[Kalyx triaD]

Well then, first off tell us about the adjustments to Cammy. Okada: One of the first adjustments we made was to some of her moves that were just simply strong. Like the Cannon Spike, which had too much offensive power. But we have shortened the start-up for some of her moves that were a bit difficult to use, especially her Spin Knuckle, which should be much easier to use now. Tamamura: For her normals, we've given her a bit more priority on her normals. For example, her Far Standing Hard Kick now has anti-air properties, and has a bit more range than in Street Fighter 4, so now its good for controlling space. Also, her Crouching Hard Kick - in IV, sometimes it would look like it should hit but it didn't, so in this game it should be a bit easier to hit now. We've also improved the cross-up properties on her Jumping Light Kick, which should improve her aerial offense. If we look at the total package, then Cammy has gotten more improvements than nerfs? Okada: Yes. While she has gotten a lot of improvements, to balance the game out in general damage on the whole is down, so I don't think players will feel that she is too strong. Now, she can better vary her attacks, so now players can enjoy different playstyles with her. What type of move is her new ultra, the CQC (Cammy Quick Combination)? Okada: Her ultra in Street Fighter 4, the Spiral Drive Smasher was really good for rushing down, and could be used in combos. So we wanted to do something different for her for the new ultra, which is how CQC came about. CQC is a counter ultra, so if you don't successfully read your opponent's movements nothing is going to happen. Compared to the other characters though, it does a lot of damage, so it has great comeback potential. So it'll be difficult to hit, but if you do you get a great reward in damage dealt. So this is a move that's best suited against attacking characters? Sano: If the player is really good at reading their opponent, then CQC can be used against any character. But if you use CQC against a grappler, it might lead to trouble. In an instant you can find yourself eating a Spinning Pile Driver (laughs). Next, tell us about the adjustments for Fei Long Okada: The image of Fei Long is one of a character who bulldozes his way forward, especially using his Rekka Ken's. That much hasn't changed. But we have strengthened his straight-forward moves. For example, we have changed the timing of the attacks for his Standing Hard Kick. In Street Fighter 4, an opponent could do a Focus Attack in between the two hits, but now the two hits are consecutive, so its a move that will beat out the opponent's Focus Attack. You can also use it as just a quick combo. We've also adjusted the inputs for his Flying Kick (Chicken Wing), so now it is easier to pull off. Tell us about his new ultra, Gekirin Ken. Okada: This is also a counter ultra, the same as Cammy's CQC. A counter ultra might be more suited to Fei Long than Cammy - the main force of Fei's offense is his Rekka Ken's, and opponents will usually want to get an attack in to break it up. If Fei players can use the counter ultra well, then this will be a great asset to them. Well then, tell us about the adjustments for Sakura. Okada: In Street Fighter 4, the startup on her Fireball was kind of slow, and what would happen is that opponents could jump in on her easily. So in SSFIV, we've reduced some of the startup to make the move a bit easier to use. We've also improved her cross-up abilities. In the past, Sakura could jump in and then link together moves and this was her primary means of offense. But in IV, Sakura didn't have a lot of cross-up ability, so fighting like this was a bit difficult. So we've changed her Jumping Medium Kick to have a bigger cross-up range, which should allow her to jump in and confuse her opponent's guard better. So she should have an easier time jumping in than in Street Fighter 4. What type of move is her new ultra, Shinkuu Hadouken? Okada: While Haru Ranman was a hit-type ultra that could be used in combos, Shinkuu Hadouken is a projectile type. Shinkuu Hadouken doesn't do as much damage, but I feel that its easier to use, such as in situations of controlling space. Also, depending on the button you use to activate it, it can become the anti-air Shinkuu Tengyo Hadouken, or the ground-based Shinkuu Hadouken. Sano: Shinkuu Hadouken is a good move to have when she has her opponent in the corner. If you use the anti-air Tengyo Hadouken, with its upwards angle she can catch people who are trying to jump out. She can also hit people with it who are still on the ground. When she has ultra, and the opponent is closer to the corner, she can use it to scare her opponents out of jumping or using air-based attacks. So this ultra will change the way people fight against Sakura. Tell us about the adjustments for Dan. Okada: Dan is one of our more interesting characters, so we wanted to strengthen him on that basis. We've made him a bit more fun to use, and adjusted some things that didn't work in IV. For example, when doing a chain cancel, his recovery time was kind of strange, so we fixed that to make things easier to link up. Also, we've slightly adjusted the start up frames on his weak Air Dan Kick so that it hits easier. He also gets a bit more priority, which makes his attacks a bit easier to hit now than before. Tell us about his new ultra, the Haou Gadouken. Okada: Haou Gadouken is a projectile move. Although its best range is up close, if it hits the opponent it does nice chip damage, so its a nice move against other projectiles. Also, it has combo potential, and you can hit it off juggles. With these adjustments, has Dan moved up in the tiers? Okada: Within the dev team, we feel that this is the Strongest Dan Ever, but his position won't change from SFIV! (laughs) That position is all his.