How the CPU cheated you in Street Fighter 2

[Tetra-Grammaton-Cleric]

The truth is most arcade games were designed to fuck your shit up as quickly as possible and make you funnel in more quarters.

When you consider something like the insane difficulty of the original Donkey Kong, which is crushingly hard from the very outset, you realize how often these games were designed to kill you off within literal seconds or a minute tops.

At least with SFII, there were ways to cheese the game. MK on the other hand was like dolling out money to be battered; I still get the shakes thinking about the CPU from MK3.

 

[VariantX]

Was just going to say the same thing.



That's unfortunately the result of a bug in the US Arcade release..

The difficulty toggle has a invalid integer value so on the lowest setting it rolls over into the highest setting. The only time this was ever fixed was in the PSX version of Super Turbo part of the SF Collection. I still don't understand why they didn't fix this bug in more recent versions of the game such as the SF 30th Collection.

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Yep. Not even worth playing ST SP. While Im happy to play 3s and A3 online, its straight up bs they didn't do a simple fix so people could actually attempt to enjoy ST's arcade mode.

 

[DaveB]

At least with SFII, there were ways to cheese the game. MK on the other hand was like dolling out money to be battered; I still get the shakes thinking about the CPU from MK3.

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The CPU in MK3 wasn't as bad as in UMK3 though. Fuck you, Jade!

I remember forever ago someone asked a producer or designer on SF2 why characters like Guile and Blanka can throw out back charge moves while walking forward, and their response was something like "They're the computer. They can do whatever they want."

 

[Magnus]

Does this apply to home console (SNES) versions too? That's what I played most as a kid.

 

[Tarot Deck]

How the CPU cheated you in Street Fighter 2

Everyone who has played Street Fighter 2 will have experienced at least one of the things featured in this video. Some of the stuff, like the CPU becoming in...

www.youtube.com

Great video by Desk. It brings back so many memories of the cheap CPU while playing SF as a kid. "I was blocking" excuse was always valid.

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I didn't knew that was a thing until that video. Wtf.

 

[Rolodzeo]

SNK Boss syndrome.

 

[Thera]

Without watching the video I vividly remember the CPU would have Guile throw sonic booms that didn't make sense or in quick succession.

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Funny that I have the exact same memory (didn't make sense or in quick succession) but about "Somersault Kick".
Bison was so quick to throw some attack too.

 

[Frankie Williamson]

The attacks being unblockable suddenly sends me to flashbacks where I'm screaming "FUCK YOU I WAS BLOCKING!" and being made fun of by my buddy or brothers for just sucking. YOU MOTHER FUCKERS CAPCOM!

 

[ghibli99]

Don't even need to watch the video for my blood to start boiling having flashbacks about all the CPU cheats, especially when you cranked up the difficulty on the home versions! LOL

 

[Jaypah]

Yeah, finding out that the CPU straight up breaks the rules of the game in several ways a while back kind of takes 100% of the appeal of playing these older fighting games arcade ladders. It means learning the mechanics don't matter as much as finding the holes in the AI. You're not allowed to play the game unless youre playing against another human so much as find the cracks and force your way through not really engage with the game and the tools you're given.

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Well said. Growing up my friends and I all had 2 completely different playstyles depending on fighting the CPU or humans. Beating the CPU was more about move execution and, more importantly, figuring out the cause and effect puzzle of forcing the CPU to give you a clean open. Like with Zangief and Boxer crouching foward kicks would make the CPU jump and you could either axe kick them or dragon punch. Every character had AI weaknesses like that and if you tried to fight them heads-up like you would fight a human you had a high chance of getting dusted.

 

[Jazzem]

Great video, a very sobering watch D: Nice to get actual confirmation on things I've always suspected and more.

Honestly it's something I really like about Ultra Street Fighter II on Switch, the AI's actually reasonably balanced. The input for specials also being more forgiving was appreciated. Both of those going back to punishing arcade standards on the SF collection was a bit rough

When you consider something like the insane difficulty of the original Donkey Kong, which is crushingly hard from the very outset, you realize how often these games were designed to kill you off within literal seconds or a minute tops.

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So happy they gave the option for the Japanese version on the Switch port, I prefer it by far due to original level order and much, much more reasonably balanced difficulty!

 

[DarkOxygen]

SNK Boss syndrome.

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Oooooof yes. Hello all incarnations of Rugal.

 

[DanteMenethil]

DSP vindicated.

I WAS BLOCKING AHK AHK AHK *snort*

 

[imbarkus]

The truth is most arcade games were designed to fuck your shit up as quickly as possible and make you funnel in more quarters.

