OVERVIEW:
Zangief got some subtle changes to improve his existing abilities, specially against Bison, Blanka and Honda. Even though he's a well-rounded character with a wide range of normal attacks and throws, due to the very nature of CE, he ends up struggling in certain situations. Most of the changes involve better positioning of his hitboxes.
Zangief can be an excellent character in the right hands. However, his range of capabilities in CE makes his chances of victory extremely dependent on player skill, which is interesting but restrictive. His Lariat has been improved: it's now 100% safe to counter moves like Honda's Sumo Headbutt and Bison's Psycho Crusher. Like Honda, his Body Splash gained a better hitbox to allow him to counter airborne attacks like Psycho Crusher, Blanka's Rolling Ball, and so on. There are also cosmetic changes like shadows, and finally, a feature that appeared in the ST prototype and returns in CRE: the strong sweep deals chip damage, to address the character's lack of special moves (read below).
NOTATION:
LP - light punch (jab)
MP - medium punch (strong)
HP - heavy punch (fierce)
LK - light kick (short)
MK - medium kick (forward)
HK - heavy kick (roundhouse)
CHANGE LIST
COSMETICS:
. new shadow for the HP flying kick and bodysplash
. new shadow for the LK/MK/HK flying kick
. fixed the standing LP sound (far away)
. new victory quote
GAMEPLAY:
. crouch HP hitbox moved slightly higher
. close LK knee now has a bigger hitbox
. jump LK has almost the same hitbox as the hurtbox
. Body splash now has a lower hitbox/higher hurtbox
. SPD doesn't lock Honda in the corners anymore (thanks to Zero800)
HIGHLIGHTS:
Lariat: Now safely counters attacks like Sumo Headbutt and Psycho Crusher, without trade.
Body Splash: Now is a good option to counter attacks like Sumo Headbutt and Psycho Crusher. Has to be timed right, though.
Crouch LP: An important tool for getting close, it now has a slightly larger hitbox. Can be used in combos, thick throw and as counter for moves like Blanka's Rolling Ball, Bison's Double Knee Press, etc.
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| scan from the brazilian magazine SGP, 1994 |
HK sweep causing chip damage: inspired by an old idea Capcom implemented in ST during the testing phase, even featured in magazines at the time. The idea was removed from the final game, likely due to Zangief's new ST moves. In the CRE case, it makes sense to bring the idea back, since he's the character with the least special moves.