Virtua Fighter 2 FAQ Version 2.5 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Copyright 1995. This FAQ may be freely distributed among the VFing community. No fee is charged except for direct costs. You can obtain this FAQ by: ftp --- ftp.netcom.com /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs web browser ----------- http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~grace/vf2.html http://yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au/~s9407314/ Any updates, feedback and errors, please send to: Chia Jin Ngee mcblab47@leonis.nus.sg TABLE OF CONTENTS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ PREFACE TO VF1 FAQ PREFACE TO VF2 FAQ WHAT'S NEW TERMINOLOGY BUTTONS WHILE STANDING WHILE SQUATTING HOPPING ATTACKS JUMPING ATTACKS MOVEMENT TURNING AROUND WITH ATTACKS COMMON MOVES FOR ALL CHARACTERS MOVES USABLE WHILE GETTING UP OTHER STANDARD MOVES MOVES SPECIFIC TO EACH CHARACTER AKIRA YUKI PAI CHAN LAU CHAN WOLF HAWKFIELD JEFFRY MCWILD KAGE-MARU SARAH BRYANT JACKY BRYANT SHUN DI LION RAFALE BASIC OPERATIONS SELECTING YOUR CHARACTER REPLAYS ROUNDS AND SETS VERSUS COMPUTER COMBAT RANKING MODE EXPERT MODE ENTERING YOUR INITIALS SUDDEN DEATH CONTROLLER TECHNIQUE JOYSTICK BUTTONS GENERAL FIGHTING TECHNIQUES FLURRY OF JABS HOPPING ATTACKS JUMPING ATTACKS DISTANCE DROP KICKS LANDING KICKS OVERHEAD HAMMERS RING OUT WAITING FOR YOUR BREAK DODGING AND COUNTER-ATTACKS ATTACK WHILE RISING HIT 'EM WHILE THEY'RE DOWN THE UNIVERSAL PUNCH-KICK COMBO THE SIDE KICK KICKFLIPPING TURN AROUND ATTACKS HARRASSMENT AMBUSHES PULLING BACK A KICK OR PUNCH DELAYED ACTION MOVES THROWING PUNCH THROW TECHNIQUES ESCAPING FROM THROWS HIT 'EM IN THE AIR DEVELOPING YOUR OWN COMBINATIONS LOOK AND LISTEN EASTER EGGS SLOW MOTION REPLAYS VICTORY TAUNTS GAME COMPLETION REPLAYS KAGE'S FACE MASK MUSIC CHANGES GIVE THE NEXT IN LINE PROBLEMS THE TRUE POWER OF AKIRA CREDIT ROLL MYSTERIES AND RUMORS CHARACTER GUIDE AKIRA YUKI PAI CHAN LAU CHAN WOLF HAWKFIELD JEFFRY MCWILD KAGE-MARU SARAH BRYANT JACKY BRYANT SHUN DI LION RAFALE GLOSSARY CREDITS INTRODUCTION Preface to Virtua Fighter 1 FAQ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Different is good. Lately, gamers have been hit pretty hard by a barrage of fighting games ranging from those whose only draw is blood and guts to those who resemble a sick horse that should be humanely shot or at least taken to a hospital for a few years.... With the release of their first ever fighting game, SEGA has broken new ground by designing the only current martial arts game whose appeal isn't violence or the ever popular 'magic' moves, but more geared towards realism, fluidity of motion, and genuine martial art techniques. The ability to so successfully meet these goals is due to SEGA's System 1 polygon graphics engine which is much like the system used in their popular Virtua Racer. This system can handle over 180,000 flat shaded polygons per second, and since the fighters are three-dimensional figures made of polygons instead of just flat images, be prepared to be dazzled by more than just the backgrounds. As for the game itself, Virtua Fighter plays like other recent fighting games in some respects. There are 8 characters to choose from, and the basic object of the game is to, through the use of punches, kicks, throws, grabs, pounces, and a variety of other techniques, drain your opponent's life meter. The problem is that at this point Virtua Fighter already shows its differences from other fighting games because you can also win by knocking your opponent out of the ring. Another difference is that Virtua Fighter has many more special moves than any previous fighting game; there are over 100 secret techniques to discover. Not to mention that it just feels more like a real battle due to the fluid motion and realistic moves. Needless to say, Virtua Fighter is destined to be remembered as both a great one on one martial arts game and a spectacular fighting simulator. If you haven't seen one yet, then go check it out at your local arcade. Otherwise, check out the moves and strategies in this FAQ and then use them to help you master this exciting game before someone else gets ahead of you. Preface to Virtua Fighter 2 Manual ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This manual borrows quite heavily from the original VF1 FAQ. Apart from the new moves, many of the old moves are taken from the VF1 FAQ. VF2 is indeed a worthy successor to the original VF and has brought fighting games to new heights. Apart from a new graphics engine (System 2), it boasts two new and rather unorthodox characters with equally unorthodox fighting styles to match. To minimize much confusion in this manual, almost all moves are considered to be taps. Hold down joystick moves are highlighted as such moves will only work properly when the stick is held down. Experimentation with moves has also revealed that most moves require the simultaneous tapping of joystick and buttons. A good example would be Jacky's Punt Kick which is now "for, for+K" instead of "for, for, K". Due to complex button and joystick combinations for certain moves, the holding of the defend button feature for some moves we know of in VF1 has been removed, so I have decided not to highlight this option. Enjoy the manual. What's new ^^^^^^^^^^ Version 1.00 - First initial release. Hits for standing or low defenders far from updated. Keep me posted guys. Version 2.00 - Totally new version. Attack levels added. Version 2.01 - Added Expert Mode. Corrected Jacky's Crescent and Sweep attack levels. Akira long range dashing elbow corrected to dashing elbow with feet position change. Shun's long range sweep is corrected to sweep without feet position change. Added Wolf's punches and elbow. This version is not distributed. Version 2.50 - Added Kage's new shuto move. Added Kage's roll and flying kick. Added Kage's roll and low kick. Added Jacky's kickflip combo. Added dodging punch combos. Added Akira's stun palm, backwards uppercut and double palm. Added Glossary section. Added characters' biodata. Added new attack level "G" for ground-level. Added damage points for characters' moves. Corrected Jacky's beat knuckle attack level. Corrected Lion's spinning side attack. Corrected Lion's duck and side trip. Corrected Shun's ducking moves. Terminology ^^^^^^^^^^^ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Term Meaning As in | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For Forward Moving the joystick towards your | | opponent | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Back Back Moving the joystick away from your | | opponent | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Down Down Moving the joystick towards you | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Up Up Moving the joystick away from you | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | D Defend The button that blocks (more below) | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | P Punch The button that punches (more below) | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | K Kick The button that Kicks (more below) | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | All Press all 3 buttons Press all 3 buttons | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | + And Down+Kick (tap Down & Kick as one) | | Punch+Def (press Punch & Def as one) | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | lower case A quick tap Quickly tap the joystick; do not hold | | eg back | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | UPPER CASE A long press Hold the joystick briefly. eg BACK | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | / Diagonal direction For/Up (a jump forward) | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Jump A jumping direction Either Up/For, Up or Up/Back | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | [ ] Optional Will work fine without [ ] part, but | | there IS more to the move you can do | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | SCR Semi-circle roll Joystick is rolled half a circle like | | a "U" and not the other way round | | ie Back, SCR, For means joystick is | | pushed back with a half roll to | | forward | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | QCR Quarter circle roll Joystick is rolled quarter of a circle| +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | H High-level High level attack | | Move affects standing non-defenders | | Block high or low to defend | | In the counter-attacks section, move | | counters high-level attacks | | In the throws section, move affects | | standing opponents only | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | M Mid-level Mid-level attack | | Move affects squatting opponents and | | non-defenders but not low-level | | attackers | | Block high to defend | | In counter-attacks section, move | | counters mid-level attacks | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | L Low-level Low level attack | | Move affects standing opponents and | | squatting non-defenders | | Block low to defend | | In counter-attacks section, move | | counters low level attacks | | In throws section, move affects low or| | squatting opponents | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | G Ground-level Ground-level attack | | Move affects fallen opponents only | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | n Non-defenders Move affects non-defenders regardless | | of their defense position/level | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | * See comments Check comments/description column for | | more info | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | B Behind Only in the throws section | | Move can only be executed if standing | | or squatting opponent has his/her back| | facing you | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | O No effect Move has no effect on opponent | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ BASICS The buttons ^^^^^^^^^^^ While standing ============== PUNCH - Steps forward with a punch Repeat for multiple punches KICK - A kick to the head Not too powerful or effective DEFEND - Blocks your opponents' high level and jumping attacks You take no damage from such attacks Low attacks do damage You are still pushed backwards While squatting =============== PUNCH - Low punch; hits standing defenders Stays in one place; quite weak and ineffective Good for stopping incoming high attacks If your character does not have a back/down+P or down+P special move or combo, these are alternative ways to execute a low punch. KICK - Low snap kick to the leg; very weak Hits standing Longer reach than a low punch, but slower Good for stopping incoming high attacks Good for setting up combos and power attacks Able to stop low attacks if executed in time Able to push opponents back If your character does not have a back/down+K or down+K special move or combo, these are alternative ways to execute a low kick. DEFEND - Defends against all low attacks Ducks under many standing attacks Most jumping/hopping and mid-level attacks hit Some moves may still push you back NOTE: defense doesn't work for attacks from behind Hopping attacks ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- jump, P n Hopping Hammer Tap P while ascending jump, P n Hopping Jab Tap P while descending jump, K n Hop kick Tap K while ascending jump, K n* Late hopping kick Tap K while descending * Kage, Lau, Shun and Lion's late hopping kicks hit standing defenders Jumping attacks ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JUMP, FOR+P n Distance Jumping Hammer Hold forward and tap P before reaching apex of jump JUMP, K M Take-off jump kick Tap K while ascending UP+K or UP/FOR+K M Kage™s special jumping attack Kage™s two and a half tucked somersault butt slam JUMP, K M Landing kick Tap K while descending JUMP, FOR+K M Distance drop kick to the front Hold forward and tap K before apex of jump UP, FOR+K or UP/FOR, FOR+K M Pai™s Crane stomp JUMP, BACK+K M Distance drop kick to the back Hold back and tap K before apex of jump Collision in mid-air ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When this happens, both players are just pushed away from each other, and neither one will hit the other. Movement ^^^^^^^^ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- for, for OO Quickly step forwards back, back OO* Quickly step backwards * Only Shun changes feet position when he steps back quickly for, FOR OO Run forwards back, back OO Shun™s special Shun rolls away if his back faces his opponent. FOR O Inch forward slowly BACK O Inch backward slowly DOWN/FOR O Inch forward low BACK/DOWN O Inch backward low Turning around with attacks ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P H Turn around to face opponent with punch K H* Turn around to face opponent with kick * Sarah™s turn around kick can hit low defenders down+P L Turn around to face opponent with a low punch down+K L Turn around to face opponent with a low kick back+BUTTONS * Turn around with your character™s turn away attack * Hits depending on your character™s turn away attack up+K M Kage™s Sky knee attack Works only with his back on opponents back/down+K n Sarah™s High back thrust Works only with her back on opponents Common moves for all characters ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Moves usable while getting up ============================= CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K M Rising heel kick Only when head is not towards opponent K M Rear kick Only when head is towards opponent DOWN+K L Rising sweep D, K M Roll and rise with heel kick D, DOWN+K L Roll and rise with sweep BACK O Roll away BACK, K M Roll away with mule kick BACK, DOWN+K L Roll away with sweep BACK, FOR+K M Pai, Lau, Sarah, Jack, Akira - Roll away with rising heel kick. Wolf, Jeffry, Lion, Kage - Roll away then counter roll with heel slam. Shun - Roll away then counter-flip with toe slam UP O Handspring Other Standard Moves ==================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- up+P G Low fast pounce UP+P G* Slow but high and heavy pounce *Akira does not have a high pounce down/for+K M Side kick AKA mid-kick Good reach, rather fast but slow recoveries. MOVES SPECIFIC TO EACH CHARACTER This is the section is what everyone would zoom into. The motions are on the left and the description is on the right. The attack level is in the centre and just below the control motions are the damage points for each connected move. Only moves that inflict damage are shown. Akira Yuki ^^^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P HM Punch and body blow 10+12 Akira changes feet position after the body blow P, K HH Punch-kick combo 10+30 for, for+K, [K] MM Jumping kick[s] 30+30 for, for+P M Dashing elbow strike 20-40 for, for, for+P M Dashing elbow strike with feet position 20-40 change DOWN, for+P n Dashing palm strike 20-65 DOWN, back, for+P M Double palm strike 30-70 for+P M Elbow strike 19 back, for, for+P+K n Dashing body check 20-28 down/for, down/for+P M Power uppercut 50 down/for+P G Punch fallen opponent on the ground 12 K+D, D while holding K M Knee 30 Akira changes feet position after this move Counter-attacks =============== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D, back+P H Counters high-level attacks 50 D, back/down+P M Counters mid-level attacks 50 D, down+P L Counters low-level attacks 