========================================================================= Street Fighter Alpha 3: A-ISM Gen Guide ========================================================================= VERSION 1.2 LAST UPDATED: 4.19.99 AUTHOR: Synn Syous <synnsyous@hotmail.com> Street Fighter Alpha 3 and all things related are copyright Capcom Sutorappu Kuru Nothing but love ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. INTRO 2. NOTATION 3. MOVE LIST 4. MOVE ANALYSIS 5. COMBOS 6. STRATEGY 7. REVISION HISTORY 8. CLOSING ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. INTRO ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gen is a potentially very dangerous character. He has speed, priority, strong combos/juggles, and is very versatile. However, he is also one of the hardest characters to use in the game. It will take a lot practice and a complete understanding of all his techniques before Gen can be properly played and mastered. I hope you are up to the challenge. ^_^ All of the information outlined in this document has been written based off what I have learned through my own playing experience. A true player is someone who does not follow these guidelines exactly but uses them only as suggestions. I hope this guide helps you in developing your own style of play. Gen isn't exactly a beginner's character, so I'm assuming you have some experience with the game and at least know the fundamentals. If not, I suggest you start with someone easy and read a more general FAQ that covers all the basics (Kao Megura's excellent FAQ comes to mind). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. NOTATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Controller Directions ===================== ub u uf \ | / b -- n -- f / | \ db d df Button Layout ============= Jab Strong Fierce Short Forward Roundhouse Abbreviations ============= P - Punch K - Kick S - Standing C - Crouching J - Jumping / - Means "or" -> - Separates moves in the Combo Section for clarity ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. MOVE LIST ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Information for this move list was taken from Kao Megura's Alpha 3 FAQ.) Ansatsu Ken: Sou-ryuu Press PPP at any time (air) Juraku b / f + PP Houzen b / f + KK Shuuga Any direction but u / d + KK (air) Hyakurenkou Tap P rapidly Gekirou f,d,df + K, tap K (see notes) Zan'ei qcf,qcf + P Shitenshuu qcb,qcb + P Ansatsu Ken: Ki-ryuu Press KKK at any time (air) Juraku b / f + PP Houzen b / f + KK Shuuga Any direction but u / d + KK (air) Jasen Charge b,f + P Ouga Charge d,ub~uf + K Kyoutetsu Press Strong Onkyou Press Fierce Kirou d + Fierce Satsu Jin d + Short Saizu Jump over someone, press Forward Uken -> Shakudan In air, quickly press Roundhouse twice Kouga In air, qcb,qcb + K Jakouha qcf,d,df + K Alpha Counter: (Sou-ryuu) 1-hit Gekirou Alpha Counter: (Ki-ryuu) 1-hit advancing Soryuu-style Fierce Punch Cancellable Attacks: JAB STRONG FIERCE SHORT FORWARD ROUNDHOUSE standing Sou-ryuu * * *1 * * standing Ki-ryuu * * * crouching Sou-ryuu * * * * crouching Ki-ryuu * * * * - Gen has two different "styles" of play he can use by pressing PPP or KKK. Once you've changed into a certain style, you can only use the moves in that style (for example, in Sou-ryuu style, you could use the Shitenshuu but not the Ouga). Gen normally starts in his PPP style, but if you switch to his KKK style, he'll remain in it for the rest of the game. You can switch Gen's styles at any time, while jumping, blocking, attacking, when knocked down, while dizzy, and so on. - In his Sou-ryuu style, Gen can chain together his normal attacks. The sequence is pretty loose--the only real restriction is that you can't chain a stronger attack into a weaker one (like HP into LK). Otherwise, just about anything is possible. - During the Geki Rou, you need to tap the Kick button as your opponent goes higher and higher into the air if you want to get the full hits (you'll know if you did this correctly because he'll finish with a kick that knocks your foe away). - If hit by a Shitenshuu, a timer will appear over the head of Gen's opponent and count down. When it reaches zero, Gen's foe falls to the ground and is dizzied. You can increase the timer speed by hitting your foe with multiple Shitenshuus, but your opponent can stop the timer by hitting you with an attack. Note that your opponent is damaged during the intitial hits, each time the counter goes down by one, and when it hits zero and he / she is dizzied. The higher level you use, the more damage the Shitenshuu does during the intial hits and for each timer countdown. - During the Ouga, you can: * Direct your initial leap left or right by charging d,ub / uf instead of charging d,u (which always takes you to the wall behind you). * Do nothing when you touch a wall