Given its historical significance within the fighting game genre, it's only appropriate to begin with the Street Fighter II series.
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The first is a particularly cool still from the HSF2 intro, normally only displayed for four frames, which means most people don't know it exists. The second is kind of a Yin-Yang concept with SF2CE Shotos. Originally considered putting it on Chun Li's stage but the colors didn't gel. // 08.31.2008
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How about some impossible Air Force acrobatics?
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The first is SF2HF Guile's j.HK against Guile's F+HK upside-down kick. The second is SSF2T T.Hawk's Double Typhoon superfreeze catching O.Guile's F+HK upside-down kick at max range. // 10.13.2008
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Couple of ghetto pictures of Chun representing her people's gymnastics dominance ...
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The first is SF2WW Chun Li doing HK Spinning Bird Kick to match Ryu's wakeup animation. The second is SSF2T Chun Li j.D+MK stomping on top of Ken's handstand. // 09.02.2008
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Elemental damage!
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The first is SSF2 Dhalsim's HP Yoga Fire trading with Bison's HP Psycho Crusher, lighting both characters on fire. This happens in real matches sometimes and i always thought it looked cool, especially when it occurs at the end of a round. The second is SSF2 Dhalsim's LP Yoga Fire trading with Blanka's Electricity, during which he's considered crouching apparently. // 09.02.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 1!
(Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo)
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The first is SSF2T Fei Long's Rekka Shin Ken against Balrog's Crazy Buffalo. The second is SSF2T Cammy's Spin Drive Smasher having passed under the Tiger Knee component of Sagat's Tiger Genocide. // 09.25.2008
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We conclude this SF2 series presentation with a pair of Super Combo Finishes:
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The first is the Tiger Uppercut component of SSF2T Sagat's Tiger Genocide hitting Dhalsim out of a jump. The second is SSF2T Bison's Knee Press Nightmare killing Cammy after time runs out. Both screenshots are taken on the frame after the super explosion ends and the stage background (partially) reappears. // 09.04.2008
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Does anyone remember that scene in Toy Story where Buzz shows everyone he can fly and Woody calls it "falling with style"?
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The first is SF2WW Honda jumping over Zangief and whiffing j.MK, while Gief whiffs j.D+HP after jumping under Honda. The second is COTA Sentinel's sj.D+HP alongside Colossus' j.HP recovery, while some rampaging robot punches through a building in the background. // 09.05.2008
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Colossus and Hulk take to the skies for minion hunting!
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The first is COTA Colossus' Super Dive heading straight for Sentinel's MK Drones. The second is MSH Hulk's Gamma Crush squishing Blackheart's j.HP demons (except Gamma Crush only has one hit so the others are safe) while Blackheart starts up his Inferno special. The second one looks better because of the demon squish animation, whereas hitting Sentinel's drones doesn't even create a hit spark. // 09.05.2008
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Given sufficient meter, Cyclops can stage quite the light show with a little fancy aiming.
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The first is COTA Cyclops' Mega Optic Blast against Cyclops' air Super Optic Blast. The second is MSF Cyclops' Super Optic Blast against Cyclops' air Super Optic Blast. Interceptable beam supers are incredibly uncommon in the Marvel series. Usually opposing beams ignore each other outright, the characters trade (several) hits, and then both beams disappear. // 09.14.2008
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On the flipside, Cyclops is the biggest overactor ever to appear in a Capcom game.
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The first is MSF Cyclops' Mega Optic Blast opposite Cyclops' Super Optic Blast - both are startup frames which depict him expending an absurd amount of effort to open a tiny little visor. How much exertion does that actually require? In fact all Cyclops ever has to do in combat is push a little button to open his visor, then look directly at stuff that needs to be shot. Yet somehow he always tries to pose like he's pulling off the most intense martial arts maneuvers ever. When he runs out of those moves, he steals from Elvis. The second is a recovery frame from MSF Cyclops' F+HK throw. Even Peter Parker is alarmed. // 09.15.2008
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And now, a public service announcement:
Staying Safe in the Marvel Universe: Lesson 1: Kill It with Fire!
