[QUOTE="ChrisSpartan117"]

Oh, DC, I remember how you once said that Akuma's Ultra/Super Combo is one of those rare attacks where the only way to make sure it lands is by doing a Focus Attack, and how you didn't want to rely on it. Well, even though my SF4 copy cracked in May, I do remember one tactic for this I loved using. Simply, throw your opponet on the side you're facing, and while he/she is recovering, charge the Focus Attack doing the recovery. However, make sure your enemy doesn't have a Ultra/Super ready, because it WILL leave you vulrenable for one of those, and I never tried it online(yes, I had a 360 since November '06, and I still don't have XBL), but it could be worth a shot.

DarkCatalyst

My TE has arrived. Finally.

I put it to the test against DC last night, and I love it. As promised and expected, my execution is finally back where it belongs. I still drop Sakura's BnB (bread 'n butter) every now and then, but I'm a lot more consistent and I can feel when I did it wrong. It took me a bit to get used to it, actually, but on the whole, I'm thrilled with it.

It's a shame I didn't have my camera ready last night, because we had some amazing fights. The next time I post DC vs. Shen vids, I think you'll all see drastic improvement and overall evolution from both of us. Pat's even using Focus Attacks now - something he'd all but sworn off in the not-too-distant past. If you thought it was entertaining (or, perhaps, infuriating, lol) to watch me try to get my hands on Akuma before, wait till youi see what it's like now.

And if you thought it was cool (or, possibly, scary) to watch what I could do when I finally did get Akuma down... you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Bah. Enough hype, lol. Haterade, I'd like to get on and play you sometime man. I think you're the only GS regular on 360 that I haven't thrown down with. DC tells me you've got a legit Elf, so I'd love to take a stab at him. Martial, you and I have some catching up to do, too, bud. I finally have a good stick again! I should be able to bop you all over the screen now. assuming I get an opening.

[QUOTE="games_soul"]

[QUOTE="Kreatzion"]

To games_souls, yes I've tried all of the new characters minus Gouken since I refuse to play him. Seth is character I tried for a bit but I honestly don't play him out of some silly honorcode I made up about not picking him. The other 4 are just not my style. C. Viper was someone I wanted to play before the game came out but when I did actually play her, I wasn't feeling it. With Abel, I was hoping for Alex but I didn't get it and rightfully so; this is SFIV after all. I don't like Rufus though I can use him, mind you not that well, and I did give El Fuerte a try this week. I definitely was considering using him but I can't do the loop and honestly, I don't want to put that much effort into something I probably won't be able to catch on people a lot.

Kreatzion

Cool :) I agree that Fuerte requires a lot of effort. I have been using him for a month now, and I still can't get his loop done in real matches, only in training. But for the loop, I realized it is not a must to learn unless you are playing against a very high level akuma, Balrog or rufus (Fuerte's worst matchups imo). once I get my internet fixed I would love to have some matches with you :) I am not a pro, but I hope I can provide a decent challenge.

Of definitely. I'm no pro myself but I'm hungry to get to that level. I'd love to have some El Fuerte matches. I can barely handle him with Chun-Li. He totally beasts on charge characters.

.Hey Martial, that was a good set, man. GG all the way around.

Geez, man, you were driving me insane with that Hooligan Throw! Ugh! *bangs head on desk* I kept telling myself "just backflip away from it, ya putz," but instead, I kept trying to THROW you. As if that ever had any chance at all of working. I did finally manage to escape properly on our last match, but geez. Very well done, though. You spotted a glaring weakness and you pressed it. Hard. Good times.

Blanka has got to be Vega's hardest matchup. For every trick Vega has, Blanka has a solution. What's more, Blanka can get away with cannonball spam all day, totally unpunished. The only time Vega can retaliate is if he has meter (EX wall dive > suplex), but other than that, it's just pure hassle. Up close, Blanka can easily sneak electricity in between Vega's jabs, so that's mostly a losing battle, too.

The Fuerte fight was pretty fun, though. I was so butt-hurt that you won the match with the Ultra, because I wanted to do a backflip, but instead I initiated a Focus Attack (I actually did that a few times throughout the set). Ah well. You read the situation and it paid off. Besides, I rarely mind losing as long as I can chalk it up to my own mistakes. It's when the stupid joystik gyppes me that I start getting irate.

