STREET FIGHTER ZERO 3 Sony Playstation (Import) CODY CHARACTER GUIDE by John Culbert February 1999 This Guide and all others are available at: http://www.fighters.net http://www.gamefaqs.com ____________ Introduction ____________ FINALLY got SFZ3 for my PSX a little while ago, and needless to say, I'm impressed. While I can understand the community's bitching about the problems with the game, I still find it's far more balanced and enjoyable to play than the Vs. games, or even the other more recent games like Rival Schools or Pocket Fighter. I never got the chance to play this game in the arcade (yes, believe it :P ) so I certainly have a lot of catching up to do with you guys, and I am learning fast. I hope this guide may shed some new light on Cody, and introduce beginners to the game as well. Cody is one of the new characters in the game, and is sickeningly fun to play. He does a good bit of damage, especially in combos, and can really set up a great poking game to pressure the opponent. I prefer to play Z-ism Cody (A-ism in North America) because I still don't like the whole idea of V-ism (even though I DO understand it's extremely powerful), and I prefer his Super Combos in Z-ism as well. Above all else he is, as I said, fun to play, and once you learn how to work with his combos, you can do some real damage. _______ MARGINS _______ 1234567890 .......... MONOSPACE, DAMMIT! :) If the dots above line up with the numbers above them, then you can read this document with ease. If they aren't lined up, the margins will be all screwy and generally make this a bitch to read. It was created using EditPad, and as such it is best viewed by this. _____________________ COPYRIGHT INFORMATION _____________________ I'm getting sick of the bullshit going around with others stealing FAQ writer's hard work without permission or credit. A certain unmentionable gaming mag stole A2 stuff from me a while ago (*ahem*EGM*cough*hack), and on-line people who don't want to put effort into doing this stuff also copied from me (this means you, Davis!!) So here it is: All work and information contained within this document Copyright 1998 John Culbert unless otherwise stated. This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It can only be reproduced electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be altered as long as this disclaimer and the above copyright notice appears in full. Any information used from this document, quoted or no, should have this author's name somewhere clearly as acknowledgement. Feel free to distribute between others, but this FAQ is not to be used for profitable/promotional purposes; this includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides, books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, etc. in ANY way. This document was created by John Culbert . Give credit where it is due. Street Fighter Zero 3, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Final Fight, and all other characters and game information copyright 1998/1999 Capcom Entertainment. ______ Legend ______ PP = any two punches simultaniously KK = any two kicks simultaniously PPP= any three punches simultaniously KKK= any three kicks simultaniously J. = Jumping S. = Standing C. = Crouching XX = Cancel/buffer into Special Move or Super Combo QCT= Quarter Circle Toward (roll the joystick from D to F) QCB= Quarter Circle Back (roll the joystick from D to B) HCT= Half Circle Toward (roll the joystick from B to D to F) HCB= Half Circle Back (roll the joystick from F to D to B) + = enter commands simultainiously FB = Fireball or similar motion (QCT) DP = Dragon Punch or similar motion (F,D,D/F) SPD= Spinning Piledriver or similar motion (roll 270) SC = Super Combo VC = Variable Combo _________________ GAME CONVENTIONS: _________________ GAME MODES +========+ The game is divided into three main modes, V-ism, X-ism and Z-ism. V-ism is a mode where only Variable Combos can be used, with no Super Combos available (see below). Z-ism is basically identical to Zero/Alpha play, like SFA2; Each character has multiple SCs with 3 levels on the meter, and they can air block, Zero Counter, Taunt, and tech hit Throws. X-ism is similar to ST (Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo) in that you cannot air