT: (N) whenever any of your two character's LIFE-GAUGES run out of "yellow" life When both of either player one's or two's characters get knocked-out, the game is over. KNOCKDOWN: (N) any ATTACK that can floor; put your opponent on his/her back Knockdowns can be used in ground COMBOS to effectively end them while leaving your character relatively SAFE. The greatest thing about knockdowns is that they can set up OTG-COMBOS. The most disadvantageous feature of knockdowns is the fact that the opponent can ROLL, which could avoid and punish your attempted OTG or put you in a CROSSED position. = = = = L = = = = LAUNCH: (V; LAUNCHED, LAUNCHING) to send your opponent helplessly into the air; launches are notated in COMBO diagrams as "^" This action is usually followed by an AIR-COMBO. See LAUNCHER. LAUNCHER: (N) any ATTACK that will send your opponent helplessly into the air All launchers can be CANCELLED into super jumps by simply pressing up immediately after contact is made. Launchers are, without a doubt, some of the most important NORMAL-ATTACKS in the game. They are great for setting up AIR- COMBOS. If you don't know your characters launcher, then you are going to have a lot of trouble with your OFFENSIVE game. LIFE-GAUGE: (N) any of two gauges, located at the top of the screen (...top left for player one, top right for player two.), that indicate how much life both characters have left Your active character's (...the one currently in the arena) life gauge is highlighted, your reserve character's isn't (Both are highlighted during a DUO-TEAM-ATTACK.). When HIT or CHIPPED, a variable amount of yellow in the meter will be depleted, leaving a fraction of that damage in red. This red life can then be gained back (...that is, turned back into yellow.) whenever you SWITCH that character out. However, if you switch a healing character back into the arena before his/her new yellow has been fully regained, your lose all of your previous red life. Your character will be KNOCKED-OUT whenever he/she runs out of yellow (No matter how much red is left.). If both of your character's life gauges run out of yellow, you lose. LINK: (V; LINKED, LINKING) to HIT an opponent, during his/her HIT-STUN, with an ATTACK after one that has fully recovered; to COMBO without CANCELLING; links are notated in COMBO diagrams as "," = = = = M = = = = MAGIC-SERIES: (N) see COMBO-SYSTEM MEET: (V; MET, MEETING) to encounter a mid-air opponent who is at the same vertical and horizontal range as you MISS: (N) to fail to CONNECT on the part of an ATTACK; an attack that misses does not connect at all MOTION: (N) any of several joystick movement processes that are used to perform DASHES, COMMAND-ATTACKS, SPECIAL-ATTACKS, and SUPER-ATTACKS The most common motions are listed below: //All of the following motions assume your character is facing right; starting from the position of player one. If you at any time are facing left, you must then reverse the motion to execute its respective move.\\ QUATER CIRCLE FORWARD; QCF | \ --O O O QUATER CIRCLE BACK; QCB | / O-- O O BACK TO DOWN; BTD O-- / | O O DRAGON PUNCH; DP --O | \ --O O O REVERSE DRAGON PUNCH; RDP O-- | / O-- O O HALF CIRCLE FORWARD; HCF O-- / | \ --O O O O HALF CIRCLE BACK; HCB --O \ | / O-- O O O CHARGE BACK; CB O-- (Wait 2 sec.) --O CHARGE DOWN; CD | (Wait 2 sec.) O O | FULL CIRCLE; 360 --O \ | / O-- O O O O O \ | //The full circle motion isn't 360 degrees. It is, in fact 270 degrees. Ever since the emergence of Zangief in Street Fighter II, the general fighting game crowd have hated this motion. True, it is a bit tough to do at first, but give it a little practice and you should easily get used to it; a plus for this move is that you don't have to reverse the motion when facing left. Trust me, as an alright Zangief player (...but then again, I give myself too much credit!) the benefits are worth it! This motion is, like, the universal key to his unlocked power (...that and The Joe Snider's "Triple Option"... Oh, alright, his strong THROW, too. Damn Zangief and his glorious bounty!).\\ Here is a list of the motion-notations that I most frequently use: S. standing D. dashing C. crouching J. jumping SJ. super jumping AD. air dashing FL. flying + indicates a combination of the last direction (in the previous motion) with the following attack (e.g. QCF+2P; most supers) See ATTACK-NOTATION. = = = = N = = = = NORMAL-ATTACK: (N) any of six ATTACKS, namely, jab, strong, fierce, short, forward and roundhouse You can perform three versions of all six: Those while standing, those while ducking, and those while jumping. Every one of these moves have different properties. Jab (LP) and short (LK), commonly referred to as light attacks, are weak, but quick (...relative to your character's overall power and speed. i.e. Hulk's jabs are more powerful, but not as fast as Wolverine's.). Strong (MP) and Forward (MK), both have medium strength and speed. These are generally called medium attacks. Fierce (HP) and Roundhouse (HK) (heavy attacks), are powerful, but slow in start up and recovery. See the entries for BLOCK, CANCEL and COMBO for more information. = = = = O = = = = OFFENSIVE: (ADJ) of or for a scheme; strategy which involves the use of tactful offense in order to HIT whenever the opponent's defense is flawed or fails OTG: (N; abbr. for Off The Ground) the act or process of HITTING the opponent while on his/her back; usually knocking the opponent off of the ground OTG's always take a fraction off of the ATTACK'S normal damage potential. OTG-COMBO: (N) any COMBO that requires an OTG to set up //Most OTG combos are unreliable. Since most are done after THROWS or SWEEPS, The opponent can usually ROLL afterwards and HIT you while you try them as a consequent. If your opponent doesn't know how to roll (or doesn't roll often...) then you *could* try them. Then again, why fight people who can't roll? Ultimately, I suggest that you don't grow dependent on these types of combos. OVERHEAD: (N) any ground ATTACK that will hit a ducking opponent who is BLOCKING = = = = P = = = = PIXIE: (N) any character who has the ability to stay CLOSED in on his/her opponent with a consistent offense For a character to be a pixie, he/she must have a quick dash, fast "light" NORMAL-ATTACKS and at least a "stronger" COMBO-SYSTEM. While most pixies are relatively small, not all small characters are pixies (Cases in point: Roll and Megaman.). POKE: (V; POKED, POKING) to incessantly CONNECT (unsuccessfully) with quick ground ATTACKS while CLOSING in on the opponent POKING-TICK: (N) a form of TICKING that involves POKING followed by a ground THROW //The reason people fall for this one is because they just stand there BLOCKING and expecting more poking instead of a throw. PRIORITY: (N) 1) the fact or condition of being prior; before; precedence in time, order, importance, etc. 2) a supreme effort in attacking When opposing ATTACKS meet each other, the fighter whose attack has more priority will CANCEL the other's, thus HITTING that fighter's opponent; those attacks with more priority will hit, those with less will be hit. PROJECTILE: (N) an object designed to be hurled or shot forward, such as a beam, fireball, missile, etc. PUSH: (V; PUSHED, PUSHING) to use ADVANCING-GUARD = = = = R = = = = ROLL: (V; ROLLED, ROLLING) to recover by moving along