MEGADRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP SUPER STREET FIGHTER 2
PLAYER AND MOVE GUIDE

Super Street Fighter 2 built upon the success of Street Fighter 2: Championship Edition. Back-in-the-day the £60 price tag for four extra mediocre characters, a few extra pallet swaps and a handful of additional moves, was a complete rip-off, however, in these days of second hand ebay games, this is certainly a good title to add to your collection.

This guide has been produced to help even the casual Street Fighter player select the fighter that best fits their fighting skill and style, with Lord Dilks and Mr Smith (the two highest ranked tournament members on Street Fighter) giving their insights into the characters in the game as well as their special moves.

RYU (Japan)
Dilks - Street Fighter without Ryu would be akin to Beef without mustard - roughly as enjoyable. Ryu, whilst the embodiment of the series, is a mere shadow of Ken. Ryu's moves will guarantee your average player has at least a chance against a superior opponent, whilst ensuring they are all but certain to dominate a weaker opponent, with possible 'perfects' up for grabs. The character offers little in the way of excitement.

Smith - Ryu (alongside Ken) is your stock Street Fighter character. Ryu is the stronger but slightly slower of the two and as far as basic moves go, you cannot fault the character who is solid with punches and kicks and in the air. The fireball and dragon punches are also very effective moves when performed correctly. However, while Ryu is the fighter the whole series is built around, I cannot help finding him a boring fighter. Definately a good pick for the player who is competent with basic moves and wants to move into the realm of special moves.

MOVES
Fireball - Move the D-pad anti-clockwise in a quarter circle from down to forwards and hit punch.
Red Fireball Move the D-pad anti-clockwise in a half circle from backwards to forwards and hit punch.
Dragon Punch - Hit forwards, down and down-forwards and hit the punch button.
Hurricane Kick: - Move the D-pad clockwise in a quarter circle from down to backwards and hit kick.

E.HONDA (Japan)
Dilks - E-Honda is one of those characters who, in the right hands, can be lethally effective against a weaker opponent using a traditionally 'better character' such as Ken, Bison or Vega. Honda has two moves which, again, when in the right hands, are tantamount to fireballs, with his back 2, forward + punch and down 2, up + kick attacks. In the wrong hands these moves can leave Honda vulnerable to immediate counter attack upon landing. Honda is a fine middle ground character.

Smith - E.Honda is generally picked by players looking to advance beyond novice stage who discover the hundred hand slap move and can use it extremely effectively against the weakest of players. In spite of this, E.Honda is a quite a good character when used aggressively; strong, surprising nimble and perhaps hampered only by the fact he doesn't have a fireball move.

MOVES
Hundred Hand Slap - Repeatedly press any punch button.
Sumo Headbutt Hold back for two seconds, forward and press punch.
Sumo (arse) Smash - Hold down for two seconds, up and press kick.

BLANKA (Brazil)
Dilks - Blanka's back kick is about all I can think that is useful about this character. The range achieved though this can be effective in stopping attacks from the air, unlike his principle hand attack which has a useless trajectory and is easy to avoid. I am, and forever will remain, unimpressed with Blanka's electricity attack, which stronger player will be able to counteract with a well timed ground attack.

Smith - I feel Blanka is one of the best characters for those new to the game and looking to develop their skills. He has an array of fairly effective moves, although his vertical roll attack is crap, and the moves are not overly difficult to pull off, and he is quite strong even if slightly on the slow side. Anybody playing as Blanka should always look to mature beyond him, as he is limited and easily beaten by more advanced players. Personally, I like Blanka, as you can select him to be entirely blue and his real name is Jimmy... awesome!

MOVES
Electricity - Repeatedly press any punch button.
Rolling Attack Hold back for two seconds, forward and press punch.
Rolling Attack Hold back for two seconds, forward and press kick.
Vertical Roll - Hold down for two seconds, up and press kick.

GUILE (U.S.A.)
Dilks - I will never understand the reasoning behind anyone opting to play as Guile. Guile has two moves which, while both being easy for a novice to master, are sadly just as easy for a newcomer to the game to counteract. One can see the flash kick coming a mile away - all you have to do is fire projectiles at him whilst he is doing this, or, if you feel like toying with your opponent, just stand there and watch him do it. You're not getting hit by it either way. The Sonic Boom, whilst having the greatest sound effect in the game, is nothing particularly special, and, as far as fireballs go, cannot be performed as slickly as stronger players will manage with characters like Ken, Ryu or Dhalsim.

