Bombz and Da Hood A Baby Bonnie Hood / Bulleta FAQ For Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes Arcade / Dreamcast Written by the "other" BBH Version 1.1 July 15, 2000 NOTE: All information presented in this FAQ is copyright 1999 Matt Hall. You may use the information provided in this FAQ in any non-profit publication 'FOR FREE!', but please give credit where credit is due, or else I'll start bitching at you. The newest revision of this FAQ can always be found at: http://users.aol.com/lordbbh/bbhood.txt REVISION HISTORY 1.1: July 15, 2000. Quick "fix" version, got rid of the little text glitch in the Introduction and corrected the info on super-cancelling Cheer & Fire. 1.0: July 14, 2000. First public release of the FAQ. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR 1.2. ABOUT THE CHARACTER 1.3. CHANGES FROM VAMPIRE SAVIOR 1.4. WHY YOU SHOULD (OR SHOULDN'T) PLAY B.B.HOOD 2. MOVES 2.1. SPECIAL MOVES AT-A-GLANCE 2.2. NORMAL MOVES 2.3. COMMAND ATTACKS 2.4. THROWS 2.5. SPECIAL ATTACKS 2.6. HYPER COMBOS 2.7. ASSISTS 3. COMBOS 3.1. GROUND COMBOS 3.2. AIR COMBOS 3.3. OTG COMBOS 3.4. INFINITE COMBOS 4. DELAYED HYPER COMBOS 4.1. CANCELLING OUT OF 4.2. CANCELLING INTO 5. STRATEGY 5.1. GENERAL STRATEGIES 6. MISCELLANEOUS STUFF 6.1. ANIMATIONS 6.2. OUTFIT COLORS 7. CLOSING 7.1. THINGS TO BE ADDED 7.2. CONTACTING THE AUTHOR 7.3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS * 1. INTRODUCTION * 1.1. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR The first time I saw Baby Bonnie Hood in Vampire Savior, I was blown away. She was hands-down one of the best character designs I had seen in a fighting game in a LONG time. Not surprisingly, I was ecstatic to learn that she had made the cut into Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. I'm pretty happy with how she turned out, but she remains a character that is not picked that often by players... hopefully this guide will help remedy that, and give her a little bit more of the respect she deserves. She's not a top-tier character, but she's nowhere near the bottom. Played correctly she can be a force to be reckoned with on any team. This guide is intended for players of at least "intermediate" skill level, who at least have a basic knowledge of everything involved in the MvC2 engine. I'm not going to waste time or space explaining how everything works, because I don't enjoy reading character guides that waste a lot of space explaining things I already know. If you are new to MvC2, you should be reading one of the more general FAQs that be can found on www.gamefaqs.com first (both CJayC and Kao Megura have written comprehensive FAQs for the game). If you know how the game works and want to learn how to play Baby Bonnie Hood a little better, then you're in the right place. 1.2. ABOUT THE CHARACTER Baby Bonnie Hood (U.S. name) / Bulleta (Japanese name) made her debut in Vampire Savior, Capcom's third installment of the often-overlooked Darkstalkers/Vampire series of fighting games. Since then she has only made two other appearances to date: Vampire Savior 2 (released only in Asia I think, I don't really know what the difference is), and the Neo-Geo Pocket Color version of SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium. On the surface, Baby Bonnie Hood resembles Little Red Riding Hood from the children's story. But beneath that cute and happy exterior lies the heart of a bounty hunter, a girl that no wolf would dare mess with. She doesn't walk around defenseless, she has an assortment of weapons at her side... Machine guns, knives, land mines, molotov cocktails, even her basket packs a nasty wallop. When she resorts to using one of her many weapons, the happy smile on her face changes and becomes a more sinister look. B.B.Hood is also accompanied by a cute little dog that freaks out when weapons are fired, and three butterflies can be seen fluttering around Hood at all times. So what's the story behind her joining the cast of characters of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2? Who knows... probably looking to make some more money! 1.3. CHANGES FROM VAMPIRE SAVIOR I'm guessing that most people have first seen her in the original Vampire Savior (if they've seen her at all), so I'll take some time here to document the important changes that she's gone through in this game, for the few, the proud, the hardcore B.B.Hood players :) (so if this is your first time playing her, skip this section) * Loss of ability to do Strong / Forward attacks at any time, which hurts her since her best jump-in was Jumping Forward and best ground attack was Crouching Strong. * a new horizontal version of Cheer & Fire. Regular Cheer & Fire has much better range and hits at a 45-degree angle, much less vertical. * Shyness Strike can not be charged up, automatically is at max size and damage when performed. * Dashing Fierce (previously Dashing Strong) no longer acts as an overhead, pretty much worthless now. * Removed "Tornado" command grab (I have no idea why) * df+Roundhouse mine kick changed to db+Roundhouse. * Cool Hunting much improved, much easier to hit with. * Beautiful Memory robbed of its invincibility, although it is now comboable. * Apple For You "enhanced" into Hyper Apple For You, which has much better range. * No "Gangsta Rap" win pose. Certain voice samples have been cut out too, most noticeably her backdash scream, and specific quotes from her "triple punch" win pose and the "counting her money" win pose. Why, Capcom, why?! 1.4. WHY YOU SHOULD (OR SHOULDN'T) PLAY B.B.HOOD Seems like a lot of character guides for MvC2 are listing the strengths and weaknesses of the character, which is a pretty good idea. With 56 characters, people gotta