the ground after being knocked down (BTD+P before you land; the stronger the punch, the longer the roll) While rolling, your character will be completely invincible. Most of the time, you will use your opportunity to roll after either a THROW or KNOCKDOWN (...to avoid possible OTG-COMBOS.). Keep in mind that if you are HIT with an ATTACK that activates FLYING SCREEN (...or normally does,), that you cannot roll. This isn't really too dangerous, though, because there aren't too many times when the opponent can follow up with an OTG after the flying screen procedure is activated. REVERSE: (V; REVERSED, REVERSING) to perform either a SPECIAL-ATTACK or SUPER-ATTACK as soon as some sort of stun has ended; performing a special- attack immediately after you get up (from a knockdown) also counts as a reversal = = = = S = = = = SAFE: (ADJ) involves no risk Any ATTACK without punishable recovery time is generally referred to as safe. However, while attacks that have exploitable *start up time* are unsafe, the generally accepted definition rarely accounts for such cases. SAFE-COMBO: (N) a combo that involves no risk Safe-combos are generally referred to as any combo that, when blocked by the opponent, leaves you free of exploitable recovery time... however, this generally accepted definition does not account for hits (within such a combo) that have exploitable *start up time*. SPECIAL-ATTACK: (N) an ATTACK, performed with variable joystick MOTIONS and button combinations, that can BUFFER [1] NORMAL-ATTACKS Special-attacks are usually more powerful improvements of normal-attacks and THROWS. Unlike SUPER-ATTACKS, special-attacks can be done without HYPER-METER. Most special-attacks cannot be cancelled in Marvel Vs. Capcom. Most special-attacks that can be done both on the ground and in the air are "better" on the ground. (e.g. Ryu's Hadouken has less recovery on the ground; Zangief's Spinning Pile Driver can't be tech-hit on the ground, etc.) //The three most well known special-attacks are Hadouken (The Fireball), Tatsu Maki Senpuu Kyaku (The Hurricane Kick) and Shouryuuken (The Dragon Punch, DP+P). STRIKE: (N) a ground ATTACK that, if connected successfully, will send the opponent to the end of the screen; strikes can end ground COMBOS and, in some cases, begin AIR-COMBOS SUPER-ATTACK: (N) 1) see HYPER-COMBO 2) an ATTACK, performed with variable joystick MOTIONS and button combinations, that can BUFFER (1st sense) NORMAL- ATTACKS; Super-attacks require at least one level of HYPER-METER Super-attacks are usually more powerful improvements of SPECIAL-ATTACKS. Unlike special-attacks, though, super-attacks need hyper-meter to be performed. Some super-attacks that can be done both on the ground and in the air are "better" on the ground. (e.g. Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken has less recovery on the ground; Wolverine's Fatal Claw has less start-up time on the ground, etc.) SUSPENSION: (N) any jumping ATTACK that slows or stops the fall of your character when jumping Suspension attacks can be used for delaying your fall into a SUPER-ATTACK or ANTI-AIR. Examples of suspension attacks include wall bounces, double (or triple) jumps, certain air dashes, etc. SWEEP: (N) any ground ATTACK (other than a THROW) that will knock the opponent down (see KNOCKDOWN) SWITCH: (V; SWITCHED, SWITCHING) to exchange your active character (i.e. the character that is currently in the arena) with your inactive character Switching can be done in five ways (...in order of preference): 1) By pressing both heavy ATTACK buttons. This will make your active player taunt while the inactive character jumps on-screen attacking. When the inactive player lands, he/she will taunt the opponent briefly and subsequently be able to be controlled. //In order to do this successfully, you will have to HIT the opponent with the attack your inactive character jumps on-screen with. This, I find, is best done by COMBOING it off of a LAUNCHER or a KNOCKDOWN, or by CROSSING the opponent up with it (...before the opponent lands after jumping over you.). Otherwise, that new character is likely to be substantially damaged when he/she taunts the opponent. This is the most preferable way to switch because A) you don't lose any HYPER-METER over the exchange and B) it's better than #5! (See below.)\\ 2) By performing a CROSSOVER-COUNTER. After the inactive player performs his/her variable SPECIAL-ATTACK, he/she will be able to be controlled. 3) By performing a CROSSOVER-COMBO. After both characters perform their corresponding SUPER-ATTACK, the before inactive player will be able to be controlled. If, however, the opponent hits the active player before the inactive player gains control, the active player will resume controllability. 4) By performing a DUO-TEAM-ATTACK. If both characters are not attacking when the duo-team-attack is over, then the previously active character will leave. If, however, the characters are in the process of attacking then whoever finishes their attack first will leave. 5) By getting your active player knocked out. After he/she is, the inactive player will jump on screen and gain controllability. Finally, it is worthy to note that you cannot switch in any of the preceding manners while a HELPER is on-screen. Sorry! = = = = T = = = = TECH-HIT: (V. HIT, HITTING) to either escape from the beginning of a THROW or to land on your feet after a throw (...or bounce from a slam.) The first kind of tech-hit is preferable since it will avoid damage; the latter is not since the damage will already have been done. The only throws that cannot be tech-hit are: Zangief's strong throw. Zangief's Spinning Pile Driver (Ground). Spider-Man's Web Throw. Venom's Web Throw. Any "grab" HYPER-COMBINATION. //If you get thrown and cannot tech-hit the first part, it's usually pointless to try and tech-hit during the second opportunity. The only exception to this "rule" belongs to Gambit's "Kinetic Charge" throw that allows the opponent to perform an OTG hit afterwards. In a usual "throw, OTG" case like this, ROLLING is a good bet (You might be able to roll behind the opponent and catch him/her off guard while they try to attack you!), but in the case of Gambit's throw, you cannot roll. Learn, then, to tech-hit the second part of throws (...which, by the way, is WAY easier to do consistently than tech-hitting the first!) solely for the sake of avoiding the post hits of this dangerous one! =) THROW: (N) any ATTACK that will seize your opponent; most throws must be done when there is no space between both player's characters After being grabbed, the opponent will endure either a throw, toss, choke- hold, slam or combination of these. Afterwards, the opponent will be released and fall to the ground, being either able to recover or knocked down (see KNOCKDOWN). Throws can be done both on ground or mid-air, and most are done by holding towards (...or back) + any medium or heavy NORMAL-ATTACK. Most throws are unblockable. The only four exceptions to this rule are: Spider-Man's Web Throw. Jin's Saotome Crush. Venom's Web Throw. Hulk's Gamma Tornado. "Grab" HYPER-COMBINATIONS are considered to be throws since they seize the opponent. "Auto combos" supers aren't since they COMBO the opponent. TICK: (V; TICKED, TICKING) to THROW the opponent by surprise See AIR-TICK, JUMP-IN-TICK, and