for a jump kick * Press b when you touch a wall to abort the move * Press f when you touch a wall for a long kick toward your foe * Press u when you touch a wall to move to the ceiling + Do nothing when you touch the ceiling to do a head stomp + Press ub~uf when on the ceiling to abort the move and drop in either direction + Press b / f when on the ceiling to use a dive kick in either direction - The Kyoutetsu is an overhead attack. - The Onkyou hits low and must be crouch-blocked. - The Kirou causes huge amounts of damage if it hits someone who is in the middle of an attack (3.5-4.0 times more damage). However, if you are hit out of it, you may take lots of damage yourself. The move also has a considerable delay. - The Satsu Jin will knock an opponent up into the air. You can follow it with a Jakouha or jump after them with the attack of your choice. If you use the Uken, they can't flip out afterwards. - Gen's jumping Ki-ryuu MK (the Saizu), works best as a cross-up attack. - During the Kouga you can: * Press LK for a jump kick off the left wall, + Then, press MK or do nothing instead for a long kick towards your enemy. + Or, press HK instead for a higher, faster long kick. * Press MK for a head stomp off the ceiling, + Then press LK instead to dive left. + Or, press HK instead to dive right. * Press HK for a jump kick off the right wall, + Then, press MK or do nothing instead for a long kick towards your enemy. + Or, press LK for a higher, faster long kick. If you do nothing, Gen will just keep jumping off opposite walls and kicking. Gen can perform one extra attack per level. - It's easy to accidentally tap a button too much so that if you "do nothing" after using LK or HK to go to a wall, you'll end up doing the following LK or HK move instead. To prevent this, pressing MK has the same effect as "doing nothing". ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. MOVE ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANTIS (PPP) - a.k.a. Sou-ryuu ============ Gen has two different styles (MANTIS and CRANE). In Mantis, Gen has really quick short jumps and chain combos. Pretty much anything will chain as long as the next attack is of greater or equal strength. You can chain in this order but not going backwards: +------------>------------+ | | JAB/SHORT -------| +-------> FIERCE/ROUNDHOUSE | | +----> STRONG/FORWARD ----+ You can actually chain a strong punch after a forward kick and vice versa. You can also chain a Roundhouse after a Fierce and vice versa. However, you cannot chain a Crouching Roundhouse under any conditions. Perhaps Capcom thought that the knock down ability of a chain combo would have made Gen too powerful. Hmm... oh well. JAB --- S: Your typical standing Jab. Hits high and recovers quickly. Can be used as a walk up chain combo starter but keep in mind that smaller characters can duck under it. C: A nice fast peck that is good for starting chain combos. It might have more priority than Gen's low short, but you're generally better off doing his crouching short anyway as it has more range and must be blocked low. Can be used to hit rising opponents in wake up games or to spice up combos if you're one of those anal types who thinks doing 3 low shorts in a row "looks bad." J: Useless STRONG ------ S: A deep gut punch that is best used in juggles (see COMBOS). No other practical uses for this one. C: A fast low peck that can be blocked standing. Not as much reach as his low forward but has good priority and beats out other character's low attacks often. "I think for beginning Gens the crouching MP is incredibly useful. Here's the reason: doing a crouching MK cancel into the Zanei can be tricky for beginners. So I just tell people to hit with crouching MP while spinning the joystick in the Zanei motion. Thus you get an incredibly easy to do crouching(or standing also) MP into level 2 Zanei. Of course crouching MK into Zanei has longer range etc, but it's harder for scrubs to do." (Comment from Sung) J: Useless FIERCE ------ S: A weird rising punch. Seems to beat out attacks and can even take opponents out of the air (sometimes). I really don't know what to say about this punch as I don't use it all that much. C: One of Gen's best pokes. Comes out fast and has good recovery time. Use it to knock your opponents out of their attacks from long range. J: Weird downward chop that has a little lag coming out. I think the initial frames of the move hit pretty high so it can be used in air to air situations. SHORT ----- S: A low kick to the shins that can be blocked standing and has long recovery. Sucks when compared to his low short. Hell, it's useless. C: Your best friend. Land one of these and it's chain combo, into super, into juggle, into your opponent losing around 80% of his life. Throw these out a lot. You can land