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The first is MSF Dhalsim's air Yoga Inferno against Blackheart and Shuma Gorath's Variable Combination initiated with Blackheart's air Judgment Day via the CYODS glitch, explained in NKI's Tutorial 001 (works the same way in MSF as in XSF). The second is MvC Captain Commando's HP air Captain Fire and transformed Mega Zangief's HP Vodka Fire during Variable Cross against Red Venom and Venom's Variable Combination. // 09.13.2008
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Blackheart can help anyone look cooler ... for a price. (The recipient of Blackheart's generosity tends to get hit in the process.)
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The first is MSF Ryu's Shin Shoryuken against Blackheart's LP lightning Inferno and the second is MSF Ken's Shinryuken against Blackheart's MP cold Inferno. // 09.14.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 2!
(X-Men: Children of the Atom)
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The first is COTA Silver Samurai's Raimeiken against Storm's Lightning Storm, both of which generate hit boxes in random patterns, so it's possible to get lucky for a little while. The second is COTA Iceman's air Arctic Attack against Cyclops' air Super Optic Blast, which also collide unpredictably due to the randomness of Iceman's projectiles. Both took a couple dozen tries before i was satisfied with the results, but i think they turned out quite nicely. // 09.07.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 3!
(Marvel Super Heroes)
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The first is MSH Captain America's HP Stars & Stripes (with Power Gem in effect) against Magneto's Magnetic Shockwave (with Space Gem in effect). The second is MSH Psylocke's Psi-Thrust (with Power Gem in effect) against Juggernaut's HK air Juggernaut Splash (with Space Gem in effect). Unfortunately, i couldn't get rid of the ugly wall of text because Psylocke's clones disappear on the first frame after her Gem meter runs out. // 09.08.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 4!
(X-Men versus Street Fighter)
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The first is XSF Gambit's Royal Flush against Sabretooth's Heavy Armed Birdie, which looks somewhat better in motion. The second is XSF Ryu and Ken's Variable Combination against Akuma's Tenma Gou Zankuu. // 09.09.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 5!
(Marvel Super Heroes versus Street Fighter)
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The first is MSF Captain America's Hyper Charging Star against Chun Li and Evil Sakura's Variable Combination. Just before the shot, Cap had called out US Agent assist who got swept by Chun Li, so he's making his exit. The second is MSF Spider-Man's Maximum Spider beating up on Ken assist while Armor Spider-Man whiffs another Maximum Spider. Took forever to get this shot the way i wanted it. // 09.10.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 6!
(Marvel versus Capcom)
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The first is MvC Jin's Blodia Vulcan with Thor assist against War Machine and Morrigan's Variable Combination. The second is MvC Lilith's Brilliant Shower and Gambit's Cajun Explosion during Variable Cross against Shadow Lady's Galaxy Missile and Strider's Legion during Variable Cross. // 09.11.2008
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Wrapping up the Marvel series presentation, here is a collection of eerie (not really) mysterious (not really) silhouettes.
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The first is COTA Iceman's j.HP (with Ice Fist in effect) opposite Spiral's Metamorphosis (with Dancing Swords in effect). Iceman turns white for one or two frames every second or so, due to his natural glimmer cycle. Spiral flickers black and white while initiating her super, and the extra pair of sword sets were thrown as downward projectiles from high above after the previous glass floor broke. The second is MSF Dan's HP Kouryuken, which flickers white at startup every fourth iteration, opposite Armor Spider-Man's s.HP, colorless because his super armor absorbed Dan's s.LP right before the screenshot. // 09.15.2008
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Ladies (humor me) and gentlemen, without further ado, the Street Fighter Alpha series.
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The first is MvC Megaman's air Hyper Megaman start against Roll's air Hyper Roll startup. The second is SFA3 V-Rose tech flipping while X-Dhalsim Teleports. One of Dhalsim's fire attacks could've been used to knock Rose down, which would superimpose flames over Rose's silhouette, but that didn't look very good. // 09.15.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 7!