POKING-TICK. //TICK gets its name from a particularly cheap procedure done by Guile of Street Fighter II. Back then, all he had to do was walk up to the opponent, make them block a jab and subsequently throw them. (This was due to his good throw range.) The particular sound that blocked jab made gave the procedure its name. TRAVEL: (V; TRAVELED, TRAVELLING) to move towards any particular spot; to position yourself in any certain OFFENSIVE or DEFENSIVE position Travelling is moving to a spot as opposed to CLOSING, which is moving towards your opponent. TURTLE: (N) a player who is always DEFENSIVE Because they practice it so often, turtles usually have less defensive flaws. Being a turtle is being a good defense player, so to speak. =============== GAMEPLAY BASICS =============== This is a list of givens for most fighting games. It is imperative that you learn about these basic rules before trying to master a character. MOVING - Before you pass this off as too basic, think of this: there are, ====== potentially, thirteen ways to move with each character (...using the joystick alone!). You should to get to know these procedures if you want to be more mobile or evasive. *Important* Every joystick command in this section assumes that you are facing right (The first player's starting point.). If you are facing left, simply reverse the right or leftward motions. -------- STANDING -------- While your character is standing, he/she will be able to perform certain attacks. Namely jab, strong, fierce, short, forward and roundhouse. (See ATTACKING for more details.) * RESTING: Your character stands, breathing and performing his or her -------- appropriate stance. You are completely vulnerable to enemy attack during this pose; Just standing there is something you should rarely do. -* TOWARD: Your character walks towards the opponent at a designated pace ------- until you depress the joystick. Some characters walk fast, others slow. People seem to generally accept that the faster your character's walk is, the better. I also happen to think this is true. With a slower character, you eliminate important options such as ticking and evasive maneuvering. But, despite all the advantages fast walkers have, there are some drawbacks to using a speed demon. Since you are completely vulnerable to enemy attacks during this move, a fast walk is potentially dangerous for inexperienced players, who tend to be on the slow side (If you happen to fall into this category, don't fret... Your eye-hand coordination should speed up with time.). Tempting as it is to rush into battle and use pixies, I suggest that beginners learn to master slow to mid-speed characters and work their way up from there. *- BACKWARD: Your character walks away from the opponent at a designated pace --------- until you depress the joystick. / Your character blocks high. Since holding the joystick away from the enemy has two purposes, you might be a little confused when starting out. Here is the key to understanding the command: No matter where you are on-screen, if the opponent is attacking or if there is a projectile on-screen with the potential for damaging you, you will cease to walk backward and stand your ground blocking. In other words, when the opponent attacks, you will block; if not, you will walk backwards. As a walk, this move could prove to be useful as a retreat when the action between you and the enemy is too hot for your character to withstand (Although I recommend using the BACKWARD DASH instead.). As a block, this is one of your primary defensive tools. Note that the block cannot defend against most low kicks and sweeps. See BLOCKING for more details. --------- CROUCHING --------- While crouching, your character has different versions of all six basic forms of attack. | DOWNWARD: Your character crouches until you depress the joystick. * --------- Although crouching as an evasive maneuver is something you will rarely do (...but will at *one* time or another, mind you!), you should soon learn to utilize your crouching attacks often. \ TOWARD+DOWNWARD: Your character crouches until you depress the joystick. * ---------------- Unless you have a special attack that requires you to hold toward+downward, you really shouldn't do this too often. / BACK+DOWNWARD: Your character crouches until you depress the joystick. / * -------------- Your character blocks low. This is an important move. Like BACKWARD, you are in your crouching frames until an attack is thrown by the enemy. As a block, this move protects against all low kicks and sweeps but cannot guard against jumping blows. See BLOCKING for more details. ------- DASHING (Ground) ------- A dash is a quick sprint in a designated direction. You can interrupt both ground dashes by either attacking, crouching, jumping/super jumping, or heading in the opposite direction. -* -* FORWARD DASH: Your character dashes toward the opponent. ------------- This primarily offensive tool is always a bit risky to do. If your opponent has a long range ground move that he or she knows how to use, dashing in all the time would not be a great idea. Note that along with being able to interrupt this move by either jumping or attacking, you can also stop it by holding back (thusly blocking). Remember, also, that interrupting the dash with a crouching attack will lower its inertia considerably as opposed to interrupting it with a standing attack (This fact, of course, allows for more hits in a dashing combo.). I always suggest that when dashing in to use an attack that leads into a combo that counts. *- *- BACKWARD DASH: Your character dashes away from the opponent. -------------- This move is basically a retreat from any heavy action. It is extremely important to note that you cannot block during this move. If you dash back and see a hyper combo heading your way, SUPER JUMP! =) ------- JUMPING ------- While jumping, your character has different versions of all six basic forms of attack. You can also block while jumping (in any direction), which is done by holding back. These regular jumps (as opposed to super jumps) are usually about twice your character's size in height. * UPWARD: Your character jumps straight up over and over until you depress the | ------- joystick. The straight up jump is not too handy. Most people use this move primarily to evade fast-travelling fireballs. See BLOCKING for more details. * TOWARD+UPWARD: Your character jumps toward the opponent until you depress / -------------- the joystick. The frontward jump is, of course, an offensive tool... and a powerful one at that. This is the main set-up for a jump-in attack! Be careful when using this move, though, because unless he or she is recovering from a missed move, the enemy is likely to use his or her best anti-air to defend themselves from any jump-in. If so, block it and beware before jumping in again. * BACK+UPWARD: Your character jumps away from the opponent until you depress \ ------------ the joystick. While this is basically a retreat move, you can also use it to foil an attempted dash-in by smacking him/her with your longest vertical range jumping attack. You should rarely have to block when jumping backward, but if you need to, act accordingly. *- BACKWARD: Your character blocks while jumping. --------- The air block has a few practical