up to three in a row after a jump-in and still chain off a low forward because of its great reach. Use only two just to be safe though. J: Can be used as a jump-in tick. Not very practical. FORWARD ------- S: Fast poke with good range, but Gen's low Fierce and Roundhouse kicks are by far his best pokes in Mantis. However, this _can_ be canceled into the Zan'ei if it connects. Don't waste any supers though. Make sure it connects if you try that. C: Your next best friend next to the low short. Comes out fast and hits low. Chains easily after even 3 low shorts because of its range. Cancel into a level 2 or 3 Zan'ei super and watch your opponent cry. J: Now we're talking... this awesome cross-up kick is one of Gen's most important attacks. The kick has good range and seems to cross-up very easily on even the smallest of opponents. Because of Gen's fast jumps in Mantis style, you can keep jumping at your opponent trying to cross-up with this. You'll usually catch them as they try to counter and then it's COMBO time baby! Use prudently though. ROUNDHOUSE ---------- S: Very good poke. I use this one a lot. Has about the same range as his low Fierce but you don't have to be crouching. It's a good walk up poke since you don't have to hold down. C: Gen's longest ranged attack in Mantis. Comes out fast and knocks down but has a lot of lag. Make sure this one is at least blocked, it does good guard meter damage anyway. You don't want to give your opponent a free jump-in by completely missing with this move! J: A great jump-in that has excellent reach and priority. You can throw this out early, land, and still have time to start a chain combo because of Gen's quick jump. Since you can throw it out early and it has good range, it tends to stop a lot of opponents before they have time to do their anti-air stuff. HYAKURENKOU (Press P rapidly) ----------------------------- Gen throws out a USELESS flurry of punches. Doesn't even work that well as a guard crush because you'll be lucky if it hits even twice. Comes out fast so I hear people tell me it can be used to stop delayed attacks as a sort of pseudo option select from a guarding position. But I'm just too lazy to mash on the punch buttons and your opponent can see you doing it anyway. No thanks. I've always hated these kinds of moves. "A note about the 100FP (100 finger poke/Hyakurenkou). I use it in one situation. I use it to set up my distance when the enemy is in the corner (assuming I have no super bar). I do a jump-in HK or MK and while in the air start the PPPPPP (I use MP). When you land, whether or not you hit them, you will get pushed back to a perfect distance. They cannot jump, fireball, walk forward, or dragonpunch without getting hit." (Sung) GEKIROU (f,d,df + K) -------------------- Gen does a rising multi kick air combo. Great in juggles, does good damage, and looks damn cool. Unfortunately, its priority isn't all that great (it sure as hell isn't a Dragon Punch) and it's relatively hard to do. I put in a helluva lot of hours into Alpha 2's training mode practicing this damn move before I could do it consistently and I suggest you do the same. (Unless you're some kind of damn natural.) You have to press the kick button at an increasingly faster rate. Start out slow and then start doing it faster. The last few kicks should be done very quickly. One of Gen's more important moves. If done against a blocking opponent on the ground, then press kick quickly to make Gen land faster and do some guard meter damage. You should be left pretty safe if done correctly. Don't count on it though. ZAN'EI (qcf,qcf + P) -------------------- Gen's rushing punch super and his best super at that. This will be the key to getting off all those wonderful damaging combos. Comes out faster and goes farther at higher levels. However, its priority is pretty weak. Level 2 and 3 combo off nicely after a low forward. You don't really want to do this at level 1 or outside of a combo. Its main use is for the finishing touch after those chain combos. SHITENSHUU (qcb,qcb + P) ------------------------ This move is just that... Sh*t. All joking aside though... it really is a pretty sh*tty move. The concept is cool though. Combos after a low Short if you're close... but that's IT. If you can keep your opponent from hitting you, then it's a free dizzy. In theory this would allow you to get potentially more damage off. If you feel you can hold your opponent off for the length of the counter, then go for it. Now I have to tell you a story. I once nailed this guy with a Level 1 Death Touch and in the time it took the counter to get to 0, I had already gotten 3 levels of super again. Once he got knocked dizzy, I killed him with a huge super/juggle combo. Heh heh... the point: This move can be useful. "A note about the Deathtouch (Shitenshuu). The best bet for getting it is to cancel out of a standing MP. A standard MP cancel into Deathtouch is a guaranteed combo. The MP cannot be so shallow that the initial flurry of the Deathtouch does not hit. Obviously this is easiest after missed or block supers that go deep (ie missed dp supers etc). I -strongly- prefer to use this combo when my opponent has about 1-2 inches of life left. Watching the opponent flail around for the last few seconds of his life as you jump back and taunt is very amusing." (Comment from Sung) Couldn't agree more! ^_^ CRANE (KKK) - a.k.a. Ki-ryuu =========== In Crane, Gen has a faster walking speed and slower higher jumps. He cannot chain combo in this style and most of his attacks are slower. Learning to use this style effectively will take time and practice. Most of his attacks have strange properties but when used in conjunction with Gen's faster Mantis style can really throw off your opponent and confuse the hell out of him. JAB --- S: A high hitting quick punch. Buy it's not exactly useless in this style. It has quick recovery and you can link into a low short. C: Hits crouching opponents, but can be blocked standing. Recovery time is pretty long considering it's a jab. Not that great. J: Useless STRONG ------ S: Gen takes a step forward and hits twice punching downward. This is Gen's overhead and must be blocked standing. Really slow, so be cautious when sticking this out. Many opponent will try to counter after successfully blocking or even taking this attack. Try switching to Mantis and following up immediately with a Gekirou to hit them out of there counter attempt. Use good judgement though. Once you scare them into blocking you can try doing this move again or some other attacks. C: Just like his crouching Jab but does more damage and has longer recovery time. J: Useless FIERCE ------ S: Gen takes a step forward and hits twice punching upward. The first hit of this attack must be blocked low. Can be switched up in cases where you would use Gen's top-down to cause some confusion with your opponent. Does good guard meter damage. Again, you can try switching to Mantis and immediately following up with a Gekirou. C: This move is cool. Gen winds up and does a huge two finger poke. If this move hits on counter, it does HUGE damage. About as much as a level 1 super. But if Gen is hit out of it, he takes more damage also. The range is good. About as long as his low roundhouse in Mantis. Use it in wake up games or after fast attacks to try to get that counter hit. I don't like using this when my opponent has a super meter. It's too much of a risk to get hit out of this attack with a super. J: Gen punches downward with both his palms. It's okay. SHORT ----- S: Comes out and recovers slowly. Useless. C: Gen does a gay low kick to his opponent's shins. This move has the odd property of knocking your opponent into the air when it connects. See COMBOS for more. Comes out and recovers fairly quickly. J: Useless. FORWARD ------- S: Gen does a kick like his standing roundhouse in mantis but without taking a step forward first. Range is about the same as a standing forward in mantis and it seems to come out slow. Never the less, it is one of Gen's main pokes in this style. If you must poke, then I suggest you switch to Mantis and just forget about this move. C: A low kick with okay range and slow speed. Another one of Gen's important pokes in this style, but it's crap when compared to his Mantis stuff. Forget this move also and just use Mantis. NOTE: It has occurred to me that the slow speed of these moves might actually be useful in that they can throw off the timing of your opponent. The built in delay of these moves might allow you to hit your opponent during a counter attack attempt. However, you'll probably want to stick with the crouching fierce for that purpose because you will receive a damage bonus if that move hits on counter. J: Now this is a good move. One of the longest cross up attacks in any game. Gen does a backwards kick that can be used to hit opponents that you jump OVER. It's hard to follow up this move, but it's great for getting in a surprise hit (or two, or three... etc. Heh heh.) You can actually use this move as a regular jump-in also. If you do cross up with this, your opponent will usually be surprised. Now is your chance to use Gen's slower trickier attacks. (Unless your opponent is a spaz.) ROUNDHOUSE ---------- S: Gen does a quick double kick that has bad range. Not that useful by itself, but it's okay for following up a jump-in attack with. C: Gen does a handstand kick used mainly for hitting your opponent out of the air. Don't ever do this if your opponent is on the ground as the recovery time is pretty horrible. J: Tap Roundhouse twice in the air and Gen does a