50 Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Trip and 2 punches 20+10+10 All H Stun palm 15 All, back, down/for+P+K, back+P H Stun palm of Doom 15+40+50 See character guide for more info back/down+P+D H Surprise exchange for+P+D H Break stance back+P+D H Shake `em up down+P+D H Shake 'em up harder for, back, for+P+K H Close-in ram 20+15+25 back/down, for+P H Pull in-push out 60 back/down, for+P+K H Backwards uppercut 35 back, down+P+D H Stumbling throw 10 Pai Chan ^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P, [P] HHH Running punches 10+10+12 P, K HH Punch and heel kick 10+30 P, K+D HH Punch and crescent 10+(20-40) P, DOWN+K+D HL Punch and sweep 10+(20-40) P, P, K HHn 2 punches and heel kick 10+10+30 P, P, P, K HHHH 3 punches and crescent 10+10+12+50 P, P, P, back+K HHHM 3 punches and backward kickflip 10+10+12+20 P, P, P, DOWN+K HHHL 3 punches and sweep 10+10+12+40 back/down+P, [P, P] HHH Dodging punch, [running punches] 14+10+12 back/down+P, K HH Dodging punch-kick combo 14+30 back/down+P, K+D HH Dodging punch and crescent 14+(20-40) back/down+P, DOWN+K+D HL Dodging punch and sweep 14+(20-40) back/down+P, P, K HHn Dodging punch, punch and straight kick 14+10+30 back/down+P, P, P, K HHHH Dodging punch, 2 punches and crescent 14+10+12+50 back/down+P, P, P, back+K HHHM Dodging punch, 2 punches and backward 14+10+12+20 kickflip backdown+P, P, P, DOWN+K HHHL Dodge and punch, 2 punches and sweep 14+10+12+40 DOWN release+K M Rising heel kick 35-40 D+K H Crescent kick 25-45 back+D+K H Reverse crescent kick 20-40 back/up+K M Backward kickflip 40 back/up O Backflip for, for+K H High lunging leg thrust 30 down/for+P M Downward chop 14 for+K M Snap kick 19 up/for+K, [K] MM Jumping scissors kick[s] 16+10 Pai changes feet position when lands back, back+P H Jabbing footwork 12 Pai changes feet position after this move down/for+P G Punch fallen opponent on the ground 10 Counter-attacks =============== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- back+P H Grab and throw 30 Grabs high-level punches and kicks back/down+P M Grab and throw 30 Grab mid-level elbows and side kicks Throws and close range move =========================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Wrist twist 50 for, down+P H Falling DDT 60 back, down+P+D H Stomach throw 30 for, for+P+K H Reaping throw and punch 40+10 back, for+P H Pushover 60 for+All L Cartwheel over low opponent 0 Pai changes feet position after this move Lau Chan ^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P, [P] HHH Running punches 12+12+14 P, K HH Punch and heel kick 12+30 P, K+D HH Punch and crescent 12+(20-40) P, DOWN+K+D HL Punch and sweep 12+(20-40) P, P, K HHn 2 punches and straight kick 12+12+30 P, P, P, K HHHH 3 punches and crescent 12+12+14+50 P, P, P, back+K HHHM 3 punches and backward kickflip 12+12+14+20 P, P, P, DOWN+K HHHL 3 punches and sweep 12+12+14+40 back/down+P, [P, P] HHH Forearm strike, [running punches] 14+12+14 back/down+P, K HH Forearm strike and heel kick 14+30 back/down+P, K+D HH Forearm strike and crescent 14+(20-40) back/down+P, DOWN+K+D HL Forearm strike and sweep 14+(20-40) back/down+P, P, K HHn Forearm strike, punch and straight kick 14+12+30 back/down+P, P, P, K HHHH Forearm strike, 2 punches and crescent 14+12+14+50 back/down+P, P, P, back+K HHHM Forearm strike, 2 punches and backward 14+12+14+20 kickflip backdown+P, P, P, DOWN+K HHHL Forearm strike, 2 punches and sweep 14+12+14+40 DOWN/FOR+P, [P, P] HHH Lifting palm, [running punches] 20+12+14 Lifting palm automatically comes out after any kick (except for crescent) when you tap P DOWN/FOR+P, K+D HH Lifting palm and crescent 20+(20-40) DOWN/FOR+P, b+K+D HL Lifting palm and sweep 20+(20-40) DOWN/FOR+P, P, P, K HHHHn Lifting palm, 2 punch and heel kick 20+12+12+30 DOWN/FOR+P, P, P, P, K HHHHH Lifting palm, 3 punches and crescent 20+12+12+14+50 DOWN/FOR+P, P, P, P, back+K HHHHM Lifting palm, 3 punches and backward 20+12+12+14+20 kickflip DOWN/FOR+P, P, P, P, DOWN+K HHHHL Lifting palm, 3 punches and sweep 20+12+12+14+40 down/for+P, [P], [P] MHH Knife hand, [running punches] 15+12+14 down/for+P, P, K MHn Knife hand, punch and straight kick 15+12+30 down/for+P, P, P, K MHHH Knife hand, 2 punches and crescent 15+12+14+50 down/for+P, P, P, back+K MHHM Knife hand, 2 punches and backward 15+12+14+50 kickflip down/for+P, P, P, DOWN+K MHHL Knife hand, 2 punches and sweep 15+12+14+40 DOWN release+K M Rising heel kick 40 D+K H Crescent kick 30-50 DOWN+K+D L Sweep 20-35 down/for, down/for+P M Dashing knife hand 20 Lau changes feet position after this move up/for+K M Forward cartwheel kick 30 up/for+K+D M Short jump kick 32 back/up+K M Backward kickflip 40 back/up O Backflip for+P M Elbow strike 19 for+K M Snap kick 19 for, down+K L Sliding attack 30 down/for+K G Stamp foot on fallen opponent 15 Lau™s throws and close range moves ================================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Waterwheel drop 40 back+P H Piggyback drop 50 back, for+P H Head slam 60 back, down+P+D H Sideways throw 15 Wolf Hawkfield ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P, [P] HHM Running punches, [uppercut] 14+14+28 P, P, for+P HHH Running punches with high elbow strike 14+14+20 P, K HH Punch-kick combo 14+30 for+K M Knee 30 Wolf changes feet position after this move down/for+P M Uppercut 22 DOWN/FOR+P M Uppercut from low position 22 for, for+P L Running clothesline 40 back, for+P n Dashing shoulder ram 20-70 back+P H Backhand slap 20 K+D H Scissors kick 30 back, for+K+D M Somersault heel smash 30 for+K+D H Roundhouse kick 36 Wolf changes feet position after this move for, for+K+D H Flying knee attack 30 Wolf changes feet position after this move up/for+K M Drop kick 30 for+P M Body blow 20 back+P+K M Drop elbow 30 Wolf changes feet position after this move for, down+K L Sliding attack 20 DOWN, for+P M Two hand upward slap 30 down/for+P G Elbow drop on fallen opponent 20 back/up+K G Back body splash 20 Counter-attacks =============== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- back/down+P M Grab side kicks 60 Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Backfall suplex 60 P+D B German suplex 80 for+P H Body slam 50 back, SCR, for+P H Twirl and hurl 100 down/for, down/for+P+K H Ghostbuster 80 up/for+K+D H Frankensteiner 60 back/down+All L Double arm suplex 70 down/for+All L Tombstone 70 down+P+D L Torso takedown 60 All B Variation german suplex 85 Jeffry McWild ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P, [P] HHM Running punches, [uppercut] 14+14+28 P, K HH Punch-kick combo 14+30 down+P+K H Dodging side jab 30 down/for+P, [P] MM Uppercut[s] 22+19 DOWN/FOR+P M Uppercut from low position 22 down+K, [P] Mn Toe kick, [hammer] 24+19 down+K, DOWN, QCR, for+All M Toe kick of doom 24+100 for+P M Elbow strike 19 for+P, back+P Mn Elbow-hammer combo 19+30 for, for+P, [P] MM Dashing low elbow, [uppercut] 19+19 Jeffry changes feet position after low elbow for, for+K M Frontal foot thrust 40 for, down+K M Heel axe 36 Jeffry changes feet position after this move for+K M Knee 35 Jeffry changes feet position after this move back, for+P M Drop elbow 30 Jeffry changes feet position after this move back, down/for+P M Lunging drop elbow 30 for+P+K H Head butt 40 back/down, for+P+K M Thrusting head butt 40 All M Flying butt attack 30 down/for+K G Foot stomp 20 Jeffry changes feet position after this move Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Fireman™s carry 60 P+D B Backbreaker 100 for+P H Power slam 50 back+P+D H Body press 60 down/for, down/for+P+K H Crucifix piledriver 80 back, for+P+K, for+P+K, for+P+K H Triple head butts 20+15+32 back, for, for+All H Backbreaker 70 down+P L Face grab AKA Iron claw 50 DOWN, for+K L Triple knee bash 10+10+10+30 for/down+All L Powerbomb 70 Kage-maru ^^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P, [P] HHH Running punches 10+10+12 P, K HH Punch-kick combo 10+30 P, P, K HHn 2 punches and straight kick 10+10+13 P, P, P, K HHHM 3 punches and spinning mid-kick 10+10+12+30 P, P, P, back+K HHHM 3 punches and backward kickflip 10+10+12+20 back/down+P, [P, P] HHH Dodging punch, [running punches] 14+10+12 back/down+P, K HH Dodging punch and kick 14+30 back/down+P, P, K HHn Dodging punch, punch and straight kick 14+10+30 back/down+P, P, P, K HHHM Dodging punch, 2 punches and spinning 14+10+12+30 mid-kick back/down+P, P, P, back+K HHHM Dodging punch, 2 punches and backward 14+10+12+20 kickflip for+P M Elbow strike 19 down+K+D M Heel kick 35 DOWN, for+K M Rising knee 38 Kage changes feet position after this move back/up+K M Backward kickflip 40 back/up+K+D M Kickflip 50 back/up O Backflip for, for+K L Back heel sweep 20-30 Kage changes feet position after this move for, for+All L Rolling flying kick 40 for, for+K+D M Flying corkscrew kick 30 Kage changes feet position after this move back, SCR, for O Roll forwards back, SCR, for+K OL Roll forwards and sweep 20-35 back, SCR, for, OOL Roll forwards and do flying kick back, SCR, for+All 40 back, SCR, for, OOL Roll forwards and kick low back, SCR, for+P 15 for, SCR, back O Roll backwards for, SCR, back+K OL Roll backwards and sweep 20-35 for, SCR, back, OOL Roll backwards and do flying kick back, SCR, for+All 40 for, SCR, back, OOL Roll backwards and kick low back, SCR, for+P 15 back+D O Cartwheel backwards back+K+D n Back thrust 30 back, QCR, down+K L Sliding attack 19 Kage changes feet position after this move back, for+P+K, [P+K] HH Slashing shuto, [back shuto] 16+16 Kage changes feet position after the slashing shuto down+P+K, [P+K] HM Slashing shikan-ken, [back shikan-ken] 16+16 Kage changes feet position after the slashing shikan-ken DOWN, for+P+K, [P+K] MH Chopping shuto, [slicing shuto] 16+16 Kage changes feet position after the chopping shuto back, back+K H Turning high back thrust 30 back, back+P H Turning downward chop 14 back, back+K+D L Turning toe slide 12 back, back+P+D H Turning upward chop 14 down/for+K G Heel smash on fallen opponent 15 Counter-attacks =============== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- down+P H Grab incoming single fist/palm attacks 50 Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Hip throw AKA shoulder throw 50 P+D B Torso takedown 50 back+P H Ten foot toss 40 back, for+P H Reaping throw 50 All H Toka throw 50 Sarah Bryant ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P, [P] HHH Running punches, [hook] 10+10+10 P, K HH Punch-kick combo 10+30 P, P, K HHH 2 punches and straight kick 10+10+30 P, P, P, K HHHn 3 punches and rising knee 10+10+10+40 Sarah changes feet position after this combo P, P, P, up+K HHHM 3 punches and hopping toe kick 10+10+10+30 Sarah changes feet position after this combo P, P, P, back+K HHHM 3 punches and kickflip 10+10+10+30 P, down+K HM Punch and side kick 10+30 back/down+P, [P, P] HHH Dodging punch, [punch and hook] 14+10+10 back/down+P, K HH Dodging punch-kick combo 14+30 back/down+P, P, K HHH Dodging punch, punch and straight kick 14+10+30 back/down+P, P, P, K HHHn Dodging punch, 2 punches and rising knee 14+10+10+40 Sarah changes feet position after this combo back/down+P, P, P, up+K HHHM Dodging punch, 2 punches and hopping 14+10+10+30 toe kick Sarah changes feet position after this combo back/down+P, P, P, back+K HHHM Dodging punch, 2 punches and kickflip 14+10+10+30 back/down+P, down+K HM Dodging punch and side kick 14+30 K, P HH Kick and punch 30+08 for+P M Elbow strike 15 for+P, K MM Elbow-knee combo 15+25 Sarah changes feet position after this combo for+K, [down/for+K] Mn Knee, [rising knee] 30+40 Sarah changes feet position after the first knee DOWN, for+K n Rising knee 40 Sarah changes feet position after this move for, for+K M Lunging knee 30 Sarah changes feet position after this move down+K M High snap kick AKA Big punt 30 down+K, [K] MM Toe kick, side kick 30+20 Sarah changes feet position after the side kick DOWN/FOR+K, K, [K] MHH 2, [3] Shadow kicks 19+20+21 down+K+D L Crouching side kick 20 back/up+K M Kickflip 50 back/up O Backflip up+K M Roundhouse kick 25 for/up+K M Forward jumping roundhouse kick 25 for/up+K+D H Tornado kick 20-50 Sarah changes feet position after this move back+K H Double kick 10+30 Sarah changes feet position after this move K+D M Downward crescent kick 20-30 back/down+K+D M Side hook kick 20 back, back+P H Turning punch 14 back, back+K H Turning jump kick 30 DOWN, back+K, [K] HH Spinning heel kick[s] 20+20 Sarah turns away if 1 kick is executed down/for+P M Downward backfist 12 down/for+K G Kick fallen opponent 15 Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Belly suplex 50 P+D B Torso takedown 60 for, for+P H Jumping clothesline AKA bulldog 40 Jacky Bryant ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, P, [P] HHH Running punches, [hook] 12+12+14 P, K H* Punch-kick combo 12+19 * Close range: Punch and side kick 12+30 Far range : Punch and crescent for, P, K HH Normal punch-kick combo 12+30 P, down+K HL Punch and sweep 12+(20-40) P, P, K HHH 2 punches and straight kick 12+12+30 P, P, for+P HHMn 2 punches, elbow 12+12+19 P, P, for+P, heel kick HHMn 2 punches, elbow, heel kick 12+12+19+30 P, P, for+P, back/up+K+D HHMM 2 punches, elbow, kickflip 12+12+19+60 P, P, back+P, [K] HHHH 2 punches, spinning backfist, [sweep] 12+12+22+30 D, P, P, [P] HHH Dodging punch, running punches 14+12+14 D, P, K H* Dodging punch-kick combo 14+19 * Close range: Punch and side kick 14+30 Far range : Punch and crescent D, P, down+K HL Dodging punch and sweep 14+(20-40) D, P, P, K HHH Dodging punch, punch, straight kick 14+12+30 D, P, P, for+P HHMn Dodging punch, punch, elbow 14+12+19 D, P, P, for+P, K HHMn Dodging punch, punch, elbow, heel kick 14+12+19+30 D, P, P, for+P, back/up+K+D HHMM Dodging punch, punch, elbow, kickflip 14+12+19+60 D, P, P, back+P, [K] HHHH Dodging punch, punch, spinning backfist, 14+12+22+30 [crescent] back+P, [P] HH Spinning backfist[s] 22+30 back+P, K HH Spinning backfist and crescent 22+(30-50) Jacky changes feet position after this combo back+P, down+K HL Spinning backfist and sweep 22+(20-35) Jacky changes feet position after this combo back+P, back/down+P HL Spinning backfist and low spinning 22+22 backfist for+P M Elbow strike 19 for+P, K Mn Elbow-heel kick combo 19+30 back/down+P L Low spinning backfist 22 back/down+P, K LL Low spinning backfist and sweep 22+(20-35) for+K M Knee 30 Jacky changes feet position after this move back/up+K M Kickflip 60 back/up O Backflip down+K M Toe kick 24 for, for+K M Punt kick 30 K+D, [down+K+D] HL Crescent, [sweep] (30-50)+(20-40) down+K+D L Crouching side kick 20 K, K HM Kick, heel kick 30+30 down/for+P H Hook 14 back+K M Side hook kick 20 P+K M Beat knuckle AKA bitch slap 30 down+P+K, [K, K, K, K] MMMHH Lightning kicks 08+08+08+10+30 back, for+K+D M Spinning mid-kick 36 Jacky changes feet position after this move back, back+P H Turning hook 14 back, back+K H Spin around half crescent 30 down/for+K G Kick fallen opponent 15 Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Brainbuster 50 P+D B Backside clothesline AKA faceplant 60 for, for+P H Jumping clothesline AKA bulldog 40 down,down/for, K, K MM Toe kick, side kick 24+25 Jacky changes feet position after the side kick for, back+P+K H Trip and hammer 60 Jacky changes feet position after this throw Shun Di ^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, [P], [P] HHM Punch, [high elbow], [uppercut] 10+12+14 Shun