What are the most difficult fighting game systems to learn?

[Yackom]

Without thinking of the easiest would probably be Super Smash Bros, because of the chaotic items and things like that really help level the playing field. Discounting the fact there are the obvious broken characters, there isn't much in terms of advanced gameplay or movement techniques. Also making it one of the most unique fighters and kind of paved the way for these newer ones like Naturo and Bleech.

But "tournament" level proficiency is really difficult at any game. I used to play completive Capcom vs SNK 2 for years, I've seen all kinds of fighters. I've seen novices beat decent tourney level Tekken, Soul Calibur and Virtual Fighter players. But I have never seen a novice beat a good level player on a 2d fighter, any of them really.

I think 3d games inherently have slower gameplay therefore causing an almost rock paper scissors between two players on attacks, giving the novices slightly better odds.

I think what you guys are saying about VF is that it is hard to feel comfortable with which I think is probably true for most 3d fighters cause they don't have the feel of SF2/MK/KOF which everyone basically grew up learning, if not directly then though platformers and beat-em-ups.

Even with all of that said it doesn't really answer the question, to be tourny level player at any fighting game its a huge amount of practice. Even Super Smash Bros. Being as easy as it is to learn, it is still about being able to read your opponent and using the items to your advantage, which isn't easy to learn.

I think the only way to judge which is hardest would be by judging which games have the most advanced techniques. Like for example excellent CVS2 players can exploit the roll cancel glitch, basically making your character invincible during special moves (about 1/3 of a second). I think that is probably one of the hardest techniques in any fighting game and if you can really master it, it puts a huge advantage to it. For those who don't know what that is imagine doing Ryu's fireball (down, down+forward, forward +punch) , then to turn it into a roll cancel move you have to do that and also perform a roll move (low punch + low kick) at the same time by pressing [down, (LP+LK)+down+forward,forward+punch] but you cant let go of the LP+LK until the move is finished. You have to do all of that within 3 frames of the game, any longer and you do the normal roll. Just for the curious that means if say Ryu was doing a fireball, and Blanka did the roll cancle rolling attack Blanka would go though the fireball ryu threw and would hit Ryu. If they both did it at the same time, Blanka would go through Ryu's fireball and then Ryu and neither player would get hurt. But that is just one technique of CVS2, and you can get by without doing it, by using Groove-K or something.

I think the game with the most techniques and game mechanics to master would be Guilty Gear XX, take a look here. So I think Guilty Gear XX would def get my vote for hardest to be a tourny level player. The game has a deep complexity at even the most basic levels.

[gradualmeltdown]

Gotta spend some time at Sega Club in Shibuya playing VF5! Jacky is the cheapest fastest damn character ever. Every person I managed to beat once, switched characters immediatelyand owned me, jacky everytime. I think japanese VF players are as talented as any fighting game audience.