When you consider something like the insane difficulty of the original Donkey Kong, which is crushingly hard from the very outset, you realize how often these games were designed to kill you off within literal seconds or a minute tops.

At least with SFII, there were ways to cheese the game. MK on the other hand was like dolling out money to be battered; I still get the shakes thinking about the CPU from MK3.

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The thing is, Donkey Kong doesn't deserve the shot. It was more of an old-school, first generation arcade game. Like Pac-Man, Defender, Robotron.

1st gen arcade games may have cost a quarter and even been made to be hard-as-balls, but they were fair. Certain people could become wizards and play them for hours on end, just because of how much they could master the game. In this way, these games aspired to be something other than revenue streams, hoping to reach all-time heights of game design like Chess or Backgammon.

Once 2nd gen came along and "Insert Coin to Continue" debuted, you started to see all this shit with the CPU pulling bullshit cheap moves to end your one-quarter run and force more money out of you. I am, in fact, intimately familiar with all the bullshit detailed in this video. Anyone from that era has rolled their eyes directly at an arcade machine and exclaimed "come on!"

It's literally the debut of the shitty micro-transaction, "Insert Coin to Continue" and what it did to the quality of game design.

 

[Astronut325]

Yup... I knew it was cheating. Just didn't have proof. I recently played the Mini SNES version and it does the same shit.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

The anger from Guile's bullshit flashkicks will live with me forever.

 

[headspawn]

I always thought it was weird but in MK if you won with mild looking fight, sometimes the next match wouldn't be so ramped up in difficulty but if you are just in their face destroying them without giving them a breather, I swear difficulty jumps like 10x in the following match. Also sometimes it seems like if you lose the fight, that difficulty will stay the same until you switch characters and then sometimes it eases off a bit. Maybe I'm crazy, but that that always seemed to be the case in MK and SF. Probably the dumbest thing I thought was true.

 

[AMAGON]

Ah yes, Guile's classic walk forward flash kick.

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fuck him

 

[henhowc]

hehe yeah. cpu did not have to charge at all

instant blanka balls, psycho crusher, balrog rush punches, standing flash kicks, etc.

 

[Gestault]

This thread is is really cathartic, for me.

 

[DiceHands]

Now do Fifa. The game definitely still cheats players to this day. These 90 minute goals need to stop!!!

 

[Ishmae1]

SF arcade games were notorious cheaters, especially if you'd perfected everyone up to Bison.

Bison could literally one-hit-kill you if you'd perfected the game up to that point on every round.

 

[AtomicShroom]

I always knew the CPU didn't have to abide by any "charge time" or even proper button inputs for super moves. Super moves are just something they call instantly at will.

 

[Legacy]

I fucking knew it! CPU matches used to be rage inducing sometimes

 

[AtomicShroom]

I hope he does the same with Killer Instinct arcade. I swear in that game if you were doing good and winning matches, the CPU could empty 80% of your life bar with a fucking triple combo.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

In Killer instinct, a single combo by the AI would do like 90% of your life.
Spinal would land one combo and you'd be dead.

Pretty bullshit.

EDIT: Beaten

 

[Deleted member 12009]

I still get furious when arcade operators crank the difficulty on their SFII cabinets. One fight against Honda or Blanka will convince you it's a carnival game style ripoff. People feed quarters into those cabinets thinking 'wow, I'm just bad at this game' but in reality the damn thing straight cheats. If you put quarters in and wait for an opponent, you'll be dead before someone approaches the cabinet because the game straight steals your cash.

 

[Deleted member 5148]

Well yeah, CPU was throwing out flash kicks with no charge regularly, it was obviously cheating.

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The CPU was using a hitbox probably.

 

[Kneefoil]

This is why I've always been unsure if I wanted to call Street Fighter II a good game or not. I enjoy the PvP but the game is pretty awful versus CPU.

The damage from (multi-hit) throws from the CPU was the absolute worst.

 

[Tetra-Grammaton-Cleric]

The thing is, Donkey Kong doesn't deserve the shot. It was more of an old-school, first generation arcade game. Like Pac-Man, Defender, Robotron.

1st gen arcade games may have cost a quarter and even been made to be hard-as-balls, but they were fair. Certain people could become wizards and play them for hours on end, just because of how much they could master the game. In this way, these games aspired to be something other than revenue streams, hoping to reach all-time heights of game design like Chess or Backgammon.

Once 2nd gen came along and "Insert Coin to Continue" debuted, you started to see all this shit with the CPU pulling bullshit cheap moves to end your one-quarter run and force more money out of you. I am, in fact, intimately familiar with all the bullshit detailed in this video. Anyone from that era has rolled their eyes directly at an arcade machine and exclaimed "come on!"