block, taunt, Zero Counter, or tech hit Throws , and your character can only perform one SC (with one large Super meter). In addition however, characters in X-ism do more damage with each hit than Z-ism and V-ism. SECRET GAME MODES +===============+ Available in PSX version only, Saikyou, Mazi and Classical. Saikyou, named after Dan Hibiki's fighting style, means "Strongest"--in this mode, you do less damage per hit, your guard meter (see below) is DRASTICALLY shortened, and you cannot cancel ground attacks into special moves. Obviously, it's a sweeter victory if you beat your opponent while using this mode. Mazi means "Serious"--your opponent needs only to beat you ONE round to win, while you have to beat them two rounds to win (as normal). In addition the damage you take is increased, however the damage that YOU inflict is GREATLY increased. For Classical, it essentially means that your character is reverted to their Classic version; in addition to doing the slightly increased damage you do in X-ism mode and having all your character's X-ism "quirks" (eg. Chun Li's in her old costume), you also lose the ability to flip out at all in the air, you cannot reduce guard damage at all, you have NO Super meter, but also no Guard meter (which can be a plus.) VARIABLE COMBO (V-ism only) +=========================+ Similar to Custom Combos from SFA2, but some differences. You can now move about freely, including jumping, instead of walking forward only. You engage a VC by pressing a Punch + Kick of same strength. The strength of buttons you use determines how far APART your shadows are, and thus how far apart they hit. Jab+Short has the shadows closest together, Fierce+Roundhouse has them the furthest apart. Once activated, you have until the meter runs out to string together a combo, all Special Moves lose their recovery time, allowing you to cancel one into another constantly, as with CCs from SFA2--if done right, you can do a HUGE combo that the opponent cannot flip out of... or, you can demolish their Guard Meter as well :P. GUARDING/BLOCKING +===============+ To block attacks, hold B or D/B. You can also block in the air (Z-ism or V-ism only). GUARD METER +=========+ SFZ3 now features a small meter below your health bar, which varies in size depending on the ism. As you block hits, this meter decreases (it also slowly recharges itself). If this meter is completely depleted by your opponent, a Guard Break will occur and your character will flash with stunned animation, allowing the opponent to get in some free attacks. This was put into the game presumably to deter turtlers, but V-ism players can take HUGE advantage of this, since a decent-sized V-ism combo can DESTROY a full Guard Meter, opening you up for a combo anyways... sorta like, take the VC, or block it all, then eat a combo after :(. THROWS AND GRABS +==============+ Throws and Grabs are no longer done with a single motion and button. All Throws are now performed with F+PP or B+PP; most characters also have a F+KK or B+KK Throw as well. Every character can also perform a Throw in the air. TECH HITS (Z-ism, V-ism only) +===========================+ To flip out of a Throw and reduce the damage done to you, perform a Throw motion just as you are being grabbed. GROUND RECOVERY (Z-ism, V-ism only) +=================================+ To recover from a knockdown, press KK. AIR RECOVERY +==========+ To flip when you're knocked up or through the air, press F+PP or B+PP. It is crucial that you make this an automatic REFLEX in most cases, though sometimes the juggle you try to avoid will hit you anyways... GUARD PROTECTION +==============+ You can reduce the amount of damage when you block by tapping B or D/B JUST as their attack is reaching you, as opposed to just holding it before they attack. COUNTER HITS +==========+ Borrowed from the Virtua Fighter and Tekken series, you can now perform Counter Hits by hitting the opponent during the initial frames of their attack. When this occurs, you will do increased damage and in some cases, launch them for a juggle. ZERO COUNTER (Z-ism, V-ism only) +==============================+ Known as Alpha Counters in North America. These are now performed differently as well--as you block an attack, tap F and press any Punch + any