changes feet position after each uppercut P, K HH Punch-kick combo 10+30 down/for+P M Uppercut 14 DOWN/FOR+P M Dashing uppercut 30 DOWN, for+P M Lunging punch 30 for+P H Running punches 10+14+8 back/down+P L Backpush 22 down+K+D M Scorpion kick 35 back+P H Twisting back hook fist 24 back/up O Backflip for, for+K M Cartwheel kick 35 up+P M Jumping back hammer 30 Shun changes feet position after this move back/up+P M Backward jumping back hammer 30 Shun changes feet position after this move up+K H Mule kick 35 up/for+K M Spinning scissors kick 35 up/for+P M Spinning twist punch 30 K+D, [P] MH Jumping spin kick, [sideways push] 35+19 P+K M Two hand push 30 Shun drinks if this move hits back/down+K+D L Breakdance sweep 30 DOWN+K+D L Breakdance sweep 30 Shun changes feet position after this move down+P+K, [K], [K] LLL Breakdance sweeps 10+10+10 Works only after Shun drinks. back+K+D M Backward hopping kicks 35 for, SCR, back, [K] OH Handstand [kick] 30 back+K H Kick and fall face up 24 back/down+K, [D] L Low back kick, [fall face down] 10 back/down+K, K LH Low back kick and heel kick 10+30 back/down+K, K+D LM Twist kick and jumping spin kick 10+35 back/down, back/down+K HH Falling twist kicks 30+15 down, down, [K] OL Sit down, [low kick or slide] 24 back/down+D O Side step backwards back/down+D, P OH Side steps backwards with backfist 20 back/down+D, P+K OM Side steps backwards with two-hand push 30 down+D O Side steps forwards back+D O Steps backwards tucking in his tummy back+D, P OH Steps backwards and uppercut 15 Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Dances with punches 10+10+10+20 Shun drinks after this move All H Grab and fall 30+20 Grabs arm and falls back elbowing opponent as he falls Lion Rafale ^^^^^^^^^^^ Special moves and combos ======================== CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P, [P], [P] HHH Punch, [elbow thrust], [backfist] 12+14+15 Lion changes feet position after the elbow thrust and backfist P, K HH Punch-kick combo 12+30 for+P M Elbow strike 19 for+K M Knee 30 Lion changes feet position after this move down/for+P, [P] Mn Uppercut, [downward swipe] 10+20 DOWN/FOR+P, [P] LL Low forward creeping peck[s] 12+12 back/down+P, [P] LL Low thrusting peck[s] 12+08 for, for+P M Long range fist thrust 40 for, for+K+D M Spin forward and kick high 24 Lion changes feet position after this move down/for+K+D L Spin forward and kick low 24 Lion changes feet position after this move back+P H Poke head from above 30 for+P+D H Poke head directly 30 P+D L Short range low wind-up attack 15 down/for+P+D L Long range low wind-up attack 20 DOWN+K+D L Sweep 24 up+K, [K] MH Dancing kick[s] 25+30 Lion changes feet position after the second kick down, down+K M One-handstand kicks 24+24 up/for+K M Cartwheel spin kick 20 up/for+P M Jumping downward swipe 30 Lion changes feet position after this move back/up+P M Backward jumping downward swipe 30 Lion changes feet position after this move up+P H Swinging arms 30 Lion changes feet position after this move back/up O Cartwheel backwards down+K, [K] LL Low swipe kick[s] 12+12 Lion changes feet position after the first swipe kick down+K, K+D LH Low swipe kick, high spin kick 12+30 Lion changes feet position after the first swipe kick back, back+K H Turn kick 30 back, back+P H Turn punch 14 back, back+K+D M Turn with side kick 24 D, for+P H High spinning side attack 20 D, down/for+P L Spin to the side with low trip 20 back/down+D O Ducks and steps away sideways for/down+D O Ducks and closes in Throws and close range moves ============================ CONTROL MOTIONS LEVEL DESCRIPTION/COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P+D H Trip 10+15+25 P+D B Piggyback attack 10+20=20 back+P+K H Reaping throw 30+20 for, for+P+D H Grab and fling 30+20 for, SCR, back+P+D H Frontal piggyback attack 10+15+15+30 BASIC OPERATIONS Before we start, on fighting techniques, below is the basic operation in VF. Selecting your character ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Just highlight your character and tap P, K or D. To select alternate colors of the character, hold the joystick up and tap the buttons. Replays ^^^^^^^ After a set, a replay will take place. If you find that the replay is irritating, may bypass it by tapping the START button. Be careful to tap your own player start button. If someone has put in some tokens and you tap the other player button, you have accidently forced someone to play against you or worse challenged yourself as the tokens inside are yours. There is more you can do during the replays and this will be covered in the EASTER EGGS section. Controller technique ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The new boxes that are used for VF2 are now standard. The button positions form some form of circular arc which aid your fighting technique if you position for fingers properly. Joystick ======== The joystick is best held rather loosely. The are 3 main ways to hold the joystick in VF: 1. Thumb and fingertips: Very much the same as you would hold an eyedropper. It gives somewhat firm control for the diagonal movements. Good response for taps in any direction using thumb or fingertips. Recommended technique. 2. Engulfing: The ball on the stick is completely grasped into a fist. This is not recommended though some have found this technique comfortable for rolling actions in Akira's Dashing Palm or Wolf's Twirl and Hurl. 3. In-between: The stick is in-between the index finger and the middle finger with palm facing upwards. Great control over up, down, forward and back motions but lends poor control over diagonals. I've seen this technique in one person who has tiny hands. So it is recommended for people with little hands I think. 4. Situational: The use of 2 or all of the above techniques as the situation demands. Buttons ======= The recommended technique is to use 3 digits for each of the buttons. Personally, I think switching from button to button using a finger is rather ineffecient though it is possible in VF1. In VF2 the moves especially the elbow-knee and elbow-heel kick combo of the Bryants require you to be fast. The recommended finger positioning is: Defend: Thumb Punch : Index finger Kick : Middle finger An alternate way for big hands is: Defend: Index finger Punch : Middle finger Kick : Ring finger Rounds and sets ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The action is VF is divided into rounds. In each round, you would spar the opposing character. Each round is further divided into sets. Depending how your arcade manager setups the box, rounds can be divided into 2/3, 3/5, 4/7 or 5/9 sets. 2/3 means you have to win 2 sets out of a total of 3. 3/5 means you have to win 3 sets out of a total of 5 and so on. The number of sets you have to win is highlighted just below you character™s lifebar. Two empty boxes shows that the machine is set to 2/3 and so on. Versus computer combat ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you choose to fight with the computer, the opponents follow in the order below: Lau, Sarah, Shun, Pai, Lion, Jeffry, Kage, Jacky, Wolf, Akira, Dural The last fight which is a bonus stage is a battle between your character and Dural. This takes place underwater amongst the ruins of the sunken city of Atlantis. Action is in slow motion due to fluid viscosity. Ranking mode ============ If you choose to fight against computer controlled opponents, you may invoke the "ranking mode". This allows the computer to grade your fighting skills. Upon completion of the game (beating Akira but not necessarily Dural), the computer gives recommendations to improve your technique. However, if you get beaten halfway through, a grade will only be given. If someone challenges you to a duel, ranking mode is not cancelled if you defeat the challenger. You cannot continue ranking mode if you are defeated by the computer. To invoke ranking mode, tap all three buttons and press start together. Current observations seem to suggest that the computer awards more points for: * Floating your opponents. * Behind throws. You can beat all computer opponents easily by just throwing, but what you get would just be 9th grade. Expert mode =========== For those craving for a challenge. You can turn the VF2 computer AI up by invoking the "expert mode". At the character selection screen. Tap the joystick down twice, up twice, left twice and finally right twice. You will hear a sound (YAHOO). This means that expert mode is on. Select your character. Under expert mode, the computer AI is souped up. It defends against attacks better and uses more variety of attacks. Throwing computer controlled opponents becomes more difficult and the computer adds more throws to its variations. This mode is good for practice. The variety of moves used against you would help you learn how to defend and counter them. Definitely a must for those serious in perfecting their VFing skills. Expert mode can work in conjunction with ranking mode. The flashing "USE" that appears sometimes just below that computer opponent's lifebar has great significance. It shows that the computer is using a move you or other previous opponents have successfully used against it. Theoretically, the computer gets better and better as more opponents challenge it in expert mode. If a challenger comes and you lose to him, expert mode is not turned off. The challenger will "inherit" the expert mode. Entering your initials ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ There is some general confusion in entering your initials. Actually it is rather simple. Just hold the D button and move the joystick left or right to select the character. The trick is to look at the characters changing at the bottom of the screen. Once highlighted, release D and run towards the character. You are to knock the character down and not just hit it to get it entered. Once a character is entered, you can erase it with a backspace by highlighting the backspace and knock it down. Be careful and quick when entering the characters. You have 30 seconds to do this only. You can only enter your initials after you beat Akira and made it to the top 20 fastest completion times. Beating Dural is optional. Sudden death ^^^^^^^^^^^^ If the last deciding round happens to be a draw, the game goes to sudden death where the fight takes place on a ring which size is 1/16 of the original. The object is to mainly RO the opponent as a decider for that round. If the sudden death is a draw, the challenger is the loser. If you are playing against the computer, the player loses if a draw happens; which is most unlikely. GENERAL FIGHTING TECHNIQUES This part covers some basic fighting techniques in VF2. Please note that VF2 is still a ground based game. SEGA has made air attacks in this game fairly worthless. Though now with increased speed, aerial attacks are still rather quite slow. Hopping attack speeds are however improved, so they are now more useful. To make matters worse for jump kickers from VF1, computer controlled opponents are able to return a jump kick to your character once a jump kick is missed. The guide below is just a basic guide. Most are borrowed from the VF1 FAQ. It is by no means a formula to successful VFing. A flexible fighting technique is needed for human versus human fights. This is also required for versus computer fights since the computer now remembers the moves that are successfully used against it and will defend itself against these same attacks. Now then, the techniques... A flurry of jabs ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ By simply tapping the punch button repeatedly, your character, whomever he (or she) may be, will step forward and punch as they go. They will punch 2-3 times and then pause for a second before they can begin to attack again. Works good when: * when your enemy has very little life left. * when your enemy is close to the edge of the ring (to get a RO). * sometimes to start the round out with. * if they are in the air, you can usually hit them with an attack, and follow that up with two or three punches before they hit the ground Jeffry, Lau, and Wolf can tag on their uppercut/knife hand to make a more deadly combo whenever they catch someone in the air with a punch or a kick if you tag on the kick part of their combos. Works bad when: * if you use it too much and the opponent counters with a low attack. * if your opponent has a special counter-attack move. Hopping attacks ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ With the increased speed in VF2, hopping attacks can be used to counter low attacks. Very useful against opponents who are getting up to sweep you. Hop kicks are useful against low defenders though they are quite weak in terms of damage inflicted. Hopping hammers and jabs inflict heavy damage. However, they cannot attack low or standing defenders. They are more useful at close range when a low attack is expected. Some characters' hopping kicks are just pure deception. Kage, Lau, Shun and Lion have toe slides or sweeps in place of a hop kick. This can be achieved by tapping K while descending from the hop. Jumping attacks ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jumping and kicking immediately works well if they are really close to you. You can catch them off guard if they are closing in with a fury of jabs. This attack also hits a low defenders. Therefore it is very valuable to people who don't have many other attacks which can hit a squatting opponent. If they aren't close, then you have three options: Distance drop kicks =================== Has deceptive range. Probably the best distance attack. You must hit the kick button before you reach the peak of your jump. You can only be hit out of it if your opponent does a close jumping kick before your kick comes out and that is a very hard move to time (of which the computer opponents do so well). This works well as an ambush attack as well. As an opponent closes in with punches, jump overhead him and drop kick him from behind since defend does not work for attacks behind. Landing kicks ============= If you hit the kick when descending from a jump, you will kick before you land. This does have benefits as you can surprise someone who thinks you are easy meat after a failed jumping attack. Overhead hammer =============== You need to hit the punch button before you reach the peak of your jump. Better than the mid-air kick, but not as good as the drop kick. VF2 allows you to have two jumping attacks per jump. It may surprise many who do not know this. However, do not be complacent. Jumping kicks are still desperation moves and recovery from a jumping attack is slow leaving you vulnerable to any attack or worse, a throw. Ring out ^^^^^^^^ Knocking your opponent out of the ring is a perfectly legitimate way to win a set. The simplest way to accomplish this is, when they are close to the edge, to use a fury of jabs or a sweep since these attacks will push them backwards even if they defend. Squatting kicks are rather good too as your character will skip forwards for the kick. Note that Kage's flying kick pushes people back very far, and that Wolf's spinning throw can throw the person out of the ring if you are lucky for that, try to have your back to the edge since that is the direction that he finally lets them fly. Akira's close-in ram can knock lighter opponents