purposes... first of all, it helps to prevent messy cross ups: if your opponent tries to jump over you or cross you while you are on the ground, you can jump backward and air block to avoid the tedious process of shifting the joystick to block appropriately. Lastly, it will help you block projectiles that you unsuccessfully jump over. Cool. However, amid these little niceties, the air block has a glitch that you must look out for... even though only advanced players take advantage of this (...as far as I can tell): the "air guard crush". Now what it is, is a procedure that lets you or your opponent make his/her/your opponent stop air blocking. Of course, him/her/you may take serious advantage of the glitch during that time when he's/she's/you're not blocking. Here's how the procedure is done: Make the opponent air block something that will hold him/her in place; you can also make him/her air block something in the corner. Afterward, he/she won't be able to block for a ways down... however, this period of time in which he/ she can't block is pretty short... Think of the timing required to hit him/her in these terms: when he/she blocks something at the apogee of a regular jump, he/she cannot block the rest of the way down. During this period of time, he/she cannot block or perform normal/command attacks (He/She, however, can still do specials/super attacks.), therefore being relatively unable to retaliate to most offenses. Hit him/her subsequently with a either a quick normal attack that will lead into a stronger/super combo or with a plain ol' super. There are many times when you can take advantage of this, such as whenever your opponent pushes a ground to air projectile (such as helpers) or whenever his/her second character comes in from the corner (...after his/her first character is K.O.'ed.). Since most people simply don't know about the air guard crush, they usually wonder "What the hell happened?" when they are victimized by it. ------------- SUPER JUMPING ------------- A super jump is a controllable and extremely high jump (six to eight times your character's height!) in which you can do an unlimited amount of attacks until you land. The only qualities that the super jump retains from the regular jump are 1) Its set of attacks, and 2) The fact that you can block while performing one. | * SUPER JUMP: Your character jumps extremely high. * | ----------- This move has a hundred and one uses aside from its primary one, the air combo. Besides being the best evasive maneuver, the super jump can be used to get across the screen relatively safely, escape from corner traps, dodge ground supers, chase your opponent... and that's just the beginning! I'm sure that once you perform the move a few times, you'll get the hang of it... Now, before I leave you with the impression that this ist ze woond-err move, beware that there are a few dangers to super jumping. First of all, if you are travelling, you could be chased... Have your best anti-chaser ready in this case. If you don't have a good anti-chasing move, you should always have a plan before travelling. Second of all, if you are being offensive, you are way more likely to get smacked with an anti-air when you super jump (The opponent can see it coming for miles!), so keep your guard up! And last, but not least, you could land into a attempt at chipping; i.e. a super move (Shinkuu Hadouken, Legion, Kikosho, and the like.). If you have a suspender, use it should that happen; if not, be careful if you are low on life. I think the bottom line is that you should always be careful whenever you super jump, no matter if it seems like your opponent is a mile away... always have your wits about you. ------- DASHING (Air) ------- The dashes of the air sort simply involve using the jump in conjunction with the dash. -* -* * DASHING JUMP: Your character, using his/her dashing leverage, jumps / ------------- toward the opponent. If are from a 3/4 to full screen's distance away from the opponent and you'd rather not subject yourself to the dangers of the super jump, (chasing, landing into a super move) this move makes a great offense. Since this move makes you go farther than the conventional frontward jump, you should have space between you and the opponent when you land, giving you a chance for more hits in a possible ground combo follow-up to any jump-in attack. I don't suggest using this move against an opponent who is close to you. -* -* AIR DASH: Your character dashes toward the opponent while in (while jumping) --------- the air. This is a dangerous yet powerful tool for those who have it at their disposal. You are unable to block while performing this move, and the only way you can interrupt it is by attacking, so be careful. That being said, you can use this move to get behind an enemy who throws out a missed super, trick the opponent into using an anti-air and subsequently smacking them, or to just get away. Familiarize yourself with your character's air dash before using it left and right. ATTACKING - Attacks in this game, as opposed to those in Street Fighter II and ========= the like, are fast and furious. Watching experienced players do their thing with little or no trouble is really a sight to see, whether you are an avid gamer or not. Hell, even *blocked combos* look more action packed than SFII! -------------- NOMRAL ATTACKS -------------- These attacks are activated simply by pressing the buttons before you on the game panel. There are six basic forms of attack that can be used either when standing, crouching, or jumping. These are called jab, strong, fierce (The punches), short, forward and roundhouse (The kicks). Here is a brief overview of what every form is like: (S.)TANDING... -------------- jab is often a quick (relative to the character's overall attack speed), short range punch that is level with the character's face. Most of the time, they travel at a 0o angle. //Almost all jabs in general (whether they be standing, crouching, or jumping...) are faster than short. This is good to know and keep in mind whenever confronted with speed-requisite situations.\\ short is quick like jab, but rather than reach at a zero degree angle, it usually will hit downward towards the ground. Otherwise, it will be level with the character's gut and travel at a zero degree angle as well. strong is not too slow on start up, but it requires a bit of anticipation to hit with in and of itself (...that is, outside of a combo.). Most standing strongs will hit at either a farther 0o angle or at an upward angle. A few of the character's S. strongs are launchers. forward is almost always an outward gut thrust. They require just about the same timing as standing strongs. These are great for comboing upward hitting special moves. fierce is either a slow and hard hitting face punch or a strike. Most have exploitable recovery time as well. Be careful when using these. roundhouse is usually an anti-air that doesn't combo well on the ground. (C.)ROUCHING... --------------- jab is usually a quick and low 0o punch. Almost always faster than crouching short. (Hulk is the only exception to this rule.) short is often either at a 0o or downward angle. Lots faster compared to the crouching medium attacks. strong is either a launcher of some kind or a out/downward smack. Best kept in combos (Unless you