know if a certain character is suited to their style of play, because if they aren't they've got plenty of other choices. So, since I'm an unoriginal bastard, here are Baby Bonnie Hood's Pro's and Con's: + High and Low Missiles with Sonic Boom-like recovery, making her a small combination of Guile and Sagat + Small size makes her harder to hit, especially by high attacks + Good combos that pack a solid punch + Excellent block damage off her Cool Hunting super + Ability to crawl on the ground and crossup an unsuspecting opponent, making them block the wrong way + Hyper Apple For You confuses opponents who "swear" they blocked it + One of the most brilliant and hilarious character designs of all time. Sure it's not gameplay-related, but how can you not love her?! - Very limited range on the majority of her normal moves - Lacking in reliable anti-air attacks - Takes above average damage - One of the worst launchers in the game - Two lackluster Assist attacks, only one fairly useful * 2. MOVES * For the record, I still refer to the attacks as follows: Weak Punch = Jab Medium Punch = Strong Hard Punch = Fierce Weak Kick = Short Medium Kick = Forward Hard Kick = Roundhouse Because this is how the buttons have been labelled in nearly every SF. Strong (Medium Punch) is triggered by pushing Jab twice, and Forward (Medium Kick) is activated by pushing Short twice. I prefer to use these conventional names because in other FAQs I consider it a little confusing when combos are listed like "LP, LK, LP, LK, FP". How would you label something like Chun-Li's multiple Jab, Short attacks in air combos? 2.1. SPECIAL MOVES AT-A-GLANCE Smile & Missile (High) - Charge b for one second, f+P Smile & Missile (Low) - Charge b for one second, f+K Smile & Missile (Jumping) - Charge d for one second, u+P Cheer & Fire (Angled) - f, d, df + P Cheer & Fire (Horizontal) - f, d, df + K Shyness Strike - d, db, b + P Tell Me Why [Stalking] - d, d + K Tricky Basket - f+Fierce Surprise & Hop - f+Roundhouse Malice & Mine - db+Roundhouse Stumble & Blade - During dash, Fierce Cool Hunting - qcf+PP Beautiful Memory - hcf+KK Hyper Apple For You - hcb+KK 2.2. NORMAL ATTACKS Standing Jab - typical high short-ranged hand swipe. In most instances it's always wiser to use Standing Short, so don't use Jab to start chains. Could be good anti-air, but why would you want to use a Jab? Crouching Jab - Low swipe. Useless because it can be blocked high and has crap range. Crouching Short hits low and has better range, so there's pretty much no reason to use this move. Standing Strong - high basket swipe that does have decent horizontal range. A great attack for extending your ground chain combo. It's a shame this move can't be used outside of chains because it always made for nice air defense on Vampire Savior... Crouching Strong - Low basket swing. In Vampire Savior I considered this a very crucial move because of its range and ability to buffer, but in a Vs. game it's a lot less important. Still, when chained off a Low Jab or Low Short it's a great combo extender, and has more range than the Crouching Forward. Standing Fierce - 8-hit Uzi spray. Damage is decent, range is ok (the bullets do NOT go full-screen like Cable's S. Fierce), but the lag is deadly. Luckily, this is a Marvel game so you can buffer attacks off it! Sadly, pretty much nothing is guaranteed to combo off it since the bullets are weak attacks that cause little hit stun. Her Strong and Forward attacks do more hit stun for combos. Still, cutting off the lag into a Missile is a great way to save your ass and keep up the pressure, even if it doesn't combo. Crouching Fierce - Low version of the Uzi spray. Same properties apply. Strangely, you can actually use this move to OTG (although you won't be able to connect anything afterwards) Standing Short - a gimpy little kick. She actually sneezes when she does this move, but it's not very obvious... if you're playing on the Dreamcast, you can clearly see the saliva fly on Training Mode. :) Crouching Short - your typical short-ranged C. Short. As mentioned before, you should always be using this move to start chains instead of Crouching Jab. Standing Forward - looks a lot like Standing Short, except she turns to the side a bit. Most importantly, this is her launcher attack... but sadly, this is one of the worst launchers in the game. You can't use it for air defense, and you have to be incredibly close to connect with it. Even worse, the regular motion for it requires you to do a weak attack before chaining it. However, the attack can also be done at any time by pushing df+Roundhouse. Still has crap range and priority though... Crouching Forward - decent range, but C. Strong has more. Only use this if you're extremely lazy with your chains and can't be bothered to push a different button. Standing Roundhouse - Hood kicks a land mine that falls out of her dress, which explodes about a second after it falls if it does not make contact with the enemy. Sadly, like so many other attacks of hers, it's pretty limited in range. This does not make it a useless move though, as it's great against people that are constantly trying to dash in to do their ground- chain-into-launcher-into-air-combo-lather-rinse-repeat. (we all know that type of player.) It can even be used as a form of air-defense if you're gutsy and willing to trade hits. When buffered, the mine stays out there, so it's actually possible to combo something else off it even if you're not expecting it. Crouching Roundhouse - double-leg sweep, not much range. She says something during this attack, anyone know what? Her sweep recovers incredibly quickly too, it's possible to OTG with a Standing Short into a juggle after a