double jump kick. This will drive your opponent nuts because there is no telling whether you'll only do one or both. Heh heh. My friends hate this attack. I guess that means it's really good. Unfortunately, it's always risky jumping while you're in Crane style because of Gen's slow ass jumps. Used mainly on turtles or scared people who are low on life. Looks great in combos and does more damage because of the extra hit. Use it in guaranteed situations (like a dizzy). JASEN (Charge b,f + P) ---------------------- Gen rolls forward and pokes the opponent. The actual roll hits also. Goes under regular fireballs. Use this to get close and stick to the Strong version. The Fierce goes too deep and will get you into trouble if it's blocked. I don't really use this move a lot but I guess it wouldn't hurt to do once in a while. I'm pretty sure it does good guard meter damage. OUGA (Charge d,ub~uf + K) ------------------------- Gen does a Cajun Strike type attack that knocks the opponent down. I believe this is a pretty useful move. You can fake out your opponent pretty well with all its different variations. I mainly use it when my opponent is being a turtle or just for a change of pace. You can also create openings with this move by suckering your opponents into missing with their anti-air attacks (mainly Shotokan Dragon Punches). Nail them with something really painful as they float down afterwards. KOUGA (In air, qcb,qcb + K) --------------------------- Kind of like a mid-air Ouga. I use it mainly to eat through my opponent's anti-air. Since it's a super it goes through other characters' regular basic attack anti-airs (like Karin's obnoxious standing fierce) and some special moves also (trades with Dragon Punches... sometimes). Other than that I don't really see much use for this move. The Ouga already provides enough trickery without the cost of a super. JAKOUHA (qcf,d,df + K) ---------------------- Gen's super air throw. Mainly used at the end of juggles. Doesn't seem to work that well on its own because you can get knocked out of it pretty easily. See COMBOS to find out where to use this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. COMBOS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gen's best jump-in attacks are his forward (regular or cross-up) and roundhouse in Mantis, and his double roundhouse in Crane. It's actually possible to connect with the double roundhouse in Crane, switch into Mantis before or as you land, and then continue to combo your opponent with Gen's chains. Very hard (especially in the arcade) but possible. Jump-In or Ground Combos ======================== The following combos can be started on the ground or after a jump-in. 1. (PPP) C.Short -> Gekirou (8 hits) 2. (PPP) C.Short -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (8 hits) 3. (PPP) C.Short -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> (KKK) Jakouha 4. (PPP) C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Forward -> Level 3 Zan'ei -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (8 hits) *5. (PPP) C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Forward -> Level 2 Zan'ei -> (KKK) C.Strong -> Jakouha 6. (PPP) C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Forward -> Level 2 Zan'ei -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> (KKK) Jakouha 7. (KKK) C.Jab -> Jasen 8. (KKK) S.Jab -> C.Short -> J.Roundhouse (2 Hits) 9. (KKK) S.Jab -> C.Short -> J.Roundhouse (2 Hits) -> (corner) Jakouha Combos 2 and 3 work best after a cross up forward kick in Mantis. You have to hit your opponent pretty deep with the first Gekirou for best results. Combos 2, 3, 4, and 6 all involve a shortened version of the Gekirou. I usually use the Roundhouse version of the Gekirou, but I am told it works for the other versions as well. You want to time it so that the 3rd or 4th kick forces Gen to fall immediately after he does it. You can land before your opponent does and nail him with the S.Strong punch. Just to show you what I'm talking about... do a Roundhouse Gekirou on someone and tap kick as fast as you can. Gen will fall quickly after 2 or 3 kicks. That's basically the idea but time it for 3~4 hits on purpose. In combos 3 and 6, the trick to switching styles fast enough for the Jakouha is to do the hits for the Gekirou by pressing KKK. Other Combos ============ 10. (KKK) C.Roundhouse (as an air counter) -> Jakouha *11. Punch ground throw in the corner -> (PPP) S.Forward -> Gekirou (8 hits) 12. Any ground throw in the corner -> (KKK) Jakouha *13. Punch ground throw in the corner -> (KKK) -> J.Roundhouse (2 Hits) -> land and immediately do a Jakouha * Combos can be seen on 3-11's Gen combo video at http://fighters.net/ Aside from the above combos, Gen also has his chain combos in Mantis. All of Gen's Mantis chains that involve