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© 1999 ohyoung@nevada.edu
Adon
SFA2: For me fighting Adon is always a fun experience. I have yet to find someone who uses Adon better than the computer does so I'll basically talk about how to face the computer controlled Adon. To beat the computer controlled Adon counter attack his attack. In other words, hit or throw him after you block one of his moves. If Adon does his Jaguar Tooth to you (the move where he flies off the fall and kicks you) then you block it and counteract with a spinning pile driver. If Adon is foolish enough to Jaguar kick again counter with a spinning pile driver or some other throw. Throwing a fierce punch once in awhile is also effective cause it keeps Adon honest. When jumping in on Adon you should always air block then do a spinning pile driver to him when you land. Stay away from the jump kicks when facing Adon because you'll end up being hit out of the air. It's normally a bad idea to jump in and attack Adon because he'll normally hit you before you can hit him. If you do get in unscathed then you got a free spinning pile driver. I still recommend against jumping in but sometimes you just have to. In general Adon is a fighter who relies on quick and swift attacks. Since he has no fireball that means that if you block his attacks, you can make him eat turf. There should be no way that you lose to Adon no matter how hard the computer opponent is. To be honest I only know of one way to beat the computer controlled Zangief using Adon and it really doesn't work that well.
SFA3: They made Adon a little better since SFA2. His moves seem a little bit faster, especially his jaguar tooth (remember to block the jaguar tooth standing up because it goes through a defensive crouch block). When you're fighting the A-ism or V-ism Adon, play him exactly the same as you would play the SFA2 Adon. The moves are exactly the same with the exception that the V-ism Adon has the ability to custom combo but not use supers and the vice versa with the A-ism. Just avoid jumping in to attack and you should be fine. The X-ism Adon will bother you a bit since he plays like the Adon in the original Street Fighter game. X-ism Adon can execute a jaguar kick whenever he's in the air. Fortunately you can air block the jaguar kick, but watch out because if you block too much, then you might end up losing your block meter. Try to work your way in and then grab him for the spinning pile driver after you block an attack. You can also try to trap him in the corner and then unload on him. Remember he can't block in the air because it's X-ism, but don't try to hit him out of the air cause he'll do the jaguar kick to you. Play Adon smart and you should come away with a victory.
Balrog
SFA3: Balrog is one of those guys that are pretty much the same in SSFIIT and SFA3. Balrog is a secret character in the arcade SFA3 but in the home version he is automatically playable. Fortunately for us Gief players, Zangief doesn't challenge Balrog in his story line. The only time you'll face Balrog is when someone challenges you with him. If someone decides to take you on remember that people joke about him but he's actually a solid fighter because of the speed, strength, and range of his attacks. Also remember that since Balrog is a bigger character he should be easier to grab and throw (much like Honda, Birdie, and Sodom are). Use this to your advantage. The A-ism Balrog plays almost like the SSFIIT version except he can't do that rising shoulder block move. Use this to your advantage. On the negative side, A-ism Balrog has a new super where he winds up and then punches you for about 10 to 12 hits with you flipping over and landing on the other side of the screen. Watch for this move especially if your block meter is low beause it can drain whatever remains of your meter and knock you silly. All you have to do to counter act this super is block it, then you should have a free spinning piledriver shot. Balrog's dashing punches are also faster so you'll have to be quicker this time around. The lariat only works once in a while when he's dashing. My suggestion is to jump in and go for the spinning pile driver. Play the V-ism Balrog like you would the A-ism. The V-ism Balrog does have the ability to do that rising shoulder block, but you don't have to worry about his two supers hitting you. Spin him into the ground. X-ism Balrog is probably the meanest version. He's exactly the same as in SSFIIT only he takes off more life per hit. Make sure you aren't on the end of one of his three hit combos cause it drains some major life. Play him smart by jumping in and picking your spots to throw him. Try not to throw out too many punches or you'll regret it. Use the crouching roundhouse if you have to throw out an attack every once in a while. When fighting Balrog, always remember that he has is also a close range fighter. In order for him to hit you, he has to be within spinning piledriver range so block and make him pay.
