Birdie

sfv-birdie-reveal-tallBirdie’s had an interesting series of transformations over the history of the Street Fighter franchise, going from a white, generic British punk-thug in the first game to a hulking black bouncer with a bizarre ‘do in the Alpha series, and now to a chubby, food-scarfing, tattooed bruiser in Street Fighter V.

I’m not sure if Birdie was particularly high on many folks’ returning-character wishlists, but now that he’s actually in the game, I’m really glad he’s there. Birdie serves a very interesting niche that’s different from his role in the Street Fighter Alpha series: a slow, power-heavy character that hits hard and comes equipped with long-range grabs using his chains. I didn’t think he’d be a character I’d enjoy playing–I gravitate towards “glass cannon” types, personally–but out of everyone in Street Fighter V so far, Birdie was far and away the most fun to play with.
Current Movelist

V-Skill: Break Time (MP+MK, variants with stick motions)

Remember Ono’s banana picture? Yep, that’s actually one of Birdie’s V-Skills. Birdie stops to scarf a snack, but this is no mere taunt: the residue he throws can affect opponents. Neutral MP+MK produces a delicious donut that fills V-meter, while using back MP+MK has Birdie chomp down on a banana. The banana peel remains on the ground and can be slipped on by the opponent, causing knockdown (there’s a Diddy Kong joke to be had here, I’m sure). And finally, pressing down with MP+MK lets Birdie slam a Dew*, and his hastily discarded soda can rolls across the floor and hits low.

*No, it’s not actually Mountain Dew, but we can’t totally rule out future eSports sponsorships.

V-Trigger: Enjoy Time (HP+HK)

Now this is Hot Pepper Gaming! Activating Birdie’s V-Trigger sees the brute eat a pepper, providing him with a gauge that makes his skills super spicy. We’re talking extra damage and guard breaks on specials.

V-Reversal: Pepper Pot (During guard, towards+PPP)

Special Moves

Bull Head (HCF+P)

A signature Birdie skill returns from the Alpha series, only now it’s a half-circle rather than a charge. Birdie rushes a length of the stage with a devastating headbutt.

Bull Horn (Hold any P and release)

A slightly less involved input from the original Bull Horn, this can also can be held for a surprisingly long time–even taking a few hits couldn’t stop the charge, from what I recall. Sadly, I didn’t get the opportunity to test and see if it has the same chain abilities.

Hanging Chain (QCF+K)

Birdie launches a chain forward to grab his opponent and smash them around in a nasty, long-distance catch move. The strength of the kick pressed determines the launch angle.

Killing Head (HCB+P)

What’s this? A painful close-range throw that’s not a 360? Yep, I already mentioned before how 360s aren’t in the game, and here’s a prime example. It’s a bit surprising, given that Birdie existed in the original Alpha as the token 360 throw character (until they introduced the token 360 throw character in Alpha 2). Between this and Cammy’s Hooligan Combination, you can see how Capcom’s adjusting the controls for accessibility.

Bull Revenger (HCB+K)

What’s scarier than Birdie lunging at you? A leaping Birdie lunge where he can catch you and inflict a world of hurt, that’s what. It might not be a Super any more, but that doesn’t mean this ground-slamming special is any less painful.
Critical Art

Skip to My Chain (2xQCF+P)

One of the most entertaining–and devastating–Critical Arts shown so far, this attack has Birdie rolling his foe up in his chains and engaging in an impromptu jump-rope session, with his bound-up opponent suffering some seriously damaging skid burns as a result.

“And the very best thing of all, there’s no counter on this ball!” Okay, I’ll stop now.

www.getbig.com wrote:

Great - you've decided to try bodybuilding. Perhaps you want to build mass, tighten up your midsection or slim down; those are all possible with strength training. Whatever your reason (and you should definitely write down your goals for starting and your realistic expectations of what you hope to achieve in the short and long term),m you should follow a clearly defined program.

Don't expect us to provide you with any so-called success; let's state for the record right now that some training methods are smarter and better than others, but nothing resembles a secret. Our role here is to teach and guide you through your first three months so that you can take your training to the next level and design a personal routine that meets your needs.

