/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
* 3rd Edition *
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZ ZZZZZ a not-quite-definitive,
Z ZZZZ arcade/sorta Dreamcast
Z ZZZZ and newly re-updated FAQ!
ZZZZZ by Mav
ZZZZ (c) 2000-2002 email: web_tester226@yahoo.com
ZZZZ
ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ Z
ZZZZ Z ZZ ZZ ZZ Z ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZZ
ZZZZ Z ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ Z
ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZ
_ _ _ _ _
ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZZZZ
ZZ ZZ ZZ Z ZZ ZZ ZZ Z ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ Z
ZZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZZZ ZZ Z ZZ ZZ ZZZZZ
ZZ ZZ ZZ Z ZZ ZZ ZZ Z ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ Z
ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ
ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZZZZ Z ZZZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZZZ
by SEGA (Copyright 1999)
v0.99b
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
|Version 0.99b -- new ASCII art (made it myself!); major FAQ overhaul.|
|Second Update started 6/22/2002, completed 7/18/2002 |
|(see Version History at the very end of the FAQ for details) |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: As with all Internet FAQs, this FAQ is protected under
international copyright law. Reproducing this FAQ in any manner, shape
or form without the express permission of the author is strictly
prohibited. This FAQ is intended as a guide to help interested and
would-be interested Zombie Revenge players towards better progress,
higher scores, longer playing times, and hopefully more fun! And don't
forget, it's only a game...
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Advance thanks go out to:
-- BLui, who helped inspire me to write this FAQ, and whose GameFAQ got
me started in Zombie Revenge! His FAQ also helped fill in some blanks
for a modest number of move names, combos, holding moves, and Act names
where my memory failed me. Be sure to check out his and R-Jay's FAQs for
end boss info! (Alas, you won't find much on Zed here...)
Advance _apologies_ (ehhe) go out to:
-- CJayC for (me) writing rather long FAQs and burning up all his
bandwidth when the infrequent visitor comes along :). Thanks for
accepting them anyway!
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=
>>> To quickly navigate this FAQ, simply type in any of the below
section headers or sub-headers using your browser's Find function (e.g.
by typing "Stick Breitling," "Advanced Combo Moves," "Moves List,"
"Pickups," "South Union Railway," "ZR Walkthrough," "Helpful Hints," and
"Credits.").
>>> To return to this section, use Find on the phrase, "TABLE OF
CONTENTS." For best results, you may have to start from the top of the
text file before using Find, depending on whether or not you have wrap-
searching capability.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[I. Introduction/Disclaimer]
[II. The Story]
[III. "Select Players...": Stick, Linda and Rikiya]
1. Stick Breitling
2. Linda Rotta
3. Rikiya Busujima
[IV. The Playing Screen]
[V. Moves List (and other important gameplay stuff!)]
1. The Controls and Basic Moves (includes all quick ref charts)
2. Advanced Moves
3. Advanced Gunplay
4. Basic Combo Moves
5. Advanced Combo Moves
6. Advanced Fighting Techniques
7. Higher Scores Through Cool Combos (and High Scores in General)
8. A Note on Zombie Poison
9. A Note on Two-Player Games
[VI. Items and Special Weapons]
1. Pickups
2. Special Weapons
[VII. *** ZR Walkthrough ***]
The world of Zombie Revenge is divided into 9 Areas:
Part I: Woodside City (Area 1)
Where your quest to defeat the Evil Zed begins. Stay on your toes!
Part II: Edward Street (Area 2)
A dark, foreboding, dangerous, but manageable walk, dash and
thrash-athon through a narrow alleyway.
Part III: Industrial Sewage Plant (Area 3)
An educational trip to the sewer. Really! You'll see what I mean :)
Part IV: Chemical Plant (Area 4)
Forget about the chemicals! They're the _least_ of your worries...
Part V: South Union Railway (Area 5)
You've never had a train ride like _this_ before.
Part VI: Cassandra (Area 6)
Also known as "Adrenaline City."
Part VII: Mount Sacrifice (Area 7)
Tonight's forecast for Mt. Sacrifice: Gale-force winds and a 90%
chance of rainy doom. The going's only gonna get tougher, but don't
give up!
Part VIII: The House of the Dead (Area 8)
Surprises big and small await you at every turn. An especially big
surprise awaits you at the end. ;)
Part IX: The Dawn (**INCOMPLETE**) (Area 9)
Lost in a confusing labyrinth, your only way out is through the evil
Zed. Or is it? Whatever final horrors you face, you've got to succeed
to save the world!
[VIII. Helpful Hints, Closing Thoughts, Mysteries of the Game, and
Other Stuff]
[IX. Credits]
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
****************************
* I. Introduction/Disclaimer *
****************************
Here begins my first attempt at an arcade FAQ, and very first Internet
FAQ of anything, really. (This FAQ will also be helpful for Dreamcast
players on Zombie Revenge's Arcade Mode.) Hope you find it helpful, or
at least amusing to read. Personally, I think it's fun to read through
FAQs of games I'll never even play...or see :)!. (There's lots of great
FAQ writers out there!) Zombie Revenge (also referred as "ZR" throughout
this FAQ as shorthand) is really a great game, though it might take some
time getting used to. True, there's slight control problems, but the
still eye-popping 60fps graphics and immense gameplay depth make this
game one of the best there is.
(I'll try and keep a lid on parentheses from here on in. Promise. ;) )
This FAQ goes out to all the can-do gamers who've seen the game; maybe
watched others play it; and finally popped in those quarters, to HECK
with the humiliation of being a beginner! Believe me, I was nervous as
heck before I finally mustered up the courage to begin my video game
quest against Zed and his minions of evil. I never quite got there :),
but I DID have a firm hold on the top score board...and if I can
regularly score 250,000+ points with a Level 9 AMS badge, so can you!
Of course, no FAQ or guide of any kind can replace the experience you
get from playing the game for yourself. At the very least, though, I'm
hoping this FAQ helps gamers who like the ZR, but can't get past the
first boss (yep, he's a real doozy in the early going). Or gamers who'd
like to get to higher levels. Or gamers who'd like to refine their
techniques and kick their scores up a notch (props to Emeril Lagasse),
and so on...
Which brings me to the obligatory "Disclaimer" section. First off, sorry
if my FAQ reads like a novel. This FAQ will attempt to tell you
_everything_ I know about playing the game. And I assure you NEW Version
0.99b will fill in the rest of what I forgot to include ;)! But hey,
maybe you'll warm to my rambling yet conversational style :P. If you
just wanna know the moves first and save the heavy reading for later,
check out my quick reference guides by jumping to the "Moves List"
section. But as for the items and weapons...well, there's just too many
to cram in a quick reference chart :).
Second, I apologize if my FAQ starts sounding kinda know-it-all with all
the add-ons, heads-up notes and do's and don'ts that I'm bound to start
adding (and actually did add) as I get this FAQ on the road. Be
forewarned: I think lotsa folks might find my playing style a
little...well...weird ;). But in my humble opinion, going for the
combos, special items and fancy/risky plays are a big part of why we
play games in the first place -- to get the high scores! (If not win the
affection of members of the opposite sex [...maybe not], get bystanders
oohing, aahing, and swarming to see your bad self kick major zombie
booty, and ...oops, I'm rambling again. :P)
(Sorry folks...I guess the parentheticals are here to stay. As are the
emoticons :).)