(Street Fighter Alpha)
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The first is SFA Ryu's lvl3 Shinkuu Hadoken trading hits with Sagat's lvl3 Tiger Raid. The second is SFA Sodom's lvl3 Mega Power Bomb against Birdie's lvl3 Bull Revenger (punch version). // 09.16.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 8!
(Street Fighter Alpha 2)
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The first is SFA2 Chun Li's lvl3 Kikosho against Sakura's lvl3 Shinkuu Hadoken, which gets completely obliterated almost instantly upon contact. The second is SFA2 Adon's lvl3 Jaguar Revolver against Rolento's lvl3 Mine Sweeper. // 09.17.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 9!
(Street Fighter Alpha 3)
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The first is SFA3 A-Blanka's lvl3 Tropical Hazard against A-Honda's lvl3 Fuji Oroshi. The second is SFA3 A-Vega's lvl3 Rolling Barcelona Attack soaring above X-Juni's lvl3 Psycho Streak. // 09.17.2008
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What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Street Fighter Alpha? Alpha Counters!
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The first is SFA Akuma's Alpha Counter triggered by Charlie's LP Sonic Boom opposite Charlie's Alpha Counter triggered by Akuma's LP Zankuu Hadoken. The second is SFA2 Rose's punch Alpha Counter triggered by Sagat's LK Ground Tiger Shot opposite Sagat's kick Alpha Counter triggered by his own LP Tiger Shot returned by Rose's MP Soul Reflect. // 09.20.2008
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What's the other first thing that comes to mind when you think of SFA? Damage!
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The first is SFA Rose's lvl3 Aura Soul Spark reflecting Ryu's lvl3 Shinkuu Hadoken. The second is SFA Dramatic Battle mode Bison's s.MK xx lvl1 Psycho Crusher killing both Ryu and Ken. The super meters are gone because the super KO explosion is about to happen. It would have looked cooler if i could get Bison to do lvl3 Psycho Crusher, but for some reason Dramatic Battle Bison is helluva stingy with meter. // 09.21.2008
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What's the third (and most likely) first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Alpha series? Custom Combos!
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The first is SFA2 Sagat mashing on LK Ground Tiger Shot in CC against another Sagat mashing on LP Tiger Shot in CC. The second is SFA2 Akuma mashing on LP Zankuu Hadoken in CC against Charlie mashing on LP Sonic Boom in CC. Akuma reached that height via vertical jumping LK air Hurricane Kick, which was canceled into HP air FB in CC. That first air fireball touches the ground too soon so it's not pictured. // 09.21.2008
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Speaking of Customs, shadows are tight.
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The first is SFA2 Evil Ryu's Teleport opposite Akuma's Teleport. The second is SFA3 V-Adon's HK Jaguar Tooth in VC1 against A-Gen's lvl3 Kouga. // 09.22.2008
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Motion blur was rarely used prior to SFA3 sprites, with the exception of SSF2 Cammy who started it all.
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The first is SFA3 X-Cammy's j.LK against V-Charlie's Dash Knee Bazooka. The second is SFA3 A-Karin's LK Mujin Kyaku against X-Vega's F+HK. // 09.23.2008
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Next up ... the Street Fighter EX series!
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Taken from the SFEX2+ intro, right after the "Insert Coin" text disappears but before the title logo materializes. // 09.27.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 10!
(Street Fighter EX)
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The first is SFEX Guile's Opening Gambit against Guile's Double Somersault Kick. I'm not sure whether ground shadows are supposed to look so ghetto or if that's one of the game's many graphical emulation problems. The second is a post-KO replay of SFEX Ken's Shinryuken against D.Dark's KILL Trump. // 09.28.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 11!
(Street Fighter EX Plus)
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The first is SFEX+ Blair's Spin Side Shoot against Pullum's air Praec Larm, forming a perfect legtangle. The second is a post-KO replay of SFEX+ B.Ryu's Shinkuu Hadoken against Akuma's Tenma Gou Zankuu. I like the way their collected energy travels gradually with their hand movements, which is something that 2D games always neglect to animate. // 09.29.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 12!
