Author: James "Bafael" Maule

In light of Ultra Street Fighter IV‘s inclusion in digital pre-orders of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I’ve decided to dedicate some time to examining the most slept-on online-capable Street Fighter title: Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode. Packaged as a free alternate version within the edition select of USFIV, Omega uses leftover game files, recycled taunts, and repurposed animations to completely change each character’s toolset; it’s essentially a completely new and unique Street Fighter title built within SFIV’s engine, with an entirely different balance philosophy than Ultra.

Omega was not popular at release due to some easy infinite combos — not to mention players’ interest in Ultra as a more serious, competitive game. I personally think Omega went woefully unexplored for being an extremely interesting venture, and I’ve started a series where I document each character’s Omega changes, and then show off some basic optimal combos.

This week I’m looking at Balrog and Vega. Balrog was given two things he could only dream of in Ultra: a high-stun command grab, and more juggles from his Buffalo Headbutt. Immediately he has more damage, more combo versatility, and more ability to create momentum. Additionally, Balrog has possibly the only three-bar attack in the entirety of SFIV, albeit it’s a followup to his EX dash punch and thus costs four bars total, dealing super-comparable damage with animation that draws back to his Gigaton Blow from the Alpha series. Overall he’s not terribly different from his Ultra version, and he has various nerfs to his dash punches to keep him in check. He’s one of the least-changed Omega characters, and most of his changes reflect significant shortcomings to his Ultra design. He’s very easy, and ideal for beginners, especially those who played USFIV but not Omega.

Vega is almost the opposite. He has a number of changes which seem to do nothing other than nerf him and make him more difficult to use. All claw punch normals now push the opponent back dramatically farther, and EX Flying Barcelona will no longer pick up distant opponents, or any crouching opponent near or far. Without these one-bar combo completions, Vega struggles to end most of his links in a knockdown at all. However, he saw a few massive buffs to compensate for his losses. First, he gained an invincible, unthrowable reversal in EX Rolling Crystal Flash, which costs two bars but does extremely high damage. Second, his flip kicks had nice buffs to their damage, range, and juggle potential. Finally, Vega has a large number of one frame links compared to most characters, and he appreciates the input buffer. This version of Vega is interesting because it introduces the idea that he plays significantly differently with his claw on or off, while his claw dives will either knock down or leave the opponent standing. These ideas are present in the SFV version of Vega, which also maintained his new launching target combo.

Click here for a playlist of all Street Fighter IV: Omega videos I’ve released thus far. I’ll add future videos to this playlist as I finish them.

I plan to go through the entire roster over time, so subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel if you don’t want to miss out!

Following the conclusion of this year’s Capcom Pro Tour, Capcom has released Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s newest character, “Kage,” along with a balance patch to give each character some new bells and whistles. This patch changes every character and addresses some of the most common complaints about Season 3 and 3.5. By popular demand, I’m continuing my series on ShoryukenTube where I analyze the Season 4 patch notes and describe how the changes will affect each character’s combos and playstyle going forward. While it’s critical to know your own character’s balance adjustments, you also benefit from knowing your opponent’s options against you.

This time, I’ve made videos describing the most important changes for F.A.N.G, Alex, Guile, Ibuki, and Balrog:

If you missed my previous videos, check them out here:

• Rising Up: Season 4 — Important changes for Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Cammy, and Nash
• Rising Up: Season 4 — Important changes for M. Bison, Vega, Birdie, Karin, and Rainbow Mika
• Rising Up: Season 4 — Important changes for Zangief, Dhalsim, Rashid, Laura, and Necalli

And here’s the YouTube playlist for all characters so far, which I’ll update as I go.

I’ll be working my way through the roster in the same order as the in-game character list, so next time I hope to cover Juri, Urien, Akuma, Kolin, and Ed. Remember to subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel so you don’t miss out!

Following the conclusion of this year’s Capcom Pro Tour, Capcom has released Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s newest character, “Kage,” along with a balance patch to give each character some new bells and whistles. This patch changes every character and addresses some of the most common complaints about Season 3 and 3.5. By popular demand, I’m continuing my series on ShoryukenTube where I analyze the Season 4 patch notes and describe how the changes will affect each character’s combos and playstyle going forward. While it’s critical to know your own character’s balance adjustments, you also benefit from knowing your opponent’s options against you.

This time, I’ve made videos describing the most important changes for Zangief, Dhalsim, Rashid, Laura, and Necalli:

If you missed my previous videos, check them out here:

• Rising Up: Season 4 — Important changes for Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Cammy, and Nash
• Rising Up: Season 4 — Important changes for M. Bison, Vega, Birdie, Karin, and Rainbow Mika

And here’s the YouTube playlist for all characters so far, which I’ll update as I go.

