It’s worth noting that charge attacks are often faster or more damaging than regular specials. So the reward is there, but it’s also just fun memorizing the rhythm 👍
No, they are less damaging but have faster recovery since you've already sacrificed 'time' before the move. Most charge moves are actually weaker. Sonic Boom and Kikoken for example do less damage than Hadoken or Tiger. The reason? Charlie/Guile and Chin-Li get to walk/ move after they've thrown their fireballs while Ryu, Ken and Sagat stay in frame and can be more easily countered.
I started with charge characters cause motions were too hard when I was a kid. However I could mash punch for hundred hand slap and hold back and hit forward. Charge is the most blessed inputs
@@Skitz0frenixif you play guile, you might as well play him classic tbh, he doesnt need much execution, his combos and gameplay are so easy. So might as well get the extra moves and damage using classic
I recommend chargers, because basic chargers like Guile and Chun force you to have a defence. It won't magically make you GOOD at defence, but when two of your best tools are accessed via turtling you have to do it, a LOT, and you might get better at knowing when to press and when to block.
Shouldn’t have to permanently block to be able to defend yourself, should be able to block on demand in a split second.. Overly defensive gameplay is alright when you make a living winning in a game where chip doesn’t kill, but for the average player? It’ll never catch on.. I’m just one average player and would never expect a game to be catered towards me, but the main reason I personally don’t play games like SF is because it’s still the same game as it was 30 years ago.. It’s still designed with Japanese arcade as the core focus whereas the actual market available to them has grown humongous and moved from the arcades and into peoples homes.. It’s why games like SF don’t sell anywhere near as much as they could and aren’t anywhere near as popular as they could be.. By not modernising they kind of keep a barrier up for everyone other than the most hardcore fans of the genre.. Play styles, control schemes and the way it’s all built around the arcade as if it’s the early 90s is just doing harm to the series long term.
@@Primitive01 Except you're COMPLETELY wrong, You don't even realize sf6 made a whole NEW control schemed catered towards incompetent players such as yourself (sorry its true) called "Modern Controls" and it just so happens to be the start of a possible new meta in professional play. A control scheme that (some) high skill players use to react in a split second and a scheme for newer players to access combos they could never do because they don't want to put in the time. I'm talking about hard combos here that would take you a few hours to learn and possibly more if you're fresh in. So maybe check out the newest game it might spark some interest for you and possibly kick start you into classic controls as it did for me
@@8O8S4NTANA Except I do realise, I’ve played the game ffs.. “I don’t play SF because” and you go on about a game that isn’t even out yet? Big brain.. They’ve also implemented a system that discourages overly defensive gameplay, good for them.. Shame that same system also heavily punishes you for being too offensive as well, back to square one really.. All they really had to do with allow death on chip for all attacks, simple no? Turtling becomes obsolete.. You think I’m incompetent because Capcom spent 30 years making games for arcade while hundreds of millions of people play on console today? The video, the original comment and my comment are all about a system that won’t even exist if modern controls catches on.. You question me because I rightly question the devs when it comes to widening their audience and selling their game to more people without completely changing the game at its core? Good shit.. I probably still won’t play the game no matter the control schemes they implement because I just don’t enjoy SF for reasons beyond outdated controls so go be hurt over your little game somewhere else.. Be proud that it’s taken 3 decades for the devs to realise it’s not the 90s anymore.. I even stated early on in my comment that I don’t expect any dev to cater to what I prefer to try and avoid hurting the feelings of nuggets like you but no, you ignore that shit and act a fool.. There are games I do enjoy and will buy and I won’t be thinking about SF unless like yesterday some random video pops up on RUclips and I happen to have a look.. Enjoy your game.
For me, it was Balrog. Something about the Dash Straight or Dash Low being threatened by the same charge, and the way you need to pre-plan your combo routes so that you will have charge, while at the same time just being a big dude throwing punches was really really satisfying.
My favorite charge character was M Bison. Psycho crusher and scissor kick are great examples. He was great in SF5. How his walk speed is slow but his dash is the fastest and a teleport. They really made it like he’s conserving all of his psycho power for specific explosive moments. It makes you play very precise. He’s just always plagued by less than ideal antiairs
I used to main him in CvSNK2 and MY GOD I’ll never forget the first time I pulled off a Mega Psycho Crusher. I’d been trying for ages, finally did a deep exhale, nailed the input, the screen goes dark and he blasts across the stage taking up most of the screen. Was at my buddy’s apt and we had a bunch of friends over and they were all losing their shit, hype af, patting me on the back. It was such a beautiful moment and that’s when I truly understood what the line “This is the True Love we’re making” meant
I'm a big fan of charge characters whose charges feel natural and intuitive. I love playing Big Band in Skullgirls because his charge input blends perfectly into his combos
vatista, despite being one of the most technical characters i ever played, is the one who made charge characters click to me, and going back to games where i could not previously play characters i liked due to being charge characters was so liberating
The whole notion of four direction charge moves blew me the hell away when I first got into Under Night. I'm not a Vatista player by any means (hell, I'm barely any good with either Gordeau and Wagner, who were my mains LOL), but I had a lot of fun playing around with her in training mode.
Honorable mention: Urien from Third Strike. He is the epitome of charge character goodness and everyone knows you don't play Urien unless you are a godlike player. Also, you can't talk about Urien without mentioning the concept of "charge partitioning" which is the next level of charge mastery. Brilliant video.
Someone who fell in love with charge characters in sf4 specifically Vega it was heart breaking in sf5 being a shoto. The elegance and grace that you feel storing charges really is something magical when done in combos and mix ups. Cheers!
I clicked on this video with no expectations and left with knowledge and appreciation towards this kind of characters. Dude this was sick to watch, thank you so much!
My favorite archetype is the fencing charge character lol. Polnareff in Jojo heritage, Mitsuru in Persona 4 Arena, Parasoul in Skullgirl. I really love the feeling of holding back to prepare an attack/an extension.
