This post introduces moves recommended for anyone just starting out with VF5REVO.
Since the focus here is on "the fun of pressing buttons" and "easy inputs", I've picked moves that advanced players rarely bother with — the kind you'd use just to have fun at first.
The combos are pretty low-damage too, but that's the trade-off for keeping things simple, so bear with me :)
If you're thinking "maybe I'll stick with this game" or wondering what the basic strategy feels like, I'd also recommend checking out the character-specific tactics guides.

Commands are written in numpad notation. 6P means forward P, 4P means back P. Note that 1P and 2P are swapped depending on which side you're on!

In this game, strikes beat guard, guard beats throws, and throws beat strikes.
Throws hit hard, so you'll want to go for them a lot — but if your opponent is throwing out strikes, you'll just get hit. Unlike 2D fighters, you basically can't stuff a strike with a throw, so only go for throws when you sense your opponent has frozen up.
If they won't freeze up, you can usually win just by hitting your next move right after they guard, or right after your move connects. Once you've quieted them down with strikes and they start guarding, that's your cue to go for the throw.
In Virtua Fighter, throws are the main event.

This game basically has three attack heights — high, mid, and low. And unlike 2D fighters, high attacks like throws can be avoided just by crouching.
2D fighters default to crouch-guard, but mids are really strong here, so make standing guard your default first. Start by planting both feet and just guarding standing up.

Fighting games are usually won by dropping the opponent's health to zero. But this game also has ring out victories, where whoever falls off first loses — no matter the health difference.
You can also turn the tables with moves or throws that carry your opponent a long distance. Of course, they're looking to do the same to you, so stay alert.

Getting thrown even while you're guarding? Try holding the guard button while also holding down P. That lets you escape throws while still guarding.
Throws come in three flavors — P+G, 4P+G, and 6P+G — so if you hold guard while tilting the stick in any direction, you can escape the strong throw while still blocking strikes.
If you press P and G at the exact same time, sometimes the throw escape doesn't register or your guard doesn't come out. So keep in mind: "hold G first, then press P."

People often say "P into 6P is strong," but when you try it, you just get PP instead… sound familiar?
This part trips people up: there's a technique where if you want to follow one move with a different move, you insert a G button press to break the input. So if you want to go from P into 6P, input it as P → G → 6P and it'll come out smoothly.

Most moves in this game have follow-ups. If you input the follow-up at max speed, it's easy to guard. But if you "delay" the follow-up slightly, your opponent thinks "oh, is that the end of the string?" and is more likely to stick a hand out.
That's your window — use the delay to catch them with a counter.

Landing a counter hit or hitting a crouching opponent tends to put you in a huge advantage in this game.
In that state, your opponent doesn't even have time to crouch, so throws connect cleanly (crouching takes just enough time that they get thrown before they finish sitting down). If they want to avoid the throw, they have to stick out a strike to stuff it — which means going for a strike yourself lets you beat their strike and score a counter hit.
In other words, when you're hugely advantaged, a mid strike and a throw create a genuine 50/50. That's what people mean by "50/50."

You got hit by a combo or a throw and you're knocked down! And now your opponent is waiting to pressure your wake-up! Scary!
Take a breath first. In this game, you're invincible from the moment you go down until you get back up, so you'll almost never get hit by anything while grounded. (There are a few moves that can hit you while down, but they're rare.)
Once you're down, try mashing K. You'll get up while attacking with a "wake-up kick." Think of it as invincible until the hit comes out. Hold down-back while mashing K for a low wake-up kick.
It's hard to guard at first, so if your opponent is nearby when you're down, trust it and use it. On hit you're slightly plus, so strikes like 2P or 6P can't interrupt you. If it's guarded there's no guaranteed punish, but you're pretty disadvantaged, so be careful.

Certain moves put you into a "stagger" state. Getting hit again while staggered can launch you into a dangerous situation.
While staggered, a stick icon appears — wiggling the stick a lot or mashing buttons lets you recover from the stagger faster.
It's best to hold guard while doing this — rotate the stick or mash buttons while holding guard. The reason to hold guard is twofold: you'll want to guard the instant you recover, and if you don't hold guard, your character can sometimes move on its own.

Tilting the stick to 2 or 8 (neutral) in time with your opponent's attack makes your character let out a "hah!" and dodge the attack.
Pulling it off opens up guaranteed punishes you normally can't land, or lets you take their side for a huge advantage… but the timing is tough at first, so there's no need to force it early on.
For what it's worth, the system won't let evasion come out while you're already at an advantage. Just remember: "it's a tool for when you're in trouble."