INTRODUCTION Cell has always been a fun character to play as. Constructed from DNA taken from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Frieza, Cell has a massive pool of attacks and abilities to draw from. Because of this, Cell has always had a rather interesting (and very inconsistent) move list to work with. Aside from Kamehameha, none of his moves have stayed the same from game to game. So what's new this time around? A life absorbing Perfect Cell that, while very inaccurate to the series, is a blast to play as. Cell in Shin Budokai Another Road is a defensive fighter built around punishing the opponent's mistakes whether through absorbing health or a Warp Kamehameha. If you want a tactical, defensive character, look no further than Cell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CELL ADVANTAGES - Tail Shoot is one of the best attacks in the game, draining the opponent's health while restoring Cell's. The attack itself is quick with a lot of range and very hard to see coming. Once stuck with Cell's tail, the opponent can't teleport counter out of it. Remember though, don't spam it or you will just end up wasting ki. - Cell can play a very strong defensive game. His >S and the first hit of his SSSSS string both have a lot of priority and reach and can easily shut down an opponent's rushing offensive game down cold. - Regeneration is an excellent ABC, restoring a full bar and a half of health. - He can combo of off his throw. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CELL DISADVANTAGES - Cell's rush down game is extremely limited. His SSSS string is fairly slow and easily interrupted and he doesn't have any other slam strings that can be used to start a combo. - Cell isn't a very strong character, hitting only in the 2000s with his best combo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CELL MAIN STRATEGY Unless you want to fight without your best attacks, you should always fight as Super Perfect Cell. Since Cell doesn't have a strong offensive game, you will need Tail Shoot to heal during a battle. Cell is strictly a defensive character, rather than rushing down the opponent, you will need to defend until you can find an opening you can exploit. Cell simply doesn't have any means of pressuring the opponent nor does he have a good set of slam strings to break through their guard. If you play Cell aggressively, chances are, you will lose. *Rush down* Cell's only viable rush down strings are his >RRSS and his S and the first hit of his SSSSS string have crazy priority and have quite a bit of range. If the opponent is rushing you down, you can throw out a quick >S to send them sliding across the ground. There are very few attacks that can break through Cell's >S, so if you use it in the middle of the opponent's slams or rushing strings, odds are you will break their offense. SSSSS works the same way for punishment, like >S it is best used to interupt the opponent's strings. To avoid becoming predictable, mix it up with throws and aura slams. Remember, the safest way to damage the opponent with Cell is to cancel his SSSSS string into a combo, if you get predictable with SSSSS and the opponent finds a way to fight around it, your options become EXTREMELY limited. Cell doesn't have a good rush down game to fall back on incase things get rough so you can't afford to become predictable. *Healing* To get the most out of Cell's defensive game, you will have to continuously heal to force the opponent to attack. The best, and safest, way to regain health is to end all of your combos with Cell's Tail Shoot. While a single individual Tail Shot doesn't heal that much, after 3 or 4 of them the health regained starts becoming very noticeable. Even if you aren't linking together large combos, the difference in health will overcompensate for Cell's low damage. Tail Shoot should be your dominate method of healing, Regeneration shouldn't be used unless you desperately need a large amount of health healed immediately. When that time comes, make sure that the opponent isn't in a position where they can blast you when you regenerate. >S is probably the quickest way to get some distance between you and the opponent so you can safely heal, but again, don't be predictable or the opponent will never give you a chance to use Regeneration. *What to do when the opponent has the Ki advantage* Since Cell is a defensive character to begin with, he doesn't suffer too much when the opponent has the ki advantage. Since SSSSS is already fairly slow, it is the easiest, and safest, way to bait the opponent into using a teleport counter and wasting 3 bars. >S still remains a great attack to throw out since the opponent can't break fall from the slide giving you plenty of time to charge ki. There really isn't too much to say here, an aggressive opponent just gives you more opportunities to land SSSSS and >S and neither one can be easily