connected sweep. Jumping Jab - Downward-angled punch. Not that deep an attack but makes for a nice chain-starter. Decent air-to-air too. Jumping Strong - downward basket swing. Would make for a decent jump-in if it wasn't chain-only... sigh... Jumping Fierce - the Uzi spray again. Doesn't do much damage or have much priority, but because of the length of the attack it's usually a good idea to stick one out to see if it will make contact. Very rarely will you land more than a few hits with it though, and the hits still do awful damage and hit stun on their own. Jumping Short - Single kick that once again doesn't hit deep. Jumping Forward - her best jumping attack in Vampire Savior, a shame it can't be done at any time in this game. Makes for a nice air-chain extender though. Jumping Roundhouse - a flip followed by a mine kick. Because of the delay in this move, you must do it EARLY if you want the attack to come out. This attack causes an explosion, so if you hit with this you won't be able to follow it up with a ground combo since it sends the enemy flying back in flames. But on the bright side, it sets up some special juggle combos, especially in the corner. 2.3. COMMAND ATTACKS Tricky Basket (Basket Hop) b+Fierce / f+Fierce B.B.Hood does a small hop and swings her basket at the enemy. If you are holding Back on the joystick she will hop backwards, and if you hold Forward she hops towards the opponent. Unfortunately this means you can't advance towards your opponent while keeping a charge... oh well. Nonetheless, both versions of this move have their uses. If you need to get away from the opponent, or are just plain sick and tired of them repeatedly dashing in to do a ground chain, don't backdash - hop back! With any luck you'll smack them in the stomach with your basket. Use it with caution as you are of course very vulnerable to Supers. The forward version is EXTREMELY useful because you can easily stick it into chain combos. Either a weak or medium normal attack will do for a real combo. See the Combos section for more details. Surprise & Hop (Knee Hop) f+Roundhouse B.B.Hood sees a mole behind her, lets out a yell, and jumps away - but yet conveniently sticks her knee out to attack at the same time. Wow. :) Anyway, it's kind of a shame but the forward Basket Hop is a better move than this. They both do basically the same thing and this can be chained in combos too, but it has less range. You don't leap as high off the ground either (with a bit of luck you can hop over sweeps with the Basket Hop). It's not totally worthless though, because it seems like it hits much earlier than the Basket Hop, and recovers quicker too, letting you start another chain while they try to retaliate... If nothing else, you can also piss off your opponent with this move by repeatedly making her scream "eeeEEEEEyyyAAAAaaaaHHhhhhhhhhh" :P Malice & Mine db+Roundhouse Much more effective than the regular Standing Roundhouse, Hood kicks a mine out of her dress from a crouching position. The mine goes a little farther but still doesn't have THAT much range. This is a good attack to chain in if the opponent was blocking everything else, as you can keep charging with the down-back position, and then immediately buffer into a Missile after the mine is kicked out. Keep the pressure on! Stumble & Blade f, f, Fierce What the hell. In Vampire Savior, this move was an overhead, so it was great to stick in on people blocking low. Now it is no longer an overhead, it does crap damage, has maybe a little priority, has HUGE lag if blocked, and worst of all, it's not even bufferable. I don't get it. Why did they leave this move in if they were going to make it so crap? Note: This move also acts as her Snapback attack. 2.4. THROWS f / b + Fierce - B.B.Hood climbs up on the opponent's back, says "Abayo" (?) and slits the opponent's throat with a knife. Nice-looking throw, but damage on it is rather weak. Hood ends up on the opposite side from which she started, and the opponent goes flying the other way. They recover in mid-air so there's no chance of doing any OTG combos. [in air] any direction [except d or u] + Fierce - air throw version of the above throw. If nothing else it makes a nice air combo ender. Where the hell is her "Tornado" command throw? Damn you, Capcom. 2.5. SPECIAL ATTACKS Smile & Missile (High) charge back for one second, then forward + P A missile is fired from her shoulder-height, which goes higher than most standard projectiles. When it hits the enemy, it sends them up in flames. The Jab version does not knock down but the Fierce version will send them flying backwards. A Jab Missile will explode on its own once it goes roughly the length of the screen, meaning that if the screen moves back it will not hit the opponent. The Fierce version will go farther but it will not go the whole length of the background like most other projectiles. Jab version goes slower than the average projectiles, while the Fierce one goes "normal speed". Recovery time is very short too, it's just a tad longer than the lag after a Sonic Boom. Because of the quick recovery and slow velocity of the Jab version, this makes it a great attack to "follow" in when going on the offensive. It's important to note that the Jab version does NOT knock down when it hits the opponent, it keeps them on the ground. The Fierce version does knock down and sends them up into the air, making it possible to actually follow up with some other attacks to juggle. This is hands-down her most important special move so try to maintain a charge at all times and keep plenty of Missiles flying at the opponent. If there's anything bad about this move it's that since it goes so high, it will pass over