(Street Fighter EX2)
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The first is SFEX2 Skullo's Skullo Energy against Shadow's Death Energy. The second is a post-KO replay of SFEX2 Vega's Sky High Illusion flying over Blanka's fully charged Ground Shave Rolling. Again, i'm unsure if Blanka's sparks are supposed to look that way or if it's simply a case of poor graphical emulation. // 09.29.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 13!
(Street Fighter EX2 Plus)
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The first is SFEX2+ Dhalsim's lvl3 Yoga Inferno against Bison's lvl3 Psycho Break Smasher. The second is a post-KO replay of SFEX2+ Guile's lvl3 Sonic Boom Typhoon against Chun Li's lvl3 Shin Kikosho. It's like you're right there! // 09.30.2008
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Epic Super Clash: Episode 14!
(SVC Chaos: SNK vs Capcom)
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The first is SvCC Guile's Sonic Hurricane against Terry's Double Geyser. The second is SvCC Goenitz's Fuujin Ibuki against Demitri's Demon Flare. Although the Fuujin Ibuki is a rush super, the second hit often whiffs when the first hit connects against an extended limb. As long as the fifth hit doesn't whiff, Goenitz goes on to create both tornadoes. Blocking the fifth hit gives Demitri plenty of time to jump away before the first tornado appears. // 10.22.2008
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Weapons are for wussbags!
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The first is SvCC Ryo's Tenchi Haoken smacking the hell out of Vega's s.HP iron claw, instantly dizzying him. The second is SvCC Balrog's Ultimate Wild Smash punching the daylights out of Genjuro's s.LK katana. The reason Genjuro's name is dim is because it's blinking from just having lost over half his lifebar. // 10.22.2008
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Simultaneous Superfreeze: Case 1!
(Street Fighter Alpha series)
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The first is SFA Rose's lvl3 Aura Soul Throw against Akuma's lvl3 Messatsu Gouhadou. The second is SFA2 Charlie activating air Custom Combo against Gen activating Custom Combo. SFA3 doesn't allow simultaneous superfreezing, forcing characters to take turns (in randomized order) instead. // 09.24.2008
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Simultaneous Superfreeze: Case 2!
(Capcom's Marvel series)
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The first is MSH Dr.Doom's air Photon Array against Magneto's air Magnetic Tempest. COTA and MSH are the only two CPS2 Marvel series games which permit simultaneous supers, but of course superfreeze is completely absent from COTA. The second is MvC Morrigan's Silhouette Blade and Lilith's Splendor Love during Variable Cross against Morrigan's lvl3 Eternal Slumber. MvC normally prohibits simultaneous supering, but super moves bypass superfreeze entirely while Variable Cross (aka Duo Team Attack) is active. Thus i was able to capture all three characters' superfreeze frames in unison, but the only actual superfreeze pictured above belongs to 2P Morrigan. // 09.24.2008
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Simultaneous Superfreeze: Case 3!
(Street Fighter EX series)
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The first is SFEX C.Jack's Home Run Hero against Zangief's Super Stomping. The second is SFEX2+ Sharon's lvl3 Assault Rifle against Hokuto's lvl3 Shirase Gatana. All four SFEX arcade titles permit simultaneous superfreezing, and it's a good bet that all console versions follow suit. // 09.30.2008
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Partners unite like never before
Unleash the ultimate attack!
Combine forces with the Duo Team Attack!
(insert 2 coins)
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The first is SF2CE Ryu's vertical j.MK over Guile's F+MK knee. The second is SSF2 Vega's LP Claw Thrust over Bison's HP Psycho Crusher. In both instances the stage is scrolled all the way to the corners, but there's still a distracting amount of overlap. It's interesting to see the effects of parallax scrolling on various background and foreground elements. // 10.11.2008
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Couple of inverted attack pairs - nothing crazy, but i thought they looked cool.
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The first is SFA3 A-Juli's lvl3 Spin Drive Smasher under V-Juni's HK air Spiral Arrow in VC1. The second is SSF2T Dhalsim's j.D+HP drill times two, half rotation out of phase. // 10.15.2008
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"My strength is much greater than yours."