Is there one program that's right for everyone? No. Did you really expect that one routine would serve the needs of the female college basketball player who wants to make a more dominating presence on the court, the 45 year old businessman looking to firm his body and improve his health, and the young man interested in competitive bodybuilding? Every person who trains has different motivations, desires and genetic potential, and each must make his or her own adjustments in putting together a particular program. It's really not so difficult. But before you get started, here are some points you'll want to consider.

1. Get a physician's release if you are over 40 or have had any sort of previous injury or impairment.

2. Be realistic but positive. Assess your current condition and where you want to be in three months, one year and five years. Keep focused on your goals and know you'll achieve them.

3. Commit yourself to three months before making any judgements about whether it's working or not. The truth is, you're probably a bit impatient, and sculpting your physique takes time. Changes take place incrementally, but three months is long enough to notice some significant changes in strength and size. Persistence and dedication are characteristics that all successful bodybuilders have in common. Do you?

Designing Your Exercise Program

Before getting into your program, you need to develop an understanding of how and why you're building your exercise routine. Although we've gone ahead and designed a program for you, just about everything in ti can be changed depending on your particular circumstances. Your primary objective here, as a beginner, is to build a solid foundation - and not just any training program will take you there in an efficient manner. Study the following points to better understand your bodybuilding program.

Bodypart Training

Bodybuilders group exercises by bodypart and train one muscle group at a time. Working one are with 1-3 exercises ensures that you train it thoroughly. Experience says that this type of training is the most efficient for bodybuilding. (Circuit training, on the other hand, allows you to do movements for different bodyparts back to back with no rest in between).

Every major muscle group should be developed to prevent muscle imbalance and the risk of injury. The major muscle groups include legs (quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes), chest, shoulders, back (Trapezius, lats, erectors), abdominals and arms (biceps, triceps).

Exercises

You can choose from any number of movements that target a particular muscle group, but beginners should stick with the basics to develop a solid foundation. The first exercise you do for a given bodypart should be a compound movement. (A compound or multijoint movement, unlike an isolation exercise, has movement at two or more joints and thus brings in a greater number of assisting muscle groups. Note: Some bodyparts like biceps, triceps and calves can be worked with pre-dominatantly isolation exercises.)

Some basic movements can be done in a number of ways; for example, you can do a bench press with a barbell, with dumbbells or on a machine. Eventually, you'll learn how to do them all and use the in your training arsenal.

Two similar exercises can target a muscle differently. For example, the bench press is a good exercise for most of the chest, but the incline press (essentially a bench press done on an incline bench) works the upper pectorals more effectively. When you put exercises together to form a routine, you'll want to include those movements that hit the same muscle in different ways. That's why you normally include 2-3 exercises when you work each bodypart.

Weights

During the first couple of training sessions, you'll want to go pretty light just to get a feel for how to do the movement correctly. After you feel comfortable with the form, begin adding weight.

Even an experienced lifted should always do his first set as a warm-up with practically no weight to flush to target muscle and connective tissue with blood. On the second set, add a couple of small plates and do the exercise again. Was it still east? If so, and assuming you used good form, add more weight. If you struggled to reach 12 repetitions, add just a little bit of weight. (Adding weight on successive sets is called pyramid training and is one of the safest ways to train.)

Continue adding weight until it becomes tough to complete 8-12 reps. Your goal is to train in the range where you reach muscular failure at 8-12 reps. Once you find a challenging weight, stick with it. So you'll become stronger and be able to increase the number of reps. Once you can do 12, it's time to increase your training poundage by about 10%. At this heavier weight, you won't be able to do 12 reps, but with time you'll once again be able to. Keep working in this fashion.

The principle behind this type of training is known as overload. It states that for improvements to occur, you must impose a demand on your muscles greater than what they're accustomed to (for bodybuilding purposes, about two-thirds of your maximal strength). Your muscles compensate for this strain on the cellular level by adding protein to grow thicker and stronger. At that point, the same load is no longer sufficient to induce further changes, more load must be added. That is, you must progressively add training stimulus to make continued improvements.

Keep track of your training poundage by recording your weights, sets and reps in a training log alongside a list of your exercises.

