~B
STREET FIGHTER ZERO 3: Character Guide to Z-ism Gen Ver 0.2
For the Sony PlayStation (import)
By Ingus a.k.a. Michael Wang Isamu__dyson@hotmail.com
Unpublished work Copyright 1998 Michael Wang
This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It can only be reproduced
electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be altered as long as
this disclaimer and the above copyright notice appear in full. This FAQ is not
to be used for profitable/promotional purposes; this includes being used by
publishers of magazines, guides, books, etc. or being incorporated into
magazines, etc. in ANY way. This FAQ was created and is owned by me. All
copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged that are not specifically mentioned
in this FAQ. Please give credit where it is due.
The Street Fighter game series and the Final Fight series are (c) Capcom of
Japan and (c) Capcom of America.
This FAQ can be found at:
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GameFAQs www.gamefaqs.com
Version 0.1 ---------------------------------------------------------[2-5-1999]
FAQ Created
Version 0.2 ---------------------------------------------------------[3-8-1999]
Re-did the formatting of the FAQ, changed some wording, and added the new
section 'Updated Combos'
FORWARD
This FAQ assumes you the reader know the basics about the game play mechanics of
Street Fighter series in general (2-in-1, combo, etc), and some knowledge on the
various 'improvements' Zero 3 has (air juggle, air recovery and the likes). If
you have questions on how to play the game, please search GameFAQs' Street
Fighter Zero 3 section, many excellent general FAQ's are already there. This
FAQ is aimed at those players that have already played Zero 3 for a while and
is looking for someone interesting to learn. Well, enough chitchat... on with
the show!
INTRODUCTION
In the hands of an experienced player, Gen can be a devastating character who
excel in air juggles and fast ground based combos. However Gen is also one of
the harder to learn character in Zero 3 and many times when a gamer attempts to
play him he/she will become frustrated with some of Gen's short comings and give
up on him. If you are willing to spend some time with the character though, I
believe you'll learn to appreciate Gen.
In this guide, I will show you how I play Gen in Z-ism. I am (in my humble
opinion ^_^) an above average player and I am still learning stuff about Gen and
the game in general. So if you see anything in here that doesn't make sense,
not only will do me a favor by about telling me about it, but if you have any
improvements on the subject, it would really be appreciated. By the way, it
should be noted that this guide is written for Z-ism, Gen in other styles plays
differently and since I don't think those 2 styles are not as good when it comes
to playing Gen, I won't talk about them much.
I suppose the first thing I should talk about is Gen's weakness. Mainly Gen is
hard to play because he has 2 styles of fighting that he can switch at anytime
during a round. Because of this, he has twice the amount of normal moves
compare to other characters. Learn to use these moves will serve you well
because each style has it's own advantages and disadvantages, and a truly
devastating Gen is one that knows how to get around the weaknesses by switch
styles and knows when to switch styles.
Gen's PPP style is a fast poking style, most of his normal moves in this style
can be chained together to create long combos (see combo list below). The main
weakness for this style is the lack of damage potential. When Gen's special
meter is below Level 2, this style can not really hurt the opponent. Also, the
uppercut attack in this style (Gekirou) does not have a high priority, and can
be knocked out of the air by quite a few moves. Finally, the jumps in this
style are faster and lower compare to Gen's KKK style jumps.
Gen's KKK style is a slow and tricky style. Most of his normal moves will have
interesting effects in addition to damage, and this is the style that takes time
to get used to. While potentially more damaging to the opponent, this style is
fairly slow, and some of the moves have extremely long lag before or/and after
execution.
And now here is Gen's strength. More then anything else, it's his flexibility.
If your opponent is turtling, use the KKK style to crack his defense, and if
your opponent is on an all out offense mode, go to PPP mode and poke him out of
his attacks. More then anyone else (not counting those Level 3 'special' supers
such as the Raging Demon), Gen has 4 supper attacks (2 in each mode), and all 4
of them are useful in different situations (see the move analysis below). Also,
Gen's speed is his strength. While there are faster characters (Guy, Chun Li),
not many can match Gen in damage to speed ratio. Every crossup, counter, near
the corner throw, anti-air crouching roundhouse will always end in something
insanely damaging if you know what to do.