like Lion, Sarah and Pai out of the ring from just off the center of the ring. Jeffry's flying butt attack is good to push people out too. Waiting for your break ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ One of the more successful defenses can be to simply just crouch and sit below your opponents attacks until they pause in their attack. You can then counter with one of the following. * a power move ¥ like Kage's heel kick, Wolf's Shoulder Ram or Akira's jumping kicks. * a throw ¥ just perform the motion for the throw you would like to do. Characters are easy targets for throws while they recover from moves such as high kicks, missed pounces and jumps. * a combo or combination attack ¥ like Jacky's elbow-heel kick combo or Sarah's elbow-knee combo. Dodging and counter-attacks ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ With the increased speed in VF2, you can execute dodges and counter-attacks at a moments notice. Most characters have a dodging punch move or some sort of counter-attack equivalent to Pai's defensive grab. There are many ways you can counter-attack. Everytime you see an attack coming, just back off and retaliate while the opposing character recovers. Just be imaginative. For example, backward kickflips duck under many punches. Use this to your advantage. In addition, those special dodge and punch moves can break your opponent™s defences at close range. The success of these moves depend on the feet position between both you and your opponent. If you desire to do this, try to have opposing feet position. It should look like this: Character A Character B - * - * In the case of those defensive grabs. It is best to set up your opponent to make that crucial move you want them to make. On purpose in previous sets, make yourself vulnerable to a particular move like a side kick or punch for a certain situation. Then present this same situation to them and grab their attack. It is all up to your head to set up the "sting". An example would be to present yourself as vulnerable after Akira's dashing elbow to punch-kick combos. Then after a set, do a dashing elbow, tap D then back+P when you know the opponent's punch is incoming. This is what they mean by using these counter-attacks with finesse. This applies to all characters with a special counter-attack. Attacking while rising ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When an opponent knocks you down, you can get up with an attack. There are many ways to do it thus giving you many variations. Rising attacks depending on how they are executed will hit either low or standing defenders. However, a missed rising attack with an opponent nearby spells a free attack on your character. It is wiser to use the rolling away attacks as they get you away from the action and discourages throws from players that follow you through the roll hoping for a free throw. Rising attacks inflict 20 points of damage with the following exceptions: Lion - rising rear kick inflicts 20+20 points of damage since he does 2 kicks instead of one. It comes out when he has fallen with his face down. Lion, Kage, Wolf, Jeffry - Counter-roll heel smash inflicts 30 points of damage. Jeffry - Rising head butt when head is towards the opponent gives 30 points of damage. This will happen when Jeffry has fallen with his face down. All characters are vulnerable to rising attacks after a missed pounce. If your opponent plays a character that misses most of his pounces like Wolf and Jeffry, do a rising attack. Do not do too many rising attacks as most experienced players would rather back off after a successful attack. Players with characters that have some form of long distance attack like Kage (Flying kick) or Sarah (Toe kick-side kick) would take the opportunity to attack from a distance with these moves. Be careful when you get up or you may find yourself trying to get up again. Countering rising attacks now are more difficult. However, if your opponent gets a bit too predictable, you can: * do a hopping attack in response to any sweep. Hopping hammers and jabs are good as they do the most damage. * defend in response to a kick or sweep. Attack them with your best depending on how they respond. If they defend, throw them. If they think they can sneak some additional attacks after a missed rising attack, muster your best attack against them. Getting a bit too predictable can be a psychological weapon as well. Do rising attacks different from previous attacks to make your opponent think he's got you figured out. Sometimes do an attack that allows you to fall flat on the ground. Shun's attacks are a fine example. Falling flat on the ground after an attack tempts your opponent to come closer especially for an opportunistic throw. Kick or sweep them as they come near since recovery from such moves are faster. This may be dangerous as characters now can kick or punch opponents on the ground. Hit “em when they™re down ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ NEARLY every time you knock your opponent down you should try for a pounce. Below are the description for both low and high pounces with damage points listed. Character up+P UP+P ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Akira Jumping punch none 20 Pai Low knees pounce High knees pounce 30 40 Lau Single feet stomp Double feet stomp 30 25+15 Wolf Low jumping elbow drop High jumping elbow drop 30 40 Jeffry Body splash Butt bomb 30 40 Kage Near: Head dive Same 30 Medium range: Feet pounce Same 40 Far range: Knees pounce Same 30 Sarah Low jumping knee hammer High jumping knee hammer 30 40 Jacky Low jumping knee hammer High jumping knee hammer 30 40 Shun Cartwheel heel smash Roll forward and elbow drop 30 30 Lion Heel smash Cartwheel heel smash 30 40 Pounce ranges in VF2 are much shorter that in VF1. Sarah and Kage do not have unlimited pounce ranges anymore. The motions for pounces (up+P) can be done the moment your opponent starts falling. You can also time your pounces to hit someone trying to get up. The damage is even more severe in this case. Imagine Jeffry's entire butt landing on your head! On top of pouncing, characters can use alternative attacks against fallen opponents. Kicks, punches to the ground, elbow drops are some of the few. They are fast and rather efficient. These attacks will not keep the opponent on the ground for long. Each kick or punch will move them further away from your character, therefore each subsequent attack can fail opening you up for a rising attack. At most get two of these attacks in and back off. The motion for these attacks like pounces can be done when the opponent starts falling. However, these alternative moves require you to be close to the fallen opponent to connect. The universal punch-kick combo ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is by far the most important combo to learn. It is fast and can be called upon any time you need speed and power. Low pounces connect well after a successful punch-kick combo. This combo is best used after your opponent fails an attack that lands him close to you. Jacky has two different punch kick moves. At close range, it is a punch and side kick. At further ranges, it is a punch and crescent. Both have it™s uses but most likely, the punch and side kick comes out. The punch and side kick of Jacky makes opponents stagger rather than knock them down. Follow-up with any fast powerful attack like a beat knuckle. Learn this combo and remember to call it when you need it. The side kick ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Basically, this is the move to use against low opponents. It recovers slowly so make sure you connect when you unleash it. The following are side kicks of the characters with their damage points. Character Damage points ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Akira 23 Pai 21 Lau 23 Wolf 33 Jeffry 33 Kage 22 Sarah 19 Jacky 25 Shun 21 Lion 24 Kickflipping ^^^^^^^^^^^^ All the characters except for Akira, Jeffry, and Wolf can backflip. Those who can backflip can do a type of attack called kickflipping, which is a high backwards flip in which the legs can hit the opponent and do major damage besides looking just totally cool. Lion does not backflip but cartwheels. Shun is able to backflip but does not have a kickflip. There are two kinds of kickflips. Backward kickflips and kickflips. In backward kickflips, the exponent backflips doing a handstand and kicks as he/she is flipping backwards. Kickflips are performed as the exponent kicks into the air and flips without ground contact until landing. Backward kickflips and kickflips hits opponents jumping in though kickflips gain more altitude thus giving a higher chance of a successful hit. Only Pai, Lau, Kage, Sarah and Jacky have kickflips. Kage has two different kickflips at his disposal. All kickflips and their combos hit low defenders which is a feature not seen in VF1. Turning around moves ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ These moves are new and cool in VF2. Most fast characters have attacks that turn them around to face their back at the opponent. These attacks can be used in conjunction with turn around and face opponent attacks. This opens up new opportunities for positional play. To play this way, one must have a clear mind on the direction. If you choose to turn around with a punch, this turn around punch can be executed as part of a punch combo. So these moves can be used to set up ambushes and combos. The bad thing about this is that if you are caught with your back on an opponent, the end may be drawing near. Control motions for turn around moves are "back, back+BUTTONS". To execute it properly, you MAY have to hold the second "back" motion. This is advantageous as you can tap the buttons twice to execute the same move twice. First to turn away from the opponent and the second to turn and face the opponent. This can be good for characters like Kage who has many turn around moves, he can have a combination of turn around moves. Harrassment ^^^^^^^^^^^ Squatting and kick together will produce a harrassment kicks to the leg. These kicks are fast but are very weak. Their use as combo stoppers are good as they have a good reach. They can be used to attack an already weakened opponent for a KO. When used in conjunction with low punches, they can be a major source of irritation for combo maniacs. Low punches are good to set up for throws as well. All in all, low attacks are a major irritation to many. Lion's low swipe kicks are so good they are a special move all by itself. Low punches and kicks can also be used to force an opponent to block low for major attacks against low defenders. Sarah's squatting kick is fast and if the defender blocks low for these kicks, her arsenal of attacks against low defenders can be unleashed. Jeffry and Wolf are the tallest characters in the game. Their low kicks have the longest reach. Low punches and kicks are however not good if someone has you figured out. All characters have moves that attack characters staying low and all of them wreak tremendous havoc. Even Pai has a scissors kick that can spell trouble to anyone punching or kicking low. Jeffry and Wolf have throws that are very painful against low attackers who fail in their attacks. So, as much as possible, do not overuse these moves. Ambushes ^^^^^^^^ Due to the fast pace of action in VF2, you may find yourself behind facing an opponents back. You can start combos or do behind throws from that position. To set yourself up behind an opponent can be pure chance or pure cunning as with Akira. His Surprise exchange pull and Backwards uppercut can be used to do an all important knock out move or ring out. Also, distance drop kicks to the back can be achieved on rising opponents. This is a good ambush maneuver though very underhanded does the job pretty well. Just jump forward till you are overhead the rising opponent and drop kick his back. The timing and distance in this move is crucial. If you do find yourself about to be ambushed from behind, you can: * turn with an attack. This is particularly useful if someone wants to throw you. Turning around with a low attack (down+K) is particularly useful. * run. It is okay to run like a chicken at such a situation. Attacks and throws from behind are devastating. It is the only way to escape from a drop kick from behind. Pulling back a kick or a punch ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To pull back a kick, press the kick button, and then press the D button before your kick has been raised above your knee. This works for standing punches, squatting punches and kicks too but you have to be faster. What you do after that is up to you, but your opponent will probably block. You can either throw them or attack them with a move that their defending position is vulnerable to. Delayed action moves ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Combos and special moves that have many motions can be done with delayed action. A fine example is the P, P, P, K combos. Tap the three Ps quickly, then pause for a few milliseconds before tapping K. What you get is three punches, a short pause and the kick move. Lau players have been known to use this very often to fool opponents. Sarah and Jacky's elbow combos can do this too if you hold the joystick forward after the elbow before tapping K milliseconds later. There are many moves that can do this. Discover these yourself. Throwing and close range moves ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Throwing and other close range moves can only be done at punch range. Besides being close to the opponent, you have to have the correct foot positioning. Which is feet positioning that does not mirror the opponents. Your character's left foot if it is in front should correspond to the opposing character's right foot which is a step behind his left. So from top view it should look like: Character A Character B - * - * This would present a throw opportunity if range permits. A throw can be done even when the feet positions mirror one another but it is just more difficult to get out. Depending on the type of throw, the control motions, especially "for, for" motions; throws can be done with incorrect feet positioning. This motion allows your character to •crash¢ onto the opposing character thereby creating correct feet positioning. You can also effect frontal throws from your opponent™s sides if you find youself in such a position and if your character™s throw allows it. If you are facing the side of your opponent more towards the back, a behind throw can be executed. Punch-throw techniques ====================== If an opponent tends to try to close distance with you by moving forward, try punch and throwing him. Do a single punch, crouching or standing, followed QUICKLY by the motion for the throw you want to do. If the punch connects, there is a good chance they will still be in range for a throw. "Heavy" fighters, such as Jeffry and Wolf, are particularly vulnerable, since the punch will hardly move them at all. The punch is fast enough to interrupt any attack the opponent may be attempting, and the throw if done correctly will come out while they are still reeling from the punch. Even if the opponent blocks, the throw will connect so long as you are close enough. Typical Punch and Throw techniques are Kage's Punch and Toss (P, back+P), Wolf's Punch and Twirl (P, back, SCR, for+P) and Lau's Punch and Head Slam (P, back, for+P). Escaping throws =============== You can escape all P+D throws and Jeffry's body press only. To escape from a P+D throw, tap P+D the moment the opponent begins to throw you. To be extra sure, you can tap P+D continuously as the throw begins as if you are getting up after being knocked down. To escape Jeffry's body press, do back+P+D. What you do after successfully escaping from the throw is up to you. Wolf's Backfall suplex is particularly vulnerable to attacks as the escapee falls upright just behind him. You cannot escape from complex control motion throws and behind throws. When throwing experienced opponents, it is best to use complex control motion throws. However, P+D throws are given preference if both players executes the throws at the same time. So it may be safe to use P+D throws in some situations. Its all up to you. Hit “em in the air ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sometimes characters play a little handball with their opponents by repeatedly punching, uppercutting and otherwise bouncing them along in the air. Lau is the true master of this technique, able to bounce opponents up to eight times in a single combination of moves. With the increased speed in VF2, almost all characters are able to do this better than in VF1. There are many combination attacks that keep opponents in the air. Possible combinations are: * Knee and uppercuts for Jeffry * Knee and running punches for Wolf * Toss and flying kick for Kage * Aerial jumping turn kick, rising knee combo and kickflip for Sarah * Any attack from Shun followed by 3 breakdance sweeps * Any of Lion's moves followed by his low swipe kicks The list goes on. Discover these yourself. A rule of thumb is to lower the height level of your attacks. Start out attacking high. If the opponent is hit, keep him in the air. As he/she starts falling, progress to mid-level attacks, then finally to low-level attacks. Developing your own combinations ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You have to develop your own combinations. One lovely system to develop combinations is what I call the "common joystick motion" system. For example, let us take a look at Akira. Akira has a close range defense breaking move called the shake 'em up. Its control motion is back+P+D. He also has a dashing elbow and its motions are back, for, for+P. You can combine these two moves into a beautiful move and so what you do is: back+P+D, for, for+P This would effectively give you a shake 'em up to soften their defenses and a dashing body check to the opponent. Here is another example you might consider. Again we will use Akira. There are 2 Akira moves that require him to stay low first and these are his dashing palm moves. So his combination can be developed as: down+P or down+K, for+P for a low punch or kick followed by a palm. This works very well as Akira does not have any special move that have the motion of down+P or down+K. Effectively, you get a low kick or punch with this motion by tapping down and the respective buttons. This makes Akira squat first for the low punch or kick, then tap forward and punch for the single palm. There is no need to roll the stick forward. If you need a double palm, do a low punch or kick followed by back then forward and punch. Just study your characters' moves and check out which moves have common motions. Develop your own combinations and have fun! Listen and look ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Above all be alert. Listen for loud bangs from the speaker that signify a damaging hit that would knock the opponent out cold for some time. This would help you know when to pounce. Also, listen for powerful moves that make whistling noises. If they hit, the opponent is also knocked down cold for some time. Small "bish" noises usually signify a minor hit. Pouncing after this may land you into trouble. Keep your eyes on the opposing character and judge the distances. Above all practice till the moves come out instinctively even without you looking at your character. EASTER EGGS Slow motion replay ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If a particular finishing is funny, gross, painful, humiliating or spectacular; you may opt for a slow motion replay. As you KO, RO or TO your opponent, hold down all three buttons to effect the slow motion replay option. You are only allowed one slow motion replay per entire game. Victory taunts ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Another nice touch to replays is the victory taunts and phrases. You can actually control what your character says. During the replay, hold down either P, K, or D to select the taunts. Win a set under ten seconds and your character will say the "below ten second taunt". Game completion replays ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you complete the game, the replays of all the stages will be played. The trailing animation frame shadows for these replays can be controlled. Tap the left player D button to negate the frames and the right player D button to reveal the frames. Tapping the joystick up decrease the number and speed of trailing animation frames. Tapping down will increase the number and speed of trailing animation frames. Kage™s face mask ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Kage's face mask will only fall off if he wins 20 straight wins from challengers. After that, Kage will have his face mask falling off indefinitely after being knocked down; provided the VF2 machine is not turned off at the end of the day. He has no scar on his cheek anymore and he is described as rather handsome. A little bird told me ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ At Jacky's stage where the background are mountains. You can actually see a virtua bird! Just hold down all buttons including the start buttons. You will see the bird swooping down from far away. This bird will hover around the losing character. As long as a human versus human fight features the Jacky mountain background, this bird can be called out. Please note that when playing with Sarah against the computer, the background will not be mountains when you reach Jacky. The background will be a city street, thus you cannot see the bird. If you like the old BGM ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In the momentary silence before the first set of every round begins, hold down PLAYER 1 START button to play a funkier VF1 version of the music played in Jacky™s stage. Hold down the PLAYER 2 START button for a funkier version of the music played in Sarah™s stage. This funkier music would end when you start a new round. Give the next player problems ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When you reach Dural, Fight win all sets except the last one so that you are ahead. For the last set, back off a little then stay low and squat doing nothing. Dural will keep doing 2 low punches and a low kick but will not advance to attack or even throw you. The resulting set will be a DRAW but you still win the round. During the replays, your character will be shown in a ready state facing Lau but nothing happens during the credit scroll. When the next in line starts a new game, the scenary is different from the normal and the characters show trailing animation frames or even disappear. It is very difficult to fight the game in this mode. The only way to get rid of this is to reset the machine. Try not to do this unless you are in the mood to pick up a real fist fight. The true power of Akira ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you get to key in your own initials for getting to the top twenty with Akira, do not key in the "END". Make Akira run quite far away until he appears quite small. Don't run too far though. Do a special move of Akira and you will see the whole screen shake. Credit roll ^^^^^^^^^^^ In the demo mode, hold down the player start button to invoke the credit rolls. Release the start button and the credit roll will freeze. Mysteries and rumors ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you would notice, the name of the character just below the lifebar will flash when certain moves from your character connects. I have no idea what it means. The skybreaker is still a rumor. Akira does have a sliding attack. Well, not really sliding. He actually gets down on one knee and gives a low side kick. Any information on how it is done is appreciated. Any info on selecting Dural would be appreciated. About SEGA™s Polygon Graphics System 2 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CPU : 32-bit RISC processor rated at 16 MFLOPS, 25 MHz RAM : 8 Mb ROM : 248 Mb Graphics : 900 000 polygons with 2 097 152 colors CHARACTER GUIDE The Background ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The number one fighter at the First World Fighting Tournament is Lau Chan. Lau used the legendary Koen-ken. Watching Lau's distinctive style of fighting, Akira realizes that he lacks experience. After the Tournament, Akira returns to a worldwide fighting tour. One year later, an invitation for the Second World Fighting Tournament reaches Akira. The invitation contained a list of participants including Lau Chan as well as new participants unknown to him. Akira felt an evil overtone to the letter, nevertheless his enthusiasm as a fighter made him determined to participate in the Tournament. Editor's Notes ============== Lau Chan is the champion because of a nationwide VF1 competition held at Game Spot 21 in Tokyo, Japan. This explains the sequence in which the player challenges computer controlled characters. Shun and Lion are inserted in the sequence where a character appeared more than once in the top ten winning characters. Akira Yuki ^^^^^^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 23th September 1968 Sex : Male Blood type : O Height : 1.80 m Weight : 79 kg Job : Kung Fu teacher Hobby : Kung Fu Nationality : Japan Fighting style : Hakkyoku-ken/Eight Poles Fist VF1 Storyline ============= Hakkyoku-ken, one of the foremost Chinese martial arts. During the Second World War, the Japanese arm developed their own Hakkyoku-ken techniques to improve their infantry's fighting ability. Akira Yuki is the son of the man who developed these techniques. He serves as the assistant instructor at Yuki Budokan. Hot-blooded and impulsive by nature, he also can be naive and intemperate. After completing his training under his father's tutelage at the age of 23, he went on a quest to test his abilities. When he got word of this World Fighting Tournament, he decided to enter. VF2 Storyline ============= The only person to whom the ultimate martial art of Hakkyoku-ken is handed down. Realizing that the last time he lacked experience; Akira is now testing the results of last year's training and practice. During the last Tournament, Akira was a bit to "enthusiastic" and his attitude was met with much disapproval. He was humiliated by Kage and bears a grudge against him. Editor's notes ============== Akira is the "star" character of VF1. He didn't do very well and so Jacky became more or less the star. Also the VF1 competition in Japan had a Lau player as the winner. Many players attributed this to difficulty in using Akira as a playing character in VF. They decided to make Akira stronger for VF2 as a result. He is truly Mr Dynamite now. VF developers seem to have Eight Directions Palm Boxing or Pa Kua when they worked on Akira. The style is based on the premise that if you can defend yourself at the eight compass points covered by the trigrams (an octogon), you will be fully protected from attack. This is the reason for the compulsory D button for Akira's counters-attacks, to align himself to the incoming attack. The main characteristics of this style are open palm strikes and footwork based on the trigrams. Being one of the "internal" styles (most famous of which is Tai Chi), emphasis is placed upon developing "chi" energy. This explains the power of Akira's attacks. Also, each move is done by stamping one's feet which explains the explosive sounds of Akira's dashing elbow strike and power uppercut. The cracks on his stage explains this too. Advanced students of this form of martial arts mount their attacks in twisting, spiralling movements. The twist is done from the waist and generates tremendous power. This is seen in Akira's dashing body check, backwards uppercut and counter-attacks. The style is brought to light by Tung Hai Chuan 400 years ago in China. However, many believed the fighting style has existed for more than 1,500 years. Research and posts from the rec.games.video.arcade suggests that Akira's style of fighting is a mix of Chinese kung fu. His pull-in, push-out throw has Shoalin origins. Fighting with Akira =================== He has his main strength in his special moves and close range moves. Almost all of those multi-punch and kick combos have be removed since not many people use them anyway. The speed of all his special attacks would more than compensate for this. Use them all to your advantage. Playing with Akira would mean pure aggressive play. The increased speed in VF2 would mean his special moves would come out faster. I have seen many Akira players do five continuous dashing elbows in a row to RO an opponent. Cheesy it may seem but it displays the level of aggressiveness he should be played. His close range moves are rather deceptive than powerful. Only his trip and punches; the pull in, throw out; and close-in ram can knock an opponent down. The rest of the close range moves allow him for free strikes based on confusion created by these moves. The insidious surprise exchange is a good example. His dashing palm is a move everyone fears. It will knock down a standing non-defender or send a squatting non-defender across the ring dragging on his butt. If the latter happens, rush forward and throw the person using the close-in ram. Though Akira is fast in his attacks, the recovery from these attacks are slow. The notorious dashing body check is the slowest in its recovery and exposes Akira's back to the opponent momentarily. However, he has his counter-attacks to make up for this. These counter-attacks are precisely used to defend Akira from attacks after his special moves. This makes him even more dangerous in attack or defense. To do his counter-attack, the D button is compulsory. You have to tap it prior to the back+P, back/down+P or down+P motion. According to the way he is attacked, the counter-attacks come out in 8 variations; more or less influenced by the counter-attack control motions. It is most essential to learn his counter-attacks to harness Akira's full potential. All his counter-attacks are very damaging and can push opponents far away. Most consider the stun palm, backwards uppercut and double palm combo as the desired move to master. This combo's first two moves are quite clear cut. However, the last palm move can be done while holding the down/for from the backwards uppercut momentarily followed quickly by back+P or for+P. The actual full motion is: All, back, down/for+P+K, (back/down or down or down/for), (back or for)+P Pai Chan ^^^^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 17th May 1975 Sex : Female Blood type : O Height : 1.66 m Weight : 49 kg Job : Action star Hobby : Dancing Nationality : Hong Kong Fighting style : Ensei-ken/White Crane Fist VF1 Storyline ============= She is a leading star in Hong Kong action films. Her moods change as quickly as a cat's - she can erupt in passion in one minute, and turn icy cold in the next. Lau's only daughter, Pai was especially trained by her father in martial arts from a young age. Lau was jealous of her superior abilities, however, so she ran away from home at 16 when her mother died. Two years later, she was a success in the movie industry. When she recieved word that her father was going to enter the World Fighting Tournament, she also decided to enter. VF2 Storyline ============= Pai took part in the First World Fighting Tournament to test her skills. It revealed that she was rather weak and she decided to train for a year before the Second World Fighting Tournament. During the past year, she incorporated her own techniques and tactics she has discovered. She determined to defeat (this time for sure) her father for pursuing his own ideals at the expense of his family. Editor™s Notes ============== Pai, the "weak" little girl of VF1 is better than before. Now there are not many Pai players but there is one I met that could trash any Sarah player. She is mainly used by her fans and die-hards. With this new speed in VF2, she can float opponents as well of her father now. This fighting style is actually named Bok Hok Pai or White Crane. It is invented by a Tibetan lama. It is said that the lama observed a fight between a crane and a monkey. The crane would defend by evading and retaliating with its wings. The "wings" motion can be seen in Pai downward chop and defensive chop with changing of feet position. The lama who observed this put together 8 techniques from the crane's natural movement with the ape's footwork and grabbing maneuvers. This style is is not to be confused with the Southern Shaolin 5 animal system which also involves a crane. Incidently, the Chinese emperor's imperial guards are taught this fighting style in secret to protect him. This style also found its way to many other kung fu. Watching Pai fight in VF2 is a joy. The moves are flawless and show a sense of grace and beauty. Fighting with Pai ================= Pai's strength is still her parry. She is fast and avoiding attacks is easy with Pai. She still has a weakness for low defenders but that is partially solved with her downward slap and scissors kicks. Her combos come out fast but would leave her totally vulnerable to throws if they fail to connect. Believe me, nobody in the right mind would want to punch or kick Pai. Her back+P counter-attack is now more versatile and can grab a variety of attacks. Playing her is exactly the opposite of Akira. Pure defense. Her throws are rather fast and for anyone running up to her hoping for a free throw must be nuts. Her punches are fast enough to counter any would be throwers. For anyone closing in with punches, she can just back off easily due to the speed of her quick step back. Depending on the range they are closing in, a quick step back followed by her grab and attack would deter most. If a slightly more aggressive Pai is more your liking, use downward slaps combined with sweeps or side kicks. If the side kick floats the opponent, follow-up with the running punches with sweep combo or the crescent combo if they are kept in the air longer. Her single scissors kick spells trouble if she is not stopped in mid-flight. She closes in quite fast with this move and recovers fast for downward slaps, sweeps or side kicks with punch combos. Since she this move enables her to change her feet position, she can throw almost immediately. If they squat low after the scissors kick, she can cartwheel over and deliver moves for more devastation. All in all, concentrate on defense. Only use her combos to retaliate throwers. Throw all those dumbfounded defenders afraid of attacking her. Above all, set up your "stings". Her falling DDT and stomach throw can RO many. Use the pushover throw to avoid ROs. Lau Chan ^^^^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 2nd October 1940 Sex : Male Blood type : B Height : 1.72 m Weight : 77 kg Job : Chinese chef Hobby : Chinese poem Nationality : China Fighting style : Koen-ken/Tiger and Swallow System VF1 Storyline ============= A leading Chinese chef, he is also a master of the legendary Koen-ken martial art. A quiet man, he nevertheless has the air of resourcefulness and skill seen only in those skilled in the art of Koen-ken. His cold appearance belies a gentle nature. He achieved one of his life's ambitions when he was awarded the Grand Prix at the world's most renowned competition for Chinese chefs. Now, he is ready to fulfill his next ambition. He is resolved to enter the World Fighting Tournament and achieve his ultimate goal. VF2 Storyline ============= He is came from Northern China, Shandong Province. He was the strongest fighter and winner of the last Tournament. This made him happy as his martial arts school was looking for successor and the requirement was for him to win the Tournament. After the First Tournament, he retreated to the mountains to train and develop new techniques to improve his ultimate art. He is taking part in the Second World Fighting Tournament using advanced Koen-ken techniques. Editor™s Notes ============== Lau is still the Super Ring Outer. Once you are caught by the knife hand or equivalent, you better stop tapping those buttons. A dashing knife followed by a full volley of punches and crescent would usually mean the end. Lau's fighting style is a blend of 2 Chinese kung fu. Tiger and Swallow Fist. Tiger Fist stresses a lot on simplicity in strokes but every stroke filled with every ounce of force. This is evident in his knife hands and lifting palm. It also emphasizes on "mabu" or horse stance which explains Lau's powerful sweeps. The Swallow has speed in its strikes. You can see this when Lau does a knife hand; the swallow "wing" can be seen on his non-striking hand balancing his movement. This is a very special fighting style and could have its roots on the Tiger and Crane System of Southern Shaolin. Fighting with Lau ================= Lau indeed has the speed and he has the power. This is the guy that made Jacky players re-evaluate their prowess. Mix up all your attacks. Do a combination of high and low attacks. Do not start your combos unless your knife hand or lifting palm hits. Both these moves either stun or lifts opponents high into the air. There is plenty of time to float them. Use the punches and sweep combo for opponents who are heavy or falling fast. The punches and kickflip is good for ROs as they fling opponents far away. At any situation, try to make the crescent in the punches and crescent combo connect. A pounce after would end everything. With this speed, you may think getting all these in is good enough. No! Lau's strength is in his punches. Everyone knows that. Have Akira, Pai, Kage or Wolf opposing you and you are going to have a difficult time. These characters possess counter-attack moves. One grab or counter-attack and this would end your assault. It is here where his throws are useful. Because of his speed in punches, most would prefer a defend and wait attitude when playing against Lau. Just throw these defenders. His sideways throw is the most useful now. One sideways throw leaves Lau standing and ready; a dashing knife hand connects well straight after. If you need further damage, carry on with his punches and insert your favorite kick here. What you will see is Lau going totally psycho punching the ribs of the thrown opponent. His sweeps are powerful but use them judiciously. At longer ranges, the sliding attack comes in handy. In fact, a single punch followed by a sliding attack surprises many. His side kick is still fast but with counter-attacks from other characters, you have to use it judiciously. If a side kick connects, floating the opponent, he can be used like Pai floating with punch combos. A side kick that staggers are are best followed with knife hand or lifting palm combos if you like float fests. The dashing knife hand actually staggers many opponents. It would float opponents if they are caught off guard making a high move. As usual float away but many know this trick already. Before you write off this move, you must note that Lau changes his feet position after this move. This move has very good range and if it fails to connect, throw them if they expect you to do punch combos. To play with Lau is to play with caution. Learn to do his combos at the opportune time but don't forget his basic moves. Wolf Hawkfield ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 8th Febuary 1966 Sex : Male Blood type : O Height : 1.81 m Weight : 110 kg Job : Wrestler Hobby : Karaoke Nationality : Canada Fighting style : Professional wrestling VF1 Storyline ============= He lived as a woodsman and hunter in the Canadian wilderness until he was discovered on a scouting trip by a professional wrestling promoter. A quiet man who loves nature, he has his gentle side. He is filled with fighting spirit, however. Once aroused, he is not satisfied until he finishes the job at hand. He was an instant star in the pro wrestling area, and successfully defended his title several times. Dissatisfied with the level of competition, however, he turned in his belt and retired from the ring. He entered the World Fighting Tournament in search of a rival worthy of his abilities. VF2 Storyline ============= He is determined to fight against Akira again, an opponent that defeated him at the last Tournament. For the last year, he has trained hard to increase his already Herculean strength. Editor™s Notes ============== He is big and huge now. Have moves and looks of a real wrestler. He is fast becoming a favorite among many due to all those fabulous throws. Professional wrestling technique? Well, TV has many fine examples of pro wrestling techniques. I don't think I need to explain this. Fighting with Wolf ================== As usual, go for throws. I would however go easy on the backfall suplex. Any intended victim escapes and you are in trouble. His aerial attacks are magnificent and deadly. Learn to defend stoutly but insert a few attacks here and there. His uppercuts are still slow compared to Jeffry's but his body blow has tremendous range. Many of his moves are similar to the motions for the throws. Use this to your advantage. The upward two-hand slap has almost the same motion for the twirl and hurl. At close range you may get a twirl and hurl but at longer range, you have an attack that has very good reach. This applies to his body blow and his body slam which both apply the same control motion, for+P. At mid-range, his side kick is the most useful attack. More powerful than the uppercuts, it always knocks down opponents. At close range, his knee is good for lifting opponents into the air. If followed by an uppercut and running punches, it would push them really far back. Due to his great height, the sliding attack can be considered one of the best long range "sweeps". His sliding attack catches many by surprise. It can be used just like Lau's sliding attack but it has greater range due to those long legs. The last thing everyone expects is Wolf having a "sweep" move. Another great use of Wolf's long legs is the somersault heel smash. While after getting up while rolling away, perform this move in preference over the counter-roll heel slam. Very useful against fast characters rushing in to pound Wolf. Anytime Wolf is in trouble, he can call upon his drop elbow to assist him. This is a wonderful move against opponents relentlessly punching hoping to overwhelm Wolf with speed attacks. Whenever an opponent is down, hit them with his back body splash or elbow drop. His jumping elbow drop has very little range and should be used at close range. The elbow drop connects easily after all his throws except for the frankensteiner. Be opportunistic for throws at all times. For example, anyone rising with a low attack be it a sweep or a mule kick is asking for trouble. If the attack misses Wolf, a tombstone, double arm suplex or a torso takedown is all it takes to inflict damage. Use his grab side kick counter-attack if you can. It can grab Kage's spinning mid-kick from his punches and mid-kick combo if you time it well. Jeffry McWild ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 20th Febuary 1957 Sex : Male Blood type : A Height : 1.83 m Weight : 111 kg Job : Fisherman Hobby : Reggae music Nationality : Australia Fighting style : Pancractium VF1 Storyline ============= A fisherman on the Australian coast, he lived in the salty tang of the tides and the hot sun. The most skillful fisherman of his village, he has an engaging personality. He was bested by only one opponent - the giant, eight-meter long, man-eating Satan Shark. They fought several battles, and finally met in their ultimate match. Jeffry was routed and his boat wrecked, but he somehow managed to recover as he hovered on the verge of death. He entered the World Fighting Tournament with a vow to build a new boat and do battle with the shark again. VF2 Storyline ============= A fisherman who mastered Pancratium on his own. He had his newly built boat destroyed by the evil Satan Shark. He is participating again in the Tournament to earn him the prize money. Editor™s Notes ============== Like Wolf, he is huge. Does the name King Kong apply? Pancratium (literally All Powers) was the ancient Olympic sport/martial art of the Greeks. It included punching, kicking, and grappling. The original Pancratium is long gone, but its spirit lives on. During the 1960s and 70s, Jim Aravantis (Arvantis?), a Greek immigrant to the US, formalized his own re-creation of the Pancratium which he calls Mu Tau. Fighting with Jeffry ==================== Use him as you would for Wolf. He is a lot faster than Wolf but he recovers just as slow. Use your lower attacks to force opponents to stand defending making them vulnerable to your more devastating throws. His fireman's carry would leave him entirely open if anyone should escape so I would go easy on it too. He does have a slight advantage in this case as the escapee falls far behind. His body press would leave him in the same vulnerable position as Wolf's backfall suplex if the victim escapes. His flying butt attack has great range and what better way to humiliate low defenders than to sit on them! The best throw he has now is the backbreaker. Though the control motions look complicated it is actually much easier to do than the crucifix piledriver. If you fail to throw, you would most likely get off a butt attack which is not too bad. Defend stoutly but as usual, look for breaks for your throws. In VF2, his throws against low defenders or attackers are very easy to do. Learn to get them all out. His side kick is as powerful as Wolf's but it has longer reach. Besides side kicks, his forward foot thrust and heel axe has good range too. Use them to your advantage. They are all rather damaging. The other moves like the lunging elbow drop and thrusting head butt have very long reaches too. His pounces are much faster than Wolf's. His butt bomb has much better range but it is still not good enough. His body splash is worst. He has a foot stomp so use it when you know opponents are