punished from a teleport counter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ COMBO SECTION *Super Quick Guide to Combo Canceling* All combo cancels are done by holding down the last S in a regular combo string then tapping guard to cancel the animation. When done fast enough, the character returns to their neutral state and can immediately start another combo string. Once mastered, the charge on the canceled S doesn't show and the full combo looks fluid without any noticeable breaks or pauses. Side Step canceling can be done by tapping down or up with guard but only works with certain combo strings. The advantage to side step canceling is that if done properly, the combo continues from the opponent's back where damage is greater. Energy attacks can also be canceled by holding down E then tapping guard, but only a few characters need use this method to cancel a string. Since energy canceling uses a small amount of ki, it isn't recommended unless it is the ONLY way to cancel a certain string for that character. Finally, the most advanced combo cancel is the Aura Cancel. While holding S, tap Aura Burst, release S, then tap S again to trigger the character's Aura Slam. This is by far the most difficult cancel to pull off but opens a whole new range of damage. After a successful Aura Smash cancel, you are granted a free Aura Rush attack so use that to close the distance and continue the combo. *The Golden Rule of Combo Canceling* NEVER under any circumstances attempt a combo that puts the opponent in ki advantage. That means that no combo should EVER go over 2.5 bars worth of ki gain for the opponent since it leaves you open for a teleport counter (which can be canceled into a combo). That also means that no combo should end in an attack that can be recovered from quickly leaving endless possibilities for a counter attack. Basically, no on the ground attacks since break fall can lead into a combo just as quickly as a teleport counter cancel. Finally, absolutely NO PURSUIT FINISHERS!!!!!! I can't stress this one enough, although they look great each pursuit attack gives the opponent back 1 whole ki bar. That means that getting a complete Pursuit combo ending in a finisher is next to impossible against anyone who knows how to teleport counter. A single pursuit attack is okay once in a while to show off, but trying for 3 is asking for trouble. All combos in this guide follow are safe to use but incase you try building your own, just keep in mind the golden rule and you should be okay. Legend: R = Rush attack S = Slam attack >= Towards opponent < = Away from opponent >> = Dash to opponent ^ = Up on the D-pad E = Energy Button - = Cancel * = Stun ~ = Side Step Cancel ' = Fully charge upcoming move [AB] = Aura Burst -[AB] = Aura Cancel ***ALL COMBOS ARE DONE AT MAX KI AGAINST GOGETA AT MAX KI*** All combos performed on the ground without booster cards in SPF. Beginners Section No cancel knowledge needed 1) SSSS*, E [Tail Shoot] 9 hits, 803 damage 2) SSSS*, RRRSRRRS>E [Death Beam] 11 hits, 935 damage Intermediate Section No Burst canceling knowledge needed 1) SSSSS-, >RRSS-, E [Death Beam] 13 hits, 1278 damage 2) SSSSS-, RRSS-, RRRSRRSS-, RR>RR*, SRR*, RRSS-[AB]S, ^E [Warp Kamehameha] 26 hits, 2188 damage. Opponent gains 1.5 ki bars ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CELL SPECIAL MOVE RATINGS Kamehameha: 4/10 There just isn't anything that stands out about the Kamehameha this time around. While this use to be a solid and reliable move, the Kamehameha just doesn't have anything going for it in the Shin Budokai series. The damage is average, the ki blast itself travels fairly slowly, the start up time prevents it from being useable on its own, and it hits multiple times making it very easy to teleport counter. Avoid using this whenever you can, you'd have to play some really terrible people to hit them with this from a distance and you are better off finding something else to end combos with. Energy Field: 6/10 Good damage, can't be teleport countered, and a single hit, the only thing holding this attack back is its lack of range. Even in close combat, the opponent can step outside of the blast radius, wasting ki and leaving you wide open. When fully charged or done from aura burst, the blast radius doubles in size making it a little more viable for mid range combat but not enough to be considered an option from long range. Death Beam: 7/10 While the start up time leaves something to be desired, the damage is solid. When fully charged or done from an aura burst, the first hit is followed by two more in rapid succession. Because of the speed at which the attacks hit, the powered up version of Death Beam is relatively hard to teleport counter. Tail Shoot: 9/10 Hands down Cell's best attack, not only does Cell pierce the opponent for quick, reliable damage, he heals the same amount of damage he inflicts. Between Tail Shoot