MOVE LIST:
(This list is taken from Kao Megura's excellent Zero 3 FAQ, this FAQ could be
found at GameFAQs.com. I didn't know many of the Japanese names of Gen's moves
and this list helped me a lot when I was writing this FAQ, thanks Kao! ^_^)
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GEN
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ZV Ansatsu Ken: Sou-ryuu Press PPP at any time (air)
XZV Hyakurenkou Tap P rapidly
XZV Gekirou f,d,df + K
XZ Zan'ei qcf,qcf + P
Z Shitenshuu qcb,qcb + P
ZV Ansatsu Ken: Ki-ryuu Press KKK at any time (air)
XZV Jasen Charge b,f + P
ZV Ouga Charge d,ub~uf + K
XZV Kyoutetsu Press MP
XZV (low-level hit) Press HP
ZV (counter punch) d + HP
ZV Satsu Jin d + LK
XZV Saizu Jump over someone, press MK
ZV Uken In air, quickly press HK twice
Z Kouga In air, qcb,qcb + K
Z Jakouha qcf,d,df + K
Zero Counter (ZISM): Sou-ryuu: HK Gekirou
Zero Counter (ZISM): Sou-ryuu: Advancing Uken (2nd hit)
Zero Counter (VISM): Ki-ryuu: Palm Thrust
Zero Counter (VISM): Ki-ryuu: Sou-ryuu Standing HP
Ground Throws: b / f + PP / KK
Air Throws: b / f + KK
Interruptable Attacks: (Sou-ryuu) stand LP MP HP:1 MK
(Sou-ryuu) crouch LP MP LK MK
(Ki-ryuu) stand LP
(Ki-ryuu) crouch LP MP
- Gen has two different "styles" of play he can use by pressing PPP
or KKK. Once you've changed into a certain style, you can only
use the moves in that style (for example, in Sou-ryuu style, you
could use the Shitenshuu but not the Ouga). Gen normally starts
in his PPP style, but if you switch to his KKK style, he'll
remain in it for the rest of the game. You can switch Gen's
styles at any time, while jumping, blocking, attacking, when
knocked down, while dizzy, and so on.
- In X-ism Gen cannot change styles. He instead uses a mishmash
of moves taken from both style instead. He cannot chain combo
and has his fast Ki-ryuu style jump.
- In his Sou-ryuu style, Gen can chain together his normal attacks.
The sequence is pretty loose--the only real restriction is that
you can't chain a stronger attack into a weaker one (like HP into
LK). Otherwise, just about anything is possible.
- During the Geki Rou, you need to tap the Kick button as your
opponent goes higher and higher into the air if you want to get the
full hits (you'll know if you did this correctly because he'll
finish with a kick that knocks your foe away).
- If hit by a Shitenshuu, a timer will appear over the head of Gen's
opponent and count down. When it reaches zero, Gen's foe falls to
the ground and is dizzied. You can increase the timer speed by
hitting your foe with multiple Shitenshuus, but your opponent can
stop the timer by hitting you with an attack. Note that your
opponent is damaged during the intitial hits, each time the counter
goes down by one, and when it hits zero and he / she is dizzied.
The higher level you use, the more damage the Shitenshuu does during
the intial hits and for each timer countdown. - During the Ouga, you can:
* Direct your initial leap left or right by charging d,ub / uf
instead of charging d,u (which always takes you to the wall
behind you). * Do nothing when you touch a wall for a jump kick
* Press b when you touch a wall to abort the move
* Press f when you touch a wall for a long kick toward your foe
* Press u when you touch a wall to move to the ceiling
+ Do nothing when you touch the ceiling to do a head stomp
+ Press ub~uf when on the ceiling to abort the move and drop
in either direction
+ Press b / f when on the ceiling to use a dive kick in either
direction - The Kyoutetsu is an overhead attack.
- The Low-Level Hit hits low and must be crouch-blocked.
- The Counter Punch causes huge amounts of damage if it hits someone
who is in the middle of an attack (3.5-4.0 times more damage).
However, if you are hit out of it, you may take lots of damage
yourself. The move also has a considerable delay.
