STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3 BIRDIE FAQ FOR ARCADE & PLAYSTATION Version 0.007 July 28, 1999 By David J. Antoine/$muvMoney Copyright (c) 1999 David J. Antoine http://members.tripod.com/davidja/faqs/sfa3birdie.txt Unpublished Work Trademarked (tm) and copyrighted (c) David Antoine 1999. All Rights Reserved. IMPORTANT: YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO EVERY PART AND EVERY WORD TO THIS DISCLAIMER. USE OF THIS FILE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE TO THIS DISCLAIMER. In no event shall this document be reproduced or retransmitted in any way, shape, or form (including but not limited to physical, natural, or electronic). In no event shall this document be used for HTML, Perl, C++, HTMLScript, Active Server Page Files, JavaScript, Java, or any other forms of webmastering that exist without e-mailed permission from David Antoine. In no event shall this document be used at a password-protected site where either user accounts are utilized and/or money is made through user accounts. 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David Antoine also acknowledges and respects all copyrights, patents (pending or not), and trademarks of ALL OTHER FAQ AUTHORS (whether if it's Kao Megura, John Culbert, Henry LaPierre, Josh Harring, or otherwise) and if for any reason I MUST USE any or all of the document, it will be mentioned somewhere in this document, commonly in the Acknowledgements section of this document. If for any reason you must use any or all of this document for your own FAQ, please properly give credit where credit is due. IF FOR ANY REASON YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS LISTED AT THE URL AFOREMENTIONED ABOVE AND/OR IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS DISCLAIMER, then you must destroy this document at all costs. Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, Birdie, and other related events and objects are registered trademarks and copyrighted (c) 1991-1999 Capcom. All Rights Reserved. This document was carefully prepared and created by David Antoine in respect to all Capcom Properties, as no copyright infringement was intended. I'll make this clear: This document is MINE and there is NO UNAUTHORIZED USE of this document at any cost!!! You are free to mirror this document at your web site, but IT MUST BE SHOWN IN ITS ENTIRETY AND IT MUST REMAIN 100% ORIGINAL AND UNTOUCHED. Feel free to distribute this document BUT IT MUST BE DISTRIBUTED ELECTRONICALLY AND FREE OF CHARGE. I didn't create this document so that some lamer will come around and steal this work and/or have a Gaming Mag Company (namely EGM, who's been making blood money from some Tekken 3 FAQs back in 1997) print this document into a magazine. NO MONETARY COMPENSATION CAN BE MADE FROM THIS DOCUMENT AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE. ONE FINAL FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE DOCUMENT MUST BE FREELY ACCESSIBLE WHICH MEANS NO PASSWORDS, NO USER ACCOUNTS, NO CHACHI CAN BLOCK ACCESS TO THIS DOCUMENT!!! Game Cave: KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF THIS FILE AT ALL COSTS!!! I'VE HEARD THAT YOU'VE BEEN MAKING BLOOD MONEY OUT OF SOME PEOPLE AND WE ARE GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR MISCHIEF. THIS WORK IS MINE AND IF YOU EVEN DARE USE THIS WORK TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF IT, I WILL TELL YOUR PROVIDERS TO SHUT YOU DOWN FOR GOOD. Note: This copyright is shared with Kao Megura's and Mark Kim's well-placed copyright except that Mark decided to make the copyright a little more severe. Notice that Mark Kim as well as I acknowledges ALL of Kao Megura's works and admires his work and he wanted to imitate his copyright. This copyright that you see is similar to Mark Kim's copyright on his LA Machine Guns Anti- Terrorist Manual. ================================================================================ TABLE OF CONTENTS ================================================================================ CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION - What Is This? - Where To Find This FAQ - Special Thanks : Special People, FAQ Writers/Contributors CHAPTER II - MOVES - Introduction To Street Fighter Alpha 3 - Introduction To Birdie - Legend : General Notation, Joystick/Button Layout, Button Presses - Universal Moves : ISMs, Moving & Blocking, Special/Other Universal Moves - Birdie Command Attacks : Bull Drop, Body Slam, Bad Hammer - Birdie Throws : Bull Spike, Bad Throw, Bad Scrap, Murderer Chain, Bandit Chain - Birdie Special Moves : Bull Head, Bull Horn - Birdie Super Combos : The Birdie, Bull Revenger CHAPTER III - MOVES ANALYSIS & STRATEGY - Normal Moves : Standing/Crouching/Jumping LP/MP/HP/LK/MK/HK - Throws : Bull Spike, Bad Throw, Bad Scrap, Murderer Chain, Bandit Chain - Special Moves : Bull Head, Bull Horn - Super Combos : The Birdie, Bull Revenger CHAPTER IV - COMBOS - Basic - 2-in-1 - Variable CHAPTER V - VS STRATEGY - General : Poking, Jumping, Ticking, Countering, Recovering - Vs CPU : E. Honda, Blanka, Balrog, M. Bison - Vs Human : Chun Li, E. Honda, Ryu, Ken CHAPTER VI - MISCELLANY - Storyline : Opening Storyline (Personal Data, Special Moves, Opening Introduction), Vs E. Honda, Vs Blanka, Vs Balrog, Vs M. Bison - Ending - Win Quotes - Animations - Colors CHAPTER VII - BIBLIOGRAPHY - Acknowledgements : Vesther Fauransy, Kao Megura, Chocobo, Micheal Torres, Nedfar, Svenyip & Shred-Man, Kailu Lantis, Robert Iu, ShinJN, Gamefaqs.com, Feedback - What's New In This Version : Version 0.007, Version 0.006, Version 0.005, Version 0.004, Version 0.003, Version 0.002, Version 0.001, Upcoming CHAPTER VIII - EPILOGUE ================================================================================ CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION ================================================================================ Before reading this FAQ, make sure that the following carats, hyphens, numbers, asterisks, and periods line up. ^^^^^^^^^^ ---------- 1234567890 ********** .......... If they do not, please switch to a fixed font like Courier or Courier New or else certain parts will be unreadable. ============= What Is This? ============= This is a FAQ detailing SFA3 Birdie, a member of the Shadaloo organization and an underling and henchman of M. Bison, the ruthless and evil dictator of Shadoloo/Shadaloo/Shadowlaw (same organization). Since no one has written a FAQ on him for SFA3, I took it upon myself to write one up. Most people have written him off as a bad/bottom-tier character, but I have seen him used at a decent, playable level. Based on that and my own experience I write this FAQ. I will list Birdie's moves and throws and super combos. I then go on to analyze/discuss their uses. I also include combos and versus strategy towards the end of this FAQ followed by miscellaneous information about Birdie. ====================== Where To Find This FAQ ====================== Sooner or later, I will post this on my web site at this location: http://members.tripod.com/davidja/faqs/sfa3birdie.txt. I will also attempt to put this on gamefaqs.com. In the meanwhile, enjoy. ============== Special Thanks ============== This FAQ would not be possible without the work and efforts of the following people. -------------- Special People -------------- -God for allowing me to grace this earth -My parents and family for birthing, raising, loving, and tolerating me -Myself for finally deciding to be man enough to write a FAQ and face criticism on my FAQ and SFA3 techniques ------------------------ FAQ Writers/Contributors ------------------------ -Vesther Fauransy for his help with the copyright information -Kao Megura, Chocobo, Michael Torres, Nedfar, Svenyip & Shred-Man, Kailu Lantis, Robert Iu, and ShinJN for their FAQ's -Capcom for another great albeit flawed in some spots arcade and PSX SFA3 (and hopefully DreamCast SFA3) -falconpain@my-deja.com, Kao Megura, and Nedfar for Birdie feedback -a.g.sf2 (alt.games.sf2) for being a good source of info for all SF games -Gamefaqs.com for having such a huge depository of information on so many video games and for eventually posting this FAQ -the Pokemon-carrying dude at the Super Just Games Mid West tourney who showed me that Birdie can be useful and fun (man I forgot your name - if you ever read this, email me and I will properly give you the credit you deserve) Full acknowledgements (FAQ titles, etc) are listed at the bottom of this FAQ. ================================================================================ CHAPTER II - MOVES ================================================================================ This is where I talk about the SFA3 engine as well as Birdie's special moves, command attacks, throws, and super combos. ====================================== Introduction to Street Fighter Alpha 3 ====================================== In an effort to make this FAQ a whole lot shorter, I am assuming that you have a working knowledge of Street Fighter. If you are completely new to Street Fighter Alpha 3, then I suggest you read the following FAQ's: Kao Megura's Street Fighter Alpha 3 FAQ Nedfar's Street Fighter Alpha 3 Combo System and General FAQ They are both listed below in the Acknowledgements section and can be found at http://www.gamefaqs.com. If you have a basic understanding of Street Fighter and can do without, then read on. ====================== Introduction to Birdie ====================== Birdie is an unusual character. He is slow-moving but can hit with extreme power and prejudice. His shortcomings come with his slow ground movement. Even his 360-degree throws come out slowly (why? I don't know). Is it impossible to win with Birdie? Some say yes, but I am writing this to prove otherwise. Even though Birdie will never be top tier thanks to Capcom, but I hope this FAQ will make sure that you never suck at him either. With that, let's begin. ====== Legend ====== The format used in this legend is loosely based on James Chen's X-Men versus Street Fighter combo model/format. ---------------- General Notation ---------------- + : Perform simultaneously _ : Or (or simply the word "or") , : Perform next motion => : Perform next sequence /\ : Leave ground for attack \/ : Land from a jumping attack * : Hold direction/button ^ : Release button(s) held down X n : Perform n times/repeatedly XX : Cancel into special move/super combo J : Jumping CU : Cross Up Close : Standing close Far : Standing far (air) : Move can be performed in air air : Move can only be performed in air 360 : One full joystick rotation 720 : Two full rotations of the joystick (XAV) : Available in X, A, or V-ISM ---------------------- Joystick/Button Layout ---------------------- 1P 2P UB U UF UF U UB O O O O O O \|/ (LP) (MP) (HP) \|/ (LP) (MP) (HP) B O-O-O F F O-O-O B /|\ (LK) (MK) (HK) /|\ (LK) (MK) (HK) O O O O O O DB D DF DF D DB For the purposes of this FAQ, I am assuming that you are facing right, i.e., the default 1P side. If you happen to be on the 2P side, simply switch the left and right joystick commands to get the same effect. I will be using both letter and joystick notation to describe each move. Up/Back(UB) Up(U) Up/Forward(UF) Light Medium Hard Punch Punch Punch O O O \ | / (LP) (MP) (HP) Back(B) Neutral(N) Forward(F) Jab Strong Fierce O- O -O Short Forward Roundhouse Down/Back(DB) Down(D) Down/Forward(DF) (LK) (MK) (HK) / | \ Light Medium Hard O O O Kick Kick Kick -------------- Button Presses -------------- P/K : Any Punch/Kick PP/KK : Two Punches/Kicks 3P/3K : All Punches/Kicks P_K : Any Attack LL : Light Punch + Kick (LP + LK) MM : Medium Punch + Kick (MP + MK) HH : Hard Punch + Kick (HP + HK) SS : Same Strength Punch + Kick (LL_MM_HH) START : Arcade Start button SELECT : PSX Select button =============== Universal Moves =============== Most of these are self-explanatory, but it is good to mention them since the game engine for Street Fighter Alpha 3 had undergone some major changes. ---- ISMs ---- The chart below is courtesy of Kao Megura's excellent FAQ on Street Fighter Alpha 3. It explains the differences between the 3 ISMs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABILITIES X-ISM A-ISM V-ISM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Blocking No Yes Yes Air Recovery Yes Yes Yes Ground Recovery No Yes Yes Taunts Only Dan Yes Yes Guard Power Rating High Varies Varies SC/OC Gauge Speed Slow Normal Fast Levels Available 1 3 2 (50% / 100%) Alpha Counter Cost n/a 1 SC + 1 GP 50% OC + 1 GP Damage Rating x1.2* x1.0 x0.8 Defense Rating x0.8 x1.0 x1.0 (OC = Original Combo aka Variable Combo) (GP = Guard Meter Point) (SC = Super Combo Level) I further break down what these ISMs mean to Birdie in the MOVES ANALYSIS & STRATEGY section. ----------------- Moving & Blocking ----------------- You have to move your character around somehow. Second to importance to moving is blocking. Without blocking, you will eventually die from a dizzy or an empty life bar. However, too much blocking/defending and you will also die thanks to the guard meter and guard crushing. To reduce your guard meter, you can use guard protection, which is blocking right when the attack strikes you. (XAV) Move Forward : F -O (XAV) Move Backwards : B O- (XAV) Crouch : DB_D_DF / or | or \ O O O (XAV) Jump : UB_U_UF O O O \ or | or / (XAV) High Block : B O- (XAV) Low Block : DB / O (AV) Air Block : air B_DB O O O \ or | or / O- or / O ----------------------------- Special/Other Universal Moves ----------------------------- These are moves that every character unless the ISM dictates otherwise. Remember that (SS) means Same Strength Punch and Kick. (XAV) Guard Protection : B_DB O- or / O (AV) Damage/Dizzy Reduction : B, F X n + P_K X n O- -O X n + P_K X n (XAV) Air Recovery : air B_N_F + PP O- or O or -O + PP (AV) Ground Recovery : N_F + KK O or -O + KK (AV) Alpha Counter : F + SS -O + SS (V) Variable Combo : (air) SS (air) SS (XAV) Throw : B_F + PP_KK O- or -O + PP or KK (XAV) Air Throw : air B_F + PP_KK O O O \ or | or / O- or -O + PP or KK (XAV) Tech Hit : B_F + PP O- or -O + PP (AV) Taunt : B_N_F + START_SELECT O- or O or -O + START_SELECT ====================== Birdie Command Attacks ====================== Birdie has three command attacks. (XAV) Bull Drop : F + HK -O + HK (XAV) Body Slam : air D + HP O O / or \ | + HP O (X) Bad Hammer : Close HP => U O Close HP => | He does have a close standing move in his hard punch. In V-ISM, you can use this move anywhere by holding back and pressing hard punch. This is true for all V-ISM characters. If you wish to use the far reaching fierce, move the joystick to neutral or forward before pressing hard punch. ============= Birdie Throws ============= (XAV) Bull Spike : B_F + PP O- or -O + PP (XAV) Bad Throw : B_F + KK O- or -O + KK (XAV) Bad Scrap : air B_F + PP O O O \ or | or / O- or -O + PP Note the multiple methods for the 360 throws. I put the best ways to perform it on the ground. I will explain the motions further in analysis. (XAV) Murderer Chain : 360 + P O O O- / | \ -O / | + P O O O O O -O \ | / O- \ | + P O O O O O O / | \ -O / | \ O- + P O O O O O O O- / | \ -O / | \ O- + P O O O O O O -O \ | / O- \ | / -O + P O O O (XAV) Bandit Chain : 360 + K O O O- / | \ -O / | + K O O O O O -O \ | / O- \ | + K O O O O O O / | \ -O / | \ O- + K O O O O O O O- / | \ -O / | \ O- + K O O O O O O -O \ | / O- \ | / -O + K O O O ==================== Birdie Special Moves ==================== Remember that the asterisk (*) next to a button means to hold the button(s) down. If the (*) is next to a direction, i.e., back or (*B), that means to hold back. A carat (^) means to release the button held down. (XAV) Bull Head : *B, F + P *O- -O + P (XAV) Bull Horn : *PP, ^P_*KK, ^K *PP, ^P_*KK, ^K =================== Birdie Super Combos =================== (XA) The Birdie : *B, F, B, F + P *O- -O O- -O + P (A) Bull Revenger : D, DF, F, D, DF, F + P_K | \ -O | \ -O + P_K O O O O ================================================================================ CHAPTER III - MOVES ANALYSIS & STRATEGY ================================================================================ Now that you have the joystick motions for all of Birdie's moves, what are you going to do with them? Well, this is the section for you. ============ Normal Moves ============ Since I haven't talked about Birdie's normal moves yet, let's start with them to get a better understanding of Birdie. --------------- Light Punch/Jab --------------- Standing -------- Birdie throws a quick standing punch. It is bufferable, but it doesn’t hit crouching opponents. Maybe it is good for anti-air purposes, but I’d rather use hard punch for that. The jab is not fast enough to repeat or chain into itself. Crouching --------- Birdie throws a quick low punch. This is a very good move because your Jab Bull Head can buffer off of it for a painful two hit combo. It is also good for poking and ticking. Jumping ------- Birdie throws a downward punch close to his body. If you want to set up a tick from the air, I would suggest this, the short, or the fierce body slam. It stays a little too close to Birdie’s body for any real air-to-air except at very close range. ------------------- Medium Punch/Strong ------------------- Standing -------- Birdie throws a standing reverse punch. Even though it is bufferable, it also hits very high. It may be good for anti-air if the opponent is in front of you. It isn’t too quick either so I’m not too gung ho on this punch. However, it does pack a wallop for a strong punch. Crouching --------- Birdie throws a low reverse punch. This punch I’m a little more gung ho on. It is good as a poke and is bufferable into a Jab Bull Head. It has good range for a low strong. It comes pretty fast for Birdie. Here is a tidbit about the crouching strong from fellow Birdie user Kao Magura: "Also, Birdie's low MP makes for a great anti-air, just like most other characters in the game." I also suggest you use standing/crouching HP along with the MP for a good mix of anti-air normal moves. Jumping ------- Birdie throws a downward punch in the air close to his body. This hits better than his jumping jab, but I can’t really find any air-to-air use for it. It is a decent jump-in combo starter, but Birdie has much better. ----------------- Hard Punch/Fierce ----------------- Standing -------- Birdie performs a two handed uppercut when close. In X-ISM, you can hit the opponent once more if you juggle with both hits of the close HP by holding up. In other ISMs, it is too slow to allow for any real juggles. When further away, Birdie does a downward double axehandle blow that hits twice. Since Birdie puts his fists over his head, it can be used for anit-air pretty well. It is also his longest poke. It is far enough to hit some foot sweeps, but since your foot extends slightly forward while doing it, you can be swept as well. Crouching --------- Birdie performs an uppercut with his mohawk that hits twice on standing opponents. This is best bufferable move. In V-ISM, you can buffer off of either hit. In A-ISM and X-ISM, you can only buffer special moves off of the first hit, but you can buffer super combos off of the second hit. It also has surprising range – about equal to the crouching strong punch. It is also faster than the strong. Because it is an uppercut, you can use it as a mix-up in the anti-air game. It also does large amounts of damage even if it hits once. Jumping ------- Birdie does a two-handed downward stirke in the air. If you jump in the air with fierce, chances are you are going to use the Body Slam (D + HP) if you are going to jump in. The normal jumping fierce is not very good at all. Stick to the Body Slam unless you need air-to-air combat. The jumping fierce doesn’t hit very well while the Body Slam can hit very deeply as a jump-in. The Body Slam is one of his really good jump-in attacks. ---------------- Light Kick/Short ---------------- Standing -------- Birdie does an ankle kick with the side of his boot. This move is kind of slow, but it is bufferable and easy to tick from. There isn’t much else to say about it. Crouching --------- Birdie performs an ankle kick leading with the tip of his boot. This move is actually good in combos