Third, as I hinted on the "splash page," this FAQ is in no way meant
to be the definitive way to get ahead in Zombie Revenge. This FAQ is
written solely from a single-player point of view and my own style of
playing, since I don't normally play with other players (unlike in Area
51 -- 2 1/2 hour one-credit glory days and glory plays, not to mention
super-sore wrists, Entity, you bonus hogger). The only player I really
played was Stick Breitling. I haven't passed the game, though I was more
than likely the best ZR player at my local arcade. Many times I go for
points over safety and survival. I don't always get to the same level
with my plays. Etc. If my strats don't work for you, try your own! Well
enough of the build-up, here comes the FAQ! Let's get this show on the
road!
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
*******************************************
* II. The Storyline (fictional, of course) *
*******************************************
A government experiment to "recycle" the dead for military use has gone
horribly wrong, and an entire city has already fallen to its ravages.
It's now crawling with zombies. As it seems, foul play and sabotage by a
mysterious figure named Zed are responsible for the mayhem. Of course,
it's up to the forces of good (you) to stop this madman. Basically, you,
as one of three elite AMS agents, have been assigned to single- (or
double-) handedly foil the evil Zed's plot to raise an army of
horrifying undead soldiers which would surely take over the earth...if
you didn't stand in their way. (See BLui's FAQ for the actual in-game
text) If that weren't enough, you have a set time limit with which you
must complete a stage, or a demon of destruction will swoop in and
finish you off! Now that you know what you've gotta do, it's time to
save the world!
FUN FACT: I don't know what "AMS" stands for. I'm sure it means
something all nice and justice-y.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
***************************************************
* III. "Select Players...": Stick, Linda and Rikiya *
***************************************************
1. Stick Breitling (Your typical all-around hero.)
------------------
[Character/Story Info:]
Stick Breitling's a early-to-mid 20s AMS agent who has the most
personal involvement with the zombie crisis. It seems his parents were
also scientists working on the enigmatic government project which has
since backfired. Surely Stick struggles with the moral dubiousness of
his parents' research, knowing what source material was used for the
experiments. In addition to these burdens, Stick must now face a
neverending undead horde.
[Analysis:]
In my humble opinion, Stick Breitling's THE character to use in the
game. He's an ideal choice for beginners, and probably all skill levels.
Stick's a well-balanced character with a nice variety of useful moves,
pretty good footspeed, and most importantly, the quickest if not most
powerful melee attacks. He is most _definitely_ the go-to guy if you're
looking for the highest scores (more on that later). His handgun (all
characters have one as a default weapon) is the "weakest" in the game,
but it's still plenty good enough.
2. Linda Rotta (Lithe and lethal femme fatale.)
--------------
[Character Info:]
The lovely Linda Rotta is the youngest AMS agent, being barely into her
20s, and may or may not have a romantic connection with Stick (we'll
never really know, but isn't that the way it always is?). Despite
outward appearances, she's not a character to be underestimated. She's
an AMS prodigy, after all ;). As you'll find in gameplay, she's a force
to be reckoned with.
[Analysis:]
Linda's primary advantage is speed. She's the most nimble of the
characters and has the fastest dash. Unfortunately, her superior
footspeed doesn't carry over to her melee ability. Her hand-to-hand
combat attacks are usually very slow and not very powerful, which can at
times lead to vulnerable moments. However, it seems in gameplay demos
and BLui's FAQ that these attacks are quite maneuverable, allowing Linda
to handle more than one zombie at once. In any case, her slower and
weaker melee attacks are somewhat compensated for by her superior
handgun firing speed. I repeat: Firing SPEED. She won't lock on any
faster, or do any more damage. Thus, I recommend only advanced players
use her. From what I can tell, the key to being a good Linda player is
precision.
3. Rikiya Busujima (Too cool for words ;).)
------------------
[Character Info:]
This mysterious Japanese AMS agent, probably in his 30s, could almost
qualify as a zombie himself. Rikiya bears numerous scars and even a
metallic mesh partly grafting his face! At the same time, however, his
melee attacks reflect possible "enhancements" that improve his ability
to battle the minions of Zed. Although he speaks only Japanese, Stick
and Linda, who are also fluent in Japanese, can easily communicate with
him. (Don't worry, everything spoken in the game is subtitled anyway).
[Analysis:]
You'd think Rikiya was all about raw power, but from my limited
experience using him, that's highly debatable. His attacks are somewhat
faster than Linda's, but not nearly as fast as Stick's. Damage-wise,
expect results similar to using Stick. Rikiya's standby basic combo ends
in two short-range but wide-arcing attacks that can really hurt multiple
enemies at once. Rikiya's additional advantage is his bigger, badder,
more powerful handgun, which can often finish off zombies in 2 shots
whereas Stick or Linda would need 3. Rikiya is the slowest of the
characters, although his dashing speed seems to match Stick's. All of
his moves are pure fun to pull off and watch, and quite over-the-top,
but I wouldn't choose Rikiya until passing the game or getting good with
using Stick first.
NOTE: To select alternate costumes for the characters (thanks to Blui
for the tip), simply depress and hold the start/play button and then
press any of the other three buttons to begin (you can let go as soon as
your character is chosen). They're quite nifty.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
************************
* IV. The Playing Screen *
************************
The screen/character interface for Zombie Revenge is very simple and
straightforward. Your character's essential info is displayed in
the top left corner of your screen if playing solo, or the top right
corner of your screen if playing as a second player. Right next to your
character's picture is a test tube positioned horizontally (thanks to
BLui for pointing this out) filled with yellowish liquid. This is your
life bar, which will decrease as you take hits from enemies, projectiles
and obstacles. If your life bar runs out, it's game over...with one
possible exception :).
Underneath your life bar is an image of a handgun, the default ranged
weapon for all characters. To the right of this is the number of bullets
remaining in the loaded clip (represented by little bullets). A fully
loaded clip holds 10 shots. To the right of the bullets remaining
indicator are little bullet clips, which represent the number of spare
clips you're carrying at the present time. As you empty your loaded clip
one spare clip will disappear from your reserve while you reload. You
can carry up to 5 spare clips. Underneath the handgun info display will
pop up special weapons displays with the image of the weapon you have
and the ammo it has left, if applicable.
In the top center of the screen is your time counter. Make sure you
clear each scene within the time remaining, as you can't extend or
freeze the time counter! Or else...
Under the time indicator appear any special items you might come across
and collect, such as a diskette, a flashlight, a weapons bag, or an
elixir. These items are automatically used/activated when the need
arises or at certain times.
Finally, at the bottom left or bottom right corner of the screen, again
depending on if you're playing solo or 2-player, is the all-important
score. Don't be scared of the fact that there's EIGHT numerical
placeholders...I've barely been able to break 300,000, much less
99,999,999 :P. Go for the highest score you can!
