||===== || ======= || ||===== || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||===== ||==|| ======= ||==|| ||===== ||==|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||===== || || ======= || || || || || || (or Big Scary-Looking Undead Guys with Three-Bladed Death Frisbees on a Chain on the next Geraldo...) Version 1.1 -- 1/21/95 Maintained by Ethan Butterfield ethanb@hawaii.edu online at http://leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu/~ethan/basara.html ************************************************************************ DISCLAIMER: I am not a SS3.god. I cannot come to your local arcade and whup you silly. I am, in fact, much much better with Jubei. I just play Basara on SS3. The information in the FAQ is stuff that I've come up with for playing the game. It could be wrong. It might not work for you. Just to let you know... Looking for good combos. Apply within. Feedback always welcome. I'd especially like to know whether or not this has shown up ok on your newsreaders. - Ethan CONTENTS: •1. Changes/History List •2. Acknowledgments/Thanks •3. Introduction •4. Background (Char intro, stage, poses, SPOILER for ending) •5. Move-by-move Breakdown •6. Combos (No, not the snack.) •7. Individual Versus Strategies •8. Credits ************************************************************************ 1. CHANGES/HISTORY LIST - 12/14/95, v0.9b - Initial write-up, release. Much work needed. - 1/15/95, v1.0p - Prerelease of first complete release, with text on both Slash and Bust moves. Added Disclaimer, fixed Stage description, added more Strategies. - 1/21/95, v1.0 - First real release. - 1/ , v1.1 - Tricked it up using HTML, a couple more new things. ******************** 2. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS/THANKS Need to send out some general thanks first... - Shawn Holmes (shawn@nanimo.ark.com), maintainer of the SS3 TapFAQ, whose FAQ I shamelessly copied and gave to many people who play the game. It also ends up here in parts, generously referenced, of course. :) - Damone (damone@ios.com), maintainer of the SS3 WWW site (http://styx.ios.com/~damone/ss3page.html), whom I got the TapFAQ from in the first place. - Kaimuki Cue and its inhabitants, who possess 2 machines for SS3, both of which currently have working joysticks, AND for lowering their price to a quarter/game. - Paul S. Kim @ Dartmouth, for the wonderful Basara e-mail conversation we had. :) **************** 3. INTRODUCTION Well, I play Basara. That kind of goes without saying. After the rotten, stinking, LIMEY HOSING BASTARDS (*grin*) at SNK neglected to put my man, Jubei, into the new game, I had to pick someone else. First off, I wanted someone new. Secondly, I didn't want to play an annoying cute female. (Scratch Rimururu.) Ryouga was out almost at the same time. Gaira was a little amusing, but I was never any good with the big hulking chars. And I find Amakusa to be just *wrong*. The three-bladed Death Frisbee on a chain was a big plus in Basara's direction, too. Why a FAQ? Because I was bored, no one else had written a Basara FAQ, and everyone seems to be either crowing about how overpowered Ukyo is (That's something new?) or how cheap Hanzo is. (Bakuen Ryu -> SPD. Use it.) In any case, enough with the small talk... *************************************************************************** 4. BACKGROUND (Intro, parts of stage and ending taken from Shawn Holmes' TapFAQ) BASARA THE EXECUTIONER --> Killed by Zankurou, along with his lover. This character's hatred for the demon was so powerful, he rose from the dead to destroy that which Zankurou took away. Full name is Kubikiri Basara, which is what the announcer says at the beginning of matches and when you win. The kanji characters chosen to represent Kubikiri mean, "throat cut". (Thanks to Galen Komatsu for this one!) Basara's Stage - Masoleum - Midnight Basara's stage looks like a real old run-down house. You fight on a floor and there's LOTS of things to break. *grin* In the background, part of the house is open and there's a real nasty evil red glow that comes into the house. When Basara wins, the red glow turns to a nice deep blue. In the third round, when both players hit the redline, the screen darkens, and lit candles provide the only illumination. Every so often spotlights run up and down the background, highlighting some dragon pictures. Finishing Quote - "Let's do the death dance!" (Ugh. They could've done better.) Finishing Poses - Slash Basara: Stands in stage entry pose, ghost of his dead lover floats to his side. Same as above, except ghost turns into a skeleton, which disintegrates. Basara wails in despair, then falls to his knees. Bust Basara: Stands straight, brings blade up, and then to his side, then brings up one hand in a clenched fist. Stands sideways, bends slightly backwards, brings Death Frisbee up to his side. Stands straight, draws blade across chest, rubs fingers in blood, tastes it. (YES!!!!!!!) Ending - Basara finds only darkness. His lover slain, all emotions spent, the battle has concluded. He finds only gloom. Hate, his last emotion, is now but a remnant. Darkness. All is darkness. But within the cool dark, shines a pale light. 