and ticking. Since it hits low, opponents have to block. However, it does have short range and it is not very repeatable. Jumping ------- Birdie does a downward side kick that sticks out briefly. This is another jump- in to use in a tick or combo as it can hit deeply. You can also jump back and kick an opponent right next to you. This is a decent jump-in if you need to stay close to your opponent. ------------------- Medium Kick/Forward ------------------- Standing -------- Birdie kicks out waist high. This kick isn’t that great. It isn’t very quick, it doesn’t hit crouching opponents, and its recovery isn’t that great. Crouching --------- Birdie performs a low kick leading with the flat of his boot. Even though the animation has changed from SFA2, this move has a lot of range. Its only weakness is that it is a little slow. However, since Birdie kicks slightly above the ground, it looks like it can go over other foot sweeps that hug the ground. Jumping ------- Birdie kicks straight out in front of him while airborne. This is a good air- to-air move as he leads with his foot. The opponent would have to be above him to completely avoid the foot. It isn’t so hot on air-to-ground attacking as it can be ducked. -------------------- Hard Kick/Roundhouse -------------------- Standing -------- Birdie does a mid-level front kick while moving forward. This has about as much range as the standing forward and exhibits most of the same properties. It doesn’t hit crouching opponents and its recovery isn’t good at all. If you hold forward while pressing hard kick, you perform the Bull Drop, his overhead. As with most overheads, it’s kind of slow and easy to see coming. It doesn’t have much range either. Crouching --------- Birdie spins around and swings his foot at the opponent’s feet. This foot sweep isn’t that bad. I tend to use it as a longer range poke. It is also Birdie’s only knockdown from a normal move. I’m not sure about its priority, but it seems to have decent distance. Jumping ------- Birdie performs a drop kick leading with both boots. This is great in air-to- air and air-to-ground attacking. You can hit very deep with it or take people out of the air. Since Birdie shortens his body during the kick (rather than lengthen like Zangief), he more or less hides behind his feet. You can jump over projectiles relatively easily with this move. Overall, this is his best jumping attack IMHO. ====== Throws ====== Birdie has a ton of throws. Some have good range while others are slow to come out. One thing they all have in common is that they do good damage. Use them if you have the opportunity. --------------------------- Bull Spike (XAV) [B_F + PP] --------------------------- Birdie grabs the opponent and continuously headbutts them with his mohawked skull. As you can guess from the description, this is a hold. However, it has squat range compared to the Bad Throw and his other throws. It does offer some good setups based on whether or not your opponents flip out of the hold. You can Jab Bull Head after the hold if the opponent doesn’t recover at all. You can also wait and see what the opponent does and attempt to take him/her out that way. Here is a note on what else you can do with the Bull Spike from Kao Megura: "Btw, although it's easily gotten out of, I found that doing X-Birdie's headbutt throw in the corner (mash the buttons), then juggle with close standing HP into Bad Hammer (press u) does only a few points less than the Level 3 Birdie. Easily escapable, sure (tech. hit or PP flip afterward), but it'd probably be fun to do on scrubs :)" Of course, you can do many other nasty things to the opponent if they air recover from the Bull Spike. Use your imagination. In fact, here is a suggestion from Nedfar: "I dunno if it is already in your FAQ or not, but if you are fighting someone who is slow to flip out, then after you hit them with a PP throw (the Bull Spike) you can hit them with a Bull Horn or an airthrow juggle, or with your B-F-B-F super levels 1 or 3(the level 2 one is freaky and misses the last hit). Not too useful against most of the people I fight, since they are trained to immediately flip at all times or else be horrendously juggled all the way across the screen :)" Great minds think alike I guess. =) -------------------------- Bad Throw (XAV) [B_F + KK] -------------------------- Birdie grabs the opponent by the legs and tosses him/her completely over his head and across the screen. This throw can be air recovered out of, but that can lead to good things for Birdie. Why? Because you can either whip out an A- ISM Bull Revenger to grab when they hit the ground or you can give a Bull Head or Bull Horn if they're still airborne. The latter you can only do near a corner or they recover right next to you. The best thing your opponents can do is not air recover and save themselves the potential damage. ------------------------------ Bad Scrap (XAV) [air B_F + PP] ------------------------------ Birdie grabs the opponent out of the air and slams them down with his chain. I can't really think of any follow-ups for this attack. The range is also quite small like his ground PP throw. For the record, it does look kind of brutal. ------------------------------ Murderer Chain (XAV) [360 + P] ------------------------------ Birdie wraps the chain around the opponent's neck and slams them twice into the ground. Am I only one who thinks Birdie's 360 throws got raped? The startup time on this is bad. However, it does good damage. If you're going to use this, use the Jab version. It does almost the same amount of damage as the Fierce. It has slightly better range than the Fierce version, which makes it a better tick. Even though the range is small on the Murderer Chain, you can still tick off of it using a jab or short. In fact, using a Body Slam, you can set up good ticks like the following (initially starting from 1P side): (XAV) Body Slam \/ Standing Short => Murderer Chain: J D + HP \/ LK => 360 + P O O O / | + HP \/ LK => O- / | \ -O / | + P O O O O You can also use a crouching short or a standing/crouching jab in this tick. You have to enter the 360 during the light kick, but you do not buffer it into the light kick as you would a Bull Head. That will cause a "missed throw" animation to occur, which can be fatal for Birdie. You perform the motion while the light kick is thrown, but you time the button press so that you grab them at the end of hit/block stun. You can also use the Murderer Chain instead /without a jump-in. Simply do the motion in the air and press any punch when you touch the ground. ---------------------------- Bandit Chain (XAV) [360 + K] ---------------------------- Birdie grabs the opponent's legs with his chain and slams him/her to the ground repeatedly before throwing them far and away over his head. This is Birdie's other 360 throw. The Roundhouse does the most damage since Birdie slams the opponent down 3 times before throwing them. The short and forward version slam down once and twice respectively. It seems like this move grabs a little faster than the Murderer Chain. The damage between Short and Roundhouse is large enough to warrant using only the Roundhouse version. I think the range on all three is about the same unlike the Murderer Chain (I could be wrong here). The tick listed for the Murderer Chain will also work for the Bandit Chain: (XAV) Body Slam \/ Standing Short => Bandit Chain: J D + HP \/ LK => 360 + K O O O / | + HP \/ LK => O- / | \ -O / | + K O O O O You can also use a crouching short or a standing/crouching jab in this tick. On a crossup Body Slam, you may actually be able to use crouching strong. Before I forget, let me briefly explain the principles behind 360-degree throws. In actuality, you only need to do a 270-degree motion on the joystick to execute a 360-degree throw. A 270-degree motion is simply 6 consecutive points on a joystick, i.e., F, DF, D, DB, B, UB, U. However, for some people (like myself), it is easier for me to do a 360 than a 270 even though the motion is longer. I also use Zangief and I tend to use a 360-degree motion starting from F, B, or DB (actually 315 from DB to B) for all my 360-degree throws. If you have never done 360 motion throws consistently, I suggest you practice before using this in your repertoire. Once you're able to do them from a standing position (F or B) and from DB, then feel free to use this move. ============= Special Moves ============= Correct usage of Birdie's special moves will be the difference between a good win and an agonizingly painful loss. With that, let's begin. --------------------------- Bull Head (XAV) [*B, F + P] --------------------------- Birdie turns red and attacks the opponent with his mohawked cranium while screaming "BULL HEAD". For the record, I only use this move in combos since the recovery is horrible in most cases. However, when it does hit, does it ever hit. The Jab Bull Head is your combo finisher off of any bufferable move Birdie has. If you miss, prepare to be punished hard and often. The Strong Bull Head goes almost a full screen while the Fierce can go even further assuming your opponent jumps back and gives you more than a full screen. If you want to live, stick to the Jab version in combos and instant short-range retaliation. --------------------------------- Bull Horn (XAV) [*PP, ^P_*KK, ^K] --------------------------------- Birdie turns away from the opponent and yells out before rushing forward and attacking head first. To perform the Bull Horn, hold down any two punches and release a punch, or hold down any two kicks, then release a kick. The longer you hold down the buttons, the more powerful the Bull Horn becomes, reminiscent of Balrog's Turn Punch. Unlike the Bull Head, Birdie does not turn red while doing the Bull Horn. However, the turning his back to his opponent does telegraph this move. Well how do you use it then? I tend to use it in close. When Birdie turns away, he can avoid many moves including fast projectiles and foot sweeps IIRC. Once he starts to lunge forward, he is vulnerable again. The buttons you hold determine the distance you go with the