I never liked the idea of playing charge characters until I picked up Granblue and was determined to learn Charlotta, and I learned pretty much the basics to how to use a charge character properly through her trials and using her online! This was an awesome video and a great explanation of charge characters and why they're so cool! Another more obscure charge character that I think is super cool is Saki from Arcana Heart, as rather than having a defensive playstyle like most charge characters, she's actually meant to have a much more aggressive and rushdown playstyle, and also has a charge dive kick in the air like Vatista if I remember correctly!
She’s one of the funnest charge characters out there And don’t worry she’s not super hard. I find charge characters a bit easier in kof than street fighter because of the sprints & general movement. Makes charging feel less vulnerable in neutral
I may have yet to main an actual charge character with only charge specials, but Vanessa from KOF was the one who ignited my appreciation for charge characters after maining her in both KOF 14 and 15
Glad I got this random recommendation, liked and subbed. Your easygoing but analytical style is refreshing and a pleasure to sit through. And as someone who has never really been into charge characters, your arguments have intrigued me enough to give them a real go.
Guile was literally my very first character pick WAY back in vanilla SF2 and I never looked back! That flattop hooked me and then that moveset kept me ever since!
My first ever character was Vatista and I loved it. The execution required to play her made me more confident in general to give everything in fighting games a chance. So that experience carried over and changed how I approached new things ever since.
I wanna make a shoutout to Kagura. A charge character in blazblue. He’s a charge character that puts charging characters to their limits and I absolutely love playing him
Oh hey I know that Hodan player! Excellent video by the way! Charge characters have always had a special place in my heart even if I can't play em half the time, there's something so neat about how they're designed and I definitely can hard vouch on a lot of the charm you said they had throughout
Love the passion in this video. I hope you look into charge partitioning as it makes 3rd Strike such a vivid game for charge characters. Just look at some classic Remy.
Honestly, I think the thing that originally made me turn off from charge characters, was the fact I did not know they were charge characters, as for a long while my only fighting games were Smash (in general 3 of them) MK11 and SFII. The thing is that I didn’t know what the charge display meant, so I thought it was just broken since it was similar to a scorpion spear and wouldn’t come out. I eventually learned watching the core a gaming video about Ryu v. Guile, and that leads to here after like 1-3 years.
I started with Blanka in the very beginning on SNES/ Arcades and he's still my very best! After him came guile/ Honda, then saberwolf/ riptor in Killer Instinct! To this very day, they still are my most feared characters!
lol anyone else get extreme whiplash at 1:27 going from chunky footage to AI interpolated 60fps? not hating on the video, was just a funny feeling. great video! also that masking at 2:45 mustve taken forever lol, looks amazing
Lol you're not wrong about that first bit. I didn't realize it came out that way after all the work it had done to it, but sometimes, it's gotta be a tad chunky. Glad you enjoyed tho!
Thanks for giving me advice about charge characters. My liking for the charge archetype is probably the reason why I'm becoming more attracted to Saki from Arcana Heart.
I've always been a big fan of charge characters. I feel it's common to see more creativity involved with creating movesets cognizant of the downsides of charges. It's good that it's given the respect it deserves given how drastically they can alter the character's match flow. It also just feels very satisfying to always be building an invisible and metaphorical gun in your pocket. Especially Vatista's ability to constantly be prepping anywhere between one to three things with any given action, which really shines brightly in her combo game.
Design aspect goes into why I want to see Claw return to being charge for his next playable entry (really didn't like V's approach), also hopefully Sagat will go to controlling like in II again cause it really does work with him, not charge but yeah, character essence
My favorite implementation of charge specials has to be Cerebella's tumble run in skullgirls. Not only is it a fun and armored way to close distance, but it has a brake mechanic that acts as an animation cancel, making certain combo links/mixups possible! She really opened up my eyes to the magic of holding a charge, especially mid-combo
This is a really cool and interesting video, hope i can see more of those love letters to fgs in the future. One thing i would like to add in the topic is "turn around punch" style of moves like Balrog's. It is such a interesting concept to "pay the price" playing with less normals and then surprise your opponent with a invul/high damage move that can totally turn the tides. Meitenkun on this video have something intermediary between a TAP and a normal charge .... his rush move and his antiair powers up depending on how long he is holding the direction. It is kinda of a reference to his/terry's master (Tung) that have a move buffed by how many taunts he used in sequence (clean his bald head > scratch his ass > sleep ).
I started fighting games back in SF2 days with guile, I loved the defensive playstyle and I have mild cerebral palsy, and when I was a kid it was really hard to do even a quarter circle. They are a great accessibility option in older games!
For people new to fighting games like me, it's helpful to know a lot of combo moves and specials actually give you charge automatically while you're doing them. I was put off because timing combos while juggling charge seemed almost impossible to me but it's much easier than it sounds unless you're doing those insane optimal combos in which case it's pretty much as hard as any characters really hard combos
Hi, I actually pick charge to begin with. I have always felt like it was an advantage to be holding a button in preparation to respond quickly to what the enemy does. Also, this is some great content.
As someone that is trying to love Charge characters, it feels like something is missing for me to have that click of "Wow, that's cool to do!" because i like to watch another one doing consistently At the moment i am playing Third Strike and i'd love to have a 2nd character with another new archetype to train, but it's so inconsistent and strict, that everytime i try to do what's in my mind, i just die because my character just fumbled the bag jumping instead of doing the charge. i am trying new things like Grappler playing with Hugo and right now i'm trying to learn Q, but the lack of feedback of charge moves in fighting games i tried (Skullgirls, KoF, SF3) just don't ring the bell
At the end of the day, play what you like! But it's great that you at least tried and you've got an understanding of how they work. Charge Characters aren't for everyone. But if you can say with confidence that you feel you gave it your best shot, maybe some other charge character down the line will make you feel right at home
What helped me get into charge characters was using characters who have charge moves which are primarily neutral tools like Leo from Guilty Gear and Chun Li. Having access to motion moves when I have to execute a combo but still getting the chance to practice charging in match scenarios when I'm in neutral or running oki and have more time to think made me a lot more comfortable with charging in general.
