The NEW Real Bout 2 Thread! IRC Matchmaking: #srksnk on EFNet! GOGOGO!

Josh-TheFunkDOC · March 31, 2008, 11:39pm

NOTE: The original thread created by Ghostpilot and featuring God 2.0 & others can be found HERE. A lot of the good stuff is linked below, but there are other quality nuggets of info throughout! Well worth a look if you have any additional questions. =)

Hello everyone! Ghostpilot’s old thread was great and helped bring some new blood to this game, but now with it gaining steam I figured it was time for a new start here in FGD. First off, here is Ghostpilot’s info compendium of all the best stuff from the old thread:

neoFBA + Kaillera P2P Client:
http://kaillera.movsq.net/

Real Bout 2 FAQs
RB2 FAQs:http://www.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/game/562641.html

Character Damage Data (Translated via Google Translator)
Damage Data and other info: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4638090&postcount=273

Character Frame Data (Courtesy of Josh the FunkDoc!)
Rick, Franco, Sokaku, Xiangfei: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4740645&postcount=386
Terry, Mai, Chonshu, Cheng: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4743262&postcount=395
Yamazaki, Geese, Kim, Hon-Fu: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4752064&postcount=430
Mary, Bob, Krauser, Billy: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4837645&postcount=524
Duck, Chonrei, Laurence: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4907119&postcount=618
Andy, Joe, Tung: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4968995&postcount=675

Character Writeups:

Mini Writeups (needs expanding):

Andy Bogard: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4514208&postcount=126 & http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4520959&postcount=133
Terry Bogard: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4552557&postcount=149
Tung Fu Rue: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4492432&postcount=99
Kim Kaphwan: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4360476&postcount=44

Tier Lists

Akutabi’s Tier List: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4331801&postcount=10

Ghostpilot’s (aka: Mr. Big) Tier List:
Top - High: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4331965&postcount=11
Mid: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4333118&postcount=12
Low: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=4334838&postcount=13

And in addition, here’s a comprehensive list of match vids:

MATCH VIDEO LINKS:

Ghostpilot & God 2.0 RB2 Match Commentaries:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=978C07FE286E2CFE
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=260327DB6D9DDBAB

80+ Japanese matches:

25 Japanese matches:
http://youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6F21133BD7B1B02D

16 Japanese matches (mostly Laurence):

28 Japanese videos (many of which contain multiple matches):
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9A04A531880B10CB

30+ Japanese matches:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=Ghostpilot&page=3 (page 4 has the rest)

17 Japanese videos:

French tournament matches:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=Ghostpilot&page=5

American/European Kaillera matches: Same link as above, plus:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=Ghostpilot&page=6
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=Ghostpilot&page=7
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=Ghostpilot&page=8
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=Ghostpilot&page=9

European Kaillera matches (with a bunch of combo vids scattered around):
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/YorRb2%2Brb2

Hopefully this should help out anyone who’s interested. =) In particular, I would like to hear some feedback on the matches with commentary - if you like them, we could do more of them with different players!

And also feel free to use this thread for matchmaking - hopefully we can set up an IRC channel or something better soon!

Enjoy,
Josh.

System_1 · April 1, 2008, 1:43am

Great to see this game getting new fan’s. I’m always looking for opponents.

I love the match commentary between GP and God 2.0, they even discover new stuff while their playing. I don’t see them online much anymore though.

chopa · April 1, 2008, 1:43am

Quick question to make sure: Was there any particular problems with the PS2 release (lag, glitches, etc)?

Mr.Big · April 1, 2008, 3:45am

Oh we’re actually online pretty often. :bgrin: God 2.0 has been wrapped up with a teaching a class lately, but he still plays. We hadn’t done a new set of commentary videos since the reception didn’t quite match up to the trouble it took to do them. But if there winds up being a renewed interest in them, then we’ll definitely do more. :tup:

None whatsoever! :tup: The game actually runs better on the PS2 version as Andy’s, Mai’s, and Sokaku’s stages were notorious for slowing the game down a bit on the original Neo-Geo version (which can be corrected by overclocking the emulator). I’ve had the PS2 version for about 6 months now, although I don’t play much of it due to the complete lack of local competition. :bluu:

Hehe, beat me to creating the thread here, Josh. I was actually going to hold off on it until the remainder of the write-ups were completed, but I suppose it’s better to do it sooner rather than later. We need to play again, by the way. I hadn’t fought you since before FRXI. :wow:

If anyone is up for some matches or some training, feel free to hit me up on the thread, PM, or any of the IM clients under my profile. :tup:

System_1 · April 1, 2008, 3:53am

I’d love to play you online, I play a pretty mean Rick and Franco. PM me if your interested.

Edit: If anyone else would like to play me I’d love to play you to.