Bull Horn. There are essentially three distances (not two as I thought): about 1/2 screen, about 3/4 screen and full screen. To do a half screen Bull Horn, you have to hold down jab and strong (LP + MP) or short and forward (LK + MK). A 3/ 4 screen Bull Horn is performed with (LP + HP) or (LK + HK). The full screen version is (MP + HP) or (MK + HK) held down. (Thanks to Kao Megura for pointing out this error). The button you release to perform the Bull Horn will not affect this distance, only the buttons you hold down. There is one exception to this. Birdie will go more than the distance listed if you buffer the Bull Horn off of another move. He will travel the distance he would have traveled had the Bull Horn had been done on its own. You can actually use this to tick at certain ranges since the recovery on this move is MUCH better than the Bull Head. In fact, you and the opponent usually recover about at the same time. If you are outside your opponent's throw range but within your Murderer/Bandit Chain Range, let loose with the 360 throw. If you buffer it into your recovery, you can grab them before they realize it. God knows I've fallen for it a few times. =) It looks something like this: (XAV) Bull Horn => Murderer/Bandit Chain : *PP, ^P_*KK, ^K => 360 + P_K O O *PP, ^P_*KK, ^K => -O \ | / O- \ | + P_K O O O I suggest that you start the 360 motion from forward to make sure you get the maximum range. However, if you fear retaliation from the Bull Horn, start the motion from DB and end at B or DB so you end up blocking if the move doesn't come out. Remember to perform the 360 motion while in move stun so that you only have to press the button as soon as you come out of stun. As I mentioned before, the longer you hold the buttons, the more powerful the move will become. There are 5 levels to the Bull Horn: 1, 2, 3, 4, and Final. This chart from Kao Megura's FAQ illustrates how long you have to hold the buttons to achieve each level in the Bull Horn: Time that move is charged Result 0 - 2 seconds Level 1 3 seconds Level 2 4 - 6 seconds Level 3 7 - 12 seconds Level 4 13+ seconds Final You will know what level Birdie is attacking with because he screams out 1, 2, 3, 4, or Final before he does it. The level also determines the maximum amount of times the Bull Horn will hit the opponent if it makes contact. A Final Bull Horn will hit five times maximum. In combat, I tend to use LK + MK (shortest range) for the Bull Horn since I use the other buttons for other purposes: HK - jump ins, knockdown foot sweep; FP - poking, Body Slam jump-in; LP - Jab Bull Head, ticks; MP - actually, I sometimes have trouble reaching MP sometimes while holding down LK + MK. Of course, using LK + MK means you lose a quick low sweep and a good tick move (LK) along with his decent reaching crouching MK. If you really need to use LK or MK, simply throw a move that doesn't use LK or MK that doesn't hit the opponent and quickly let go of the buttons. You won't be able to perform the Bull Horn due to the recovery animation of the move you just threw out. If you throw a move that is bufferable and does hit, chances are you will buffer into a Bull Horn. Otherwise, you won't do a Bull Horn, but you will lose that Bull Horn charge. You can activate a Bull Horn with any two PP or KK buttons. However, you can have multiple Bull Horns charged. How? If you have the dexterity, you can hold down two PP and two KK at the same time. However, if you want two Bull Horns without the extra dexterity, just hold down 3P or 3K. Depending on what you release, you will get the corresponding level Bull Horn. If you want four Bull Horns, hold down all 6 buttons. Obviously, you can't attack with normal moves, but you can still can with special moves. How? Remember that special moves and super combos can be activated by a button press or a button release. If you release a button after performing the motion for another special move (i.e., LP for a Jab Bull Head), you will perform the Bull Head rather than the Bull Horn. However, for most this is extreme, very difficult, and requires lots of manual dexterity. I have only known one person who could this well back in SF2HF (he used Balrog - kind of makes sense). He would hold down 3K, but he could take you out of the air with a Short Dashing Uppercut at will using the above method. He would still have his punches for Dashing Straights. For the less dextrous, if you need a Bull Horn, just hold down PP or KK for a second and then release so you can use those buttons again for other purposes. You can do this after a knockdown (yours or opponent's), within the midst of another move or special (my favorite method), or even when your character isn't controllable (beginning of round, between rounds, during storyline sequences, etc). Now here are some additional notes on the Bull Horn by Kao Megura from an a.g.sf2 post: "Anyway, I just wanted to offer some quick notes (and I might as well post them here for other Birdie users). The Bull Horn has three possible ranges, LP + MP for short, LP + HP for medium, and MP + HP for long-range (ditto with kicks). Also, you might want to mention what happens when you charge more than one Bull Horn and release one button at a time (for each Bull Horn): - If LP was released first, the second Punch Bull Horn is long-ranged, no matter what button is released. - If MP was released first, the second Punch Bull Horn is medium ranged. - If HP was released first, the second Punch Bull Horn is short ranged. The same thing applies to the kick buttons, but that doesn't mean that releasing HP, then releasing LK for a second Bull Head would make that LK Bull Head long ranged." I did not know about the LP + HP/LK + HK being a medium Bull Horn in earlier versions of this FAQ. Thanks to Kao on that one. This is useful if you don’t want to be too close but want to stay within striking distance. I also didn’t know about the circumstances for multiple charged Bull Horns. Here is some additional info on multiple charging Bull Horns courtesy of Kao Megura: (slightly edited since Kao realized he had made a small error) (My question to Kao was: By the way, what does happen if you release HP for a Bull Horn then LK for another after the first Bull Horn has completed?) "Oops, I seemed to have tripped up here. When you're charging two Bull Horns using PPP or KKK, the first button you release always results in a long range bull horn. So let's look at that 6 bull horn charge again. Releasing HP gets me a long-range Bull Horn, and when I release LK, I get another long-range Bull Horn. Everything else is correct; releasing LP or MP results in a short Bull Horn since I used HP for the first one. Releasing MK or HK for another Bull Horn results in a long range one since LK was used for the first one, and like I mentioned earlier, releasing a light attack button gets you a long-range Bull Horn (reverse for hard attacks, and medium attacks get you medium range bull horns). The remaining two buttons are useless at that point, so I can let them go (or I could have released them when I released LP + MP or MK + HK, it really wouldn't have made a difference.)" This actually does make sense, but you may have to read it more than once to understand what he is saying. ============ Super Combos ============ When all else is failing you, these may be your saving grace in a match. If they can't save you, probably nothing else will. --------------------------------- The Birdie (XA) [*B, F, B, F + P] --------------------------------- Birdie rushes towards the opponent, delivering multiple Bull Heads. If he confuses the opponent, he taunts before he continues to deliver two more Bull Heads. Ironically, the A-ISM Level 1 version is by far the most useful. The other two levels don't offer as good damage at higher levels. The Level 1 hits 3 times while Levels 2 and 3 hit 4 and 5 times respectively. The Level 1 can also be used for anti-air and will hit the airborne opponent two or usually all three times as if they were hit on the ground. For some reason, the Level 2 doesn't seem to do this very well since the timing of the Bull Heads are different. For the Level 3 A-ISM/X-ISM version, he hits three times and then the opponent is dizzy (watching the birdies so to speak - I wonder if this is where the name of this super combo comes from ;). Birdie will do a taunt and perform two more Bull Heads. I am not sure of how well Birdie goes through projectiles with this super combo, but I have seen him go through many other normal and special moves executed at close range. Here is what Kao Megura has to say about the usefulness of The Birdie: "Also, while I enjoy using the Level 1 Birdie for anti-air (since all hits combo), the damage is the same as an HP Murderer Chain. So while it is useful for going through attacks at the beginning, etc., IMHO I usually find it better to save my SC power for the Bull Revenger or a higher level Birdie." All I can say is about this is that if you’re in a tight spot, using The Birdie Level 1 might save you, but otherwise, the man has a point. The Bull Revenger is the more damaging of his two super combos. IMHO it is also harder to land as well. -------------------------------------------- Bull Revenger (A) [D, DF, F, D, DF, F + P_K] -------------------------------------------- Birdie jumps through the air. Once he lands, he grabs the opponent and slams him/her multiple times. The distance Birdie will jump is determined by what button you press. If you press a punch, he will go about half a screen and land. If you press a kick, he will go full screen. He can go through certain attacks and projectiles while he is in the air. As with all Super Combos, Level 1 is initiated with a LP or LK and so on. At Level 3, this will remove more than half a lifebar and is brutal to see - Birdie will perform two slams from his Bandit Chain followed by a Murderer Chain. You can also tick with this (why not? it's a throw), but you have to buffer it as you would a Shinku Hadoken. However, you can only use his light and medium bufferable attacks to do it. If you use crouching HP, you will usually land before