Kick of the same strength. These take one level of your Super meter, but altogether are just plain bad in SFZ3; most are very low priority and rarely hit, and when they do, they do pitiful damage... Certainly not worth a level off the Super meter. ___________________________ CODY: CHARACTER INFORMATION ___________________________ Name: Cody Height: 6 ft Weight: 187 lbs Blood Type: O Born: April 18, 1967 Birthplace: presumably Metro City, USA Fighting Style: Street Fighting, specializing in knife fighitng Status: escaped convict at large Story: Cody was wrongly convicted of kidnapping Jessica, his childhood sweetheart. Cody has escaped from prison to prove his innocence. (IIRC, can someone correct me if this is wrong?) __________ MOVES LIST __________ -Bad Stone: QCT+P (hold P to delay) -Fake Stone: QCT+Select (hold Select to delay) -Ruffian Kick: QCT+K -Criminal Upper:QCB+P -Bad Spray: B,D/B,D+P (after being knocked down, or after Air Block) -Knife Grab: d+PP near the knife -Knife Throw: QCT+P w/Knife (hold P to delay) -Fake Knife: QCT+Select w/Knife (hold Select to delay) -Stomach Blow: f+Strong -Crack Kick: f+Roundhouse -Sidestep: B or D/B when attacked (V-ism only) -Chain Toss: F+PP or B+PP (close) -Ground Drop: F+KK or B+KK (close) -Air Throw; Ground Drop: F+KK or B+KK (close in mid-air) -Zero Counter (Z-ism); Chain Toss: F+P+K after blocking -Zero Counter (V-ism); C.Roundhouse: F+P+K after blocking -Super Combo 1; Final Destruction: QCT,QCT+P -Super Combo 2; Dead-End Irony: QCT,QCT+K ____________ NORMAL MOVES ____________ JAB PUNCH +=======+ Both standing and crouching Jabs are quick punches that can be comboed easily, but have very little range. S.Jab can be used somewhat as an air counter, but you certainly shouldn't rely on it here. S.Jab does however, work quite well to stop torpedo attacks (eg. Blanka's Roll), but this must be timed properly--the speed of Cody's Jab does not allow you to simply mash on the button when Blanka starts his Roll, you must time it. The C.Jab also works in a similar fashion, and can be linked into a C.Short. STRONG PUNCH +==========+ S.Strong is a short standing uppercut, a good overall air counter to opponents coming in close. This has next to no horizontal range, so refrain from using it on standing opponents. C.Strong also doesn't have much horizontal range, but has excellent priority and combos easily--use plenty up close. FIERCE PUNCH +==========+ S.Fierce is high side-uppercut. Decent as an air counter to farther-jumping opponents, and cancels easily in combos--this can be snuffed quite easily with ground-based attacks, so stick with it in combos and air counters. C.Fierce is a swinging hammer fist upward, but has little vertical range, making it not so good as an air counter. However, it is an excellent counter to Hurricane Kick moves. Can also be comboed well. J.Fierce is more horizontal than vertical, can be used well in air-to-air battle. SHORT KICK +========+ S.Short is a decent up-close poke, which I guess can be used somewhat as a tick as well. Good to snuff slower low attacks. C.Short is one of Cody's best overall attacks. Great range for a short kick, and good priority up close as well. This is also Cody's easiest combo-able attack. FORWARD KICK +==========+ Standing Forward is a funny little front kick, which comes out fairly fast with good range. Can be used as a poke, and has mad priority over lower attacks. C.Forward is a slide, but overall I really detest this move. Upon first glance I thought it was a DeeJay-like slide, maybe could even be used as an air counter. But this was not to be. It comes out fast enough, but it appears the first frames of it have ZIP for hit detection :P. So 99% of the time the opponent will be able to snuff this with ease. It's a shame, I think Cody could've benefited with a faster/higher priority move like this. J.Forward is IMO Cody's best jump-in attack. It has excellent horizontal and vertical range with good speed, and sets up easily for a jump-in combo. ROUNDHOUSE KICK +=============+ S.Roundhouse is a high straight kick, excellent as an air counter, but a tad on the slow side. A good safe juggle after the Criminal Upper if the opponent flips out. C.Roundhouse is a basic sweep, but it's not very fast and really doesn't