rising fast. Use his pounces only after throws or kicks that land opponents near to Jeffry. A body splash after a side kick connects well. Do not forget his powerful uppercuts. They are much faster and thus help your keep opponents in the air longer. Just keep the pressure on your opponents. Even the sight of Jeffry adds a lot of pressure already. Kage-maru ^^^^^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 6th June 1971 Sex : Male Blood type : B Height : 1.78 m Weight : 66 kg Job : Ninja Hobby : Mahjong Nationality : Japan Fighting style : Hagakure-ryu Jujutsu/Jujitsu, Hagakure style VF1 Storyline ============= He was born in the village of Hagakure. Kagemaru is the name given to members of the Hagakure clan who work in secret in the shadows of society. His birthright was to become the tenth-generation Kagemaru. His father, the ninth-generation Kagemaru, taught him the fearsome Hagakure fighting technique. One day, his mother, the eighth-generation Tsukikage, was kidnapped by a mysterious figure. Nothing was heard of her fate. Several years later, the village of Hagakure was attacked by an unknown force. Kagemaru and his father were out fishing, but quickly returned when they saw the blazing village. They were too late, however, and the village was destroyed. Kagemaru's father was felled by a bullet from the mystery group. The next morning, Kagemaru salvaged a keepsake from his father, donned his costume, and embarked on a journey to prepare himself to take vengeance on those who spilled his father's blood. VF2 Storyline ============= Kage whose specialty is Jujitsu, has a vendetta against the Syndicate that killed his father. Not only did they kill his father, they also took his mother away from him and made her as one of their fighters. Editor™s Notes ============== By far, the character with the greatest improvement. Most likely, he would be called Mr Versatile (we already have a Mr Dynamite and he is Japanese also). Makes other game ninjas look rather pale in comparison. Fast rising as a favorite among many. Because Kage is a ninja, he should actually use ninjitsu techniques. Ninjitsu relies on stealth; otherwise, a dark, quiet and subtle method over the bold, active and forceful. So ninjas actually avoid confrontations. However, Virtua Fighter is a ring fight, so the developers cannot have Kage popping out of nowhere to ambush his opponents. With this in mind, the game developers made his fighting style jujitsu. Jujitsu is a generic term for a large number of fighting skills of various styles. The ninjitsu influence to Kage's fighting technique is the fists he makes and his reaping throw. The Karate-like chop fists are called shuto or sword fist. Jujitsu also known as yawara or "gentle art"; gentle, however in the sense of yielding to an opponent's direction of attack while attempting to control it. It began as sechie-zumo (court banquet wrestling). There are many schools. Jujitsu declined with the collapse of the samurai class after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Dr Kano Jigaro studied methods of the Tenjin Shin'yo and Kito schools that gave rise to judo. Judo is the only Oriental martial art allowed in the Olympics as a medal event. Evidence of judo in Kage's style of fighting is in his hip or shoulder throw and his torso takedown. Japanese policemen viewed judo as too sporty without much self-defense applications. They rejected judo and adopted aikido as their form of unarmed combat. This technique obtained much of its influence from Daito-ryu Aikijujitsu and is developed by Morihei Ueshiba. Aikido can be seen in Kage's defensive counter-attack for incoming punches. An aikido exponent is often called the "eye of a hurricane", filled with peace and tranquility, yet surrounded by a powerful field of energy. True words indeed as this has brought fear into punching Kage. Be aware that Hagakure is not a village or school but a fascicle manual for samurai. The Hagakure (translated as In the Shadow of Leaves) has 1,300 short anecdotes and reflections. It is completed in 1716 and is considered as one of the classics on bushido. Its first verse is: "The way of the bushi is to die." Fighting with Kage ================== Use his range to your advantage. His flying kick, corkscrew kick, back thrust and heel kick have deceptively long reaches. To aid him against low defenders, the corkscrew kick works well at far range. He doesn't have any good combos however. The punches and kickflip is by far the best he has; and the punches and spin kick is the weakest four hit combo in the game. His strength is mainly in fancy and tricky moves. His turn around attacks can connect well and above all; with his new found speed in punches, he can be played just like Lau. Mixing up his attacks is very easy. Attacking at high and low, this would confuse many. His most useful tagged on move is still his backheel sweep. Though his pounces connects well now, the backheel sweep is still good habit to keep. His range of movement is even greater with a cartwheel added. Catching him would be difficult if he gets ahead. To play Kage is to play the whole ring. Movement must be a top priority for Kage players. All his throws are so easy to do and solid. The infamous "back+P" ten foot toss is the most useful throw in the whole game. When followed on with attacks or combos that cover distance, ROs or KOs are really very easy. Throws that land opponents at close range connect well with the heel smash. Use this always. His counter-attack counters incoming punches only. Learn to use them when your opponent becomes to predictable. This move also grabs hopping jabs and Akira™s single palm. It does quite sizeable damage and the heel smash is a good follow-up. Playing him would mean sticking to the basics. That is all to it. Combining all those basic attacks would be the feat that every Kage player has to develop. Combinations especially with his ten foot toss would be the ultimate skill Kage players will have to master. Many may consider this as cheap but these combinations are difficult to time and execute. Sarah Bryant ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 4th July 1973 Sex : Female Blood type : AB Height : 1.73 m Weight : 55 kg Job : College student Hobby : Sky diving Nationality : USA Fighting style : Sekken-do/Jeet Kune Do VF1 Storyline ============== Sarah is Jacky's sister and the oldest daughter of the Bryant family. Filled with curiosity, she quickly becomes embroiled in every situation imaginable. Sarah was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her brother Jacky's racing accident. When she was investigating this accident, the mystery group kidnapped her. They use hypnosis to control her actions. Her innate fighting sense aroused by the hypnotism, Sarah will be sent into the Tournament to deliver the knock-out blow to her brother Jacky. VF2 Storyline ============= Sarah is still held captive and hypnotized. She is further trained by the Syndicate to become the strongest fighting machine in order to kill her elder brother Jacky. Editor™s Notes ============== Apart from a cleavage, she is loaded with a variety of kicks mainly. Still a hot favorite, her speed and seemless ability to link up all her moves have won many fans. First a historical view of this fighting technique or rather the concept. Jeet Kune Do is authored by Bruce Lee himself. He was influenced by the Wing Chun fighting technique. Wing Chun means "beautiful springtime" and originated from a nun named Ng Mui. It is said that 5 of China's grandmasters met in the Southern Shaolin Temple to discuss and develop a training program to produce an efficient fighter in 5-7 years. Before the program began, the Southern Temple was sacked and burned to the ground. Ng Mui was the only survivor who knew the full training program. She wandered in the countryside and took a young orphan girl Yim Wing Chun as a student. The system then is called Mei Hua Chuan or Plum Flower Fist. It stressed a lot on power strikes and mabu (horse stance) which suited men. Yim Wing Chun was rather small in her stature so the style did not fit her. She simplified the technique to involve less energy wastage. The improved fighting style is named after Wing Chun. Wing Chun is a style that contains many "traps"; highly evident in Sarah's elbow moves. This style is shrouded in secrecy until grandmaster Yip Man began teaching Wing Chun in Hong Kong during the early 50s. One of Wing Chun's students was Bruce Lee. What we see in VF2 is not Jeet Kune Do but Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu. Jeet Kune Do does not rely on speed and 'irritation'. While speed is one of many important attributes it is not the most important one, at least not for most practitioners. Sensitivity, appreciation of distance, and timing are much more important. While techniques such as the eye jab are used it is generally as a way of 'bridging the gap' between ranges and as a distraction while one sets up for another technique. Jeet Kune Do concepts are more an analytical framework for understanding and teaching martial arts. What you will see at the Inosanto Academy is this understanding applied to a variety of arts. Chief among these is Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu (the funny looking Wing Chun with Western Boxing), but Muay Thai, Filipino Kali, other Chinese Boxing, grappling, and a number of other things will be in evidence as well. These days you will see a lot of Pentjak Silat and Gracie Jujitsu in the mix. Sarah's style of fighting is very different from her brother Jacky. Though both share the same concepts. Her knees are very Muay Thai, her shadow kicks and jumping back roundhouse seems to be borrowed from Taekwondo. Her elbow has Wing Chun influence. Fighting with Sarah =================== Playing with Sarah is like playing with Akira. Very offensive. She is fast and this should be used to your advantage. To date, no new throws are discovered for her. However, the bulldog throw of hers has great range. This can be used to "encourage" opponents to stay low and be vulnerable to Sarah's arsenal of attacks against low defenders. The strength of Sarah is in combination not combos. Tag on all moves that connect and you will go far with her. Her speed of movement is fast so avoiding attacks is just a breeze. Her rising knee combo connects rather well now and can be followed on with a kickflip. With this new speed in VF2, Sarah has now earned the same notoriety as Lau for floating opponents. Her turn around moves are fast and powerful. Her turn around punch followed by any 4-hit combo would push many back. She does however have a sweep but is only useful when her back is facing the opponent. Her toe kick-side kick has good range and would spell trouble for all who miss their rising attacks. The roundhouse kick can jump over many low attacks and the same goes to the tornado kick which has even greater range. These moves recover slowly and should be used when the opportunity allows. Sarah does not side kick opponents. She shadow kicks them. If a side kick could hit at close range, make sure you shadow kick them. Most likely all the three kicks will connect making it a very powerful side kick attack. Do not give them any room at all. Punch-throw techniques work like a charm with her and; low kicks and punches do very well too. Jacky Bryant ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Biodata ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 28 August 1970 Sex : Male Blood type : A Height : 1.82 m Weight : 75 kg Job : Indy car racer Hobby : Training Nationality : USA Fighting style : Sekken-do/Jeet Kune Do VF1 Storyline ============= The eldest son of the Bryant family, Jacky is Sarah's brother. He maintains his cool in every situation. Those on the Indy racing circuit call him the Blue Flash. Jacky was seriously injured in an accident in the 1990 Indianapolis 500, and spent two years in a grueling rehabilitation program. Just when his injury had healed, he discovered the existence of the mystery group behind the accident. At the same time, his sister Sarah disappeared. Jacky's battle began as he pursued the trail of the group who held the key to these mysteries. VF2 Storyline ============= During the last Tournament, he was not really himself. He was defeated and he went back training and improving his skills. Now he is an instructor in Jeet Kune Do. As his second effort to seek revenge on the Syndicate and rescue his sister Sarah; he participates again in the Tournament Editor™s Notes ============== The favorite character of VF1 is still a favorite with many but is toned down a lot. Still deadly though. If you play him with the intent to win, you have to play him mechanically. Be prepared to be despised by other players if you play a purely mechanical Jacky. In his technique, you can find Karate as in the back sweep and turning back roundhouse. Taekwondo is evident in the last kick of his lightning kicks. His elbow technique, like Sarah's, is Wing Chun. Fighting with Jacky =================== He is still not the best at everything. However, like Sarah, combinations are the way to go. His elbow-heel kick is not fearsome anymore as with his punt kick, but his beat knuckle is really bad for everyone. He still does not possess a kickflip combo but his kickflip alone is the most powerful kickflip in the game. Able to take as much as eighty percent of the lifebar, it has left many wondering why the round ended so fast. His spinning backfists, both high and low are much faster. The low spinning backfist especially can be considered as some form of counter-attack as it can duck under many punches. A deadly combination for Jacky involves a low spinning backfist. As opponents charge in punching, do a single low backfist, elbow, knee then kickflip. This drains the entire lifebar in an instant. Such is the power of Jacky. Combine all his moves. Try to get the trip and hammer throw in and kick them. His turn around moves are nice to see especially when they connect but use them carefully. This applies to his crescent and sweep; and the low spinning kick as well. His lightning kicks is best used sparingly. Try to do one or two lightning kicks as they would most likely stun opponents. Play a balanced game of offense and defense. Play him a little like Pai and Sarah. Use combos to deter throwers and counter mainly with his low spinning backfist. You can try using all the fancy stuff he has but don't be overwhelmed by them. However, using his fancy stuff requires much higher amount of skill and adds color to fights. Spectators are bored quickly with a mechanical Jacky doing low backfists, elbows, heel kicks, side kicks and kickflips. Though many players hold these moves as effective ways to win, one must note that winning in style (like floating) wins many cheers. Combinations with the lightning kicks and his very difficult toe kick, side kick move is often hailed as a mark of an excellent Jacky player. Shun Di ^^^^^^^ Biodata ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 2nd January 1912 Sex : Male Blood type : O Height : 164 m Weight : 63 kg Job : Herbal doctor Hobby : Collecting the medicinal herbs Nationality : China Fighting style : Sui-ken/Drunken Fist VF1 Storyline ============= None VF2 Storyline ============= He is from Northern China and is considered as