the hit/block stun of your opponent is complete, leading to a missed throw animation. However, there are a few cases where if the HP does hit, you will still get the Bull Revenger to grab. I have to investigate this further. Here is a tick you can perform for the Bull Revenger: (A) Body Slam \/ Crouching Strong XX Bull Revenger : J_CU D + HP \/ D + MP XX DF, F, D, DF, F + P O / | + HP \/ | + MP XX \ -O | \ -O + P O O O O O I don't want to get too much into buffering into super combos, but suffice it to say that Birdie can throw the crouching strong at either D or DF during the first or second D, DF, F motion. That is simply a preference. You have to use a punch for the Bull Revenger or you will fly over the opponent's head and waste super meter. As with all ticks I listed in this section, you opponent can jump out of it if he is paying attention. However, don't let that stop you from ticking. In fact, Kao Megura has this to say about the above tick: "Also, while comboing the Bull Revenger is a good idea, your opponent can just hold in any Up direction to jump out--there's enough time between your attack and the Revenger for them to leap away to safety (even in the case of his standing / crouching MP)." My only suggestion to counter this is try using low fierce as well. Sometimes it will grab, but at other times you risk a “missed throw” animation. However, we are both right in saying that this tick (in fact, most if not all ticks) can be jumped out of. ================================================================================ CHAPTER IV - COMBOS ================================================================================ Now that we have an idea of what the moves are, how about some juicy, life bar draining combos? I thought you'd understand. =============== Basic (3+ hits) =============== Birdie only has one really good basic combo on standing opponents (that hits more than twice). However, as with all Birdie combos, it packs a wallop. You should use either the Body Slam or HK as your jump in. Those are the only two really worth using in any combos. (XAV) Body Slam \/ Crouching Fierce : J_CU D + HP \/ D + HP O / | + HP \/ | + HP O O ====== 2-In-1 ====== Birdie has the following bufferable attacks: Standing/Crouching Jab/Light Punch Standing/Crouching Strong/Medium Punch Crouching Fierce/Hard Punch Standing/Crouching Short/Light Kick His best bufferable moves all come from a crouch (LP, MP, HP, LK). The standing jab and strong don't hit most crouching opponents. The standing short will hit crouching opponents, but it is slower and has less range than its crouching counterpart. In any of the combos below, almost any crouching bufferable attack can be used. I tend to use HP because of its insane damage and its ability to buffer into super combos on the first hit or on the second hit should the opponent be caught standing. (XAV) Body Slam \/ Crouching Fierce XX Jab Bull Head : J D + HP \/ *DB + HP XX F + LP O / | + HP \/ / + HP XX -O + LP O *O This combo and its crouching variants (crouching LP, MP, or LK XX LP Bull Head) do butt-loads of damage for a three-hit combo. It also knocks your opponent down. Be careful with this combo; if you release HP at the wrong time, you will perform a HP Bull Head rather than the LP one. This can and will be blocked and punished. You can accidentally do the wrong Bull Head if you buffer the Bull Head off of a medium or hard punch. If you find yourself doing the wrong Bull Head, either use Jab or Short to buffer into the Bull Head. If you let go of Short at the wrong time, nothing will happen. If you release Jab, you will probably get the Bull Head anyway. (XA) Body Slam \/ Crouching Fierce XX The Birdie : J D + HP \/ *DB + HP XX DF, DB, F + P O / | + HP \/ / + HP XX \ / -O + P O *O O O If your opponent is standing during this combo, you can buffer off of the second hit of the crouching fierce, which makes this combo a lot easier. With any other crouching bufferable move or if the opponent is crouching, you have to be very quick to get this combo off - difficult but far from impossible. Even though it is not obvious, there is a slight difference in how I do the joystick motions for the super combos in the last two combos than listed in the MOVES section. Rather than use the standard *B, F, B, F motion, I am using the diagonals (*DB, DF, DB, F) to perform the super. The reason for this especially in the third combo is to prevent from performing a normal Bull Head instead of the Birdie. In case I just confused you, here is a better explanation. Since the Bull Head and The Birdie share a common B, F motion, I can accidentally initiate the Bull Head I press the punch button too early while doing the combo. In order to prevent this, I move from DB to DF. This does count as a forward motion for the super. As a matter of fact, all super combos requiring a back change can be done from DB, DF, DB instead of B, F, B before the final forward. In fact, it is much better to perform your super combos this way because you don't do that super wiggle/shimmy to give yourself away if you do a super out of the blue. You just suddenly stand up during the super animation and do the super. If I buffer the super off of a short, I can do The Birdie with *B, F, B, F since *B, F + K is not an official special move motion for Birdie. I don't risk doing a move I don't want to do if I hit or release the button prematurely. However, I can't do Bull Heads if I go from DB to DF and press punch. I simply lose my back charge. ======== Variable ======== Variable combos in general can do incredible amounts of damage especially if you have your opponent in a corner. The damage can rival and surpass even the best super combos under ideal conditions. To start a variable combo, simply press any two same strength buttons: LP + LK (LL) or MP + MK (MM) or HP + HK (HH). In my shorthand, these are known as LL, MM, and HH respectively (Light, Medium, and Hard Strength). At the beginning of a Variable Combo, you are somewhat invincible to most normal and special moves. In other words, you can blow through someone's attack and launch a counterattack that can lead to a large combo. The only thing you need to watch out for is that you till have to charge during Variable Combos, which was not the case for Custom Combos in SFA2. If you do not charge quickly in a VC, you will mess up the VC if a charge move is involved. . For some reason, I can not start a VC with a charge move with Birdie even if I had a charge before I started a VC. Maybe I'm a scrub or something. I still need to a whole load of work in the future to get good variable combos for Birdie that work outside the corners. There aren't too many that I can think of at this time. I will have to work on this section with my good old- fashioned PSX V-ISM training mode. However, thanks to some insight and help from Nedfar. Here is what he had to say on Birdie VCs: "I have a VC that I do with Birdie that I thought you might want, since you wrote a FAQ for him then I figured that you'd be interested. Start off Jab+Short, then a B+FP (the volleyball punch, where he puts his hands together like he's hitting a volleyball). Cancel the 2nd hit into a SP headbutt(the charge B, F one, not the PPP one). Then, repeat that all till they are dead. When you get to the corner, you will have to switch the SP headbutt into the JP headbutt, and you may have to use the JP headbutt outside of the corner if you notice that they are falling really close to you. The headbutts all miss, but they place you right in the right spot to spike them again with the B+FP and repeat. Plus, since you are constantly doing moves cancelled together, they can't flip out at all. At 100 percent, this is half a lifebar. The biggest problem is hitting with the first move, since it comes out a little slow, plus it doesn't have the best priority in the world. You'll find yourself getting hit out of it often, unless you passed through an attack at the opening of the VC that put them right in your lap." Basically, what Nedfar (CC for his initials) is describing looks like this: (CC) Opponent Is Anywhere - Start VC w/ LL? => Close HP XX whiffed Strong Bull Head, Repeat from Close HP : LL? => *B + Close HP XX F + MP ... *B LL? => *O- + Close HP XX -O + MP ... *O- Essentially, the Bull Heads will miss but the close HP will not. It will hit twice, then Birdie will move forward with the MP Bull Head and hit w/ the HP again. Once in the corner, see Nedfar's advice above. (DJA) Opponent Is Anywhere - Start VC w/ LL => Crouching Short => Crouching Forward XX Jab Bull Head => Repeated Strong Bull Heads : *DB + LK => *DB + MK XX F + LP => *B, F + MP X n LL => / + LK => / + MK XX -O + LP => *O- -O + MP X n *O *O Unlike E. Honda's similar VC, this combo is very hard. Even worse, when you get to the corner, it sometimes messes up. However, the damage is well worth it even if you don't perform many MP Bull Heads. You also have to be very fast with the Strong Bull Heads. This combo is almost the converse of Nedfar's; the MP Bull Heads will actually hit and juggle the opponent rather than just move forward for another hit. A potential suggestion would be to tack his combo on after a MP Bull Head. More research is necessary. By the way, any good two hit chain will work reasonably to start this combo, i.e., crouching LP or LK => crouching MP, MK, or HP XX Jab Bull Head as long as you don't knock them out of range. Here is some more information on how to end the VC by Nedfar: "I was screwing around last night with Birdie and figured out something cool you could do for a VC to add on to that one I gave you the other day, on a home controller it's not too hard but you'd have to be a contortionist to do it at the arcade. Just at the same time as you hit Jab+Short to start off, hold two kicks. I have that set to R2, so I just hold that. Then do the combo normally (alternate B+FP and SP bullhead), but as the time runs out, right after the last B+FP, release the buttons and you'll finish with a Bull Horn, and it'll be charged up to at least 3 and sometimes 4 hits. Then they are right over your head so