have that great a range. J.Roundhouse is a downward jump kick similar to Sagat's J.Roundhouse... a decent jump-in, but not much range. _____________ SPECIAL MOVES _____________ Bad Stone +=======+ Cody picks up a rock from the ground, tests its weight and tosses it. You can delay him throwing it by holding P. The first thing to remember is NOT to treat this like a regular projectile. It comes out FAR slower and travels in an arc. It's basically useless against any other projectile, there's will most likely reach you first, or they'll at least have time to block. However the Bad Stone can be used to pin back opponents who jump at you a lot, at least forcing them to air block it. It can be particularily effective at pinning back Zangief, who can't cleanly get around it. Fake Stone +========+ Cody picks up a rock from the ground, tests its weight, but then simply drops it. From a distance this can be used to confuse the opponent, but overall not too useful since the opponent will most likely try to block the incoming stone anyways. Ruffian Kick +==========+ Cody lunges forward with either a high kick, side kick, or foot slide. The strongest of Cody's moves, when used well it can highly effective in many ways. The Roundhouse version will hit standing opponents, but only at EXTREMELY close range, and it is certainly not reliable for this. It's a reasonable anti-air from a short distance, and it hits later in its animation, so anticipation is needed; overall it's best in juggles. The Forward version is the best version of the three, and one of Cody's overall best attacks. It comes out really fast and has good range. If blocked it can be countered by a VERY fast attack, but overall it's a pretty safe attack. This is good in combos, and with its great priority can be used to snuff attacks within its range, especially lunging/sliding attacks. Overall, stick it any place you need to hit the opponent quick. The Short version is a low sliding kick, not much range but comes out fairly fast and has great priority--can be used up close to snuff many attacks. Criminal Upper +============+ Cody steps forward and throws an uppercut, sending a hurricane upward in front of him. Also a highly important move for Cody, particularily the Jab version. This version comes out fairly fast (can be snuffed by some quick attacks) and more importantly, if blocked it is basically uncounterable, allowing you to continue into a further poking game, retreat, or Throw the opponent. This should not be used as an air counter, and won't work very well as such, it is primarily a ground attack. This will combo easily out of any of Cody's bufferable attacks, and more importantly, sets up for some sweet juggles. Bad Spray +=======+ Cody quickly grabs a handful of dirt and tosses it at the opponent. Done mainly as a reversal when getting up from a knockdown, but can also be used after air blocking an attack or after a PP flip-out. Excellent surprise attack for overly-offensive opponents who move in too quickly after attacking you. Does pitance for damage, but knocks the opponent across the screen. Knife Grab +========+ Cody crouches quickly to grab the knife from the ground and tests its weight. The lag of grabbing the knife is quite high, so make absolutely sure the opponent is not in a position to attack you as you grab it. When the knife is equipped, all of Cody's Punch attacks become different knife attacks, and the Bad Stone becomes the Knife Throw. Your knife will fall from your hand when Cody is hit, executes a Throw or Taunt, or performs a Super Combo. See Knife Strategies for more info. Knife Throw +=========+ Cody tests his knife's weight, then tosses it forward. The Knife Throw, particularily the Fierce version, is incredibly quick through the air, and can nullify most other non-SC projectiles. See Knife Strategies for more info. Stomach Blow +==========+ Cody throws a mid-level punch to the opponent's stomach. This move has a fair bit of priority and is bufferable. However, it has extremely low range, so it can only be used RIGHT up close. Crack Kick +========+ Cody hops forward and performs a spin kick. EXTREMELY useful kick, it has great range and comes out real fast, and recovers quite well too. Hops over most low attacks, and because