In the middle of all of this is where the action takes place. Awesome
3-D graphics, character models, fluid animation, etc., from a basically
third-person perspective...you get the idea :).
Now that we know our interface, let's proceed to the moves list.
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+-=
***************
* V. Moves List *
***************
1. The Controls and Basic Moves
-------------------------------
On the ZR arcade cabinets there are three buttons: Guard (G), Punch (P)
and Shoot (S), from left to right. Here's a _very_ rough approximation
of a dedicated ZR cabinet's controls. In reality, the S button is
considerably "higher" than the G button, and just a little "lower" than
the P button.
O O
--->| O P O
| G S
joystick,
moves character
in all directions
Combine this with the quick reference charts below, and you'll have all
you need to play the game. If you're into the nuances of the moves and
maximizing their effectiveness, however, you'll want to read on for more
detailed descriptions and analysis.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
QUICK REFERENCE: The Basics
Joystick -- move, hold in a direction to climb up/jump down from low-
level platforms
G: makes your player guard
P: makes your character punch or pick up a special weapon
S: fires one shot from your handgun
G, P, or S are also used to open doors and passageways
Dash: Press G while moving
Roll: Press G and P together while standing still
Clear Out Attack: Press G, P and S at once
Dash Attack: Press P or S while dashing
Charged Physical Attack: Press and hold P for about one second and then
let go
Charged Handgun Attack: Press and hold S for about three seconds, wait
for player animation ready position, and let go
Guard Break: Press P rapidly just after blocking an attack
Attacking Fall: Hit G, P or S just as you're being hit by an attack
(when you're not blocking)
Fall Recovery: Press P rapidly after falling
Back Attack: Press G and S at the same time
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
QUICK REFERENCE #2: Combos and Holding Moves
Basic Combos (button presses must be fairly quick):
Stick:
1. Press P 5 times or P rapidly until combo finishes
2. P, P, S
Linda:
1. P, P, P while joystick is neutral
2. P, P, P while holding joystick towards enemy
3. P, S, P, P
Rikiya:
1. P, P, P, P or P rapidly until combo finishes
2. P, S, S, S
Holding Moves (performed after pressing and holding P briefly; you must
hit zombie with the button press; zombie cannot be facing too far away
from you; see following section for more details)
Stick:
1. Press P 3 times or rapidly while joystick is neutral
2. Press S 3 times or rapidly
3. Press P 3 times or rapidly while holding joystick towards opponent
Linda:
1. Press P 3 times or rapidly while holding joystick towards opponent
2. Press S 3 times or rapidly while holding joystick towards opponent
3. Press S 3 times or rapidly while joystick is neutral
Rikiya:
1. Press P 3 times or rapidly while joystick is neutral
2. Press S rapidly and continuously while joystick is neutral
3. Press S rapidly and continuously while holding joystick towards
opponent
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Still interested in the finer details of the controls? Excellent!
Believe it or not, strategy and technique are just as important, if not
more so, than pure button-mashing reflexes.
Basic Moves: Expanded Descriptions
----------------------------------
[Guard]
Guard is one of the most important functions in getting through Zombie
Revenge, although it's not often used. Actually, scratch the "important"
part. It's an absolute _necessity_ to doing well and scoring high!
Shortly after pressing and _holding_ Guard (caution: there is a slight
lag before your guard is really up), your character will assume a
defensive position where you're currently facing. He/she can then block
all manner of attacks headed directly at you (with some small degree of
error).
Guarding will deflect punches, swipes, grabs, electric bolts,
zombie spit, lunges, and more for only a fraction of the cost of life
than if you took the attack full-on, or unsuccessfully tried to run from
an attack that's just too fast. Do the math: would you rather lose one
tick of life, or 1/3 life and WORSE? Not only that, you can even block
many boss attacks. You'll almost always take a little damage, but you
can take a ton of blocked hits as opposed to only a handful of unblocked
hits, depending on the zombies you're facing. Guard also has more
advanced defensive uses.
Of course, Guarding has its limitations, as it should, since many
fighting games of this type don't allow for blocking, especially with a
dedicated button. Not ALL attacks are blockable (don't worry, I'll make
the unblockables very clear). You can only successfully block attacks
that don't come in from too far of an angle from where you're presently
guarding. You certainly can't block an attack from behind. Your guard
will probably break down if more than one zombie is attacking you. Also,
you can't move to adjust while your guard is up. However, you can drop
your guard instantly and move freely if the need arises.
[Punch]
When weaponry won't do the trick (and in many situations it won't), one
must resort to fists and feet. Luckily all three characters are quite
capable of melee combat, if in varying degrees and styles. Press the
Punch (P) button when facing an enemy to, well, throw a punch. Stringing
multiple and fast presses of the P button (and P followed by the S
button in various combo presses) allows for your bread-and-butter
basic combos, as a single jab does next-to-zero damage to a normal
zombie, although it _will_ stun them. P can also be used for advanced
tactics.
[Shoot]
While melee attacks are great and all, perfect for getting physical with
the undead, there will be many times when charging in just won't work.
Either the zombie will be spitting projectiles at you from afar,
multiple zombies will be headed your way, getting close is much too
dangerous, or punches will go over the zombie's head (especially those
that are short or crawling). That's when the default handgun weapon,
activated by the Shoot button, comes in. Pressing S will fire one bullet
at the enemy.
However, effective use the default handgun requires the proper
technique. You can aim the handgun at one zombie at a time, and at a
close enough range a blue spherical sight will appear, signifying that
you're locked on. You can lock-on to a target from a good distance away,
and will automatically track it unless you move, it goes out of range,
or something gets in the way. But blue-sight shots are terribly weak,
have no stopping power, and mean you have to reload more frequently,
which leaves you vulnerable. Thus in most situations you should wait for
a red-sight lock. By keeping your sight trained on your target zombie,
your handgun will power up, the sight turning from blue to yellow to
orange and finally red as you take careful aim at your target, where it
will do the most damage with only one bullet. This feature is EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT! The handgun also has a secondary function.
2. Advanced Moves
-----------------
Moving around, blocking, punching and shooting alone will serve you well
through the early part of the game. However, these more advanced moves
will enhance your character's ability, get you farther in the game, and
ultimately improve your ZR gaming. These 10 moves are the Dash, Roll,
Clear Out Attack, Dash Attack, Charge-Up Punch, Charge-Up Handgun
Attack, Guard Break, Attacking Fall, Fall Recovery, and Back Attack.
What you get is a surprising amount of gameplay and character depth with
the use of only three buttons.
[#1: The Dash]
The Dash should be one of most frequently used "advanced" moves. Not
only will your character move much faster, so as to get out of harm's
way, charge into the fray, etc., you'll also be able to burst out of the
Dash with the all-important Dash Attack!
Execute the Dash by pressing the Guard (G) button. He/she will be able
to run for about 2 seconds as long as you don't stop running. With time,
Dashing becomes second nature. While you don't turn corners so well when
Dashing, you can instantly stop the Dash by letting go of the joystick
to its neutral position. After that, you can immediately do something
else, or start the Dash again. In this manner you can Dash as long as
you want with almost no stops.
