How to become a pro on Street Fighter IV?

I decided to choose a game to completely master this year, and thought what better game to master than Street Fighter IV? However, even though many people already call themselves "pros" at Street Fighter, I find it very hard (I have only been playing the game for about an hour) to master the controls, and can just about beat a CPU on Easy. Whether this is due to the poor quality of the Xbox 360's D-Pad or the fact that Street Fighter is simply a hard game, I would love to know how to become not just good, but really good. Usually when I start playing a fighting game, for instance Super Smash Bros Brawl or Soul Calibur IV, two games I am both quite good at, I find myself mastering the controls and gameplay within about a day - but I have a feeling this won't happen with Street Fighter IV. These are my main problems:

1) Combos: I find them near impossible. I am playing with Ryu, and even though I find the Hadouken and spinning kick attack moderately easy to do, I find other attacks such as the shoryuken almost impossible to pull off, as I feel they are combos suited to a joystick, not a flimsy D-Pad... this is leaving out the extremely complex combos that other characters have. Any tips on getting good at them?

2) Blocking: I can attack, that's not my main problem. Yet when I've strung a few attacks and special attacks at the AI, they start attacking me, and for the love of God I can't block them. I block normally, they floor me with a low attack. I block low, they attack me high. Not to mention they start using special attacks, throws and whatnot to completely obliterate me. To combat it I either find myself standing far away and throwing Hadoukens at them or simply button mashing (which gets me destroyed). How to I become as good as blocking as attacking?

3) What's going on?: I find the whole gameplay mechanics quite hard to get my head around. Special combos, ultra combos, EX attacks, cancelling, technical stuff, etc. etc... I assume this is just a problem which is solved by practice, but how do you use all the of the game's techniques without forgetting the fact you're in a battle and getting killed trying to do them? Thanks for reading - I'd love to have some advice on how to master the game, or if not that just to be good enough to play the arcade mode for each character without massive problem. I know it's a lot to be saying after only one hour of gameplay, but I can usually get a good feel of how good/bad I will be at a game after only a short amount of playing. So what do I do? Play online, with a friend, or just hammer at the AI until I get better? Please help me out!

There's already countless topics asking the same questions so you might want to sift through those too.

But put simply, I find it easier using the stick than the d-pad, the stick may be difficult but with practice I find it easier to use than that truely AWFUL d-pad. Next hit the training, and keep training untill you can pull off specials with ease (unfortunately with the standard controller there is a limit to this) and the trial challenges will teach you the combos you need to know. Once you feel more confident and your beating arcade on medium to medium hard you may wanna check out online player matches, where you're not playing for battle points but just for experience. Playing arcade is good to begin with but nothing can compare to actual experience against other players.

This kinda applies to me too. I want to be good at this game (since I was a little kid, I would always lose in this game).

Since I bought it, I have just been playing the arcade mode with the join anytime function turned on. That way I have practice against the CPU and real Players. Yeah I have been getting beaten constantly but I am still training. :P I guess throwing yourseld into the fire is one way to learn SF4. I think I finally managed to use Haduket, sort of (50% chance of success).

Has anyone tried the Training Mode?

Training mode is excellent.

I'm training with Fei-Long right now and i've been in Training for the past hour.

They analog stick on the actual controller gets easier to use with time.

It's all about training, you'll get better over time. If anyone needs someone to spar with, just add my GamerTag. LockeExe. I'm pretty new as well and am hoping to get better.

It's just a matter of time until you realize what moves are good for what situation and such.

Oh, I use the Analog Stick, but when I need to dash I use the D Pad. So yes, I use both. (Odd, I guess... But when I try to dash forward or back with the analog stick, I end up doing something I didn't want to do.)

It's all about training, you'll get better over time. If anyone needs someone to spar with, just add my GamerTag. LockeExe. I'm pretty new as well and am hoping to get better. akai_reaver

Good to know man. You may receive a friend request within the next week (if I decide to buy it), since I'm a complete nub at Street Fighter and need all the practice I can get.

I used to be awesome at Marvel vs. Capcom games, but this seems like a whole different ballgame...

[QUOTE="akai_reaver"]It's all about training, you'll get better over time. If anyone needs someone to spar with, just add my GamerTag. LockeExe. I'm pretty new as well and am hoping to get better. Aaron89

Good to know man. You may receive a friend request within the next week (if I decide to buy it), since I'm a complete nub at Street Fighter and need all the practice I can get.

I used to be awesome at Marvel vs. Capcom games, but this seems like a whole different ballgame...

[QUOTE="Aaron89"]

[QUOTE="akai_reaver"]It's all about training, you'll get better over time. If anyone needs someone to spar with, just add my GamerTag. LockeExe. I'm pretty new as well and am hoping to get better. akai_reaver

Good to know man. You may receive a friend request within the next week (if I decide to buy it), since I'm a complete nub at Street Fighter and need all the practice I can get.

I used to be awesome at Marvel vs. Capcom games, but this seems like a whole different ballgame...

i'll make sure to add you as well, prepare to meet the worst fighter in street fighter history :)

anyhow, noobs unite!

The ambition of young people these days :p "i'm gonna master this game this year" ,,,, such ambition

Anyway just practice dude, best advice anyone can give ya if this is the best you can find to do with your time

street fighter IV is most definitely the hardest street fighter i have played, i'm sure, like you, some of that is down to the poor 360 controller. The d-pad always gives out the wrong response its shocking.... so i would imagine the first step towards street fighter IV mastery is actually somehow getting hold of one of those fightpads or a good quality arcade stick! Wish i could find one but i'm stuck with the poor 360 pad like you.shearMario

I'm positive I pulled off the acomplishments to unlock Akuma, beat the arcade with no deaths or continues and 1 perfect (1 round matches) and I didn't fight him!