(my little tribute to Zangief)
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The first is MvC Zangief's HK Flying Powerbomb (in Iron Body form) chasing down Megaman through (2P color) Thor assist and Megaman's Charge Shot. The second is SFA3 A-Balrog's lvl3 Gigaton Blow about to be grabbed by X-Zangief's lvl3 Final Atomic Buster. Both titles were released in the same year, and turns out Capcom actually used the same exact lightning bolt animation in these two backgrounds. // 09.26.2008
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Wouldn't be Marvel without a billion characters on the screen ...
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The first is a pair of MvC Lilith/Morrigan teams Taunting during Variable Cross, as the timers expire and the ugly flashy background overlay disappears. The second is MvC Captain Commando and Red Venom winning by Timeout over Spider-Man and Chun Li, with both teams engaged in Variable Cross as time ran out. For whatever reason, lifebars and superbars disappeared on the frame before the victory screen emerged. // 09.27.2008
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And now for something different ...
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"Because bears can be mean, but frogs are always cool." - Mitch Hedberg
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The first is SNES Brutal: Paws of Fury. Ivan the Bear is recovering from dizzy animation after having killed Foxy Roxy. The second is SNES Killer Instinct. Orchid's Danger Move turned Jago into a frog, but she spared him from the gruesome follow-up and now they're posing together in front of a vintage convertible. // 10.01.2008
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The craziest thing about ... SF2 World Warrior:
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The game totally panics when it has to arbitrate ties. You can get all the way up to ten rounds, which is called "F.Round" so the ninth is pictured instead. Both players lose when the final round ends in a draw, and one of two things takes place. If one player had entered the game before the other, then the 1P portrait is displayed on the continue screen with two countdowns in the top corners. If both players had entered the game at the same time, then the continue screen is replaced by an instant "Game Over" screen, as pictured above. By the way, Chun Li is always dressed in bright orange in her SF2WW portrait, although it's slightly dimmed in the screenshot because portraits start graying out before the "Game Over" sign appears. // 10.23.2008
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The craziest thing about ... Super Street Fighter 2:
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For the first time since their introduction nearly three years prior, the four Shadowlaw bosses finally received new animations! Many mainstream video game magazines made a huge deal about it, reporting pointless cosmetic changes such as Guile's recolored Sonic Boom and Sagat's updated Tiger Knee. Not gonna lie; it was exciting. The first is SSF2 Balrog's vertical j.HP startup against Vega's s.MK startup. The second is SSF2 Sagat's vertical j.LK against Bison's HP Devil Reverse, which then lost this particular frame of animation during the transition into SSF2T. // 12.29.2008
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The craziest thing about ... Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo:
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One of the most famous TZW glitches involves crossing up Super Turbo Zangief as he attempts a Final Atomic Buster. With proper timing, it's possible to cause Zangief to whiff the otherwise guaranteed 720, then interrupt him during startup, and retain super move shadows for as long as neutral states can be avoided. The first is SSF2T Bison's HP Psycho Crusher with trailing super shadows escaping Zangief's HP Banishing Flat and the second is SSF2T Fei Long's HK Shien Kyaku with shadows - both performed under the influence of ST Zangief's backwards/missed FAB glitch. // 09.03.2008
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The craziest thing about ... X-Men Children of the Atom:
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Escaping throws costs meter in COTA, but some characters' throw escapes are actually attacks that cause damage - namely Colossus, Iceman, Psylocke, and Sentinel. In turn, these throw reversals can be escaped and reversed as well. In fact, if two characters chosen from the list above have maxed out meter, one throw can be followed by four reversals, ending with a 3-hit combo message on one side and a 2-hit combo message on the other. The first scenario above is simply COTA Iceman's F+HP throw reversal in response to Omega Red's F+HP air throw, with Omega Red beginning to freeze even before Iceman grabs him. Check out the frozen footprint on the floor, left behind by Iceman taking a step forward. The second is COTA Psylocke's F+HP throw reversal in response to Storm's superjumping F+HP air throw, with her tornado dissipating harmlessly. // 10.28.2008