- The Satsu Jin will knock an opponent up into the air. You can
follow it with a Jakouha or jump after them with the attack of
your choice. Note that if you use the Uken, they can't flip out
afterwards. - Gen's jumping Ki-ryuu MK (the Saizu), works best as a cross-up
attack. - During the Kouga you can:
* Press LK for a jump kick off the left wall,
+ Then, press MK or do nothing instead for a long kick towards
your enemy.
+ Or, press HK instead for a higher, faster long kick.
* Press MK for a head stomp off the ceiling,
+ Then press LK instead to dive left.
+ Or, press HK instead to dive right.
* Press HK for a jump kick off the right wall,
+ Then, press MK or do nothing instead for a long kick towards
your enemy. + Or, press LK for a higher, faster long kick.
- It's easy to accidentally tap a button too much so that if you "do
nothing" after using LK or HK to go to a wall, you'll end up doing
the following LK or HK move instead. To prevent this, pressing MK
has the same effect as "doing nothing". Gen can perform one extra
attack per level.
MOVE ANALYSIS:
In this section, I will not go into detail on all of Gen's moves since it would
take way too much time and effort to try to analyze all of them. The moves that
are here will be the ones I think will be the most useful and interesting.
== Throws ==
[PPP style throw]
(press 2 or more punches when close up) - standard throw
[KKK style throw]
(press 2 or more kicks when close up) - Leg trip
{Special Note}
Both of Gen's ground throws will make its target float up a little bit. Some
moves / supers can catch them before they land for added damage. See combo list
below for details.
[Air Throw]
(in either style, jump and press 2 or more kicks when close up) - Gen grabs the
opponent and then proceeds to stump on their head when landing, just like his
Jakouha super in KKK style. Point of interest here is that if you do the throw
with KKK button (if you have a button mapped to that) not only will you throw
the opponent, you will land in KKK style too.
PPP style:
== Normal Attacks ==
[Crouching Fierce]
This version has great speed and range, use this as your main poke. Throw this
move out a lot, because not many moves can match it's range and speed, you won't
get hit by many things even if you missed the attack completely.
[Crouching Roundhouse]
This move has an even longer range compare to the C. Fierce, but the recovery
time on this move is not great, unless you are sure the move will come in
contact with your opponent, try to stick with the C. Fierce or the C. Forward.
However, if you blocked a fireball at close range, C. Roundhouse immediately and
you can catch the opponent before he can block.
[Standing Forward]
This move has a really good recovery time and excellent priority, and since you
can buffer command attacks after this move it should be used when you are not
sure if there's an opening on your opponent's defense. Just poke him/her with
it a few times and see what he does afterwards, then plan your special attacks
accordingly.
== Command Attacks ==
[Gekirou]
(f,d,fd + k) - this is an excellent command attack, it does not have the piority
of a dragon punch, but it will beat many things. After the initial hit, keep on
tapping the kick button you used to start the move to add additional hits.
There is a rhythm to the button press, generally it's a slow to fast sequence,
practice it a few times until you get this down, as the last hit in the kicks is
more damaging then the rest. Short Gekirou has a max hit of 6, and Forward has
a max of 7, while roundhouse will produce 8 hits. Point of interest here is that
if your opponent blocked the first hit on the Gekirou, keeps on tapping the kick
button. While this won't hit the opponent, Gen will float a little bit, messing
up your opponent's timing should he/she tries to retaliate. Also, if you tap
the kicks in a rapid succession, Gen will land after at most 4 or 5 hits (the
last hit will never connect) while the opponent will be floating in the air for
a short time. This is one way to start an air juggle combo if the opponent is
cornered.
[Hyakurenkou]
(Tap P rapidly) - Gen's 'hundred hand slap'. Range of this is pretty horrible,
and the damage it inflicts isn't all that great. One use to this is when
blocking a jump in attack start pressing fierce rapidly. If your opponent's
timing is even a little off, your hyakurenkou will come out before his ground
attacks. That, of course, will end his combo chain.
