So, you're hyped about Street Fighter IV but you know you probably suck at it. The prospect of playing online scares the bejesus out of you. Don't lose heart Dear Reader, I, and many others, am in the same boat as you. Whether it's been quite a long time since you last picked a World Warrior to fight with, or you look at youtube videos of high level and fear every single player online are just as good, it's cool. I'm here to help. I'm going to provide you with some resources to get you on the road of Street Fighting greatness...or at least, a start to building a good foundation. This article will benefit those who wish to become better players much more than it will those who just want to mess around with the game with their friends and don't care about skill level or anything like that. Either way is fine with me. With that in mind, let's move on...
There are two things you must accept if you want to be a better fighting game player. These go hand in hand, but I'll list them seperately.
First, you must accept that becoming a better player means practice. Practice, practice and more practice. It means hopping in training modes and perfecting your timing and executions. It means taking your licks against players who are better than you and coming back for more. It means never losing heart when frustration tends to creep in. Becoming better at fighting games is akin to becoming better at a sport: You must put in the work to become a skilled player.
Second, you must be willing to learn outside of playing the game. Learn from those better than you when they write down their thoughts. Learn from their strategies, patterns and thoughts. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Learn the ins and outs of the different systems within the game through study. Read how to "charge partition" or "kara", what they mean and the situations they would be most useful. What moves may have priority over others and how to use that to your advantage. There are tons of material and discussion out there (not to mention videos) on any character you'd like to dedicate your time to learn.
One last thing you may consider is acquiring an arcade stick. Granted, if you're more comfortable using a good controller and d-pad by all means, go for it. However, the vast majority of the time, a good arcade stick will offer the player greater control over their actions as well as easier access to the many different button combinations you need to excel at the game. Of course, a good arcade stick will set you back a good amount of money. Anywhere from $79.99 to 149.99 or more. However, it's best to think of it as an investment. Pick up a stick and you can use it for all future fighting games for that system or even for the PC (if you use GGPO or MAME). To get you started right off the bat, you can look out for the Mad Catz Street Fighter IV FightStick for both PS3 and 360, the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 for PS3 or the Hori Real Arcade Pro EX for 360.