Smith - What an utter turd! I find him far too flimsy as a fighter and always feel his attacks don't execute the way I want. While the computer will give a stellar performance as Guile, I am yet to see a human player able to inject a similar flair. He has less moves than other characters in the game (two) and at least 50% of these moves suck. The hold down for 2-seconds, up and kick for the flash kick easily gives it away that you are preparing for a special move and your opponent can easily just hurl some fireballs your way. The sonic boom is good, but is slightly slower to execute than other fireballs. Guile should be avoided.

MOVES
Sonic Boom Hold back for two seconds, forward and press punch.
Flash Kick - Hold down for two seconds, up and press kick.

KEN (U.S.A.)
Dilks - Whilst a glance at the health bars will show Ken's moves to be ever so slightly weaker than those of Ryu's, the speed with which you can perform them with Ken is slightly greater - including his hurricane kick, which hits the opponent more times than Ryu's, negating the strength differential. This means more advanced players of the game will have no qualms about matching Ken up against Ryu, or any other character in the game come to that. Whilst the moves are identical in design to those of Ryu, the manner in which they are performed (usually by a stronger competitor) are far more pleasing to the eye, meaning you can win fights in style. ken is easily my favourite character in the game, not only for the reasons stated above, but because he has a far superior taste in bath robes than Ryu. I would advise any player, novice, or veteran, to play as Ken, as you have the nearest thing to a complete fighting package.

Smith - Ken is the flashier and more fun version of Ryu with broadly the same moves. His fireballs and general attacks are a touch weaker, however, his flaming dragon punch is a delight to execute effectively and he has good standard attacks too, which makes him useful for the novice. It is, however, in the hands of experienced players that Ken truly shows his awesome abilities. With great balance of long and short range attacks and add to that, in spite of being virtually identical to Ryu, he is considerably more exciting to fight with. Win.

MOVES
Fireball - Move the D-pad anti-clockwise in a quarter circle from down to forwards and hit punch.
Dragon Punch - Hit forwards, down and down-forwards and hit the punch button (Pressing the heavy punch will result in a flaming dragon punch).
Hurricane Kick: - Move the D-pad clockwise in a quarter circle from down to backwards and hit kick (this can be performed in midair).

CHUN-LI (China)
Dilks - If Ken were removed from the game, Chun-Li would be my immediate next port of call. Whilst her special moves are pretty much garbage (the spinning bird kick carries all the threat of a Fox's Glacier Mint, the fireball is feeble and embarrassing, and the hurricane kick was merely put in so millions of adolescent men around the world had the opportunity to pause the game to examine whether or not you could see up her skirt), her standard attacks are superb, particularly if you remain on kicks throughout. Being able to utilise the wall is another strong benefit to Chun-Li, meaning you can easily get yourself out of a tight situation and turn to defence into attack in a split second.

Smith - Chun-Li is an interesting character and in many ways feels like taking the best bits of Ryu and Guile and morphing them into a Chinese girl seeking revenge. To describe Chun-Li as this, however, takes away the uniqueness of the character. While all her moves seem like weaker versions of other characters, lightning kick (E.Honda's hundred hand slap), Fireball (Ryu & Ken's Fireball mixed with Guile's Sonic Boom), whirlwind kick (Ryu and Ken's Hurricane kick), they are nontheless varied and effective and good for an average player looking to develop. Chun-Li is extremely quick and has very good kick attacks, as well as a nice little mid-air throw move. She is a great all-round pick.

MOVES
Lightening Kick - Repeatedly press any kick button.
Fireball - Back for two seconds, forwards and punch.
Whirlwind Kick: - Down for one second, up and kick.

ZANGIEF (USSR)
Dilks - Utterly pointless. Slow and cumbersome with no direct threat to an opponent of middling ability who is playing as just about any other character. Zangief's spinning clothesline attack gives the appearance of a man being unravelled slowly from a rolled up carpet (although admittedly is useful in as much as you can use the clothesline to avoid fireballs), whilst his spinning piledriver attack requires such thumb dexterity that it can only be performed by someone with approximately 15 minutes to keep attempting it, with an opponent who is happy to stand right next to them and do absolutely nothing. Against any player, novice, intermediate or expert playing as a quick character, Zangief has precious little chance.

Smith - Playing as Zangief is pretty damn boring. He has no projectiles and, in spite of his vast strength, he is cumbersome and his moves are reasonably tedious; quickly holding down all punch/kick buttons for a fairly lame spin attack does not make for a fun fight. Add to that playing as Zangief feels like gravity is doubled for this Soviet bear wrestler. Unless you want to see the epic ending with Gorbachev - Avoid!