I’ll be working my way through the roster in the same order as the in-game character list, so next time I hope to cover Necalli, Alex, Guile, Ibuki, and Balrog. Remember to subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel so you don’t miss out!

Following the conclusion of the year 2018 Capcom Pro Tour, Capcom has released Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s newest character, “Kage,” along with a balance patch to give each character some new bells and whistles. This patch changes every character and addresses some of the most common complaints about Season 3 and 3.5. By popular demand, I’m continuing my series on ShoryukenTube wherein I analyze the Season 4 patch notes and describe how the changes will affect each character’s combos and playstyle going forward. While it’s critical to know your own character’s balance adjustments, you also benefit from knowing your opponent’s options against you.

This time, I’ve made videos describing the most important changes for M. Bison, Vega, Birdie, Karin, and Rainbow Mika:

If you missed my previous videos, check them out here:

Rising Up: Season 4 — Important changes for Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Cammy, and Nash

And here’s the YouTube playlist for all characters so far, which I’ll update as I go.

I’ll be working my way through the roster in the same order as the in-game character list, so next time I hope to cover Zangief, Dhalsim, Rashid, Laura, and F.A.N.G. Remember to subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel so you don’t miss out!

Following the conclusion of the year 2018 Capcom Pro Tour, Capcom has released Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s newest character, “Kage,” along with a balance patch to give each character some new bells and whistles. This patch changes every character and addresses some of the most common complaints about Season 3 and 3.5. By popular demand, I’ll be continuing my series on ShoryukenTube wherein I analyze the Season 4 patch notes and describe how the changes will affect each character’s combos and playstyle going forward. While it’s critical to know your own character’s balance adjustments, you also benefit from knowing your opponent’s options against you.

So far, I’ve made videos describing the most important changes for Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Cammy, and Nash:

Here’s the playlist for all characters so far, which I’ll update as I go.

I’ll be working my way through the roster in the same order as the in-game character list, so next time I hope to cover M. Bison, Vega, Birdie, Karin, and R. Mika. Remember to subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel so you don’t miss out!

In light of Ultra Street Fighter IV‘s inclusion in digital pre-orders of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I’ve decided to dedicate some time to examining the most slept-on online-capable Street Fighter title: Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode. Packaged as a free alternate version within the edition select of USFIV, Omega uses leftover game files, recycled taunts, and repurposed animations to completely change each character’s toolset; it’s essentially a completely new and unique Street Fighter title built within SFIV’s engine, with an entirely different balance philosophy than Ultra.

Omega was not popular at release due to some easy infinite combos — not to mention players’ interest in Ultra as a more serious, competitive game. I personally think Omega went woefully unexplored for being an extremely interesting venture, and I’ve started a series where I document each character’s Omega changes, and then show off some basic optimal combos.

This week I’m looking at Fei Long and Guy. Fei Long has never been significantly changed since his debut besides the addition of a command grab, so it’s very interesting to see him overhauled. He has two new special moves that are both obviously inspired by Bruce Lee films: a short gut punch into launcher, and a stepping backhand. Both change his ideal combo routes significantly, so his burning kick becomes more relegated to anti-airing while his rekkaken are more frequently used as a distant conversion option. Perhaps the most notable change from Ultra is that EX rekkaken now costs one bar per punch, making it the most expensive special move in the game to do all three, however it’s seen massive buffs across the board to compensate for that price. This EX rekka makes AE Fei look like a joke.

I’ve noticed a general trend to reduce character complexity in Omega, so Guy was quite surprising. He now has three additional followups from EX run, so he can teleport on top of you, behind you, and launch you with a shoulder combo in addition to his low and overhead. Meanwhile, his Bushin flip has a new follow-up where he can attack you coming down with his foot, and it uses a different trajectory than his elbow drop. Guy received a counter which teleports behind the opponent on activation, allowing him to surprise unwary opponents. He seems to have many launching and juggling options, so his combo routes are actually very deep with a lot of room for creativity even before considering resources. I’ve played Guy in Alpha, SFIV, and SFxT, but his Omega version is my favorite by far.

Click here for a playlist of all Street Fighter IV: Omega videos I’ve released thus far. I’ll add future videos to this playlist as I finish them.

I plan to go through the entire roster over time, so subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel if you don’t want to miss out!

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RELATED POSTS

Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode — Guile & Chun-Li analysis videos

Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode — Rose & Sagat analysis videos

Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode — Sakura & Cammy analysis videos

In light of Ultra Street Fighter IV‘s inclusion in digital pre-orders of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I’ve decided to dedicate some time to examining the most slept-on online-capable Street Fighter title: Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode. Packaged as a free alternate version within the edition select of USFIV, Omega uses leftover game files, recycled taunts, and repurposed animations to completely change each character’s toolset; it’s essentially a completely new and unique Street Fighter title built within SFIV’s engine, with an entirely different balance philosophy than Ultra.