of its recovery, allows you to nail them afterwards, or at least continue a poking game. This is essential to Cody's offensive game. See Strategies for more info. Sidestep +======+ Cody steps quickly to the side of any attack. This is a V-ism specific move that occurs whenever you press back to defend against an attack. Highly useful, and the reason why most people play V-ism Cody--after dodging a lot of attacks, you can counter more easily than you could simply blocking. See Strategies for more info. Chain Toss +========+ Cody grabs the opponent around the neck with his handcuff chains and tosses them over his shoulder. Sends the opponent pretty far away and does decent damage. Ground Drop +=========+ Cody grabs the opponent, mounts them, and drives them into the ground with his foot on their chest. Does GOOD damage and leaves the opponent closer than the Chain Toss. Air Throw; Ground Drop +====================+ Cody grabs the opponent in mid-air, mounts them, and drives them into the ground with his foot on their chest. Also does very good damage with a fair bit of priority, and can be used as a juggle. Zero Counter (Z-ism); Chain Toss +==============================+ After blocking an attack, Cody grabs the opponent around the neck with his handcuff chains and tosses them over his shoulder. Altogether not worth the waste of the Super Combo meter, and actually doesn't hit that often either. Anyone? Zero Counter (V-ism); C.Roundhouse +================================+ After blocking an attack, Cody crouches low and performs a sweeping kick. Obviously hits more than the Z-ism Zero Counter, however it's still not worth the 50% of the VC meter, especially for the amount of damage it does. Super Combo 1; Final Destruction +==============================+ In Z-ism, Cody performs a short dashing punch, and continues into a big multi-hit combo if it connects. Good amount of damage, however its priority is not very good, some low attacks can snuff it, and the first hit must be clean for the rest to even come out. In X-ism, this is similar to Rose's Soul Shadow SC, where Cody gains shadows that mimic his attacks. All jumping attacks now become a generica jumping kick with the Crack Kick animation, that knocks the opponent off their feet, and all ground attacks are now quick jabs. You can chain these punches together repeatedly and if will flow into Cody's old Final Fight PPPP Combo (Two Jabs, a Stomach Blow, and an Uppercut), for good damage. You can also press D+Punch as the last command to finish with a Chain Toss. The big advantage to this SC is that each hit cannot be flipped out of if you juggle with him. So, in the corner, you can connect with the Jump Kick, and juggle repeatedly with Punch. Essentially you can chain some serious combos together, especially in the corner. Super Combo 2; Dead-End Irony +===========================+ Cody lunges forward with a huge multi-hit kick combo, that ends in a rising spin kick. Basic rush SC, the recovery if blocked is slow enough for a quick counter-attack, however its priority is quite high and can snuff many up-close attacks--also combos well. ______ COMBOS ______ Game Mode in parenthesis following the combo indicates which ism the combo can be performed in. AFAIK, these combos work on all size characters. 1. J.Roundhouse, C.Strong XX Short or Forward Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) 2. J.Forward, S.Fierce or C.Fierce or C.Jab XX Jab Criminal Upper... juggle --> Roundhouse Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) juggle --> Crack Kick (X,Z,V) juggle --> KKK Air Throw (X,Z,V) juggle --> Fierce Criminal Upper (X,Z,V) juggle --> S.Fierce XX Fierce Criminal Upper (X,Z,V) juggle --> S.Fierce XX Roundhouse Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) juggle --> S.Roundhouse (X,Z,V) 3. J.Forward, C.Jab, C.Short XX Short or Foward Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) 4. J.Roundhouse, C.Short XX Jab Criminal Upper, S.Fierce XX Roundhouse Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) 5. C.Short XX Jab Criminal Upper, Jab Criminal Upper, S.Fierce (X,Z,V) 6. (corner) Crack Kick... juggle --> Roundhouse Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) juggle --> S.Fierce XX Roundhouse Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) juggle --> Fierce Criminal Upper (X,Z,V) juggle --> S.Fierce XX Jab Criminal Upper (X,Z,V) juggle --> Final Destruction, PP,PPP (X) juggle --> Final Destruction, PP,D+P,PP,D+P, etc... (X) juggle --> S.Roundhouse (X,Z,V) 7. (corner) Final Destruction, Jump Kick, PP,PP,PPP 8. (corner) C.Short XX Jab Criminal Upper, Final Destruction, PP,D+P,PP,D+P etc..., S.Fierce XX Jab Criminal Upper or Roundhouse Ruffian Kick (X) 9. (w/knife) J.Forward, C.Jab x 3 XX Forward Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) 10. J.Roundhouse, C.Short XX Final Destruction (Z) 11. J.Forward, C.Jab -> C.Short XX Dead End Irony (Z) 12. J.Roundhouse, C.Jab, C.Jab -> C.Short XX Short Ruffian Kick (X,Z,V) 13. (corner w/knife) J.Roundhouse, S.Fierce XX Jab Criminal Upper, S.Fierce XX Fierce Knife Throw (X,Z,V) 14. (close to corner) J.Forward, C.Short XX Jab Criminal Upper, Crack Kick, S.Fierce XX Roundhouse Ruffian Kick or Fierce Criminal Upper (X,Z,V) Extra Notes: regarding #14... If you start this too close to the corner it won't all connect, you need enough room to connect with the Crack Kick AS the opponent enters the corner. After that, you can continue into a further juggle. On the subject of juggling, it is important to note that the opponent can easily flip out of a non-buffered juggle... however often the Criminal Upper or Roundhouse Crack Kick you are using to juggle will snag them anyway. For example, a S.Fierce XX Jab Criminal Upper cannot be flipped out of, so basically juggles can continue unhindred... until they reach the corner, where you are allowed only "one more" juggle combination and the opponent will fall to the ground no matter what. _______________ VARIABLE COMBOS _______________ NOTE: I don't play V-Ism Cody that much at all, so feel free to send me any neat VCs you may have found. 1. (Jab+Short) Fierce Criminal Upper -> Roundhouse Ruffian Kick, repeat Comments: Should be Cody's bread and butter VC. After the Roundhouse Ruffian Kick you should flow immediately into the Criminal Upper. Do not RUSH this VC, or the Ruffian Kick will miss--this must be done methodically and with a certain pace, get a feel for it. 2. Roundhouse Ruffian Kick as air counter, Fierce Criminal Upper, Roundhouse Ruffian Kick, repeat Comments: Same as number #1, just connects as an air counter first... wait an ever-so-little bit longer after the first Ruffian Kick for the Criminal Upper to connect. 3. (corner) (Jab+Short) Fierce Criminal Upper -> S.Roundhouse, repeat Comments: a little easier to time, and a little easier to connect in the corner. Again, don't rush the pace. 4. (Strong+Forward) C.Jab -> Forward Ruffian Kick -> C.Forward, repeat 5. (corner) (Jab+Short) C.Forward -> Forward Ruffian Kick -> Roundhouse Ruffian Kick -> Fierce Criminal Upper -> S.Roundhouse -> Fierce Criminal Upper, etc... Comments: works with about the same timing as #3, just changing up the first hits a little. NOTES: Ziggy recommends that all of Cody's V-ism strings begin with C.Jab XX Jab Criminal Upper, presumably due to its speed and priority to snuff up close. __________ STRATEGIES __________ Offensive Strategies +==================+ Cody can set up an excellent poking game, as long as you're careful to use the right moves. Mixing up a series of attacks when close to the opponent is the key. For me, the primary offensive tool are the S.Forward, J.Forward and the Crack Kick. When S.Forward connects or is blocked, it leaves you at just the right distance for a Crack Kick usually. From a short distance, The Crack Kick can set up a variety of follow-ups that you can continue to mix to keep them guessing. If the Crack Kick connects, it knocks the opponent back a bit, and you can set up some good juggles for major damage too. If the Crack Kick is blocked, your recovery is good enough to follow up; you can move in for a Throw, if you find the opponent likes to turtle a fair bit... Tossing out the S.Forward after a blocked Crack Kick will snuff just about any low kick attempt, popular from the Shoto-bros... Feel free to toss out the Jab Criminal Upper at any point close to the opponent... after a blocked Crack Kick, or especially from a C.Short. If it's blocked, you basically have an advantage, so you can start into your poking