Blocking and Guard Impacts
Like throws, defensive techniques exist outside of the Triangle System and have the potential negate them completely. There are two forms of defense in Soulcalibur: blocking and guard impact.
To perform a standing block simply press G, and to perform a crouching block press if, ♦ or % + G. Blocking can allow you to defend against most attacks in the game, but there are three types of attacks that blocking cannot defend against; throws, Guard Crushes, and Unblockables. True to their name, Unblockables are attacks that cannot be stopped by merely blocking; you must sidestep or duck them. Every character in the game possesses at least one unblockable attack, but they are usually slow to come out and thus can be avoided if you are quick to react. Aside from throws and unblockables, players will have a hard time in blocking against a type of attack called a Guard Crush. Attacks that have a Guard Crush property attached to them will have the ability to break through a character's block and leave them open to a followup attack. However this followup is not guaranteed, and the defender can escape this situation or avoid the Guard Crush altogether with Guard Impacts.
Guard Impacts (Gl) are similar in concept to blocking, but can be much more effective. By tapping % + G for low or mid hits or ♦ + G for high or mid hits, Guard Impacts will allow you to deflect or repel an incoming attack to give you the tactical advantage at that moment. Note that Guard Impacts do not give you an actual advantage in terms of being able to perform a move before an enemy can react. If you are predictable with your followup attack after a Guard Impact, your opponent can simply GI you back and continue with their gameplan. Post-GI situations are one of the most important things to learn in Soulcalibur, and will be discussed in later tutorials.
New to Soulcalibur as of Soulcalibur III is the addition of Just Frame Guard Impacts (JI), which gives you a bigger advantage over your opponent and makes it harder for them to Guard Impact back. It's not that simple to perform though, as you need perfect timing in order to get it, however you'll know that you've performed it if your Guard Impact flashes red instead of the regular white.
No player is perfect, and as such, you're going to get knocked down. In fact, you'll probably get knocked down a lot. Therefore, it's important to know your options when you do get knocked down. Much like Tekken, you are vulnerable to several attacks and throws while lying prone on the ground. In fact, every low hit in the game can deal damage to you. Because of this there is a strong emphasis on okizeme (a Japanese term that refers to the art of keeping pressure on a rising attacker, and literally means "ground game").
If you are knocked down, you have several options available to you. The most obvious one is to stand up, which is performed by tapping the Guard button. You can also roll to either side of your opponent by holding the direction and tapping Guard. Another option is to rise while attacking. Each character has several moves that can be used to attack while getting off the ground. When getting to your feet, the game interprets your character to be in a While Standing position, meaning that any While Standing moves will be available to you when you want to get off the ground. However this depends largely on your position on the ground. Characters that start from a face down, head towards position or a face up, feet towards position can use While Standing attacks to get up, but those who are in other positions have limited options.
You also have a couple of options for getting up after you have been slammed into a wall. Immediately after hitting the wall, simply tap u or d with the Guard button to roll to either side. This is a much better tactic to use than simply rising, as you can avoid some incoming attacks. However this can also work to your disadvantage if your opponent anticipates your move. Instead of following up with a linear attack, they can use one that can hit you while you are trying to roll to their side.
In the end, the most important thing to keep in mind with okizeme games is that you can never become predictable. Ever. Even if your mom said to. Always trying to recover quickly from a attack or rolling to the side after you've been struck into a wall may seem like a good idea, but sometimes it's best to do nothing. Ultimately you will have to study and adapt to each player's habits to fully understand what they will do next.
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