5. MOVE-BY-MOVE BREAKDOWN Some terminology: UB U UF \ | / B --O-- F / | \ DB D DF Commas separate parts of moves (d, db means down, then down+back.) Plusses mean motions happen together. (A+B means press A and B.) When together, joystick motions are in lower case - e.g. d + D means down + D button. b + C means back + C button. FB - Fireball motion (d, df, f) RFB - Reverse fireball motion (d, db, b) HCF - Half-circle in a forward direction (b, db, d, df, f) HCB - Half-circle in a back direction (f, df, d, db, b) SLASH BASARA: Stabbing Feet - d + D (in air) Basara comes straight down at the time this motion is finished. He has a glowing ring around his feet, and hops off the opponent a-la Chun Li from SF2. Cannot interrupt once in move. Excellent combo opener, or getaway move. Friendly Rip - HCF + A (extreme close range) Basara grabs opponent, and a *large* hole opens up underneath both. Basara and grabbed foe disappear into hole. A split second later, the foe is catapulted out of the hole on the end of Basara's blade. Basara jumps out soon after. A close-in throw, a-la Hanzo's SPD. Can be done at a dead run, just like the SPD. Good move if you get the timing right. Shadow Stitcher - HCB + A, B or C (on ground) A hole opens up under Basara, and he slings his blade into it. It reappears across the screen, and twirls out at the opponent. The button pushed determines distance away from Basara. Great move to pull out when people are jumping at you. Be warned, though, that even the C button will not cover the entire screen. If you and your foe are at opposite sides of the screen, you will miss. Soul Sucker - RFB + D (Anywhere on ground) A hole opens up under Basara. He laughs and disappears into the hole. The hole moves across the screen and Basara raises out of it. After the move's motion you can hold the joystick towards, or away from the opponent in order to determine where you want to end up. Makes a great escape move, and I've broken out of CPU combos with it. Airborne Slash - FB + A (or B or C) (at top of jump) Hanzo's Aerial Shuriken, except it's Basara's Death Frisbee coming at you. Timing is exactly the same as the Shuriken. Different buttons determine where the blade flies to. Not much use as an offensive attack, but great as a surprise or defensive maneuver. Ground Slash - FB + A (or B or C) (on ground) Basara whips his blade at you, very close to the ground. This is a low attack, and, since low blocks are still iffy, tends to hit a lot. Good to take an opponent off their feet, but recovery is too slow to follow up. Soul of the Beast - b, df, d, db + C Basara leans back, arms outstretched. A fiery orange ball emerges from his chest and arcs out across the screen. When it hits or is blocked, it changes into a orange butterfly which flies away. (Ghost of his dead lover, methinks.) The ball has a very high arc, and ends up covering about half the screen. If they're right in the middle of the arc, the ball will go over their head. Takes a while to do, though, so don't rely on being able to snap it off. WARNING: The move for this is almost exactly like the Shadow Stitcher. Until you get the timing right, chances are you'll get the C-button Stitcher about 50% of the time. SPECIAL: Shadow Dance Payback - HCF, b + AB Basara bounces backwards, then flies towards opponent. He latches on, and starts a series of blade slashes. About every other slash is punctuated by a ghostly image of his dead lover. Ends with a pause, then a nasty hit with the chain of his blade. Basara poses. One of the only *useful* special moves that I've seen in the SS series. You actually aren't Spam(tm) if you miss, as if blocked, Basara bounces off the opponent and back about half the length of the screen, out of the range of most attacks. His recovery time is also excellent. You can (and I strongly suggest it against the cheating futhermucker of a CPU) continuously bounce off of the opponent for as long as your Power meter is full. I've done it 6 or 7 times in a row to the CPU before it gives up and lets me wail on it. BUST BASARA: Stabbing Feet - d + D (in air) Basara comes straight down at the time this motion is finished. He has a glowing ring around his feet, and hops off the opponent a-la Chun Li from SF2. Cannot interrupt once in move. Excellent combo opener, or getaway move. Friendly Rip - HCF + A (extreme close range) Basara grabs opponent, and a *large* hole opens up underneath both. Basara and grabbed foe disappear into hole. A split second later, the foe is catapulted out of the hole on the end of Basara's blade. Basara jumps out soon after. A close-in throw, a-la Hanzo's SPD. Can be done at a dead run, just like the SPD. Good move if you get the timing right. Shadow Exit - f, db, d, df + A (or B or C) (on ground) Basara drops through a hole in the ground, which moves over to the opponent. Basara jumps up from the hole, blade extended to do a multiple-hit