After a whole week of hard work and dozens of revisions I finally completed the first Virtua Fighter planeswalkers. Many thanks go to EliShffrn (from EFnet's #mtgrules) for helping me out with much of the wording of the card text. Click the card to enlarge the image even further if you dare!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 9,300 times in 2010. That’s about 22 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 12 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 58 posts. There were 56 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 4mb. That’s about 1 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was March 25th with 164 views. The most popular post that day was Tech Talk: Former Tekken player Mack on a Long and Stony Journey.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were virtuafighter.com, stumbleupon.com, en.forums.wordpress.com, en.wordpress.com, and neoempire.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for hori ex2 mod, goh notes, virtua fighter 5 characters, gohnotes, and modding hori ex2.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Tech Talk: Former Tekken player Mack on a Long and Stony Journey March 2010
2 comments

Modding the HORI EX2 – with Genuine Arcade Parts December 2008
4 comments

Revisited: Leonard’s VF5 Review April 2009

VF’s Option Select; or A(nother) Shldrm Flow Chart January 2010
6 comments

Guide: Stepping in Virtua Fighter 5 August 2008
3 comments

Grungy Version

As I was not too fond of its pristine look, I’ve made a grungy version of the Kage wallpaper.

You can access the channel through http://www.youtube.com/user/GohNotes or by clicking on the VF-YouTube icon at the top-right side on the Goh Notes homepage.

There are already more than 30 videos on it. So go have a look!

But somehow I can’t get rid of the feeling that it works too well in Virtua Fighter 5, which is heavily strike-oriented. Anyways, taking up ChanChai’s advices I will post the best tools for countering an opponent whose main tactics depends on the low punch.

This article was originally released Dec. 2007.

Source: ChanChai on Low Punch problem (VFDC)

Punishing Low-Punche(r)s

There are several options how to punish players who constantly low punch. It depends on your ability to read moves and act according to it, as well as on your character’s style.

• Block & poke: Block any low punch and poke back right away with elbows, mid or low punch, practically everything that is quick enough and either low, mid, or special high. If your opponent is repeatedly low punching, he will get interrupted unless you poked him with a normal high attack. Note that in VF5 you don’t need to crouch in order to block a low punch but instead you can block it while standing! Close-range pokes to consider:
  • 
  • 
  • 
• Dash back & strike: Let your opponent whiff his low punch(es) and launch a long range attack. However, it is advised to stick to the block & poke tactics (see above). Long-range strikes to consider:
  • 
  • 
  • 
• Evade & counter: If your opponent tends to use one low punch for harassing you and setting up his combos, simply evade his low punch, and strike back.
  • DM >
  • DM >
  • DM >
• Interrupt & launch: If you manage to interrupt the low puncher (can be seen by a yellow flash), then it is possible to do a medium launcher (,, ) if you are certain that your opponent will keep on low punching. However, you have to be quick, and initiate the launcher right after interrupting your opponent.

Example Situation

1. A blocks B’s low punch [Medium advantage: A]
2. A’s second low punch interrupts B’s repeated low punch [Big advantage: A]
3. A does medium launcher attack on B’s other low punch [Launcher beats low punch due to big advantage of A]
4. = A lands a free combo

Five Reasons Why Low-Punching Can Be Bad

1. If your low punch is blocked, a basic poke (low, mid, or special high) will beat your next low punch. For some characters, this basic poke could be a launcher leading to massive damage
2. If you are interrupted but still persist in low punching, the opponent can most likely launch you into a combo and interrupt that second low punch of yours.
3. Even if your low punch hits, the second low punch is just a waste of a decent (but not guaranteed) advantage. You could have done a launcher or a throw or just about anything better, but all you did was put another lowly damaging punch on your opponent.
4. If you are the type of player who keeps low punching, you are also the type of player who will keep getting hit by special highs (especially strings that end with a special high).
5. Low punch is easy to dodge. This isn’t that big of a deal, but it’s still a wasted move, especially if you know your opponent will just go for the dodge.