[#2: The Roll]
Another very handy move, execute the roll by pressing the Guard and
Punch (G and P) buttons at the same time while you're NOT moving.
Rolling has defensive, evasive, and even offensive uses. It can be used
to quickly move a short distance to get out of harm's way. It can get
you safely _under_ certain obstacles and attacks. It even inflicts a
small amount of damage on any enemies it hits (even those on the ground
or knocked to the ground)! In addition, you can Roll 2 or 3 times in a
row. However, excessive Rolling will drastically reduce the speed of the
Roll, rendering it quite useless in battle. Since the slow Roll will not
hit enemies, use it sparingly. The Roll also has advanced applications
for extending combos!
[#3: The Clear Out Attack]
If you've seen most beat 'em up games in the style of Final Fight,
you're probably quite familiar with the Clear Out Attack. Hitting all
three buttons at once (G, P and S) will cause your character to spin
wildly in place, arms out, turning you around 180 degrees and knocking
down all nearby normal zombies. To my knowledge every zombie hit by this
attack will suffer the rough damage equivalent of a fully powered
handgun shot (you'll see exactly how much damage that is in the
Walkthrough).
The Clear Out Attack's biggest limitation, of course, is that it takes
your lifebar to execute. Most of the time. Occasionally you can pull it
off for free, but such occasions are rare, random, maybe even buggy. The
even BIGGER limitation is that as far as I know, it takes off the most
life of any of the clear out moves of any game. I'm talking somewhere
between 1/6 and 1/5 of your OWN life with a single clearout. And life-
ups aren't too easy to come by. Worse, if you accidentally clear out on
an already defeated but still falling or un-disappeared foe, you'll
still suffer the large life deduction.
Thus, use this attack VERY sparingly around your foes, and only when
you're surrounded or absolutely must knock down the zombies fast (e.g.
otherwise you eat two shotgun blasts, which almost certainly wipe off
your life bar 99 times out of 100). Also note that you can't execute
Clear Out Attacks if your lifebar is less than the life cost it would
take to execute.
However, you can execute the Clear Out Attack with impunity and with no
cost as long as you don't hit a zombie/enemy with it :). Fine, you might
say, but why on earth would I toss Clear Out Attacks if there's no
zombies around? For fun? To beat the stuffing out of thin air :P?
Actually...the clear out attack is quite useful, especially for getting
to those hard-to-reach boxes (more on this later). The attack can be
performed fairly quickly and as many times as you want to knock around
things, knock DOWN items, break open boxes and destructible barriers,
etc. Besides, it looks cool and causes the screen to shake and
stuff!
[#4: The Dash Attack]
This advanced move is executed by pressing either the P or S button
while Dashing, and before your Dash is completed. This attack is
extremely useful, if minimally damaging, as it will knock down non-
crawling normal zombies. This will give you all sorts of opportunities
in terms of breathing space, focusing on one zombie at a time, shooting
at a zombie while it's flat on the ground for free and safe damage, and
so on. The even better news is that a good hit will knock down up to
three zombies at once!
Stick, Linda and Rikiya all have different Dash Attacks. Stick will Dash
Attack with his left arm sweeping out in a limited arc before hitting
home, allowing knockdowns with offset hits (the swinging left arm
shadow, basically). Linda will leap in the air and come down with an
overhead kick; unfortunately, her Dash Attack takes the longest to
execute and needs excellent control and distance judgment to use. Rikiya
will Dash Attack with both arms thrust straight forward, yelling out
like the take-no-prisoners guy that he is, and appears to have an edge
in terms of range.
The Dash Attack does have some lag and recovery time after it's
executed, but with practice you can execute a Dash Attack mere moments
after your last one finishes up. How? Thanks to the responsive buttons
on the ZR cabinet, you can start moving, hit G and almost immediately
afterward hit P or S, launching from a stop into an instant Dash Attack
if needed. Right after the Dash Attack ends (at least for Stick and
Rikiya) you can repeat the process. (use your index and third finger to
hit G then P or S in a quick left to right pressing motion for best
results)
[#5: The Charge-Up Punch]
While I have yet to see any real use for the Charge-Up move, it does
have _some_ value, and it's great for when you feel the need to show
off, or let a Boss know that you simply can't be beat...even when using
the charge-up move :P. Personally, I use it for humiliating the Electric
Predator Boss at the beginning of the fight :). The Charge-Up move is
executed by holding down the P button for about a second, then letting
go. (NOTE: If you press and hold P but hit a zombie, you'll go into
the holding move ready position. At this point your only feasible option
is to go with a holding move.)
Charge-Up moves vary. Stick will jump into the air with a quick double-
kick, hitting a zombie twice and launching normal zombies into the air
for possible juggle opportunities. In any case the move will knockdown.
Linda will lunge a short distance forward with two quick and slightly
arcing punches, possibly hitting multiple enemies but NOT knocking any
down. Rikiya will raise his arms to concentrate his energy, then release
it in a purplish blaze; the problem is, though, you can't move while
charging Rikiya's move, the range is horrible, and I've never actually
hit any zombie with it -- also, whether it knocks down is unknown to me.
If you're ever really gonna use the Charge-Up move, you'll basically
need to throw a punch in the air, _then_ move around while "charging up"
for the attack. Still, you can immediately begin charging for another
charge-up attack even as your first one is being pulled off, meaning for
example that Stick can double kick a mere second after the first move so
long as you press and hold the Punch button again while Stick executes
the double kick. Same of Linda's charge-up move, but not for Rikiya's.
[#6: The Charge-Up Handgun Attack]
Now _here's_ a charge-up attack with real use, unlike the one mentioned
above. I always use this move at least a couple times in every game :).
Pressing and holding S will cause your character to enter a windup
position for about 3 seconds before snapping back to the ready with
their handgun drawn, ready to fire as soon as you release the S button.
Releasing the S button will use up 5 bullets. So what? The resulting
blast will shoot straight with a fairly wide blast radius, and deal a
fully powered single shot's worth of damage on any zombie it hits,
usually knocking down the normal zombies unless the shot merely grazes
them (and even then it will still do full damage). Careful and skillful
use of the charge-up handgun move will allow you to knock down multiple
zombies bunched together in a single blast. Additionally, there's a
little trick: you can still fire the full power charge-up blast with
less than 5 bullets in your clip! Just charge and fire as normal and
your clip will be emptied and reloaded to the full 10 from your reserve.
Also, unlike the guarding move, you can swivel in place slowly while in
the charge-up handgun ready position to adjust your aim (use the
joystick). Aiming is limited to moving left or right, though; your blast
will always shoot straight from the shoulder and can't be adjusted
upwards or downwards. In the meantime, there's the rather long startup
time for the move. Still, you can cancel the windup anytime, and this
move is great for knocking down zombies from a safer distance. You can
move or fire again immediately after firing a charged blast.
You might wonder, OK, so this cool move uses up 5 bullets after I end my
windup. But I have to press S before I hold it, and I always have to use
up a bullet, so I lose 6 bullets! The solution: Throw a punch first. Hit
P, and then press and hold S very quickly afterward. After the punch,
you'll begin the windup with no wasted bullets! So you can still fire
the charge-up with but one bullet left (and that can be very handy).