Mr.Big · April 1, 2008, 4:34am

Really? :bgrin: I’m all for it! :tup:

Josh-TheFunkDOC · April 1, 2008, 6:23am

So, you may ask, what makes RB2 worth playing? I will do the best I can to answer this question.

For starters, it is easy to jump into. You have 3 attack buttons and a line-shift button, and there isn’t a crazy number of moves to learn. Additionally, it’s not very execution-heavy, as most practical combos are chains and even the links are easier than in SF. You can “buffer” attacks to come out on the first possible frame (ala 3-D fighters), which makes reversals easier as well as links.

But though it is easy in that regard, this game still offers plenty of depth. For instance, SNK had always struggled with the line-shift feature in previous Fatal Fury games, but they finally got it right here. While in the background, you cannot be hit with most A/B/C attacks; only D button attacks and a few specials/supers will work, and the line shift can actually be used as a reversal to avoid everything else. Additionally, if your opponent uses a typical A/B/C move, your own A/B/C attacks from the background will beat it. In spite of all of this, however, the background is still a disadvantageous position - you can block your opponent’s attacks, but it’s a free high/low for them (standing D is an overhead and crouching D is a sweep). These moves can also combo into specials/supers, giving your opponent a much better risk/reward than yourself. And if you try to attack from the background, the opponent can jump straight up and punish you with a damaging combo. All in all, it’s a useful feature that adds to the game’s strategy but has some major risks.

Additionally, the characters are well-varied. You’ve got rushdown whores like Franco & Terry, projectile zoners like Chonrei & Cheng, grapplers like Geese and to a lesser extent Krauser, poking characters like Yamazaki & Billy, “all-around” types like Hon-Fu & Sokaku, and oddballs like Xiangfei. And at least half of the cast is capable of winning tournaments even at Japan level; even the weaker ones still aren’t hopeless, they just have a bunch of 4:6 matches.

Overall, the game doesn’t have a lot of overpowered gimmicks; there are a couple things like Chonshu’s crossup game and Bob’s infinite, but they’re more annoying than dominant. In the end, it’s a battle of two minds more than anything else. If you like your games full of craziness (e.g. Accent Core, HnK, WHP), this may or may not be for you.

And finally, the game is becoming a larger part of SNK tournaments. And with nFBA, you can play online with very little lag, against opponents of various skills levels: Fellow new players, decent guys like me, and killers like Ghostpilot.

So if this sounds like something you’d enjoy, hop on in and don’t be afraid to ask questions or play! =)

-Josh

Mr.Big · April 1, 2008, 7:35am

Just to extrapolate upon what Josh said, Real Bout 2 appears simple on the surface of things but is quite deep once you get into it: timing can effect how an opponent responds to getting hit by a :d:+:snkd: (whether it knocks down, or if they’re still standing, enabling you to continue a combo), rising attacks, pursuits, and feints.

The bit about it not being very execution-heavy is only partially true, many characters such as Geese, Rick, Xiang-Fei (her counters), and to a lesser extent Krauser to unlock their full potential. Also another grappler to add to the list is Blue Mary, who’s certainly one of the most unorthodox grapplers out there.

As mentioned earlier, the difference between the tiers isn’t a huge one, making victory feasible regardless of the character used: no one char truly dominates anyone else (well, except for perhaps Alfred, but he’s a secret / non-playable character).

I have to run for now, but definitely give the game a shot if you’re looking for a change of pace: it’s definitely a very involving game to get into. Also, if you wanted a hint of what Geese, Krauser, Ex-Andy, and Ex-Mary play like in KOF98:UM, you can something of a feel for them in RB2. :tup:

Good gaming, folks! :bgrin:

System_1 · April 1, 2008, 7:39am

Quick question, I know it’s the newer of the 2, but is anything wrong with RBS? I just always preferred that one is all, but I can definitely get into RB2 if thats gonna be the accepted standard.

krost · April 1, 2008, 7:43am

i’ll try playing online sometime. i main Mai.

Syxx573 · April 1, 2008, 7:46am

good thread, i like this game a lot

MKKhanzo · April 1, 2008, 7:56am

LOl man you re doing it again. I have to sink my hands on FF BA 2 this april…

DarkZero · April 1, 2008, 8:04am

I’ve seen a couple of vids of this game and it kinda reminds me of A2; not saying that it is.
How is Kim in this game? I always main and play Kim

Mr.Big · April 1, 2008, 9:13am

RBS is a prettier game, and I like the atmosphere and the additional moves / Ex-characters, but 5 things really bring the game down.

It’s pretty unbalanced.
The chain combo system is pretty flaky.
The wall-stun allows for combos not otherwise possible, and once it breaks and you’re dizzy, the match is essentially over.
The lineshift system in it is useless, as any :snka:'s, :snkb:'s, :snkc:'s will hit someone in the backplane, essentially making :snkd: a “please hit me” button.
The old-school motions make some moves incredibly hard to pull off in a real fight (eg: Laurence’s Death Sword, which is a reverse Raging Storm motion, and has to be carefully positioned for all the hits to connect).

