You don't just happen across a Super Nailgun in Street Fighter Alpha. The only advantages to be gained in a Fighting game come from hard work (both from programmers and especially from players) and practice and good competition. Funny thing is that it's really hard to put in the time and practice if you don't have any decent competition (or, in some cases, NO competition). Let's face it the computer AI (artificial intelligence) of computer controlled opponents rarely changes to match their situation, and every time you come up against a certain opponent the AI always plays them the same way as the day before. Fighting AI has never really been able to "learn" and adapt according to your actions within the game. There are a few examples of "better" AI. Such as in Samurai 1 your opponent will actually attempt to attack more effectively if they are almost finished or if they are winning they will try and play turtle until the timer runs out. Also Capcom has programmed most of their newer efforts with the ability to reckognize simple patterns, such as when you always jump in or if you always use the same strength attack buttons. It is good to see fighting game companies, the good ones, are making attempts to more simulate a "live" opponent. Still unfortunately nothing comes even close to an accomplished human opponent. Just ask any "true" fighting fan.

When I say it takes work and practice to get the most out of fighting games I mean exactly that, Work and Practice. Most fighting games worth the aluminum they're printed on are deep enough to warrant repeated playing and with repeated playing comes the subconcious imprinting of controller motions and timing on the brain. This pays off in the fact that when you go to accomplish in game "moves" you no longer need to think about the control pad at all, it becomes second nature. If you have a worthwhile controller the end effect is that you actually forget that there is anything between your thoughts and your characters actions. This is one of the many reasons fighting games are very popular and once you reach this stage you are truly beginning to enjoy the wonders of One on One competition. Another thing that you really HAVE to have if you hope to become a "master" at any fighting game is an indominable fighting will. You cannot feel like giving up if you get your ass whupped 100 times in a row. If you give up easily then let me give you some money saving advice right now, go back to Mario and be content. It takes drive, perserverance, and not a small amount of ego to become what people will consider a true challenge. Listen, long ago in a village named Buckley, I was king of SF 2(Street Fighter 2). Now maybe you think my head to be large but check this out. I spent a lot of quarters and found every move in the damn game with no help (except for the Dragon Punch and Guiles Handcuffs) and I used these "secret" (now considered standard) moves to obliterate all comers. It got to the point that no one would put money in to fight me, they would just stand around and watch me beat Bison (Vega) for the gazillionth time. The reason was simple, these people had not worked and practiced as long or as hard as I had and it showed. Damn did it show. So here I am hot man on the stick, I moved to the West Coast and nothing really changed, I rarely ever got my ass handed to me and if I did it was because it was a new game. I'll finish this story later on. Did I ever tell you guys that I could beat MK (Mortal Kombat) with Sub-Zero without even looking at the screen the whole game? That's called faulty AI and unbalanced gameplay.

Funny little gizmoid on timing and style. Each game has it's own unique cadence and style. It helps make a game intuitive and unique, cause let's face it, there are a lot of crappy knock off fighters out there. Fighter's History anyone? Anyway, the funny thing about timing is that some games are just tailormade for certain players, the timing is just in sync with their own. I know a guy who can knock your ass down in Tekken 2 and you'll never get back up! Is he cheating, is it a certain character that he uses? No and No. Yeah he prefers to play as Law but he can do this nifty little trick with any character. How? Maybe a little bit of faulty gameplay that my friend is able to exploit? Well yes and no. I have never seen anyone else do this as reliably and consistently as Jeremiah Johnson, it frustrates the hell out of whoever he is playing, but the point is that the timing and style of Tekken is just NATIVE to this guy. He can run in 3 steps like no one else I know and his keepdowns and grabbacks are UNCANNY. If he really wants to win, well then, he's gonna. My games are Marvel Super Heroes and Samurai Shodown (with the possible exception of SS3), just ask Iceman. He bought Marvel Super Heroes import for the Saturn and kept it a secret from me for 2 weeks practicing for our face off (he had seen me play in the arcade) and when he did bring it out, well, all I really have to say is "Sorry Dude!" The same story goes for Samurai, except when I am too busy barfing in his front yard to get to the controller. Don't get me wrong unless I use Charlie, Iceman will ALWAYS kick my posterior at SF Alpha or Alpha 2. I am also the WORST King of Fighter's player in the history of the known world (with the possible exception of '95), I think most household pets could beat me at those if they put forth the effort.

Now for the rest of my story. After playing almost nothing but roleplaying games for about a year I go to the arcade one day and here is a new SF game. Complete graphical overhaul and way smoother controlling it's called Alpha: Warriors Dreams or something of the like and there are about 6 people around this thing and I'm like "I really used to rule at SF". Step up and get my ass kicked a coupla times, but real bad. Not like "whoops there I really shouldn't have tried that move" beat. We are talking major beatdowns. I ended up becoming friends with most of the people kicking my ass that day and boy am I glad. Even the one they call "Sneaky Mean Evil Josh" was really cool. To make a long story short, after a coupla months of a night a week playing with these guys and I was 5 times better than I ever had been before, which leads me to believe that there is much more to learn. I even beat Sneaky Mean Evil Josh with Charlie finally! That was a crowning achievment for me right up there with Backlash Bilky's Ryu once. Our local arcade was like a vidiotz version of "Cheers". The fat guy (me) walks in and like half of the place turns around and says "Nate" or "Bacon". It gave ya a real warm feeling inside of your gut holder. I miss it. But alas people move on and, unfortunately, apart. I am still good friends with a lot of the people I met during that period but some I will never know again, like Angelo, whose face I could call up no problem but it took me almost an hour to remember his name the other night. To all these people I would like to say thank you for your companionship and competition. There's nothing in the world like the feeling of being a part of something, and that is definitely what we where.