Fighting Games: Are you a button masher, or a fancy pants maneuverer?

I hate button mashing. I usually try to chain a good combo together, but I really don't have the reflexes and timing to pull them off most of the time.

Hell, I can't finish any of the combo challenges in Blaz Blue.

Sort of a combination of the two. It's kinda hard to explain. Sometimes I do combos and stuff, but then I'll kinda button mash in between "flashy maneuvers".

I have long since come to terms with the fact that I will eternally be shit at fighting games.

I usually take the time to practice a few basic moves combos when I start using a character, just enough to actually be halfway effective. Other than that, I do aimed button-mashing, like spamming lowkicks and weak punches. On the other hand, if I'm using a character I'm not at all good with (like Hazama), I just mash random buttons and pray that it works.

I look up all the strategies, practice all the combos, learn the perks of all the special moves, torture myself against max-level bots, get coaching from pro players, step into the arena and still end up button mashing. Well, sometimes.

I'm slowly getting better at the games, but it's like molasses going uphill in January with crutches. I know plenty of, say, Julia's mixup combos and can reliably use them... In training or against a predictable opponents. Once i'm up against someone who knows what they're doing I panic and either desperately look for something at random or fall back on tried and true moves. Thank god for forward+B,B,B.

For characters I use a lot (referring to Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Blazblue, since those are the only more traditional fighting games I own) I'll usually know most of their moves and inputs...and usually I'll start a combo with some sort of vague plan and then go to button mashing because if I actually try to do anything specific I inevitably won't be able to pull it off quick enough. I kinda suck against any other human players.

For Fighting Games like Mortal Kombat and similar, I button mash until I finally discover how a technique works.

...then I spam that attack.

In the Super Smash Brothers, though, totally a maneuverer. But then, button mashing only has limited usefulness there.

edited 27th Mar '12 4:43:41 AM by Lemurian

Well, to say the least, I never try to do the same move more than 2 times in a row. The most I'll do is 3 times, if the enemy is in a good position for the attack and it will be inescapable.

That is, if I'm playing against a human player. Against AI, especially cheating AI, I don't care, so I'll spam all I want.

As for "button mashing," can't say I know any games where that would really be viable. You'd either get countered or... no wait, you'd get countered.

It's cool I guess we all know the majority of the people who play fighting games aren't good enough to pull a preposterously long winded combo or some very technical mix up or cancel combos but it's fine and makes me happy that I'm not the only one who can't pull the hours to master x character or strategy to just be beaten by an expert player.

edited 2nd Jul '12 3:09:04 PM by Crystalancearth

I just do simple-to-intermediate combos when I know what I'm doing. When I'm not, I do "intelligent spam."

I don't button mash except when playing a character I don't know the moves of. I've found that button mashing tends to lose against blocking opponents. Combos increase your overall damage a lot, and intelligent use of moves for spacing (For example, using Tekkaman's jumping light instead of just mashing all light, medium, heavy, and special when approaching) allows you to be beyond the range of most button mashing.

edited 2nd Jul '12 5:18:37 PM by Scardoll