Also Rising Thunder. The fighting game designed for newcomers.
Ooh, does that have a Linux build? I now have even more reason to try it!
Not yet. Thing is still alpha so still early.
It’s funny seeing this topic here. I came to games like this to unwind from fighting games. Turns out this is just as competitive!
I’m not really on the grind for any particular fighter at the moment. Most likely I’ll just wait for Street Fighter V, which looks AMAZING. Still holding out for Alex to make the roster since we’re due for one more return fighter, but I’ll be perfectly happy playing R. Mika, Birdie, and Gief.
Alex would be sick, but if they don’t explain how Q fits in the picture, if not bring him back as playable, I’m going to be pissed.
I had a lot of fun playing with Hugo in street fighter x tekken, a game I would recommend to anyone even passively interested in street fighter
I’ve been playing El Blaze, mostly because his mix of reasonably strong throws and not crazy-hard attack options fit my playstyle in VF5 Vanilla, but he changed a good bit for Final Showdown, particularly in the expanded options for moves from Rocket Discharge. I’m definitely worse (I was never anything near good) in Final Showdown, but I’m picking things up bit by bit 
This is my first fighting game that I’ve tried to play as anything but a button masher since Smash Bros 64 back in the day, so I’m basically trying to learn fundamentals right now. Using the dojo to try and train myself in hit confirmation so that I stop attacking at disadvantage when I shouldn’t be, and it seems like the Record feature is pretty neat for that in Final Showdown. I record my opponent doing elbow->guard->throw and elbow->elbow->guard->throw and randomize between those two and try to get a counter hit with a launcher after blocking his first attack. If I get the counter, combo him out with a pretty basic combo. If I get blocked, I have to throw-escape.
Anyone got any advice here for someone trying to train themselves in fundamentals?
Mix-ups are so important, if you look at tournament videos for any fighting game, the best players always seem to vary their attacks and attack aggressively enough that the defending player has no choice but to find an opening to counter, rather than hope the attacker will relent long enough to give you breathing room. Low punches in particular are always annoying, they have to be blocked quickly, they do good damage, and easily are the most go to way to end a match when a player is backed in a corner and has low health.
Don’t forget to throw.
Don’t forget to throw.
Throwing exists, don’t forget about it.
Remember to throw.
Remember that combinations of buttons enable different attacks. Lots of people forget to combine punch and kick, limiting the amount of options you have. If you are doing the same thing over and over again, you’re easier to defend against, and counter attack.
Low punch, low punch, low kick, step forward, throw. The only way to reliably defend against this is to throw escape if you’re doing it right.
Learn to create patterns in your fighting that you can change on the fly. If you attack with one combo particularly often, change the ending of it from time to time, and don’t be afraid to end a combo early and low punch low punch low punch.
Slower attacks that hit overhead or in the middle are great for applying pressure as long as you have good timing.
Always assume your opponent will counter at some point if they have a character capable of doing so. Baiting failed counters is a skill worth learning.
Throw.
Don’t be overly defensive either, you’re just training yourself to cower, and that is a terrible way to fight. If you’re going to block, always have an exit strategy in mind. This is where the mighty cock punch/throw combo comes in handy.
Finally, don’t forget that button mashing causes cancer.
Low kick is disadvantage on hit in virtua fighter, no? That would allow them a lot of options to counter me if that’s in my mixup, right?
Any tips on training this stuff solo? No one plays in my area that i know.
I’m not an expert on virtual fighter, so I don’t know if you have to block the low punch low, but the kick definitely. If you really want to get better though, there’s nothing better than practice, and if you’re serious, start recording combos for the computer to perform on you.
Ideally, you want to have an opportunity to hit your opponent with attacks that put you at an advantage, but you have to learn to read a live opponent someday, so try to find anyone willing to play haha. If I had it, I’d play you, I’ve always highly respected the series. I play more 2d fighters, so take my advice as more general, but I Think I know what I’m talking about 
I think low punch gets blocked by standing guard, but you’re right that low kick gets through. It just doesn’t feel useful to low kick as a setup for other attacks because even hitting with it gives you disadvantage. Low punch is a staple, though, and high punch is advantage on block, which is awesome.
I remapped my pad buttons so only one finger is used for each button and all buttons are available on my right hand left only responsible for movement. Remapping has definitely set me back but it will allow me to learn and preform option selects, so i figure it’s good to do.
Which character are you focusing on if any, I usually play Jacky and Sarah and Akira because of my intense love of Shenmue. I feel like I need to play Virtua Fighter now to see what I really know about the game, I’m drawing a lot from what I remember from Virtua Fighter 3tb haha.
El Blaze for right now, but I’m keeping my eye on Brad.
Oh yeah, Brad is pretty sick, him and the pale Japanese guy were new to 4 I think
El Blaze is pretty fun, as well. He’s got a strong mixup game with rocket discharge and he’s got throws that you can use to ring people out. Not great reach, though, and he takes a ton of damage when launched.
Well looks like I can look forward to owning some animal fighting game in the future.
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Yeah, seems neat! I’m sort of hoping it doesn’t get real brony, though. It’d be cool if the in game community was something my daughter would be comfortable playing in.
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Relevant for people looking to improve at Street Fighter, or otherwise just enjoy this sort of thing -
This is a Youtube video of a high-level match, from what I’m told. It includes a translucent grey circle which is following one of players’ (presumably whomever’s playing Elena) eyes, to see what they focus on as they play. You can see it in the preview on Ken’s hand/knee.
Since it’s Street Fighter, which places some emphasis on spacing, distance, and the range of attacks, most of the “eye time” is spent in the space in between the two fighters, which makes sense to me. I thought you all might find it interesting.
As an aside, I’ve never seen Elena before, and she looks like she has a cool style. 
Looks like most of her moveset carried over from SF3, although I still think the sprite version looked better. I wish I still had the reflexes for Capcom fighters.
I’ve been thinking about grabbing DOA5 or MK for my Vita because, while totally gorgeous, BlazBlue looks way too fast for me. Although I must admit the presence of Frank West makes a compelling case for UMVC3.
The presence of Phoenix Wright provides that same for me, except that I’m explicitly saving money right now, so luxury purchases are right out.
I have an unused UMVC3 360 copy I should look to parting with.