the heads of many small characters if they duck. However, they'll be pinned down and won't be able to move when they're ducking, so you can at least get a chance to antagonize your opponent with some blocked chains, building up your Super bar even more. Smile & Missile (Low) charge back for one second, then forward + Kick Same as above, except Hood fires a missile from her dress (umm, no comment). It is a lot lower to the ground so it will end up going under other projectiles instead of trading hits. This makes it easy to jump over, but against a grounded opponent it has a much better chance of hitting than the High version. Use both wisely. Smile & Missile (Jumping) charge down for one second, then up + Punch Hood jumps vertically, and then fires a Missile at the ground at an angle. The Jab version is a much shorter angle while the Fierce version will go nearly full-screen (granted, it'll end up hitting their feet but it still counts). Because the beginning jump makes for much longer starting lag than the High / Low versions, it's not recommended that you use this much. Hell, I can't think of a single situation in which I would recommend using it... maybe throw it into the mix every now and then to throw off opponents who forget she has the move (because *I* forget about it all the time). Otherwise this move is a waste of time. Cheer & Fire (angled) forward, down, down-forward + Punch B.B.Hood lets loose some flame out of a molotov cocktail. In Vampire Savior this move wasn't overly useful because of its mostly vertical angle, but now it fires at a 60-degree angle or so and is a LOT bigger (shares the same sprite as Dhalsim's Yoga Flame/Yoga Blast... lazy Capcom). So now it is an excellent anti-air weapon, although of course it's air-blockable since this is a Vs. game. The fire will hit roughly seven times, but sadly doesn't do much damage. On the plus side, even if it's blocked you'll get a few block ticks out of it, and the recovery time ain't so bad. If done against an enemy who air-blocks it, by the time they hit the ground you'll be ready to block almost anything they try to retaliate with. So as long as it connects you're in good shape... just beware of double jumps and the like, as missing the move entirely can put you in a dangerous situation. And, it seems I was wrong before... this MOVE can be cancelled into a Super. But there's a catch - you can only do it on the first or second hits. WTF? No wonder I couldn't get it to work before, I was always trying to do it off the last hit. So if you're fast you can cancel this into a Cool Hunting, which will actually combo. Cheer & Fire (horizontal) forward, down, down-forward + Kick A straight horizontal version of the above move. Similar properties apply, but it only hits up to four times and doesn't do much damage. Using this move in ground combos can be kinda risky, since if blocked the lag is deadlier since the opponent is already on the ground and doesn't have to fall to the ground to retaliate. Use it with caution. But that's just the ground version, as you can also perform it in mid-air (the only special move of hers also available in the air). It is exactly the same as it is on the ground, although she has to fall to the ground after doing the move. If you do it on a superjump, you have the ability to attack/block on the way down (as well as do the move again if you want to annoy your opponent). It also makes for a great finish on an air combo (if you actually get the opportunity to perform one). Super-cancelling off this move is EXTREMELY difficult as you can only do it off the first hit, which seems pretty worthless. But it might be a nice combo extender if you're stylish... Shyness Strike down, down-back, back + Punch B.B.Hood swings her basket over her head and then directs it in the direction of the opponent. In Vampire Savior this move could be "charged" to make the basket size bigger and more powerful, when it's done in this game it is automatically swung at its largest and most powerful size with no extra lag. In fact, it still combos beautifully off medium-strength attacks. While it's just one hit, it does a good chunk of damage and knocks down too. When blocked there is a little bit of lag, but only the most alert opponents will be able to do anything to you about it. Another nice plus is the ability to super cancel off it, although the only Super that's ever guaranteed after a successful hit is Cool Hunting. This makes it an excellent move to do in your chains, blocked or not. Tell Me Why [Stalking] down, down + Short + Roundhouse A strange move, as it's not really a special ATTACK, and it has a rather unconventional motion (for a Marvel game anyway). B.B.Hood crawls a short distance on the ground, vulnerable but extremely low to the ground. I'm still experimenting with uses for this move. If you're getting antagonized by projectiles and you don't have a Missile charged, don't jump over it... CRAWL under it! If nothing else your opponent will probably not be expecting it. The most obvious use for this move is to use it up-close, as she can pass through the opponent to the other side. While you're not invincible, if you're fighting someone who's blocking everything you're throwing at them, this is certainly more effective than a throw - by the time they realize what side you're on you'll be able to attack them before they can switch their block direction! This trick becomes more evil if you call out an Assist with a projectile or similar move before doing it... you can knock the opponent into the Assist attack or watch them get nailed by it first, THEN continue your combo. Again, I must reiterate that you CAN get hit during this move, but only by attacks that