uppercut. This is the projectile-killer move. The moment you see your opponent rearing back for a projectile, snap this off with a C. Not only will you hit, if you're lucky, you'll get 5 or 6 hits in it. Follow up with a Stabbing Feet (d + D), then a low-aerial C (Windmill Slash). Miss, though, and you're so much toast. Soul Sucker - RFB + D (Anywhere on ground) A hole opens up under Basara. He laughs and disappears into the hole. The hole moves across the screen and Basara raises out of it. After the move's motion you can hold the joystick towards, or away from the opponent in order to determine where you want to end up. Makes a great escape move, and I've broken out of CPU combos with it. Airborne Slash - FB + A (or B or C) (at top of jump) Hanzo's Aerial Shuriken, except it's Basara's Death Frisbee coming at you. Timing is exactly the same as the Shuriken. Different buttons determine where the blade flies to. Not much use as an offensive attack, but great as a surprise or defensive maneuver. Ground Slash - FB + A (or B or C) (on ground) Basara whips his blade at you, very close to the ground. This is a low attack, and, since low blocks are still iffy, tends to hit a lot. Good to take an opponent off their feet, but recovery is too slow to follow up. Shadow Feint - f, b, f + any button (ground) A clone of Basara will jump out and run across the screen. I really haven't seen too much use for this move, aside from the scare tactic. Will get back to you all. SPECIAL: Shadow Dance Dream Pull - HCF, b + BC Basara hops backwards, then launches himself across the screen at the opponent. If it hits, he latches on and blades the opponent all over the place. Ends with a small delay, then a wicked slash with the blade's chain. Basara jumps off and poses. One of the only *useful* special moves that I've seen in the SS series. You actually aren't Spam(tm) if you miss, as if blocked, Basara bounces off the opponent and back about half the length of the screen, out of the range of most attacks. His recovery time is also excellent. You can (and I strongly suggest it against the cheating futhermucker of a CPU) continuously bounce off of the opponent for as long as your Power meter is full. I've done it 6 or 7 times in a row to the CPU before it gives up and lets me wail on it. 6. COMBOS Due to the nature of the game, I'm forgoing any percentage ratings on the combos. There's just too many variables (Power level of you and opponent, whether or not it's a counter-move, etc.) to compensate for, and I don't want to make a huge table. So I'm going to a system of vague descriptive words. I will most often use Low (less than 20% or so on average), Moderate (20%-50%) or High (50%+). If you see something like Ultra-Disgusting, you'll get the idea. Right now I've only got two "real" combos. I'm still finding more and if any of you out there have some, feel free to e-mail them. Hey, you'll get your name in the Credits. :) First off, Basara's move is a jumping C. I call it the Windmill Slash. In air, Basara describes an arc with his blade, which does pretty good (~10%) damage. Great for people who rely on air throws, as it can hit them from a mile away. There is a slight delay on the move, though, so it's real easy to have it come out late. Recovery time is moderate, but you normally bounce off the block and out of harm's way. If you're lucky enough to hit at close range with it, it'll hit twice. Also, a plain D kick, when close, can hit up to 6 times (at least, that's the max # of hits I've gotten with it.) on your foe. Combo #1 - Stabbing Feet (d + D) into Windmill Slash (aerial C) This isn't as much of a combo as a good combo ender. After hitting (or being blocked) with the Stabbing Feet, wait until Basara reappears on the screen before going into the Windmill Slash, otherwise you'll miss completely. Combo #2 - Shadow Exit (f, db, d, df + A or B or C) into Stabbing Feet (d + D) into Windmill Slash (aerial C) WARNING: DO NOT RELY ON THIS COMBO!!!!! Getting the second and third parts of the combo off is solely a matter of luck. Most of the time you don't get enough air off of the Shadow Exit to convince the computer that you can do another move. I seem to have better luck with this combo when the opponent is cornered... Do *NOT* start this combo unless you know the Shadow Exit is going to hit. Otherwise you just died. Best to do when your opponent is rearing back in his/her fireball motion. Chances are that unless your opponent is stunned they'll block the Feet. However even if blocked still go into the Windmill Slash, *especially* if they jump up after you. Then they're just asking for it. >:> 7. INDIVIDUAL VERSUS STRATEGIES (This area is under some serious construction. - Ethan) Note that these strategies are for playing against the CPU, which can be very predictable in its cheating. Against a human opponent, well, *some* of these tips can still apply. Most of them, though leave you asking for a 6-hit combo. vs. Amakusa Shiro: One of the easier matches you'll have. The only real problems you'll have with