I don’t understand the point of overheads in this game. Particularly Ryu’s.0 on hit and less damage and stun than a throw, even in Denjin. It leaves them standing so you could potentially get a ch crouching jab but that is quite unlikely and quite a read that someone would press a button that slow after taking the overhead. Is this something that really only pertains to Ryu? Other characters I primarily play are Bison and Cammy, who have no overheads from standing if you discount instant overheads (which even then I don’t see the point of as it leaves you vulnrable if it doesn’t kill shoulda just threw cause they were blocking low right?), so my view could be off because of the characters I play or lack of knowledge of other character’s stuff.
I know Chun can combo off hers in v trigger. Nash’s is +1 on hit, but again, why use his? Knockdown’s seem much stronger than continuing standing offense in SFV. It is airborne so it beats throws, so I can see some use from it. In Third Strike overheads like Urien’s and Alex’s did a grip because of the damage and stun modifier on crouchers, and UOH’s could sometimes start combos on crouchers.
So is it a Ryu thing or overheads just aren’t that strong in this game bar some exceptions? Why not always use the seemingly superior option?
you can do overheads from further away mainly. it’s also just one more thing to think about when you’re trying to play defense, and the more things you’re trying to react to the more likely you are to fail. many characters are also not left in the best position after a throw.
I would say that it’s good to mix overheads with throws. If you’re always throwing, a good player who can adapt will typically tech your shit eventually. You can also fuck with your opponent’s head if you go for an overhead followed by a sweep or even just a low and then combo because people will probably expect another overhead and block high.
-> Some can combo from overheads, especially after a counter-hit.
-> Better reach than throws. Throws in SF5 practically require you to be rubbing bellies with the opponent… unless you have command grabs. Even then…
-> Anticipation. Better for something that might have better chance of hitting some people compared than to go for a throw and end up getting Tech’d.
Like the other guy said, it’s based on what you have and what your opponent has to think about, so overhead attacks still have some good use. Some people wish there should have been a universal overhead command in the game.
it feels useless because ryu’s overhead is very obvious and specific. if I ever do an over head with ryu it would be at a safe enough distance to mix up with a low forward
Others have answered your questions well, but I wanted to adress this statement.
The answer to that question is that using more options makes you more difficult to read and gives your opponent more information to digest. The more options they have to think about, the less likely it is that they’ll respond correctly to each of them. Thus making each and every one of them stronger.
This concept applies pretty widely to fighting games, in fact. Not only on offense, but also on defense and in the neutral game.
Like most others have said, its a combination of a couple of things:
[list]
[] throws can be teched
[] most overheads have better range
[*] throws knockdown an opponent, leaving little room for continuous pressure / mindgames / mixups
[/list]