Who Should I choose?

Hi guys! I've played VF4 before but I don't own it. I love the game and am going to buy Evo when it comes out. I just want to get ahead of the game and pick a good character for me early so that I can study them to become good. I enjoy playing with characters that are fast but can still knock a guy on his behind with one swift blow. Help would greatly be apreciated /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif Thankx.

 

It depends, if you like Strong but slow characters you should chose Wolf or Jeffry.Jeffry has got tons of throws and headbutts while Wolf has a couple of Wrestling moves(cos he is a pro wrestler)
If you want somebody fast and easy Jacky,Pai or Sarah would be great Sarah and Jacky are brother and sister so they share a lot in common.
Aoi and Lion have good moves (AOI has millions of reversals and lion good throws) but they dont do much damage so damge has to be done in little chunks.The only adwantage they have is being fast.
Shun Di is good fighter but he needs to drink Alcohol to get better moves.
Vanessa and Goh share a bit in common while Vanessas job is Bodyguard Goh is an Assasin they both have lots of reversals and wall moves.I dont recommend this to you because they are just too slow and hard to do for beginners.
Lei and Brad are good as in easy to learn although Lei gets in some stances after doing some moves which become irratating.
Akira is one of the hardest characters to learn and because of his moves(damn his knee kick!) i do not recommend him to you as he is slow and to do some good moves you have to press 50 buttons.
Kage is a ninja so expect some erm... Ninja moves and super cool items.He will become good for you when you get the basics of the game.
And lastly Lau.Pai's father is one of the best for beginners fast easy powerfull moves.Try him.
Thanks. /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

Pai , Jacky and Sarah are probably widely regarded as easy chars to pick up if your new to the game but essentially to play any char to a high standard is a very hard thing to do.
While the move lists may seem staggering at first glance imo every char can be played relatively simply with with a few moves.
Pick some one you like the look of and go for it!

 

First start with:

Class one (beginners)

1. Jacky - strong damage, fast, easy combos, more offensive than defensive

2. Sarah - nice mid range game (kicks), very fast, has an alternate stance, relatively easy combos, more offensive than defensive

3. Lau - simple type combos that can really tack on some heavy damage /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif, very aggressive offense, little defense required

4. Pai - fast, very fast, nice all around striking attack game, and can pay off to "learn VF with," because after while you can explore the higher level of play type moves with her (reversals....etc/ more into that later)

5. LeiFei - It is actually a simple technique to button mash (eh) with Lei, you can start simple patterns that lead into many options with a few simple taps of .

Don't Start with:

Akira - unless you know alot about VF, and have played it in the past, Akira is not suitable for beginers who do not want to get discouraged from VF. His moves are easily some of the hardest in fighting game history, and take lots of practice and experience to perform.

Goh - Goh is clearly not meant for starting out players, and as such should be played with once you have a decent amount of time into the game, and understand the basics and then some.

Wolf/Jeffrey - These are two of the hardest characters to consistently win with in VF (other than Brad... /versus/images/graemlins/smirk.gif), they both require large knowledge of all other VF characters, and take sharp reflexes and quick thinking. You need to know the entire "throw/smash/lift game" of VF in order to get good with these characters. And most of all, you need a rock solid defense!

Taka - you can't play as Taka because he is not in VF4 /versus/images/graemlins/mad.gif.

 

Ignore everyone else, from your description:

I enjoy playing with characters that are fast but can still knock a guy on his behind with one swift blow.

You're talking about Akira. You like the "BAM!" type characters. He's got about a dozen attacks that knock down and a few of them (the double palm, the standing palm, and the super dashing elbow) are faster than almost any other knockdown moves in the game. The double palm is as fast as most character's basic jabs (which are the fastest strikes in your arsenal).

Everyone will tell you that akira is not a beginner's character... but fuck it, everyone tries out akira eventually because the official cool character. He's also good... so if you really devote to playing him you won't lose too much against players at the same level as you.

 

Yes,but he is so damn hard for beginners! Just go onto this sites move list!!!
/versus/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

Akiras, not that hard for beginners in my opinion. People might complain about moves list, but SPOD and DLC is not necessary for victory. Sure they add a lot of flair to akira, but how much do you actually see it performed as a neccessity to akira even in japan video play. A simple +,,+, should suffice for beginners. If you put the time and effort into things, easily within a month, akiras moves will become more of a reflex than a chore. Just practice regularly, dont get frustrated if it doesnt work, within due time your hands will learn the motion naturally on their own.

That may sound weird, but after doing some kage TFT combos, and leifei dancing, its my only viable explanation.

 

I agree with phoenix and creed, if you want to put the time into playing VF, it's not a bad idea to start with Akira. Although the only thing I would add to their comments is that don't ignore the basics. Akira is fast and strong, but you should still take the time to learn how to evade, throw escape, etc.
/versus/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

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Srider said:

I agree with phoenix and creed, if you want to put the time into playing VF, it's not a bad idea to start with Akira. Although the only thing I would add to their comments is that don't ignore the basics. Akira is fast and strong, but you should still take the time to learn how to evade, throw escape, etc.
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Yes, but it is far easier to learn these things (and apply them during matches) while playing as any character except for Akira (and Brad/Goh). With Akira you are going to have to worry about many more things, and also have to perform his various and difficult commands. There is a GOOD REASON that Sega puts "Akira should be the last character you choose," and "Akira requires much time spent in training mode." He is not a 'beginner' type character, and as such shouldn't be played as first imo.

 

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With Akira you are going to have to worry about many more things

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what are these things you have to worry about that you dont with any other character.

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and also have to perform his various and difficult commands.