Sabaki Throw Escapes open up a new defensive strategy that I haven’t talked about here yet. You could call it a passively aggressive technique where a passive situation (you are disadvantaged and, thus, usually forced to defend) can net the defender some serious damage – and turn the tables in a match. It’s also a riskier technique than the standard share of classic defensive methods, such as ETEG, because your immunity to attacks depends on the limitations of the sabaki move’s properties.

The idea

The idea to use sabakis in combination with throw escapes is actually not too far fetched. In previous installments, the technique of Reversal Throw Escaping (RTE) was already well known and efficiently used by some Akira players. Thus, VFers who played characters with reversals could use those to 1. directly reverse a strike attack depending on the hit level of the incoming, and 2. avoid getting thrown. We get a similar effect with sabakis instead of reversals. Sabakis – and I’m especially referring to Goh’s Kumite Harai here – doesn’t depend on guessing the correct hit level so much, as it parries high- and mid-hitting single-handed attacks. With a reversal, you’d have to guess between high, mid, or low.

Goh’s Kumite Harai is a sabaki that parries the following attack types: high punch (HP), high elbow (HE), mid punch (MP), and elbow (EL).

Are Sabaki Throw Escapes (STE) a win/win situation then? Hardly. Everything’s comes at a price in VF5. And the price for using sabakis instead of reversal is that you have to mind-guess the correct attack type. Apart from that, the opponent also has several other options to punish you, including delayed attacks, catch throws, full circulars. Neither RTE nor STE could counter that. But seen in the limitations of the sabakis – and especially Goh’s Kumite Harai here, which will serve us as prime example throughout the article – the technique comes to a justifiable price with a nicely compensating reward.

What is the difference between inashi and sabaki?

Both are moves with deflection properties. But, whereas the inashi only completes its motion when it successfully connects, the sabaki does always animate wholly whether or not the parry is successful.

Before we go into the input details of STE, let me describe an example situation for better illustration.

An example

Here is an exemplary rundown on STE in a nutshell. So simply imagine the following or a similar situation. In hope of netting a counter-hit leading to an easy-damage combo, you’ve pulled off Goh’s powerful knee, but it got blocked. Now, you’re eventually standing there at -9 frames of disadvantage thoroughly sheepishly, knowing that you’re disadvantaged enough for your opponent to start an offense. What you’d be usually doing at that point is to ETEG to at least avoid the heftier damage options your opponent has.

With Sabaki Throw Escapes, though, you can directly interfere with the punishment plans of your opponent. By entering the reversal immediately followed by one or more throw escapes, you 1. retaliate any single-handed high and mid strike attempts (from punches to elbows, so to speak) and 2. avoid getting thrown.

This requires you to correctly mind-guess (Japanese: yomi) the opponent’s punishment actions. Most opponents will probably go for fast hand attacks or throws. There, you’ll be fine. But if they go for a heavy-hitting knee or anything that doesn’t fit into the deflection properties of the sabaki, you’ll be totally wide open to that attack.

Let’s get into the input mechanics now.

Advise: Before you read on, make sure that you’re at least somewhat familiar with the basic concept of defense – like throw escapes and the more advanced ETEG. Also, your execution of those, especially Double Throw Escapes, should be more or less rock solid.

If you lack some knowledge or execution skill there, don’t read on yet, as this more advanced article would only be confusing to you. Rather come back here if you’ve looked into the following guides first: 1. Guide: Evading Throw Escape, 2. Guide: Throw Escaping the Quick Way, 3. Guide: On the Secret Power of Frames.

How to STE with Goh

The VF franchise – especially VF5, but more so VF5:R now – doesn’t emphasize so much on execution skill or theory-book precise inputs anymore. Hence, to the game, it doesn’t matter whether you enter and , or , or any other throw direction to get into the Tsukami Grab follow-up. Using that to our advantage, we can easily combine the Kumite Harai into Tsukami Grab with various throw escapes. Against Akira such a STE sequence could look like this:

1. Akira blocks your Shoulder Ram leaving you at a disadvantage of –9.
2. After a short delay, just in the moment when you would usually initiate the evade for an ETEG, you enter for parrying strikes immediately followed by and to avoid Akira’s most damaging throw options.
3. The result: If Akira throws you, you will escape those throws that you’ve entered the TE for. If he goes for any single-handed high or mid attack instead, the Kumite Harai will parry it and automatically link into the Tsukami Grab, from where you can start with the usual Tsukami follow-ups.