the three low shorts and then low forward can be replaced by: C.Short -> C.Strong -> C.Forward. I think that the latter might do more damage. Harder to time though. One chain combo that you could try is C.Short -> S.Fierce -> S.Roundhouse. You can do a level 2 or 3 Zan'ei after the Fierce if you want. I think this does good guard damage because of the Fierce and Roundhouse hits. Many of Gen's juggles can be broken out of with a well timed air recovery. If you anticipate the air recovery, then you should follow up with either an air throw, Gekirou, or Jakouha. The Gekirou and Jakouha by themselves are very hard for your opponent to air recover away from in the middle of juggles. Gen's crouching Roundhouse in Crane is a good attack as well and can be followed up with a Jakouha. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. STRATEGY ------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Strategies ================== All right! The strategy section! Basically, you want to nail your opponent with Gen's highly comboable Zan'ei level 2 or 3 super. Your whole damn game should revolve around getting that super meter up and nailing your opponent with the Zan'ei. Super Bar Management -------------------- Just think about it... connect with a cross-up forward, a single simple little low short, or any other jump-in... and your opponent loses a lot of life. Not only that... because of the chain combos, you don't have to anticipate whether or not your opponent will block. Example: I walk up with low Short with Fei Long and immediately cancel into his super. What if opponent blocked? I'm screwed. It's hard to see that short get blocked and then stop yourself from doing the super (unless you've got awesome reflexes). Gen does a 4 hit chain before his supers so it's easy to stop and _not_ do the super if the opponent blocked. Never use your supers by themselves unless you absolutely have to or if it's friggin guaranteed. There is NO reason for you to waste any super meter you've got. If you play smart, your connection rate with your super should be 100% (at least with the Zan'ei). I generally use only one level for all of Gen's other supers but it depends on the situation. You might want to burn a level 3 Kouga to cheese your opponent to death or a level 3 Jakouha if it's likely to connect. Jumping Attacks --------------- Take advantage of Gen's fast jumps in Mantis. His J.Roundhouse is great. Feel free to abuse it against non-Shoto characters. Repeated jump-ins work well if done moderately, especially if you surprise your opponent with a cross up forward. If any of your jump-ins connect... you know what to do. Poking ------ When on the ground, use all of Gen's fast pokes (duh). S.Roundhouse, C.Roundhouse, and C.Fierce are his best ranged attacks. When you get close enough, do a chain combo. Don't get frustrated if your opponent is blocking all your attacks, his guard meter will go before you know it. When his guard meter is about to break, do a chain combo that crushes it mid way and be sure to follow up with the Zan'ei. Gen's strong roll in Crane is great for chipping off guard meter. Switch to Mantis during the roll and immediately follow up with a Gekirou. It usually eats out any kind of counter attack (except the big moves and supers... did I really have to tell you that?) If the Gekirou is blocked then tap kick fast to get even more guard meter chipping off. Gen should land right away and you should be left pretty safe. You can do this after his standing Strong and Fierce in Crane also. Throwing -------- Oh, yeah... don't forget to THROW. You'll get a lot of throws off... trust me. Especially when your opponent is expecting to block this big chain combo and then you just walk up and throw. Heh heh. Once you start screwing with your opponent's mind then you can start connecting with bigger stuff. Always watch how your opponent reacts. It's not how good your offense is, it's how good you are at playing defensive while you're attacking (if that makes any sense). The biggest thing to overcome it how your opponent counter attacks. Pay attention and find a way around it. Whoever adapts to his opponent the quickest is the winner. That's why it's important to mix up your game. Which is easy for Gen because he has 2 styles (or hard if you are inexperienced. Practice.) Delayed Attacks --------------- Cut your chain combos short and then instead of throwing, walk up and start another chain. If your opponent flinches, then he will eat the chain combo into super. Of course if he flinches into a level 3 super, then you don't really gain a whole lot do you. It's a nice trick but be prudent when using walk up throws or combos. Sometimes it's better to just get as much guard meter damage as possible and then start over. Okizeme ------- If the opponent