can't, of course.). forward is often at times the character's longest ranged move. Most of them combo into projectiles nicely as well. fierce is either the character's launcher or a 0o pounder. Most that aren't launchers will knock the opponent too far away to follow up with a combo. roundhouse is the universal knockdown (sweep). If your character's C. rhouse isn't a sweep, then it will probably knock your opponent to far away to follow up with more hits. (Yes, I know Wolverine is an exception.) Very useful. (J.)UMPING... / (SJ.) SUPER JUMPING... -------------------------------------- jab usually either hits at a 0o or downward angle. Not great for jumping in with, but those that hit at a 0o angle are great for meeting a mid-air opponent. Very high priority. short almost always hits downward. Those that do are great for starting jump-in combos. Good priority as well. strongs are a big bowl of Chex mix. Some hit upward, some hit downward, and some go straight out (0o). If it goes upward, they are good chasers, if they go downward, they should be used as jump-ins, and if they go straight out, use them for meeting people mid-air. forwards are just about the same as strongs. fierce usually hits downward. It could make a great solo jump-in attack. Because it usually has low priority (...in comparison to the medium and light attacks), it probably isn't a good idea to fit it into a jump-in combo (Unless it does have good priority, of course.). roundhouse will either travel at a 0o or downward angle. Could be a good solo jump-in as well. Use with the same rationale as J. Fierce. *IMPORTANT* For more information, see my dictionary's definition for NORMAL-ATTACKS if you haven't already. --------------- COMMAND ATTACKS --------------- Command attacks are performed by pressing a normal attack button while holding the joystick in a certain direction (...other than down when on the ground.). They are, in effect, different or extended versions of normal attacks. Most can be cancelled as if they were normal attacks; in accordance with the character's combo system. Types of command attacks: ALTERNATES - activated by pressing a variable normal attack while holding a ---------- variable joystick direction. These are basically every type of command attack that serve no special purpose other than change the direction or look of the attack. Every alternate command attack is listed below: Chun-Li's Mini Kikosho............T+Fierce (Not cancelable) Chun-Li's Stomp Kick..............D+Forward (Air) [Every] Ryu's Face Kick...........U+Forward (Air) [Every] Ryu's Slash Kick..........U+Rhouse (Air) Zangief's Head Butt...............U+Strong (Air) Zangief's Body Punch..............T+Fierce (Air) Morrigan's Cape Sweep.............DT+Fierce Captain America's Spread Kick.....U+Rhouse (Air) Captain America's Axe Kick........D+Rhouse (Air) War Machine's Hand Beam Up........U+Rhouse (Air) War Machine's Hand Beam Down......D+Rhouse (Air) War Machine's Upward Kick.........U+Rhouse (Air) DIVES - activated by pressing a variable normal attack while holding down when ----- airborne These will interrupt the rise/fall of your character's jump and send him/her hurtling toward the ground with an attack. They can usually be chained into a variable normal attack (in accordance with your combo system) if they connect. Otherwise, the only way that you can cancel them (which, in effect, will stop the character from heading towards the ground...) is by performing a mid-air special/super attack. Useful for throwing the opponent off in terms of expecting your course of travel. Every dive command attack is listed below: Zangief's Elbow Drop..............D+strong (Not cancelable) Morrigan's Shell Pierce...........D+rhouse Jin's Tornado Drill...............D+rhouse (Not cancelable) War Machine's Knee Dive...........D+forward Wolverine's Dive Kick.............D+rhouse //Wolverine's Dive Kick now makes a 90o vertical drop, as opposed to his previous version of the move which made a slight diagonal drop. It is also now performed with roundhouse instead of forward (?). Because of the change in which button you use to perform it, you can no longer chain a connection of this move into his J. Fierce... but for some reason, you can chain it into a J. Rhouse... (!) Why? I don't know... it defies the constraints of his combo system, but it works. Because it does, however, it is more useful than his previous dive kick: Now, when you chain the command attack into his J. Rhouse, Wolvy will cross the opponent, forcing him/her to block using the opposite direction to protect from the attack. On top of the cross-up fact, it rips him away from his jump more abruptly than the previous dive kick, making it harder for the opponent to see coming. I mean, what more can you do to make this character easy to use? =) DOUBLE-HITS - activated by interrupting a normal attack with itself ----------- Don't confuse double-hit command attacks with double-hit normal attacks. Double-hit normal attacks are those that can potentially hit twice after you press the button once (e.g. Chun-Li's J. rhouse, Ryu's S. forward, Zangief's S. rhouse, Morrigan's C. jab, Jin's S, C. forward and J. rhouse, Venom's S. forward, S, J. rhouse and J. fierce, Hulk's C. fierce, War Machine's C. rhouse...). Double-hit command attacks are those that require you to press the normal attack button twice to perform. Every double-hit command attack is listed below: Captain America's S. forward War Machine's S. jab Wolverine's S, J. strong and S. forward SOARINGS - activated by pressing a variable normal attack while holding down -------- when airborne These will position your opponent in a variable attacking frame until they land. Unlike dive command attacks, they will not change the course of your jump. These are very dangerous to do early when super-jumping, since you will be unable to block until you reach the ground. soaring command attacks can be chained into other normal attacks when they connect (depending on the character's combo system) and can always be cancelled into mid-air special\ super attacks whether they do or not. I believe their primary use are as jump- ins. Every soaring command attack is listed below: Zangief's Knee Dive...............D+forward Zangief's Body Splash.............D+fierce Morrigan's Shell Kick.............D+forward LUNGES - activated by pressing a variable normal attack while holding towards ------ when on the ground These will propel your character toward the opponent while attacking. They cannot be cancelled. Every lunge command attack is listed below: Ryu's Whirlwind Kick..............T+forward [Akuma] Ryu's Whirlwind Kick......T+forward Zangief's Ground Elbow Drop.......T+strong Morrigan's Insane Flip Kick.......T+forward OVERHEADS - activated by pressing a variable normal attack while holding a --------- certain direction when on the ground These will move your character slightly toward the opponent while performing an overhead attack. Every overhead command attack is listed below: Chun-Li's Neckbreaker Kick........DT+rhouse Ryu's Collarbone Splitter.........T+strong [Ken] Ryu's Heel Split............T+forward [Akuma] Ryu's Skull Destroyer.....T+strong SLIDES - activated by pressing a variable normal attack while holding down- ------ towards These will make your character slide across the