Great content. You put some deep cuts in there as far as fighting games go. I love it. If you like far out fighting games, give Rumble Fighter a shot. Ignoring all of the nonsense in the game, the 1v1 scene is actually pretty good.
@@qmanchu again, I love this game, but I'm specifically talking about the 1v1 scene. There is poor balance elsewhere throughout the game, but the 1v1 scene is the equalizer
I think that the first charge input ive ever done being chun li's in umvc3, which has a visual indicator, helped me a lot to get the rhythm. I love charge characterd
I learned to love charge characters thanks to the specific mechanics of the game they were in: Killer instinct (both classic and 2013) Picking up Sabrewulf and Riptor it is very cool how those charge moves work with the combo system, being able to get your opening, do your linkers while holding back, then doing the move you need felt honestly pretty damn cool.
Been playing Guile in SF6 and I love him. It’s helped me learn better blocking and being patient and waiting for the opponent more then any other character. And plus I don’t have to worry so much about move inputs so it’s great for learning classic controls
My journey has also been pretty similar. I don’t play fighting games a lot and when I bought SFV, I was all about Ryu, Ken, Akuma and Sagat. But then I saw Daigo with his Guile and that opened a whole new world of possibilities for me. Played Guile, Balrog and Bison and it’s feels so nostalgic 😂
Thanks for this video. I’ve been playing street fighter since sf2 in the 90s I never cared for charge players like blanka guile and Honda. And other charge characters in other games. But I think I’m going to try them out today.
This video came up on my recommended feed, and I didn't pay attention to the view or subscriber amount. After I had watched the video, I was actually surprised you're weren't in the tens of thousands of subs, or views even...! I almost never comment on videos here, but damn, quality stuff! Enjoyed a lot, have to try more charge characters now. +sub👍
I’ve never picked up a charger character because of pretty much everything you said. Pls teach me! I’ll look forward to that video, especially when sf6 comes out
Really great video! I don't main any charge characters, but I find that executing charge inputs forces me to slow down and put more thought into my neutral and combos. Played Guile for the first time in the SF6 beta and was surprised at how fun he was!
Dunno why this got dumped into my recommended suddenly, but I love this off-the-cuff talk about charge characters. I'm never gonna be into charge characters; I am a fan of the simple to execute, complicated to master characters that the archetype almost never can really apply to. However, I have a ton of respect for the archetype because in a number of ways, it's a homage to the chess element of competitive fighters. You need to be thinking ahead on how you can best maintain charge and be ready to use them when the opportunity presents itself--no sooner or later will suffice. There is a lot to love in seeing it unfold.
thats exactly the mindset i have bro, expand your skillset and get out of your confort zone and you might even end up loving characters you never thought you would play! thats why i never call out a main character for me before experimenting, cause there are too many possibilities for a person to just call a main because a character looks cool
I was thinking about spending the time til sf6 doing this so I feel free to pick anyone. Might be worth it Edit - I've done plenty of combo trials with them and I will say I agree they feel so nice to execute combos with
For me it was Kagura in BBCF, and I've never seen a character like him before. On top of being the only dedicated charge character, his special button (a button that does spmething unique for each character) is to enter a stance based on what direction is being input when you press it, giving 3 stances, one for neutral, one for down, and one for forward, with each stance having 3 options making them nuts option selects, which can cancel into a different stance to make confirms easier, and they can all be done midair. Hes also a big button char and decimates life bars with his massive great sword, his OD is an install that on top of giving him a huge damage boost, allows you to dash and special cancel from every stance attack on hit or block. These stances make for the perfect time to charge his specials, having access to a sonic boom, a flash kick, a jumping charge with up down that acts as an instant overhead and has a 20f charge window instead of 45 and also gives a hard knockdown, AND a reversal super that requires charging back and doing a half circle forward. The timing on his charges allows him 10 frames of leniency, allowing him to close small gaps before unleashing his attack, and he can charge at literally any time, including during hitstun, blockstun, superflash, during other moves, or even before the round starts. Just a rediculously fun character that really feels like your lugging around a sword taller and wider than you
I am also a Kagura enjoyer. When I first played him I thought he was a simple, easy mode guy. But as you learn more and more that becomes more and more false
I think a unique case of using charge moves is Deejay. The way he plays in sf2 and alpha (not sf4, they done him dirty there) is to play on the offensive and utilize the rhythm of his combo structure, playing into his DJ persona. And this is only going to be furthered in sf6, with moves requiring rhythmic inputs and precise timing.
The biggest issue for charge charatcers is that I cam never tell how long I have to hold the charge for. Is it a second? is half a second? Not to mention there's usually no feedback to tell you when the move is charged. Hodan is the only one I can think of that actually shows you when you have a charge ready.
Too much feedback would tip off the other player that you have charge. How long it takes to get full charge is something you will pick up on intuitively in very little playtime.
I used to hate charge characters, but ever since I first saw Brian_F play Balrog, I’ve been hooked. I find all characters fun, but there’s something about that charge input that’s so satisfying
I was a Paprika player in Them's Fighting Herds, and I remember I LOVED playing against people who thought they were safe to throw a fireball from fullscreen while I was crouching Paprika had a teleport special where the heavy version teleported her above her opponent with a body drop attack, but the charge input was to hold forward and then press back, which was very telegraphed if I was walking in their direction, but if I was crouching, it was impossible to know if I was holding forward or back, and most players would assume I was crouching to block, so I literally got the drop on them by pretending to crouch block
I really dived into Fighting Games with Blazblue Chronophantasma, and in that game I picked Kagura. While he does have charge inputs, his mechanic is a weird but fun way to play, but I noticed some enjoyment with charge motions. When strive releases, I went for May and never looked back.
