Block Button Vs B2B. Why does it bother you?

[Jimmypotato]

Real talk though, I don't give a shit which way is to block in a fighting game, as long as they don't ever change MK having a Block Button, it's just MK should have a block button because it always has, it makes it what it is.

Back to block games I use a Fightstick

Block button I use a pad.

This is the only difference for me.

 

[DuBBer Kiir]

What don't you understand?

How does a block button limit your movement? I'm just curious, not trying to be a dick lol

 

[WakeUp DP]

High, low, or throw are plenty of mixup options. Left and Right adds a bit too much, and having to lose ground to block overhead projectiles or long range moves is a nuisance.
Block button games necessitate reads based upon action, and movement, while back to block games force reads based upon pure chance based guesses.

Teleports are in issue, be sure the pack a block button.

Mortal Kombat (9) does not rely on high/low mixups.

Also block button on MK9 allowed us to play a great footsie wiff punish game.

 

[TaffyMeat]

100% agreed. Cross-ups are a wonky by product of a flawed system. It has become accepted by many, and erroneously regarded as "real tech". It isn't. A dedicated block button fixes this flaw, plus it eliminates a handful of other problems that directional blocking causes. My opinion, of course. But it also happens to be fact.

This.

 

[Gideon_Grey]

This.

Thank you, friend-scholar-enthusiast!

 

[M.D.]

I do not like back to block for two reasons:

1. Mk9 smoke teleport -> enjoy blocking that one
2. This:

 

[Gideon_Grey]

How does a block button limit your movement? I'm just curious, not trying to be a dick lol

Hint: It doesn't

 

[Name v.5.0]

Teleporting, dickweed characters in UMVC3 are why I dont like cross ups. Oh, and the Flash. Random cross ups and corner BS gets so lame.

I'll take the skill required to open someone up over guessing on defense any day.

 

[EndofGameBoss]

This argument about btb killing mobility is insane. I'm just gonna guess the people making those claims don't have very much experience outside of games with a block/guard button. If you're walking back the whole time and haven't established a neutral game then you're loosing the footsie war and are being forced into a corner. Pressing a directional input takes the same amount of effort as pressing a block button....either way you're pressing a button. If you anticipate a attack you take a slight step back, but take a step forward immediately if you can...it's the beauty of btb and footsies. Taking a step forward can cost you with a long range attack, but that's why you learn your character and the proper spacing needed for their moves. It's really not all that advanced. Ambiguous cross ups are a different story, but they are in several games.

At the end of the day I don't really care if a game has a block button or not. I play MK, SC, SF, and Tekken now and then, so I'm more than use to both styles.

 

[JTB123]

It doesn't.

 

[RM_NINfan101]

Different games have different mechanics. It doesn't matter the blocking command if you like the game.

People who like block button... like MK..

People who like back to block like SF/IGAU...

People who like them both give each cons and pros.

Shocker..

Pretty much this.

 

[Skkra]

This argument about btb killing mobility is insane. I'm just gonna guess the people making those claims don't have very much experience outside of games with a block/guard button.

That's my guess. Everyone hates on things they don't understand. It goes both ways, of course. People who hate on MK because it has a block button are missing out on an incredible game. Their loss.

I said it before, that while I personally enjoy back-to-block because of the awesome footsies game it allows, MK simply NEEDS a block button! It makes perfect sense in the context of the gameplay.

I play SF4, MK9, Tekken, Marvel, Skullgirls, Persona, MK2 (a lot of it actually haha), Super Turbo, and Injustice. More people need to open their minds, look past control schemes and just have fun with these games! Without a doubt, playing multiple games improves your overall fundamentals. It's no surprise that some of the most powerful players out there - Justin, Chris G, PR Balrog, Tokido and Ryan Hart all come to mind - all play a TON of different games.

 

[sinosleep]

Really I just need to get used to it. I've never really spent too much time with any of the MK games so whenever I do play them my time is horrendous. I always either press it too late or let go too early. When MKX comes out though I'm planning on playing the hell out of it so hopefully I'll get used to it. Cross ups not being a thing should be pretty cool.

 

[DangerousBacon]

Uh...overhead? Frame traps?

Switch to stand blocking for over heads. Blocking 101.

 

[Shadow985]

100% agreed. Cross-ups are a wonky by product of a flawed system. It has become accepted by many, and erroneously regarded as "real tech". It isn't. A dedicated block button fixes this flaw, plus it eliminates a handful of other problems that directional blocking causes. My opinion, of course. But it also happens to be fact.

Lol, I had to stop and rely to this one right away. The "flawed system" is only flawed in your opinion. That being said, you killed your argument before it even got challenged. Btw, that ending makes you sound like an ass considering how you're trying to pass opinion off as fact.

Anyway... I like b2b personally, but I feel like injustice left a bad taste in people's mouths about it. Mainly because there were very few reliable anti airs in the game. If you can react to a potential cross-up attempt and make a split second decision to walk forward or back, you can react to a much simpler, "oh he jumped? Let me d2 him real quick." If you didn't have to play flash, or aquaman to shit on random jump ins I feel like most people wouldn't mind b2b.

Losing ground because you're backing up is a valid complaint, but it can be easily remedied by holding down and reacting to jump ins/ overheads. I used to do it all the time and I wasn't even good at the game.