== Supers ==
[Zan'ei]
(qcf,qcf + P) - Gen rushes forward with his fist in front of him, the more super
level you use up the further and faster this move becomes. At Level 1 it's 4
hits, and Level 2 is 5, while Level 3 is 6. Not a particularly powerful super
this move can be knocked out by a well placed throw (well, cpu has done it to me
a few times, but so far no human opponent has done so) or a low trip (this man
people has done on me). So why is this move good? Two reasons. One is that it
can be buffered into Gen's standing strong, crouching strong, standing forward
or crouching forward. Two is that after the super is done, Gen will recover
from it before the opponent hits the floor (provided that the super actually hit
the opponent, of course). This opens up a whole new world of pain to the
opponent because now he can be juggled. Feel free to use the Gekirou to tag on
another 8 hits, or switch to KKK style and do the Jakouha to catch your falling
opponent. For those of you that really want to show off, another well timed
Zan'ei can hit the falling opponent again, but this takes a lot of practice and
after taking the second Zan'ei, you opponent will not float, and thus you will
not be able to juggle him again.
[Shitenshuu]
(qcb,qcb + P) - Gen does a few fast strikes on the opponent and a counter
starts going off on the enemy. This move can be chained from a strong or a
forward, but due to its lack of range, it's best to chain this move after a jab.
If the counter hits zero the opponent will go dizzy automatically. The damage
on this move isn't high at first, but if you manage to dodge your opponent all
the way till he goes dizzy, the cumulative damage will impress you, even at
level 1. However, the main reason to use this move is to force your opponent to
attack you. Most of them know that if they don't hit you before the timer runs
out, they'll go dizzy. So what they'll do is they will start attacking you very
aggressively. This is good because when someone is playing like that they don't
think too much. (unless of course that's the way they play in the first place,
in that case don't bother with Shitenshuu) You can (most of time) find openings
in their attacks and knock em out with a well timed attack of your choice. Best
of all, even if your opponent take hits from you, the counter will still go
down, so they will be even more frenzied and you should be able to find even
more openings. Only thing to watch out for is an opponent that likes to throw,
if that's the case, stay AWAY from them after performing the Shitenshuu on them.
KKK style:
== Normal Attacks ==
[Jumping Roundhouse]
This move hits twice in air if you press the kick button twice. At first glance
it doesn't seem any better then Chun Li's jumping roundhouse, after all, her
roundhouse will attack twice in air automatically. But if you put this attack
during a jump - in attack it's a different story. After the first roundhouse,
most experienced player will crouch and block, in anticipation of your low
attacks after you land. This is when you tap roundhouse again, and since you
are still in the air this is considered an overhead attack, and because your
opponent is crouching, this second hit will hit them and allow you to start the
combo of your choice after you land. Nifty huh? Mix the two hit roundhouse
with the one hit roundhouse and you opponent will be even more confused.
[Crouching Roundhouse]
Gen pushes the ground with his palm and kick upwards with his legs. Mainly used
as an anti air move, this attack leaves the opponent high in the air if hit, and
if you are fast enough you can start juggling your opponent afterwards.
However, if missed, this move has a horrible lag, so unless you are sure it will
hit, don't do it.
[Crouching Short]
This is what you want to do to the opponent after he takes that roundhouse from
you. The C. Short in KKK style will pop an opponent up in the air
automatically, and you can start your air juggles right after it.
[Jumping Forward]
At first glance this is pointless, as the attack doesn't attack in front of Gen
much. But the true usefulness of this move is in the crossovers. The leg Gen
extends backward will hit opponent's back if you jumped over them while
executing this move. A suggestion is to do this move as you jump over a person,
then perform a C. Short right after you land, then you can start the air juggle
of your choice.
[Standing Strong]
This move will cause Gen to pull back a bit then do an overhead attack with his
arm. The move is very slow and has a bad lag afterwards, but the good thing is
that it has a very good reach, most of the time your opponent won't be able to
reach you to counter attack if you perform this at maximum range.
[Standing Fierce]
Gen will reach down with his fist and do an upward scooping strike, even though
he's standing, this move will hit low. The move is very slow, and personally I
don't think it's worth the trouble.
[Crouching Fierce]
Now this is an interesting move. Gen will duck a little bit and the do a
downward slap with both of his arms. Also call the counter punch, this move can
deal huge amount of damage to the opponent if you manage to make a counter hit
with it. But it's very slow (again) and if you get hit during the move, you
will take that huge damage instead. One way use the fierce is time it so it
counters a jump in attack - this cause extreme damage. In any case, the
crouching fierce does have an excellent range, but because of its speed, I don't
use it very often.