I used to struggle pulling off motion inputs on the PSP Capcom Classics Collection. So Guile became my SF2 main. Charge Characters always felt more natural to me since then. And I think pulling back the Stick and flinging it forward is really fun. The Classic Charge Super input (SF2 Chun Li Super for example) is probably my fav input in fighting games. Sad that they changed it to double qcf for alot of characters in SF5
I've always had a respect for charge characters after learning how they work. It takes a level of concentration that I wasn't used to and forces you to think ahead so that you know what options are available at any given point. I've only ever really given Boxer an honest try since I like boxing and like Mike Tyson lol
I remembered playing Street Fighter II on SNES at my friend house back in the days. He has a Japanese instruction booklet that came with the game. We got the hadoken and shoryuken down with the instruction, however, for Guile, back then Japanese letters and then forward and punch. We can't figure out what that letter meant and we only do it sometimes after taking a deep breath.
I've always liked the aesthetics of some charged characters like Guile and Bison but I could never pull the charge inputs. Might have to put in the work one of these days Edit: Huge W for using the Storm 4 theme at the end
I don't usually play charge characters, but there are a few that have always interested me, like May in Xrd and Leona in any KOF. I gave them a try initially to play Leona and then fell in love with Parasoul in Skullgirls, and it's such a different skillset but it's so interesting that I actually really like charge characters now. I'm not going to automatically pick a character based on whether they're a motion input character or a charge one, but now I don't have the restriction of "not being able to" play charge characters and that opens up a lot of cool ones that I've always wanted to use.
I always enjoyed charge characters and quickly loved Guile and Honda back in SF2. Also dominated with Victor in Night Warriors. lol. I think it's the mix of movement and tactics that creates a measured gameplay in a lot of cases, even when it's not a "big and slow" charge character.
@@qmanchu sadly, I haven't played SF since Third Strike, but 6 has me hyped. Especially since KoF is too damn technical these days and the character variety and sense of fun here is off the chart. Honestly reminds me of the fun from Nightwarriors on the Saturn back in the day.
Something I never learned is how to make ultra special ultimate shining moves with charge characters. Half moon characters just need a double half moon + P/K. What about charge characters?
Honda always gets me after pressure with hands because of what you mentioned early in the video… so not used to him being able to do that I always get caught pushing lol
My general philosophy when approaching games, fighters or other genres, is that I value flexibility and reactivity more than situational strength, which is why I never thought I could main a charge character. But in sf6, I saw Dee Jay, I saw "all his specials have feints", and knew that it's my destiny to main him. So even though I was apprehensive of the charge inputs at first, I eventually came to love the fact that him being a hybrid character also plays into his whole "rhythm" thing. Control the pace of the match and your opponent will have no choice but to dance to your tune.
For me, it was because I learned to play on a keyboard (I still play on a keyboard, it's too late for me), and charge moves tend to make a lot of sense on keyboard. Also, thanks Guile, you inspire the American within me.
Haven't used it but overall I think it's pretty dope. I play on pad so I've never really had any stake in that conversation. Charge moves on stick feel weird to me as is haha
Thumbnail: Sumo Boom!
XD
you seem to be a bit of a sumo yourself my guy
@@HoodNerd1 if I had the chance, my choices would be:
Manon
JP
Cammy
I'll be trying out Honda and Jamie, until they hopefully release Vega
@@narukami597 👎
It’s worth noting that charge attacks are often faster or more damaging than regular specials. So the reward is there, but it’s also just fun memorizing the rhythm 👍
If chun lis kikoken was fast then she would be able go toe to toe with Ryu hadoken
No, they are less damaging but have faster recovery since you've already sacrificed 'time' before the move. Most charge moves are actually weaker. Sonic Boom and Kikoken for example do less damage than Hadoken or Tiger. The reason? Charlie/Guile and Chin-Li get to walk/ move after they've thrown their fireballs while Ryu, Ken and Sagat stay in frame and can be more easily countered.
Yeah he said that
He showed it in the guile vs ryu part...
@@phil4863hers is unique though since you can walk with her fireball and use it a bit as a shield
I started with charge characters cause motions were too hard when I was a kid. However I could mash punch for hundred hand slap and hold back and hit forward. Charge is the most blessed inputs
I've seen you with the Honda love lately too. This video was a direct response to no SF6 footage. Capcom has to notice
@@qmanchu the honda drought must end
Guile having perfect frame moves in SF6 is also a great addition and rewards old school charge character players.
But now you have modern controls where you don't need to charge anymore. Do they still have the quicker recovery?
@@Skitz0frenix you need to charge in modern
Auto specials don't perfect time them for you except if you overdrive I think
@@Skitz0frenixif you play guile, you might as well play him classic tbh, he doesnt need much execution, his combos and gameplay are so easy. So might as well get the extra moves and damage using classic
@@PrivateJoker0119I can see Guile being a common switching point for people playing modern yeah
I recommend chargers, because basic chargers like Guile and Chun force you to have a defence. It won't magically make you GOOD at defence, but when two of your best tools are accessed via turtling you have to do it, a LOT, and you might get better at knowing when to press and when to block.
Sadly that didn't help me at all
Shouldn’t have to permanently block to be able to defend yourself, should be able to block on demand in a split second.. Overly defensive gameplay is alright when you make a living winning in a game where chip doesn’t kill, but for the average player? It’ll never catch on..
I’m just one average player and would never expect a game to be catered towards me, but the main reason I personally don’t play games like SF is because it’s still the same game as it was 30 years ago.. It’s still designed with Japanese arcade as the core focus whereas the actual market available to them has grown humongous and moved from the arcades and into peoples homes.. It’s why games like SF don’t sell anywhere near as much as they could and aren’t anywhere near as popular as they could be.. By not modernising they kind of keep a barrier up for everyone other than the most hardcore fans of the genre.. Play styles, control schemes and the way it’s all built around the arcade as if it’s the early 90s is just doing harm to the series long term.