MOVES
Spinning Move - Press all punch buttons together.
Another Spinning Move - Press all kick buttons together
Ultimate arse slam: - Rotate the d-pad 360-degrees (this move is almost impossible for a human player to perform).

DHALSIM (India)
Dilks - Dhalsim, like E-Honda, can be dangerous in the right hands. There are two cool flame moves, although only the fireball is of any particular use, unless your can utilise the closer range flame attack in a split second whilst your opponent descends upon you from above whilst at the same time making no attempt whatsoever to attack you. Dhalsim also takes an eternity to land when he jumps in the air, and this can leave you vulnerable to ground attacks, so take care. If you act quickly, you can utilise his stretchy limbs to counteract aerial attacks the second your opponent leaves the ground - this is effective with kicks only though. Avoid the teleport move, as it is thoroughly pointless and leaves you more vulnerable against better players. Dhalsim is the ideal character for players looking to move on from the middle ground and get more creative with their fighting. Skill is required.

Smith - Dhalsim has big long stretchy arms and legs and is often a trap for newer players who seem to enjoy the novelty of this player. While it is possible to attack from across the screen, his standard attacks are extremely slow and leave him vulnerable. The big positive to Dhalsim is his special moves, which include a long range fireball and a closer flame attack which are very nice when used in conjunction. Sadly, his teleport move is of little effect other than visually. So whilst the novice might be lured into picking Dhalsim, he should be certainly be reserved for better players.

MOVES
Yoga Fire - Move the D-pad anti-clockwise in a quarter circle from down to forwards and hit punch
Yoga Flame - Move the D-pad anti-clockwise in a half circle from backwards to forwards and hit punch
Yoga Teleport - Hit forwards, down and down-forwards (or backwards, down and down-backwards) and hit the punch or kick button. (The d-pad determines whether you appear infront or behind your opponent and the punch or kick button deterimes the distance).

BALROG (U.S.A.)
Dilks - Novice against novice should always be played out as Balrog against Balrog in my opinion. There are no fireball attacks to constantly get in a mess with, and the sole outcome of the fight will be a slog-fest of the purest proportions. Balrog is reasonably quick, except in his jumps, and is very powerful with C attacks. There are no special moves to speak of as such, unless you class the dash punch as a special move - which I do not. As soon as Balrog is put up against a player of middling ability or above using a character other than Zangief, T-Hawk or Balrog - he is in trouble. Finally, do not bother switching to kicks as Balrog, on the grounds that there aren't any.

Smith - Players will often erroneously fall into the belief that Balrog is similar to Zangief and will avoid him. While he lacks kicks and his jumps are abysmal, Balrog can be quite and effective fighter when used aggressively. He is extremely strong and getting your opponent into the corner can inflict round winning damage. Of course, against a competent opponent, who can reliably perform fireball moves, or the computer, Balrog is a lame duck, but he is well worth considering in a versus fight against anybody who cannot yet throw a fireball.

MOVES
Turn Punch - Hold all punch buttons together for at least two seconds (the longer you hold this the greater the range and more power the move has)
Dash Punch - Back for two seconds, forwards and punch
Shoulder Charge - Down for two seconds, up and punch

VEGA (Spain)
Dilks - Vega is a very good character and has a lot of advantages, principally his speed. His individual attacks are reasonable, if unspectacular, but his special moves, such as his claw dive and his suplex are incredibly effective against a great many characters, especially against the slower ones - that is to say all of them. Vega can also do a Chun-Li, and utilise walls to help attacks and get out of tight spots. In order to get the most out of Vega, you really have to be a more advanced player.

Smith - Vega is an excellent choice for all players, regardless of ability, but perhaps best selected by a novice player wanting to punch above their weight. An extremely fast character whose array of moves are not overly difficult to pull off and mix things up nicely. Vega also has good punches and kicks, with an impressive reach and his back flip can be quite useful for dodging fireballs. If his claw is knocked off then it has a big effect on his punch attacks. Vega is an extremely fun character to play as.

MOVES
Backflip - Press all three punch or kick buttons together
Claw Roll - Back for two seconds, forwards and punch
Claw Dive - Down for two seconds, up and kick (Vega will either climb the cage in Spain or leap to the side of the screen in other stages) in mid-air push the D-Pad towards your opponent and press punch.
Mid-air Suplex - As the Claw Dive, except whilst in mid-air push the D-Pad up and press punch.
Claw Leap - Down for two seconds, up and punch.