== Command Attacks ==
[Jasen]
(Charge b,f + P) - This rolling attack will go through most projectiles (none of
the supers, of course) and if done at close range can cause quite a bit of
damage. However the lag after execution is long and if blocked you can get into
some real trouble. Generally do not use this move if you can avoid it.
[Ouga]
(Charge d,ub~uf + K) - This move can be controlled, delayed and canceled (see
above) but the best effect of this move is that it leaves the opponent high in
the air after a successful hit. Again, you can start your juggles right
afterwards. In Zero 3 this move has gained considerable speed compare to its
Zero 2 counter part. One of the best uses for it is if your opponent is a
shoto fireball-throwing freak, as soon as see him/her start a fireball start the
Ouga, and you will be able to hit him/her and avoid the fireball all at once.
Another use for it is when your back is close to one of the edges of the screen
and your opponent is crouching, do an Ouga. Since it's considered an airborne
attack, it'll hit the crouching opponent. Due to the speed of the move many
people will not be able to react to it till it's too late.
{Special note}
These two moves are both charging moves, but you do not have to start the charge
in KKK style. The best way to play Gen (in my opinion anyway) is to stay in PPP
mode and charging all the time. When you see the need of either of the moves,
switch style and immediately execute the move of your choice. A lot of times
after your opponent blocked a long sequence of ground based attacks from Gen,
they'll try to sweep you down with a roundhouse. This is the best time to switch
style and start an Ouga, because of the speed of the move, you should be able to
hit the opponent before his can block again.
== Supers ==
[Kouga]
(In air, qcb,qcb + K) - Gen starts a super kick in mid air, the damage is good,
but don't expect to get all the hits in. In fact, don't do this move beyond
Level 1 because after the first hit, the reset of it will be blocked most of the
time. Use it as an anti fireball move as it's fast and if that misses, try to
land somewhere away from your opponent. The best way to use this move though is
out of an air recovery. Tap PPP while in the falling animation will bring you
out of the fall and start Kouga immediately before you land. Many people
(especially those that knows how to juggle in Zero 3) will be waiting for you
to fall down and start something nasty on you (Akuma's endless hurricane kicks
immediately comes to mind). By pulling the Kouga off in mid air during a fall
it will guarantee to surprise your opponent (and they'll think twice before
trying to juggle you the next time you fall).
[Jakouha]
(qcf,d,df + k) - Gen's anti air super throw, it's angle and priority is very
much like Rose's Level 1 anti air throw, not many thing can knock you out of it,
but it is possible to get knocked out. By itself, this move isn't very useful,
but when it's put into a combo that ends with an air juggles this can cause a
lot of damage. Don't use this move as your anti air move, since its priority
isn't the greatest, if you need something to hit jumping opponent, use C.
Roundhouse instead.
COMBOS:
Gen's main strength is his combos, an innocent looking jab can turn into a combo
that eats up 80% of you opponent's health. Knowing the combo and being able to
actually do the combos is two completely different things though. But then
again, practice makes perfect so keep on trying! ^_^
PPP style:
Most of the attacks will flow into each other provided that 1. You tap them in
the right sequence and 2. You tap them with the right timing. By right sequence
I mean from the weakest attack to strongest attack. (ie. Jab -> short -> forward
-> Fierce -> Roundhouse will work, but that combo will not work backwards) And
the timing of the combo can get tricky, some of the move can be taped in a quick
succession, while others will have to be carefully timed to be counted as part
of the combo. Keep these 2 points in your mind and try Gen out in training mode
and try to find your own combos! But just so you have something to start with,
here's some of Gen's PPP combo I use a lot. I'll start off easy and move into
the harder to do combos
a) Jumping Roundhouse -> Jab -> C. Fierce
b) Jumping Roundhouse -> Jab -> C. Short -> C. Forward -> C. Fierce
c) Jumping Roundhouse -> Jab -> Shitenshuu
d) Jumping Roundhouse -> Jab -> C. Short -> C. Forward -> Level 2 Zan'ei (Level
1 will not be fast enough to connect as a part of the combo)
e) Jumping Roundhouse -> Jab -> C. Short -> C. Forward -> Level 2 Zan'ei ->
Gekirou
f) Jumping Roundhouse -> Jab -> C. Short -> C. Forward -> Level 2 Zan'ei ->
Style switch -> Jakouha with the remaining energy
As you can see, these combos actually all follow the same path, so find what
works for you and develop your own combos!