are low to the ground, or an attack timed to hit you right as you're standing up. 2.6. HYPER COMBOS Yeah, I know I'm always calling them "Supers"... old habits die hard. The following are attacks that can only be done with 1 or more levels of Hyper Combo Energy. Cool Hunting down, down-forward, forward + 2P Probably her most versatile Super. B.B.Hood summons two huge "hunters" that appear behind her, wielding some big guns. The three fire in unison, the hunters' bullets going high and Hood's Uzi shooting on the ground. The hunters fire a total of 26 bullets and so does Hood, so the max number of hits you can get off this move is 52. Against smaller characters, chances are you will only be able to hit with Hood's gunfire unless you catch them in the air. This Super still does good damage from the ground though, hell I'm fairly sure that Hood's bullets alone do more damage than the hunters' bullets (strange, because theirs are bigger). Comboing this move is a snap, it's quick enough to connect after a medium-strength attack or a super-cancelled Shyness Strike. It's not only good for combos, it also makes an excellent retaliation against a failed special or super move anywhere on the screen. (um, as long as they're close to the ground of course) This move also does some of the best block damage in the game, especially if all 52 hits are blocked... problem is, after it finishes, Hood has to twirl her gun, which puts her in a very vulnerable position for a counter-Super. Which means you may end up taking more damage than you dished out... Beautiful Memory back, down-back, down, down-forward, forward + 2K A truly hilarious move. A vision of B.B.Hood's [dead?] grandmother appears above her head, and she leaps at the opponent with a pair of knives. If she connects, she goes into a flurry of stabs and starts crying so hard she eventually forms a puddle. She then starts planting bombs into the enemy (no doubt caused by the holes she ripped with the knife), and then hoists the enemy over head. Her expression turns into a smile and she body-slams them into the puddle of tears, at which point the bombs go off, sending them flying across the screen while she dusts off her hands, an evil smile on her face. This is why I love this character so much. :) Anyway, this move is rather limited in uses but it's still worth performing in certain situations. The most obvious of which is combos, as it connects Beautiful-ly (heh) off a medium-strength attack. And the damage it deals? Huge! Although the majority of the damage isn't done until the final explosion, but it looks great to see the damage fly off in one huge chunk. It's also a great retaliation against laggy moves, provided you're close enough... yes, another drawback of this move is that the range is rather limited. She will only jump forward about 1/3 to 1/2 the screen, at which point she'll just snap her fingers in frustration and be vulnerable for a couple seconds. If the move is blocked, then she bounces off backwards, and since it takes a little while for her to land you're very open to getting hit by Supers. I don't think it even counts as a block tick of damage. One thing that annoys me is that in this game the move has almost no invincibility whatsoever. In Vampire Savior it has a huge chunk of invincibility in the beginning of the move, which with proper anticipation could be used to "pass through" an attack and put the enemy in a world of hurt. But now it doesn't matter how well you anticipate the move you'll still end up getting smacked anyway. Obviously it's all or nothing with this move, so use it only when you are absolutely sure it will connect. Hyper Apple For You forward, down-forward, down, down-back, back + 2K This move has some very odd properties that most players don't seem to understand (hell, I'm not even sure I have everything 100% right regarding this move). The move starts out with Hood tripping over a rock on the ground (you can see a little arrow pointing to it during the screen pause). If Hood is close enough and falls on the opponent, she will knock them down, and then leap onto them and start firing away with her trusty Uzi. (very similar to her ES "pursuit" attack in Vampire Savior) After 20 or so shots, she jumps off and tosses five bombs at the opponent as a little parting gift. On the other hand, if she does NOT make contact with the opponent, then the five bombs that were in her basket go flying out anyway and do minimal damage. As far as I can figure out, the first version of the move (which is of course the desirable one to connect with) acts like a Super throw, such as Zangief's Final Atomic Buster. The grab "window" is a lot shorter than a FAB though. And since it acts as a throw, it will whiff if the opponent is already in block or hit stun (meaning if you do it right as an Assist attack is hitting the opponent, you'll end up missing and do the second version). She slides forward a short distance after hitting the ground, allowing for a tad more "range" on the throw before she resorts to the second version. This is a great move against turtles or anyone unfamiliar with B.B.Hood's attacks. Most people just instinctively block when they see the Super flash, then wonder why they got nailed. Damage on this sucker is excellent too. So what's the point of the second version? Well, look it at it this way - it's better than missing a FAB, right? In fact, it seems like when people see her miss, they try to attack and then get nailed by the bombs. Even when they're blocked she's laid out flat on the ground, so most attacks will pass over her if they try to hit her back. 2.7. ASSISTS Hood's Assist attacks really aren't all that hot, but nonetheless, here's an