ground. They will sweep the opponent if they hit. Every one has exploitable recovery time and can be cancelled into special/super attacks. I would use them sparingly. Strider's Slide Kick..............DT+rhouse Wolverine's Sliding Claw..........DT+fierce //Wolverine's Sliding Claw can be cancelled into any one of his ground roundhouses. ------ THROWS ------ Throws are activated by pressing a variable normal attack button (either a medium or heavy attack) while holding towards or away from the opponent when close to him/her. Throws can be done either on the ground or in the air and cannot be blocked. This makes them one of the best forms of offense. There are, basically, two types of throws: Tosses and chokeholds. A toss is either a slam, throw or anything that will only inflict damage as a result of one attack. A chokehold is a grab, during which your character will hit the opponent repeatedly and subsequently throw or hit them away. Repeated button mashing will usually heighten the damage given in a chokehold throw. Whichever one is more useful depends on the context of your game. //Throws have been called cheap since day one. This is probably because they exploit an inactive opponent rather an active one. This failure to exploit activities such as temporary vulnerability, start-up time, recovery time and the like prevent one whose main strategy is throwing from learning those weaknesses. My take on this is: yes; generally, throws are cheap. According to my definition, they are. But of course, as I said, my definition is a relative one. This is why I say "*Generally*, throws are cheap.". I think the reason that a general (or common) fighter gets thrown so often is because he/she finds too much security in blocking. He/she thinks that since blocking will protect from *every* form of attack substantially enough that doing so constantly is a sufficient form of defense. This is where he/she is wrong... Why? Lets examine the previous paragraph's thought processes. First of all, the accented "every" is problematic since it is a generalization (or 'all' statement). Generalizations are usually not good philosophies to accept points upon, because they only work if you test them and get the same result in every single situation possible. This infers that in order for the conclusion to be a good one to hold, you would have to test if blocking would protect you substantially from every single form of attack. Most people wouldn't go through such trouble and *don't* before they act upon such a maxim, making it a bad one. They think that, for practicality's sake, they should jump to that conclusion... As we already know, throws cannot be blocked, so the results of such a test would show that "No. Blocking does not protect substantially from every form of attack." This means that the rest of the inferences following the generalization statement crumble, and that we must form a new strategy concerning what a "good defense" is. Well, boys and girls, we now know that fighting games don't exactly depend upon practicality, don't we? The conclusion of the argument is that blocking constantly is a sufficient (or good) form of defense. Well, since we have already come to the conclusion that blocking simply will not protect you substantially from every form of attack, we should know by now that it isn't. Certainly, blocking protects from most forms of attack, but since it doesn't protect from throws, a good defense requires protection from them as well. As to whether or not using an offensive strategy that is made up primarily of throwing takes less skill than depending on your opponents recovery time to get your hits in, I would have to agree with the general consensus... that is, I would say that it does take more skill to learn the many nuances of hitting and exploiting your opponent during recovery time than it is to just depend on throwing (and following up on) your opponent over and over again. But in doing so, I can never diminish the skill it takes to throw (and not be thrown) consistently. While an offensive strategy that depends upon exploiting recovery time requires you to have a good knowledge of every character's exploitable moves and procedures, throwing consistently requires you to have an impeccable knowledge of what you're opponent is about to do (anticipation), and acquiring that sort of sixth sense takes, at the very least, some practice. Therefore, I cannot detract from the overall value that strategy has. Saying "X is cheap." and expecting someone to believe that it is gospel is never a good idea, in my opinion, since, in my opinion, "cheap" is a relative term. Throws are cheap *relative* to a general fighting game crowd, who do not defend well against throws. But, to an experienced fighting game crowd, say, a group of people in a national tournament, throws are not cheap, since an experienced crowd would most likely be very able to defend against them. My advice to you and any who have said something ala "X is cheap." (I know I have!) is to always think before making a descriptive claim (i.e. a claim that states the way the world is) and modify them with a phrase such as, "In my experience,", "As far as I have seen,", "Generally," and the like.\\ The damage throws give can be evaded by throwing your opponent at the exact same time. This is called a tech-hit. They are, ;-) in my experience, extremely hard to time and not practical enough for you to depend upon. My advice in this case is to not let your opponent get close enough to throw you at all. //Like I just said, the best defense against throws is to not let your opponent get close enough to do it at all. If you are being offensive, of course, this is not an issue, because you are the aggressor. But, if you are being primarily defensive, don't let the opponent jump-in, dash-in, or get near enough to throw you in general... In this case, the old saying that goes, "The best defense is a good offense." stands. Another issue I wanted to address is whether or not blocking *does* substantially protect you from most forms of attack. I know that the cumulative effects of chipping damage can, at times (Duo team attacks, Strider's Legion, Chun-Li's Kikosho) pose a threat, and that blocking every attack beside throws could get you in trouble because of that fact... To clarify this issue, what I meant by substantially was the initial difference of damage between when an attack hits and when it is blocked, not in the long run scheme of the fight. --------------- SPECIAL ATTACKS --------------- Special attacks are usually activated with a variable joystick motion in combination with a normal attack button. Those that are not are activated by pressing a combination or sequence of normal attack buttons. They take some time to master, but are nonetheless useful (possibly essential) to experienced gameplay. There are ten categories that a special attack can fall under. They are all listed below: INDEPENDENT PROJECTILE - Special attacks that will make your character shoot ---------------------- or "call" a projectile that can exist without requiring him/her to maintain some sort of position. Examples of independent projectiles include Chun-Li's Kikoken, Ryu's Hadouken, Morrigan's Soul Fist, etc. Generally, people seem to think that these are necessities. DEPENDENT PROJECTILE - Special