Omega was not popular at release due to some easy infinite combos — not to mention players’ interest in Ultra as a more serious, competitive game. I personally think Omega went woefully unexplored for being an extremely interesting venture, and I’ve started a series where I document each character’s Omega changes, and then show off some basic optimal combos.

This week I’m looking at Guile and Chun-Li. Guile was given two new special moves, both with motion commands, which significantly alter his basic combo routes. One is an unsafe double kick that mostly operates as a combo ender, while the other is Remy’s Cold Blue Kick from Street Fighter III. His EX Sonic Boom can be thrown three times as a reference to Nash’s Sonic Break super, which later appears in SFV as Guile’s V-Trigger I. Overall Guile’s new specials do little to annul his original two, and between his EX Boom and his plethora of juggles from a Flash Kick, it’s clear this version of Guile was a testing ground for the one that would eventually show up in SFV.

Omega Chun-Li has more in common with the Chun-Li that showed up in the pre-release versions of SFV, with a crouching fierce that only cancels into EX moves and a jump-cancelable throwback to her 3rd Strike Hoyokusen Super Art. Her fireballs now have a motion command, allowing her a much greater capacity to walk around while zoning than her Ultra version. She also has what is probably the fairest divekick that Capcom has ever created. The execution on her lightning legs has been mitigated somewhat, paving the way for the motion legs she would eventually receive in SFV. Overall she’s a bit more well-rounded and easier to play, as is typical for Omega characters.

Click here for a playlist of all Street Fighter IV: Omega videos I’ve released thus far. I’ll add future videos to this playlist as I finish them.

I plan to go through the entire roster over time, so subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel if you don’t want to miss out!

---

RELATED POSTS

Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode — Rose & Sagat analysis videos

Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode — Sakura & Cammy analysis videos

Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode — Introduction, FAQ, & Ryu analysis video

In light of Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection‘s release, I’ve been bombarded with requests to do some Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike character tutorials. It warms my heart to think that people want to learn my favorite title in the franchise even twenty years down the line, so I’m only happy to oblige. I’ve done Ryu and Ken so far, and my latest video now covers Alex, the stated protagonist of 3rd Strike. Alex has a very unusual and versatile toolset, with high damage, high dizzy output, and a rushdown/mix-up playstyle representing Street Fighter III’s gameplay shift on the whole. Alex is a very popular character despite middling tournament success over the lifespan of the game. He’s built around making reads, pursuing aggressive parries, and capitalizing on momentum. He’s also simple and easy to pick up, which I think makes him a decent entry point to the SFIII series.

This video is part of a series of Street Fighter III character tutorials, so subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel if you don’t want to miss out!

Here’s a link to a playlist for all characters I’ve covered thus far.

And don’t miss out on my guides to 3rd Strike system mechanics:

• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tutorial roundup – Anti-air, okizeme, juggles, and piano inputs
• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tutorial roundup — Parries & taunts

G, the self-proclaimed “President of the Earth,” has just been released for purchase in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. Though he appears in the game’s opening reel and has been technically revealed since the launch of Season 3, G is a completely new character to the Street Fighter franchise, and seems to have no storyline ties with any other character yet, other than sharing a costume and some attack animations with Q of Street Fighter III. G brings a mechanic of his own to the table: he can channel “presidential power” from the Earth itself. When storing this power, his special moves improve dramatically, though he loses it whenever he’s knocked over. G must carefully consider which combos allow him to build this power, and has different combo routes depending on how much power he has charged, which made scripting a combo guide quite difficult! Still, I’ve put together this guide of his most essential combo routes, so that players can quickly learn the basics and start developing their neutral game. Here are your best bread-and-butter combos that I’ve found for every common scenario. This video features anti-airs, punishes, confirms, counter-hit combos, crush counter combos, juggles, and more.

This G bread-and-butter video is not the full G tutorial I’m working on, but rather simply a guide to his basic optimal combo routes. The combos are all my own findings, alongside a few things I’ve observed from other players. Due to the mechanics of his presidential influence, G has an unusually large number of optimal combos compared to most characters, with some good depth on his first V-Trigger in particular. Thus, I wholeheartedly encourage anyone watching to point out superior combo routes in the comments, for both me and the other players, so that I can amend them into the final video when I release it!

Remember to subscribe to the Shoryuken channel so you don’t miss any of the awesome upcoming SFVAE content.