analysis. Note that no matter what assist attack is used, Cool Hunting is used as a Team-Up Super (A1 + A2) Alpha Assist - Projectile Type Fierce Missile The assist type of choice IMO. It's more or less your standard projectile assist, but since it's the Fierce version it knocks them down. This has its advantages and drawbacks, since typically it's easier to continue a ground combo with Projectile Assists that don't knock down. But Hood's knocks them up into the air for quite a while before hitting the ground, giving you ample time to nail them with a Super (er, provided it has enough range anyway). And if one hits them in the corner? OTG time. Of course, you have to be careful using this Assist since it's only a projectile, meaning that a beam or beam Assist will obliterate it and possibly do damage to Hood or your current character. It's not overly useful as a Variable Counter, although you can use it against a blocked attack from long range to bring in Hood with a projectile... and then you can resume going on the offensive. Beta Assist - Anti-Air Type Cheer & Fire (Punch) Using an Anti-Air assist that doesn't provide immediate air defense is not a wise move. Even stranger, this Assist only does ONE hit when it's used, as opposed to the regular multiple-hit version... huh? They didn't even bother to beef up the damage at all, it's just one quick attack for a few pixels and limited follow-up capability. I really don't understand why. On the plus side, when used as a Variable Counter it DOES hit multiple times like it's supposed to... but as it is it's only good against jumping attacks, and if they do a jumping chain they'll probably just hit you out of the move since it has no invincbility. In summary, never, ever, EVER pick this assist. Gamma Assist - Variety Type Shyness Strike Considering that this move is rather limited in range, does only one hit, and when connects knocks the opponent backwards yet they land on their feet soon after... I don't see much point to using this as an Assist attack either. It does still do decent damage when it hits, but there's a very short window for you to capitalize on it and add in a combo or Super. As a Cross-Over Counter it's a bit better, provided the opponent is actually close enough in the first place (in other words, doing this after blocking a beam attack is a very stupid idea). If you connect with it on Cross-Over Counter you can cancel into Cool Hunting if you have a second super level ready. A very damaging way of bringing B.B.Hood into play! * 3. COMBOS * While B.B.Hood isn't exactly a combo machine, she can certainly hold her own. This is in no way intended to be a complete list, these are mostly combos that she can only do on her own, no Assists or DHC's involved. And rather than waste time listing every variation of every combo, I'm just going to list the "complete" ones that are worth doing. Because of the flexible combo engine in the Vs. series, you can play around and mix up some of the attacks listed (such as a Crouching Forward in place of a Crouching Strong), or even omit some attacks entirely (any combo started with a jumping attack/chain doesn't need that to start it, unless you want the extra hits). It's all up to you. 3.1. GROUND COMBOS Jumping Short, Jumping Forward, Crouching Jab, Standing Strong, Standing/Crouching Fierce Jumping Short, Jumping Forward, Crouching Short, Crouching Forward, Roundhouse Low Missile (b,f+K) Jumping Short, Jumping Forward, Dashing Standing Short, Standing Strong, f+Fierce (Basket Hop), Jab/Fierce Shyness Strike (qcb+P), Cool Hunting (qcf+2P) Jumping Short, Jumping Forward, Dashing Standing Short, Standing Strong, f+Fierce, Beautiful Memory (hcf+2K) 3.2. AIR COMBOS Standing Short, Standing Forward, SJ Jab, Short, Strong, Forward, Fierce/Roundhouse Standing Short, Standing Forward, SJ Jab, Short, Strong, Forward, Roundhouse Cheer & Fire (dp + K) Standing Short, Standing Forward, SJ Jab, Short, Strong, Forward, Air Throw Standing Short, Standing Forward, SJ Jab, Short, Strong, pause, DJ Jab, Short, Forward, Short/Roundhouse Cheer & Fire 3.3. OTG COMBOS (OTG combos can of course be escaped by rolling) Crouching Short, Crouching Roundhouse, OTG Standing Short, Standing Forward, [any air combo listed above] [in corner] Crouching Short, Crouching Forward, Roundhouse Low Missile, OTG Crouching Roundhouse, Cool Hunting Tag-in, OTG Standing Short, Beautiful Memory [in corner] Standing Short, Standing Strong, Beautiful Memory, OTG Crouching Roundhouse, Cool Hunting [in corner] Standing Short, Standing Strong, Beautiful Memory, OTG Dashing Standing Short, Beautiful Memory, OTG Dashing Standing Short, Beautiful Memory, etc. (this is a very tricky combo to connect with since you have limited time to get the Standing Short out, but it does work... apparently the Beautiful Memory resets the OTG capabalities, so it's possible to keep doing it until you run out of Super meter. 