Blanka
SFA3: Another SF character I always hated facing with Zangief. In the original SFII, Zangief seemed to be at a disadvantage to everybody out there. I hated challenging Blanka back then because all Zangief could do against him was jab and hope that the jab will ward off the Blanka ball (which it did half the time). Another good thing was that you could grab and spinning pile drive Blanka out of his electric shock. The bad part in SFII was that if you challenged someone good with Blanka you had absolutely no chance of winning just like if you challenged someone good with Guile you had absolutely no chance of winning.
Thankfully in SFA3 the odds have been somewhat evened out. Zangief's fierce splash is a good move to use to jump in on Blanka with. Also you should throw out his fierce punches every once in a while as well as a few roundhouse sweeps and even a banishing punch. Blanka is not as good a fighter up close as Zangief is so that's when you show him who's boss and spin him. You are still able to spin Blanka through the electric shock, but you have to be real close in order to do it. Throw out a sweep instead to knock him down. A-ism Blanka is a pain in the butt to fight. You might spend your entire match just trying to get close enough to throw him. Just remember, if you back him into a corner, then there's nowhere he can go so do just that. Just watch out for his super where he turns into a ball and revs up for a rolling Blanka ball on the ground. An experienced Blanka player would be able to hit you with this while you're jumping in. V-ism Blanka is horrible and easy to beat because he doesn't have his two supers and his moves don't chain together that well. Still that doesn't mean that he's a piece of cake. Just attack, attack, attack. X-ism Blanka is the same as SSFIIT Blanka. He takes away more life than A-ism and V-ism per hit, but he's still beatable. The fact that he does take away more life means that you will have to watch yourself. Don't leave yourself too overexposed to Blanka balls. Above all, watch for the fierce sliding punch, Blanka balls, super combos, and throw at every opportunity and you should beat Blanka.
Cammy
SFA2: Cammy seems like a difficult challenge for Zangief. You want to stay away from her yet you have to get in close to do damage. The trick here is to remember that Cammy lacks a fireball, thus she must get in close to you to hit you. Make Cammy pay for this mistake. That is the only way to win. Every missed or blocked cannon spike, cannon drill, or hooligan combo should result in a spinning pile drive for you. Watch the hooligan combo though, it's cheap. When doing it, Cammy can either throw you when close enough, throw you if you try to jump towards her, or not throw you and let the move follow through in which she'll sweep you. What you can do is try to hit her before she gets too close to you. That means you jump kick her before she can throw you. You can also try a lariat but I'm not sure how that will work out. Other moves you could try are jumping in then spinning her or even try to predict when she's going to jump then hitting her with your air throw super combo. Human controlled Cammy's are easier to defeat because people can't pull of moves like the computer can so you should be able to win easier.
SFA3: Aside from Cammy's brillantly drawn background and interesting music, there's nothing new to report on her other than she has two new supers (Well the A-ism has two new supers). Play A-ism Cammy the way you would in SFA2 and she's history because she doesn't have a fireball attack. You might want to beware of the Lock On super move so constantly be on guard. Otherwise just jump in and go for the throw. V-ism Cammy vs. Zangief is a joke. Cammy has no chance to win. Throw her into the ground. X-ism Cammy is the same as SSFIIT Cammy and takes off more life than A-ism and V-ism. Just watch out for that hooligan combo throw (you'll know what I mean once you get hit by it). Other than that, that's about it.
Charlie
SFA2: Challenging Charlie is always a difficult task especially the computer controlled Charlie in SFA3. The computer controlled Charlie could be losing a fight with you but could all of a sudden whip out a super combo or two mixed in with a couple of throws and before you know it you lost the round. Fortunately you're a master at doing spinning pile drivers so you should have no problem jumping over a sonic boom and throwing Charlie. Watch out Charlie throwing you cause he has been known to do that (and it takes off a lot of life too). Still you shouldn't be too worried. A healthy dosage of fierce punches and spinning pile drivers should stop Charlie dead in his tracks. When challenging a human controlled opponent, watch for the cheese factor. Lots of people remember how cheesy Guile was and Charlie is no different. Instead what you want to do is try to get off as many spinning pile drivers as you can cause that is what will win you the match. You can try to execute a super combo air throw too, but again you have to totally guess when the person is going to jump. Still if you pull it off, it looks very impressive. Zangief's punch alpha counter works well against a Charlie player jumping in but watch your block meter. And last but not least, the lariat for some reason doesn't work too well against Charlie. Don't use it as much cause you will pay if you do.
