It seems like only yesterday when Fox was zooming around Lylat trying to measure up to his father while battling Andross and taking it all out on General Pepper’s wallet in the end. What doesn’t seem so distant is my memory of being knocked out from the top of the stage by fox’s up-air attack at around 65%. If you haven’t noticed by now, Fox is fast. It’s no secret. And now Sakurai has informed us that fox will continue his lightening rein of terror. Let’s take a look at why speed is so dangerous.
<a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/fox_070611a-l.jpg" title="Fox Burns"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/fox_070611a-l.jpg" alt="Fox Burns" /></a>
“Fox is just one of many so-called speed characters.”
Fox’s speed allows him to catch up and destroy his targets out of range of situations. Even after completely missing the target on the first pass, Fox is fast enough to correct himself and give it another shot. His speed alone makes Fox one of the most powerful characters in the game. His move set is also very powerful. But how do we determine how powerful a move is?
After years of research, I’ve concluded that the power of a move is the combination of 5 factors. Today we’ll discuss factor 1: Speed.
<!--more-->In general, for any given move the faster it comes out after the player presses the buttons, the better. After all, the opponent can only react so quickly. So, if the move strikes before they can react to it, the move has a much higher chance of landing a successful blow. Fox’s fastest move is his down+B. Some call it the “G-diffuser.” Some call it “the blink.” Some call it the “shine” or “reflector.” Whatever you call it, all you need to know is this move is one of the fastest moves in the game.
I’ll put it this way. The “shine” is a move that activates one frame after the button is pressed. Because Melee runs in 60 frames per second, this moves strikes after 1/60 of a second. If you still don’t understand how fast it is, approximately 21 shines can occur within the blink of an eye.
The reason speed is so effective in battle is, while the opponent is just beginning to swing his sword at you, you can shine and hit him before he hits you. Or as the opponent bends their knees to leap away from your oncoming shine attack, they’re already stunned from the attack. Or as the muscles in the opponent’s fingers begin to press the shield button, it may already be too late.
And it’s not always about the speed of the move. Fox is often fast enough to run and catch up to his targets that he hits away. This ability to “stay on target”turns almost all of his air moves into a potential combos. Think of it this way. Pick any sport. Football. Basketball. Baseball. Just imagine what would happen if just one player had unimaginable speed. A quick hand off and all of a sudden, the running back is waiting in the in zone. The ball is passed to a teammate and in the next instant he’s dunking the ball all the way down the court. After bunting the ball, the player runs around all the bases with enough time to pick his own ball up. Though these examples are extreme, it’s clear to see that the more speed a player has the more situations like this become a reality. Even the turn based game Chess has a speed mode. Speed is universally good.
Fox is the perfect example of raw speed. The faster the character moves, the faster the player has to input commands. This is why showing off with fox can clearly display a player’s technical abilities. Anyone who thinks Melee isn’t too fast hasn’t seen a good fox player in action. I’ve been known to go into overdrive with fox. After several flashes of light, someone always ends up dead. Sometimes it’s me. “with great power comes great responsibility.” I hope Sakarai knows what he’s doing this time.
<a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/fox_070611a-l.jpg" title="Fox Burns"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/fox_070611a-l.jpg" alt="Fox Burns" /></a>
“Fox is just one of many so-called speed characters.”
Fox’s speed allows him to catch up and destroy his targets out of range of situations. Even after completely missing the target on the first pass, Fox is fast enough to correct himself and give it another shot. His speed alone makes Fox one of the most powerful characters in the game. His move set is also very powerful. But how do we determine how powerful a move is?
After years of research, I’ve concluded that the power of a move is the combination of 5 factors. Today we’ll discuss factor 1: Speed.
<!--more-->In general, for any given move the faster it comes out after the player presses the buttons, the better. After all, the opponent can only react so quickly. So, if the move strikes before they can react to it, the move has a much higher chance of landing a successful blow. Fox’s fastest move is his down+B. Some call it the “G-diffuser.” Some call it “the blink.” Some call it the “shine” or “reflector.” Whatever you call it, all you need to know is this move is one of the fastest moves in the game.
I’ll put it this way. The “shine” is a move that activates one frame after the button is pressed. Because Melee runs in 60 frames per second, this moves strikes after 1/60 of a second. If you still don’t understand how fast it is, approximately 21 shines can occur within the blink of an eye.
The reason speed is so effective in battle is, while the opponent is just beginning to swing his sword at you, you can shine and hit him before he hits you. Or as the opponent bends their knees to leap away from your oncoming shine attack, they’re already stunned from the attack. Or as the muscles in the opponent’s fingers begin to press the shield button, it may already be too late.
And it’s not always about the speed of the move. Fox is often fast enough to run and catch up to his targets that he hits away. This ability to “stay on target”turns almost all of his air moves into a potential combos. Think of it this way. Pick any sport. Football. Basketball. Baseball. Just imagine what would happen if just one player had unimaginable speed. A quick hand off and all of a sudden, the running back is waiting in the in zone. The ball is passed to a teammate and in the next instant he’s dunking the ball all the way down the court. After bunting the ball, the player runs around all the bases with enough time to pick his own ball up. Though these examples are extreme, it’s clear to see that the more speed a player has the more situations like this become a reality. Even the turn based game Chess has a speed mode. Speed is universally good.
Fox is the perfect example of raw speed. The faster the character moves, the faster the player has to input commands. This is why showing off with fox can clearly display a player’s technical abilities. Anyone who thinks Melee isn’t too fast hasn’t seen a good fox player in action. I’ve been known to go into overdrive with fox. After several flashes of light, someone always ends up dead. Sometimes it’s me. “with great power comes great responsibility.” I hope Sakarai knows what he’s doing this time.