If you’re looking to hone your skills with one of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U’s newest contenders, Smash and Grab’s Roy tutorial may be just what you’re looking for.
This extensive guide begins by differentiating Roy and Marth’s movement, showing the fiery swordsman’s superior (non-foxtrot) land speed and less floaty hop. Once movement is out of the way, the team discusses the applications for everything that Roy brings to battle, from tilts to aerials and everything in between. Of course, there’s plenty to be said about how to rack up the damage numbers through various combos as well.
The whole video is set up like a series of cutscenes ripped right out of Fire Emblem, so even if Roy isn’t your boy, you’ll still be entertained.
Since Doctor Doom seems to be the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 equivalent of the Guile theme (read: he goes with everything), it should come as no surprise that the green-garbed Latverian makes a fine partner for Resident Evil’s Jill.
The sheer speed that Jill brings to the table, when paired with Doom’s beam assist, makes for some frustrating mix-up opportunities that can crack even the toughest defenses. If opponents are wise to the left/right mix-up options that the beam assist affords, Jill has plenty of other ways to connect a fist or two. Once she does, she has no trouble setting up a hard tag situation to let Doom come in and run wild with corner loops.
In the video below, Paulow3b demonstrates how to make your Jill and Doom pairing as frustratingly efficient as possible. Have fun!
Ultra Street Fighter IV’s Omega Mode may not be the standard for serious competition, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to switch on edition select every once in a while and see what sort of ridiculous stuff you can pull off.
As an ode to such ridiculousness, JusticeSoulTuna recently compiled a combo video dedicated to the Omega variant of Juri. In the video, which you’ll find embedded below, Juri brings the pain in the form of anti-air fireball confirms, Ultra combos where you would least expect them, and a slew of other absurdities.
By the end of the video, you’ll likely be questioning just what sort of juggle point restrictions Juri has while under the effects of Omega Mode.
We’re fast approaching the first weekend of Rising Thunder’s technical alpha. Testers from around the internet have had a few days to get their bearings with the game’s current cast of six characters, and have produced a number of videos showcasing their findings. Below, we’ve included a handful of combos for each character that should help get you going regardless of who (what?) suits your fancy.
Since Rising Thunder’s design helps ease new players into the world of fighting games, you’ll likely see content from names that you’ve not heard before, but don’t be alarmed.
Up first, Chel, the game’s resident shoto, opens up an opponent with a jump-in and proceeds to dish out just shy of 450 damage through the use of nearly every tool at its disposal, including two air throws. That’s right, two air throws land in the same combo. It looks great.
Crow, at this point, seems to have stolen the show in terms of popularity. Whether it’s the pressure options afforded by its Devil’s Halo, or the mix-up potential that it gains from the Fog of War special, or something else entirely that’s to thank for this popularity stands to be seen.
Just below, you’ll find a combo compilation from Burnout Fighter that pushes this character to the limit time and time again. That said, these options aren’t all practical, but they’re undeniably flashy.
And if those Crow combos weren’t enough, check out this massive corner option provided by AnBi2199. This combo takes full advantage of the game’s juggle mechanics to push damage numbers just over 500. While it does require the availability of an Overdrive and a full stock of Kinetic bar, it’s hard to deny that these resources are well spent in such a scenario.
Next on the list comes Dauntless, the blue bot dedicated to putting opponents away with massive steel fists. As you’ll see in the video below from Jeremy Chandra, this metallic combatant may be the most gentlemanly of the entire crew. Hopefully a flower-based taunt is in its future.
Edge, perhaps the most appropriately named of all the fighters to appear in Rising Thunder, comes in next with footage from HIGH FIVE. This video features a heavy-hitting combo followed by a reset into a second combo to push out alarming damage numbers. Of course, the reset doesn’t guarantee that the follow-up will land, but it does put Edge in an advantageous situation, if nothing else.
The penultimate fighter on the list today is Talos. The game’s grappler does a lot of what you’d expect: tossing opponents around, then scooping them back up before tossing them around some more. As you’ll see in this quick video from Ninja, many of the fighter’s combo options leave it open for big reset opportunities.
And last, but certainly not least, comes Vlad. For reasons that we can’t quite yet ascertain, this rocket bot hasn’t caught the attention of quite so many players as some of its competitors. What it lacks in apparent popularity it makes up for with some of the best (seriously) animations that the game has to offer. Its damage output is nothing to scoff at either.