[#7: The Guard Break]
How can you tell if your Guard worked? Instead of seeing your character
reel from a hit, you'll instead see a purplish-bluish light from the
point of attack (or a successful deflection of a projectile attack),
and hear a blocking-type sound. Guard successful! But now what? Luckily,
the Guard button can be used for more than just turtling.
Right after you successfully guard from an attack, but not before, begin
pressing the P button rapidly as you recoil slightly from the enemy's
attack. You'll then recover more quickly, crouch slightly, then charge
forward with a short range shoulder dash. This move will knock down any
zombie it hits, and do slight damage, allowing for great breathing room
when dealing with a crowd. Don't Guard Break against bosses, though.
[#8: The Attacking Fall]
Of course, not everything can be blocked, and sometimes your reflexes
won't allow you to block either. Getting hit happens. But you do have
limited recourse. By hitting either G, P or S just as you're hit, you
will (hopefully) turn to face the enemy and fire four quick and fairly
damaging shots back at the enemy as you fall. The connecting shots have
a good chance of knocking down zombies. Being able to fall out of a
zombie assault, firing as you fly backward, is often much better than
reeling from a zombie attack, leaving you stunned and vulnerable to
others. After you fall, you may also further retaliate with a recovery
attack on the way up. This move is by far the hardest advanced move
to execute, as it requires excellent timing (and who WANTS to get hit?)
[#9: The Fall Recovery]
When you fall, it will generally be because you successfully pulled off
an Attacking Fall, got knocked down by the only trap crate I know of,
got knocked down by the first boss, got absolutely floored by a shotgun
blast, etc. In any case, you can recover with a feet-first charge at the
enemy as you get back up by pressing the P button rapidly, rather than
waiting until your character automatically stands back up. This will
stun the zombie/s you hit. Like the Guard Break, though, don't use it
against bosses.
[#10: The Back Attack]
The Back Attack is moderately useful at certain points. Pressing G and S
at the same time will have your character execute an attack in back of
him/herself without turning around. This can of course be a good thing
if you need to stop a zombie coming in from behind you. The attacks
vary, but in general the range of the attack is quite decent, as in
Stick's back kick. The Back Attack can even be used towards combo
strings :)...although it isn't the fastest of moves and does pretty low
damage. It's fun for breaking down a paneled-up door and other objects
"no-look" style. _Very_ fun. :)
3. Advanced Gunplay
-------------------
The handgun can be used for much more than hitting a zombie from far
away for a small amount of damage. You can only have 60 bullets max at
any one time, after all. It is quite integral to distance and even
close-range gameplay!
Firstly, the most important way to expand your handgun's potential is to
conserve your bullets. Train your aiming sight on a zombie (after you
lock on, you'll track the target so long as you don't move, and another
target doesn't get in the way), letting the sight turn to red or as red
as possible before firing. You'll get far more damage from a single
powered-up shot, and get the zombie bashing done much faster. There's
also an _additional_ aspect of the red-sight lock-on. You'll notice that
just as your aiming sphere turns fully red, it flashes. It's not just
for show. In fact, if you fire off a shot at this exact moment, it will
knock back many normal zombies! (Why is this important? You'll often
find that zombies headed in your direction aren't exactly fazed in their
advance by even a red-sight lock -- they'll take the hit and keep on
coming.) Remember that you can also aim and fire shots at a fallen
zombie, reducing its life bar or finishing it off before it gets back
up. There are times, though, when rapidly firing off shots is a much
better strategy (why wait for a red lock on a zombie that's almost done
for?), so use your own judgment.
Secondly, experiment with the aiming feature of the handgun to string
together really nice and long combos. You can finish off one zombie with
punches and kicks, then turn to a fresh zombie and firing off a blue
lock-on shot soon after, closing in quickly to extend the combo with
further punches, handgun shots, or possibly a combination of both. For
example, you'll find with experience that the aiming sphere also doubles
as a lock-on device for your _physical_ attacks!
Thirdly, without getting into excessive specifics (I'll have gameplay
examples later), your handgun can be used to finish off enemies more
quickly at close range! You'll find after playing ZR several times
that the closer you're to the zombie (or if the zombie is headed
towards you), the faster your sight changes from blue to red. If the
zombie is within melee distance, you can fire a full-powered single shot
in less than a second! This seems perfectly logical: since you're so
close to the zombie, you won't have much trouble aiming at it. While
even a full-power handgun shot's damage isn't quite as high in
comparison to that of most standard physical attack combos, you can
reduce a zombie's lifebar by incredible amounts with relatively quick
single red-sight shots up close. How? Most normal zombies don't attack
immediately, even when next to you, while the full power shot will often
stun them or knock them back as you charge up for yet another red sight
lock. This also seems perfectly logical: they're slow-witted zombies,
after all! :) Single shot lag is very low, and you can do practically
anything not long after the shot is fired. Do experiment, but in a
nutshell, using close-up shots followed-up with physical combos can do
devastating damage, defeating a zombie even before it is knocked down!
This awesome strategic possibility is but one way that ZR separates
itself from the rest of the beat-em-up crowd.
4. Basic Combo Moves
--------------------
Here's the Basic Combo moves for Stick, Linda and Rikiya. This section
is divided into Basic Combos and Holding Combos to make their
distinctions more clear. NOTE: In order to do the basic combos, you'll
need to press the specified buttons fairly quickly, as the fighting
system for combos is slightly time-delayed, where you press the buttons
"in advance."
(As an aside, the rabid ZR fan [such as myself ;)] might find yet
_another_ hint of true gaming genius behind this fighting system: if you
were the character in the game, you'd probably quickly plan out your
attack before actually following through. In this sense, you "telegraph"
your intentions to your character just as if you were in the middle of
the action! If that's what the programmers were really thinking...very,
very nice touch. Anyway, onto the combos!)
*****BASIC COMBOS:
[Stick's Basic Combos:]
<1. Straight Flush> -- Press P five times rapidly, or to eliminate
the guesswork, just hit P until the knockdown punch :)
Stick will execute four quick left jabs, then after a slight windup
finish up with a knockdown punch from the right for a 5-hit combo. As
the name of the move implies, Stick can only advance in a straight line
while performing this move. It does appear possible to refocus Stick on
another opponent to finish the 5-hit chain IMMEDIATELY after the first
hit, but I haven't gotten it down...it's either very hard to do or it's
a random bug.
Straight Flush is a very powerful basic combo which doesn't take long
at all to execute as compared to Linda's and Rikiya's basic combos...
nonetheless, it's also the combo I use least often. Why? It takes a bit
longer to finish up than the Heel Thrash combo does. There also seems to
be a longer recovery time after the knockdown punch. General rule of
thumb: longer recovery time is bad :P. The other problem is that Stick
covers a LOT of ground during this attack. Depending on the situation,
this either means you'll combo straight into a group of enemies, or move
too far away, or just generally move around too much. Another general
rule of thumb: precision is good :).
