SFIV is inspired by SFII’s roots, but as I’ve been yelling into bullhorns at recent events, SFIV’s primary new mechanic (the Focus Attack) is freaking GOOD.

Although it’s raw gameplay from the Tokyo arcades (featuring Daigo Umehara–yeah, THAT guy), this video is a great showcase of just a few of the exciting things you can do with focus attacks.

Focus Attacks are really easy to perform (just press middle kick + middle punch), but really versatile. It’s up to the player to figure out clever ways to use them!:

1) (1:12) Counter sing single-strike attacks by blowing through them with a well-timed Focus Attack (this is like a junior parry).

2) (0:30) Cancel special moves into focus, and cancel that into another new technique.

In this case, you see him do jumping roundhouse, low forward, jab uppercut, cancel uppercut into Focus Attack and then link Ryu’s ultra combo at the end!

3) (0:21) Absorb a fireball cross-screen and heal the damage.

Remember, Focus Attacks allow you to withstand a single hit, and although you take damage from that hit, if you aren’t hit again immediately afterwards, you will actually heal up the damage you took.