Why parrying is Street Fighter 3 was the only logical step forward

September 12, 2007 on 10:21 am | In Games, Internet trash, Fighting Games |

Well recently with the news of Street Fighter 4 being in the works a lot of arguing has resurfaced about whether parrying should be included. I’ve read a lot of people putting parrying down, but not once have a heard an actually good argument for it.

For the most part the hate of parrying comes from hardened SF2 players and every time they try and make a point against it, to me, it just looks like they are just too stuck in their ways.

Also, it seems that every time people mention parrying in SF3 they’re saying it like people only ever parry and never block, or like block is just plain not available in SF3.
Yes, now there is parrying in SF3 you actually have an option. It opens new dimensions.
There are times and uses for parries and times and uses for blocking. Surely having the option is better than forcing just one way upon players.
It’s a new skill to learn and is arguably more of a skill than blocking as parrying requires timing where as blocking you just hold back and bob’s your uncle.

I used to really enjoy Street Fighter II and it’s the game that got me into fighters properly but after SF 3 came out I just couldn’t go back.
When i watch “pro” SF2 videos… we’ll I can really see why parrying had to be added.

Here is a good example… how monotonous is this to watch! Fireball, fireball, fireball, fireball, fireball etc. etc.
The second match in that video (Guile vs. Guile) is also a perfect example. For the first round, for the first 89 seconds(!) the players do virtually nothing but continuous sonic booms (bar 4 whiffs.) The player who looses is the first player to miss a sonic boom. That’s not what a fucking fighting game should be about! I mean I know some people enjoy repetitiveness (WoW isn’t popular for nothing)… but you got to draw a line somewhere.
Watching this video actually makes me laugh… it’s just so comical and bares little resemblance to any fighting what so ever.
If you watch any SF 3 tourney, just from a spectators point of view, they are infinitely more enjoyable to watch.

A frequent defense of that will be… “learn how to get out of that” or something to that extent. No! “Learn a new attack!” Considering that most SF2 videos follow suit of the above it’s clear as to why parrying had to be implemented. Now you actually have to be creative in your attack pattern and do something else than just over and over.
It still works just it’s less effective and so it should be. The game should be about using different fighting moves and not whoring one single special indefinitely.

Since parries have been introduced the game has gained more depth and attacks have to be way more creative than in the “block only” area.

If you watch SF 3 games people block and parry and both have their uses. I know for one I’d rather watch a game of SF3 being played that a SF2 game.

I can’t help but feel that people who hate the parry and players that have the ‘block only’ so burned into their system that they just can’t manage to learn something new and can’t adapt to broadening their attack patterns and style. Their old auto routines just not cutting the mustard in the new world.