#big jumps

[jhsharman]

high steppin'

High-steppin's are out, and Big Jumps are in for Quebec.

[adhd-sonic-the-hedgehog]

Ive been thinking about the future lately...in other news here’s Silver’s parents (both use they/them)

inspired by @tenya drawing sonic’s moms and design details inspired by @mintywhisker‘s cypernetic limbs silver drawings

[retro-roulette]

Retro Roulette #71: R.C. Pro-Am II (NES, 1992)

This week’s game is the sort of release that makes you stand up and proudly declare “Wait, there was a sequel to that?”

If you had an NES growing up, it’s fairly plausible that you had or played Rare’s early release R.C. Pro-Am, a cute little remote-control car racing game that is unrelated to San Antonio Spurs executive R.C. Buford:

That’s his official photo on NBA.com, by the way. I just want everyone to know that.

While it’s likely you’ve seen or played R.C. Pro-Am, it’s markedly less likely that you’ve seen or played its sequel, which was released in 1992, well after most everyone had moved on to the SNES (the game’s developer, Rare, released Donkey Kong Country less than two years after this). The games are quite similar, though - both feature a series of short races on increasingly complex courses, played in either single or multiplayer modes. There isn’t much more to it than that. Sometimes there are sweet jumps:

In order to progress from one race to the next in the single player mode, all you need to do is not finish in last place. As with its predecessor, this becomes a fairly difficult task pretty quickly, as the courses get trickier and the opposing AI becomes less forgiving. Fortunately, R.C. Pro-Am II gives you some tools to stay competitive - by doing well in races and grabbing pickups on the various courses, you can accumulate money that can be used to buy upgrades to your car. These range from bigger engines, weapons, and being extra:

Oh, and also, sometimes a biplane appears and drops bombs on you. Not sure what that’s about, but it’s very mean and I am generally against it.

Both games in the series are pretty great - there isn’t much to it, but the varied courses (there are a couple dozen in each game) and ability to power up and use missiles/bombs to your advantage makes for a quick, fun, and replayable experience. With the right add-ons, R.C. Pro-Am II even supports 4 players at once, which is somewhat of a rarity on the NES. It’s great in multiplayer, too - if a game is enjoyable when it’s the AI screwing you over, just imagine how it is when your friends are doing it.

As previously noted, this is the much less common sequel to the original, and as a result is much more expensive - while the first game can be had for $5-10 at pretty much any game store, copies of R.C. Pro-Am II go for $60-70, assuming you can find one at all. Considering their similarities, I feel like you’re probably okay skipping this one if you can find a copy of the first one. Playing one or the other does seem essential for any retro gamer, though - it’s fun, simple, and is a good piece of Nintendo history. This series is, in a very real way, a forerunner Nintendo’s other, bigger forays into the racing genre. 

If you enjoy this one, I’d also recommend checking out a few other NES titles - Eliminator Boat Duel is similar and decently fun, as is the unlicensed Micro Machines game. There’s a somewhat hard-to-find game called Galaxy 5000 that also scratches the top-down racing/combat itch, and does a great job of it.

Next week’s game is really dumb and makes me wish I owned fewer games, so I wouldn’t have to review games like it. Ugh. Hopefully it’ll be funny or something. See you then?

[bodyhate]

I was looking for a password on my email and I stumbled upon a gmail chat I had over weeks with Dave after gping to see him for the first time. The things I'd say, I really don't recognize myself. I hate how passive aggressive I was, and needy, and my english was terrible, so many mistakes, dear god.

And I had sent him this song at some point

Up to very recently I still wondered how I would react if I met Dave again, I feared all those feelings would come back rushing in and probably overwhelm me. But now I really think I'm good. I feel like I've really moved on. After 15 years, well, yeah, you better...

[dgtlsht]

Годнота

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/nathan-chen-dazzles-big-jumps-win-us-nationals/62819/

Nathan Chen dazzles with big jumps to win US nationals

SAN JOSE, Calif. /January 6, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — Nathan Chen dazzled once again with his remarkable athleticism to pull off breathtaking quadruple jumps, skating the final routine to a commanding U.S. national championship Saturday night.

Chen, 18, all but secured his spot for next month’s Pyeongchang Olympics.

With improved poise and style, not to mention his new Vera Wang costumes, Chen completed five quads to beat second-place Ross Miner with a total score of 315.23 — a startling 40.72-point lead that set him completely apart.

And Chen is considered the Americans’ best medal hopeful if he is chosen for the team. Now, the U.S. Figure Skating selection committee will consider body of work to decide on the three skaters to represent next month in South Korea.

Vincent Zhou, another prodigious jumper, was third.

Crowd-pleasing Miner skated a near-flawless routine to a Queen medley and had SAP Center rocking and clapping along.  He pumped his right fist after a double axel that made for a clean, lighthearted program in which he had fully got into his music for all to appreciate. The 26-year-old Miner earned a standing ovation, and beamed while putting his hand to his heart in appreciation. He scored 185.60 for a 274.51 total.

Zhou, a 17-year-old rising star skating in his hometown to “Moulin Rouge,” attempted five quads and completed four in his technically difficult program — one quad was in combination with a triple — for a score of 273.83.

Chen is the only undefeated male skater in the world this season. The 18-year-old phenom from Salt Lake City showed why with another brilliant program. Sporting all black, Chen singled his planned triple axel as his only flaw. It barely matted with all those quads.

Sixth at last year’s world championship, his jumps were perfect this time.

The 2017 silver medalist at nationals, Zhou calmed himself moments before he began by shutting his eyes, then opening them with a deep breath. He skated with an ease and confidence to nail his first four quadruple jumps before falling on his quad toe loop in the second half of his performance. Some of his jumps looked slightly under-rotated, and he lacked the flair, finesse and pizazz of someone like Jason Brown or Adam Rippon.

Rippon, second out of the short program and chasing his first Olympics at age 28, fell on his quad lutz but recovered. He then popped his planned triple salchow and triple lutz into singles for fourth place with a score of 268.34.

He has worked tirelessly on his fitness in the past year following a foot injury, seeking to pull off the big jumps like the youngsters. Skating a year to the day since breaking his left foot while gearing up to defend his 2016 national title — he didn’t get to compete — Rippon must hope the committee sees things his way.

Brown, a 2014 team bronze medalist at the Sochi Olympics, finished sixth. He went into Saturday third after a 93.23 in the short program and finished at 253.68. Brown shortened his quad toe loop rotation to start his free skate and fell before coming back strong with some entertaining, graceful footwork.

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By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer, By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (ZS)

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[redwildstrawberrylove]

[endurochannel]

Natural Terrain Jumps | New Zealand

Natural Terrain Jumps | New Zealand

  Freeriding in New Zealand doesn’t get much better than this!

Riders – Hamish Macdonald | Charlie Richardson | Angus Macdonald

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