Amakusa is if you're cornered (duh.), or if he starts pulling out his overhead crystal ball move. (He'll kneel down, and whip his ball directly overhead.) That move tends to take you out of the air and delivers lots of damage. CPU Amakusa likes to move around a lot. He'll teleport like crazy when you're in the air, and tends to do his ball-of-fire bit, too. It may be hard to get a hold of him, but when you do, he's toast. vs. Basara: This turns out to be an incredibly fun (IMHO) match. Watch out for low blade attacks, and try to stay off the ground. The CPU Basara seems to like Airborne Slices quite a lot. Don't attempt to throw the CPU, because it seems to have an affinity to abort-to-Friendly-Rip. Keep him at a distance, fake him out so he lobs his blade, then close in and mash him. vs. Galford: When Galford goes into his drop-from-the-ceiling move, it's the perfect opportunity for mega-damage. Block, jump after him and beat him to a pulp. I'm still attempting to see if it's possible to go into a Shadow Exit after the block. Also, as normal with Galford, beat him senseless when he goes into A Plasma Blade or a Poppy maneuver. When at the Round 3, both fighters close-to-death stage, Galford seems to double in speed and go totally berserk. Simply back away, block, and *calmly* wait for him to make a mistake. Panicking when he goes ballistic is a sure way of dying. vs. Hanzo: Hanzo tends to teleport when you're trying to do the Power Special. When he does this, he always seems to teleport directly behind you. (Funny...) Watch out for the Bakuen Ryu -> SPD combo, as the CPU loves to use it. CPU Hanzo likes to move, and very rarely stands still, except in early fights. vs. Nakoruru: She loves the Windmill Slash. She begs for it. Every time she attempts to hit you, jump and WS. If she doesn't want to come close, Shadow Feint and then WS. Also, jump in and WS when either Slash or Bust Nak jumps onto her pet. For about a second after landing on the pet, Nak is totally vulnerable. Nak is prolly the easiest fight you'll have with Basara. (Unlike Nak from SS2...) vs. Rimururu: You're in trouble. Her throw-an-ice-cube-that-hits-you-no- matter-where-you-are-on-the-screen is a real problem. She also tends to block incessantly. You don't want to stay close with her, 'cause her Sub-Zero Ground Freeze will mess you up too. My suggestion is to master pulling a Shadow Exit (Bust Basara) out when she starts her ice cube motion. I also suggest prayer. Rimururu is one of the two characters that suffers most from what I call "transparent-itis". This is the condition that happens when attacks literally go through the other fighter. (No, they're not AB sidestepping.) You tend to see this problem with multi-hit or large-arc moves, such as Basara's standing B or jumping C. What can you do about it? Nothing. It's in the game. vs. Senryo Kyoshiro Kyoshiro seems to like jumping at you, naginata outstretched. Basara, though, jumps higher. WS the bejeezus out of Kyo, especially when he tries his flame breath. His nagi has range on almost all of your moves, though, so don't be alarmed when you get hit while across the screen. As with all projectile throwers, hit Bust Kyo with a Shadow Exit when he tosses his ground wave at you. vs. Shizumaru Hisame Two words: Uh-oh. Shizu will block a lot of your aerial moves, then hit you with his charge. He also likes to take you out of the air with his twirling-sword uppercut. Tossing your blade is also asking for death. Try to sucker him to come in at you with a standing or crouching B. He likes jumping at you, and rarely blocks in mid-air, unless he's one of the later opponents. Shizu is the other of the two characters that suffer from "transparent-itis". Don't be alarmed if your attacks go straight through him a lot. vs. Ukyo Tachibana: The CPU Ukyo is a sucker for a Shadow Feint. He'll block and immediately go into his Shadow Clones move. Jump over and whack him with a Windmill Slash. Try not to use the Stabbing Feet on him, as he'll tend to use that nasty vertical slice he's got. Beware of Bust Ukyo's fireball, as he tends to use it as you emerge from a Shadow Exit/Soul Sucker. Still working on: Genjuro Gaira Caffeine Haohmaru Zenkurou ************************************************************************ 8. CREDITS Credit where it is due... Shawn Holmes (shawn@nanaimo.ark.com), maintainer of the SS3 TapFAQ. Damone (damone@ios.com), maintainer of a big honking SS3 WWW site. (http://styx.ios.com/~damone/ss3page.html) Jimi & James + the regulars @ Kaimuki Cue (my favorite arcade for 10 years+ now!) Galem Komatsu (gkomatsu@hawaii.edu) for Basara's full name and translation of the kanji. r.g.v.a, which, once you sift through the garbage, has a bunch of real good posters, lurkers, and content. Once again, this FAQ is available at: http://leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu/~ethan/basara.html and if you have feedback, moves, hints, etc, feel free to e-mail me at ethanb@hawaii.edu ************************************************************************