@@Primitive01 Except you're COMPLETELY wrong, You don't even realize sf6 made a whole NEW control schemed catered towards incompetent players such as yourself (sorry its true) called "Modern Controls" and it just so happens to be the start of a possible new meta in professional play. A control scheme that (some) high skill players use to react in a split second and a scheme for newer players to access combos they could never do because they don't want to put in the time. I'm talking about hard combos here that would take you a few hours to learn and possibly more if you're fresh in. So maybe check out the newest game it might spark some interest for you and possibly kick start you into classic controls as it did for me
@@8O8S4NTANA Except I do realise, I’ve played the game ffs.. “I don’t play SF because” and you go on about a game that isn’t even out yet? Big brain.. They’ve also implemented a system that discourages overly defensive gameplay, good for them.. Shame that same system also heavily punishes you for being too offensive as well, back to square one really.. All they really had to do with allow death on chip for all attacks, simple no? Turtling becomes obsolete..
You think I’m incompetent because Capcom spent 30 years making games for arcade while hundreds of millions of people play on console today? The video, the original comment and my comment are all about a system that won’t even exist if modern controls catches on.. You question me because I rightly question the devs when it comes to widening their audience and selling their game to more people without completely changing the game at its core? Good shit..
I probably still won’t play the game no matter the control schemes they implement because I just don’t enjoy SF for reasons beyond outdated controls so go be hurt over your little game somewhere else.. Be proud that it’s taken 3 decades for the devs to realise it’s not the 90s anymore..
I even stated early on in my comment that I don’t expect any dev to cater to what I prefer to try and avoid hurting the feelings of nuggets like you but no, you ignore that shit and act a fool.. There are games I do enjoy and will buy and I won’t be thinking about SF unless like yesterday some random video pops up on RUclips and I happen to have a look.. Enjoy your game.
Playing a charge character helped me to get better at defense, clean execution and to be patient. I was a very sloppy shoto-player. Never looked back.
For me, it was Balrog. Something about the Dash Straight or Dash Low being threatened by the same charge, and the way you need to pre-plan your combo routes so that you will have charge, while at the same time just being a big dude throwing punches was really really satisfying.
the dash straight/low is like Q in third strike, except Q has an overhead too but doesnt get combos
As a Pot main I learned to appreciate the charge input for hammerfall with the crazy tech you can do in +r with hfb
My favorite charge character was M Bison. Psycho crusher and scissor kick are great examples. He was great in SF5. How his walk speed is slow but his dash is the fastest and a teleport. They really made it like he’s conserving all of his psycho power for specific explosive moments. It makes you play very precise. He’s just always plagued by less than ideal antiairs
I used to main him in CvSNK2 and MY GOD I’ll never forget the first time I pulled off a Mega Psycho Crusher. I’d been trying for ages, finally did a deep exhale, nailed the input, the screen goes dark and he blasts across the stage taking up most of the screen. Was at my buddy’s apt and we had a bunch of friends over and they were all losing their shit, hype af, patting me on the back. It was such a beautiful moment and that’s when I truly understood what the line “This is the True Love we’re making” meant
This is trueeeee love 😂
I'm a big fan of charge characters whose charges feel natural and intuitive. I love playing Big Band in Skullgirls because his charge input blends perfectly into his combos
vatista, despite being one of the most technical characters i ever played, is the one who made charge characters click to me, and going back to games where i could not previously play characters i liked due to being charge characters was so liberating
The whole notion of four direction charge moves blew me the hell away when I first got into Under Night. I'm not a Vatista player by any means (hell, I'm barely any good with either Gordeau and Wagner, who were my mains LOL), but I had a lot of fun playing around with her in training mode.
Honorable mention: Urien from Third Strike. He is the epitome of charge character goodness and everyone knows you don't play Urien unless you are a godlike player. Also, you can't talk about Urien without mentioning the concept of "charge partitioning" which is the next level of charge mastery. Brilliant video.
Can't wait for you to be one of the big FGC Creators. Just amazing, high quality content. 👌
Much appreciated! I'm having a lot of fun making this stuff
Damn it’s Stefan Raab omg
@@qmanchu Bro 180k views holy shit. Well deserved!
Someone who fell in love with charge characters in sf4 specifically Vega it was heart breaking in sf5 being a shoto. The elegance and grace that you feel storing charges really is something magical when done in combos and mix ups. Cheers!
I clicked on this video with no expectations and left with knowledge and appreciation towards this kind of characters. Dude this was sick to watch, thank you so much!
Aww thanks that means a lot! I try!
My favorite archetype is the fencing charge character lol. Polnareff in Jojo heritage, Mitsuru in Persona 4 Arena, Parasoul in Skullgirl. I really love the feeling of holding back to prepare an attack/an extension.
Is Polnareff a charge character in ASB?
@@fatboy158 no, he was in Jojo Heritage of the future.
Oh, I can totally see Polnareff feeling really good as a charge fighter. That's really fun sounding.
I never liked the idea of playing charge characters until I picked up Granblue and was determined to learn Charlotta, and I learned pretty much the basics to how to use a charge character properly through her trials and using her online!
This was an awesome video and a great explanation of charge characters and why they're so cool! Another more obscure charge character that I think is super cool is Saki from Arcana Heart, as rather than having a defensive playstyle like most charge characters, she's actually meant to have a much more aggressive and rushdown playstyle, and also has a charge dive kick in the air like Vatista if I remember correctly!
Saki: Oh my! You're so amazing!
Leona from KOF has always seemed like the coolest fighting game character to me but I’ve always been too intimated by her charge moveset
Same here, though after this I’m gonna try harder to learn her style.
She’s one of the funnest charge characters out there
And don’t worry she’s not super hard. I find charge characters a bit easier in kof than street fighter because of the sprints & general movement. Makes charging feel less vulnerable in neutral
I may have yet to main an actual charge character with only charge specials, but Vanessa from KOF was the one who ignited my appreciation for charge characters after maining her in both KOF 14 and 15
How have I never seen anyone make a vid for the love of charge characters? Great video! Subbed.