Sagat (Thailand)
Dilks - Sagat is an intrinsic part of Street Fighter but can be vulnerable if used against a strong player. Whilst Sagat has varying heights of fireball and a lethal uppercut, his height and speed mean you need to be an advanced player to utilise him to his full potential. The Tiger Knee attack is a nothing more than gloss to his arsenal of moves and of little to no use in a battle against a player who knows what they are doing.

Smith - The final boss from the first Street Fighter, Sagat is one of my favourite characters and I feel one who should be reserved for the advanced players, as, without utilising his special moves effectively, he is a poor choice. His standing kicks are lame and his jumps are not the most impressive, although his jump-kicks are really nice. What sets Sagat apart is he is, by default, a strong character, the ability to control his fireball at two heights and a good uppercut attack. The Tiger Knee is a nice move if executed well, although weaker players will probably just find themselves too vulnerable. Bouns points for performing a tiger uppercut over a fireball!

MOVES
Tiger Shot - Move the D-pad anti-clockwise in a quarter circle from down to forwards and hit punch (high attack) or kick (low attack)
Tiger Uppercut - Hit forwards, down and down-forwards and hit the punch button.
Tiger Knee - Hit down, down-forwards, up-forwards and kick

M.Bison (Thailand)
Dilks - Bison is a great character to utilise in that bridge between intermediate and expert player. Attacks are strong, quick and varied, but you also have the benefit of his ground slide attack, which will inflict damage on nearly all opponents. The head stomp move is quick and powerful and the scissor kick the same, although this can be seen coming, in the same way that Guile's Sonic Boom can. The pyscho crusher move is more for show than anything else, although against weaker opponents slower to react, this can be effective.

Smith - Bison is a great all-round character and comes into his own for average players looking to advance with some special moves (like Blanka but slightly more advanced). Quick and strong, Bison is an effective fighter, with some very nice and strong special moves. However, he lacks any fireball attack, which can lead to him falling onto the defensive against stronger opponents. His jumps are also quite wild, but a good solid pick. Special mention goes to the awesome Raul Julia.

MOVES
Psycho Crusher - Back for two seconds, forwards and punch
Scissor Kick - Back for two seconds, forwards and kick
Psycho Fist - Down for two seconds, up and punch
Head Stomp - Down for two seconds, up and kick (press punch afterwards to get a second attack in!)

The New Challengers
Dilks - The "new challenger" characters offer little in the way of advancement to a game that already had more than enough variables required to make competition pure. Of all the new characters, one must look to Fei Long, a Bruce Lee style character, for any real development. He has a dominant ground attack that, in the right hands, can be very effective, if not very entertaining for those watching the fight. His combos are reasonably pure, but he lacks any missile attack that would give him a definitive edge over a noteworthy percentage of others. He does have a flame kick, although this is pretty rubbish and needs to be timed to perfection. Even then, it is still pretty rubbish. His speed is quite impressive, but playing (well) as Vega or Chun-Li will nullify that soon enough.

Cammy is garbage. You can only imagine the nightmare of witnessing a fight between Guile and Cammy. She has a few moves, none of them noteworthy or particularly offensive. Her Cannon Drill is about the most useful of the lot, but this can be blocked quite easily and, unless Cammy is being controlled by the CPU, countered with relative ease. The most you are likely to suffer is block damage. Avoid this character.

I have always been fond of Dee-Jay, although I appreciate he is not a particularly interesting character. He is not as effective overall as Fei Long, but in the right hands he can be reasonably good. His moves are mainly made up of kicks if you want to be effective, although his rapid punch move can be used to good effect against weaker players who don't know what they are doing. Dee Jay's dread kicks are strong, but incredibly easy for anyone remotely experienced to avoid and counter.

T-Hawk is tosh, although I believe I won the 14th Tournament Challenge Trophy playing the final as T-Hawk. Still, he is garbage. Like Zangief, the computer makes T-Hawk look like a world beater, whereas in the hands of a human, you soon realise T-Hawk couldn't beat his wife. Avoid.

Smith - All of the "new challenger" characters are crap. The computer will make T.Hawk seem invincible, however, in human hands he is cumbersome crap with laughable moves that are difficult to execute effectively. Playing with Dee-Jay is like driving with the handbrake on and just as enjoyable. Cammy plays frustratingly like a weak Guile with her only advantage being a few Bison-lite moves. Fei Long is the best of the new characters, however, his combo style attacks seems like he comes from a different game entirely.