The timing – the when-to – is crucial. The more disadvantaged you are, the harder it is to squeeze in the throw escapes in the small window of frames that is left, and the later you have to enter the STE sequence. Timing wise, it is very similar – if not equal – to performing ETEGs.

Follow-ups

What use is the Tsukami Grab if you don’t know your follow-up options and its potential damage outcome? Little to no use!

Usually it goes that if you make use of the Tsukami Grab throw follow-ups you net way more damage than with releasing the Tsukami Grab (up to 65 dmg!) followed by combo. But let’s start with the latter first.

Once in the Tsukami Grab you can release the opponent with either hitting , , or . Your follow-up options then, that will work against any opposing character, are:

1. > > [43 dmg]: The classic combo that is a bit harder to pull off due to the buffered shoulder ram.
2. [40 dmg]: An easier but slightly less damaging alternative. Connect with / (anti-tech roll trap) if the opponent likes to tech-roll for even more damage (follow-up with a ground throw, down punch, or pounce then).

If you decide to go into the Tsukami Grab instead (and stay there), the following throw directions are the most damaging options:

	65 damage
	65 damage
	65 damage
	60 damage
	60 damage
	60 damage

The throw directions that net you the biggest damage are also the ones that are escaped most easily. Opponents usually spam left or right so that you should vary your Tsukami Grabs. Using is more often so a real alternative, for the opponent would have to escape it with entering , which is rarely ever used or thought of in escape situations; and most people simply don’t know that if they don’t possess deeper Goh-specific knowledge.

You can use (45 dmg), too, for a potential ring-out thread as Goh throws the opponent quite far away (for his throw arsenal). If you decide to just go for up and down single-direction Tsukamis ( / 30 damage each), try a ground throw attempt immediately afterwards. If the opponent is a ground throw escape specialist, use a down punch or, even better, a full pounce attack ().

Training Plan

How do we train STEs efficiently? First of all, we should train it after moves which leave you so considerably disadvantaged that your opponent is more likely to counter with a fast hand attack. Consider moves that leave you at least at –6 frames.

In Dojo Mode set the CPU to Counterattack 5 and the preferred throw directions of the character you are facing. You should train that against all the three throw types characters. For example, at first train against Goh (TE: and ), then Akira ( and ), and finally Kage (, and ).

Also switch sides as well. Being able to perfectly deliver the TE input on the 1P side doesn’t mean that it goes for the 2P one, too.

Oftentimes, my first throw escape input depends on the last move I’ve entered. If it’s Goh’s launcher, for example, my first TE will always be , and then (if I’m up against Goh, Aoi, etc.). For a complete list of similar TE patterns for all VF characters read to this article, that also provides you with graphics charts: Guide: Throw Escapes the Quick Way.

Here’s a small list after which moves it is useful to have a steady STE input ready (ordered by priority; the most important ones [to me] first):

• 
• 
• 
• 
• (opponent has guaranteed standing P punishment here)
• (opponent has guaranteed standing P punishment here)
• 
• 
• …

Down below you’ll find a graphic providing you with a digest of your possible options when defending with Goh Hinogami. Have fun!

Rehashing the data from one of my post Guide: On the Secret Power of Frames, and re-imagining it with new visual means, I have created three new tables showing Goh Hinogami’s advantage or disadvantage after his moves on block.

I, then, divided his moves into the three basic techniques of building up a defense: Fuzzy (Guard), CD-Fuzzy, and ETE(G). This is, by no means, always the optimal way to defend. It pretty much depends on the mind set you are up against, knowing your opponent’s behavior patterns (habits), and seizing your chances there. (For instance, ETE(G) may not always be the best option if your opponent likes catch-throws or full circulars.)