I recommend trying Urien in 3S. TTH and his mid-screen unblockables are some of the most satisfying things to do with a charge character.
Glad I got this random recommendation, liked and subbed. Your easygoing but analytical style is refreshing and a pleasure to sit through. And as someone who has never really been into charge characters, your arguments have intrigued me enough to give them a real go.
Guile was literally my very first character pick WAY back in vanilla SF2 and I never looked back! That flattop hooked me and then that moveset kept me ever since!
Great video. And great explanation for someone not really familiar with all of the fighting styles. Thank you.
My first ever character was Vatista and I loved it. The execution required to play her made me more confident in general to give everything in fighting games a chance. So that experience carried over and changed how I approached new things ever since.
I'm sure it did, I can't even imagine starting fighting games with that character
Great video! And thanks dude, you just made me remember Vatista, and now I wanna give her a shot after just having learned a bit of Guile on SFV
I wanna make a shoutout to Kagura. A charge character in blazblue. He’s a charge character that puts charging characters to their limits and I absolutely love playing him
One day you'll have 500k subcribers+. This content is ON POINT!
Oh hey I know that Hodan player! Excellent video by the way! Charge characters have always had a special place in my heart even if I can't play em half the time, there's something so neat about how they're designed and I definitely can hard vouch on a lot of the charm you said they had throughout
I am ten minutes in and i absolutely love this. I am learning so much. Fantastic job
To add on to Vatista's inclusion, I would like to shout out Arcana Heart's Saki for having had "forward charges" since 2005
I've never even interacted with that franchise aside from BBTAG but I appreciate you talking about this because I might have to check that out!
Saki: Forward charges huh?
@@qmanchu Homura Yuri Squad apparently made a video about a unique take on charge characters so please try watching that as well.
Love the passion in this video. I hope you look into charge partitioning as it makes 3rd Strike such a vivid game for charge characters. Just look at some classic Remy.
High quality thought pieces on fighting games? Sign me up! Instant sub, keep up the great work!
Honestly, I think the thing that originally made me turn off from charge characters, was the fact I did not know they were charge characters, as for a long while my only fighting games were Smash (in general 3 of them) MK11 and SFII. The thing is that I didn’t know what the charge display meant, so I thought it was just broken since it was similar to a scorpion spear and wouldn’t come out. I eventually learned watching the core a gaming video about Ryu v. Guile, and that leads to here after like 1-3 years.
I started with Blanka in the very beginning on SNES/ Arcades and he's still my very best! After him came guile/ Honda, then saberwolf/ riptor in Killer Instinct! To this very day, they still are my most feared characters!
lol anyone else get extreme whiplash at 1:27 going from chunky footage to AI interpolated 60fps? not hating on the video, was just a funny feeling. great video!
also that masking at 2:45 mustve taken forever lol, looks amazing
Lol you're not wrong about that first bit. I didn't realize it came out that way after all the work it had done to it, but sometimes, it's gotta be a tad chunky. Glad you enjoyed tho!
Thanks for giving me advice about charge characters. My liking for the charge archetype is probably the reason why I'm becoming more attracted to Saki from Arcana Heart.
Keep doing what your doing q we love you, great video you are bound to growth with the quality you are puttin into these videos
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying my passion project
I've always been a big fan of charge characters. I feel it's common to see more creativity involved with creating movesets cognizant of the downsides of charges. It's good that it's given the respect it deserves given how drastically they can alter the character's match flow. It also just feels very satisfying to always be building an invisible and metaphorical gun in your pocket. Especially Vatista's ability to constantly be prepping anywhere between one to three things with any given action, which really shines brightly in her combo game.
Design aspect goes into why I want to see Claw return to being charge for his next playable entry (really didn't like V's approach), also hopefully Sagat will go to controlling like in II again cause it really does work with him, not charge but yeah, character essence
Fuming at the pointless greedy tipping made me laugh and earned you a new sub
My favorite implementation of charge specials has to be Cerebella's tumble run in skullgirls. Not only is it a fun and armored way to close distance, but it has a brake mechanic that acts as an animation cancel, making certain combo links/mixups possible! She really opened up my eyes to the magic of holding a charge, especially mid-combo
This is a really cool and interesting video, hope i can see more of those love letters to fgs in the future.
One thing i would like to add in the topic is "turn around punch" style of moves like Balrog's. It is such a interesting concept to "pay the price" playing with less normals and then surprise your opponent with a invul/high damage move that can totally turn the tides. Meitenkun on this video have something intermediary between a TAP and a normal charge .... his rush move and his antiair powers up depending on how long he is holding the direction. It is kinda of a reference to his/terry's master (Tung) that have a move buffed by how many taunts he used in sequence (clean his bald head > scratch his ass > sleep ).
I started fighting games back in SF2 days with guile, I loved the defensive playstyle and I have mild cerebral palsy, and when I was a kid it was really hard to do even a quarter circle. They are a great accessibility option in older games!
For people new to fighting games like me, it's helpful to know a lot of combo moves and specials actually give you charge automatically while you're doing them. I was put off because timing combos while juggling charge seemed almost impossible to me but it's much easier than it sounds unless you're doing those insane optimal combos in which case it's pretty much as hard as any characters really hard combos
Oh finally, ive found a character withforward and up charges, such a cool concept
Nice video man, hard to believe you are at 688 subs with this content. Also, I have never had luck with charge characters, but I might try Honda now
Hi, I actually pick charge to begin with. I have always felt like it was an advantage to be holding a button in preparation to respond quickly to what the enemy does. Also, this is some great content.
Great stuff, looking forward to whatever you put out going forward
This was really well written and performed! I’m New to your channel and I really enjoyed this video!
Such a great video, definitely earned my sub. Hope more people give you the love you deserve.
No mention of charge partitions? Come onnnnnn!