KKK style:
This style does not combo very well, because of the slowness of the style, only
a few moves will chain, and even less will do full damage. But the 2 hit
jumping round house is a great combo starter, and if you can pull off that, you
can follow it with a variety of attacks. Again, find what works for you and use
the combos below as a reference.
a) Jumping Roundhouse x 2 -> Jab -> Fierce Jasen (switch style here and go for a
Gekirou afterwards. Not a true combo, but many times this will hit an
unsuspecting opponent
b) Jumping Roundhouse x 2 -> standing roundhouse
c) Jumping Roundhouse x 2 -> C. short -> Jumping Roundhouse x 2
d) Jumping Roundhouse x 2 -> C. short -> Style switch -> Gekirou (corner only)
e) Jumping Roundhouse x 2 -> C. short -> Jumping Roundhouse x 2 -> Jakouha
(corner only)
f) Jumping Roundhouse x 2 -> C. short -> Jumping Roundhouse x2 -> Style switch -
> Zan'ei -> Gekirou (well this is a very hard to pull combo, I only got it to
work once)
UPDATED COMBOS:
Since I posted this FAQ on the net I got quite a few e-mails with incredible
sounding combo lists. While I haven't tried out all of the combos mentioned
there, I will list them in this section. If you have your own combo, send it to
me, and I'll add it here.
List of contributor for this section so far:
Benjamin Chen ----------------------------------------
Psyduck ----------------------------------------
1. Crossup forward, cr. jab x2, cr. short, cr. forward, level 2 rush super,
reverse Gekirou, tap kick buttons for three hits, land and instantly switch
styles and do a level 1 catch super. Quite easy if you know the trick that when
you tap, tap on KKK so you land in KKK style. Not the most damaging but probably
the most flashy.
2. Crossup forward, cr. jab x2, cr. short, cr. forward, level 3 rush super,
reverse Gekirou (roundhouse version) for 3 hits, st. strong, roundhouse reverse
Gekirou 8 hits.
3. KKK style corner only. Jump roundhouse 2 hits, st. jab, cr. short, st.
roundhouse, level 3 catch super. Its possible to escape with air recover, but
its somewhat tough to flip out of the st. roundhouse since it can't be air-
blocked, and even if you flip out after the st. roundhouse the level 3 super
catches you anyway.
4. A typical chain into a level 2 rush super this time, but now juggle with a
well-timed level 1 Shitenshuu. The Shitenshuu itself must connect. When the
opponent goes dizzy, punish them with your favorite five hit normal attack chain
such as, j. roundhouse, or crossup forward, cr. jab, cr. short, cr. forward, cr.
fierce. Another one I use is jump in attack, cr. jab, short, st. forward, st.
roundhouse.
5. Corner only, any throw (2p or 2k) into Jakouha. Works even on the most well
timed flip out. Near unavoidable.
6. Anywhere, throw with leg trip (2k), catch with level 3 Zan'ei. Timing is
somewhat tricky, since the leg trip is a KKK style throw and the Zan'ei is a PPP
style super. Level 2 Zan'ei will connect if the opponent is thrown toward the
corner and doesn't fly all the way back. Level 3 can catch opponent anywhere.
However this combo can be avoided with air recovery or a throw escape.
7. Crossup forward, cr. jab, st. fierce, Hyakurenkou. Perform the cr. jab and
then just mash fierce button. Fierce is an interruptible attack on the first
hit, and if you mash the button fast enough, only the first hit of the fierce
will come out. Then the Hyakurenkou will chain. Good thing about this combo is
that the Hyakurenkou will push your enemy away even if they blocked, leaving you
relatively safe. Also this combo is cheap for some decent chip and guard crush
damage.
8. Ouga, Jakouha. The Ouga will pop the opponent up if hit, so just catch them
with a Jakouha for some extra damage. Watch out for air recoveries.
9. KKK style crossup (the jumping middle kick is what I assume you should use)
st. Fierce. The standing fierce takes away a huge amount of block bar, which
makes this combo useful even if blocked.