I saw people saying that opening someone up with a block button came down to reading movement and reacting to your opponents options. It's the same shit with b2b, it's just that you can get punished much harder for a bad read. If AAing was a real option in injustice, you wouldn't even have to do the guesswork. You'd just let people close the distance on you (hold down) and anti air that ass for being stupid.

Jump ins and cross-ups out of setups are a different story tho, you're going on a ride at that point. All that does is put more emphasis on controlling the neutral game to keep yourself out of those setups. I know that's like saying, "just d3 between Kabal's dashes, bro." Yes, you're going to get hit eventually, but no one can block forever anyway. This is why footsies are important, NRS.

Also, if there was no dash blocking people wouldn't think there's any difference in mobility between holding down or R2. Either way, you're still sitting there waiting for an opening.

All of that said, back to block or a block button isn't gonna stop me from playing a game. I just prefer b2b. Writing all this out made me realize how shitty injustice was for Back to block.

TL,DR: I'm cool with either one. Both have pros and cons.

 

[vegeta]

Neither one bothers me. I just get/am used to either method in whatever game they are in.

 

[Vulcan Hades]

Losing ground because you're backing up is a valid complaint.

Only in Injustice though. In SF and KI they have proximity boxes that lock you in place when you're holding back to stand block.

Injustice doesn't have any proximity triggers so your character continues walking back during the startup and active frames of moves you're defending against.

 

[Tony at Home]

I hate having to walk backwards to block. I want to block, not increase the distance between me and the opponent.

I actually would prefer it if MK had a system that included neutral-block (basically what Tekken has) in addition to a block button. That is, when you aren't attacking or doing anything, you are automatically considered to be in a blocking-high state. After all, that is basically already what I do in MK. If I'm not attacking or moving, then I'm definitely blocking. It would help to add neutral-block in MK since it would automatically solve the problem of block-release making reversals too difficult.

 

[WakeUp DP]

i read all these comments that have a bunch of likes when supporting block button i cringe a little inside. MK9 and MKX will be very different, you guys don't realize how many overhead low mix ups i picked up from the gameplay i saw, you think that i won't mix you up in MKX? to everyone that said they feel scrubbed out when they are forced to guess in a 50/50 situation i can't wait to see all of your faces once MKX rolls around, as of right now you can combo off of all d'3 into specials. paulo hinted that it may change later on but thats huge. i feel that the block pressure in this game won't be like MK9, stagger strings, pokes, jab jab jab f3 like MK9 worked because you were afraid to get hit and chip damage was big in MK9. but now we have back dashes, a stamina bar, interactables, a lot of you are in for rude awakening come MKX.

This isnt the point at all. Having low high mix ups is how you open people up besides whiff punishing and frame traps. I dont think anyone is against that.

 

[WakeUp DP]

To people saying that the complainers have no experience with other fighters... Really? Does that sound like a solid argument to you guys?

 

[ReD WolF]

100% agreed. Cross-ups are a wonky by product of a flawed system. It has become accepted by many, and erroneously regarded as "real tech". It isn't. A dedicated block button fixes this flaw, plus it eliminates a handful of other problems that directional blocking causes. My opinion, of course. But it also happens to be fact.

Back to block and cross ups have been implemented in fighting games for over 20 years lol how is that a flawed system? What the hell are you talking about?

It's clear most of the people in this thread have never touched a SF game

 

[SAREDODEVIL]

Block buttom is much better has a style more agressive, back to block is good but in a sf game not in injustice lol.

 

[Flagg]

Look it basically boils down to scrubbish players refusing to adapt to a new system, and yes it goes both ways.

 

[Vulcan Hades]

This isnt the point at all. Having low high mix ups is how you open people up besides whiff punishing and frame traps. I dont think anyone is against that.

Well I'm kind of against it.

But FYI I was talking about safe/+frames unreactable overhead/lows not really being any better than ambiguous cross-ups. In response to people saying cross-ups allowed for easy and lazy ways to open people up. They're pretty much equivalent except for the fact that you can only get an ambiguous cross-up setup after a knockdown where as overhead/low is something you have to deal with every time they get close, every time they reset and sometimes at sweep range.

Which is why personally I think one of the two 50/50 options should be slower than the other one to make the mixup fair and humanly reactable. To me this kind of mixup should be about conditioning someone to block low then surprise them with an overhead starter. But if they're looking out for it they should be able to react and block. It shouldn't always be a pure guess. And if you manage to block their high reward mixup you should be rewarded with the possibility to reverse pressure or escape, not guess again because they are +3.

Injustice is a special case though. A lot of characters need those unfair mixups to maintain any sort of legitimate pressure/momentum or to comeback from behind. Because of pushblock, armored mb b3, wager, poor mobility, no round system and lack of comeback mechanic. Without the vortexes, the zoners and footsie characters would completely dominate Injustice. And they already kinda do.

 

[RNLDRGN]

See, you used that as a sentence without saying "In my opinion". There is nothing inherently "fun" about crossups. Making people guess ambiguous crossups is more lazy offense than anything.

Making people memorize low/overhead strings and low/overhead projectiles can be also seen as "not fun." Why on earth should I have to preface a comment about something being "fun" with "In my opinion"? The idea of "fun" is 100% subjective, I should've have to bruh. Do throw out an opinion disclaimer every time you say something tastes good? Jeesuz.