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The craziest thing about ... X-Men versus Street Fighter:
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XSF Rogue's Power Drain special allows her to steal one special move from each of the other sixteen characters. A handful of exceptions aside, every one of these moves comes with a different animation. How many 2D sprite-based fighting game characters do you know with access to over fifteen unique special moves? MvC2 is the only other game where Rogue is a playable character, but that version of her Power Drain only grants her status boosts instead of additional moves. The first scenario above is XSF Rogue's HK Stolen Power (from Charlie) against Charlie's Sonic Break. The second is XSF Rogue's LK Stolen Power (from Zangief) against Juggernaut. // 11.16.2008
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The craziest thing about ... Street Fighter Alpha 3:
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Super shadows ignore superfreeze in most Capcom games, continuing to animate without pause. Normally this has no tangible effect on gameplay, but SFA3 Variable Combo shadows aren't your typical harmless decorations. They're capable of delivering attacks as well as creating projectiles. The first scenario is SFA3 A-Cody's lvl3 Dead End Irony superfreeze being used to narrow the interval between V-Rolento's HK Stinger and its VC2 duplicate. The second is SFA3 A-Birdie's lvl3 HP Bull Revenger (punch version) superfreeze closing the gap between V-Sakura's HP Hadoken and its VC2 replica. In both cases, one of the projectiles is an original and the other two are generated by VC shadows. Of course the first original had to be disposed of; otherwise Rolento and Sakura wouldn't be allowed to create another projectile. Luckily, VC shadows aren't subject to this regulation. // 11.22.2008
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The craziest thing about ... Super Gem Fighter Mini-Mix:
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Every character in GF has unique animations reserved for getting burned, frozen, electrocuted, petrified, poisoned, painted, traumatized, enamored, whirled, and strapped to a rocket. The detail-to-buttons ratio is off the charts. The first is GF Ibuki after getting hit by a Skull item opposite Hsien-Ko after getting hit by Ibuki's D+S paintbrush. The second is GF Tessa after getting hit by a Flame item opposite Felicia after getting hit by a Lightning item. // 12.29.2008
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The craziest thing about ... SNK vs Capcom Chaos:
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SvCC suffered from the CvS1 curse of having only four buttons, which meant most of the Capcom cast needed to forfeit quite a few normal moves. In a bizarrely valiant effort, SNK decided to make up for the loss by animating a ton of crazy new vertical jumping attacks for any Capcom character with multiple existing jumping attacks based on recycled sprites. The first example is SvCC Sagat's vertical j.HK against Bison's vertical j.HK and the second is SvCC Demitri's vertical j.HP against Dan's vertical j.HK looking somehow less goofy than Sagat. // 11.16.2008
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The craziest thing about ... Street Fighter The Movie:
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Where to begin? This entire game is pure unfiltered crazy. Everyone has two super moves - one classic technique with blue shadows and one original with red shadows. Interrupting active supers does not immediately erase their shadows. Instead they linger until either the character recovers from hit stun or until the shadows' preset timer expires, whichever occurs earlier. The first is SFTM Zangief's Flying Airplane Crunch red super grabbing Cammy's Cannon Thrust blue super. The second is SFTM Vega's Super Flip Throw blue super grabbing Balrog's Flurry Punch Frenzy red super. (These may or may not be official attack names.) Normally, SFTM throw supers don't imbue the opponent with trailing shadows, but catching an opponent's super move preserves their existing shadows for a time. // 12.29.2008
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The craziest thing about ... Street Fighter EX series:
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Evil Shoto Teleport maneuvers represent a rare category of true 3D movement in the SFEX games, making it possible to survey character models from almost any angle. The first is SFEX+ B.Ryu's F+KKK Teleport evading Allen's Guard Break. The second is SFEX2 Kairi's HP Shin Ki Hatsudo after using B+KKK Teleport to sidestep Guile's Opening Gambit. Incidentally, the way Arika interpreted Teleportation has always been one of my favorite things about the SFEX series. // 09.30.2008
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Retro Reenactment 01!