SFA3: His increased range on his razor/flash kick and insane recovery time for his sonic booms makes this guy hard to beat.
Charlie's little to no recovery time after he throws a sonic boom will render the lariat all but ineffective. On top of that, they also gave Charlie a dash where he can throw a sonic boom then dash in and throw you. Very cheesy to say the least. Still, you want to play him like you would in SFA2 except don't even bother doing alpha counters. Just jump in and throw him while watching for the razor (flash) kick. Just make sure that you don't get thrown cause Charlie's throws are strong. If you have the X-ism Zangief this might be a little problem and you'll have a closer match, but you should still be able to pull it out. A-ism Charlie and V-ism is exactly the same as SFA2 Charlie with the exception of some new animation. V-ism Charlie is just stupid. No use for him cause he's too weak. X-ism Charlie plays almost like SSFIIT Guile. I think the hardest is fighting A-ism Charlie, but everybody has their own opinions.
Chun Li
I hate taking on Chun Li. Fortunately she isn't that hard to beat anymore that's because
Zangief can now air block. Since you are free to jump in and try to attempt spinning pile
drivers, feel free to do so. Just remember to hold back to block while jumping in
otherwise you might get hit by one of Chun Li's anti-air attacks. Still, attempting the
spinning pile driver is worth the risk cause when you do pull it off, it takes off a lot of life.
You can also use Zangief's spinning lariat as an anti-air attack. It's works pretty good and
will almost always knock her out of the air even if she's blocking. Throwing out fierce
punches (both standing and crouching) and fierce splashes will keep Chun Li grounded.
Also don't be afraid to attempt the super combo air throw that Zangief has. Try to predict
when Chun Li is going to jump then do it. There's no guarantee that you'll get the throw
off, but it'll at least put some fear into your opponent. There are a couple of Chun Li
moves you would want to watch out for. One move is her top down attack which she'll
flip around, do a hand stand, and then flip back the right way and kick you. Another move
you want to watch out for is the super combo fireball she has. This move is especially
devastating to Zangief for two reasons. One because you'll probably get hit by it when
trying to jump in to do a spinning pile driver and two because of the fact that Zangief is
bigger than a normal character he'll receive more damage. If you're playing SFA3, take
note that there are two different types of Chun Li with two different sets of moves. The
old school looking Chun Li with those weird things on her head does the spinning bird
kick move while the newer Chun Li who wears long pants does her rising kick move that
hits three times (I don't remember what it's called). When challenging a human controlled
Chun Li always be prepared for the unexpected. Since Chun Li can do more damage
when close to you, be prepared for a lot of cheese action. They might hit you and then
throw you. Just remember that since you are the master of all throws your throws will
almost always beat everybody else's throws thus you got the advantage on throws. Don't
be ashamed to whip out a spinning pile driver even at the worst times. You might be
surprised by what happens.
Cody
SFA3: Other than Cody's tornado uppercut, there is nothing that Cody can do to stop Zangief. His fireball moves are worthless and easily countered by jumping and then doing a spinning pile driver. When jumping, watch for his cheesy air throw that the computer always likes to do. Just keep on saying to yourself that as soon as you can get close enough, Cody will be eating dirt. A-ism and V-ism Cody should be a piece of cake. X-ism will give you a little more trouble just cause he takes away more life per hit. Whenever an X-ism Cody jumps at you, do a lariat and that should knock him out of the air.