usually you can hit them with a low fierce after they flip out or not. Adding the Bull Horn seems to put a little more damage and style points on it. Imagining trying to use the FP and SP buttons to do the combo while still holding two kicks on an arcade machine gives me a headache just thinking about it. I've never tried, I don't pick Birdie much at the arcade because I hate that hold and release motion." If you have the dexterity, go ahead and try it. You need every bit of damage you can get. For some reason, I can't seem to start a VC with a *B, F charge move. Here's Nedfar's take on it (which I agree with): "A note about starting out VC's with charge moves, you are right in saying that it doesn't work too well with some characters. I can't start off a VC with a Birdie Headbutt, or a Honda Headbutt, or any other charge B, F move. I can do it easily with a charge D, U move, like with Chun-Li or Charlie though. I dunno why. Plus, you don't have to charge during a VC. I know for a fact, since when I use V-ism Charlie I use the continuous Somersault VC in the corner all the time, and I just tap d, u to do it." I am not sure if the above holds for *B, F projectiles as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. ================================================================================ CHAPTER V - VS STRATEGY ================================================================================ All this information and no one to use it on. Well, when you have to face an opponent, here are some tips that may be useful to you. ======= General ======= There are some tips that apply to almost all matchups. Hence I will list them up here rather than in the specific character strategies. ------ Poking ------ Most of Birdie's pokes are slow yet powerful. If you're up close, stick to a crouching jab, short, strong, or fierce because they are bufferable and can be comboed into a Jab Bull Head for easy yet painful damage. His crouching forward and roundhouse are pretty good as well as you get into further range. His standing fierce is very slow but reaches the furthest of all his normal moves. ------- Jumping ------- If you need a deep jump-in, roundhouse or the Body Slam (D + HP) is the way to go. You can use a jumping short to start ticks or combos since it also hits very deep but keeps you close. For air-to-air battles, his jumping forward and regular fierce are both pretty good. ------- Ticking ------- Any short or crouching jab makes for a good tick with Birdie especially with this 360 throws. You can of course tick directly from the air if need be. If you decide to tick into his normal throws, only tick using the KK throw. The PP throw lacks range even though you can follow it up better. Remember that Birdie's 360 throws are very slow and opponents can jump out of ticks. ---------- Countering ---------- If you need an anti-air counter, you can use either HP, a Bull Horn, standing jab or strong (if further away), or even crouching MP. If you use the Bull Horn, the button(s) should be released right before the opponent's attack would make contact. The Level 1 Birdie & Bull Horn are his best ground counters IMHO. The Level 1 Birdie makes for a great wake-up/reversal super combo. The Bull Horn should be used right when an attack is about to hit you for best results. The Jab Bull Head also be used to punish missed attacks if you don't have super meter. However, a missed/blocked Bull Head is always bad news for Birdie. ---------- Recovering ---------- Sometimes it better to not air/ground recover than to recover depending on the situation. Your opponent can hit you once you recover if he/she is anticipating it. If you do recover, you may have to use B_DB so you can have a charge when you land. If you just want to avoid further attack, use B_N_F. If your opponent attempts to recover, you may be able to use a Bull Revenger timed such that you land right when the opponent does. You can also use Bull Heads and Bull Horns if the opponent recovers at close range. Know when and how to punish recovery. ====== Vs CPU ====== I will list some tips and strategies for the boss battles since you have to fight them each you play the Arcade mode of SFA3. ------------------------- Vs CPU E. Honda (Stage 5) ------------------------- At higher levels, E. Honda smacks you around like a spoiled stepchild. Do not let him hit you with either sweep (HP or HK) or a Sumo Head Butt - they do freaking incredible damage on higher levels. Bull Horns unless used to counter him will be met by a sweep (see below for more info). The Level 1 Birdie is your best friend in this matchup, but E. Honda can hit or trade if you do it from too far away. He also likes to use Hundred Hand Slaps to keep your out of range and to counter any longer pokes. I try to hit him as he finishes the HHS with a Bull Head or a jump in since Honda can't do the HHS indefinitely anymore. Take advantage of the Sumo Head Butt by jumping over it and countering it. He will normally do the Head Butt after a missed roundhouse sweep. You have to jump accordingly to avoid getting pummeled. His standing fierce can counter hit a lot of your moves. This is not a fun match, but it is winnable. Here is some commentary about the Bull Horn against E. Honda from falconpain@my-deja.com: "However, I think your description of fighting E. Honda as a midboss is a bit off. Birdie has one weapon that tends to be very useful against him: his Bull Horn. Charge up during the opening conversation with Honda, and hold it as you attack him. If he ever does a Sumo Head Butt, release just before he reaches you. He will reach you when you're turned around, bounce back, land in front of you as you dash forward, and EAT the move. Since it's almost half life gone from the initial charge, and somewhat less from subsequent Bull Horns, I wouldn't be living in fear of a Sumo Head Butt (although Birdie does have trouble hitting him out of it with other moves)." In other words, the Sumo Head Butt is the best opening Honda can give you on the ground. Milk it! ----------------------- Vs CPU Blanka (Stage 9) ----------------------- This battle is very tough for me. Blanka has the range and power to turn Birdie into chickadees. He uses his roundhouse sweep very well - it has more reach than any normal move you can throw out. If he does an Amazon River Run (DF + HP), block and foot sweep or Jab Bull Head if he is really close to you. If you do a Bull Horn or Bull Head for no reason, he will almost always counter you on the way in for big damage - usually his HK sweep or an MK sweep XX Rolling Attack combo. His only real weakness is through his constant jumping. If he jumps over you, you can grab him as he lands with the KK throw - do not use the PP throw - the range is way too small. Blanka doesn't have a reliable cross up attack so you can walk under and throw if he jumps from too close. If he doesn't jump over you, go into defensive crouch after you block the jump-in to prevent him from hitting you with a low sweep XX horizontal rolling attack. However, beware of the jump in tick if you do this. Birdie can not punish the ground rolling attack unless he has super meter (Level 1 Birdie) or he is hit in the corner (HP Bull Head). You should nail him if you block and counter as a reversal out of block stun. It's also hard to jump in because Blanka will do different albeit random things to take you out of the air. This battle is not fun; sloppiness will end your quest here quickly. ------------------------ Vs CPU Balrog (Stage 10) ------------------------ This battle is not as hard as CPU E. Honda or Blanka, but you have to take Balrog seriously or else his fists will have your blood on them. You can counter Turn Punches with your Bull Horn if you turn around right before the fist makes contact. You can also block and punish some Dashing Punches with a Light Punch XX Jab Bull Head combo if you're quick. If you use Bull Heads or Horns indiscriminately, he will Turn Punch you or block and counter. You can Level 1 Birdie any of his Dashing Punches if Balrog starts to get predictable. You can use your reach to match his, but watch out for the standing fierce and crouching roundhouse. One has great reach; the other has good priority. -------------------------- Vs CPU M. Bison (Stage 11) -------------------------- I find myself doing a lot of Jab Bull Head combos (crouching jab/short XX Jab Bull Head) to counter blocked Double Knee Presses and the Somersault Skull Diver if he is in range and not fully charged. You can also sweep him as well if Birdie isn't charged. If you are able to anticipate and jump over a Psycho Shot, it is imperative that you combo him for huge damage. Watch out for his ground and air throws and of course, the Psycho Drive Crusher. He will usually do it off a blocked Somersault Skull Diver. There isn't much else I can say. This is always a close match for me, but I normally win by a few pixels if I avoid the Crusher. I know this sounds generic, but I just usually do a lot of blocking and counter what few openings Bison gives me. ======== Vs Human ======== Against human opponents, it is usually an uphill battle for Birdie, but not an impossible one. However, I could use some good tips on this. If you have any, feel free to email me. ---------- Vs Chun Li ---------- Based on my experience against Chun-Li, I will start with this one. Chun-Li will take advantage of your mistakes. For example, if a Chun-Li does a Level 1 Thousand Burst Kick, it is unwise to try to counter her after the move. She has almost no recovery. She can go into another super in the time that it takes for you to do a 360 throw even if you do a reversal. If she is close enough, you may be able to normal throw her, but Birdie's normal throws aren't that great (this does work w/ M. Bison though). If she does back-to-back Thousand Burst Kicks, jump over the 2nd one and counter. If you think she is going to go into the upward kick super, then stay grounded. You can sometimes wait for the super animation flash to begin and then make your move. You may be able to use a Bull Horn to take out of jump ins, but this