Speaking of, sorry for not really straying far from Vega tonight. The only reason I picked him up at all is because playing him doesn't really require a lot of precision. As such, a wonky controller doesn't screw him up as much (hardly at all, actually). I tried Sakura, Bison, and Akuma, but I kept "dropping" combos that, to be honest, I almost never, ever drop. It was too annoying to keep going, and I've promised myself I'm NOT going to get pissed playing SF, so I just went back to Vega and called it good.

But anyway, yeah. Diatribe over. If I may, just a quick critique: your Cammy is tough, but you weren't really mixing it up with her as much as you probably could. Seemed like you were using the ARROW > SPIKE/ARROW > THROW mixup the most. Considering how strong those moves are (especially the lightning fast Spike *shakes fist*), I don't blame you. You just have to watch out for those of us who've gotten our heads kicked off by Cammy's Spikes, because we'll bait that junk out and punish all day. I'm not a Cammy player, so as far as exact tactics, I have nothing to offer. Is her Spinning Knuckle garbage? *shrug* I think, in short, you're a strong Cammy player right now, if just a bit too predictable. No offense intended at all, just a bit of friendly advice from a fellow fighting gamer. I'd love to hear anything you got for me.

Here's to the next set. *raises glass*

*falls down*

Another really crazy thing about SFIV: long-time players having identity crises with it. DC was on the verge of pulling the plug on SFIV altogether before I pointed him toward Akuma. My very good friend DeShae (who also happens to be a very good fighting gamer) still hasn't settled on a main in SFIV to this day. Kreatzion has been playing like a madman at the arcade forever now, and even he has yet to settle in on his main. I'm pretty sure MartialBullet's even bounced around from character to character. Hell, I've mained Gouken, Balrog, and Sakura so far (and somewhat mained Fei Long and Vega), but the fact that I've had so many "mains" speaks volumes. By contrast, in HD Remix, I play a few characters, but I'd say my main is Ken, where Blanka and Guile are on standby.

What's going on with this game, anyway?

Nice to know it's good for something, right? XDDarkCatalyst

[QUOTE="ShenlongBo"]

[QUOTE="Kreatzion"]

Thanks for the bouts last night ShenLong. It helped me clear my head for the game. I'mgoing to be on a training session for the next week or so. China Town Fair will be seeing me for a bit at times I really want to compete at a national or at least a tri-state level and I need to really evaluate who I should be using and who could actually take me to that next step.

Guys, I'm going to be doing a DBZ and going in the hyperbolic time chamber. I need to train in an environment that will boost up my playing potential. So you guys won't be seeing me excepting game invites, not because I'm being a prick and not accepting, but because if I'm on SFIV, I'm training my ass off. I'm going to train Japanese style and master only one character, or at least that's what I'm saying to myself anyway. I'm dropping Chun-Li and I don't know what I'm going to be doing with E. Honda. He's my favorite Street Fighter character so I have a soft spot for him. I might keep him in the back pocket for surprise factors.

So in a week or 2, you guys are going to see a new Kreatzion (yes a new creation), and a new character. Yes, violence is a beautiful thing!

Kreatzion

Not sure exactly what's in store after your one-word AIM message "Balrog" last night, but... I'm taking that as meaning he's your new pet project. If that's the case, then trust me, you've got plentyyou can hone and craft in training mode. Balrog has so many options, and he can get so muchout of his jabs (which are 1-framers, so they connect all the time) it's ridiculous. He's also got hellaciously good turtling options. I know you don't want to be just another 'Rog player, but there's a reason people are so addicted to him. He's a savage.

Personally, I'd like to see you master Abel. I know he's a clunker to use, but honestly, I think everything in his arsenal is right up your alley. He's got mixup options and high-priority normals, plus he can easily instigate throw rage (to use DC's words). He's not the same hardcore turtler that 'Rog is, but he's tricky and rewards confident, intelligent gameplay. Plus his Ultra is just crazy strong. Can't go wrong with that.

Whatever you decide, I can't wait to see the results. Don't forget to go through arcade mode on Very Easy a jillion times, too, once you get to the point that you need to start assimilating tactics. I stayed in the lab with Sakura for the longest, man. I know I haven't really been able to impress with her for technical reasons, but I assure you: I can do work with her now. Anyway, the point is, if I can do it, you can do it. Good luck.