Straight Flush, despite those disadvantages, happens to be just perfect
for other uses. If you need to deal damage quick, Straight Flush will do
better than a Heel Thrash or fancy combo. Also, should you be lucky
enough to run around to the backs of Bosses, you won't be able to keep
them stunned WITHOUT continually hitting them with the Straight Flush
(as many Bosses are pushed forward quite a bit when hit from the back).
<2. Heel Thrash> -- Press P, P, S fairly quickly.
Stick will throw two quick jabs followed by a two-hit axe kick which
knocks down, for four hits in total. While the combo counter will only
acknowledge hit combos 5 and over, this can easily be remedied by
_finishing up_ with the Heel Thrash, which only requires three button
presses for four hits (less effort, hehe). This combo is also a no-
worries combo as the axe kick will lock on to the enemy and will always
connect. In my opinion, Heel Thrash is THE best basic combo that Stick
could use, with a few possible exceptions discussed below.
Here's an estimated time comparison of Straight Flush and Heel Thrash:
Straight Flush: Total combo time including recovery = 1.7-2.0 seconds
Heel Thrash: Total time including recovery = 1.2-1.5 seconds
In ZR, things can get really fast-paced in the heat of melee combat.
Having a quicker basic combo, even one that's a _little_ quicker, can be
critical to success!
Heel Thrash does a little less damage than Straight Flush, but it's
still plenty enough. I prefer using Heel Thrash as my basic combo as it
executes a bit more quickly, has a lower recovery time, and most
importantly, you more or less stand in place while the combo is
executed! Thus you can stay in one place and dispatch zombies with
precision.
There are no real disadvantages to using Heel Thrash, except when
covering ground with your attacks is important (and such occasions will
arise). For example, bosses being hit in the back with Heel Thrash will
likely recover as they are forced forward while you stay in place. By
the time you can close in, they'll probably have turned to face you,
meaning you're in trouble again. Another minor problem with Heel Thrash
is that you must commit to the 2-hit axe kick when you press P, P, S --
whereas the Straight Flush can be fully controlled and stopped simply by
pressing P less than 5 times (See Advanced Combos for more details). All
in all though, Heel Thrash is my preferred standby.
[Linda's Basic Combos:]
<1. Sunrise Uppercut> -- Keep the joystick neutral and hit P, P, P.
Linda will execute two punches and one uppercut. I'm pretty sure the
combo is for three hits and not four. This combo is slow, has some
recovery time, and doesn't do nearly as much damage as Stick's combos.
It also doesn't knock down. The damage caused isn't great, only equal to
about one fully powered handgun shot. There _is_ possible combo
potential since the zombie won't fall..._but_ I don't think Linda was
intended as a combo character.
<2. Heartbreaking Hurricane> -- Hold the joystick towards your
opponent and hit P, P, P.
This move will cause Linda to execute two punches, the second hitting
low, wrapping up with a dragon punch-style rising double-fist hammer
type thing (sorry, but it's best way I can describe it :P). I believe
this combo does five hits in total. Again, not a very damaging combo,
and rather slow, but this one _does_ knock down. Since the zombie will
fly kinda high after the hammer fist swing knockdown, you'll be able to
hit the downed zombie shortly after you recover. Probably the most
useful basic combo in Linda's arsenal.
<3. Stepping Kick> -- Press P, S, P, P fairly quickly.
Linda will perform a series of punches and kicks ending in a hop kick
for five hits total. This combo also knocks down (I think). The timing
of the hits is a bit odd, but this combo is the fastest of Linda's
moves. Just note that it's a fully preset combo focusing on only one
zombie at a time, and you have to wait for all five hits before you do
anything else. If you want extended combos, this is probably the best
combo to finish off with. The damage done is also somewhat higher than
the above two combos. Of course, this move is still quite slow compared
to Stick's attacks.
I don't have much experience using Linda, but I imagine her slower
physical attacks don't fare as well against most Bosses. The solution
would be to attack from a distance whenever possible with the handgun.
[Rikiya's Basic Combos:]
<1. Busujima Sonic Boom> -- Press P four times quickly.
Rikiya will punch once with each fist and then execute two wide arcing
attacks with nifty accompanying swooshing sounds :) (oh yes, and those
battle cries). The trick with these last two attacks is that any normal
zombie caught in the attack radius will be hit and knocked down (given
they take both hits). If you finish off a normal zombie with the swoosh
attacks, they will neatly come apart at the waistline -- cool effect,
but this also means you can't do any more combos on them... Damage for
this move is very good, but as for being superior to Stick's Straight
Flush, I'm don't think it's much better if at all. Disadvantages with
this attack are that it's kinda slow, with recovery time longer than
both of Stick's combos. Rikiya also covers a fair amount of ground with
this move (heck, even his regular jab moves him forward a bit). Also,
I've seen other players attempt to use the radius attack advantage
against large crowds and as a general rule, it doesn't work. My guess is
the radius attack (which isn't 360 degrees) wasn't intended for that
purpose given its very short range.
<2. Busujima Combo> -- Press P, S, S, S fairly quickly.
Rikiya will begin a three hit punch combo (it's kinda slow and involves
turning backhands), start a long windup (yep, you won't get to extend
the 3-hit after this), and unleash a rather flashy purple flaming energy
backhand with energy trails that should connect for a 6-hit burst of a
combo. Thus, it's 9 hits in all, though the best combo you'll get is 6.
This combo does great damage, but it just so happens to be THE slowest
basic combo in the game...hence no practical applications. Of course, if
you want to show that near-gone last zombie who's boss, feel free to
whip this one out of your bag of tricks.
*****HOLDING MOVE COMBOS:
As mentioned earlier, Stick, Linda and Rikiya also possess a variety of
so-called "holding moves." They're very flashy, but usually not very
useful. You should probably leave these moves for the very last zombie
still in your way. All holding moves are performed by pressing P to hit
a zombie, then KEEPING P held down for a short time after the hit
connects. If you just tap P, it registers as a standard hit.
You'll know it worked if the hit causes a rain of blue-white sparks, the
character crouches backward into a ready position amidst some shading
effects, and says "Take that!" (Stick) or "Take this!" (Linda) or...
whatever funky battle cry Rikiya yells out :). If that's not enough of a
visual cue, there's also a red console button that seems to _demand_ you
start button mashing right away. You can now start the holding move of
your choice. Even if you didn't want to do a holding move, I suggest you
pull one off quick -- you'll waste more time by not doing so and waiting
for your character to leave the ready position.
[Stick's Holding Moves:]
<1. Chest Crusher>
Theoretically, just keep the joystick neutral and press P, P, P. For
better results hit P until the move starts. For BEST results don't STOP
hitting P until the move is finished.
Pure, simple and fun :). Stick does three nifty low gut punches, the
last of which knocks down, while covering considerable ground.
The punches _look_ powerful, but I'd be surprised if they do one
powered-up handgun shot's worth of damage (so what the heck IS one
powered-up handgun shot's worth of damage? See Walkthrough Part I for
the "answer"). In short, Chest Crusher's a pretty weak holding move.
However, it's also Stick's fastest holding move. This is the only
holding move I know that can also be used to EXTEND/finish combos
(requires quick timing), and man you look good when you do it to tack on
three flashy hits. (e.g. to get from 17 to 20 hits in STYLE! :))
<2. Boomerang Kick>
Tapping S a few times is supposed to be enough. However, to ensure you
get all the hits, just tap S throughout the combo.