isn't always too reliable. It can cause a lot of damage with this if a jump-in is mistimed or youHowever, a Level 1 Birdie will take her out cleanly out of the air. Unless she throws a Kikkoken or is guard crushed/dizzy, landing a Bull Revenger will not be easy. You may be able to use a Bull Horn up close to surprise once in a while. You can try to meet her in the air with a jumping forward, but her priority is MUCH better than yours in the air. When up close, stay charged so you can try to counter hit with a crouching jab, strong, or short (or even fierce) and buffer into a Jab Bull Head for a massively damaging two hit combo. Even with all this, you are fighting a very uphill battle. She can easily outpoke you and outprioritize you. Most importantly, stay out of the corners. This is where Chun-li will crush you the most. Ticking her isn't easy since her moves are so quick and your grabs are so slow. However, an occasional jump-in without an attack straight to 360 will sometimes work to keep them guessing. If she is in X-ISM, be careful of her Spinning Bird Kick. The last hit is an overhead. Otherwise, you can punish her after the last hit with a Jab Bull Head before she comes out of the handstand and stands up. ----------- Vs E. Honda ----------- The good news is that you can take out Sumo Head Butts with a Bull Horn by releasing right before E. Honda's head makes contact. The bad news is that this may be the only thing going for you. Even though E. Honda is slow, you are also as slow. Jumping in on him is a no-no if he is charged - A Sumo Smash or a Jab Sumo Head Butt will easily take you out of the air every time. His Hundred Hand Slap has good priority up close, but he can't do it forever. You can time an attack (usually a Jab Bull Head or even a Bull Horn if you're daring) through the recovery time of the HHS if you're quick. However, if you mistime it, E. Honda can do another HHS or another normal move. If you don't have a Bull Horn charged when he does a Sumo Head Butt, you can block or you can jump back with a Body Slam or roundhouse as long as you time it right. If you do block, sometimes he may actually bounce close enough to get a crouching jab, short, or strong XX Jab Bull Head combo, but that's usually if he did it while you were recovering or standing up. His crouching fierce can take you out of standing fierce unless you're at the tip of your range. Be careful of his low strong and jab. They have very good priority inside and will counter hit you if you are not careful. However, a crouching strong or fierce may beat or counter hit them once in a while if he is too far away. I wouldn't bet on it though. His other normal moves (low fierce/roundhouse etc) are very good at stopping Birdie. If he jumps in, stop him by any means necessary - standing jab or strong, crouching/standing fierce, or whatever you think you can use at the time since E. Honda is usually most dangerous up close. He also has that very long Harai Geri (low standing roundhouse) so watch out for that. You may be able to Bull Horn through it if you wait until it is about to hit you. Be very careful of his super combos. It is difficult to punish a Fuji Drop or an Oni Muso in most cases. It is even harder to avoid them since they have very good priority even at Level 1. This isn't an impossible fight at all for Birdie. This can be easy if the Honda player just keep doing Sumo Head Butts from afar, but most Honda players know better. =) ------ Vs Ryu ------ Good Ryus will almost never throw a Hadoken unless they know you have no choice but to block it. Most Ryus expect and anticipate a Bull Revenger too well for you to ever put it to use. You can punish hyperactive footsie games with a Level 1 Birdie if you outtime the opponent. Watch out for VCs with Ryu. If he starts and you can't get out, block. A mistimed block or attempt to jump out could cost you half a life bar. I would rather block and risk a guard crush then try to escape and lose a ton of energy. If he does an air Hurricane Kick to try to jump in, you may be able to hit him from underneath before he lands with a crouching fierce. I believe a ground Hurricane Kick can be taken out with a crouching strong or fierce. If the Bull Horn can go through projectiles, I believe it's only through fast ones at the last second if I recall. Then again, I would rather jump over it or use a Bull Revenger. I think The Birdie can go through Hadokens pretty easily though, but don't depend on it. Be careful of his hop kick. It has good priority over your sweeps. However, crouching strong or jab may be able to hit before he hits you. ------ Vs Ken ------ You may be able to get past both of Ken's standing roundhouse attacks using a well-timed Bull Horn when he is about to strike you. You can do a Level 1 Birdie as well, but if you mistime it, he will still hit you. His Hurricane Kicks can be punished in the same way as Ryu's. If he does a ShinRyuKen, make sure you don't throw anything slow while he recovers because he can do another one the second he lands. He has also no recovery time if you block it standing. Punish missed/blocked Shoryu Reppas with a ground combo - you should be charged if you blocked the whole thing. As with V-ISM Ryu, watch out for corner VCs at all cost. If he rolls, a Jab Bull Head should take him out clean, but you have to be quick about it. I will post others in future editions of this FAQ. If you have any strategies or critiques, feel free to contact me. ================================================================================ CHAPTER VI - MISCELLANY ================================================================================ This whole section comes courtesy of the following FAQ authors: Kailu Lantis, Michael Troupe, Shawn Dumas, and Robert Iu. The only part I need to fill in is the Profile and Special Moves from the Opening Storyline using my trusty PSX. ========= Storyline ========= This section focuses on Birdie's storyline for SFA3. ----------------- Opening Storyline ----------------- This is the stuff you see when you start a new game against the computer. Personal Data ------------- Height: 7.1 FT. Weight: 245 LBS. Blood Type: O Special Moves ------------- Bull Head O-CHARGE-O P Murderer Chain O O O- / | \ -O / | P O O O Bandit Chain O O O- / | \ -O / | K O O O Opening Introduction -------------------- Birdie is a member of Shadaloo. But as a mere henchman, his daily life became very dull. And so he gathered information to overthrow M. Bison. Soon, he found the keyword... "Psycho Drive....." ------------------------------------ Stage 5 Mid-Boss Storyline: E. Honda ------------------------------------ Birdie: Hey you! I like your hairstyle! E.Honda: The Mage is the hairstyle of the Sumo. You haven't heard of Sumo? Birdie: Sumo?! What's that? Some kind of raw fish dish...? E.Honda: Gwa ha ha ha ha! You can't eat it, but it's quite exciting! Birdie: Then show me what Sumo is all about! ... Birdie: That was great! I see your hairstyle isn't just for show. Birdie: You're strong enough to be in Shadaloo after I take it over! E.Honda: Do you mean M.Bison's organization, Shadaloo? E.Honda: That's a funny joke! Gwa ha ha ha ha ha! ---------------------------------- Stage 9 Mid-Boss Storyline: Blanka ---------------------------------- Birdie: Could he be a member of Shadaloo? Blanka: Uwo? Blanka: Uwooooooo!! Birdie: He doesn't know me... Birdie: It's no use trying to talk to this beast. I'll defeat him. ----------------------------------- Stage 10 Mid-Boss Storyline: Balrog ----------------------------------- M.Bison: Ga ha ha ha ha! M.Bison: Birdie... What are you looking for? Birdie: None o' your business, mate! Get outta here! M.Bison: No... It's time you departed, you treacherous vermin! M.Bison: Now, Balrog.... Dispose of this rodent! --------------------------------------- Stage 11 Final Boss Storyline: M. Bison --------------------------------------- M.Bison: You defeated Balrog.... Impressive, but expected.... Birdie: Ya like a little entertainment before the main event, eh? Birdie: Now ya better tells me... Where is this "Psycho Drive?!" M.Bison: You know... You know too much... M.Bison: You are a fool! One with no respect for his superiors.... M.Bison: Now I shall teach you what respect is!! ====== Ending ====== This comes courtesy of Kailu Lantis' FAQ. (Birdie faces a Bison lying on the ground.) Birdie: I won't be able to take over Shadaloo by defeating him.... I'll poke around the underground base.... (Birdie walks away, and arrives at the Shadaloo base exterior.) Birdie: So this is the entrance to the underground base.... Now then.... (Birdie arrives at the Psycho Drive room.) Birdie: I've found it at last! My information was correct.... This must be the "Psycho Drive"...... It hasn't been easy gathering this. But without this, no one but M.Bison could operate it.... Set! OK.... It's working! If it works, I'll have M.Bison's power! ...Here goes nothing! (Birdie is in the tube, but he's dizzy.) Birdie: Ugh...ugh.... I'm losing my strength. Wh...why...? I...I can't get out!! Some.... Somebody...help me!! Stop this machine! (Next, we see a portrait of a Harrier combat jet flying through the sky. A close up reveals a portrait of a side shot of Charlie flying the Harrier.) Charlie: The origin of the Psycho Energy emissions has altered.... (Portrait of Chun Li, with a leather jacket over her outfit, talking with some headphones on the monitor located on the dashboard of the plane.) Chun Li: You're right! Set course for new location! I'll head there by ground! We'll rendezvous there! (Charlie and Chun Li arrive at the Psycho Drive room, where Birdie is still dizzy in the tube.) Charlie: What is all this equipment...?! Chun Li: First Lt. Charlie! There's someone trapped in there! Birdie: Help...help...me. I'm...saved.... I lost my strength instead of becoming like M.Bison.... Why? Charlie: M.BISON! You! You know something about him, right?! Chun Li: He's too weak to run away! Let's take him in! Birdie: I didn't do anything! Why did this happen to me?! Blast it! Kailu Lantis' note on Birdie ending from his ENDINGS FAQ: "Bottom