attacks that will make your character shoot or -------------------- "call" a projectile that requires him/her to maintain some sort of position. There are only two dependent projectiles in Marvel Vs. Capcom: Iron Body Zangief's Vodka Fire and Venom's Venom Rush. I believe that the most memorable one is Dhalsim's Yoga Flame. QUICK PROJECTILE - Dependent projectiles that cover the screen almost as soon ---------------- as they are activated. These are pretty rare, too. The only five quick projectiles in MvC are: Captain Commando's Captain Fire, Gambit's Kinetic and Trick Card, and War Machine's High and Low Shoulder Cannon. They are rarities in other games as well. BODY PROJECTILE - Special attacks that involve a lunge or movement of the --------------- character's body. Examples include Chun-Li's Axe Kick (Sen'en Shuu), Ryu's Hurricane Kick, Zangief's Banishing Fist (Green Glove), Captain Commando's Captain Kick, etc. These can usually be more risky than the average special attack, since they can put your body in a potentially harmful way. ANTI AIR - Body projectiles that attack the opponent while lifting your -------- character from the ground. Chun-Li's Tenshou Kyaku, Ryu's Shouryuu Ken, Morrigan's Shadow Blade, Megaman's Mega Upper, etc. These are even more dangerous to use than body projectiles because if they miss or are blocked, your recovery time is *very* exploitable. DIVE - Mid-air body projectiles that attack the opponent while plummeting to ---- the ground. Not too dangerous to use since they have high priority. There are only two in MvC: [Akuma] Ryu's Dive Kick, and Hyper Venom's Diving ??. STATIONARY - Special attacks that can harm the opponent while your character ---------- is standing still. These can sometimes make good anti-airs. Some examples are Chun-Li's Lightning Legs, Zangief's Lariat, Captain Commando's Captain Corridor, Jin's Saotome Dynamite, etc. Can be dangerous to pull at times... just make sure your opponent won't expect them. THROW - Special attacks that will seize your opponent. ----- Most of the time, throw special attacks cannot be blocked. Unfortunately, half of them can be blocked in MvC. Those that can be blocked are Spider-Man's Web Throw, Jin's Saotome Crush, Venom's Web Throw, and Hulk's Gamma Tornado. Those that cannot be blocked are Zangief's Spinning Pile Driver, Running Bear Grab, and Flying Grab and Morrigan's Vector Drain. Those that cannot be blocked should always be done with caution. MOBILE - Special attacks that move your character to a different position. ------ Of course, these really aren't "attacks". Examples include [Akuma] Ryu's Teleport, Strider's Teleport, and Captain America's Cartwheel... Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's all of them! MODE CHANGE - Special attacks that may affect other attacks. ----------- Examples include Megaman's Item Change, Strider's Formation A (1st), Captain America's Shield Slash, War Machine's Flying, etc. -------------------------------- HYPER COMBINATIONS/SUPER ATTACKS -------------------------------- Super attacks are usually activated with a variable joystick motion in combination with two normal attack buttons. Those that are not are activated by pressing a combination or sequence of normal attack buttons. They are easily mastered after you learn to use special attacks. The main difference between these and special attacks is 1) they require hyper-meter to use, and 2) they take off loads of damage! Some of these moves can be comboed into after normal attacks (!These are called 'Super combos'!). Super attacks can turn the tables of the match in either your or your opponent's favor. Mastering your character's super attacks/combos is a must. There are many different types of super attacks, and they are all extensively listed under my dictionary's definition for HYPER-COMBO. If you want, you can go back and check it out if you haven't already. ---------------------------------- CROSSOVER COMBINATIONS/TEAM SUPERS ---------------------------------- A team super is an attack (activated by QCF+HP & HK) that requires two levels of hyper-meter to perform. When activated, your active character will begin a variable super attack and wait for your inactive character to jump on-screen. When he/she does, both will perform their variable super attacks simultaneously. Afterwards, the character who activated the team super will be switched out (Unless he/she gets hit during his/her recovery time.). While two levels of hyper-meter seems pretty steep, keep in mind that 1) some of these babies can be comboed, and 2) they can effectively switch a hurting character out. I say, if you can hit with it, go for it. Crossover combinations are covered more extensively under my dictionary's definition, CROSSOVER-COMBO. You should go and check it out if you haven't already. -------------------------- DUO TEAM ATTACK/TWO ON ONE -------------------------- A duo team attack is a procedure that, when activated (QCB+HP & HK), will make your active character taunt your opponent while your inactive character jumps on-screen. When he/she lands, you 1) are then in control of both of your characters at the same time and 2) have infinite hyper-meter for a limited time. It requires two to three levels of hyper-meter to be done. The duo team attack and its restrictions are, once again, discussed more extensively in my dictionary's definition for DUO-TEAM-ATTACK. Check it out if you haven't already. (I need some new material!) ---------------------------- CROSSOVER ASSISTANTS/HELPERS ---------------------------- Helpers are characters that will either be automatically or personally selected after you pick your second character. They are always called out with both medium attacks (MP & MK) and have a limited number of uses. You can cancel almost all normal attacks by calling a helper. People generally uses helpers as easy, neat-o, peachy keen ways to combo their super attacks. I'm all for that course of action if my helper hits my opponent, but I am not all for being dependent on such a strategy. (Learning how to use you main characters is *way* better, in my opinion.) There are, basically three types of helpers: BODY PROJECTILE - Helpers that come on-screen and use their body to attack. --------------- These helpers each have individually practical (Yes, I said the P-word.) uses. The body projectile helpers are Lou, Ton-Pooh, Devilot, Shadow, and Rogue. CHARGING - Body projectile helpers that slide across the screen. -------- These seem to be the most popular kind of helper. If they hit your opponent, they will drag him/her almost, if not all the way across the screen making them fish bait for a super attack. The charging helpers are Psylocke, Juggernaut, US Agent, Colossus, and Sentinel. PROJECTILE - Helpers that shoot or "call" a projectile on screen. ---------- These will come in, shoot or "call" their projectile, and leave. In my opinion, they are very hard to hit with (The opponent can usually see them coming for miles.). The projectile helpers are Unknown Soldier, Lou, Saki, Pure and Fur, Michelle Heart, Arthur, Thor, Magneto, Iceman, Cyclops, Storm, Anita, Shadow, and Jubilee. Agh... Once again, refer to the CROSSOVER-ASSISTANT definition in my dictionary for more information. SWITCHING - See my dictionary's definition for SWITCHING for