is flat on his back, then you've got a pretty big advantage. Make sure you do lots of different okizeme (pressuring the downed opponent) stuff. You can try Gen's different tricky attacks in Crane, start a chain combo, throw, go for the cross up... a lot. There are so many tricks that are universal to every character. The jump in with no attack and throw for example. I think I read somewhere that Gen is a wily assassin or something to that extent. Play like one. Using Crane ----------- Crane... ahhhhhh, yes. The infamous Crane style. In theory this allows Gen to be extremely versatile and blah blah blah. I have a hard time using this style by itself. I believe that it is best used once in a while just to add support to Mantis (which should be the style you're in most of the time). Use it to break through big defensive players. I use this style a lot to get that one last cheap hit in that kills the guy. A lot of the moves basically screw with your opponent's mind. If you use them all of a sudden during your offense in Mantis, you'll be sure to catch your opponent by surprise. Everything in this style must be used with caution. Generally, you'll want all the moves in this style to actually connect because they all seem to have slow recovery. Character Specific Strategies ============================= Okay, now for some character specific strategies. I've played against a lot of different characters, but I'm only going to give strategies for the guys who actually were good. I've played a lot of Kens but they all SUCKED. I'm sure he's a good character, but I've never played any good ones. RYU - Ahhhhhh, yes. Ryu. You'll be seeing him a lot. Why are there a pretty good number of formidable Ryus but hordes of sucky Akumas and Kens? Oh well. Anyway, it's the same old fireball and dragon punch crap. Jumping over those fireballs won't be too hard for Gen though because of his fast jumps in Mantis. It will be hard for Ryu to DP you on reaction, especially if you crossed up with a forward kick. You've got better range on your attacks so make sure to knock Ryu off his feet before he throws out any fireballs and get close. A defensive Ryu doesn't stand much of a chance, but watch out if he is aggressive. He'll try to be all over you with low shorts and forwards (almost like what Gen does. heh heh.) But Gen can inflict more damage per opening than Ryu with his supers. KARIN - Karin has ONE move that will make your life hard and that is her standing fierce. It knocks you clean out of ALL your jump-ins except your air super. Even your friggin cross ups! It's just like she creates an aura around her head area. Stay on the ground until she leaves herself open. It's hard to face her on the ground though because her pokes seem to beat yours. A lot of the time during the match I just feel helpless against her. You've got to make EVERY hit and super count because you won't get that many opportunities to land a clean hit against this chick. I use Crane a lot against her actually, just to use Gen's off the wall attacks and roll. They seem to be the only attacks that allow me to get close. Once you knock her down STAY ON HER like stink on sh*t. Don't give her any breathing room, otherwise she'll get back into that perfect half screen away range and stop everything you do. C.Roundhouse in Mantis is very important in this fight but make sure it is at least blocked! Walk up throw works in this fight as well. Some Karins will try to counter your ground pokes after a while or right away with her special counter moves. Throw her or delay your attacks. This will be your biggest opening if you anticipate it. GUY - Feel free to keep crossing up with your jumping forward in Mantis because Guy can't do jack about it. His 8-Fist usually misses completely. Your S.Roundhouse beats his S.Forward all the time and Gen generally has more priority. Your rising kick DP knocks him out of all his jump-ins. This should be a relatively easy fight. Don't get hit with one of those hell chain combos though. Guy has some pretty nasty damage potential also. Keep in mind that he can't do his hell chain if you're crouching. CODY - I've played some crazy V-ISM Codys. They seem quite adept at cornering you, knocking you dizzy, and kicking you around with those big V-ISM juggles. Cody has that weird friggin dodge. It's so subtle that it's hard to tell one of your attacks has even been dodged! You'll want to stick to all your attacks that must be blocked low because he can't dodge those. Do low shorts into chain combos and crouching roundhouses and watch his guard meter go away very quickly (it's the shortest in the game). Cody has good anti-air, but not if you're crossing him up. You should be able to beat him on the ground also. If Cody juggles you, there really isn't that much you can