You can print out those tables, and use them as note cards if you want.

Formerly a Tekken player, Mackfactor made the conscious choice to start playing Virtua Fighter—and never looked back since. We have probably never met such an eager learner. How hard the struggle was to get things started and what happened along on his long (and stony) journey can be read in our four-page interview below.

In this interview, the Canadian gets even with some DMers on Xbox Live as well…

Coming from Tekken, what was it like to make the transition to the Virtua Fighter series, and, even more importantly so, why such a big change in the first place?

I think the transition was made easier due to the fact that i had a 3d fighting games background playing Tekken. However, it was still difficult because there was a lot of new things to learn.

I started playing Virtua Fighter, because I was tired of the lag in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection on PlayStation 3 and wanted to try something different. Even though I didn’t play Virtua Fighter, I always admired VF players, because I have seen some VF match videos of Chibita and read some of the strategies guides just to see what the game was about. I thought, Wow, this game has a lot advanced stuff you can do in this game. I figured I rather play an outdated VF5 revision C than play with the lag for Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection.

If you compare the two communities of those two old-established fighting game franchises, Virtua Fighter and Tekken, what comes to your mind? How did you experience your entrance to the VF community, which is quite known for being rather ‘elitist.’

Both communities are great; met some great people in both communities that were helpful and very nice people to talk to.

But one difference I find is that VF players tend to be more technical and precise on their answers like, This is why this move beats out this move; or, These are the properties of sidestepping. Then they go on and make it even more precise by telling me the reason behind it like: “See if you calculate the frames of the moon divided by the X amount of triangles in the continent of Japan, times 6, you will see why Fuzzy Guard works…”

When i ask a Tekken player how sidestep works, I get answers like “It’s about hit-boxes… I just know, I just feel. it takes experience on when to know how to sidestep. Practice makes perfect. Keep trying buddy, and you’ll eventually see how sidestepping works for yourself.” Or, “Better yet, why don’t you keep practicing on your electrics with Kazuya. Spam it out when in doubt.”

I thought the VFDC people [VFDC stands for virtuafighter.com—ed.] were very helpful and provided me with great answers and seemed like nice guys. However, when i first started playing Virtua Fighter I felt that sense of arrogance from certain players, like kick me on the ground or wouldn’t save me as a friend, or wouldn’t reply back when i asked how they did this or that move…

But I think an even worse case was when a Goh Hinogami player kept DM DMing, and that’s the only move that he would use. Wait, I think that was you, Leonard! [Nice, should revive that tactic!—ed.] But, then again, you meet some real nice guys as well, too. I met this one guy named AssassinCP (a great Goh player) over Xbox Live. I was playing Player Match, and all I could hear was “Hello, hello is anybody there?! I would like to show you a couple of things with Goh.”

I was thinking, Who is this babbling idiot who wants to befriend me. Ever since then, we started up Xbox Live party chats with other VF players, and now there are very many VF players all over the world that come and talk over microphone and share their strategies etc. Even new players are coming into the party asking for games and advise or to even hear Kaminari Oyagi (great Sarah player) yell at players. The community feels close as well.

The BradyGames guide is, to-date, still the most accessible Virtua Fighter manual out there. It covers it all: the basics as well as the advanced gameplay mechanics, the character’s weaknesses as well as particular strengths, and even such things as top priority throw escapes and what-not.

While it lacks decent universal combos in the character sections (some of the combos mentioned there are tech-rollable as well), the technical stuff about the game’s core mechanics is an awesome read: comprehensive and comprehensible.

The only thing I’m missing in this guide is a decent coverage of side throws (and escaping them) and stagger recovery. Apart from that, I really like to come back revisit the guide from time to time to refresh my tactical knowledge and digging for new ideas to implement into my game play.

In short: For US$16.99 (official price), this is a real bargain for beginners and intermediates as it holds the information all bundles together in one place, in one book.