(Street Fighter Alpha 3 by X-Men versus Street Fighter)
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SFA3 V-Akuma's LP Zankuu Hadoken performed twice in VC2 against A-Cammy's lvl3 Spin Drive Smasher, reproduced by XSF Akuma's Tenma Gou Zankuu against Cammy's Spin Drive Smasher. // 12.12.2008
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Retro Reenactment 02!
(Vampire Savior by Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha)
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VS Victor's HP Gyro Crush against Bishamon's LP Karame Dama -> LP Tsuji Hayate, reproduced by SFZ2A Zangief's PPP Lariat against Gen's lvl1 Zan'ei. // 12.12.2008
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Retro Reenactment 03!
(King of Fighters '96 by King of Fighters '94)
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KoF96 Ryo's LP Haohshokohken SDM against Krauser's LP Kaiser Wave DM, reproduced by KoF94 Takuma's LP Haohshokohken against CPU Rugal's Kaiser Wave. // 12.12.2008
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Retro Reenactment 04!
(Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike by Super Gem Fighter Mini-Mix)
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SF3:3S Ibuki's Kasumi Suzaku super art against Chun Li's Kikosho super art, reproduced by GF Ibuki's Kasumi Suzaku (wearing Rolento's costume) against Chun Li's Kikosho. // 12.12.2008
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Retro Reenactment 05!
(King of Fighters 2001 by Street Fighter II: World Warrior)
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KoF2k1 Leona's HK Gliding Buster against Yuri's HP Double Yuri Chou Upper, reproduced by SF2WW Guile's HK Flash Kick against Ryu's LP Shoryuken. // 12.12.2008
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Sparring Rivals: Ryu and Ken
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Easily one of the most classic rivalries in video game history. The first is MSF Ryu's air Shinkuu Hadoken against Ken's Variable Combination super initiated with Ryu's Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku via the CYODS glitch. The second is SF3:3S Ryu's Shin Shoryuken super art against Ken's Shinryuken super art. // 12.27.2008
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Clan Rivals: Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami
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Probably the most iconic SNK rivalry, active nonstop since Iori's debut in KoF95. The first is KoF97 Ex-Kyo's Orochi Nagi DM against Adv-Iori's Ya Sakazuki DM. The second is KoF2k Kyo's LP 182 Shiki DM against Another Iori in striker form, summoned by K' (who has disappeared via LK Blackout). // 12.27.2008
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Power Rivals: Terry Bogard and Wolfgang Krauser
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Hero and villain of Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle - arguably the best fighting game anime ever made. The first is FFS Terry's back plane LK trading hits with Krauser's front plane LK. Kim can be spotted gliding through certain backgrounds from time to time. The second is RBFFS Terry's Overheat Geyser against Krauser's fully charged Kaiser Wave. // 12.27.2008
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Ninja Rivals: Galford and Hanzo
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When two major characters have this many stylistic similarities, they don't need any canon interaction to be considered rivals. The first is SS2 Hanzo's Utsusemi Chizan against Galford's Rage Gauge activation, while Hanzo's Tenma Rimetsu and Galford's Replica Dog animate in the background, along with two falling bombs courtesy of the courier. The second is SS4 S-Hanzo's Fujite Mijin Gakure against S-Galford's AB Double Mega Strike Heads, with Rage Explosion expiring for both characters. // 12.27.2008
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Beauty Rivals: Chun Li and Morrigan Aensland
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Chun Li represents Street Fighter and Morrigan represents Darkstalkers in nearly every single crossover game featuring both series. The first is GF Morrigan's Strong Throw against Chun Li's PPKP Flash Combo ender, with a Banana item to the left and three item balls going off on the right: Lightning, Flame, and Petrify. The second is MvC Morrigan's lvl3 Eternal Slumber against Chun Li's Senretsu Kyaku, with (2P color) Saki assist departing. // 12.27.2008
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Moral Rivals: Axel and Shiva
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When we were kids, the number of times my brothers and i played through Streets of Rage 2 must have reached triple digits. For anyone who isn't familiar with this classic Sega Genesis side-scroller, Axel is one of four heroes trying to take down the Syndicate, a crime organization ruled by Mr. X and his bodyguard Shiva. The first is SMD SoR2 Axel's Dragon Wing special attack against CPU Shiva's dashing special attack, while Max prematurely rushes the invulnerable Mr. X with his Thunder Tackle special attack. The second is SMD SoR3 Axel's Flaming Dragon Punch upgraded blitz attack opposite CPU Shiva's entrance. // 12.31.2008
