The Moves

After an insightful, well thought out entry by Catarina, or two, or six, I feel somewhat compelled to answer back with an update of my own. Of course, after I post my reprisal, I tend to feel guilty for pushing her oft superior post lower down the hypertext totem pole. But alas, such is the nature of the tubes.

Whereas Big Sis Prinny has been covering the cutting edge, I have been haunted by the ghost of fighting games past. Guilty Gear X2: The Midnight Carnival #Reload, to be specific. I remember SRK calling it the best two dimensional fighting game I wasn't playing. They were, of course, correct on both counts.

I am stumbling into the game way late, natch. XX Slash and XX ^Core have made much of what I am learning obsolete. I managed to beat Boss I-No on Maniac level difficulty, yet I still have zero skill with Roman Cancels (false or otherwise) and Bursts. I can't even nail down Sol Badguy's infamous Dust Loop. I wanted to perhaps focus on this Dust Loop trap, or perhaps the Immoral Flame's Dragon Install. Unfortunately I don't have the background in the series to share with you the quintessential technique; the one move that could sum up the hyperactive anime-heavy metal amalgam so rife with delicate balance and rich intricacy that hangs like a succulent forbidden fruit before a starved fighting gamer's eyes.

But, hell, let's look at the signature techniques of a few competitive fighting series. Maybe we'll learn something.

The Shoryuken

A lot of moves come to mind in the extensive Street Fighter universe. Chun Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku is one of the most recognizable, along with Zangief's Spinning Piledriver, Blanka's Electricity, and Vega's Psycho Crusher. But what is the signature move of Street Fighter? The Hadouken comes in a close second, but hardcore fans know the answer: The Shoryuken.

Yes, the Hadouken (Surge Fist) is a very popular choice, but I'm afraid in the competitive world of Street Fighter, the Shoryuken (Rising Dragon Fist, or Dragon Uppercut) is the Jupiter of special moves. When to execute and when not to execute the Shoryuken is the hallmark of an Ansatsuken expert. In its initial animation frames it is invincible (or nigh invincible in later incarnations) yet if missed it leaves the player completely vulnerable as they slowly descend. It was the very first anti-air move, predating the far slower, and lower priority Flash Kick. And we all know how integral jump-in attacks were in an environment before dashes.

(Sidenote: In recent SF2 matches against Legoman, I often find myself trying to dash in on him, to no avail.)

Even the command input, forward, down, down-forward plus punch, is simply known as the Dragon Punch, or "DP" in popular notation for all fighting games.

Flight

I originally was writing this as Cable's Air Hyper Viper Beam, but after reviewing the competitive criteria of the Shoryuken vs. Hadouken decision, I'd have to say the most important special move from the Marvel Vs. games is Flight. Why? Three reasons: Magneto, Storm, and Sentinel. These three are featured so prominently in high level play because of their ability to control the screen while staying out of harm's way. The typical championship team consists of two out of the three and someone with a particularly effective Anti-Air Assist, like Cyke or Cammy. Hell, seeing just those three isn't uncommon either.

I know Flight wasn't really the essence of the entire series, but with the constantly shifting rosters of the Vs. series, few moves showed up every time, except for Wolvie's Berserker Barrage or the beam-style Shinku Hadouken. (Again with the Hadouken! Christ, Killa, give it a rest...) Without a doubt, Flight is an invaluable part of the expert's arsenal. If I had to go with an offensive move, it may still have to be Sentinel's Rocket Punch over Cable's AHVB, due to Cable's absence from most high tier teams.

The Mishima Crouch Dash

"Another non-attack?" I know. But the Mishimas and the Crouch Dash are so crucial to Tekken that it could not be avoided. I should say that the Crouch Dash (1) has the same input as the Shoryuken motion, except for Kazuya's abbreviated version; (2) ducks under high attacks; (3) parries low attacks in some instances; (4) can be linked with more Crouch Dashes for a Wavedash; (5) precedes the Hellsweep; (6) precedes the Wind God Fist, and the Electric Wind Godfist; (6) precedes the Hell's Gate.

A lot of those points are Mishima specific, although other characters have the maneuver. Armor King, for instance, can Crouch Dash into his Double Upper (his own version of the Wind God Fist) or his unique Dashing Clothesline. It is hard to argue that the King of Iron Fist tournament does not center around the Mishimas, and the fact that Heihachi, Kazuya, Jin, and, later, Devil Jin's high level play neccesitates mastery of the Crouch Dash and its inherent variability makes the choice pretty easy. But again, like Flight, it is an evasive maneuver first. For an attack, the Electric Wind God Fist seems like a solid choice.

I'm sorry; I know I've glossed over two decades of fighting games. No Soul Caliber Guard Impacts, no Fatal Fury Deadly Raves, no Smash Brothers Meteor Smashes. No Mortal Kombat nothing... To compensate I'll leave you with a fortune cookie from Master Tzu that should help you digest the significance of my selections.

"Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack."

-- Sun Tzu, /The Art of War/