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Have you not read my post. Akira has a plethora of moves, that difficult inputs are not needed. His side step attack, +, various elbows, and that simple shoulder combo i posted earlier are very strong. The time spent learning combos for other characters can easily translate into learning akira double palms, which is one of the best moves in the game. It is how you invest your time. Akira has different priorities than other characters to learn first, and it is the combos wins games mentality thats messing you up. VF is a thinking mans game. on that note. . .

You keep stating goh is a hard character to learn. Goh is strictly fundamentals, If you have solid fundamental knowledge, it is easy to adapt to goh quickly because his payouts are big. Please learn the essense of the game before you keep spamming consistently to what you believe is true.

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There is a GOOD REASON that Sega puts "Akira should be the last character you choose

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where does sega say that . . .

 

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PhoenixDth said:

where does sega say that . .

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It says that in all of the VF4 (non Evo) manuals.


Even if Goh is based off of knowing the fundamentals, than you not learn the fundamentals with him.

There are many threads that have tons of people saying that Jacky/Sarah/Pai/Lau are the only characters you should really start out as. From what the topic creator posted, it sounded like (imo) that he wanted a Jacky/Lau type of character. That was not only fast, but could break out large damage moves with little effort.

I don't think that I have met a single player that has played as Akira first, and played consistently well with him (assuming they don't get turned off by VF from trying Akira) as opposed to picking up another character first, or playing Akira as a later character.

 

this has been hashed before, but what the hell.

The idea that akira is hard for beginners to learn and for experts only is a myth. I dunno where you got "Akira should be the last character you choose," and "Akira requires much time spent in training mode." but even if it's an official company line from sega, it doesn't surprise me that they promote the idea.

I have matches (recent matches, against good opponents) where the best akira players in japan get all of their damage from easy stuff like f,f,f+P --> f,f+K,K and shrm, P, P, DJK combos. You do NOT need to be able to do spod, DLC, or m-dbpm to play and win with akira. If you can press forward two or three times on the stick and then press a button, you can play akira... provided you have all the other basic skills you use with any other character in the game (defense, throws, punch/low punch, etc).

 

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CreeD said:

this has been hashed before, but what the hell.

The idea that akira is hard for beginners to learn and for experts only is a myth. I dunno where you got "Akira should be the last character you choose," and "Akira requires much time spent in training mode." but even if it's an official company line from sega, it doesn't surprise me that they promote the idea.

I have matches (recent matches, against good opponents) where the best akira players in japan get all of their damage from easy stuff like f,f,f+P --> f,f+K,K and shrm, P, P, DJK combos. You do NOT need to be able to do spod, DLC, or m-dbpm to play and win with akira. If you can press forward two or three times on the stick and then press a button, you can play akira... provided you have all the other basic skills you use with any other character in the game (defense, throws, punch/low punch, etc).



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No way do the best Akira players get there wins from elbow spamming and all that nonsense. If you take a look at any of Mukki, Homestay, Ohsu, Minami, and all the other high level Akira players. They all use the SpoD, DLC, Yoho, and dodge body checks, etc. to win matches.

Rarely will you see any of them repeatedly use the f,f,f+p combo more than twice a round, sometimes not even once.

Of course you don't "need" all of Akira's moves to win as him, but if you can win alot more IF you know all of his moves as opposed to not knowing them.

If you have a guarenteed SpoD or need to follow up a shrm with a DLC for a nice wall combo, you should probably know how to do them, rather than taking lower damage combos as an alternative.

You don't need to be an expert to play as Akira, but if you plan on getting remotely good as him, you are definately going to want to be able to consistently perform all of his moves, inluding the DLC/SpoD.

 

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It says that in all of the VF4 (non Evo) manuals.

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The manuals also claims that shun fake drinks so he gets stronger !!

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Even if Goh is based off of knowing the fundamentals, than you not learn the fundamentals with him.


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wtf does that mean. Either way, everyone needs to learn fundamentals regardless who you play.

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There are many threads that have tons of people saying that Jacky/Sarah/Pai/Lau are the only characters you should really start out as.

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As I said before, its because everyone has it ingrained in their mind that combos are the instant key to victory. Fundamentals > combo memorization every time.

 

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PhoenixDth said:

As I said before, its because everyone has it ingrained in their mind that combos are the instant key to victory. Fundamentals > combo memorization every time.


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Ok, but the problem is that Akira is such a combo heavy character at high levels of play, that you need to be able to perform them with relative ease without hesitation, if you plan on winning at the higher levels of VF.



PS: The (American) manual of VF4, and soon to be Evolution has tons of stupid crap from Sega, but hey! What can you do /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif?

 

By the time you reach "high level of play" you should be able to string all the moves you have learned individually together. As i said before the time people learn combos, you can learn the double palm. The winner of kakuto shinseiki 2 basically said "I won because of double palm", and the videos shows that to be true.

 

No way Minami won "because of the dblplm," he used f,f+p counter hit, df+p+p throw alot, f,f,f+p (counter), the dodge body check, evades, b,df+p to good use, DLC, single palm (with p follow up), and of course the dblplm.

After he won the finals he had a rematch with Chibita, and look what the dblplm did there.....

 

The translated post interview after the final, Minami literally said i won because of double palm. Because in theory with his crazy dashing skills that night, He had a double palm that covered half the arena. With execution as fast as a jab, it sets up a strong mental game against other people, making people hesitant to enter anywhere on minamis half of the ring.

 

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PhoenixDth said:

He had a double palm that covered half the arena

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I don't get what you mean by "covered half the arena."

 

have you not watched the videos. Minamis crouchdashing took him in and out of areas really quicky, add on top of that the range of the double palm, and virtually you get a double palm that can cover half the screen.