The Grappler Appreciation Thread - Once I grab ya you're goin' for a ride!

Current Fighting Games Fighting Game Discussion
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Grappling Goodness

The core of this thread is trying new/old/forgotten games and their grapplers in particular and giving a run down. So people that enjoy grapplers know which games they should try out for some diversity. Please add grapplers to the list if you know of any or you want to elaborate on some of the ones already posted.

-=SD Hiryuu no Ken=- SNES
Powers:
An Ultimate Warrior looking grappler, all his special moves are grapples which is cool.
Game system allows throwing people out of hitstun.
He can negative edge 360 his command throw, really Hawk’ish.
Running Power Slam - Running command throw
Hold b, f+ Kick button, strength of button determines how far he runs. Running grab that leaves the opponent fully mobile. Combos of his normals
Spin Breaker - Command throw
360 + Punch button, strength of button determines damage. Command throw with great range and sick damage, can be negative edged after his faster normals. AWESOME
Sacred Slam - Command throw - SUPER
First avaiable when you got 15% health back.
HCF,QCF + Punch button, I N S A N E damage, like 65% or so. Can be attempted after fast normals.
Overall a nice grappler, he plays like the good old ones. Having to work to get in and then unleashing combos ending with 360 or SUPER.

-=Tuff E Nuff=- SNES
Vortz:
A grappler resembling the pancrase /shoot wrestling style in clothing. He has a shoulder tackle, charge move + punch. Anti air move done by qcf + punch and
Muscle Buster command throw HCF + Heavy punch. One thing I hate is when command grabs almost have the same range as regular throws, it kinda
beats the purpose and ending in F+ Heavy punch means sometimes he attempts regular f+hp throw instead.
Bleh, not my kinda grappler

-=Breakers Revenge=- NEO GEO
Condor:
His command throw 360, doesn’t have much range and further it spaces out Condor from his enemy. Regular powerbomb throw is better since you have wake up opportunities. Sick normals that are linkable, sick anti air Tooomahooook which can be followed by his super
2xQCF +Punch. Powerful and easy to execute super, his super command throw Moonlight Breaker is okay, but mostly you don’t have the opportunity to land it.
In my opinion he doesn’t play much like a grappler, but powerful indeed.

-=Fighters History Dynamite=- NEO GEO
Marstorius:
I only played around a little with this guy, so I can’t say much except he definitely plays the old school way. He can throw people out of hitstun with his Double German,
HCF or HCB + Punch. He has a Lariat done by charging back then forward + Punch, strength of punch determines how far he travels. Mostly the lariat is used to position
him after he lands a Double German.
Definitely fun to play around with ALL about grapples, that’s how I like them.

-=The Rumble Fish=- PS2
Orville:
This guy really has to work, his command grab has limited range but does tremendous damage. Feels like he is a Pretty Fighter character stuck in a Rival Schools game.

-=Double Dragon=- NEO GEO
Abobo:
I’ve only played this guy a little. Negative edge is possible. Timing is funny with command grabs, almost like d+forward -> Hadoken
Game system allows you to grab people out of hitstun, so all his command grabs are comboable.

Giant Swing - Command grab
HCF or HCB +Any button, strength determines damage

Hyper Bomb - Command grab
QCF+Any button, strength determines damage

Charging Axe Handle:
f,d/f, d+Any button, strength determines damage

Ground Smash: SUPER
f,d/f, d+ 2 Buttons

Morphin’ Military Press Slam - Command grab - SUPER
HCB or HCF +2 Buttons
Insane damage and comboable.

I’m not good at this game, but this guy seems like he has the right tools to be dangerous.

I’ve always been into playing grapplers since I tried fighting games many years ago.
The playstyle of grapplers has changed quite a bit since I first started enjoying throwing people around.
I think for the most part the game systems no longer benefit command throws as much as in the old days.
In ST both Zangief and Hawk use their grapples actively, meaning they will attempt to grapple you offensively and defensively, after ticks.
whereas high level play in modern fighting games, command throws are mostly punishers or occasional jumping attack followed by tick throw.
I cater much more to the old style of grapplers, Hawk and Zangief in particular. Hawk being pretty simple to play, whereas Zangief offers more variety, since
he has a whiff animation. Hawk is more robotic, since you should attempt negative edge 360s all the time, Zangief is all about mind games.

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I like Shermie.

Curvy and deadly~

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Dat f+A hitbox. lol

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How does Shermie play? I’ve got extremely limited KOF knowledge, can’t most characters play rushdown in that game with short-jumps? Is her command grab even necessary to play her at a high level?

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Console: PS2
Game: Melty Blood Actress Again
Character: Yumiduka Satsuki
She is one of the few grapplers in Melty Blood. She has a 236A/B/C grab that works on standing opponents and a 623A/B/C grab that catches opponents in the air (read as: Abel’s Falling Sky from SFIV). She also has a HCB grab that heals her for the damage and causes knockdown. Satsuki doesn’t use her grabs that often outside of combos but the 623C sets up her 4-way mixup. She is a strong in-your-face character but she has some problems with getting in against zoning characters. A lot of players find her to be boring because she is pretty straight forward: BnB into knockdown into 4-way mixup. Rinse/repeat.