a sage by many. He teaches in his small training hall and had many students in the past but most have left him by now. This is due to his keen interest in taking students able to take hardship as part of the training. While drinking with his friends, Shun hears them boasting about the success one of their student fighters (Akira) in recent tournament competitions. He suddenly exclaims, "I also want to participate in the World Fighting Tournament". Shun's friends pleaded with him not to, but once Shun had mentioned his intent to fight, he was adamant and eventually joined the tournament. Editor™s Notes ============== There are many bald characters in the video games lately like Wan Fu and Nienhalt Sieger. Wonder if it is a trend or do bald guys really rule. Drunken Fist also known as the 8 Drunken Immortals is based on moves from 8 Immortals from Chinese mythology. It is a Northern Chinese Style. This fighting style requires the exponent (not player) to be drunk in the mind but alert in the body. It stresses more on defensiveness. Ducking and jumping over attacks. This is true as most of Shun's moves are defensively offensive (what the hell am I talking about?). They jump, duck and dodge many attacks. His two hand upside-down push ducking under punches is a fine example. Fighting with Shun ================== To play him, you have to be totally unpredictable. Stop combos or attacks with you backpush. It attacks REALLY LOW so that elbows and knees seldom hit you. The only moves that stand a chance are toe kicks, punt kick; and kickflips against this move. Use his jumping attacks like the twisting hook punch to hop over low and mid-level attacks. You have to be completely reactionary in your execution. You have to be alert all throughout and have to have good reflexes. You can't do a lot of planning for Shun. Play as the situation goes. You can't outguess opponents either so reflexes are the way. For example, his cartwheel kick is fast but recovers slowly. Use this to stop charging opponents hoping to connect with a throw. His falling moves can be good too. These moves evade power attacks after and the only vulnerable thing is a punch or kick to fallen opponents. Not much damage will be done with these moves on Shun. Nobody would be crazy enough to pounce. His rising rotorblade kicks get anyone jumping in. This is due to Shun™s amazing ability to get up faster than anyone. His fancy sit down and handstand moves are very disruptive to charging attackers. Besides these two move, the backward hopping kicks are a bane to many inexperienced in handling Shun. This move, is quite fast and hits those who fail their low-level attacks or those closing in recklessly. As much as possible, dodge attacks if you are a beginner and learn to do the dodge followed by the dances with punches. Progress onwards to learn the rest. Note that all his moves are slow and recover slowly; and if you play him like any other character in VF2, you are playing him wrong. He can float opponents in some limited way but that is not his main strength. His dashing punch can be used in just the same way as Akira's dashing palm. Most inexperienced players do not expect this move and think that a squatting Shun is easy meat. This move floats opponents very well and can be followed by the twisting kicks or cartwheel kick. Both his pounces actually inflict the same amount of damage. The only difference is that the high pounce has longer range due to the roll forward. Therefore, use the low pounce in preference over the high pounce. It is fast. Progress on to hone your reflexes for all his moves. Try to use the dances with punches and two hand upside-down push at least three times in a match. Get him drunk (SERIOUS!). His skin complexion turns lobster red the more he drinks. The following happens when he has: One drink - able to do down+P+K sweep. Able to do a foot slide after sitting down, instead of a low kick. His back+P and down+P looks slightly different. Two drinks - able to do down+P+K, K sweeps. His back/down+D, P will become a side step backwards and two-hand side push. His back+P and down+P changes and again looks slightly different. Three drinks - able to do down+P+K, K, K sweeps. His back+P and down+P move changes again. In addition, the power of his connected attacks increase by 5% after each drink. The maximum is reached after eight drinks. At the maximum, his moves will inflict 1.4 times more damage than what he starts out with in a round. This is evident in his low backpush. Without drinking, this move just irritates standing defenders. After drinking, the move has the ability to knock them down. So don't stop at the third drink. Drink as much as you can. Lion Rafale ^^^^^^^^^^^ Biodata ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of birth : 24th December 1979 Sex : Male Blood type : AB Height : 1.71 m Weight : 61 kg Job : High School student Hobby : Collecting knives Nationality : France Fighting style : Toru-ken/Seven Stars Mantis Fist VF1 Storyline ============= None VF2 Storyline ============= Having been born to the Rafale family, one of the most wealthy families in France. They are involved in the aircraft industry and at the same time secretly developing arms behind their official business. Lion has been practising Toru-ken under an instructor as part of management education from his childhood. He resents his father's control over his life and during one of their arguments, his father proposed to Lion to win the World Fighting Tournament as a prerequisite to become free from him. Thus Lion is participating in the tournament competition. Editor™s Notes ============== This Frenchman has a lot of sting as a fighter. He has youth on his side but is rather weak in most of his attacks. Nimble and small, he fights and moves like the bug his fighting style is based upon. Praying Mantis Fist also called Wong Long Fist is invented by a Chinese boxer named Wong Long. He became distraught after losing so many fights, so he retreated to a forest to meditate. One day, during one of his meditation sessions, he saw a mantis fighting with a grasshopper. Though the mantis is smaller (should be a male mantis, a female mantis is the size of a grasshopper), he was amazed by its ability to attack with quick strikes with its "arms". So amazed with it, he brought the insect home and "fought" with it using twigs to study it. He then developed movements based on the insect and he named the fighting style after it. Soon a variation came forth from it called Seven Stars Mantis Fist based on the Chinese constellation. This is Lion's fighting technique. His spinning arms attack is not found in the original Mantis Fist but in this variant. Mantis Fist like Drunken Fist is one of the Northern Shaolin Styles. Mantis Fist stress not only in speed but also in footwork and grip. This explains the many wierd ways Lion moves his feet around and the way he throws his opponents. He winds up and fights in a crouched position which looks very tiring. It is interesting to know that Rafale is the name of an advanced, agile multi-role fighter produced by a European consortium; in which French aerospace companies had a big stake in. Fighting with Lion ================== Playing Lion would mean playing closing-in with hit and run tactics. All his moves enable him to close-in very fast. He is small so he doesn't have much reach. His main strength is actually his throws. They are fast and difficult to avoid. As much as possible practice his ducking moves. It is very useful as many attacks just zip past his head. Fight a balanced game like you are using Jacky but concentrate on throws at close range. At further ranges, his spinning to the opponents side counter-attacks are a good option. This move confuses many. His side kicks are the fastest so use them to your advantage. He does have a knee but it comes out slow; definitely not recommended for low defenders. Rely more on his faster recovering moves. The uppercut and downward swipe is good and fast. His long range spinning sweeps are deceptive as one hits standing defenders and the other hits low defenders. Use this creatively as an illusion. His speed is his greatest asset so keep that in mind. Backing off from attacks is pretty easy with him. However, go easy on his low attacks. They are fast but recover slow. It is difficult to float opponents with Lion so you might as well forget it. The best he can muster is the low swipe kicks, one hand-stand kicks and his arm spin for falling opponents. However, his knee connects very well on already airborne opponents. He does not have much combos to muster against airborne opponents other than the punch, elbow thrust and backfist combo. Dural ^^^^^ Biodata ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- None available Editor's Notes ============== According to sources, the name Dural means Devil. Dural is a development from the Syndicate mentioned in the storylines of the above characters. She is modelled after a human (Kage's mother?) and is made from an unknown alloy. Her fighting technique comes from a master who mastered of all the martial arts. This Syndicate is called J6 or Judgement 6. It stands for: Judgement, their belief in their superiority over others Devil, weapon research and discovery to further their purposes Wheel of Fortune, interest in increasing economic power Moon, their involvment in international political affairs Tower, the way they are organized Death, their involvement in NBC methods of destruction Apparently, you can select Dural in VF2 but no known method is available. Dural has the following moves: Akira's backwards uppercut Akira's dashing elbow Akira's dashing body check Akira's jumping kicks Akira's counter-attacks Pai's counter-attacks Pai's DDT Lau's side kick Wolf's tombstone Wolf's frankensteiner Jeffry's running punches and uppercut Jeffry's face grab Jeffry's triple knee bash Jeffry's crucifix piledriver Kage's ten foot toss Kage's backheel sweep Kage's reaping throw Sarah's knee and elbow-knee combo Sarah's 2 punches and straight kick Jacky's punches, elbow and kickflip There may be more to this list. GLOSSARY Aikido - A martial art that stresses on self-defense and escapes. Considered to be an evolution from the original jujitsu. Evidence of aikido influence on VF is in Kage's down+P counter-attack. BGM - Abbreviation for Background Music. Chi - Internal intrinsic power developed by the individual. Chuanfa - the proper term for kung fu. Do - way; as in Ju*do*. Elbow - A universal move in almost all martial arts. Floater - A process whereby an opponent is tossed or hit into the air then continually kept in the air by moves. This gives an image that the victim is floating amidst the moves. Doesn't happen in real life but only in VF. Also known as handballing or juggle. Handball - see Floater. Inosanto Academy - A martial arts school started by Dan Inosanto, one of Bruce Lee's students. The school specializes in the application of Jeet Kune Do concepts to martial arts. Jeet Kune Do - A concept in martial arts rather than a technique. Check for "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" by Bruce Lee in your local library. Jitsu - art; as in Ju*jitsu*. Juggle - see Floater. Jujitsu - A generic term for various forms of fighting techniques. Muay Thai - the proper term for Thai Boxing. Ninja - One who practises ninjitsu. Ninjitsu - The art of covert operations. Formerly known as shinobi. It covers a lifestyle rather than just a fighting technique. rec.games.video.arcade - A USENET Newsgroup where most of the VF discussions take place. Roundhouse - A kick used in virtually all the martial arts. Its circular path gives it extra power by generating a centrifugal force. It is one of the most powerful kicks in the martial artists arsenal. A heel kick is also known as a back roundhouse. Sarah's jumping back kick is also known as a jumping back roundhouse. Ryu - School or tradition for Japanese martial arts. Shikan-ken - Extended-knuckle fist. A ninja fist. Seen in Kage's down+P+K, P+K move. Comes from a ninja school, Shikan-ryu Shuto - Sword fist. A ninja fist. Fist is slightly different from the karate hand chop fist (knife hand). Kage's normal hand chopping punches. Side kick - A kick seen in all martial arts. This kick is also known as a side thrust and mid-kick. Sweep - Technique which catches the opponent's foot or feet and unbalances him. Comes from the chinese term "shao jiao" translated as "sweeping leg". Throw - Altering your opponents center of gravity by means of grappling or minimal force causing them to fall. Thrust - A kick done by using the sole of your feet. Heel kicks can be considered as thrusts. Uppercut - An upward punch. VF - Acronym for Virtua Fighter. VFing - Virtua Fighting. What a VFer does in the video arcades. VFer - Anyone who plays and is a fan of Virtua Fighter. Comes from combining the acronym for Virtua Fighter with "er" as in "fighter". Pronounced as "veefer". Wing Chun - One of the most effective forms of martial arts today. Bruce Lee was highly influenced by this technique when he wrote the eclectic Jeet Kune Do. CREDITS Produced by: Chia Jin Ngee •Sarah¢, mcblab47@leonis.nus.sg Special thanks to the contributors of VF1 of which there won't be VF2: God keeping my head on straight The Family Fun Center, for Virtua Fighter Omaha, NE SEGA info and for VF Andrea SEGA Dave SEGA Andy Eddy vidgames@netcom.com Shorty Family Fun Center Michael Wang mmwang@mv.us.adobe.com Jose Family Fun Center Derrick Family Fun Center Christopher R. Boggs gt93986@acme.gatech.edu Harry Teasley III het3@crash.cts.com Ryan Wolfe wolfe@cps.msu.edu Jeremy Hinton hinton@cs.odu.edu Steve Lamb sandman@netcom.com R. 'Tom' Cruz Sogeuco rc_sogu@paro.concordia.ca Alan Fasick fasick@ucsu.colorado.edu Brian Tao taob@io.org Graham Chubb chubb@ecf.toronto.edu Eric eric@parcplace.com Vax vax@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu Kevin Miller miller@midget.towson, edu. Marie E. Antoon Marie.E.Antoon@Students.Miami.edu Koh Kawabe kawabee@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp World Book Dictionary definitions of virtual & fighter Replay Magazine some info on VF Iain Sinclair some info on VF1 Chad E Reznicek for original VF1 FAQ Doug Rosengard dug@lugaru.com for maintaining VF1 FAQ VF2 info providers: Chris Halim halim@getreal.uucp.netcom.com Alan Tan "Lion" tanhl@merlion.singnet.com.sg Robert Laus robert@jolt.mpx.com.au Koh Kawabe kawabee@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp Scirocco Boy! wcox@black.clarku.edu Jurri Munkki jmunkki@snakemail.hut.fi Todd D. Ellner tellner@cs.pdx.edu rec.martial.arts FAQ Randy Pals David, Mgr of Country Funworld Country Funworld Harley "Jacky" Country Funworld Gary Peh "Kage" Country Funworld Joseph Lim "Akira" Country Funworld Eric Chen "Sarah" Country Funworld Julian Chia "Kage" Country Funworld and twin brother Lau Bie See "Lau" Country Funworld Danny Leung "Kage" Country Funworld Ahmad "Sarah" Country Funworld Alex Ho "Wolffry" WYWY Clementi Virtua Fighter Maniax For VF1 storylines by Yoichi Shibuya ISBN4-89366-264-3 A SEGA Poster For VF2 storylines Virtua Fighter 2: Act 1 Confirmed VF2 moves and such GamestMook Volume 5 The Ninja and their secret fighting art by Stephen K Hayes Encyclopedia Britannica Encyclopedia Americana Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan