and then start attacking when you catch up with your opponent.
LEGEND & DEFINITIONS
Welcome to my Legend and Definitions section! Here I will explain all of the basics of the game as well as the advanced stuff like the combo system and good countering techniques. You may always come back here if you are confused in any way!
Button Configuration
Default Setup:
Square = Jab Punch
Triangle= Strong Punch
L1= Fierce Punch
X= Short Kick
O= Forward Kick
R1= Roundhouse Kick
R2= x3 Punches
L2= x3 Kicks
Note: This setup really messes up the gameplay! I don't even know why Capcom designed this one, because it not only bothers me, it bothers other players as well.
My Setup: L1= Jab Punch
Button Legend:
Punch
JP-Jab Punch
SP-Strong Punch
FP-Fierce Punch
Kick
SK-Short Kick
FK-Forward Kick
RK-Roundhouse Kick
PP-Two punch buttons simultaneously
KK-Two kick buttons simultaneously
PPP-Three punch buttons simultaneously
KKK-Three kick buttons simultaneously
Motions Legend:
F-Forward
B-Back
U-Up
D-Down
QCF- Quarter Circle Forward
QCB-Quarter Circle Back
DP-Dragon Punch Motion(F,QCF)
RPD-Reverse Dragon Punch (B,QCB)
HCF-Half Circle Forward
HCB-Half Circle Back
QCD- Quarter Circle Down(F,D/F,D)
RQCD-Reverse Quarter Circle Down (B,D/B,D)
BATTLE MODE
This mode is similar to the arcades! Here you choose a team of two characters and fight through 6 or 7 teams to get to Apocalypse and Cyber Akuma. If you lose, you may continue as many times as you like and a second human player may join at any time. If a human player challenges you in this mode, only he will be able to select characters while you keep the ones you picked at the very beginning.
VERSUS MODE
This is a 2-player competition! Here, you and another human opponent selects a team of two characters and fight each other to the end! You may also choose your handicap as well as which stage you like to fight in. When choosing your handicap, the more stars you have highlighted the more damage your character wil inflict. If you have the Handicap on Autoset in the Options Screen, the number of stars highlighted will come back to the default settings unless you turn it off. Also, the computer will keep track of the number of wins for both players instead of their scores.
TRAINING
This is the mode where you may practices all your favorite moves and combos! Here you select your normal 2 characters and practice dummy. You will also have a number of Training Options when you pause the game.
HERO BATTLE
This is a brand new feature in MSH vs. SF! Here you may fight on the side of the the Marvel characters or the World Warriors. As usual,you will be prompted to select a team of two marvel or street fighter characters. To win, all you have to do is defeat all of the characters of your opponent's team including the bosses or lose by being having all of your characters characters defeated instead. If you lose once, the characters that you had in your team will no longer be available.
CROSS OVER
This is the mode that everyone has been waiting for! In this mode,you choose your main character while the computer chooses your teammate. Throughout the game, you fight mirror images of your team and each character takes two turns on each fight. This mode also gives you the ability to switch characters at any time.When you do switch, your teammate will take a turn while the character in the sidelines regains some energy back (that is if there's enough left).The game ends when you defeat Cyber Akuma on a one-on-one fight! It is also possible that you will end up playing as the hidden characters at any point without the need of codes to access them.
OPTIONS
Here you just make any changes you want to make the game a little easier or tougher! A Hidden EX Options is also avialable by accessing it via code! Go to the Secrets Page to find out more on this.
GAME RULES
Match- The first player to win two out of three rounds wins the match. If the time runs out, the player with the most vitality left is declared the winner. You can change the number of rounds in the options screen as well.
Win Mark- Each time you win a round, a Win Mark appears below the right bottom corner of your life bar. The win mark you recieve depends on what type of attack you used. An S stands for a special move win, a rope icon shows that you won the round with a throw, an A stands shows that you won with an Aerial Rave, and H stands for Hyper Combo, a P for a perfect and a yellow handshake icon stands for a Team Super. If you win the round by draining the last bit of your opponent's life bar while he's blocking, you'll recieve a "cheese" icon to represent Cheapness!
Draw Game- A draw occurs when the time runs out and both you and your opponent have the same amount of vitality left or if there's a double
Time Counter- Shows the amount of time left. When time reaches 0, the match is decided by the remaining vitality of both teams. You can turn Time on and Off in the Options Screen.
Score/Wins- Your current score or number of wins is shown above your life bar.
Vitality Gauge (Life Bar)- The color bar decreases as a fighter takes damage. Try not to take damage for a short while, and your character's vitality will gradually recover (shown by the red bar in your Vitality Gauge).If the Vitality Gauge reaches 0, your character will be knocked out (K.O.).
Main Character/Support Character- Shows the names of your main and support characters chosen for the match.
Easy Mark- Displays "EASY" mode and/or "BEGINNER" mode when you have chosen this option after selecting characters. The icon is located right below your character's portrait during a fight.
Hyper combo Gauge- The color in the Hyper Combo Gauge (HC) builds up as you attack or take damage. Each level in your bar is represented by a different color. When the bar is full, you are fully charged and you may perform moves such as Hyper Combos, Team Counters and Team Supers.
Dizzyness Gauge- The two-sided graph above the Time Counter is the Dizzyness Gauge. The color on your side builds up as you take an excessive amount of hits. If the color builds up completely, you will become dizzy for a short time and you will be at your opponent's mercy. That is unless you use the Recovery manuever.
Bonus Message- Every time you perform a successful combo or things like a Team Counter or Team Super, a bonus message will appear on your side of the screen.
STARTING A GAME
After choosing a game mode, you'll be taken to the Character Select screen where you can choose your two characters for your team. After choosing characters, you'll be prompted to choose from the next set of options.
Manual- Use the normal controls shown for each character in their individual sections. All of the moves apply to characters facing to the right. If facing to the left, simply reverse all commands.
Easy- Use the following simple controls for special moves.
Combos- Press JP/SK rapidly
Special Moves- Press SP/FP or FK/RK rapidly
Hyper Combos- Press 2 punches or 2 kicks simultaneously
Aerial Rave (launchers)- Press JP+SK simultaneously
Beginner- Use the easiest controls to play the game. Basic controls are the same as in EASY mode except that combos and special moves are done by holding and attack buttons instead of pressing them rapidly.
Special Moves and Hyper Combos
Special Moves A special move is a Directional button move plus a punch or a kick that inflicts more damage than a standard punch or kick.Special moves may be used in combos as well to add hits and damage!
Hyper Combo A Hyper Combo is a more powerful version of a character's special move. A Hyper Combo normally requires 1 level from your Hyper Combo Gauge and it is executed by performing a directional button move plus two punches or two kicks. Hyper Combos, like special moves, may also be used on ground or air combos!
Hyper Combo Gauge- The Hyper Combo Gauge builds up power with each regular attack, even if its blocked! If the move hits successfully, the amount of energy that builds up is tripled. When your Hyper Combo Gauge is build up to at least level 1, you may perform Hyper Combos and Team Counter moves. If its completely full, you may perform Hyper Combos and/or Team Supers!You may store up to 3 levels in your Hyper Combo Gauge!
Hyper Combo Series (Hyper Cancel)- When your attack hits the opponent, perform a Hyper Combo quickly to turn it into a successive attack. You may also chain one Hyper Combo into another as a successive move. You can also do this...
Special Move - Hyper Combo
Hyper Combo - Hyper Combo
Hyper Combo - Team Super
Special Move - Hyper Combo - Team Super
VARIABLE HERO BATTLE
Before starting a match, you choose two characters from the 17 available characters (plus the 8 hidden characters which makes 25 total). The first character you choose is your main character, and the second is your support character which you can call out during battle by performing the moves shown below. Note that the moves shown below apply to characters facing to the right.If they're facing to the left, simply reverse all of the commands!
VARIABLE ASSIST- SP+FK
This move has your main character call out your support character to help him in battle. The move that your support character will perform depends on who he or she is. The moves they perform will be shown in the Secrets Page. Be careful when performing this move in Cross Over mode, because your support character can take damage as well! Both of your characters may even eat a Hyper Combo or a Team Super if you're not careful.
TEAM COUNTER- RQCD+P/K
Your main characters calls out your support character to join in the fight to perform a counterattack. This move requires 1 level from your Hyper Combo gauge.In Cross Over mode, this move will have your support character counterattack and then take a turn. Team Counters in Cross Over mode are done like this...
RQCD+FP+RK
TEAM SUPER- QCF+P+K of same strength
Your support character will join in to perform a super powerful combination Hyper combo. This move inflicts 50% damage on your opponent, but it requires 2 levels from your Hyper Combo Gauge.In Cross Over mode, you perform Team Supers like this...
QCF+FP+RK
SWITCH CHARACTERS-FP+RK (Cross Over Mode only)
In Cross Over Mode, your main character will call out his teammate to take a turn. While your fighting as your support character, your main character will recover some vitality back depending on how large their red bar is. Be careful when switching characters, because your character will perform a taunt before your support character is called in. Some safe ways of switching characters is by launching the opponent into the air,performing a Team Counter or Team Super. And like I said, your main character will regain some vitality back while he or she is waiting on the side lines.
The following is a list of Universal Moves that each character in the game can perform. And like I said before, these moves apply to characters that are facing to the right. If facing left, simply reverse the commmands (except for the super jump).
This move is helpful for getting closer to your opponent since it is faster than walking normally. You may also retreat if your opponent is about to do something nasty!You can also dash by holding a directional button(left or right only) plus all three punch buttons (or L2). Becareful when performing the dash this way, because your character will sometimes end up performing and unwanted move. Some characters may even perform a dash in the air by performing the same commands shown above.
This move has your character perform a high jump that reaches a 10 story building!This move is useful for escaping corner traps and catching up to your opponent to air combo them. After a launcher, all you have to do to super jump is press and then start attacking when you catch up with your opponent.
A useful move to push your opponent away! While blocking, press all 3 punch buttons rapidly to push the oppoenent away.This move also works against Hyper Combos and Team Supers, but it will not nulify the blocking damage you take.
You can throw your opponent by getting near them and press SP/FP or FK/RK!This move is great for countering "turtles!" However, your opponent can Tech-Hit your throw as well. You may also throw in the air or Tech-hit in the air as well!
You can escape an opponent's throw by performing a Tech-Hit! Just press in any direction except up and press any of the stronger punch or kick buttons (do not press up and JP or SK).Performing this move will reduce the amount of damage taken from a throw and you will also move away from your opponent giving him no chance to attack you anymore! Tech-Hits also work in the air.
This move will save you if you know how to use it well! When the opponent knocks you down or launches you up, perform the motion for the Roll technique before landing and you'll roll to a safer area on the screen. This move is very useful for getting out of those "OTG" combos!
To recover, press in any direction plus a punch or kick rapidly and your character will regain consciousness. You better do it quick, because your opponent has time to do whatever he wants against you and you don't want any of that.Ok, I think I've covered almost everything now,so I'll go ahead and explain the Magic Series now!
Ok, this is what you were waiting for! Since this game relies heavily on combos I took the time to create some neat graphics to explain all of the types of chain combos in full detail! If you really want to learn how to do combos in the games, then you must pay close attention to eveything I have to say.
Basically, this game's combo system is based on six types of chains. A Zigzag chain refers to a chain where you character can link just about all of their attacks in a combo. Most characters have this type of chain, but the ones that don't have some other attributes to help them out. Most people tend to jump in to perform a combo and that's good, because jumping in adds hits and damage to your combos as well as making them look stylish! Below is a list of all 6 typs of magic chains along with its full description.
ZIZGAG MAGIC
This is the basic chain for most of the characters in MSH vs. SF! It consists of chaining all of your attack buttons in a "zigzag" pattern to form a successful combo. It is recommended that you always start with a Jab punch, because that way you can add hits to your combo and your opponent will not be able to block until the entire combo is finished. If you have a Zigzag Air Magic, that means that your character can chain from 2-3 hits in a single jump-in attack. When you land, immediately dash in and continue the combo on the ground with whatever type of chain your character has.Each character will have a Ground, Air, and Super Jumping Magic that will help them put together combos as well! As for the air combos in this game, some characters might even be able to chain all six buttons of the Zigzag chain (i.e. Chun-Li's Zigzag Super Jump magic).However, some characters may only chain four hits in the air and then cancel immediately into a special move or super. Be careful with this type of chain too, because some characters although they have a Zigzag magic for their air combos, some of their attacks maybe too high or too low to connect with the opponent. So it is a good idea to always plan ahead!
STRONGER MAGIC
Sorry about the mess on this one, but it was necessary to show how this type of chain works. A Stronger Magic Series, wether its a ground, air, or super jump, consists of chaining three attack buttons from weakest to strongest. You may go from a jab to a strong and finally to a fierce, or you can also start with a short and work your way up. Whatever chain you prefer, it will only work as long as it is three hits long. However, you may not chain a jab to a short in a Stronger magic because it won't work. Examples of characters who have a Stronger Magic on the ground are Spider-Man and all of the Shotokaners. It is important to know all of your character's magic series, because you may never know what restrictions are present.
WEAK START MAGIC
This is one of the stupidest types of chains in the game and fortunately, only two out of the total 25 characters have it (17 of the original characters plus the 8 hidden characters included). The Weak Start Magic consistes of a chain of two hits that either go from a Jab punch or Short kick to a Strong/Fierce punch or Forward/Roundhouse kick. You may even chain a special move or Hyper Combo and even Team Supers at the end of this chain if the last hit(s) does not initiate the Aerial Rave.The two characters that have this type of chain are M.Bison and Hulk.
PUNCH TO KICK MAGIC
This is one of the wierdest types of magic in the game! The chart above says that in a Punch to Kick magic, you may chain any punch to any kick. Well actually, its not really like that because I've tried this chain myself. The truth about this chain is that you may chain a punch and a kick of the same strength for a max of two hits. Take a look at Shuma-Gorath's combos as an example. Shuma-Gorath can perform a jump-in combo that uses a Strong Punch followed by a Forward Kick. The only way for Shuma-Gorath to add hits to this combo is if he has his twin with him , because everything that he does his twin will do it afterwards.I don't know of any other character who might have this type of magic, but if any anyone knows please e-mail me immediately!
KICK TO PUNCH MAGIC
This is exactly the opposite of the Punch to Kick magic! Instead of linking a punch and a kick of the same strength, you link a kick to a punch. There's not much explanation to this since this chain is just a variation of the one above. If you want an example, go to Black Heart's section!
NO MAGIC SERIES
I didn't create a chart for this one since all you can do is chain a single hit into a special move, Hyper Combo or Team Super. The only two characters that have this one for their ground magic Dan and Dhalsim. But don't be sad, they do however have a zigzag super jump magic!
The rest is a list of the types of Aerial Raves found in this game! Read about each of these types of Aerial Raves, because this information may become useful in the future! If you get confused about any of these, just e-mail and I'll try my best to help you.
An Aerial Rave is an attack that launches the opponent into the air, and then your character jumps to meet them in the air and performs an air combo. The command for your character's Aerial Rave depends on who he is! All of the Aerial Rave commands for each of the characters are listed in their own individual sections. To perform the Universal Aerial Rave, press Jab Punch and Short Kick simultaneously but beware that some characters have more than just one Aerial Rave!The following is a list of the other different types of launchers in the game. By the way, if you don't know your character's launcher you're in DEEP TROUBLE because the whole basis of this game relies heavily on launchers and air combos and you will have some problems with your offensive game. Be careful with launchers, because the height at which the opponent is launched varies depending on the type of launcher you used. To super jump after an Aerial Rave, just press up to cancel into the jump and meet your opponent with an air combo in the air!
Normal Launchers
This is the generic version of a launcher and every character has one. They knock the opponent up at a good height and they can be used offensively and defensively! The attack buttons often used for a launcher (Aerial Rave) are the Fierce Punch and the Roundhouse Kick, but some characters utilize the Strong Punch and Forward Kick for their launchers. Be careful because the characters that use the FP/RK buttons for their launchers tend to have a slow recovery time if they are blocked. Learn to chain moves before these, because if you know that your opponent will block, you will be pushed back to safety.
The Regular Launcher
Aside from the normal kind of launchers, there are others that have special requirements! Small launchers cannot be followed by super jumps, because they only knock your opponent slightly upwards but they're extremely quick. If you manage to connect with a small launcher, your character will be unable to block while they are knocked upwards and characters that have Air Launchers can use the Small Launcher to set them up perfectly. Examples of characters with Small Launchers are Spider-Man and his C.Forward Kick and Wolverine with his C.Strong Punch.
Air Launchers
This is the last kind of launchers in the game. Air Launchers often open more combo possibilities than Regular Launchers (Aerial Raves for Capcom), because of the height that they knocked the opponent up into the air. The can be used offensively and defensively! You can only Air Launchers to Small Launchers, because they will not work on an opponent who is standing firmly on the ground. You can still super jump after hitting the opponent with an Air Launcher on the ground, but your opponent will stay on the ground.Examples of characters with Air Launchers are Spider-Man and his S.Roundhouse Kick or Hulk and his S.Roundhouse Kick. Now I will discuss the Air Combo Finishers in full detail!
The AC Finisher is an abbreviation for an air combo finisher. And AC Finisher is any move that will end an air combo and they can either be normal attacks, special moves, and even Hyper Combos (if your character has one in the air). The idea is that after the AC Finisher has connected, your combo will end and you will no longer be able to attack your opponent. AC Finishers are most likely to knock your opponent across the screen after they connect, this effect is known as the "Flying Screen!" AC Finishers are valuable, because they allow you to end your combo with style and prevent the opponent from counterattacking you. If you choose to not perform the AC Finisher, you will put yourself in danger because your opponent can counter you in the air with a combo or even and air throw. Air Throws are also an alternative to special move AC Finishers, but they are much more difficult to master. To do and Air Throw in the middle of a combo, pause for a slight second and then press in the forward or back direction+ Strong Punch or Forward Kick, it just depends on what button your character used for his/her air throw!Well, that's it for the Legend & Definitions section. Below you'll find a list of symbols that are used to describe the combos of all the characters in the game.
S- Stands for standing normal attack C- Stands for crouching normal attack OC- Stands for offensive crouching J- Stands for normal jumping attacks SJ- Stands for super jumping normal attacks (i.e air combos) J.DN- Stands for holding down on the joystick during jumping attacksNote: I didn't the Flying Screen (FL) symbol because I was too lazy to do so.
J.UP- Just the opposite of J.DN! SJ.DN/UP- Same as J.DN. or J.UP Comma (,)- Shows normal move chaining XX- Shows special move cancellation & EX Cancels /\- Indicates that you must jump up after a launcher \/- Indicates that you land and continue on the ground (OTG)- Shows that the move hits opponent off the ground
Characters