Sample Video: [media=youtube]Ts1SBOb9xoY[/media]
The video is of MBAC (an older installment of Melty Blood) but her playstyle hasn’t changed much. Although I will say that she is better in MBAA.

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Game:Fatal Fury Special - Neo Geo
Character: Jubei Yamada

An interesting take on the grappler theme. Equipped with the now-standard grappler tools such as a slide, an air throw, variations of his regular throws and a command throw Super/DM, Jubei stands out because he can be played as a zoning keep-away character much like Guile. His projectile, which can be described as a quicker charging version of SSF4 Guile’s Sonic Boom, travels quickly, has a short charge time and recovers excellently. With the absence of trip guard, a formidable trap is possible by throwing a projectile, waiting for the opponent to jump and then using his crouching D slide. The slide by itself is also an excellent anti-air move, even though it can be beaten by certain jumping moves. However, not every character has one of these highly useful attacks, and the ones that do not will be at the mercy of Jubei’s anti-air and projectile trap game. Jubei is also combo friendly, possesing stun-inducing combos, many of which can be set up as anti-air (walk-under) and then modified to re-stun in the corner. Because of his projectile’s short charge time and recovery, Jubei can lock a cornered opponent down for an extended amount of time, setting an option to end his trap with his command throw or baiting and punishing the opponent’s attempt to escape (back dashes, jumping, reversal Dragon Punch-like moves). The trap is helped in part by his slightly forward-travelling C+D attack, which moves him closer and maintains his charge.

Re-stun combo example:[media=youtube]aAkQ3okKojk#t=1m29s[/media] Very practical and extremely deadly.

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Yes. It can be comboed into and it has a nice followup for more damage. IN '98/98UM, I tend to do alot of hyper-hop CD attacks then mix it all when I get in then go for the command throw until I can hit confirm into super. Definitely one of the fun grapplers.

One grappler people prefer to forget was Temjin from Art of Fighting 2. He was fun to play. Had a nice energy wall and an annoying palm attack. He did have 2 command grabs that were hard to do but satisfying when you pulled them off.

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Vice from king of fighters:woot::lovin:

Tad bit info
here

Also Wiki Information

The Grapples from here move list :
Black End
Shes grabs the opponent and throw’s them in the air.

Gore Fest
She grabs the opponent and slides your body face down across the ground

Mithab’s Robe
This move is the second part to Blackend, she jumps up and grabs you then slams you from the sky. (this also works with her other move mayhem that is not a grapple that i did not mention.)

Here DM’s or Hyper’s

Negative Gain
She grabs you between here feet and slams you repeatedly from backflips.

Whitering Surface
She jumps towards you and grabs you and slams you repeatedly over her head.

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Slides are not a grappler staple, Middlekick. What you might be thinking of is a long-range sweep, but even that isn’t given to every grappler.

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I’ve come to like Grapplers more ever since I tried out Jirobo in NH3/UN3. Unblockable grab combos are just sex. <3

Still a bit salty about Tager though. xD

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This thread can’t still ain’t ready for Kira, 1080 grab or STFU.

[media=youtube]UtokiV0zmFM"[/media]

P.P.S. - I forgot your grappler doesn’t have a triple jump, 2 airdashes, a teleport, a beam, super armor, a shield, 10+ Projectiles and the ability to stop time so i guess this isn’t really fair.

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Whoops, I got slightly carried away there, Saotome. But I was definitely thinking about slides and not long-reaching sweeps.

Game: SFA3
Character: R.Mika

On one hand I can appreciate her purity as a grappler - relying on set-ups and tricks to land her command throws - but on the other hand, her awful moves and their strange weaknesses ruined what could have been a thoroughly enjoyable character to play. I’ll just list a number of some of her more disagreeable aspects.

Daydream Headlock (360+K) - A 4-frame (randomly 3 frames) command throw with the range of her regular throw. This might not be so bad except that the damage is mediocre and Mika gains better positional advantage with her regular T/B+PP throw (the opponent can air recover after, but this can lead to juggles and more if Mika sets it up) or her DB/DF+PP throw (the opponent cannot air recover which sets up a wake-up game).

Paradise Hold (360+P) - This is her best special move. Similar to Sodom’s Butsumetsu Buster, Mika leaps forward and slams the opponent. Great range, lots of set-ups and can be ticked into. Even better is the fact that if the preceding ticks, usually 2 low Jabs and a crouching Short, connect, the Paradise Hold will still catch them. Could have been even better if she became airborne on its first frame, for a true throw reversal and sacrifice hit, had consistent damage and the opponent could never air recover afterwards.

Shooting Peach (QCB+k) - On the plus side the move does decent damage and can be timed to go cleanly over Hadoukens. What makes this move awful apart from its hefty recovery (at least -20), is the fact that the opponent, upon being hit, can use a recovery roll to get close to Mika as she’s recovering and combo her. Not good. In fact, a bloody travesty. Her Rainbow Hip Rush Super (QCFx2+P) has identical shortcomings.

