The Cheap-Ass Guide to Winning the World Tour in Street Fighter Zero 3 Version 1.0 by Zhou Tai An (kain@pacific.net.sg) Disclaimer : Want to use this document for anything? Mail me first. Second Disclaimer : I'm not a great fighting-game player. To tell the truth, any combo I do that scores more than 2 hits (and isn't a Super) earns gasps of pride and admiration from anything watching. (Yes, I'm that bad.) So it was kinda obvious that I would have trouble beating the World Tour - hence this guide. Oh yeah, and you can use all these cool cheap trick on your friends, too. ^_^ ****** Basics : I'm going to assume you all know the difference between Z, X and V-isms. Here are my opinions on them anyway : 1. Z-ism. Best one to play with. Gives you good range of options and with Gauge Power, you cna continually throw Level 1 Supers at your opponent with equanimity. 2. X-ism. About the only good option this one has is the damn long Guard Bar; besides that, give it a miss. Charging for a Super takes far too long and unless you're turtling, you won't need the Bar. (You can always use Infinity Guard anyway...) 3. V-ism. Guard Crusher! Because each hit you do in an Original Combo counts as three (or more, in some cases) using this one will allow you to bust opponent's Bars with ease. Add Gauge Power Plus for more fun. On the down side, V-isms aren't too great since they remove your ability to use Supers. Of course, you'll be trying to get to the fabled Level 32 all Isms mastered level, so you'll have to take all of them. In that case, get X and V to Level 2 first. They give free Ism Pluses, thereby heightening the chances that the Isms you receive from normal levelling-up will be useful stuff like Gauge Plus instead of Zero Counter Plus (arrgh). Also, use the Isms you're not good at during the early parts of the game, since you can get more Perfects there. Now for character selection. I've only tested out my strategies on three characters, but hopefully whoever you select will benefit from them. The only thing you really need to decide when picking a character is whether he\she will be an offensive or defensive one. ****** Strategy Section : Alright, this is the nitty-gritty. 1. Sweep Fury. Yes, this is EXTREMELY cheap in practice, but any decent human opponent will foil this with no problem, so use it against the cheating computer with no qualms. (After all, THEY get the infinite Super Combo Meters, Survival matches and not to mention don't scream in fury after the 2400000 mark is missed by 10 points...) Anyway, what you do in this style is simply go use to the enemy and sweep. And again. And again. When they wake up, just keep sweeping. On later opponents, they'll block the first sweep, so use a medium or light kick and then sweep again. This alone should guarantee you about 10 Perfects, and is excellent to use during Survival matches. 2. Guard Crushing. Gauge Power Plus is essential for this. Grab it and V-ism, then jump towards your enemy, medium kick twice and finish with sweep. (Depending on your character, you might have to use punches or alternate the flow, but the principle remains the same.) This will force your opponent to block the first two hits and maybe the third. Oh, look, the Guard Bar's been halved! Repeat. Very soon, your unlucky foe should have a Guard Bar of only one notch. Great for Timer Matches (you know, only damage from a certain Ism works) In case you don't have V-ism, simply use a Super when your opponent's Guard Crushed. 3. Double Heavy Kick. Designed back in the early days when fireballing Ryus were in vogue (we've since gone on to Gouki) the technique is simple yet effective. Jump over any fireball and heavy kick twice. Tada - instant 2 hit good damage. Hey, I SAID the guide was cheap. 4. More on Perfects and scoring. Some things you should know\do : a) Set your Power Balance fully towards Power, no Defense. Why? Because once you're hit, there goes your Perfect. It makes more sense to dish out as much damage as possible as quick as you can. The only times you should relax this rule are when you're facing people like Vega (Psycho Crusher) and Infinite SC Gauge Ryu. b) Timing. Try to win Time Attacks as fast as possible and with a Super. You get a double Time Vital bonus. On the same note, Survivals of more than 2 people, when won with a Perfect Super Finish, net you loads of points. (My personal record is a whopping 90000) c) Against fast, agile opponents with high priority attacks, consider using lots of light attacks to counter their's. Alternatively, you can turtle and watch for opportunities. d) Hard Body. Pick this if you want to be safe. The reason should be obvious - one blocked special move, even with full Defense, spells doom for your Perfect. 4. Gauge Plus. Absolute best Ism Plus in the game. There might be a certain something that you've noticed about this option - IT REGENERATES YOUR GAUGE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SUPER COMBO. Yes, you heard me - it actually continues to charge when you're executing an SC! So throw plenty of Level 1's to harass your enemy and cause Guard Damage with this thing on. 5. Turtle well. Against some tough opponents, you'll have to be very defensive and exploit your enemies' weaknesses. For example, Vega is vulnerable to a sweep the moment he teleports, Guy and Ken love to do multiple anti-air moves in a row etc. Do cheap things like sweep after jumping. Throw a lot. Block like crazy and rip out lots of Level 1 SC's with Gauge Plus. (See above.) Stuff like that. And that's about this. This is like my Saga Frontier Combo Guide (which unfortunately didn't work too well in the US version, I hear) short, simple and hoepfully sweet. Enjoy.