Some bodybuilders swing and heave, cheating for the sake of pushing heavier weights. Remember, the name of the game here is not weightlifting, but rather bodybuilding.

Our agile Delta Red agent returns, looking as sharp as ever. Capcom reps told me she’s one of the “most requested” characters, so if you were among the crowd clamoring for Cammy, congrats, the developers have heard your cries! Perhaps the most noticeable change to her arsenal is that a key input has been simplified, which we’ll get to shortly.
Current Movelist

V-Skill: Axel Spin Knuckle (MP + MK)

Similar in style to Zangief’s Banishing Flat, this allows Cammy to dodge through a projectile with an attack that resembles Guile’s Spin Back Knuckle. While it doesn’t neutralize the projectile like the good ol’ green hand does, it’s a very nice addition to her repertoire.

V-Trigger: Delta Drive (HP + HK)

Cammy’s V-Trigger benefits aren’t as immediately visible as other characters: you might just think her speed increases. But many of her moves gain more subtle advantages during the time the gauge is ticking down, including increased recovery speed and being able to pass through the opponent.

V-Reversal: Strike Back (towards+KKK)

Special Moves

Spiral Arrow (QCF+K)
Cannon Spike (DP+K)
Cannon Strike (during forward jump, QCB+K)

Not much new to report here. However…

Hooligan Combination (HCF+P)

Yeah, remember how this started and ended at a weird diagonal in previous games? No more–it’s the half-circle motion we all know and love. As for the inputs afterwards…

Razor Edge Slicer (No input)
Fatal Leg Twister (close to ground, LP+LK)
Cross Scissors Pressure (close, in air LP+LK)
Cannon Strike (K)

…even better, you’ve still got all the follow-ups!
Critical Arts

Cross Stinger Assault (2xQCB+K)

Tizoc, post: wrote:

Introduction:
One Piece is the story of Monkey D. Luffy who embarks on a quest to the Grand Line, the most dangerous of all the seas, to find the greatest treasure left by Gold Rogers, the Pirate King who was executed 20 years ago, the One Piece. What the One Piece is, nobody knows, but it is known to hold a great value.

Along the way he gathers the oddest members a pirate crew could ever by made of as they venture through the dangerous waters of East Blue before entering the Grand Line.

The anime is mainly adventure, but has some kickass fights in it as a bonus with a twisted plot revealed rather late in the anime (and the plot thickens GREATLY around the 400th chapter of the manga), so if you're looking for a good anime to watch, this is the one for you.

Now don't let the 'kiddy-ish' art turn you off, as eventually you'll get to love it as it VERY unique.

You can get the latest chapters from Mangastream

You can get the anime from Anime Media - Watch Episodes Online | Watch OnePiece | OnePiece.

You can also get spoiler info from Arlong Park.

I would like to note that there are fillers which you don't need to download/watch as they don't affect the anime's story in ANY WAY. For the time being I would recommend not downloading episodes 54-61 & episodes 131-138, you CAN download them if you want BTW, since they're not as shitty as Naruto's AND Bleach's.

After leaving Konami a little over a year ago, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night creator Koji Igarashi is turning to Kickstarter to help fund his next game, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a 2.5D adventure that appears to be heavily inspired by the brand he helped create. Symphony of the Night fans will be happy to know that Bloodstained sounds like the 2.5D Metroidvania game we've wanted to see from Igarashi for years. The game stars a young woman with amnesia who storms a castle to fight off a plague of demons while collected crystals and using a new crafting system to make weapons and spells. We chatted with Igarashi about this new project, why he had trouble finding another publisher, and how Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9 inspired him.

What made you turn to Kickstarter for your next game?
The biggest reason is that we couldn’t find a publisher to fully support the title as-is. There were several bigger publishers that really liked the pitch and the game, but in the end, perhaps they didn’t feel it was a popular enough genre, or that it wasn't viable for today's current gaming market. Fortunately, we found some investment that would allow us to get close to the budget we need to make the core game, but even then, the condition of this funding was to first prove the desire for the game I'd drawn out. Not only is Kickstarter what will allow me to do this, but it will also potentially allow us to add a lot more content and some really creative things if we manage to surpass the bare minimum goal.