line: There is no respect for the bottom tier characters! :)" Truer words haven't been spoken in this FAQ. ========== Win Quotes ========== The win quotes come courtesy of Robert Iu's FAQ. Did you just call me something? Why don't you tell me again! Eh? What was that? Speak up. I can't hear you from down there! Hey! My clothes are stained with you blood! Help me clean it up! I am Birdie! The most rotten villain in the world... I hope! If my name is Birdie, then why are you saying, "CHEAP! CHEAP!" (my favorite one) Oh, what!? ... Before? I looked pale because I was sick!! (my 2nd favorite one) That was a pleasant snapping! At least four or five ribs... You were ugly before we met... Now I can't even bear to look! ========== Animations ========== This section covers win poses, opening animations, and taunts. The win poses are courtesy of Kao Megura's SFA3 FAQ. To activate the win pose, hold the button down of the pose you wish: - LP : Birdie takes out his knife and flips it open. - MP/HK : Birdie gives a thumbs up, then sticks out his tongue and gives a thumbs down as his mohawk gets messed up. - HP : Birdie licks his chain and says "I'm number one." - LK : Birdie holds up two fingers and says "...to heaven." - MK : Birdie holds up three fingers and says "I'm number one." For the MP and HK poses, he sometimes says "Hey you" while performing the above. Nedfar sent this win pose for PSX SFA3 in a Birdie vs Birdie match that I was able to confirm: "...on the home game, have a Birdie vs. Birdie match and check all the win poses(holding each button after you win). I forget which one, but one of them is replaced with Birdie giving the other Birdie the finger :)" On the PSX version, hold Roundhouse/Hard Kick to give the opposing Birdie the Bird(ie ;). This is actually quite hilarious. ;) Birdie's taunts are courtesy of ShinJN's Miscellaneous FAQ: [neutral]* - Pulls out a knife, opens it one-handed, and says "Hey!" [hold back] - Pulls on chain, licks it, and says "To heaven!" [hold forward] - Looks at audience, does a thumbs-up, and says "Hey!" His opening animation is the same as his [hold forward] taunt. ====== Colors ====== Birdie has 6 different color outfits - 2 (P or K) per major ISM. However, on the Playstation, it is possible to choose any color from any ISM. On the PSX, the button you press determine the ISM color you get (also from ShinJN): Square: ¯\_ These buttons correspond to X: _/ the X-ism colors Triangle: ¯\_ These buttons correspond to O: _/ the A-ism colors R1: ¯\_ These buttons correspond to R2: _/ the V-ism colors On the PSX, Square, Triangle, and R1 are the Punch versions of each ISM while X, O, and R2 are the kick versions IIRC. You can not select characters with L1 or L2 even if you have them mapped as attack buttons (like I do on my PSX joystick). That being said, here are Birdie's colors according to the above FAQ: - Square : Neon-purple jacket/gloves/chain/pants/wrist cuffs, Brown shoes, Red heart tattoo/earrings/medallion, Pink hair - X : Silver jacket/gloves/chain/pants/wrist cuffs, Brown shoes, Red heart tattoo/earrings/medallion, Pink hair - Triangle : Grey jacket/gloves/chain/pants/wrist cuffs, Brown shoes, Red heart tattoo/earrings/medallion, Yellow hair - O : Tan jacket/gloves/chain/pants/wrist cuffs, Brown shoes, Red heart tattoo/earrings/medallion, Yellow hair - R1 : Blue-green jacket/gloves/chain/pants/wrist cuffs, Brown shoes, Red heart tattoo/earrings/medallion, Sky-blue hair - R2 : Blue jacket/gloves/chain/pants/wrist cuffs, Brown shoes, Red heart tattoo/earrings/medallion, Sky-blue hair ================================================================================ CHAPTER VII - BIBLIOGRAPHY ================================================================================ I didn't know what to call this section, but this seemed like the most appropriate term. ================ Acknowledgements ================ It is necessary to acknowledge the work of past FAQ writers and other contributors without whose tireless work, knowledge, and information I would not able to write this FAQ. I have listed the author and his/her FAQ and what information I pulled from his/her FAQ into mine. The FAQ is a compilation of information found, read, researched or even discovered by me. However, many people have found information in this FAQ out and written about it long before I put together this FAQ. In fact, most if not all of these FAQ's makes for good and/or supplemental reading to this FAQ or any other FAQ I have created. That being said, here are my main sources and references for this FAQ outside of my own SFA3 experience: ------------------------- Mark Kim/Vesther Fauransy ------------------------- Web Site: http://www.verasnaship.net Email: verasnaship@verasnaship.net FAQ: LA Machine Guns: Rage of the Machines For the Sega AM3 Arcade Game Anti- Terrorist Manual Version 0.0.2 (Build 0114) Copyright (c) 1999 Mark Kim. All Rights Reserved. -------------------------- Chris MacDonald/Kao Megura -------------------------- Web Page: http://members.xoom.com/megura/ or http://i.am/kao Email: kmegura@hotmail.com FAQ: STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3 FAQ v2.2 FAQ: STREET FIGHTER ZERO 3: PERFECT PACKAGE FAQ v0.7 FAQ: The Birdie Really Sucks Mini-FAQ v0.1 for the PSX version of Street Fighter Zero 3 Unpublished works Copyright (c) 1998-1999 Kao Megura. All Rights Reserved. ------------------- Joe VanPelt/Chocobo ------------------- Email: chocobo@mindspring.com FAQ: Street Fighter Alpha 3 (arcade and PSX) VC Guide, version 1.8 Copyright (c) 1999 Joe VanPelt. All Rights Reserved. -------------- Michael Torres -------------- Email: michaeltorres@prodigy.net FAQ: SFZ3 V-Ism Faq for PSX/Arcade 2.0 Copyright (c) 1999 Michael Torres. All Rights Reserved. --------------------- Colin Caldwell/Nedfar --------------------- Web Page: http://members.spree.com/sip/nefdar Email: nefdar@hotmail.com FAQ: Street Fighter Alpha 3 Combo System and General FAQ FAQ: Street Fighter Alpha 3 Comprehensive Adon Guide / FAQ Copyright (c) 1999 Colin Caldwell. All Rights Reserved. -------------------------------------------------- Michael "Svenyip" Troupe & Shawn "Shred-Man" Dumas -------------------------------------------------- Emails: svenyip@javanet.com & shredder@bcn.net respectively FAQ: Street Fighter Alpha 3 "PLOT FAQ" Version 1.0 Copyright (c) 1999 Michael Troupe & Shawn Dumas. All Rights Reserved. ------------ Kailu Lantis ------------ Emails: jcarlo@hotmail.com, lantis@mailexcite.com, kailu_lantis_SNK@yahoo.com, or al760412@campus.ira.itesm.mx FAQ: STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3 ENDING FAQ Copyright (c) 1999 Kailu Lantis. All Rights Reserved. --------- Robert Iu --------- Emails: robertsmac@aol.com FAQ: Street Fighter Alpha 3 Quotes and Dialogue Guide v1.0 Copyright (c) 1999 Robert Iu. All Rights Reserved. ------ ShinJN ------ Email: shinjn@yahoo.com FAQ: STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3 - PSX MISCELLANEOUS FAQ v0.1 Copyright (c) 1999 ShinJN. All Rights Reserved ------------ Gamefaqs.com ------------ Web Site: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contribute/howtowrite.html FAQ: "How To Write a FAQ for GameFAQs" -------- Feedback -------- -Kao Megura -falconpain@my-deja.com -Nedfar ========================== What's New In This Version ========================== I try to keep track of changes in each version of this FAQ. It hasn't been easy though. However, it does help. ------------- Version 0.006 ------------- -Revised Table of Contents -Shortened Acknowledgements section -Attempted to trim FAQ length -Revised legend -Re-revised heading structure ------------- Version 0.005 ------------- -Sections of feedback from Nedfar -Created General Strategy section under VS STRATEGY -Added Vs Ryu and Vs Ken sections -Added win poses based on PSX SFA3 Versus Mode -Revised heading structure ------------- Version 0.004 ------------- -Revised legend structure -Added another FAQ writer to copyright -Added Colors and Taunts section -Gave recognition to those who provided feedback on my FAQ ------------- Version 0.003 ------------- -Fixed spacing in copyright -Fixed some minor errors -Added parents and family to "Special Thanks" list -Added information/feedback from Kao Megura & falconpain@my-deja.com ------------- Version 0.002 ------------- -Added for "FOR ARCADE & PLAYSTATION" to FAQ title -Removed "FOR BEGINNERS" from FAQ title -Continued special move analysis -Added win poses -Entered special move and Super Combos analysis -Added basic and 2-In-1 combos -Finished normal moves analysis ------------- Version 0.001 ------------- -Added storyline and moves -Wrote normal moves analysis -First version -Skeleton architecture from my E. Honda FAQ -------- Upcoming -------- -More Vs Strategy (Human) -Counter hit combos -More combos as I can find them -Other improvements based on feedback ================================================================================ CHAPTER VIII - EPILOGUE ================================================================================ This is not the last word on SFA3 Birdie by far. However, I do hope that this FAQ may one day be the most complete word on Birdie. I would appreciate any tips on the FAQ itself or any Birdie tips you may have. Email me at the address below any comments/questions/critiques/flames. Thank you for taking your time to read this. This Electronically Published Document is copyrighted (c) and trademarked (tm) by David Antoine. All Rights Reserved. This document is protected by applicable copyright laws and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction, retransmission, and/or a breach of copyright, partial or full, may result in civil and criminal penalties and is subject to maximum punishment and prosecution to the highest extent possible by law. Please properly credit David Antoine where credit is due. This document is the sole property of David Antoine. David J. Antoine/$muvMoney Copyright (c) 1999 David J. Antoine david_j_antoine@msn.com http://members.tripod.com/davidja/ http://members.tripod.com/davidja/faqs/sfa3birdie.txt John 14:27 Numbers 6:24