and Regeneration, Cell can last indefinitely in battle so be sure to end all of your combos with Tail Shoot whenever you need the health. Super Kamehameha: 6/10 Now this is the Kamehameha I remember. The only problem with this ultimate is the damage, without any real follow up options, 1000 is the most you can expect to see. However since there is no start up time, Super Kamehameha is very easy to combo into making more useable than a number of other ultimate in the game. Warp Kamehameha: 6/10 I wouldn't say this is an improvement over Super Kamehameha. This Ultimate is still pretty low on the damage side, hitting for only 150 more than Super Kamehameha even if done from behind the opponent after a teleport. The built in teleport itself is mediocre at best, the start up time prevents the teleport from triggering unless you have been in the stance for some time. You WILL be hit by a ki blast if you trigger this attack right before the ki blast hits and you WILL be knocked out of Warp Kamehameha entirely. To make matters worse, the start up time limits combo opportunities so Warp Kamehameha is actually harder to connect with in a combo than Super Kamehameha. Regeneration: 9/10 Arguably the best type of Aura Burst Charge in the game, Regeneration recovers 1500 health (a life bar and a half) on activation. You are wide open when the recovery starts so just be sure that the opponent isn't in a position where they can attack you when you go for regeneration or you might end up losing more health than you recovered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: How do you use Regeneration? A: In order to use any Aura Burst Charge, you have to push C (left shoulder button) and B (right shoulder button) together at the same time. Aura Burst Charges are unique to every character and can only be used once per match. Q: How do I teleport behind the opponent when they attack me? A: To perform a teleport counter, simply press forward and guard at the same time when you are attacked. Teleport counters consume 3 ki bars and can be canceled into a combo by holding down guard when you teleport. Q: How do I teleport after the opponent when I knock them away? Also, how do I do (insert special move) after the teleport? A: To perform a pursuit attack, simply press Burst (right shoulder button) after you knock the opponent away with any attack. Pursuit attacks cost 1 ki bar and can be done up to 3 times in a row. After the 3rd attack, your character will automatically hit the opponent with a special move. Be warned, each pursuit attack gives the opponent 1 ki bar back so connecting all 3 is extremely rare against a skilled opponent since they will most likely be able to teleport counter behind you for a free combo. Q: I keep seeing the computer recover health, how do I do that? A: Health recovery is an Aura Burst Charge unique to Piccolo, the Buus, Cell, Janemba, and Cooler. The best way to deal with health recovery (and any powerful Aura Burst Charge) is to stop the opponent from ever using it. Close in, stay in their face, and keep the pressure on them so they never get a chance. In the off chance they manage to get away and use it, they will be wide open so hit them with any long range death move, or even an ultimate to instantly shave off some of the health they regained. Even if the opponent manages to heal, it is only 1500 health points, easily taken away by another combo. Q: The computer keeps kicking my ass in Another Road, is there any way to deal with all of the enemies? A: The best way to deal with the gauntlet of enemies thrown at you in Another Road is to learn how to combo cancel. Instead of boosting your stats with cards and spamming >E, just learn how to combo and you'll be able to take out 3 or 4 enemies without losing a single bar of life. No I'm not exaggerating, the A.I. in Budokai simply doesn't know how to deal with extended combos from charge canceling. Once you master combo canceling, stat boosting removes all difficulty from Another Road since a combo that hits for 2000 damage normally could hit for well over 4000 damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? ADVICE? You can email me at vyers72@yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments regarding this guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL THANKS Dimps and Atari - For caring enough to improve the series with each game. Nnamz - For all of your support and permission to use your faq layout Zejitox, philff138, cml64, Brogeta, Goryus, Sjsman, vegeta1, kekken5, EVIL CAPTIAN AMERICA, SuperShinySonic, superior13, kevinlim123, 1ssj4gogeta1 - and everyone else on the Another Road board (specifically the tier topics) who know how to play the game and continue to contribute to the community ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LEGAL INFO This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Copyright 2008 DrunkenPilot72