If you’ve not yet made it into the Rising Thunder technical alpha, be sure to head over to the game’s official site for a chance to participate.
When Little Mac isn’t shopping for pink jumpsuits or using his haymaker to dive over the side of the ring (queue the Enya track) he can likely be found fox trotting and perfect pivoting his way around his opponents to set up some stylish and satisfying kill combos.
In the video below, 4G Gaming discusses the best way to go about securing your own satisfying kills with the green-gloved boxer. Also, and perhaps more importantly, this guide shows aspiring Mac players how to use his movement options to get in and actually get the combos going.
Brant “Pig of the Hut” McCaskill recently released the first video in a three-part series dedicated to Mortal Kombat X’s blind swordsman, Kenshi. As you may expect, each of these videos will highlight one of the fighter’s variants. The first, which you’ll find embedded below, focuses on Possessed.
If you’re not sure which Kenshi variation suits your style, McCaskill starts this video out making a strong argument for picking up Possessed. Once you’ve been thoroughly convinced to try your hand at conjuring red demons to do your bidding, you can expect to pick up pressure options, how to handle the neutral game, the best ways to re-position opponents, how to anti-air and, of course, plenty of combos.
If you’re looking to get into Kenshi, this is definitely one resource that you’ll not want to overlook.
Of all the characters in Ultra Street Fighter IV who spend their time bouncing off walls, teleporting, and generally making themselves a hassle to pin down, Rolento may be the worst. This is due in no small part to his evasive and annoying EX Mekong Delta Attack. Not only does this special spring from an ambiguous situation, but on block it leaves Rolento safe against many attacks.
Balrog in particular finds this attack difficult to stop, but as JavitsArias shows in the video below, a proper read of the incoming roll followed by a backwards jump can leave the boxer at prime distance for a massive punish.
Of course, this sort of punish applies to more characters than just Balrog. Give your own character a try and see what sorts of punishes that you can come up with!
Anyone who tuned in to the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 top eight at this year’s Evo got to see–if they didn’t know already–just how scary Super-Skrull can be in an anchor position. More than once, ApologyMan was able to turn the tides of battle in his favor when Kl’rt was his last hope.
With that in mind, fallb0rn of the Swedish Marvel team The Marvelous Vikings recently put together a combo compilation showcasing the villain when powered up by a level three X-Factor. As you might expect, meter isn’t necessary for Skrull to finish the job once these hits get going, nor is a specific screen position or opening strike required in order to leave Skrull standing above a broken opponent.
If you’re a fan of flashy combos, be sure to check out the video below.
There’s no shortage of information out there surrounding Ultra Street Fighter IV’s fast-talking master of the dive kick, but Julius “King Funk” Vissing–a name that some of our readers may recall from Shoryuken bylines in months past–has put together a handful of videos that cover nuanced areas of Rufus play that will help make him even scarier.
The first offers a look at Rufus’ options for ambiguous dive kicks directly following a successful Ultra 1 against a cornered target. This setup takes into account the timing necessary to allow Rufus to react to the technical message in the event that opponents decide to delay their wake up, while still offering an ambiguous offense to keep the pressure high.
Next, Vissing covers a counter hit setup following a mid screen forward throw that keeps Rufus safe from players who would prefer to mash on their wake up rather than block. If performed correctly, this setup offers a frame trap that works against 3-4 frame options and throws.
And finally, King Funk proposes an optimal way to follow a successful EX Messiah Kick. Typically, players with enough meter will opt for an FADC into Ultra 1 immediately following the Messiah, but Rufus can pile on a little extra damage by adding in a Snake Strike just before the Ultra. The specific version and timing of the Snake Strike that should be used depends entirely on screen location and opponent, but some variant of this option works against the entire cast.
Sheik’s arsenal of mobility and safe attack options in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is hard to top. Thanks to this tutorial on instant needle canceling and c-bouncing from Deku Tree, the gap between Sheik and the other members of the cast may be widening just a bit.
Instant needle canceling allows Sheik to begin a dash, travel the distance that she desires, and stop dead in her tracks. While that alone makes this technique worth picking up, it seems that she can also use it to throw out instant tilts from a dead sprint, opening up easy combo starting options from an approach that previously limited such things. And that’s only the first half of what Deku Tree shares in the video below.
If you’re a Sheik main or spend lots of time defending against her onslaught, be sure to check out this tutorial and see what you can pick up.