Dan
I'm seriously laughing at this match up. This is one of the worst match ups in SF history. There is no way that Dan should beat Zangief since Dan's moves like his fireball go nowhere. I shouldn't even need to tell you how to beat Dan. Forget about playing defensive and just attack like crazy. Dan is a good opponent to practice getting off a super combo spinning pile driver against. Gwa ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Dee Jay
Dee Jay used to be a pain in the butt to challenge especially in SSFIIT. Thankfully he's been a bit toned down partially because of the difference in game play from SSFIIT and SFA3 and because everybody has the ability to air block. Without air blocking, beating Dee Jay is difficult. With air blocking, Dee Jay should stand no chance against you. Unmercifully pound Dee Jay into a corner then unload on him with spinning pile drivers or a super combo spinning pile driver. Use the lariat as an anti-air attack if Dee Jay tries to jump out of the corner. Remember that the A-ism Dee Jay doesn't have the rising kick so jump in and make him pay. V-ism Dee Jay should easily be destroyed by you since custom combos have been toned down to the point where they're useless against Zangief. X-ism Dee Jay shoudl also be easy to beat. Fight him like you would fight the A-ism Dee Jay but beware because X-ism fighters take away more life per hit.
Dhalsim
Personally I always hated fighting Dhalsim especially in SSFIIT. People say that Zangief
is the cheapest fighter but in reality the real cheapest is Dhalsim. One would think that
since Dhalsim is a little scrawny guy going up against a massive Russian wrestler, that the
massive Russian wrestler would crush the little guy. Well that is not the case here. Facing
a good Dhalsim player whether it is the computer opponent or a human opponent is
always a task with Zangief. When facing a computer controlled Dhalsim, it's best to
remember to get in close. Throw out crouching fierce punches and standing fierce
punches every once in awhile. Whenever he decides to teleport make sure he pays by
executing a spinning pile driver when he appears. Dhalsim is vulnerable for a second after
he teleports so you have that time to do whatever you want to do. In SFA2, it's normally
a good idea to block all of Dhalsim's moves, especially his head and feet torpedo spiral
moves) and then counterattack when he does moves that leave him wide open to attack
such as his roundhouse slide (which should equal a spinning pile driver for you). You can
still do this in SFA3, but you must also keep an eye on your block meter. Another good
tactic is to jump in while Dhalsim is in his yoga fire pattern and then give him a quick spin.
Be warned though that Dhalsim could snap out of it and end up throwing you or giving
you a couple of nuggies. It is important that you do attempt a spinning pile driver
whenever Dhalsim is close enough to you. Doing so will mean the difference between a
"W" or a "L" as you could spend the rest of the match just trying to get close again to
Dhalsim. Facing a human controlled Dhalsim is totally different. People who use Dhalsim
tend to throw a great deal of yoga fires and fierce punches at you. Hop over the yoga
fires and then block the fierces. Depending on the angle of some of Dhalsim's spiral
torpedo attacks, try to do the jumping fierce punch or jumping fierce splash. If Dhalsim is
at a steep angle (around 45 degrees) don't do it but if Dhalsim is at a not so steep angle
then do it. The worst that should happen is that you'll end up trading hits which is only
beneficial to you. Dhalsim's super combo air throw is just as weak as Zangief's so don't
worry too much about seeing it. You will see his super combo yoga fire and yoga flame.
If you have enough super bar and/or enough block meter, do the alpha counter where
Zangief grabs the guy and then gives him a punch. It should work every time and beats
sitting there blocking all of Dhalsim's hits. Another interesting point is that for some
reason whenever a human opponent jumps you can hit him/her with the spinning lariat but
when it's the computer Dhalsim, you'll get a hit off about 50% of the time. As a result, use
the lariat a lot against human opponents. You might even want to break out a banishing
punch every once in awhile just to piss off your opponent but beware Dhalsim's throwing
range.
E. Honda
I used to like fighting the computer E. Honda in the old SF games but challenging a human controlled E. Honda in the old SF games was the worst. It was the worst cause all the person needed to do was do his hundred hand slap to you and you couldn't do anything. In the new SF games with Honda having more moves you also have more moves. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do against his torpedo headbutt other than throw out a jab and hope that it'll connect. What you could try to do is hit him with a
lariat, but I'm not sure if that works 100% anymore. There is no known way I know to counter his air sumo splash other than by doing Zangief's air throw super combo or by blocking it. You could try to throw him after but I'm not sure if that is advisable. You could also try to throw out a lot of fierce punches against Honda but I don't know how effective that will be cause a torpedo will nullify the punch. I guess the best is to work in close and try to spin him. That is the only thing available to you and that's all I can suggest at the moment until I get to play more against Honda and learn some of his patterns. Another thing you could do is use a lot of fierce splashes and jumping fierce punches to keep Honda on the ground. Honda has insane range on his jump kicks so watch out and his crouching fierce and crouching roundhouse also has good range to knock you down. Thankfully Honda's hand barrage can easily be avoided by just jumping over it and hitting him though watch out for a throw. I haven't gotten to challenge a human controlled Honda a lot with Zangief so I can't tell you what type of cheat patterns
to watch out for. I can tell you though that you should watch out for a lot of hits from his sumo torpedo and hundred hand slap. These moves are Honda's bread and butter cheese moves so beware.