How did you land on the name Bloodstained? What does it say about the game?
The theme of blood often ties into Gothic roots, so it felt like a good keyword. The “stained-glass” magi-crystal graft made for a good play on words, and – much like a stain continues to grow and expand – the magi-crystal curse grows and slowly consumes its host. All this made Bloodstained a natural choice.

The crafting in this game sounds fun. What went into its creation?
Honestly, I just wanted to delve further into the key concept of "collecting." Items are usually rendered useless as the game goes on, but this way, everything still has a use later on as players collect a wide variety of materials to custom-craft their own weapons and such.

Did Keiji Inafune’s work on the Mighty No. 9 project inspire you in any way?
He was one of the main reasons I finally went independent and did a Kickstarter. I was fascinated to see that a famous Japanese creator could strike out on his own and create his own IP. I've had so many fans asking me for more games that I decided to take the same route as Inafune-san and establish a direct pipeline to my fans to create the game they and I have always wanted.

Are you interested in pulling public domain characters from classic literature and mythology into this or a future project in the same way Castlevania did? Why not just make the main character Dracula?
Dracula may be public domain, but he's linked too heavily to my previous games. The game is still going to have a Gothic vibe, but I needed a new enemy and a new character unrelated to those games in order to establish this new universe. I don't want it to seem like a half-baked copy of my previous work. I'm still not totally sure what to do with the enemies, and I'm still wondering whether it's really necessary to pull in classic monsters just because of the Gothic theme.



How do you feel about the recent rumors about Hideo Kojima and Konami? Do you think what’s been happening to him is at all similar to your departure?
It's all groundless rumors at this point, so there's no telling either way. But I do hope he is being treated respectfully as a creator who has generated so many great games.

How do you feel about Konami’s current state as a game company? Are you disappointed that they’re not doing more with properties like Silent Hill and Castlevania?
Konami has grown out of its original game roots and is definitely more of a corporation now. Companies exist to increase profits, and if console games aren’t reaching profit margins, the company can often very dryly choose another path. It’s the obvious choice for them. And while I understand the basic principle behind it, I joined Konami and spent most of my career there because I loved their games. Even now, I'm able to make a new game like this because of my work with them. It's hard for me, as a fan personally, to see the end of sequels to their bigger IPs.

Before playing Symphony of the Night with Double Fine for their Devs Play, when was the last time you played the game?
I think it was back when I was making Castlevania X Chronicles. I couldn't believe how terrible I'd gotten at playing the game.

As we’ve seen with games like Ori and the Blind Forrest and Axiom Verge this year, Metroidvania style games are still super popular. Still, do you feel like developers have been missing any element that you consider important for doing it right?
No game is truly perfect, so I'm sure there are always a few elements missing. If they got everything right, then there'd be nothing left to move forward in that genre – developers would probably just start exploring other genres. Honestly, I’m so focused on trying to make the best game that I can, it gives me tunnel vision; I only come up for air to make sure I’m giving the fans the 2D side-scrolling Igavania experience they tell me they want. Who knows – maybe they want more games in this genre because it feels like there's still a key element or two that we still haven’t found yet. I suppose this Kickstarter could tell us the answer.

A lot of people compare Bloodborne to Castlevania. Have you checked out Bloodborne and what are your thoughts on it?
I’ve watched my kids play it. Man, that is a very well-made game. The game world and positioning are pretty different, so I was surprised to hear people compare the two games. I love the Cthulhu world, so I hope they keep on making sequels for it.

Do prefer playing with a whip or a sword?
Well, I technically gave birth to the sword-based Igavania-type characters, so I guess my weapon of choice is a sword.

Visible next in your Crystal Lens is one of our personal favorites: Classic Mode. This is a cool one, especially if you've been playing action platformers since controllers had two buttons: In Classic Mode, existing assets and screens from the game will be rearranged linearly, to reward timing and survival instead of backtracking and exploration.

IGA and company are still too early in the planning process to promise anything, but right now he's envisioning six punishing stages. In grand classic platformer fashion, you'll be weaker and the enemies will be stronger, and forget about saving yourself by grinding—no RPG elements here.

If you've always preferred your castles punishingly difficult, straightforward, and scrolling from left to right, this is the stretch goal for you.