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Ideological Rivals: Psylocke and Magneto
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The X-Men fight for Professor Xavier's dream of peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants, whereas Magneto spends most of his time being a jerk to people who don't even know the guy. The first is COTA Psylocke's j.HP (with LK Nin-Jutu in effect) against CPU Magneto's air EM Pulse. The second is SMD XMen2 Psylocke's air Psionic Blade mutant power against CPU Magneto's air Magnetic Blast, with Beast's DF+C Dash underneath. While it was somewhat hit-or-miss in the gameplay department, X-Men 2: Clone Wars featured an awesome ominous atmosphere to match its eerie storyline. // 01.03.2009
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Rugged Rivals: Wolverine and Juggernaut
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These two tend to end up in a lot of burly bar brawls. The first is SMD XMen Wolverine's Lunging Slash (with claws extended) against CPU Juggernaut's running headcrush, while Nightcrawler recovers from his Teleport mutant power and Archangel backup assist shoots razor blades. Maybe X-Men wasn't one of the better Sega Genesis games, but the characters sure looked great. The second is XSF Wolverine's alternate sj.MP startup against Juggernaut's sj.MK trailed by leftover superjump mist. // 01.03.2009
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Tournament Rivals: Ryu and Sagat
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The main protagonist versus the final boss of Street Fighter, the title that marks the beginning. The first is SF Ryu's Fireball against CPU Sagat's Tiger Shot, which always pass each other by without colliding. The second is SFA3 A-Ryu's lvl3 Metsu Shoryuken against X-Sagat's Tiger Genocide. // 12.31.2008
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Bitter Rivals: Guile and M.Bison
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Because someone's got to chase Bison into the ugly games. The first is SvCC Guile's LP Sonic Boom against Bison's LP Psycho Crusher. The second is SFTM Guile's Flash Kick Interrupt against Bison's Electric Arc, with Akuma wandering around in the dark background of Bison's Lair. Both characters' lifebars are missing because the "No Meters" code was activated at the character select screen. // 12.31.2008
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Closing time, sirs. Let's wrap up with some classic fighting game intros.
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The first is from the SFA intro and the second is from the SFA2 intro. Both are the very first frames showing Ryu and Ken with their arms outstretched. // 09.30.2008
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Everything about the Marvel series tends to be a lot more ... crowded.
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The first is the MSH title screen, depicting the entire default playable cast. The second is an ensemble shot from the MvC intro, once again bringing all the default playable characters together. // 09.30.2008
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Terry is way cooler than Kyo.
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The first is from the FF3 intro and the second is from the MotW intro. // 11.16.2008
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Ryu and Terry have a lot in common. Ryu is also way cooler than Kyo.
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The first is from the KoF2k2 intro before the boom and the second is from the SvCC intro before Akuma kicks up a ton of dirt. (Kyo's alright. Please don't stab me in Spanish.) // 11.16.2008
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Moriya is cool too.
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The first is from the LB intro and the second is from the LB2 intro. // 11.17.2008
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One everyone knows and another no one will recognize.
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The first is from the SS intro, right before the screen turns white. The second is from the Capcom World 2 intro. // 01.05.2009
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Hey, you made it all the way to the end. Um, thanks. Hope you had fun.
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The first is Terry's silhouette from the RBFF intro before the screen fades to white and the second is Ryu's silhouette from the MSH intro before the Capcom logo appears. // 11.17.2008
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