Omigosh! It's amazing! Capcom has finally made Ken distinctly different from Ryu! It's hard to believe ain't it? I know that in the past, they gave him different supers and better Dragon Punches but now they've gone all out! I'll get into the details of the changes in the moves section! It takes a while to get used to playing as him but he's still a really good fighter! The biggest problem with Ken is that all of his supers leave him very vulnerable! If you miss with any of them, then you are toast! There's also a very serious flaw with the Shoryu Reppa that will be discussed later! His new style takes some time to get used to if you were bred and raised on Streetfighter but he still plays familiarly enough for old school Shotokaners to kick butt once they pick him!

Hadoken +P
This was one change that annoyed me! Capcom gave Ken's fireball size at the price of range! He sends out a fireball which is about as big as Ryu's which dissipates after only half a screen! Is he trying to copy Dan or something? It's only ood for use in combos or for close opponents, and you can forget about playing keep away with them! The air version goes diagonally down like Sakura and Akuma's so you can use them for jump ins!

Shoryuken +P
This is the hands-down, best dragon punch in the game! Ken's got it down pat! They have little recovery time, they combo and they hurt! All of his Dragons are flaming now! Use these often but sporadically! Don't start a pattern of Jab dragon, Fierce dragon and back....opponents can anticipate that easily and you'll usually get countered! Like in X-men vs SF, he can do these in the air so they can be used as air combo finishers and also to counter while in the air! Just air block and then immediately do this move! They'll get hit every time!

Tatsumaki-Senpukyaku +K
Another major change! While in the air, Ken still does the regular hurricane but while on the ground, he does the SF EX version of the hurricane which ends with an axe kick! It has it's positive aspects and it's drawbacks though so Ken players are pretty split about this particular change! On the upside, it comes out very quickly and can easily combo with his kicks! However, it is now very easy to counter if it misses cause he can't control the height like he could in EX! Use it when you're sure of hitting!

Shoryu Reppa +2P(Level One)
The move that cast the mold for all other rushing dragon supers! Akuma, Cap and Sakura all ripped him off! Ken does three multi hitting dragon punches while rushing forward! It combos and even OTG's making it a super with a very high hit ratio! It also has very good speed and range so it is useful for countering moves from even across the screen! However, there is one very serious flaw with it! Avoid using it on big characters cause they fall very fast and always end up landing before Ken does! This gives people like Hulk, Blackheart and Shuma Gorath chances to counter even if they get hit! Also, if any opponent blocks this, you will definitely be attacked cause Ken is completely vulnerable at the end of this move!

Shinryuken +2K(Level One)
The flaming tower of death! This super hurts like hell! His most powerful super, yet it's also the one with the least horizontal range! Your opponent has to be right above or in front of Ken for this to connect! If they're not blocking, they get sucked up into the firey vortex and get pumelled by it! If it's blocked, they get knocked out of it making it useless to do chipping damage and Ken is completely vulnerable to boot! His air launcher sets this move up perfectly though and remember to ram on the buttons to get extra hits and damage!

Shippu Jinrai Kyaku +2K(Level One)
Ryu retained a super from SF3 and so did Ken! He got to have his flaming hurricane super! Ken spins across the screen with his feet on fire and when he connects, he and his opponent go flying up while he kicks them a few more times! It has good range, does ok damage and the start up frame is invincible so he cannot be knocked out of it until he actually starts attaking! However, like all of Ken's other supers, if it's blocked, he is left very vulnerable!

Shoryuken MP+MK
A good team move for opponents that are up close! In my opinion, this is the best team move to use if you want to trick your opponent! Have Ken jump in and hit them with a super when they try to attack Ken! Ken jumps very far into the screen and he gets out slowly, so it makes your opponent want to hurt him! Hurt them instead!

Shoryuken HP+HK
Was there any doubt? The king of Dragon Punches would of course counter with...a Dragon Punch! An excellent counter when used up close because it comes out quickly and he is invincible while rising! However, he'll get killed if you try to counter any beam supers with this!

Shoryu Reppa HP+HK(Level Two)
His Shoryu Reppa is a good team super cause it comes out fast and it's comboable! He's even relatively safe against big guys cause of his partners added attack! Using a team super is generally a better idea than using a regular Shoryu Reppa because of the added damage and insurance against fast fallers! Team him up with Cyclops, Chun-Li, Hulk or Akuma and you've got an awesome attack that will simply drain away an opponents life!

Double Shinku Hadoken HP+HK(Level Two)
If you team Ken up with Ryu, then they will both release the awesome power of the Double Shinku Hadoken! It does an incredible amount of damage and the hits can go up to 40+ for this team super! It also makes you feel a little tingle inside seeing those two working together, just like they did in the SF animated movie!

I never thought I'd ever say this but the day has come! Ken SUCKS! Well, ok that's a bit too harsh but so lemme put it in a different way! Ken has become a Master's(no pun intended) character! Gone are the days of newbies picking Ken and dominating! You have to get familiar with all the little quirks and flaws with his offensive game to win with him!

His Fireball is now a Sakura style Hadoken, in that it's big but it dissipates quickly! This makes him vulnerable against projectile and keep away characters! If you're fighting Ryu, Cyclops or Omega Red, try to stay on their ass and keep em on the defensive! Don't let em start throwing out their projectiles or getting away! He still throws it diagonally downward in the air though, so if you're quick, you can jump over their fireball and let em have it while in their stun!

The sad thing about Ken is that his supers all have massive recovery time if blocked, leaving him open to everyone's most powerful moves! He's basically useless if you want to do chipping damage cause the counter attack will definitely hurt more than what little damage he did! The worst thing is that his Shoryu Reppa will leave him vulnerable even if all hits connect against the heavy opponents! Hulk, Blackheart, Shuma, Zangief and worst of all, Mega Zangief can all counter him very easily with their Gamma Crushes, Armageddons, Chaos Dimensions and FAB's respectively! Avoid doing it on them unless in a team super or if you're sure that it will kill them!

So let's summarize this....Ken is no good against fireballers and keep away characters and he's no good against the power characters! So who is left? Spiderman and Wolverine! This is also a problem because we all know that these two are the unstoppable duo of this game! Ken's air defense is incredibly good though! If the Spidey/Wolvie user is a jumper, then wait until they're right on top of you and pull off a Shinryuken!

If you use Ken, stick to Jab Dragon punches and never pull off a super unless you set it up beforehand with a combo! Also, do not use the Shoryu Reppa recklessly against heavier characters! You have been warned!