Capcom Has Update their Store Including Super Street Fighter 4 now available for Pre-order with a Dojo Edition Including :
* Super Street Fighter IV
* Super Street Fighter IV Dojo Edition Gym Bag
* T-shirt featuring Dudley tossing his rose
* 24 oz aluminum water bottle with carabiner (BPA free) featuring Ibuki
* Super Street Fighter IV Dojo Edition head band
* 1 GB USB drive featuring Juri and containing character art, wallpapers, comics and more . . .
Available for both Xbox360 and PS3 at the price of US$79.99
If you pre-order the regular edition 200 people will get an exclusive Capcom store Ibuki Shirt.
Capcom Store SSFIV
Thanks for finding those videos as I uploaded them, Dragonfave. I’ve arranged them all into a playlist on YouTube for easy viewing:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bonjish#p/c/ED7B43CA2BB6EC61
All 11 videos from Ruliweb are there and will all be in 720p HD after processing.
Better late than never? Dev blog on Hakan translation.
Last week, the intense qualifiers finally came to an end, and now all that’s left is the National Tournament on 4/4! Everyone, thank you very much for all of your efforts! The National Tournament is sure to be an intense battle, the final chapter in an ever-unfolding drama. We can’t help but to anxiously look forward to it!
I hope everyone is doing well. This is Tsukamoto.
The new character has finally been announced! I’ve been eagerly awaiting this day. Today, we’ll be talking about Hakan’s moves and functionality with director Okada and the man-in-charge, Sano.
– First, tell us the details about how Hakan came to be.
Sano:
When development of SSFIV first started, we’d decided on 2 new characters. Then, the development team figured having 1 female and 1 male would be the best balance, and fairly quickly we decided that the female would take on the lead role. But it took quite a while to figure out the male’s concept. Of course, the guy we’re talking about here is Hakan.
Tsukamoto:
Since we moved ahead with our character considerations from Juri, we’d thought “a Korean taekwondo fighter with a dark image…would that be a guy character?!”. We worried a lot about their home country as well as their fighting style.
Okada:
We wanted to give Hakan a fresh new fighting style, so we checked out various fighting styles from around the world, and what eventually caught our eye was Yagli gures. It was also a bonus that this fighting style is from Turkey. Street Fighter is all about fighters coming together from all over the world, right? So this time, we wanted to spotlight an area we hadn’t featured before. So for that, Turkey is good.
– What kind of sport is Yagli gures?
[Image: Hakan]
Okada:
It’s a type of wrestling that is often referred to as “oil wrestling”. It’s a fighting style where they are bare at the torso, and they wear special pants made from water buffalo leather. I think many not many people in Japan are familiar with it, but its the national sport of Turkey and major enough to be broadcast on national television. The rules are basically the same as regular wrestling, but its defining characteristic is that they lather up in oil and make themselves more slippery, and then have the match.
Sano:
Using the oil really changes a wrestling match, as their bodies become more slippery and much harder to grab onto. As it takes a lot of power to grab someone in that state, Yagli gures requires more hand and arm strength than normal wrestling. Of course, there are also techniques unique to the sport. So Yagli gures fighters may look smaller than regular wrestlers at a glance, but really their hand and arm strength is something else.
– How did the development team feel about Yagli gures?
Okada:
We couldn’t get a lot of materials about Yagli gures, so our biggest concern was how to get a fighting style we weren’t really familiar with into Street Fighter. However, the designer was fascinated by it (laughs). Yagli gures is a very impacting fighting style, so we felt that if we could pull it off in the game it would be really interesting.
– Please tell us about making Hakan’s moves.
Okada:
First off, Yagli gures is a fighting style that’s about grappling, so we make Hakan a character who is centered around throws. As for the moves themselves, as Yagli gures is also known as oil wrestling, we decided that his moves should utilize the oil in some way. The guys in charge spent a lot of time worrying about how to utilize the oil. Some of the ideas at that time were to have both Hakan and his opponent become oily and slippery, or for attacks such as Yoga Fire to burn him easily…
Sano:
We thought of a lot of things, but most of them put Hakan at a disadvantage (laughs).
[Image: Getting Burned]
Okada:
We finally arrived at having the oil improve the performance of his moves, but it took quite a while to get to that point.
– As there are other grappler characters in SSFIV, what did you do to make Hakan stand out?
Okada:
For connecting his biggest weapons, his throws - well, this is the same for Zangief and T.Hawk as well, but I feel Hakan is particularly good at it - more than just drawing his opponents in he’s good at getting close to them and staying there. Also, he’s got to be really good at reading his opponent’s movements, so he’s a bit different from the other grappler characters here.
Sano:
Yes, unlike Zangief who can just say “if my opponent is on the ground, spinning pile driver!”, Hakan’s throws have to be matched up with his opponent’s movements.
– What do you mean by throws where he gets in close and stays there?
Sano:
Let’s look at his Oil Dive as an example. To put it simply, he sort of throws himself at his opponent, and if he is able to catch them then he gets the throw. But that’s not all to it - if you hold down the button during input, you can delay the timing of the move. Also, it catches airborne opponents as well, so its a good way to limit your opponent’s options.
[Image: Oil Dive]
– Which of his special moves would you recommend?
Sano:
Out of all his moves, I’m going to go with the Oil Shower! It looks like a meaningless act to pour oil over his head, but really it gives him a powerup that’s necessary for victory. I’d say its important enough so that if you don’t know how to use it properly you won’t be able to beat your opponents.
– What kind of powerups does the Oil Shower give?
Okada:
If you think that when Hakan does his Oil Shower his functionality improves, that’s the easiest way to understand it. So a basic part of his character is going to be figuring out ways to oil up. So Oil Shower will probably be the most used move.
Sano:
When Hakan does Oil Shower, his damage output increases, his throw range improves, and other ways in which his functionality gets better. The biggest characteristic is that when he is charging his Focus Attack, he can slide forwards or backwards. So for example, you can slide forward while charging to close the gap between your opponent, or slide backwards to make your opponent’s attack whiff. So now this becomes useful for both offense and defense.
[Image: Oil Shower]
– Tell us about his other special moves.
Sano:
After Oil Shower which increases his abilities, and the Oil Dive we talked about before, there’s the Oil Sliding and the Oil Rocket as his main special moves. For Oil Sliding, this is an attack move where he slides along the ground on his stomach - it goes under projectiles, so this is a great way of getting in close. Next is the Oil Rocket, a grab move where he grabs his opponent and with his oilyness and pops them up into the air. The strength of the button used changes the damage output and the distance the opponent flies, so figuring out how to use them will be important. For example, if you use the fierce version it gives for higher damage, but the opponent falls close to Hakan, so he could be in danger of counteratack. If you use the jab version the damage is less but they go flying farther.
– Okay, now please tell us about Hakan’s ultras.
Sano:
First the Oil Coaster - think of it as a powered up version of the Oil Rocket. He pops the opponent up into the air, and then slides them into a wall. If you can think of some good setups for it, its a very dependable move.
Okada:
Oil Coaster has a wide range of usefulness. For example, if you corner your opponent, using it here is pretty effective.
[Image: Oil Coaster]
– And how about his other ultra?
Sano:
Ah, the Oil Combination. Personally, I like this one the best. When you activate it, Hakan lays down on the floor and waits for his opponent to fall into him. For Ryu players who like to do a lot of Shoryukens, or Cammy where much of her moves are air-based, this is very effective. Also, Hakan is invincible until right before he stands up, so I believe Oil Combination is the right choice against jumping opponents. It’s not just functional, but watching it will also make you laugh.
– Is this a counter ultra?
Sano:
It works similar to a counter ultra in that you want to bait out your opponent’s attack, but its not a counter ultra.
Okada:
Oil Combination Hold is an air grab.
Sano:
If you can read when your opponent is going to jump, you can catch them with it. If you just throw it out randomly, Hakan just lays down on the ground and your opponent will think “Man, what’s this guy doing?” (laughs)
[Image: Oil Combination Hold]
Okada:
Hakan’s ultras have their own unique personality to them, so please definitely try both and choose the one that best suits you.
Tsukamoto:
I like Oil Coaster, but if someone picks Oil Combination Hold then I’m going to be on the lookout for it. (laughs) He also has moves which get his opponent to leave the ground.
– Are there any other SSFIV characters who have a similar execution feel?
Okada:
I think maybe no. He’s not quite as stoic as Zangief or all-purpose as T.Hawk, so in terms of strength his execution is maybe between Gief and Hawk. He’s very tricky, so if you try to do the same things over and over again its not going to work. If you like thinking up various attack plans, then I would recommend him to you.
Hakan doesn’t have any projectiles, so does he have a weakness against fireball characters?
Tsukamoto:
Hakan’s jump is pretty low, so if I had to pick I’d say its not his speciality.
Sano:
However, opposed to characters who have to jump over fireballs, he has his Oil Sliding which goes under fireballs, and Guard Position, which is similar to Blanka’s move where he drops to the ground to avoid attacks. If you can use these moves well then you have several anti-fireball strategies.
[Image: Avoiding Fireballs]
So I don’t think he has too much trouble with that. Fireballs will be a bit tough, but not very difficult.
– So then Hakan doesn’t sweat long distances too much. What would you say is Hakan’s best distance?
Okada:
His best distance is one where the opponents attacks just miss him, so that would be mid-range I believe. As he also needs space to do his Oil Shower, he starts off at mid range and then moves from there. Of course, he gets his most damage up close.
Sano:
For example, Zangief’s best ranges are up close and then right in your face. So like that, Hakan’s best ranges are up close and then mid range. In order to improve your attacking power you gotta oil up, and if you’re too close you can’t, so this range decreases some of that burden. So leaving a bit of space between you and your opponent is the best way to fight I think.
– So then, if we are fighting against Hakan, we should try to attack him when he’s going for the Oil Shower?
Okada:
But if you get too close to Hakan, he’ll throw you. (laughs). Too close and your normals lose, and too far and he gets to use Oil Shower.
– Seems like Hakan will be a tough fight.
Okada:
There aren’t really any distances that he hates. Up close is where he can hit you with his power, mid-range is his normal range where he can regulate your movements, and from far range he gets to improve his abilities. He’s got moves for all the distances. If you can properly use his attacks in the right situation, you’ll be able to bring out Hakan’s true strength.
Would you say he’s suited for beginner, intermediate, or advanced players?
Okada:
As we just talked about him needing to know exactly how to read his opponents, I believe he’s intermediate to advanced. His moves themselves are simple, so at first everyone can enjoy using him, but when its time to get serious you need to be able to read your opponent’s movements and react to them, so in that way I feel he’s more for the advanced crowd.
– Do you have any remarks to everyone who is looking forward to him?
Okada:
I feel like we finally got a down-and-dirty Street Fighter in the game! I wouldn’t go as far to say that he continues the legacy of orthodox Street Fighter characters, but as the concept is one of that you may see at a worldwide surprise show, for those fans who wanted the down-and-dirty character, please give him a try. While his attacks look comical, it really makes for a stoic fight and if you get comfortable with how to use him it makes for a really interesting battle.
[Image: On The Attack]
Sano:
For those who have liked Street Fighter since back in the day, definitely give him a try. There may be people who blow him off just based on how he looks, but we’ve given all of his moves proper functionality, so once you use them you can understand the depth.
Tsukamoto:
Well everyone, did you enjoy this week’s entry?
For those of you who want to give him a shot! The feeling you’ll get with you win with him will be really great! Please use him! I’ll recommend him! …Well, I recommend all the characters, but this week is about Hakan!
Well then, next week we’ll be continuing on with Hakan and talking about his appearance and sounds.
See you next week!
From GDC SSFIV Tournament:
[media=youtube]7tPpOu8NCHk"[/media]
[media=youtube]PTgnDACFLvk"[/media]
[media=youtube]V_cLHsMYbA0"[/media]
[media=youtube]B9SH6RaCuWs"[/media]
Thanks to SoulDreamX for the uploads.
[media=youtube]PYzY5njJwY8[/media] 9 minutes of demo
http://javs.it/blog/2010/03/22/super-street-fighter-iv-lhands-on-di-javs-i-nostri-filmati-e-la-video-anteprima/ <------ Italian
Wesley Yin-Poole’s 3-page in-depth view of the game
Matt Edwards’ general hands-on preview
Gamespot interviewed Ono (again). But this time, on character balance, new online tournament modes, and bringing back the bonus stage.
Gamelatest
new cast move list
http://gameslatest.com/2010/03/21/super-street-fighter-iv-new-cast-movelist/
SSF4 Preveiw
http://gameslatest.com/2010/03/22/preview-super-street-fighter-iv/
http://www.meristation.com/v3/video_player.php?id=cw4ba3b6e9875ab gameplay vids showing some alt costumes in action, plus Sagat costume
Guy costume seems to wear a Katana on his back
HUGE preview of SSF4 on Meriweb, all in Spanish
Eventhubs also extracted the health and stun ratings for each of the new characters from said preview.
http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2010/mar/22/stamina-and-stun-rankings-new-ssf4-cast-members/
Don’t know if I should post this here, so feel free to edit/remove
Please note that it’s just a translation from a podcast performed by some testers, so it’s not anything official
Quick notes from the podcast at meristation http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_po...w4ba3b53c4478b (translated from Spanish)
Dudley is a beast, his DP is the most damaging (not more than Ken’s ex) he has 1050 stamina, adon has 950, ibuki stun is 950, her stamina doesn’t reach 1000
Juri: another beast, specially feng shui engine, 40% of lifebar ensured to go down if she catches you
Makoto not looking to good but crazy comebacks, looks mid-tier
SSF4 has no survival or time attack (at least in their version) it’s more focused into online playing
New tittles are earned by playing online, and arcade, colors are gray, gold, (just like the old) blue for completing arcade on normal without continues, red for completing arcade on hardest
24 challenges(trials) per character, some are repeat, most are new, you can do bonus stages in challenge mode
Chun li ultra II is free, bla bla
Dee Jay, quite useless, but nice damage
IN-DES-TRUC-TI-BLE song is no longer present at SSFIV
Some intros (epilogues, cutscenes) are just static images with the voice of the character speaking
Timing for comboing ultras seems more strict
Cody can cancel one of his juggling kicks into ultra (dunno if 1 or 2)
Ryu srk + ultra 400 dmg
Sagat infamous TU fadc stF HK + U1 does 455
Sagat new ultra tiger cannon does 366
Chun-Li ex kicks + ultra 400
Not seeming to come to Arcades
Ryu srk fadc into ultra II hits, but not for the full animation and for less dmg than metsu hadoken
Hakan slide special attack (the 2 hits version, that one with you hitting the guy in the ground with a splash) does about 200 damage, and 220 if oiled up
More of hakan: if both opponents are on air, and hakan hits with his medium punch, he can land in the ground and do ultra 2, and the opponent will fall on him
Shortcuts for the inputs are still there
Akuma’s 3rd alt looks like Nobunaga from Dynasty Warriors
French Forum Neo-Aracdia has a huge post on specifics of certain characters. There seem to be details about combos for a wide range of characters, as well as ultra setups. Too bad it’s in French and I can’t read it. It is located on this page, it’s further down in the page so scroll down a bit, it’s A HUGE post so you can’t miss it:
http://www.neo-arcadia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22218&start=275
I can kind of make sense of some of it. It seems that Ryu can do jumping fierce, low strong twice into low forward, fierce hado fadc metsu shoryu.
someone please translate
EDIT:
From an online-french-to-english translator:
The speed is the same. The poster goes on in detail how he tested it, comparing the timing of the jump animations of Ryu from both SF4 and SSF4.
Shortcuts are still in.
There seems to be no way of picking your music, at least it wasn’t in the version that he played (which he claims to be the final version)
Ryu cannot cancel an empty hadouken into super now, which means no more trapping opponents with shinku as they try to jump over your fireballs
There is A LOT more. I will add as I read the entire post
JK there is too much shit. someone else translate it.
really rough TL for now, this is pretty much the combination of some french classes, common sense, knowledge of root words and some google translate. i might be wrong on something but generally if i’m unsure i’ll note it.
t hawk:
-tick throw game is amazing, can do three different types of SPD that leave at different distance and do different damage, HP furthest distance. EX does MP’s distance and HP’s damage, letting you mix up.
-hurts with ex meter
-condor spire is hard to do on reaction with walk, due to RDP motion? blows through fireballs (Ex only) and is apparently good for option select?
-has NO short jump like gief does
-dp sucks on block? cant get this one
-excellent normals
deejay
-cant land ultra juggle outside of corner
-fireball SUCKS compared to guile, and has worse aa to boot, but his combos are a little better
-stand HP still has same startup anim as max out
-can do two maximum jacknife juggle but its hard
-u1 cant go through fireballs
-u2 cant anti-air, isnt too good.
boxer
-u2 sucks, can be jumped on reaction
chun
-unchanged
-u2 doesnt juggle well mid screen? but has high juggle potential, worked off stuff like (some combo) -> ex legs, u2
sakura
-new ultra is nice
-j.HP HP qcb+kk, u2 (450 dmg)
- j.HP, HP, qcb+LK, LK, qcb+kk, dp+lp, U2 (kKK version) works
honda
-headbutt buffed lp and ex have more invincible startup, ex cant beat fireballs? (cant tell).
-u1 MIGHT have more fireball invincibility, he isnt sure though.
-buttslam now punishable by srk (he thinks this was possible in 4, but it actually isnt), cant understand rest
rufus
-ex snake strike does less damage
-u2 isnt very good at juggling (didnt get full hits off stand HK juggle).
akuma
-HK loop gone
-HK still combos into LP, but not vice-versa
-divekick still beats reversal? (not sure on this one)
-u1 does 510 damage
-u2 useless, only setup found was EX air fireball, land, teleport into U2. u2 doesnt work as anti-air at all.
ken
-new u2 vast improvement over old one
-u2 combos off of crossup air ex tatsu and can actually be confirmed (instead of just a blind setup)
-ex hadou fadc u2 works (? cant tl rest)
-hp shoryu completely invincible now? (guessing on the version, seeing as the others were decent aa…)
cody
-slide kicks are armor break and are pretty safe. lk is low, mk is safe and goes long distance, HK is great anti air
-rock toss is good, expect to hear lots of “HAHA!”, can do rocks into U2 in corner (woah?)
-knife does chip damage, seems harder without knife
-j.MK crosses up? (dunno)
-his combos are simple and effective
ibuki
-didn’t play much, she looks strong, has a mixup for every direction (? unsure about last part)
-she has a high jump cancel like viper
-combo info from challenge mode (not gonna tl the combos…)
edit: I’m done for now.
For those lazy to enter the specific character threads:
Dudley:
- Mostly everything said about Dudley is already known and tested (now).
- One thing; st.HK can be followed with cl.HK and acts as an overhead. It can be used as a reversal and is very good. It’s tempting to use but unknown at this time if it can be very abuseable.
- His super acts very similar to 3rd Strike. It can even be combo into from overhead!
Makoto:
- Tick Karakusa after Hayate doesn’t work. However Hayate FADC Karakusa works.
- TK Tsurugi doesn’t hit overhead and can combo after. EX knocks down.
- A new novelty is Makoto’s ability to cancel Hayate into links. An example of this is doing ST. HP xx Hayate Cancel xx CR. LP for two hits. It’s difficult but it works. It’s unknown how flexible this concept is. Although at the bottom it’s possible to cr. LP xx LP Hayate.
- To do the cancel, you have to hit P+K at the same time, giving a small moment to link after. It’s easier than Viper’s method because it’s easier to shortcut the special.
- It’s possible to juggle after UC2 (Abare Tosanami) (translator note: FUCK YES)
- UC2 (Abare Tosanami) has two distances: Close and Far.
For Trial combo notes, refer to their threads (Ibuki’s is in her thread etc).
[media=youtube]JvysZuF84qU[/media].
More gameplay videos from a (different) French site, all with Japanese voice settings, and all of them only the first round except Cody/T.Hawk:
Pre-Youtube’d intro sequence
Cody vs. T.Hawk in Korea
Dudley vs. Adon in Africa
DeeJay vs. Makoto in Korea
Guy vs. Ibuki in India
Juri vs. Hakan in construction stage
So here’s the translation in full~ 
Credit goes to Ken Bogard~
So, I tested the game this Saturday, 9am ^^ at Gamekult. Before moving along with the new features, I?d just like to precise that the game was in its final build and any further modifications from this point on are unlikely.
Instead of rambling on in large paragraphs, I?ll just enumerate on a point-form basis each character?s attributes one at a time. Sorry about any syntax/spelling mistakes :P.
GENERAL COMMENTS
-The interface is almost identical to SF4?s; the options, the controller configuration, training menu, etc. The Time attack and Survival Modes are gone though.
-THERE IS NO AVAILABLE OPTION TO CHOOSE THE STAGES? MUSIC. I don?t know where that rumor sourced from, but the music in the version/revision I?ve played (which is most likely the definitive v.) are unique to every stage and there were no means allowing us to change them from the main menu. There might be a special option via xbl live/psn but I wouldn?t get my hopes up. You can still calibrate your HUD to your liking (console mode by default).
Regarding the gameplay itself (THE CARNE):
-The speed of the game is IDENTICAL to SF4. No acceleration whatsoever. I timed 10 vertical jumps with Ryu and it takes 7.2 seconds in both games. Though some characters seem to have gained some speed walk wise (I was especially surprised with Viper which seemed to walk a lot faster than her previous iteration, my mind might?ve been playing tricks on me so don?t quote me on this :P)
-Autoguard is still in
-The throw mechanisms, the jump frames and all of the core foundations of the game are the same as SF4?s.
-When using a Focus attack, the one on the receiving end crumbles faster down to the floor, otherwise everything feels the same.
-EPITOME OF RIDICULE: stupid bugs like blanka?s slide whiffing against Rose as she walks or Sagat?s ultra not hitting fully on Rose are still in. [Rant]
-The shortcuts are still in. 33P PAAWAAAA
-There might be some other things which I can?t quite remember right now so I?ll edit this post if anything comes back to me. If you have any questions, don?t hesitate to ask them as they might bring to light an interesting mechanic I forgot to mention.
THE CHARACTERS:
A lot of characters remain almost identical aside from the added Ultra2, that is especially true for most mid-tier characters (i.e. Rose and her prevailing bugs?)
RYU:
-His HP Dragon punch hits twice (100-50; 1rst hit-2nd hit) It seems to have lost significant priority as an anti-air and if it does connect it?ll only deal 50dmg ^^ (last hit).
-Trade DP to Ultra doesn?t work anymore, though it could probably work in the corner (not tested)
-Trade DP to Super does work though.
-You cannot cancel the hadouken?s recovery frames with a Super anymore. NO MORE! You can only cancel the startup frames thus resulting in an instant super cancel. Hence no more Super traps (e.g. baiting a neutral jump from your opponent to catch him with super)
-Otherwise, EVERYTHING that worked in SF4 works in SSF4, combo wise, so not much has changed though I did not have access to frame data so there might be subtle changes.
-His Ultra2 isn?t really stellar. It doesn?t connect fully off a DP-FADC and only deals partial damage just like Gouken and Ken?s whiff Ultras. However, there is one set up that worked in the corner for the full 3 hits:
>>> J.HP, c.MP, c.MP, c.MK, HP hadouken, FADC, U2
KEN:
-His HP Shoryuken is invincible on start-up so it actually functions as a real anti air now.
-You can do HP Shoryu, FADC, HP Shoryu, FADC HP Shoryu (though you could do that in SF4 as well iirc)
-His Ultra2 is also lackluster though it can be combo?d into with set ups similar to U1:
- Jump ex.tatsu, U2 (you can hit confirm the ex tatsu)
- Ex Hadouken, FADC, U2 (Ultra connects fully)
GUILE:
-Regarding the character itself without taking into account the Ultras, it seems nothing has changed? No crossup flash kick, he still has the very same tools. His HP Sonic boom might travel faster but that?s not guaranteed (didn?t spam enough of them to make a clear judgment ^^)
-U1 changed somewhat; the majority of its damage now comes from the final hit ?STRIKE~!? which allows it to be much more reliable as an anti-air or as a juggle after an AA Flash kick.
Here are some of the Guile challenges:
- FA, c.lp, c.lp, sonic boom, super, U2
- J.HP, c.MP, Flash kick, Super, U2
- J.HP, c.MP, EX Sonic boom, FA, U2
- J.HP, c.MP, Sonic boom, c.lp, c.mp, LK Flash Kick
- c.lp, c.lk, c.lp, Super, U1
BOXER/BALROG:
-Nothing really changed with Balrog. YOU CAN STILL THROW ALL OF HIS DASH PUNCHES, even Exes, just like in SF4. U1 still juggles after an headbutt. LP->HK still works? just like everything we?ve been accustomed to in vanilla.
-His U2 isn?t that good as you can jump out of it after the flash (just like any counter/grab ultra) USELESS! [Though it does deal 700 stun iirc!]
AKUMA/GOUKI:
-Aside from the missing loop, all the combos that worked in SF4 are back.
-You can link a jab after HK but it doesn?t work the other way (jab -> HK is gone)
-You can still beat DPs with Demon flip dive kicks and follow-up with a nice BnB combo? just like in SF4.
-U1 deals 510hp at most now.
-His spinarooni U2 is useless? Doesn?t even work as an anti-air. Only one known set-up has been found thus far:
J. ex hadou (2hits), PPP/KKK teleport, U2 (actually you can cancel the demon slide with U2? Though I don?t really see how this could possibly work, seeing as getting both ex FB hits to connect is hard enough as is) [hopefully this makes more sense to you than it does to me…]
HONDA:
-The startup frames on LP and EX headbutt are invincible. He doesn?t quite have enough inv. Frames to travel through an entire fireball but it can be useful to escape meaty fireballs on wakeup.
-His two headbutts are thus even better as anti-airs.
-His Buttslams can be DP?d on block (don?t know if that was the case in SF4). Anyhow, you cannot block the incoming DP so that changes a lot of things.
-U1 seems to have a bigger window allowing it to travel through fireballs though we might need an actual Honda player to confirm this statement and not a scrub like me 
CHUN-LI:
-No notable changes.
-You can juggle her U2 practically anywhere on the stage but it?s not that strong. For example she can do:
HK hazanshu, c.lk, EX legs, U2
VIPER:
-I felt like her walking speed was noticeably faster, but I could be wrong.
-I really liked her U2, comboing into it was a breeze anywhere midscreen? even easier than U1!
-Notable combos:
- EX seismic hammer, Super jump cancel, U2! Totally free in mid-screen, and U2 also fully connects
- HP, Super jump cancel, U2! No skill required! Connects fully anywhere on screen~
No need to dash cancel the SJC anymore or falling back on obscure motions to land the Ultra. - c.HP, HP thunder knuckle, cancel, U2. Totally free! Why not?!
- J.HK, c.HP, HP thunder knuckle, FADC, U2
- EX Thunder knuckle, LP seismic hammer, SJC, U2
-There?s a lot to be celebrating about with Crimson~ Her U2 doesn?t connect after a burning kick like her U1, but its far easier to combo into, no more worrying about whiffing due to miscalculated juggle heights and whatnot. Ezpz macaroni.
RUFUS:
-His EX Snake Strike deals less (read: scaled) damage. That?s it ^^
-Ahh about his U2… It?s useless. He does have dubious set-ups like Far HK -> U2, which does not connect fully? Trash.
SAKURA:
-Her U2 is really neat. PPP version for the regular shinku hadouken and KKK for the anti air (45 degree) version.
-She can combo into it in such ways:
- J.HK, c.HP, EX Tatsu, U2 (450 dmg)
- J.HP, HP, lk tatsu, lk, EX tatsu, lp shoryu, U2 (KKK)
ZANGIEF :
-His U1 deals 510 dmg.
-His lariat doesn?t hit low after start-up. Believe me, the difference is quite noticeable and it feels good. Even if the real giefs don?t spam lariats continuously, random strolls on xbl should be fairly more bearable now.
ROSE:
-Her U2 can actually be used as a reversal, it deals 240 damage and you can juggle from it (like Rufus? HK). A good tool that will make her even harder to approach.
-She has a few interesting set ups for her U2:
- J. HP, U2, HP, soul spiral, Super
- FA, U2, HK, HK, soul spiral (you can juggle a HK after each of the Ultra?s balls connects)
- J.HP, HP, EX Soul spark, FADC, HP reflect, U2, Ex soul throw (470 dmg, requires full super bar)
VEGA:
-His df MK is an overhead but it leaves you at -1 or -2. Great for applying pressure.
-Vega can now latch onto any wall without fault, no more whiffs!
-The best change about Vega is his revamped U1! Like his Ex Barcelona, his U1 launches you on the way to the wall so if you happened to be doing anything but block, you?ll hit his ultra in full. But that?s not all, even if it doesn?t cover as much range as ex barcelona?s, U1?s launcher goes through any and all projectiles ^^.
It works wonders as an anti-air as well and its pretty much impossible to counter if you?re on the receiving end, in the air. Can?t jump on Vegas now! Trust me, it?s now one of the best Ultras in the game now.
The best charge Ultra by FAR. You almost want to claim its broken ^^. The Ultra does not function as a reversal though and you can safely waste it with a meaty on wakeup.
All In all, this should greatly help Vega, maybe a tad too much even because if you?re not smacking him around while he has his Ultra, you can start crying as you?ve suddenly lost A LOT of options.
[Also his claws take for more time to drop, but we knew that]
I did omit a few returning characters but in general, aside from their U2s, not much has changed. I?ll thus move on to the newcomers. I won?t really theorycraft on tier placements at this point. I?ll mostly go over the challenge combos to display the possibilities granted by each character.
T.HAWK:
-This is the character I?ve played the most so I?ll have a lot to say.
-New move: Condor Spire [reverse DP + P]
Probably his best move, EX goes through fireballs and you can juggle after it if you use it as an anti-air (good for option selects). Its motion is a big handicap though as it is quite a challenge to pull it out while walking forward which will often register as a THbuster (DP+P). Hurray, shortcuts! Gotta be really precise with the inputs if you don?t want to get screwed over?
-He has 1150 hp, he?s the character with the most HP In the game.
-His tick throws are monstrous. With three 360 command grab variations, the stronger the punch the farther your opponent his sent and the harder it is to mix him up afterwards on wake up. His EX 360 has the same properties as HP 360 while sending your opponent at the MP 360 distance. Insane range on those grabs is expected, and just like Giefs, he can also grab limbs.
-He does not have a short jump.
-He has good normals, he can zone well.
-His Dragon Punch isn?t really that good though, it doesn?t reach as far as you?d expect it to.
-His U2 is too good as an anti-air. Reallllyyy efficient, and totally scares your opponents into jumping on you (not as bad as Hakan though :P)
-I honestly really like T.Hawk though I do envision some bad Match-ups. He builds up super really fast, hurts like a truck and takes hits like a tank. Definitely a solid pick.
-Here are the challenges to give you an idea of his combo capabilities:
[As reference:
Tomahawk Buster DP+P
Condor Dive: In Air + PPP
Typhoon, Cyclone: 360+P
Condor Spire: RDP+P]
- lp, mp
- lp, c.mp
- mp, mp
- HP, c.MK
- LP, LP, c.LK
- MP,Dp+P
- MK,Rdp+KK
8] Rdp+PP, Dp+PP - Dp+LP, Dp+PP
- Jump HP, LP, LP, MP
- Jump down+HP, c.LK, Dp+P
- FA, LP, MP, Dp+PP, PPP
- Jump HK, MK, Rdp+PP, Dp+PP, PPP (corner)
DEEJAY:
-Life ain?t easy for our poor DJ. Even if he has a couple of combos that work well, he can?t really zone as well as Guile. He recovers a lot more slowly on just about everything, his anti-airs aren?t as good, his normal AAs are even less spectacular.
-He almost doesn?t have any good confirms into Ultra other than in the corner, and even then, he doesn?t have many tools to actually pressure his opponents into such a precarious position.
-His s.HP moves you forward so you can sort of mask his Air slasher with this.
-You can juggle two jack knives but the conditions are hard to come by.
-His U1 doesn?t have a lot of range, not enough to be a good option against pointblank fireballs at least.
-U2 can?t be used as an anti-air and it also deals mediocre damage. That being said, his Super is really strong.
Challenges:
[As reference:
Max Out / Air Slasher : charge b, f + P
Double Rolling Sobat: charge b, f + K
Machine Gun Upper: charge d, u + P (mash all three punches)
Maximum Jackknife: charge d, u + K]
- c.LP, HP
- MK, c.LP
- LK, MK
- Jump HP, MP, max out
- Jump HK, MK, double rolling sobat, SUPER
- machine gun upper, machine gun upper
- ex machine gun upper, ex max jacknife
8] c.LP, c.LP, c.MP, double rolling sobat ( his main BnB ) - Jump HP, c.LP, HP,HK double rolling sobat, SUPER
- FA, c.LP, c.MP, Ex machine gun upper
- c.LP, ex max out, c.LP, ex machine gun upper, HK max jacknife (corner)
- Jump MK, c.LP, c.MP, ex machine gun upper, ex double rolling sobat
- Jump HK, MK, ex max out, FA,U1
- Jump HP, LP, LP, LK, max out, SUPER
- Jump HK, c.LP, c.MP, ex machine gun upper, U2 (U2 connects fully, but this combo only works in the corner )
GUY:
-I wouldn?t be surprised if Guy ended up being really good.
-He has a good vortex against opponent?s wakeups, a cross between Akuma and Fuerte with run cancels, run overhead, run slide, bushin flip grab, etc.
-His Ex Tatu is GODLIKE. It?s the new ex messiah, which also works against cross ups. The destroyer of all or almost all pressure (Akuma might be able to find a way through it :P)
-Only his U1 can be hit confirmed from a combo, and they?re quite beastly in the corner.
-His Houzanto (dashing elbow) is really good, especially the EX version which is a launcher.
-He has amazing priority in the air with his air grabs. Izuna drop beats EVERYTHING, like guile?s current air throw. His flip grab is just the icing on the cake, with a monstrous range; even if he?s already passed above you in the air. It?s really strong!
-His jump goes really far and it?s quite hard to gauge. He has a good cross up with MK.
Challenges:
[As reference:
Dashing elbow: QCB+P
Run: QCF+K; LK: stop, MK: Slide, HK: Overhead kick
Flying elbow: (In air) Down+MP]
- c.MP, LP
- c.HP, HK
- HP, LP dashing elbow
- MK, MK dashing elbow
- c.LK, LP, c.MK
- dashing elbow, Ex dashing elbow ( corner )
- Jump HK , SUPER
8] HP, LP dashing elbow, SUPER ( corner ) - Jump MK, MP, HP, Run~Slide
- Jump down+MP, LP MP HP HK, Ex dashing elbow ( Big damage with target combos and a juggle finisher off a simple dropping elbow. Very powerful BNB. Of course you can replace the Elbow with anything (cross up, etc) and I believe you can land an Ultra from the juggle~)
- LP MP HP down+HK, ex hurricane kick ( let?s go! )
- HK LP MP HP HK, SUPER ( we?re on a roll ! )
- c.LK, c.LK, c.LK, LP MP HP HK ( why not ?! )
- Jump HK, c.LK, c.LK, c.LK, lk tatsu, SUPER ( corner )
- Jump HK,LP MP HP HK, FADC, U1 ( OUCH ! that being said, U1 whiff if this combo is not performed in the corner but otherwise it hits in full and you can start off this combo by replacing J.Hk with c.LK; really strong in the corner)
- Jump HP, HK, c.MP, ex dashing elbow, FADC, U1 (also only connects fully in the corner )
**CODY: **
-THE new character most newbs will flock to for sure. Say good bye shotos and hello pebbles!
-His slide kicks (QCF+K) all do break armor and they?re pretty much safe from the right distance. The MK variation travels realllllly far. HK is the ultimate anti-air and LK hits low.
-His rocks are too good. His annoying laugh (AHAH!) as he throws them will make you cringe throughout the entirety of the game. He can even combo his U2 from it in the corner?
-His knife does chip damage on block but Cody seems stronger without it.
-His J.MK crosses up.
-You will understand by seeing his combos, really simply and efficient.
Challenges:
[As reference:
Stone/Knife throw: QCF+P
Ruffian kick: QCF+K
Criminal Upper(tornado): QCB+P
Zonk knuckle: Hold P, PP for EX version
- LP, MP
- HP ,c.LP
- bas LP, c.MP
- HP, criminal upper
- c.HP, HK Ruffian Kick ( c.HP forces stand )
- MP, EX zonk knuckle
- Jump MK, c.MP, Criminal upper
8] Jump MP, MP, Ruffian Kick - HP, Criminal Upper, SUPER
- Stone throw, U2 ( in the corner at the right distance, this is CA$H )
- criminal upper, ex criminal upper
- (Knife) knife throw, ex ruffian kick, ex criminal upper
- Jump HP, HP, PP*, ex criminal upper
- Jump HK ,HP, HK ruffian kick, SUPER
- Jump HP, HP, HK ruffian kick, FADC,U1 ( hits fully in the corner )
- Jump HK ,ar MP, c.LP, criminal upper, SUPER
- Jump HK, ar MP, c.LP, c.LK, HK ruffian kick, ex criminal upper
- c.LP, c.MP, criminal upper, FADC, c.LP, HK ruffian kick, FADC, U1
**IBUKI: **
-Don?t really have much to say about her since I didn?t get to play her much. But from what I?ve seen, she seems really strong. She has so many target combos its ridiculous.
-She can Super Jump Cancel just like Viper.
-About her challenges, when there is no comma between the kick/punches, it means it?s a target combo:
Challenges:
[As reference:
Raida: HCB+P
Kunai: (In air) QCF+P
Hien: RDP+K
Tsumuji: QCB+K
Kasumi Gake: HCF+K
Kazekiri: DP+K]
- MP,MP
- LP,MP
- Jump LPHP,LP MP c.HK HK
- b.MP, Raida
- HP, Raida
- FA,U1
- Jump Kunai, SUPER
8] Hien, SUPER - HP, MK, Tsumuji
- Jump HP MK, LP MP HP, EX tsumuji, Raida
- c.LK c.LP, LP, c.MP, HK Kasumi Gake
- Jump LK MK, MK, Kazekiri, FADC, Raida
- c.LK c.LP LK c.MK, SJC , U2 ( free Ultra from a low kick )
MAKOTO
-What can I say, the 3rd strike players weren?t really taken aback by the new Makoto. Only the tick karakusa after hayate did not work, but you could Hayate FADC Hayate instead.
-Her instant air tsurugi (Jump QCB+K) is not an overhead, but it opens up combo possibilities. The EX is an overhead but it knocks down.
-The biggest new tool is the possibility to cancel Hayate to link. I don?t know how many options that opens up but just know for now that HP, Hayate cancel, c.lp is effectively a 2 hit combo.
-To perform the cancel you do not even need to piano, you can simply press P+K almost simultaneously (like plinking) and it cancels automatically. In other words, QCB+LP+LK results in a hayate cancel. A lot easier to perform than Viper?s.
-You can juggle your opponent after her U2. U2 also has two effective ranges, short and long.
Challenges:
[As reference:
Hayate: QCF+P
Karakusa: HCB+K
Aerial Axe Kick: QCB+K (in air)
Upwards Punch (fukiage): DP+P]
- LP, MP
- HP, Hayate
- HK, SUPER
- Jump HK, MK, MP Hayate
- Ex Fukiage, Ex fukiage
- Lp fukiage, FADC, lp fukiage
- lp fukiage, jump Aerial Axe kick
8] Jump MK aerial axe kick, c.LP, LP Hayate, FA - FA, U2, Jump MK Aerial axe kick, EX Hayate ( the juggles after U2 work everywhere)
- Jump HK,HP, SUPER, U1
- Karakusa, HP, HP Hayate, SUPER, HP, HP Hayate
- HP, Hayate, cancel, c.LP, Hayate, SUPER, U1
DUDLEY:
-Not much to say about him, all that is known has been said already (via Jwong?s walkthroughs and whatnot). This character is just too good. I think the challenges really display his strengths and versatility.
-You can link a HK from his overhead f+MK. Its brutal, but you need to be quite close to your opponent and standing. Reversals will beat it so it?s still quite risky to go for.
-His super is REALLY useful like in 3rd strike. You can even land it from an overhead.
Challenges:
[As reference:
Cross Counter: HCB+P
Punch & Counter: HCBF+P
Machine Gun Blow: HCF+P
Jet Upper: DP+P
Short Swing Blow HCB+K
Ducking HCF+K; Ducking+Ducking+P = Ducking Straight, Ducking+Ducking+K = Ducking Upper]
- MP, MP Machine Gun Blow
- LP Jet Upper, HP Jet Upper (a bit too good, works in mid screen against on KDd opponent)
- HK, Ducking Upper
- c.HK,U2 (corner, in midscreen, you need to perform a duck to connect. It?s really good. In the corner you can connect two c.HKs before going for the Ultra.)
- LP Jet Upper,U2 (Doesn?t work on trade DP )
- Jump HP, c.MP, Jet Upper
- c.HK, Ducking, SUPER
- Jump MK, MP MK HP, SUPER
- HK, LK Short Swing Blow, SUPER
- Short Swing Blow, U2 ( as an anti-air )
- Jump HK, HK, EX machine gun blow, c.HK, U2 ( only works in the corner. Mid screen, you have to FADC the machine gun, which costs 3 bars. Also absolutely requires HK as an opener so it isn?t that reliable)
- LP, LP, c.MP, MP Machine gun blow ( this is really useful the the link is hard to perform. Doing a half circle after a c.MP requires a lot of practice as there?s no shortcut for this motion) [Actually this isn?t true, you can do Down, Down Back, Forward for the c.MP to machine gun. DB+F is effectively a shortcut for HCF]
- Jump HP, F+LP MP, Jet Upper, FADC, U2
- Jump HP, F+MK, LP, LP, Jet Upper, SUPER
Video preview (narrated by a German VG reviewer)
720p (145.5 MB) version is also available.
[media=youtube]fZCJBChFAl8&feature=sub&playnext_from=TL&videos=uNL62cLzYgk&playnext=1[/media]
Some Alt Costumes in action