game again, perhaps into a C.Short. Mixing in the Dead-End Irony can be risky, but worthwhile if it connects. It has great priority over up-close attacks--I've snuffed Blanka C.Forwards, for example. This is great against opponents who like to poke as much as you. In the event you find your opponent sticks out regular attacks (as much as you maybe ;) you can toss this out pretty liberally. The another property of the Crack Kick is that it completely misses crouching opponents. If your opponent crouches constantly, the Crack Kick really should be used less than your other options, lest it become repetitive. In the event that it is ducked (hopefully not often), the recovery is excellent you can easily surprise the opponent with your KK Throw. If your Crack Kick DOES get ducked repeatedly, you'll find yourself eating crouching uppercuts all too often. However the fact that it does hit that high can also be an advantage, against opponents who use low attacks a lot. Often if you can anticipate the low move coming out, or it's slow enough, you can hop over it completely and Throw the opponent, or even hit a C.Short and combo. Mix the Crack Kick into your offense HEAVILY, especially if the opponent stands and/or blocks a lot, but ABOVE ALL ELSE, do NOT overuse it or you will get nailed easily. Whenever you feel a pattern will be anticipated (eg. one attack blocked), mix in Cody's damaging KK Throw to snag them. Constantly switching up your offensive pokes is the key. So for Example, from a short distance you perform a Crack Kick... if they block, walk forward and Throw the opponent. Then the next time, or next couple of times your Crack Kick, or S.Forward is blocked, toss out maybe a C.Short or a Short Ruffian Kick, so it catches the opponent when they attempt to counter your Throw... then mix it up again. You can maybe toss in Jabs with the Short kicks too, and then throw a C.Strong to snuff their attempted counter, up close. Constantly change around your tactics, and Cody has many moves to work with in this case. Defensive Strategies +==================+ Against airborne opponents, Cody can have a real field day. Defensively, you can usually sit back and toss a few rocks here and there... The Fierce Bad Stone can knock the enemy out of the air easily... overall to knock the opponent out of the air though, all you need is the S.Roundhouse--the priority on this is insane unless the opponent is coming down RIGHT over your head. S.Fierce, S.Strong and, to a far lesser extent, the Roundhouse Ruffian Kick, also work well. Against overly jumpy opponents, ESPECIALLY opponents with big hang time like Guy or Chun Li, jumping back with a J.Fierce moderately can snag them. Against opponents who come at offensively on the ground, the same basic ideas can be applied with your poking game. The Forward Crack Kick will beat a lot of attacks, as will the S.Forward. From that point on you can even continue into your poking game. Knife Strategies +==============+ When Cody gains his Knife, his punch attacks gain increased range and damage, most notably. So of course, your combos are going to do increased damage as well. In addition though, some of Cody's attacks are varied as well. With the Knife Cody can now string together multiple standing Jabs, and more importantly, his C.Fierce now gains more priority and range, allowing you to use it fairly reliably as an air counter. In addition, Cody's Fierce Knife Throw is incredibly fast, and can be used somewhat as a juggle or to hit airborne opponents. It will also negate most other regular projectiles. Now don't get me wrong, IMO you should NOT base your strategy around getting the Knife, only pick it up if you have the easy opportunity, because remember there is a fair bit of lag as Cody picks it up. The Knife is in no way essential to your gameplay, it simply as a couple of neat features. X-ism Specific +============+ Cody's most noticable difference in X-ism is his Super Combo, which some may prefer, though I certainly don't. Cody does, of course, do more damage in this mode, and loses the Zero Counters and Air Blocking. However, Cody can be quite powerful in this mode, in that his Zero Counters are crap anyways, and he doesn't often need to go offensive from the air... Cody can