Category Archives: Transcripts

SF4 Biweekly TACV 06: Cammy

Despite her devastating Cannon Spike juggles and her wide selection of frame advantaged normals, Cammy has a hard time adjusting to the SF4 combo system. She has no way to combo into lvl2 Focus Attack, and nothing sets up her divekick sequences except EX Cannon Strike or lvl2/lvl3 Focus Attack. Her inability to FADC into anything slower than 3-frame light attacks hurts too. She’s certainly not lacking in the stylish link department though.

Every combo in this video is character-specific, meaning each had to be tested against nearly the entire cast to find one viable dummy candidate. Even within the usual suspects – Seth, Honda, Rufus, Gief, etc. – every character’s ground hitbox has a slightly different shape.

0:11 While it’s impossible to connect two lvl3 Focus Attacks before an opponent falls over, landing a second lvl3 Focus Attack during the airborne part of crumple stun is a useful setup as well. Cammy takes advantage of its extended air reel to juggle meaty HK Spiral Arrow, which allows her to recover in time to connect HK Cannon Spike midscreen then cancel into LK Spin Drive Smasher. Even though the HK version of Spiral Arrow inflicts the least single-hit damage, it’s necessary because it travels the farthest of the three without any additional recovery time. For whatever reason, the HK Cannon Spike only seems to connect midscreen against Zangief, possibly due to his giant falling horizontal hitbox.

0:21 After the lvl2 Focus Attack, it’s important to get a little elevation on EX Cannon Strike for Cammy to land as deep as possible. Her s.MP, c.HP, far s.MP link sequence works on several characters, but HK Spiral Arrow only hits once against everybody except El Fuerte. Obviously landing that first hit is necessary to FADC and continue the combo. The second part is c.LK -> s.LK -> far s.LK, c.MP xx EX Spiral Arrow, which again connects twice. El Fuerte might have the biggest lower body hitbox while standing.

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SF4 Biweekly TACV 05: Rufus / C.Viper

This one wasn’t as much fun as i’d hoped. Either i don’t get these characters at all or it’s no accident that most Rufus and Viper combo vids are nearly identical. Well, here it is, with apologies for the delay.

0:11 The next-to-last hit of Space Opera Symphony sets up its melodramatic finisher by launching the opponent into an abnormally high arc reel. Interrupting it with a Akuma’s LP Zanku Hadoken allows Rufus to juggle with the LK followup to LK Messiah Kick instead, which has surprisingly higher juggle potential than Galactic Tornado.

0:23 The slow, acrobatic Spectacle Romance finisher requires its second punch to cause unbelievably long hit stun. Interrupting it with a projectile like Rose’s LP Soul Spark gives Rufus plenty of time to follow up with lvl3 Focus Attack. MP Spectacle Romance is used because the HP version is too slow to combo from c.LK and the LP version doesn’t have enough range.

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Fun With SF4 vol.1

After two months and five characters’ worth of TACVs, i thought everyone might enjoy something slightly less technical and considerably more accessible. Check back in a fortnight for C.Viper’s turn at the customary TACV treatment.

Until then, enjoy! As always, i hope you see something new.

0:08 His quick dash and fast lvl2 Focus Attack startup make Fei Long one of only three or four characters in the game who can link a dash-canceled lvl3 Focus Attack into a lvl2 Focus Attack before the opponent falls over, without requiring any interrupt setup. Fei’s command grab doesn’t increment the combo counter so the whole sequence only counts as six hits. As someone pointed out, the rest of the combo could have been nicer, but i happen to like fire Rekkas and there’s never a good reason to use them otherwise.

0:15 Cammy’s LK Cannon Spike connects for free after an anti-air lvl3 Focus Attack, then her HK Cannon Spike juggles on its own and her HK super adds one last hit. The trick to this combo is doing the LK Cannon Spike as early as possible so it hits near its peak.

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SF4 Biweekly TACV 04: Dhalsim

Even having recorded more clips for Dhalsim than any previous character, it still feels like i’ve barely scratched the surface. You could give his ultra to Zangief and he’d instantly become a combo monster. I have a feeling we’ll all be finding new Sim combos after every other Street Fighter IV character has been exhausted.

0:11 At maximum counterhit B+HP xx LP Yoga Fire range, the fireball hits late enough to give Dhalsim enough time to recover and link B+MP. Then the LP Yoga Flame xx LP Yoga Inferno cancel is delayed as long as possible in order to allow Balrog to pop up higher, to set up the Yoga Catastrophe at the end. This combo only works on Balrog because he actually rises inbetween Yoga Inferno hits, whereas other characters stay in place. Nothing can be done after the ultra because it only creates a juggle state when it launches a grounded opponent.

0:21 About half the cast can be hit by Dhalsim’s j.D+HP drill as they’re lying on the ground following Focus crumple. I went with Cammy because she’s not a very useful combo dummy otherwise.

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SF4 Biweekly TACV 03: Ken

Get ready for a lot of uppercuts. The third episode features none other than Ken, setting everyone on fire with punches. At first he seemed less exciting than i’d hoped, but in the end it turned out better than i expected. Ken’s combos allow a lot of room for style.

0:11 Sagat’s Focus Attack startup makes him taller, which allows Ken’s EX air Hurricane Kick to connect thrice. His standing jabs create a lot of frame advantage so he actually takes a step forward between each one. Due to the spacing of the last jab, the LP Shoryuken lands meaty which gives Ken enough time to follow up with EX Shoryuken.

0:22 Ken’s F+HK has 2 active frames and normally yields -1 advantage. Seth’s HP Tanden Storm avoids the first active frame in addition to providing a counterhit bonus, both of which are necessary to link c.MK afterwards. Ken’s F+MK has 5 active frames and normally yields +1 advantage, which becomes +5 advantage when it connects on the 5th active frame. Ken has to take a step forward before the c.MK to get four hits out of HK Hurricane Kick. There’s barely enough time to whiff another LP Shoryuken instead of Ken’s F+HK feint before Seth gets up, but it still wouldn’t build enough meter to end the combo with an EX move.

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