I realize almost every character in SF4 has a hidden level of depth, but humor me for a minute. Which characters do you guys think are more simple then the rest? I know Ryu has a pretty basic playstyle, and is good for noobies. Do any other characters fall in that catergory?
Lately i've been playing Sagat, because he basically only has 2-3 moves i have to remember. So it's easier to wrap my head around playing him. I was also thinking about giving Guile a go. He has 2 charge moves, plus a few really good regular moves that he can rely on. All in all he doesn't seem too complicated.

I ask because, some characters seem to have a list of moves that go on for miles, which is just too much for me. And others have a huge list of moves, but only a few of them are used a lot. Which is misleading. So i thought you experts could give some advice.

Thanks!

I'd say Zangief is pretty simple to pickup and play. OK his ultra may look impossible to pull-off, but the controls are very forgiving and by jumping in you can buffer the movement input and pull it off as soon as you land, same goes for his 2 360-degree supers. Combine this with his lariats that go through fireballs and are good at taking out anyone jumping in I'd say he is a very good character to learn.

You cite Guile as a good character to learn, but I still find his ultra tricky to pull off and it's certainly not one I could whip out whilst under any sort of sustained pressure.

Was playing with El Feutre this morning. mmmm i was playing as El Feutre this morning and he is pretty simple with his crazy dash special and hit a button after to do something different depending on button. I was surprised.

I dunno about Guile, with his moves being charge moves it's harder to whip them out at a seconds notice. You should play a little Ken and Ryu just so you have a better handle on what they're capable of, and fireballs are a great way to pressure somebody without having to be close enough to risk getting hit.  Like Steve_Evil said, Zangief might be good for you to try. You might also want to give Blanka a try. Yea, he does use charge moves like Guile, but they're much more offensieve. Even without his special moves, and ultramove (that can be a real pain to pull out when you only have a small window to make it work) his regulaur moves have pretty good reach and his slide has some suprising range.

Guile is probably the simplest all-around character. Two specials and that's it.

"Guile is probably the simplest all-around character. Two specials and that's it."

"PureRok said:

"Guile is probably the simplest all-around character. Two specials and that's it."

Having just two specials can be a disadvantage though, as A) You can become very predictable and B) You're forced to rely more on good solid combos and strategy, which whilst is a good thing, isn't always easy when you're trying to get to grips with the game. "

True enough, I suppose if the OP has no intention of experimenting then he might be a good shout. However my method would be to pick someone you like, then learn their moves perhaps one or two at a time until you know when and where to use them, then add in others once the first ones are second nature.

I'd recommend Cammy. She's pretty noob-friendly and effective.

"I'd say Zangief is pretty simple to pickup and play. OK his ultra may look impossible to pull-off, but the controls are very forgiving and by jumping in you can buffer the movement input and pull it off as soon as you land, same goes for his 2 360-degree supers.

Guile's specials are certainly simple to remember since there are only two, but I don't know if utilizing him effectively is all that simple.
I'd say Ryu, Ken, and Sagat are the simplest guys to use.