A beginner's guide to Street Fighter IV

Street Fighter IV is out and getting amazing reviews. It's a real return to the 'feel' of Street Fighter II, which is perhaps why it has caught the imagination of gamers who may have lost their way with the series after SF III and all the Alpha variations.

If you're a complete newcomer, or just a bit rusty, here's a quick guide to the basics of street fighting, written with the invaluable aid of Capcom employee and Street Fighter fanatic Anil Das-Gupta. Of course, button bashing like a monkey on a caffeine drip is fun for a while, but in case you feel like stepping up a gear, this may come in handy...

Start with Ken or Ryu
Although you may be tempted by one of the more glamorous offerings these two are essentially the foundations of the game – they both offer a full range of moves and styles while the other fighters merely exaggerate specific elements. Learn the basics here and you have the building blocks of your own fighting strategy.

So what are the basics? "Ryu and Ken both have the Hadouken and Dragon Punch special moves," says Anil. "Hadouken (a fireball that travels across the screen) is performed by moving the stick or d-pad from the down position in a circular movement towards your opponent, pressing punch at the same time as you reach the 'towards' position. This is known as a quarter circle movement and many other characters in the game use the same motion to perform their special moves.
"Dragon punches are performed by pressing towards, then moving the stick or pad from the towards position, then down, and then finally to the down-towards position, pressing punch at the same time as the last directional input. This move is one of the key special move motions in the game, and again it's used by many characters. This type of motion also tends to be attributed to moves that can counter an opponent who is jumping at you, meaning that it forms an essential part of many characters' defensive aresenal."

Here's another couple of basic moves that'll work well as you get to grips with these characters:

Crouching Medium Kick (Down + MK) - ensures that opponents cannot easily approach you on the ground.

Crouching Hard Punch (Down + HP) - can be used to fend off aerial attacks if you are not confident with the dragon punch move.

So are there differences between these two staple fighters? Of course there are. "Ryu has always been better at ranged attacks while Ken is better up close," says Anil. "Ryu's fireballs travel across the screen faster than Kens. Another key difference especially when fighting against each other, are the EX moves – that's when you press two punches to perform a fireball. Ryu's are a lot stronger because they will knock down the opponent, whereas Ken's won't. If you knock down your opponent, you can get close to them very quickly."

But Ryu doesn't have it all his own way. Ken's Dragon Punch has got a longer range – if you jump over Ryu from medium distance he can't reach you. Ken, however, can pull-off a hard Dragon Punch and bring your flight to a painful conclusion.

When you find your style, explore the other characters
Street Figther characters are like football teams; some are about all-out attack, others are better at sitting back absorbing pressure and then countering, others play the long ball game, or in Street Fighter parlance, ranged attacks. Through experimenting with Ryu and Ken you should find a tactic that suits you. Now you can move on to a fighter that fits with – and accentuates - your specific style.

If you find that you prefer a defensive style of play, Guile is your man. "Traditionally, he's always been a brick wall type of character," says Anil, "If you have a player who just stands there sending sonic booms across the screen, they're very hard to break down; they'll often pressurize you into making a mistake."

As soon as you start using Guile, you'll immediately find that you're able to adopt elements of Ryu's game. For example, Guile can use a fireball, then perform a Flash Kick if his opponent tries to jump into him - this is the same as Ryu using a Hadouken followed by a Dragon Punch. These are called Traps, because they tempt an opponent into performing a specific move, which you then anticipate and counter.

Alternatively, if you're a more pro-active fighter, try Crimson Viper or Rufus, both of whom are newcomers brought in to provide frenzied close-up play. They are 'rushdown' characters – they get in tight and use fast, highly aggressive moves, but they're no good for long range attacks. "The onus is on you to get close," says Anil, "but if you manage it you can end the bout very quickly."

Incidentally, Crimson Viper is the only character in the game able to perform a 'super jump', leaping from one corner of the screen to another (accessed by flicking down then up really quickly). This gives her a lot of extra maneuverability and means she can get up close and personal with even the most timid range players.

Learn to focus
Street Fighter IV introduces a new move known as the Focus Attack, capable of absorbing an opponent's strike and countering it in one fell swoop. These are executed by pressing and holding down Medium Punch and Medium Kick; the longer you hold, the more powerful the result. When the buttons are released, your character performs a blow capable of crumpling (or stunning) your opponent, allowing you to follow up with an additional combo afterwards.

Perfect the Ultra moves
"Ultras are very flashy and powerful attacks that can be performed when your Revenge gauge is glowing yellow with the word 'Ultra'", says Anil. "Your revenge gauge is filled up every time you take a hit, meaning that no matter how badly you think you are doing, you always have a chance to turn the tables on your opponent!" Ryu's Ultra, the Metsu Hadouken, is performed by pulling off two successive quarter circles on the d-pad, each starting at the down position, and moving up toward your opponent. As you're finishing the second quarter circle, you press all three punch buttons. So that's: Down, Down-Towards, Towards, Down, Down-Towards, Towards + Light Punch + Medium Punch + Hard Punch. (Sometimes written as QCF x 2 + 3P).

"If you are playing as Ryu, his Ultra should not just be thrown out for fun," cautions Anil. "To maximise the move, try to use it after a successful focus attack, otherwise an opponent can easily jump over your Ultra fireball and punish you!"

So Ultra moves are best to use when your opponent is stunned. They're also excellent for capitalising on your enemy's unforced errors. As Anil explains, "If an opponent misses a dragon punch attempt, press and hold MP + MK and time it so that you release the buttons as they hit the floor. If timed correctly, you will crumple them. When you see this, dash forwards by pressing towards twice quickly, and then execute an Ultra."

Appreciate the art of countering
It's not all attack, attack, attack. Success in Street Fighter IV is also about anticipating your opponent's moves. "Try to appreciate the space around your character, and the ranges where your moves extend to," says Anil. "If an opponent moves into any of these areas, you should counter appropriately. Also, try to think about moves that can nullify or beat an opponent's attacks. For example, if your enemy is throwing fireballs at you, use an EX fireball so that it passes through and hits them. Abel's air grab, performed by pressing Towards, Down, Down-Towards + Punch will grab your opponent from the air and slam them down to the ground."

If in doubt, train
Fighting a friend is a good way to learn, but to really start getting to grips with a character you need to use the Trial mode, found in the Challenge option. This teaches all the fundamental moves as well as basic, intermediate and advanced combos. Eventually, you'll learn how to connect moves together, and crucially, how to fool opponents by switching moves half way through – for example, breaking out of a special to perform a Focus Attack.

In case of emergency, go cheap
If you've absolutely, positively got to show off a few hot moves before really getting to grips with the game, pick new charater, Abel. "He's great for looking flashy without requiring a high skill level to use," assures Anil. "His Tornado Throw is easy to perform but looks very cool. His Change of Direction move is also really flashy and yet is as easy to pull off as a regular fireball."

There. Now fight!