Evil Ryu
In SFA2 play Evil Ryu just like you would play against normal Ryu. The only thing you have to keep an eye on is the extensive air juggling that Evil Ryu can do. People who are good Ryu players are experts at squeezing out the last bit of life out of you at every opportunity so beware. Evil Ryu also has the ability to teleport and do the 15-hit demon rage combo like Akuma but a human controlled Evil Ryu is not the same as a computer controlled Evil Ryu at executing that move. Mostly use lariats to move through fireballs and hit Evil Ryu with a spinning pile driver. Since in SFA3 you can pull off air juggle combos with normal Ryu, there really isn't that much of a difference in game play (between Evil Ryu and normal Ryu). The only additions Evil Ryu has are the abilities to teleport and do the demon rage combo. One note of caution. Do not attempt spinning pile drivers unless you're sure you will grab him. Missing a spinning pile driver attempt will leave you open to a mighty cheesy combo that could do more damage than Zangief's already weakened spinning pile driver.
Fei Long
There are three things to remember when facing Fei Long. The first is learn to block well. You must effectively block against Fei Long otherwise you'll be the victum of a four or five-hit combo. The second thing to remember against Fei Long is to watch for his forward kick which hits top down. I'll try to get a picture of it here so you know what to look for. The last and final thing to remember is to constantly try to get a spinning pile driver off. You will get hit by a Fei Long combo so better match combos with spinning pile drivers. Just remember that your spinning pile driver will always even the playing field. On a side note, the lariat is also a good anti-air weapon. Use it whenever possible. If you're feeling adventuresome you can even try to super combo air throw Fei Long. Since Fei Long jumps a lot, try to predict when he'll jump then throw him.
Gen
SFA2 and SFA3: This guy is one of the worst guys to fight. Personally I also like to use Gen when challenging other people just to mess with their minds. Gen has a whole bunch of moves and is a very unique street fighter. Against the computer controlled Gen, I suggest that you do a lot of jump in spinning pile drivers. When jumping in though, don't jump kick or jump splash Gen. Instead just jump in while blocking and then spin him when you land. The computer Gen has a whole bunch of combos that he likes to do. The most powerful one is where he starts out with a roundhouse jump kick. He then does a couple of punches then ends it with the super combo in which he rushes past you hitting you once, and then you get hit a couple of times after that (those of you who have seen it know what I'm talking about). The other combo that Gen likes to do is the roundhouse jump kick where he hits you twice, then does a standing roundhouse jump kick that hits twice, then does a Vega like roll. Remember to block both roundhouse jump kicks. I normally block the first one but since Gen does two in the air before he lands, you have to remember to block the second one as well. If you get hit by the second jump kick, then chances are that you will get hit by the rest of the combo. Another move that you should watch out for while facing the computer controlled Gen is the top down attack. It doesn't take away that much life but it's irritating. If you're playing SFA2, then try throwing out a standing or crouching fierce punch every once in awhile. If you're close enough to connect, then you'll probably hit him (for some reason Gen hardly blocks the crouching fierce punches). You also have a good opportunity against Gen to do your super combo air throw, but you still have to just guess when he's going to jump. Challenging a human controlled Gen is thankfully a little easier. A human controlled Gen won't be able to pull off the same typeof combos consistently that the computer controlled one can because of the speed that one has to execute the combos. Still Gen is a formidable foe. Watch for cheesy traps in the corner with the standing fierce (especially in SFA3 where the standing fierce hits twice) and Gen's E. Honda like chop move. The touch of death move will also get you a little upset. If you get hit by the touch of death move, remember to hit Gen before the timer over your head gets zero. If you fail to do so, then when the timer reaches zero, you will be dizzy and wide open to a combo. You won't have to worry too much about Gen's super combo air throw while challenging a human, but the computer will break it out in a moments notice. Also watch for cheesy air juggles. The computer Gen knocked my brother out of the air then did a super to him right before my brother landed on the ground. Z-ism and V-ism Gen have two different fighting styles while X-ism Gen takes the two fighting styles and only uses the best moves from the two.