Boomerang Kick is one of my personal favorites :). The windup is a bit
long, so any combo you mighta been doing before is done with, but the
end result is 3 quick high kicks, brief pause, 3 more quick high kicks,
and a 2-hit front and reverse roundhouse kick that really SHOULD knock
down after all that punishment. :) The end result: an 8 hit-combo, the
best you can get from a holding move (but trust me, if you like combos,
flash and scoring, you can do MUCH better!). Does supreme damage, the
most of any preset-type combo, but slow to execute.
<3. "Zombie Revenge"> (OK, I made this name up ;))
Hold the joystick towards your opponent and hit P three times, but you
know what I'd do by now :P.
Stick gets MAD! Well, maybe not, you can't actually see it in his face,
but it's an _unquestionably_ brutal move. Stick will initiate a so-so
speed shoulder charge to knock down the target zombie, and then,
depending on if you keep pressing the buttons, get up to 7 additional
hits (or is it stomps?) on the zombie. 8 hits total, you end up with a
7-hit combo. In case you were wondering, the shoulder charge can
continue your present combo for one hit...on occasion, but the other 7
hits won't count. It's an entertaining move for some, a total shocker
for others...it'll definitely get other people's attention if they
happen to be watching you. It'll get funny looks from other people for
sure if you do this move on every zombie :P. Does pretty good damage.
(You know, it'd be really, um, interesting ;), if not controversial, if
the intro sequence for ZR was just Stick stomping and stomping away on a
fallen zombie. Maybe even funny... ["Disclaimer: Only undead 3D
fictional zombies were harmed in the making of this intro"])
[Linda's Holding Moves:]
<1. High Pressure Bomb>
Hold the joystick towards the opponent and hit P three times.
Linda will first knock the zombie over, catch some air using the zombie
as a trampoline and...well, land on the zombie. No idea how much damage
this move does, but you'll find Linda's holding moves are the
flashiest (and thus coolest, in my opinion) in the game.
<2. Neck Drive>
Hold the joystick towards the opponent and hit S three times.
Linda will again demonstrate the proper usage of zombies as a
trampoline, but unfortunately for the zombie this time, it'll still be
standing when it takes the punishment :). This time, Linda will execute
two sets of two stomps on the zombie's FACE (OUCH!), all while about 6
feet in the air, and end with a double-foot knockdown blast as she
backflips a good distance away with a clean landing. This does a 5-
hit combo, and I think for decent damage.
One heck of a move to see up close, but it has serious problems. You
might think that this holding move would give you a tactical advantage
during combat, as you can pound on zombies with impunity while you're in
airborne, way out of reach! This is true. You might also think that by
head-pounding the zombie right in front of you, you can finish off
backflipping right behind a host of formerly comin-right-at-cha zombies.
That's also true. Problem is, Linda, having finished the supreme
out-of-reach combo, will then proceed to wave at? taunt? (I'm not sure)
the zombies for about 1.5 seconds, making total recovery time about 2
seconds. Ouch. Even the zombies will be on to you by then. Thus, I
suggest you use this move with caution.
<3. "Zombie Rag Doll Toss"> (OK, I made this one up too ;))
Keep the joystick neutral and hit S three times.
Yet another interesting and highly entertaining move. Unsure of the
damage done. Linda will first grab the zombie by the neck, slam the
zombie down, then heft the zombie up, swing it about 60 or so degrees,
and let it go the hard way -- with a knee to the midsection. She'll then
clap the dust off her hands =). So much the worse for the zombie if a
wall happens to be in the way :). Oh, and I did I mention she only uses
one hand?
I must note here that Linda is one heck of a strong lady (in character
as well as physical strength) -- in the gameplay demo you see her doing
this move on a 300-pounder of a zombie, and I repeat, with only one
hand!!! Thus she can lift practically any normal zombie. Another
interesting aspect of this move is the lifted zombie will also hit any
other nearby zombies in its path (for a little damage, I think) while
being helplessly swung around by Linda. At the very least, I guess this
move would temporarily halt a zombie advance from the front. Again,
though, not a very useful move.
[Rikiya's Holding Moves:]
<1. Busujima Throw>
Keep the joystick neutral and hit P three times.
Probably the most useful holding move in the game! It's very quick,
although damage isn't great. Rikiya will grab the zombie by the arm,
tossing the zombie overhead with a 180 degree turn and giving it a nice
hard slam on the ground. So, whatcha get is a downed zombie and Rikiya
turned around 180 degrees. If a zombie's coming up from behind, this
throw is great for repositioning since recovery time is minimal (and all
of your enemies are now in front of you). Immediately after the throw
you can also shoot at the downed zombie...but watch out as the zombie
might grab your foot, leading to the zombie smothering you on the floor
for a bit of damage. You can shake free with button mashing and stomp
the zombie some before the zombie drags you down, but no matter the
outcome, just button mash for best results!
<2. Busujima Hold>
Keep the joystick neutral and hit S like crazy.
A very un-useful move, though interesting in its own right. Rikiya will
grab the zombie's leg, get down on the ground, pull on that leg, and
basically try to do as much damage as possible. This move is ultra-slow,
won't combo, and I'm not really sure about damage. Note the zombie can
also reverse the hold if you don't jam on S fast enough, and of course
that's bad news. Save it for the very last zombie.
<3. Busujima Fireworks>
Hold the joystick towards the zombie and hit S like crazy.
Rikiya will hold the zombie up with one hand and gather energy in that
hand (it'll be easy to see) in an attempt to explode the zombie. If
successful you'll see a nifty explosion, and watch the zombie go flying,
or get blown apart. The problem is that this move hardly finishes off
zombies with full life-bars (at least to my knowledge).
Holding moves, for the most part, are little more than an entertaining
diversion. Advanced combo moves, on the other hand, combine the best of
utility and style.
5. Advanced Combo Moves
-----------------------
There really isn't much to pulling out big combos once you get the hang
of things. The key is timing of the button presses. The cool part about
the combo system is that many-hit combos can be accomplished in any
number of ways. However, the basic 10+ hit combo usually begins with
physical attacks. Oh, and by NOT finishing your characters' basic
combos.
WHAAAT? You might ask. Don't worry, I'll give you the combos I use in
the walkthrough as I use them, so that you might understand the method
in my madness :P. But I'm serious. The groundwork of combos, melee ones
anyway, is all about saving basic knockdown combos 'til the very end.
Let's start with Linda as the first example:
*****EXAMPLE #1:********************************************************
Linda's the slowest character in terms of melee fighting and
throwing punches, but even she can rack up some decent combos.
Experiment with hitting P only twice before hitting P three times to
finish the P-based basic combos. If my memory serves me correctly, then:
You got yourself a zombie. Hit it twice by hitting P twice. After the
second punch in the combo is finished, wait a bit, then do either the
neutral PPP combo or the flying hammer punch PPP combo. You'll then
get 5 hits or 7 hits!