I really liked the video though, great job and also nice editing :D
Honestly, that deserves its own video! I wouldn't mention it without proper footage of me pulling off some crazy stuff
As someone that is trying to love Charge characters, it feels like something is missing for me to have that click of "Wow, that's cool to do!" because i like to watch another one doing consistently
At the moment i am playing Third Strike and i'd love to have a 2nd character with another new archetype to train, but it's so inconsistent and strict, that everytime i try to do what's in my mind, i just die because my character just fumbled the bag jumping instead of doing the charge.
i am trying new things like Grappler playing with Hugo and right now i'm trying to learn Q, but the lack of feedback of charge moves in fighting games i tried (Skullgirls, KoF, SF3) just don't ring the bell
At the end of the day, play what you like! But it's great that you at least tried and you've got an understanding of how they work. Charge Characters aren't for everyone. But if you can say with confidence that you feel you gave it your best shot, maybe some other charge character down the line will make you feel right at home
What helped me get into charge characters was using characters who have charge moves which are primarily neutral tools like Leo from Guilty Gear and Chun Li. Having access to motion moves when I have to execute a combo but still getting the chance to practice charging in match scenarios when I'm in neutral or running oki and have more time to think made me a lot more comfortable with charging in general.
@@fgchopper4733 Thanks for the tip, gotta have this in mind
Try urien I got him down pretty quick he is also the first charge character I've ever practiced
Try Oro
Great content. You put some deep cuts in there as far as fighting games go. I love it. If you like far out fighting games, give Rumble Fighter a shot. Ignoring all of the nonsense in the game, the 1v1 scene is actually pretty good.
Word! I just looked it up and it looks crazy
@@qmanchu again, I love this game, but I'm specifically talking about the 1v1 scene. There is poor balance elsewhere throughout the game, but the 1v1 scene is the equalizer
@@qmanchu oh, and you can play it on stick too
I think that the first charge input ive ever done being chun li's in umvc3, which has a visual indicator, helped me a lot to get the rhythm. I love charge characterd
I learned to love charge characters thanks to the specific mechanics of the game they were in: Killer instinct (both classic and 2013)
Picking up Sabrewulf and Riptor it is very cool how those charge moves work with the combo system, being able to get your opening, do your linkers while holding back, then doing the move you need felt honestly pretty damn cool.
Been playing Guile in SF6 and I love him. It’s helped me learn better blocking and being patient and waiting for the opponent more then any other character. And plus I don’t have to worry so much about move inputs so it’s great for learning classic controls
Hell yes, love this channel 🎉❤
As a Honda main since Alpha. Charlotta's hands being a motion input is sci-fi technology.
9:46 god, did flashygoodness compose this? It reminds me of the Mamoru-kun ost. Such a jolly composition
My journey has also been pretty similar. I don’t play fighting games a lot and when I bought SFV, I was all about Ryu, Ken, Akuma and Sagat. But then I saw Daigo with his Guile and that opened a whole new world of possibilities for me. Played Guile, Balrog and Bison and it’s feels so nostalgic 😂
Great video, I felt the emotion in the video 👍🏾
Thanks for this video. I’ve been playing street fighter since sf2 in the 90s I never cared for charge players like blanka guile and Honda. And other charge characters in other games. But I think I’m going to try them out today.
Is there some charge characters that you’d recommend to someone to experiment with, who’s not use to charge characters?
Terrific insights and info! Thanks🙏🏾
Man great video. I'll need to try some charge character, the most charge I'm comfortable doing is Axel in strive XD
This video came up on my recommended feed, and I didn't pay attention to the view or subscriber amount. After I had watched the video, I was actually surprised you're weren't in the tens of thousands of subs, or views even...! I almost never comment on videos here, but damn, quality stuff! Enjoyed a lot, have to try more charge characters now. +sub👍
I always loved the challenge of trying to 'keep up' in a fireball war against a motion character whilst having the handicap of needing to charge :p
I’ve never picked up a charger character because of pretty much everything you said. Pls teach me! I’ll look forward to that video, especially when sf6 comes out
Really great video! I don't main any charge characters, but I find that executing charge inputs forces me to slow down and put more thought into my neutral and combos.
Played Guile for the first time in the SF6 beta and was surprised at how fun he was!
That 3rd Strike spar in the beginning was so f%#king sick👍🔥
LOL that first clip you have is taken from M.Bizarro's video TAS Ryu vs Ken, I KNEW it looked familar
Dunno why this got dumped into my recommended suddenly, but I love this off-the-cuff talk about charge characters.
I'm never gonna be into charge characters; I am a fan of the simple to execute, complicated to master characters that the archetype almost never can really apply to. However, I have a ton of respect for the archetype because in a number of ways, it's a homage to the chess element of competitive fighters. You need to be thinking ahead on how you can best maintain charge and be ready to use them when the opportunity presents itself--no sooner or later will suffice. There is a lot to love in seeing it unfold.
thats exactly the mindset i have bro, expand your skillset and get out of your confort zone and you might even end up loving characters you never thought you would play! thats why i never call out a main character for me before experimenting, cause there are too many possibilities for a person to just call a main because a character looks cool
That was an excellent well thought out video
Great video bro. I dropped a 👍
Very good content great delivery
I was thinking about spending the time til sf6 doing this so I feel free to pick anyone. Might be worth it
Edit - I've done plenty of combo trials with them and I will say I agree they feel so nice to execute combos with
Really impressive video!