3.4. INFINITE COMBOS Infinite # 1 - In corner: Jumping Roundhouse / db+Roundhouse, Fierce High Missile, Fierce High Missile, Fierce High Missile, etc. (This combo sounds simple, but in actuality it's very tough to do. Find a way to knock them into the air, fire a Missile, then IMMEDIATELY charge Back for the next one. You have to be very quick on the charge to get the next one to connect. You have a better chance of doing this on "light" characters like Chun-Li.) Infinite # 2 - Jumping Jab, Strong, pause, Jab, Short, Forward, land, Jumping Jab, Strong, pause, Jab, Short, Forward, land, etc. (I am unable to confirm this combo at the present time... it seems only to work on tall characters like Blackheart and Sentinel... looking into how this works exactly, stay tuned) Infinite # 3 - Standing Short, Standing Forward, SJ Jab, Short, Forward, Roundhouse, Roundhouse, land, Jumping Jab, Roundhouse, land, Jumping Jab, Forward, Roundhouse, land, Jumping Jab, Forward, Roundhouse, etc. (launch the opponent, send them downward with J. Roundhouse, but tag another J. Roundhouse as you fall to keep the opponent in the air. Don't let them land, go immediately into a J. Jab, Roundhouse, and then you can land and continually jump back up repeating Jab, Forward, Roundhouse to keep them in the air. This only seems to work against "big" characters like Juggernaut, because connecting the 2nd J. Roundhouse in the air combo is the trickiest part - plus you need a big target for the continual jumping chains.) * 4. DELAYED HYPER COMBOS * New to the Vs. series (but not entirely new - the feature debuted in SFEX) is the ability to cancel a Super move into another... the only catch is that it cancels with a teammate's Super instead of one of your own. So... when should B.B.Hood cancel one of her Supers into a teammate's, and when should one of hers be brought in? That's what this section is for. 4.1. CANCELLING OUT OF Cool Hunting - Since this move can hit either close-up or at full-screen, you must monitor the range at which you caught your enemy with it. If they're all the way across the screen, don't interrupt with one that only hits close-up. Keep in mind that this move will hit either 26 or 52 times (depending on the size of your opponent, although it's possible to catch a small opponent in the air in both rows of bullets). Keep an eye on the combo meter and don't cancel it until you count about 20 or 40 hits worth. Doing it earlier can make it a waste, and doing it too late will cause you to lose the opportunity to cancel. Beautiful Memory - Most of the damage is not done until the last hit, so cancelling out of this move is not always a wise decision. Use it only if you're sure you'll be able to get more damage out of the super cancels. When the move is cancelled the next character will appear in the same place that Hood was standing, so Supers that generally hit close-up are better than beam Supers and the like. Hyper Apple For You - This super also hits 26 times, and the last five hits are done by the bombs she tosses at the end, so the best time to cancel is before that when she's still above the opponent and gotten 20 hits or so. Like Beautiful Memory, when it's cancelled you'll be right next to (or even ON the opponent), so close-up Supers work great here too. Since the opponent is a knocked-down position during the Super, when cancelled they will fly up into the air off the ground. So make sure the next move hits either immediately or pretty far off the ground... 4.2. CANCELLING INTO Cool Hunting - since it works great close or far, cancelling into Cool Hunting is almost always a good bet no matter where they're located on the screen... well, as long as they're in the line of fire, anyway. Plus, 52 hits hurts a lot even when damage scaling is in effect. Beautiful Memory - standard beat-em-up Supers that leave the opponent grounded are good bases off which to cancel (e.g. Captain America's Final Justice). If they're not in your face than you'll just waste a level of Super. Hyper Apple For You - hmm... using this can make for either a cunning surprise or a big waste of a Super. Cancelling this off a preceding Super that the opponent didn't block is very iffy, since there's no guarantee that you'll be able to continue the punishment. Remember, this move is a throw, so it will whiff if the opponent is currently in hit stun or not in the air. On the other hand, doing it off a blocked Super can result in a very nasty surprise for your opponent! Block stun is shorter than hit stun, so doing it off a Super that would otherwise leave you in a vulnerable position may end up saving your ass. That's assuming of course you do a Super that leaves you close to the opponent in the first place. I've had a bit of success doing it off Guile's Sonic Hurricane, not sure which other Supers would be good opportunities to try cancelling into... oh yeah, I'm fairly sure that this little trick IS escapable, but chances are 99% of the people you play will just end up blocking instinctively. Eventually they may wise up (or may be B.B.Hood players who know about this trick), but it's still worth a try. * 5. STRATEGY * 5.1. GENERAL STRATEGIES The question I always see asked regarding B.B.Hood is "How should I play her?" Runaway? Aggressive? Helper only? Baby Bonnie Hood can give challengers fits whether you're going on the offense or backing off in a defensive manner. On offense, there is one move that is most crucial of all her attacks - her Missiles. The quick release and quick recovery make it a move you need to be doing constantly. Hold Back or Down-Back on the joystick whenever you're doing normal attacks, so you can ready to have a missile to fire off. Then you can follow it in and continue your onslaught. The biggest problem with playing her in an aggressive manner is the range on her normal moves, especially the weak attacks - you MUST get in close to deal damage, or else you get out- distanced or out-prioritized by other moves. This is why her projectiles are the perfect equalizer. If they stick out a non-projectile attack they get toasted, and if you hit with Fierce or Roundhouse missiles you will knock them down too. But what do you do with someone that blocks everything you throw at them? Factor in the "Stalking" (down, down + 2K). If you're right next to them when the move is performed, you will "crossup" and land on the other side... so the player holding the stick in the Down-Back position is now in Down-Forward, and no longer