Tekken 4 - Best Character

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I am a video game n00b but I was playing Tekken 4 with a couple of the kids I work with last night. My default character in the Tekken series is Law, I have always found him to match my style pretty well and have an easy time remembering his moves.

The guys like to play the kinda gimmicky characters like Steve and Christie. These characters seem like a huge pain in the ass until you spot their weaknesses and then they're pretty easy to take out.

Who is your favorite Tekken character and why?

FWIW if I was going to switch I'd be tempted to go with either Lei or Brian.

NT

[pshreck]

Lei was by far the most fun for me. After I mastered switching between all his fighting styles, you can do some really cool stuff in fights.

Note that Lei was my favorite to play, but clearly not the best character. That goes to Paul or Jin, and everyone else is far behind them.

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...but clearly not the best character. That goes to Paul or Jin, and everyone else is far behind them.

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This just doesn't seem possible. Why?

NT

[LockForward]

Craig Marduk, he has some amazing combos and throws. King is good also for those same reasons.

[pshreck]

Only played the 4th one a few times... dont tell me these two arent in it? Or just one of them?

[nothumb]

Both are in it. Some of Jin's best moves have been given to Kazuya though (that spinning high/low/high special kick thing). I haven't even played with Paul in 4 but I never see anyone use him.

The best Tekken players I have known often use King and Lei.

NT

[PeeWeeH]

I'll take the chick with the big animated knockers for 400, Alex.

PeeWee

[astroglide]

i tried screwing around with all of the 3d fighters (virtua, tekken, soul calibur, etc) but i could never get into them. it felt slow or sloppy to me, i don't know how to explain it.

[nothumb]

Switching from a 2d game like SF2 it is a challenge. I did the same thing and felt the same way, like there was just no rhyme or reason. But the patterns are there just the same, just harder to recognize and the characters are more complex. The biggest key skills in Tekken are a character's ability to counter various moves after a block, learning hi/low combos, reversing throws and combos, and getting back on your feet effectively. IMHO.

NT

[astroglide]

a lot of it probably has to do with the lack of competition (or perceived lack of competition i guess, maybe the ai is good)

[IronDragon1]

Hworang

And it's SO not close

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I pwn lots of Hwoarang players at that game. He's one-dimensional.

I think there is more room for different styles in Tekken than in something like SF2. So a very good player can beat most players with even an inferior type.

NT

[dr. klopek]

I like Lei, despite being horrible at, and not that in to tekken. The tool that dances around sucks balls and Law just wishes he was Bruce Lee. He pwns though.

[bholdr]

If i was anywhere near as good at poker as i am at tekken...

but i'm not.

I'll give you everything you need to know to whup up on those kids:

for a begginner, it's best to stay away from the tricky characters with complicated mobe imputs, this includes Lei, Ling, Jin, anna, etc. Also, the best way to learn the game is to MASTER one character and branch out from there. I would suggest Bryan Fury, as all of his moves have linear imputs, easy for a noob to get the hang of. Nina would also be a good pick.

the moves that can win with very little practice and style are (for bryan):

conventions:
F= tap foward, B=back, D=down, U=up
1= left punch, 2=right punch, 3 left kick, 4=right kick
SS= side step (tap up or down while standing) WS= while standing, enter this keycheck while coming out of a crouch.
x+y- enter both buttons at once x,y- enter one, then the next.

an important thing to remember- there are three hit locations in tekken, low, mid, and high. high hits can be ducked, mids blocked from standing, and lows blocked from a crouch.

the moves (for begginers)
FF+2: machbreaker, a big, high-hitting power punch- this is your bread and butter. I can beat almost anyone with this move and the next one alone
FF+3: big mid kicy, lots of damage sends opponent sprawling, mix up with machbreaker and follow with a charge.
D+F+3 low sweep kick- knocks them off their feet, follow by tapping 3 to combo in a rising knee (WS+3 on it's own)
WS+1 mid juggling uppercut, short range only.
B+2 big mid overhand hammer punch- juggles
3,2,1,4- a good 4 hit rush, mid, high, high, mid
1,2,1,4- a quicker, but high, high, mid, low rush
1,2,3- high, high, low rush
D+F+1,2- two mid gut-punches
SS+1 big high cross, good against tricky characters that sidestep a lot
SS+2 same as above, but slower and hits mid
D+1 a little, very fast mid tap- use to bust opponents out of combos, leaves you in a crouch, follow with a WS move.
B+1+2,1 punch reversal, when your opponent always comes in with high or mid punches, punish 'em with this
D+4 low kick, weak, but very good against downed opponents trying to get up, or to finish off an opponent with just a little life left.

