I actually prefered Alpha 2 more then Alpha 3, however both had their stupid bs, A2 with CC's and A3 with VC's, so the damage **** was still huge. However, if you want my honest opinion, HAD Alpha 1 of had more characters, I would've actually preferred playing that instead. Sure people did crazy damage in that game, however there wasn't stupid CC's or VC's, so okay Guy was too beast in that game, however no fighting games perfect.
Anyhow, I'm not surprised, here in the US, not a whole lot of people are doing well with Ryu, so you actually some top-players disagreeing with the Japanese Tier Listing. Surprisingly players like Ed Ma are doing well with Ken...however Ed Ma was doing great with Ken Pre-SF:IV anyhow...however, you could say the same with Daigo and Ruu with Ryu.
Yet if you put it all down on paper, Ryu has 10x more options then Ken, not to mention like 8+ different ways to link into Ultra, while Ken has like what...3?
Still, I cannot wait to see Japan vs USA in SF:IV and see who was right on what, I have this itchy funny feeling that once Japan plays the USA, we'll have a flood of Ryu players start popping out of nowhere, bet it, since imo, US is having him fly under the radar.
Yet, I'm not surprised, because anyone who thinks spacing with Hadouken's and mastering the Shoto Footsie game is easy...they are seriously kidding themselves. Ryu even when he was Top-Tier was one of the most demanding SF characters to ever master fully. Take Hyper Fighting for example, he was easily #1 in that game, however Blanka and Sagat who where also in the Top status where much easier to win with, and become successful with.
However a well played Ryu in Hyper Fighting was better then both of them, its just that Ryu required alot more effort due to the nature of how he plays like.
The same is in SF:IV, if you can't space well with Ryu, and if you can't zone well with Ryu, you will not do so hot period. In fact, I noticed that ALOT of Ryu players tend to be way too overly aggressive, even someone as top notch as Daigo are always going for the "big damage".
Yet, if anyone saw my playstyle of Ryu, I sit back and launch Hadouken's to pummel my opponent, and then start my footsie game when they get in close. Why rush in, when you can fight from anywhere on the screen with a projectile? I guess it's just like Jeff said...alot of the New Gen players have this rushdown mentality, when they don't necessarily need to do so.
However, at least US and Japan agree on one thing...Sagat being the best and Claw being the lowest. Game's very balanced, only a 31 pt differential from Sagat to Claw, and about 19 pts from Sagat to Blanka who's around in mid. Compare that to 3rdStrike where a point differential from Chunli to mid tier Urien was already a whopping 29 pt differential, and from Chunli to Sean was a monstrous 68 point differential.
That's more then double the point differential from Sagat to Claw, so for anyone who wants a balanced fighting game, well, SF:IV seems to be serving that up quite nicely. Although imo balance is overrated (just has to have a decent amount of playable characters and the game engine has to be solid).
one liners.
On another note, Gouken's Super in this game, if anyone see's, it looks like a multi-hitting Shoryuken, however storyline wise, that is the Metsu-Shoryuken, which is the same Shoryuken that Ryu utilized to scar and defeat Sagat within the very first Street Fighter 1 tournament...just thought people who where interested from a storyline perspective might have wanted to know.