Help?

This thread is great :D

Rose?

NAH SON AKUMA FTW.

Rose?

NAH SON AKUMA FTW.

masta21figz

The ambition of young people these days :p "i'm gonna master this game this year" ,,,, such ambition

Anyway just practice dude, best advice anyone can give ya if this is the best you can find to do with your time

penpusher

hey, i am doing plenty of other things than gaming, dont say that :roll:

either way i realised you can do all modes on easy settings... my life made easy. just stand back and knock out the hadoukens, occasionally pulling of spinning kicks or super combos... the AI can't even block

[QUOTE="akai_reaver"]It's all about training, you'll get better over time. If anyone needs someone to spar with, just add my GamerTag. LockeExe. I'm pretty new as well and am hoping to get better. Aaron89

Good to know man. You may receive a friend request within the next week (if I decide to buy it), since I'm a complete nub at Street Fighter and need all the practice I can get.

I used to be awesome at Marvel vs. Capcom games, but this seems like a whole different ballgame...

I will add, always looking for someone to play SF4 with. Most of my friends just annihlate me because they been playing SF games for awhile, when they was playing SF I was playing MK but I enjoy SF 4.My GT is WTHellvetica if anyone wants to play.

practice, thats all you can do.

it seems some people are more concerned about no grasping the fundamentals because they dont understand the fundamentals. Play for a couple of hours, get familiar with the gameplay mechanics...it will all come together.

even with the 360 controller, the moves arent impossible. I myself am using the 360 controller and can pull off 90% of the moves without any issues...but that didnt happen in the first hour. I have invested about 4 hours into the game at this point, most of that time practicing the moves and understanding the formulas.

[QUOTE="masta21figz"]

Rose?

NAH SON AKUMA FTW.

Doomtime

Rose was my favorite until I got Gouken, I'm not as good with Gouken but I still enjoy playing as him

ive been playing this game since way back. ill be glad to hook up in a player match and work on stuff with ya.

or anyone just looking for a fight. ranked or not.

gamertag: DaGLoRD

I've been playing for a bit, and I can easily destroy all of the AI in the "Easiest" arcade mode until Seth, where I get totally battered and have to do it about five times to beat him, unless I'm doing it on one-round-mode where I beat him in about two tries.

On "Player vs CPU" mode, I can hold my own against "Medium" AI, but if I go higher than that I get totally and utterly obliterated... At my stage in playing (2 days with the game) should I be about this good or should I be finding it much easier?

I can only play with Ryu and Ken, because they're the only characters whose moves I can actually use. However when playing against characters like M. Bison and Zangief (it seems to me Ryu has to hit Zangief about 1000 times to KO him while Zangief can just down my Ryu with three hits or something) I get battered because they just walk all over me.

To be honest, I was finding the game pretty fun, but now I'm getting annoyed. Should I really be "practising" on something which causes me so much aggravation to play? I sware, getting KOd by Seth makes me want to throw stuff across the room, and is this even going anywhere?

Is it really worth practising even though you hate it because later gameplay when you're good is SO fun? I have to admit when I'm getting into a groove and easily pulling off combos it's good, but I'm coming close to just putting this game down and forgetting I ever bought it, something which happened to me with the super-fun but disgustingly difficult Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max on the PSP...

develop your own combos

spend countless hours in challenge mode

master quick standing

learn when to throw and to anti-throw

make good use of the focus attack

try to play a character that's not a shoto

All i gots to say is Rose ftw!ackr1TE

she's my second in command... but I main Vega.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMwiNdPRslw

develop your own combos

spend countless hours in challenge mode

master quick standing

learn when to throw and to anti-throw

make good use of the focus attack

try to play a character that's not a shoto

krunkfu2

all of what you're saying is probably totally true. however i've been thinking about this game in general, and i compeltely take back everything i said in this thread. as many others have said, if you're not a SF veteran already, this game will punch you in the balls and aggravate you to the point of rage, even on the easiest difficulty, which i agree with, as I think even on the easiest difficulty the last few matches, especially Seth, are sickeningly hard. so, since i'm not bothered to put in the time needed to become good, and i've got a whole batch of other games which don't need so much time spent on them, i'm just gonna save the game for when mates come round, and otherwise just unlock all the characters on easiest settings... since i actually quite like the game. does that sound like a good idea?

[QUOTE="masta21figz"]

Rose?

NAH SON AKUMA FTW.

Doomtime

Rockin the world with Bison

1. Learn to use the joystick on the 360 pad, it is way better then any d-pad i have encountered.

2. Configure your button seetings so your confortable with everything is and MEMORISE what each button on your control does.

3. Learn and master everh special move for your character and be able to pull them out without trying.

4. Keep playing better people.

i still havent pulled off guile's final move... i've sorta lost faith in getting good at this game...

i love street fighter just as much as everybody else but i just dont think these controls were made for 360...i wonder how it is for ps3 is....

either way...unless your rich enough to buy the fight pad for this game and get good at that, then this is a definite rent and dont plan on being good at it...

[QUOTE="masta21figz"]

Rose?

NAH SON AKUMA FTW.

Doomtime

Rose?

NAH SON AKUMA FTW.

Don't Pick Ryu or Ken GodLovesDead

[QUOTE="GodLovesDead"] Don't Pick Ryu or Ken sourcerah

[QUOTE="sourcerah"][QUOTE="GodLovesDead"] Don't Pick Ryu or Ken GodLovesDead