Yeah at this point I'm just weighing down my options. I tend to only play characters I actually like and I'm still sticking to that creed. So you won't see me with Akuma, Gouken, or Seth. I've narrowed it down to Zangief, Guile, Balrog, and E. Honda. I was working on Abel earlier today and I still can't stand his normals. He just doesn't feel right whatsoever. I tried again for the shoto's and I just can't play them in SFIV. I guess I have too much of a 3S mentality and not enough ST to understand their play s-tyle because I could use Ryu and Ken very well in 3S but I suck with them in ST/STHD. I might give M. Bison a day trial and see where that goes. I've played the best M. Bison on the East Coast and his rush down s-tyle, to me, is probably the most effective way to go for Dictator. That's not my s-tyle of play so I'll see what happens.

I just can't wait for SFIV Dash so I can use my improved E. Honda and T. Hawk. You know I'm a sucker for characters that have first initials in their names.

[QUOTE="ShenlongBo"]DarkCatalyst

And, you know, as much as I sometimes hate SFIV, and in spite of all the things that are wrong with it (and there ARE things wrong with it), I have to admit the damn thing's been good for making a better fighting gamer out of me. I don't think I'm alone in this, either. Granted, it could very well be chalked up to the fact that I now have a much broader, deeper pool of competition, but SFIV still deserves some of the credit.

Thanks for the bouts last night ShenLong. It helped me clear my head for the game. I'mgoing to be on a training session for the next week or so. China Town Fair will be seeing me for a bit at times I really want to compete at a national or at least a tri-state level and I need to really evaluate who I should be using and who could actually take me to that next step.

Guys, I'm going to be doing a DBZ and going in the hyperbolic time chamber. I need to train in an environment that will boost up my playing potential. So you guys won't be seeing me excepting game invites, not because I'm being a prick and not accepting, but because if I'm on SFIV, I'm training my ass off. I'm going to train Japanese style and master only one character, or at least that's what I'm saying to myself anyway. I'm dropping Chun-Li and I don't know what I'm going to be doing with E. Honda. He's my favorite Street Fighter character so I have a soft spot for him. I might keep him in the back pocket for surprise factors.

So in a week or 2, you guys are going to see a new Kreatzion (yes a new creation), and a new character. Yes, violence is a beautiful thing!

Kreatzion

Not sure exactly what's in store after your one-word AIM message "Balrog" last night, but... I'm taking that as meaning he's your new pet project. If that's the case, then trust me, you've got plenty you can hone and craft in training mode. Balrog has so many options, and he can get so much out of his jabs (which are 1-framers, so they connect all the time) it's ridiculous. He's also got hellaciously good turtling options. I know you don't want to be just another 'Rog player, but there's a reason people are so addicted to him. He's a savage.

Personally, I'd like to see you master Abel. I know he's a clunker to use, but honestly, I think everything in his arsenal is right up your alley. He's got mixup options and high-priority normals, plus he can easily instigate throw rage (to use DC's words). He's not the same hardcore turtler that 'Rog is, but he's tricky and rewards confident, intelligent gameplay. Plus his Ultra is just crazy strong. Can't go wrong with that.

Whatever you decide, I can't wait to see the results. Don't forget to go through arcade mode on Very Easy a jillion times, too, once you get to the point that you need to start assimilating tactics. I stayed in the lab with Sakura for the longest, man. I know I haven't really been able to impress with her for technical reasons, but I assure you: I can do work with her now. Anyway, the point is, if I can do it, you can do it. Good luck.

Hey Martial, Kreatzion...

You each invited me to play tonight, and I didn't respond to either of you. That wasn't a dis, it's just that I was playing with a very good, long-time friend of mine that I just caught back up with, so I couldn't bail.

I've been on using the Tekken 5 stick (PS2) with a 360 adapter. Guys, it SUCKS. If you don't know the difference between a crap stick and a quality stick, it's because you haven't used a quality stick yet. Anyway, I had fun, but it's highly disappointing to have to downgrade my game since my stick simply can NOT register what I need it to.

I'll still happily play you guys online, but as a disclaimer, I'm not going to be back to my former, decent self until I get that TE.