detailed ========= information. BLOCKING - Blocking will most likely be your most used tool of defense in the ======== game. Having a firm grip on blocking technique is a must. In general, you block by holding the joystick away from your opponent. Since doing so can also change the direction in which your character travels, you might be a little confused when first learning to use the block. Although I explained this a couple of commands ago, here is the key to understanding the command once again, in a nutshell: If your opponent attacks while you are holding back (in any way), you will block; if not, you are free to move backward. Block-stun is the effect or condition of blocking an attack. You will usually slide or reel back a bit after blocking any attack; that is the block-stun. You cannot attack or move until block-stun ends. You can however, perform a motion just before it ends and reverse an attack when it does. You cannot be thrown or grabbed during block-stun, either. The following is a list of blocking techniques; know them well: *IMPORTANT* Every joystick command in this section assumes that you are facing right (The first player's starting point.). If you are facing left, simply reverse the right or leftward motions. --------------- *- STANDING BLOCK: Your character blocks high. --------------- Blocking high (or blocking while standing) protects against all but crouching kick attacks. It will prevent air attacks, standing attacks, and crouching punch attacks from hitting you. Generally, the standing block is used mostly for blocking incoming air attacks rather than ground attacks, which is a good idea, because if you block a close ground attack high, your opponent can simply combo into a crouching kick in order to hit you. ---------------- / CROUCHING BLOCK: Your character blocks low. * ---------------- Blocking low (or blocking while crouching) protects against all but jumping and overhead attacks. It will prevent standing attacks and all forms of crouching attacks from hitting you. People usually use the crouching block to block all ground attacks. If they didn't, they would be vulnerable to every crouching kick available to their opponent. As soon as your opponent jumps, though, switch to standing block or else they could quickly take advantage of your position... as for overheads, most are slow, so you should be able to see them coming. Handy move. ---------- *- AIR BLOCK: Your character block while mid-air. (while jumping) ---------- The air block protects from all forms of attack beside throws. It is mostly used whenever you anticipate an anti-air, chasing attack, or anti-chaser. The air block makes jumping relatively safe (as opposed to games that don't have it). You will probably use it in more situations than the ones I have given. //If you haven't read about the air guard crush, read the section under MOVING; JUMPING; BACKWARD. It *could be* vital information. ---------------- LP+MP+HP ADVANCING GUARD: Your character pushes his/her opponent (While blocking) ---------------- away. Can only be done during block-stun. The advancing guard can be done during any form of blocking. It's great for keeping pokers (and tickers) off of your back. Pushing while air blocking is dangerous, though, because a few seconds after you do so, your character will be unable to block (The air guard crush is especially dangerous if your opponent knows how to take advantage of it.) Since it also doesn't push your opponent as far as a ground push would, I recommend against using it at all. ------------------ BTD+HP & HK CROSSOVER COUNTER: Your character switches with his/her (While blocking) ------------------ partner, who comes on-screen attacking. (Requires one level of hyper-meter.) The 'counter', as most people call it, is a handy way to switch out a damaged character. However, if your opponent is aware that you are capable of doing this, he/she will probably not attack you when you are almost dead, so don't depend on it. Please see my dictionary's entries on ADVANCING GUARD, BLOCK, BLOCK-STUN, and CROSSOVER-COUNTER for more information. ============================ WHO IN THE HELL IS JOE ZAZA? ============================ I am about 5'7 feet tall, I have black hair, black eyes (from getting my ass beat so often), and a huge chip on my shoulder. My real name is Jose Lafaurie, and sometimes I go by Joe. I gots a brother, his name is Ricardo Jr. (AKA Dasrik). I am 19 (10/27/80) and am currently going to Riverside Community College in Moreno Valley, California. If you think you know me, holla "What's up, Joe?" and gimme five fingers next time we meet. For those of y'all who remember matches better than faces, I am known to play most with a Spider-Man/Venom team. However, I also can kick it with Zangief, Ryu, CapAm, and Jin (I haven't used his ass in *too* long.). I detest using Strider and Wolverine, but if you got a hankering to see me play them, ask me to and my quarter is yours. This is my first FAQ. I wrote it for all the peeps out there who either can't play fighting games for jack and for all the Wolverine addicts (Get some skill and stop trying to rationalize that crap.). My philosophy for video gaming is the same as with any sport: It ain't whether you win or lose, it's how well you play. So, if you see me having an episode after I lost a game, it ain't *cuz* I lost, it's cuz I sucked. Oh yeah, and while I got a soap box to stand on, let me address the issue of trash talking. Yes, I do it a lot. No, I won't try to justify it. But for God's sake, people, don't beat a brother down for doing it. First of all: everything I say when I'm on the game is just trash. It ain't written gospel that you should take to heart. Second, when I'm on the game, I'm nervous. I'm sure everyone (with the exception of kids and special cases) can relate. It's just a 'tude that seems to come with the territory. I cannot control it very well, but I'll try. ================ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ================ Webster's New World Dictionary - for an excerpt from "Word Etymology". Kao Megura - for the helper code list. Migs Rustia - for a lot of the sub/primary definitions. You really should update your website, Migs... or lack thereof. =) Anybody who plays at Brunswick Recreational Center in Moreno Valley, California... Especially Andre, Das, Chip, Keshin, Mario... I learned from all of you. *Especially* Keshin... you damn, trash talk hating... =) I don't even want to think of how much money I spent on you... Andre... ya damned "Super Sayjin"... keep it up, man. When Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 comes out, you'll be whooping my ass. All those who play at The SU in Cal State San Bernardino... the only ones I remember from that joint are Damien and Chief... I'll whoop all you non- rolling, helper dependent, two hit comboing asses now! You guys are so damn old school, y'all playin' with Jesus. =) Capcom - I know you suckas can't even hear me, but stop making such whack ass games... I mean, they're the bomb and all, but... they whack! Oh, and for the love of hell, stop throwing that punk ass "bigfoot" Wolverine into your damned games... I know he your cash cow, but DAIMN! ...and everyone who's smart enough to admit that they don't know enough. Nuff love fo y'all... peace. 12 - 15 - 99