do. You'll just have to pay attention to what they do after that Jab Hurricane Upper and adapt. Use Cody's dodge against him also. Create a pattern that consists of low moves which force Cody to block. Once your opponent becomes used to actually blocking, throw out an attack that can be dodged (like a low jab). Cody will evade but won't be pushed back. This is the best time to walk up and get in a surprise throw. CHARLIE - Charlie's only chance in this game is to play offensive. His defensive game has been shot to hell because all his anti-air has been shafted. Feel free to jump-in. When he's doing all those low jabs, shorts and forwards you gotta be patient. His basic attacks are now his best deal but yours are better in most cases. A really offensive Charlie can be a problem though (I should know... I use him) but I've never played against anyone like that. If they like to sit back and throw booms all day... they shouldn't last too long. ZANGIEF - He seems to have gotten stronger and a lot more priority. His chest and knee attacks seem to pose a problem for most players, but Gen's Kick DP always knocks him out of those quite nicely. Don't let him jump in on you... EVER. He gets close, you get slammed... literally. Stay on the offense and peck his ass to death. Don't let him sweep you, otherwise he will get close. Jumping backwards with Roundhouse is a good way of getting out of all those nasty ticks. I seem to be able to jump in with early Roundhouses very easily. I've only been knocked out of the air with his lariats a couple of times when trying cross ups. Usually he is just combo meat. Heh heh. I'm lucky if I get to play anyone besides the Shotos at the arcades I go to. At least my friends use different characters. I'll update the FAQ if I ever get to play any other different characters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. REVISION HISTORY ------------------------------------------------------------------------- VERSION 1.2 (4.19.99_ - Cleaned up the guide some more. Mainly spelling and grammar corrections. Added some additional strategies as well. VERSION 1.1 (4.10.99) - Made some corrections, added this revision history section, and just cleaned up the guide basically. It's no longer "bootleg" people. Well, I hope not anyway. ^_^ Added comments sent from Sung K Im and some additional strategies also. VERSION 1.0 (3.20.99) - "The Bootleg Street Fighter Alpha 3 A-ISM Gen Guide" is born. I actually started writing this while I was waiting for my next class. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. CLOSING ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ was originally done on a whim and rushed out, so there are bound to be a few errors in here. If you have anything to correct, add, or comment on, then please feel free to email me (synnsyous@hotmail.com). Special thanks goes out to: Chris MacDonald a.k.a. Kao Megura <kmegura@hotmail.com> - For the use of the Gen move list from his awesome Alpha 3 FAQ. Check it out at GameFAQs. Michael Wang a.k.a. Ingus <Isamu__dyson@hotmail.com> - His Z-ISM Gen Character Guide offered great insight. Check it out at GameFAQs. Macross Plus is one of favorite animes, Mike! Jack Lin a.k.a. Zangief104 - Jack must be credited with his Gamest combo translations. He's the one who originally posted all those funky Gekirou combos. You can find his translation work at http://fighters.net/ which is also a great site by the way. Adam Puhl a.k.a. Three-11 <three-11@fighters.net> - For his cool combo videos that can be found at http://fighters.net/ Sung K Im <sim@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu> - Sung's questions helped me to clarify some things that I had failed to elaborate on in the FAQ. He also gave me some useful techniques and strategies. Capcom <http://www.capcom.com/> - For making what may possibly be the last great Street Fighter title. Things don't look so good for that series from here on out I believe. Street Fighter 3... *shudder* GameFAQs <http://www.gamefaqs.com/> - For hosting mine and everyone else's FAQs. It's a great source of information. More thanks goes out to my arcade buddies: Michael Anthony Paine III, Jason Childes, Tommy Sutton, Felix Warsowski, and John Lee. Without the level of challenge they provided, I would have never been able to come up with the advanced strategies that I did. Thanks guys! "You are a BIG fool." "Heh heh heh heh heh..." Don't Gen's winning poses rule? Either you love 'em or you hate 'em. One last comment... you know Gen's opening where he motions for his opponent to come towards him? That's the perfect time for you to say "Come get some." LOL! I always get a laugh out of everyone when I say that. Use it in light-hearted competition with your friends. Thank you for reading... now go forth and kick some @$$! ^_^