It's literally the debut of the shitty micro-transaction, "Insert Coin to Continue" and what it did to the quality of game design.

Click to shrink...

I think fair is a relative term. I get what you're saying and I don't disagree in terms of design but by just about any metric, DK was fucking nuts at how difficult it was from the first screen.

Even games like Robotron and Pac-Man weren't quite as unforgiving.

But yes, it certainly falls under the category of old school arcade design coupled with it being a burgeoning medium at the time.

But goddamn is DK a difficult game. :)

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

This is why I've always been unsure if I wanted to call Street Fighter II a good game or not. I enjoy the PvP but the game is pretty awful versus CPU.

The damage from (multi-hit) throws from the CPU was the absolute worst.

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I think it's fair to recognize SF2's significance and also admit that it isn't a particularly good game.
SSFT2 is an all-time great though.

 

[Yerffej]

Is there a Street Fighter that hasn't cheated its ass off?

 

[Igniz12]

This is why I only played Rainbow edition SF2. Go ahead, try your bullshit when my Shoryuken clears half the screen and also fires 8 hadokens at the same time.

 

[AlexBasch]

Hate Baraka since MK2 SNES and all its bullshit, like spamming throws.

 

[Sloppyjoe_Gamer]

Lmao hilarious.....i knew i wasnt crazy!!!

Someone should post that vid to Ed Boon's Twitter account and tell him it's time to fess up about MK2 and UMK3 especially

 

[Nemesis121]

Yup, that's Street Fighter 2 for you.

MK2 was worse though.

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MK2 had so many tricks to cheat the AI, used to beat it with a Quarter... Scorpion, Kung Lao, and Katana, was easy mode...

 

[Jaded Alyx]

The CPU was using a hitbox probably.

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Lol hitbox users still need to charge flash kicks

 

[OmegaDL50]

MK2 Arcade was literally broken. AI's could counter uppercut you on reaction at a speed humanly impossible. Also forget trying to land a throw on the opponent because your shit won't connect. Kitana and Mileena bullshit suplex on reaction any one? Yeah...

Other than that the AI was dumb as a box of rocks. Jump away from the opponent and they would jump in after you giving you free range to roundhouse them out of the sky or any anti-air follow up.

 

[J75]

Anyone know of a list of fighting games where the CPU is actually fair, plays by the games rules and doesn't do scummy cheating like in here?

 

[crimzonflame]

Anyone know of a list of fighting games where the CPU is actually fair, plays by the games rules and doesn't do scummy cheating like in here?

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MvC2 I used to play in the highest difficulty and never found the AI cheap.

 

[Eoin]

Anyone know of a list of fighting games where the CPU is actually fair, plays by the games rules and doesn't do scummy cheating like in here?

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Tekken, mostly. Some of the later games have bosses with advantages over the player, but the majority of games (and, even in later games, the vast majority of the time), the CPU can only do what you can do.

 

[Andromeda]

It's an easy way to increase the difficulty. It was still possible to beat the game though so in the end the cheat was maybe necessary otherwise the game would have being too easy. I guess.

 

[chairhome]

I was playing Turbo on the SNES classic a few nights ago and thought they fixed the AI by the time they got to Turbo, but M Bison kept walking forward and doing Psycho Crusher 😔

 

[Timu]

That's 100% cheating dood!

But yeah, I always knew something was up when I played against the A.I. in that game!

 

[Astronut325]

I was playing Turbo on the SNES classic a few nights ago and thought they fixed the AI by the time they got to Turbo, but M Bison kept walking forward and doing Psycho Crusher 😔

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Yup. The AI cheats heavily in the Classic SNES version just like the arcades. Getting the authentic arcade experience!

Edit:
I stopped playing the SF game on the classic.

 

[Thrill_house]

Yeah anyone that spent time in the arcades kr with the console versions can confirm this. It was definitely worse in the arcades but it was still an issue with the snes versions of SF2 and MK2. Impossible moves and reaction times were the norm.
I remember pounding the controls to get dhalsim or balrog to headbutt for as long as the cpu did. Blanka's bite attack was so long it became an inside joke among my friends and I.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Great video.

But the only game I really remember feeling like bullshit was Mortal Kombat II on the hardest difficulty setting.

Even putting in the cheat code where all you had to do is hit your opponent once for an insta-kill would not be enough most of the time.

 

[Squid Bunny]

 

[Futaleufu]

The CPU also does more damage than you.

 

[BrunOz]

Personaly nothing comes close to Mortal Kombat 2 AI annoyance, grabs you out of anything, instant counter your uppercuts with another uppercut, instant wake up anti air, so many bullshit.