If you can consistantly pull these moves, you should be well on your way to winning. just like NL poker, aggression is the name of the game. always attack, rarely defend, if you can make your opponents geuss and block more than they should... then it's time for the 'ol run and gun.

1+3 or 2+4: throw. if your opponent blocks instead of counters, he's in BIG trounle. heh heh. charge them a lot with the machbreaker or FF+3 mid kick, condition them to blocking, then run up and throw them. as they're getting up, run up and throw them. if they whiff a move, throw 'em.... seeing a pattern here? after each throw, NAIL THEM with the D+F+3.

go to tekkenzaibatsu.com and read some of the FAQs for hints on the best playing styles.

GL. (if you practice for, say, and hour, get this strategy down, you won't need it!)

[bholdr]

hworang is actually the deepest and most difficult character to learn in all of tekken, also arguably the best, though heihachi is, IMO, fat superios, as is kazyua.

[ClaytonN]

I've mastered the Eddy Gordo fighting style, so I use Christie Mongierdo (sp)

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You suck.

NT

[pshreck]

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I've mastered the Eddy Gordo fighting style, so I use Christie Mongierdo (sp)

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Meaning you are good at mashing buttons? Nice.

[ClaytonN]

It's more than mashing buttons.

[IronDragon1]

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I pwn lots of Hwoarang players at that game. He's one-dimensional.

I think there is more room for different styles in Tekken than in something like SF2. So a very good player can beat most players with even an inferior type.

NT

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I would agree with this since most Hworang players simply just press squaresquaresquaresquare or circlecirclecirclecircle and hope for the best but I find Hworang's biggest strength comes from the fact that (I find) he moves better than any character in the game.

[nothumb]

He can be deceptive and does good combos, kind of like Lei, but he sucks in close and a lot of his moves leave him open to counterattacks from good players. Most of the time when I play a Hwoarang type I spend a lot of time stepping back and then flipping them up in the air a hundred times.

NT

[Jack of Arcades]

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a lot of it probably has to do with the lack of competition (or perceived lack of competition i guess, maybe the ai is good)

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Pick up Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution if you haven't already done so. IMO, it's got the best fighting system of any 3D, and the AI is based off of the top arcade fighters in the world.

On topic, I always play as Hwaorang, not out of any owning on my part, but because he's fun as hell to play. That's why I play as Jacky in VF4 sometimes (but I still do damned good with him, I've played him so much).

[bholdr]

Hworang:

D+3,4,D+3,D,WS4,4,FF+3
CD+3,3+4,(3,4)_(UF+4,3,4)
DB+4,F+3,3

etc...

[IronDragon1]

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He can be deceptive and does good combos, kind of like Lei, but he sucks in close and a lot of his moves leave him open to counterattacks from good players. Most of the time when I play a Hwoarang type I spend a lot of time stepping back and then flipping them up in the air a hundred times.

NT

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I would agree with this. However, as a player exclusively groomed on counterattck first ever since I first played Tekken seriously (when Tag first came out) I find him second to none.

[bholdr]

there is more and better competition at tekken than any other fighting game, perhaps any other video game, peroid... just not in the U.S....

[Dantes]

Tekken 4 came out like 3-4 years ago. Tekken 5 was just released on consoles a couple weeks ago.

[Viscant]

The best character in Tekken 4 by the end was Jin and it wasn't really close. Steve was pretty good also, as were Paul and Nina, but Jin basically killed everyone.
The main culprit was the just frame lazer scraper (referred to hereafter as JFLS). BF,2,1,2 (hold 2 until it just starts glowing then let go). Most characters in the game had a just frame where if you hit the button within 2-3 frames, the move would be stronger or something different would come out. Well, in Namco's infinite wisdom, the JFLS became a fast unblockable. Essentially if you got hit by the first hit of that, you would get hit by the unblockable and he'd get the combo of his choice since in addition to being an unblockable attack, it launched also. Brilliant.

Most major tournaments devolved into Jin vs. Jin with both of them trying desperately to play safe so as not to get hit by JFLS.

Tekken 4 was a terrible game. Tekken 5 is new and a better game. Play that.

[Pharity]

Learn to do the phoenix smasher with Paul. Then just use that and tackle. Its all u ever need against all non pro opponents..

[Pharity]

Hwoarang is a button smasher char for the newbies..