Heavenly Dynamite (720+P) - Yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard the quotes: “Mika’s Level 1 Super grab is too good!” “35% damage from a Level 1 Super!?!”, and the various discussions about Chikyuu’s A-Mika VS Bas’s V-Akuma at B5. While the Super has great range, is instant and can be set-up in numerous ways, it has a fatal flaw: once the opponent is caught, THEY CAN ALWAYS MASH TO ESCAPE, effectively breaking out of the move, taking minimal damage and rendering the Super completely useless. This is for all Levels of her Super, not just her Level 1.

Normals - Mika’s normal are pretty unremarkable, with only her cross-up splash and Sobat being close to above average in use. But the real cause for concern here is that her quickest normal moves, her standing and crouching jab, take 6 frames to execute.

If she does eventually make it into Super Street Fighter 4, let’s hope she undergoes a thorough overhaul.

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Alex from 3S. My favorite hybrid character ever. Which is funny because I never played as grappler’s before but I really like his style. Plus he has three moves (Powerbomb, bHP, and DDT) that are good mixup, and fuck over parry-whores.

You’d think I’d really be into SNK grappler’s but I can’t get into them. Though I like Ralph in KOF02, but I can’t get into combo-ing into grab with him. Doesn’t help that Ralph plays very differently in every KOF game and by 12 he’s no longer a grappler.

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I’ve got both BB:CT and BB:CS, however I haven’t gotten to learn the game at all, since I’ve played it 2 or 3 times.
Tager is really nice grappler from the limited time I’ve played with him, simple and damaging combos. Insane damage on his Command throw and GETB is the bomb. I love the magnetism, it’s really unique and make playing him interesting.

I hope I will get more time to actually learn the game and most importantly master the power of science.

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Anybody know any good guides/links to improving your 360s? I like grapplers but the execution is troublesome sometimes.

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I always liked how Vice played. Great long normals, good throw mixups, chip specials lol. Good combos for a grappler also. She just tosses you around and slams you to the floor. Also sliding your face into the pavement. Good times.

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You want the Newbie Training Dojo. :tup:

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Game: The Last Blade 2
Name: Shigen

While some would argue that Shigen is very much NOT a grappler, especially given his playstyle in Speed Mode, I think it’s safe to say that he’s all about the grapples in Power Mode. I’m sure someone will call me on that if they disagree.

Kingfisher Crunch: (hcf+A/B/C) Comes in three different flavors: blockable but comboable, slow with super armor, and long-range and quick. Link standing A to add damage and then combo into the grab.

Diamond Smasher: (hcb,f+C) An interesting command throw that actually has a number of follow-ups that can lead to big damage. The problem with using any of Shigen’s throw follow-ups is that the opponent only needs to mash buttons to get out of it, since there are 3 different follow-ups (each with a different attack button) and they have to essentially “guess right” to get out. I haven’t tried pressing all 3 buttons at the same time, but I’m sure it isn’t difficult to escape. Use this move on its own for best results.

Destiny’s Retribution: (hcb,hcb+AB) The range on this super throw isn’t bad, but it’s not exactly great either. I’m not sure if it has invincibility, but it’s pretty damn fast once it goes off.

Shigen has a LOT of different follow-ups to Diamond Smasher, two of which are actually supers. The problem as I explained earlier is the fact that your opponent can mash out of a lot of throws before you even get to that point, so it almost doesn’t seem worth it. One of the coolest things about Shigen is the fact that he can dash-up and throw opponents who are lying on the ground after a knockdown using his normal CD throw. He has a pounce attack like everyone else in LB2, but it’s lot more effective to use his throw. I should also note that he’s one of the few characters with an air throw and it’s best used after an air Deflect.

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Aesthetically Capcom’s T. Hawk and Hugo are two of my favorite, simply because of how brutal their moves look and feel, while playing a fairly purist grappler game. Vice is one of my favorite to play though.

Without trying to start a flame war, that just looks like your fairly run of the mill juggle oriented animu fighter with a teleport gimmick, not a grappler. I don’t know the character, so that could be anomalous, but that’s the impression the video gives.

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The teleport ability is unique to one of the arcanas in the game, it’s not a universal ability or anything.

Additionally, “without trying to start a flame war,” and yet “juggle oriented animu fighter”? Come on, that’s implying that high comboability with a super impractical amount of meter instantly mean the only depth is combos. Plus it’s a combo video, what do you expect?

Not that blackshinobi’s post isn’t mediocre as hell(you cannot have all or even most of those abilities simultaneously, but they are each options with different arcana), but still.

Here’s a better kira video: [media=youtube]OqwYNy6cc9I[/media]

PS: AH3 owns because of being able to choose different arcanas for your character to help with matchups/setups/approach/neutral/defense/combos/whatever the fuck, actually-relevant clash system, and the gameplay design of characters.