advance on the oppponent using S.Forward, the Crack Kick and Forward Ruffian Kick. So I really don't think Cody is hurt by this... his combos are highly damaging in this mode, I find he can be worked well. Z-ism Specific +============+ The mode I use most often, I just feel comfortable with it. Cody does less damage, but he can now tech hit Throws and Air Block, which can be a plus if you choose your offense to be from the air with the S.Forward. Most importantly however he can now use his Dead-End Irony SC, which IMO is a very useful move... it can be put into combos easily, but then again, Cody does massive damage in combos without it--the Dead-End Irony's true strength is its ability to snuff attacks up close, which is where I prefer to use Super Combos anyways. It's certainly more risky, but also much more rewarding. In addition, he can of course Taunt as well ;). V-ism Specific +============+ Personally, I detest V-ism, but I do of course recognize that it is a powerful style. For Cody in particular, you will find many excellent Cody players crooning abut V-ism, due to the damage Cody can inflict with a good VC, and more importantly, his Sidestep. The Sidestep is a truly unique move that allows Cody to completely avoid all attacks--after dodging, you can continue into a poking game, or if the opponent is still recovering from their missed move, you can easily snag them with a Forward Ruffian Kick, or a C.Short and combo up close, or maybe even engage a VC and really destroy them. Of course, the Sidestep does allow you to avoid GUARDSTUN, and certainly you aren't pushed back any, but the Sidestep does NOT recover instantly, and an opponent who pesters you up close with poking attacks can make it very difficult for you do defend properly. NOTE: A quick way to build up your VC meter is to whiff Throws from a distance, or toss out S.Strongs and C.Strongs whenever you can. Since I hardly play V-ism at all, I highly recommend you check out Ziggy's Cody V-ism FAQ, available in my archives at Fighters Net (www.fighters.net). Extra Goodies +===========+ Just an extra note about a certain Taunt... in the arcade, or Vs. another Cody on the PSX, Cody's taunt is different from the one where he spreads his hands and says "Hoo!" He will instead quickly pull his wrist from out of the handcuffs, shake his hand, then put them back on ;). What's most interesting about this taunt though, is that it actually causes temporary invulnerability for Cody! He can avoid projectiles or even entire rushing attacks and Super Combos! Of course, on the PSX this will ever happen except in constant Cody vs. Cody matches, but it is something to note :). In addition, in a Cody vs. Cody match, his beginning pose changes to both Cody's sitting cross-legged on the ground playing with rocks. _____________ THINGS TO ADD _____________ Obviously, some character specific strats... unfortunately I only have a couple of good players for competition, and they don't use every character :P. Any input would be appreciated. Also any combos, especially VCs, are greatly welcomed. _______ CREDITS _______ --A big thanks to Ziggy (JDBerg@aol.com) for his excellent V-ism Cody FAQ, I suggest you all check it out if you wanna play V-ism Cody. --Synn Syous (synnsyous@hotmail.com) for his great Cody FAQ. --Jack Lin aka Zangief104 for his translations of the Gamest Mook Z3 Combos. --My friendly rival Kao Megura for his excellent (as usual) SFZ3 General moves list and FAQ --Fellow FN staff member Raging_Demon (raging_de@fighters.net) for his criticisms and tips ;) --cka aka Jason Jamieson (cka@fighters.net), skee aka Ryan Jackson (Zapdos3@hotmail.com) and viper600 aka Tyler Stewart (viper_600@geocities.com) for Blanka, Sodom and X-ism Ken competition respectively. --Kian Tat for his excellent "Cody Convicted" website (http://members.tripod.com/a3cody) for Cody's background info. --Goodroots for the trick with Cody's Taunt, and the rest of the guys (and gals) from EFNet #capcom for some Cody discussion. _____ You can access this FAQ and many others at: http://www.gamefaqs.com http://www.fighters.net You can e-mail me at: tigeraid@fighters.net "I said it before and I'll say it again--democracy simply doesn't work!" -Kent Brockman, the Simpsons ________ FILE END ________