I’ve played RBS a good bit because I thought that it may have been better than RB2, but all the above problems that were RBS were corrected in RB2.

Kim’s -very- solid in RB2, definitely towards the top. Check out my (Ghostpilot) tier-list in the first post, and the writeup by Running Wild. He can do a number of things that no one else can (cancel his normals into an overhead, land 2 :snkd:'s on someone in the backplane, can easily go from a :snkd: into a full combo), is decently safe, and can do big damage with his combos. There’s more, but I wouldn’t want to get carried away.

Ryu1999 · April 1, 2008, 9:18am

The Joe guide link goes to the Geese guide

Mr.Big · April 1, 2008, 9:48am

Gah, I don’t know why that keeps happening. And it’s only with the God 2.0 writeups, too: they somehow keep going to the Geese guide. :arazz: I’ve messaged Josh about fixing it, but in the meantime, here’s a link to the Joe Higashi guide. :tup:

Josh-TheFunkDOC · April 1, 2008, 10:03am

Thanks for pointing that out, SRK randomly screwed up a couple of the links. Everything should be fixed now!

And actually, I have to disagree with Big a bit on RBS. What stands out to me about that game is how overpowered the background is. To win in that game, pick Billy/Kim/Sokaku, hang out in the background, and spam your C attack. It’s way quicker than anything they can do from the opposite plane, and they risk eating a combo from your C, so they have to shift over to yours. Then you shift into the opposite plane and repeat this, and so on. Japan still plays RB1 sometimes but not this, which is pretty telling IMO.

The RB2 cast is stripped down compared to the previous installments, but I think this is the rare case where that proved to be a good thing; a lot of what was nerfed was ST Claw/O.Sagat-esque stupidity.

-Josh

System_1 · April 1, 2008, 10:05am

Thanks for the info, gonna break out my FFBA2 this week now.

Mr.Big · April 1, 2008, 11:02am

Josh-TheFunkDOC:

Thanks for pointing that out, SRK randomly screwed up a couple of the links. Everything should be fixed now!

And actually, I have to disagree with Big a bit on RBS. What stands out to me about that game is how overpowered the background is. To win in that game, pick Billy/Kim/Sokaku, hang out in the background, and spam your C attack. It’s way quicker than anything they can do from the opposite plane, and they risk eating a combo from your C, so they have to shift over to yours. Then you shift into the opposite plane and repeat this, and so on. Japan still plays RB1 sometimes but not this, which is pretty telling IMO.

The RB2 cast is stripped down compared to the previous installments, but I think this is the rare case where that proved to be a good thing; a lot of what was nerfed was ST Claw/O.Sagat-esque stupidity.

-Josh

Depends on where you are, actually. If you try to lineshift next to an opponent chances are you’re going to eat any extra tap of the button they throw out. And if you’re far away, then they’d be out of range and can safely lineshift to circumvent that advantage. Not to mention that if they block the attack, it’ll bring them into your plane. But yeah, the whole lineshift system in RBS is just a mess. :bluu:

As for RB1, though, I actually like it a great deal; it’s a game that was ahead of its time in my opinion. Although it’s not without it’s problems, of course (the aforementioned flaky chain combo system and there are some balance issues) but it remains a blast to play. :tup: It’s arguably the most complex of the Real Bout series with the ringout system, three (!) planes, breakshots, etc. Not to mention that every character has a boatload of specials (Mary alone has 12, not counting supers). It actually most resembles RB2, now that I think about it.

The perhaps one thing I most like about RB1 is that you really had to work to block attacks. Most games, especially back in '95, didn’t have much in the way of overheads or specials that hit low, so you really didn’t have anything to lose by blocking low 95% of the time. In RB1 (and in RB2 to a slightly less degree), you’d have to do a lot of shifting of your guard to get away from a flurry cleanly. Overheads weren’t slow, either, Franco’s :qcb:+:snka: Double Kong is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fast.

And when you factor in ringouts, you’ll really learn how to pay attention to your surroundings (you could easily ring yourself out if you weren’t careful), learn how to evade attacks instead of blocking them, keep on the move, and quickly gauge the occasions when taking a hit could put you into a position of advantage.

RB2 is simpler in a few ways, but in doing so it has a better balance than RB1. :tup: Whew, I got a bit carried away there. I’m off to bed, have a good night everyone!

humbag · April 1, 2008, 12:14pm

Haha Im messing with geese right now.

Some things i never notice before (playing emulator not ps2):

you can “kara” cancel a croutching C or that Funky C almost immidiately after you whiff the df+A attack.

looks really dumb lolol