For me it was Kagura in BBCF, and I've never seen a character like him before. On top of being the only dedicated charge character, his special button (a button that does spmething unique for each character) is to enter a stance based on what direction is being input when you press it, giving 3 stances, one for neutral, one for down, and one for forward, with each stance having 3 options making them nuts option selects, which can cancel into a different stance to make confirms easier, and they can all be done midair. Hes also a big button char and decimates life bars with his massive great sword, his OD is an install that on top of giving him a huge damage boost, allows you to dash and special cancel from every stance attack on hit or block. These stances make for the perfect time to charge his specials, having access to a sonic boom, a flash kick, a jumping charge with up down that acts as an instant overhead and has a 20f charge window instead of 45 and also gives a hard knockdown, AND a reversal super that requires charging back and doing a half circle forward. The timing on his charges allows him 10 frames of leniency, allowing him to close small gaps before unleashing his attack, and he can charge at literally any time, including during hitstun, blockstun, superflash, during other moves, or even before the round starts. Just a rediculously fun character that really feels like your lugging around a sword taller and wider than you
I am also a Kagura enjoyer. When I first played him I thought he was a simple, easy mode guy. But as you learn more and more that becomes more and more false
I think a unique case of using charge moves is Deejay. The way he plays in sf2 and alpha (not sf4, they done him dirty there) is to play on the offensive and utilize the rhythm of his combo structure, playing into his DJ persona. And this is only going to be furthered in sf6, with moves requiring rhythmic inputs and precise timing.
The biggest issue for charge charatcers is that I cam never tell how long I have to hold the charge for. Is it a second? is half a second? Not to mention there's usually no feedback to tell you when the move is charged. Hodan is the only one I can think of that actually shows you when you have a charge ready.
Too much feedback would tip off the other player that you have charge. How long it takes to get full charge is something you will pick up on intuitively in very little playtime.
I used to hate charge characters, but ever since I first saw Brian_F play Balrog, I’ve been hooked. I find all characters fun, but there’s something about that charge input that’s so satisfying
I was a Paprika player in Them's Fighting Herds, and I remember I LOVED playing against people who thought they were safe to throw a fireball from fullscreen while I was crouching
Paprika had a teleport special where the heavy version teleported her above her opponent with a body drop attack, but the charge input was to hold forward and then press back, which was very telegraphed if I was walking in their direction, but if I was crouching, it was impossible to know if I was holding forward or back, and most players would assume I was crouching to block, so I literally got the drop on them by pretending to crouch block
I really dived into Fighting Games with Blazblue Chronophantasma, and in that game I picked Kagura. While he does have charge inputs, his mechanic is a weird but fun way to play, but I noticed some enjoyment with charge motions. When strive releases, I went for May and never looked back.
I used to struggle pulling off motion inputs on the PSP Capcom Classics Collection. So Guile became my SF2 main. Charge Characters always felt more natural to me since then.
And I think pulling back the Stick and flinging it forward is really fun. The Classic Charge Super input (SF2 Chun Li Super for example) is probably my fav input in fighting games. Sad that they changed it to double qcf for alot of characters in SF5
Love when games let you do charge partitioning like in Third Strike. Makes playing them a lot more fun
I've always had a respect for charge characters after learning how they work. It takes a level of concentration that I wasn't used to and forces you to think ahead so that you know what options are available at any given point. I've only ever really given Boxer an honest try since I like boxing and like Mike Tyson lol
Instant sub for this one ❤
36k views, less than 1 k subscribers, wow. I just subscribed. Very nice vid
I remembered playing Street Fighter II on SNES at my friend house back in the days. He has a Japanese instruction booklet that came with the game. We got the hadoken and shoryuken down with the instruction, however, for Guile, back then Japanese letters and then forward and punch. We can't figure out what that letter meant and we only do it sometimes after taking a deep breath.
beautiful editing and content
I've always liked the aesthetics of some charged characters like Guile and Bison but I could never pull the charge inputs. Might have to put in the work one of these days
Edit: Huge W for using the Storm 4 theme at the end
I don't usually play charge characters, but there are a few that have always interested me, like May in Xrd and Leona in any KOF. I gave them a try initially to play Leona and then fell in love with Parasoul in Skullgirls, and it's such a different skillset but it's so interesting that I actually really like charge characters now. I'm not going to automatically pick a character based on whether they're a motion input character or a charge one, but now I don't have the restriction of "not being able to" play charge characters and that opens up a lot of cool ones that I've always wanted to use.
I always enjoyed charge characters and quickly loved Guile and Honda back in SF2. Also dominated with Victor in Night Warriors. lol. I think it's the mix of movement and tactics that creates a measured gameplay in a lot of cases, even when it's not a "big and slow" charge character.
Couldn't agree more! I just tend to gravitate towards big and slow bois usually. Altho Oro and Blanka were a fresh of breath air for me in sfv
@@qmanchu sadly, I haven't played SF since Third Strike, but 6 has me hyped. Especially since KoF is too damn technical these days and the character variety and sense of fun here is off the chart. Honestly reminds me of the fun from Nightwarriors on the Saturn back in the day.
Something I never learned is how to make ultra special ultimate shining moves with charge characters. Half moon characters just need a double half moon + P/K. What about charge characters?
Honda always gets me after pressure with hands because of what you mentioned early in the video… so not used to him being able to do that I always get caught pushing lol
My favourite charge character has to be Ash Crimson from KOF. He's so much fun to play! Oro from Street Fighter is also pretty fun.
so you're a big combo enjoyer too
My general philosophy when approaching games, fighters or other genres, is that I value flexibility and reactivity more than situational strength, which is why I never thought I could main a charge character. But in sf6, I saw Dee Jay, I saw "all his specials have feints", and knew that it's my destiny to main him. So even though I was apprehensive of the charge inputs at first, I eventually came to love the fact that him being a hybrid character also plays into his whole "rhythm" thing. Control the pace of the match and your opponent will have no choice but to dance to your tune.
guile ftw!
For me, it was because I learned to play on a keyboard (I still play on a keyboard, it's too late for me), and charge moves tend to make a lot of sense on keyboard.
Also, thanks Guile, you inspire the American within me.
As a person who mains charge characters, I'd like to know your thoughts on the "hit box"
Haven't used it but overall I think it's pretty dope. I play on pad so I've never really had any stake in that conversation. Charge moves on stick feel weird to me as is haha