Guile
SFA3: Ever since SFIICE it's been hard to fear one of the most cheapiest SF characters. There was a time when Guile was unbeatable. A time when the best Zangief player in the world would have little to no chance against an experienced Guile player. SFA3 marks Guile's return to the Alpha series. Fortunately Guile is not as unbeatable as he once was. Guile should be an wasy opponent for you. Fight Guile like you would fight Charlie. Try to get in close and then unload with a spinning pile driver. There's nothing that Guile does that you really have to worry about besides an occasional air throw. Razor kicks can be air blocked so you don't have to worry about that when jumping in. Use lariats a lot as an anti-air attack. When jumping in it's your choice whether you want to attack your opponent or not. I suggest jumping in and then doing a spinning pile driver. Guile's supers also aren't the greatest. His super sonic boom super can easily be blocked. If you want to, you can even lariat right through it and hit Guile if you're fast enough. I fear Charlie more than I fear Guile. If you try to get in close and execute a spinning pile driver, then you should have no problem with picking up the victory. .
Guy
I used to hate fighting Guy back in SFA with Birdie and since Zangief has been playable ever since SFA2, I still hate fighting Guy. Thankfully Guy is not as overpowering as he once was. In SFA Guy was one of the best characters. Now (especially in SFA3) Guy is just not the same old guy. He's slower, it's harder to do his jab, strong, fierce, roundhouse combo, his crouching fierce then turnaround punch combo has been eliminated from SFA3, and his hurricane kick attack has also been weakened. If you know a lot of Guy's moves then you will have no problem beating Guy even on the most difficult level because the computer Guy always trys to do a rushing dash at you. The dash can be countered by a sweep, punch, or throw. I suggest a sweep cause Guy will just get up and try to dash at you again. Keep on sweeping him and before you know it he got stars and you got a chance to unleash a super combo on him. Beware of Guy's top down attack which is
extremely fast and hits twice. The computer likes to use this a lot. Any futile attempt at a throw or a hurricane kick by Guy should be countered with a spinning pile driver by you. If you feel like messing around you can even try to do Zangief's super combo air throw to Guy cause Guy likes to jump around so much. Challenging a human controlled Guy used to be a task but not anymore. Since Guy has no fireball he has to get in close to hit you and rely on his speed to get out before you can get a throw off. Use this to your advantage and try to anticipate what your opponent is going to do. Crouching fierce punches work well to ward off any rushing dashes. If you're not familiar with Guy's
moves, remember that there are three types of rushing dashes. The first one will be a rush then a slide kick. The second is a rush then a turn around kick which has to be blocked standing up. The third is a rush where Guy can stop before he hits you and then throw you.
Juli & Juni
Cammy clone number one and Cammy clone number two. You will have to laugh at those two weaklings. One on one they stand no chance against you. Two on one, they might take a round, but they probably won't if you play them like Cammy.
Karin
For Karin, the main thing is to block herinitial hit and keep calm. Sooner or later the combo attack has to end you can spinning pile drive her. Watch for her counter attack in which she separates her arms. If she does this, don't hit her cause whatever move you do, she'll counter back. Instead throw her or just sit there and block. Karin also has two top down attacks. One is a kick where she spins her body and then comes down on you with a kick. The other is when she jumps in the air and comes down on you while swinging both her arms. Defensive crouch block at all times, except for when you see those two moves then counteract with a spinnig piledriver. Karin shouldn't be a tough obstacle for a Russian wrestler like yourself.
© 1999 ohyoung@nevada.edu
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