10. Corner, Gekirou with Roundhouse, tap kick rapidly for 3 to 4 hits, then when
you land (or in the air) switch styles and do a ducking Roundhouse into a
Jakouha.
STYLE MIXING:
Like I said earlier, Gen's at his best when played with a mix of his styles,
some of his combos come from style mixing, find what works for you and try them
out. If you are too lazy, look at the combo lists above and practice the combos
that interest you. ^_^
SUPER BAR MANAGEMENT:
Like all characters Gen only has 3 levels (darn! ^_^) of super meter. To use
the bar efficiently is a problem that's faced by all Street Fighter players.
Here's how I tend to use the bar. First and foremost, I rarely use the bar up
by using zero counters (a.k.a. Zero counter, depends on if you are playing the
import or not). In Zero 3, the zero counters are near worthless - they don't
do enough damage, and shortens your block meter while draining one bar of super!
Only time you want to activate this is if some one is trying to cheap a win out
of you (Ryu and his Level 3 Super Hurricane kick for example). For all other
purpose, reserve the bar for supers.
Gen has 4 supers, and all of these moves have different characteristics
depending on the amount of super bar consumed. Knowing when to use how much is
sometimes not so obvious. For me, I tend to do Zan'ei exclusively at Level 2,
Shitenshuu exclusively at Level 1, Jakouha at the Level that have the right
angle, and Kouga exclusively at Level 1.
Why is that? Here's a short explanation:
[Zan'ei]
This move at Level 1 goes out only about half a screen, and has a tendency to
stop right in front of the opponent if blocked. The lack of distance make the
Level 1 Zan'ei hard to combo, and stopping right in front of your opponent is
not some thing you want to do. At Level 3, this move does only one more hit
compare to it's Level 2 version, and the Level 3 version only travels a little
bit further, while draining all of your super meter.
[Shitenshuu]
The difference between the Levels on this super is the slight increase on the
speed of the count down. While Level 3 version of this does a lot more damage
compare to the Level 1 version of it, I still prefer direct damage supers such
as the Zan'ei. Besides, I only use this super to force my opponent come out of
turtling, and Level 1 of it serves that purpose well enough.
[Jakouha]
Level 1 of this move goes up at an angle of around 100 degrees (in other words,
almost straight up) and won't catch much. Level 2 the move goes to around 120
degrees and Level 3 has the best reach at around 135 degrees. In most cases, a
Level 2 Jakouha will catch a character as well as a Level 3 can, but sometimes
when your opponent air recovers, only a Level 3 can catch him/her.
[Kouga]
Level 1 of this will do 2 attacks off the wall of your choice, Level 2 will do 3
attacks, and you get 4 attacks out of a Level 3 version. Since the move isn't
all that hard to block, usually only the first attack will hit. For that
purpose, a Level 1 of this will serve you well enough. Only reason to do a
Level 3 of Kouga is to 'cheap' a win out of your opponent, as the block damage
of this move is quite high.
PLAY STYLE:
Generally I play an offensive Gen. Staying in PPP style most of time, I tend to
switch to KKK style only when I need to. In PPP I use my C. Jab a lot when
close up, if the jab hits, I'll continue the attack with one of the combos
listed above. If the opponent is turtling a lot, then I usually switch to KKK
and use the Roundhouse X 2 to crack his/her defense. The cool thing with Gen is
that if you have a Level 3 bar, if your opponent even makes one mistake you can
take out more then 60% of his energy. This actually leads to some heated name
calling in the arcades... but that's another story ^_^. But the point here is,
find what works for you! Even though I like to use the PPP style for defense
and KKK for offense it doesn't mean you have to do the same thing! Find what
works for you and have fun.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Gen isn't the most powerful character in the game, but he's close to it when
played well (the top characters is still probably one of the shoto kids in
arcade, and on PS Fei-Long and Dee-Jay is up there too). But because of the
amount of moves Gen posses, it's actually fun to learn and play him. If you
want to find a character that can provide long hour of fun, give Gen a try! You
won't be disappointed.
=============
Special Thanks
=============
Kao Megura
Kao's awe -inspiring FAQ is what made me want to write my own in the first
place. Thanks a lot!
Unpublished work Copyright 1999 Michael Wang