blocking. Start a C. Short into the combo of your choice. So maybe chasing after opponents isn't your thing. Perhaps you prefer letting them come to you. While I don't endorse acting like a turtle, B.B.Hood can certainly do so if the need arises. You can keep the opponent at bay with constant Missiles or beam Assists. However, there is a big hole in Hood's defense - her anti-air options. There are only two viable options - a Cheer & Fire (dp+P), or a Jab Missile. Cheer & Fire works great if you do it early, and are sure the opponent won't double-jump or air-dash over. Whether connected or blocked, a Cheer & Fire will push the opponent back so you can continue to play keep-away. Using a Jab Missile as anti-air is something many people don't expect, but your timing is vital. Because of Hood's small size, a lot of jump-in attacks will miss her, especially since she loses a little bit of height firing out the Missile. The Missile's quick release and slow speed will leave a missile directly beneath them, which will intercept their attack or trade hits. Worst-case scenario is doing it too early (Missile never comes out) or doing it too late (Missile is past the opponent by the time they attack). If they air-block you're safe, and if they double-jump you will recover in time too. Other than that, there's not much Hood can do to jumpers... she GREATLY benefits from a character with an incredible Anti-Air Assist (Captain Commando, Cammy). Another of Hood's strengths is that she has the ability to do incredible block damage, thanks to Cool Hunting. However, it's not a Super that you can just throw out blindly and hope to get free damage out of. There is lag before and no invincibility, so if you do it when a fireball is within half-screen of you, chances are it's going to hit you right when the Super starts and end it prematurely. And because of the opening lag, a player who anticipates it will be able to super-jump up and over the shots, and then nail you with a combo from behind. So you have to do the Super in a situation where you know the shots will hit the enemy, blocked or not. If in-close, doing a simple Crouching Short, Crouching Forward into Super will keep the opponent in blockstun long enough that they can't jump away (and often, attempting to super-jump out will get themselves caught airblocking BOTH rows of gunfire at once, doing double block damage). Keeping an opponent stuck blocking the shots in the air is much more advantageous since only a few moves/supers will be able to hit you from the air, the rest have to wait to drop to the ground before they can retaliate. After you finish off one of the team members, doing a Cool Hunting as the next member jumps in can provide some fairly safe, free block damage. On the ground, the lag is much more deadly. Use the Cool Hunting first, and then cancel into a Super that leaves you a bit safer when blocked if possible. Or go for mega-block damage with something like Dr. Doom or M. Bison's exploding blasts... More strategies to come later. * 6. MISCELLANEOUS STUFF * A.K.A. The stuff I couldn't find a place for anywhere else. 6.1. ANIMATIONS Opening Pose - Same as her walking animation, she skips forward and hums. Win Poses - * Hood spins around and delivers a punch towards the camera. * Same as above, except she spins and punches three times. * A man appears and hands Hood a wad of money, she counts the bills while smoking a cigarette. Taunt - Crouches down and pets her dog (what is she saying?), who barks. Special animation - Hold Down on the joystick for a few seconds. The hovering butterflies will land on her head, and then a flower sprouts out of the ground. The butterflies then land on the flower. 6.2. OUTFIT COLORS Note: The Assist1 and Assist2 colors can only be picked when there is a gold box around B.B.Hood's box on the character select... when this appears in the arcade is random (a gold box is added to a random character every 400 exp), in the Dreamcast version you may buy the extra colors when they are offered in the shop. Jab - Red dress/shoes, white apron, blonde hair, light brown basket, yellow butterflies Fierce - Purple dress/shoes, light blue apron, light pink hair, dark brown basket, purple butterflies A1 - Dark blue dress/shoes, white apron, light blonde hair, dark brown basket, light blue butterflies Short - Blue dress/shoes, white apron, blonde hair, light brown basket, turquoise butterflies Roundhouse - Pale blue dress/shoes, white apron, light blue hair, brown basket, white butterflies, pale skin A2 - Black dress/shoes, cream apron, pink hair, dark brown basket, gray butterflies, dark skin * 7. CLOSING * 7.1. THINGS TO BE ADDED - Damage levels for attacks (I already have this covered, I was just too lazy to re-do everything right now) - Redone, easier-to-read combo section (with more variations on combos, possibly) - More strategies, namely character-specific stuff - Teammate recommendations, as well as special DHC combos 7.2. CONTACTING THE AUTHOR Comments? Corrections? Death threats? Mail to: bbh@i.am Or if you want to harass me real-time, send an AOL/Instant Messenger IM to "lordbbh", or BBH on #capcom on IRC EFNet. 7.3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS People that unknowingly helped out on the FAQ. If you're not listed and think you should be, tell me. Mike Z - for Hood's 3rd infinite from his 7th combo movie Warganic - for the movie of the 2nd infinite Capcom - for making the damn game, and being wise enough to bring back one of the greatest characters to ever grace a fighter. But I'm still waiting to see Karin again... and all the players at Tilt in Harlingen, TX for being the unwilling victims of my constant Baby Bonnie Hood playing. :)