Now suppose you hit PP, wait a bit, hit PP again, and THEN do the flying
punch combo. Now you have 9 hits!
I believe the same logic also applies to the PSPP combo. After hitting
PP, you can tack on 5 hits with PSPP for a 7-hit combo! Keep
experimenting to see how you can create longer and more damaging combos!
************************************************************************
Well that was interesting, you may reply. So why do advanced combos?
Several reasons. If we're talking general gameplay, you'll find that
executing extended combos does more damage to the zombie. More
importantly, you can finish off a zombie before knocking it down, and
make sure that zombie won't get back up to haunt you. Of course, as you
go on to higher and more difficult levels you'll find that the zombies
come too fast and furious for fancy stuff. But even then simpler
advanced combos will still be very important, in that you can tack on
extra hits without the recovery time of the basic combo's finishing
moves. To illustrate with Rikiya this time:
*****EXAMPLE #2:********************************************************
Rikiya, like Linda, isn't exactly the best character to use for making
nice 10+ hit combos. It's somewhat easier for him, though. The bread-
and-butter of Rikiya's extended combos will derive from stopping short
of the full PPPP basic combo.
You're fighting a zombie. PPPP would normally do 4 hits and knock down.
You won't even get a cool ghostly floating "5 HIT" above your head. But
try one quick P jab first, THEN going into PPPP. That's 5 hits! You
won't get any more damage from the combo since the jab is so weak, but
you get the idea. Now try doing PPP (you get one swoosh only), then
PPPP. You'll get 7 hits for Rikiya and a ton more damage! Also notice
that recovery from the PPP alone is significantly faster. PPP, wait,
PPP, then PPPP does 10 hits and still more damage! If the damage is
enough to take a zombie out in one go, even better since you won't have
to deal with it anymore! If you keep doing PPP, wait a bit, PPP, etc.
you'll tack on major hits! In fact PPP, wait, PPP, wait-type combos are
Rikiya's best advanced combo tools before finishing up with PPPP (PSSS
won't extend the combo past the first three hits).
************************************************************************
In my humble opinion, advanced combos will improve the fighting ability
of even the weaker hand-to-hand fighters such as Linda. It will make
Stick, however, an _extremely_ dangerous zombie buster. Here's how:
*****EXAMPLE #3:********************************************************
Stick Breitling has the ultimate advantage in his very quick hitting (I
guess he musta been at the speed bag a whole lot :P). For this reason
it's not inconceivable for Stick to do 10-hit combos on zombies. Even
20-hit combos. Even 30-hit combos with his fists and feet alone. I've
done _60+_ hit combos with certain (lucky) chaining and stringing
techniques!
While Linda would need to use PP to start her bigger combos since the P
jab alone is just too slow, and Rikiya is best off with PPP only for
pretty much the same reason, Stick is able to jab with impunity! His
single P jab is very fast, and can net you huge combos given the timer
isn't ticking down to 0 and you've only got one zombie left to finish.
But P jabs are boring and do pathetic damage. Where's the fun in
that!? :P Stick can derive 1, 2, 3, and even 4-hit strings (careful,
PPPP is a tricky string with some lag time afterward) out of his
Straight Flush, using them again and again with very little recovery
time to pound at his foes while tacking on mondo hits and also points.
Just remember, it's all about timing.
A good low-level advanced combo to use for Stick is PPP, quick wait,
followed by PPS or PPPPP. You'll get 7 or 8 hits and do much more
damage! PPP, PPP, then PPS will do 10 hits, and so on. PPP by itself
will do almost one full-power handgun shot's worth of damage, and you
can perform the PPP again almost immediately after the third punch hits.
Given Stick's speed in hitting, you'll find that using extended combos
dispatch zombies much faster than doing just one basic combo and waiting
for the zombie to get back up. And by all means, don't just use PPP to
extend combos all the time. Mix-n-match with P and PP as well! Given the
interesting nature of the fighting engine, you'll get combos that are
impressive and even "to the beat!" Try this one out with Stick, for
example: PPP, PPP, P, P, PPP, P, P, P, P, PPPPP. Remind you of any
floor-pad dancing games? :)
************************************************************************
I have to note that with extended combos does come less damage per
successive hit for all characters. PPP may be pretty powerful to start,
but PPP strings after the combo meter hits, say, 10 or 15, won't do as
much damage. But it'll still hurt quite a bit!
6. Advanced Fighting Techniques
-------------------------------
Here's just a few tips to use your characters more effectively in ZR:
[Tip #1.] Dashing is great. But Dash Attacks are essential for knocking
down zombies and getting more space to fight and less zombies to
concentrate on. Use it often. _Very_ often. Good use of the Dash Attack
can keep practically all normal zombies on the floor.
[Tip #2.] Don't underestimate the value of the charged-up handgun shot.
It's slow to warm up, but it can knock down 3 or more zombies at once
with decent damage. It'll help you dispatch zombies from a distance and
give you more time to deal with them.
[Tip #3.] Don't think you have to knock zombies down with basic combos
alone. With Rikiya and Stick, you might want to consider quick hits
combined with Dash Attacks to keep from getting hit. You get the
knockdowns you need with more flexibility.
[Tip #4.] Advanced combos are incredibly useful in that they end when
you _choose_ for them to end. For example, if Stick is concentrating on
one zombie with PPP, PPP, and is up to 6 hits while other zombies are
closing in, he's not in the same pinch as if he had just finished a
Straight Flush or had to reload his gun, both of which take precious
recovery time. Stick can stop the combo, run, back attack, roll, attack
another zombie, dash attack, clear out...you get more options!
[Tip #5.] Guarding is extremely important in reducing damage from zombie
attacks, and really should be used at least once against almost every
Boss. It'll save you from many a big hurt. Given ZR's steep difficulty,
it shouldn't take much convincing on my part :).
[Tip #6.] With certain exceptions, when you're moving, you should really
be Dashing. You're just faster that way. With practice Dashing around
will become second nature.
[Tip #7.] If you're in the mood for big bad 15+ hit combos, don't think
that you have to get all the hits in on one zombie! The combo system is
quite forgiving, and the combo meter _won't_ reset if you can find a new
target in time! You can chain together a massive combo on multiple
zombies with quick reflexes and closing in fast. When doing this, you
also don't have to use knockdown moves either if it's faster (though I
usually do to keep my rhythm and control)
[Tip #8.] Timing is everything! Especially for the combos. As you go
along, you'll eventually establish a "rhythm" with your character, very
much so in terms of button presses.
[Tip #9.] Always, always experiment. Often times you'll find your own
unique and effective way to make it past the various areas with the
highest scores and least damage taken. You'll find certain items to be
useful and other less so. You'll even find additional uses for some of
the items you come across.
7. Higher Scores Through Cool Combos (and High Scores in General)
------------------------------------
OK, so advanced combos are useful for tacking on more damage. But so
what if I have a 15-hit combo instead of, oh, a 9-hit one? An attractive
incentive for high scorers: MORE POINTS. And I mean it.
Here's a quick point breakdown.
Single Handgun Shot - 50 pts.
Single Punch - 50 pts.
Every punch/shot up to 5-hit combo - 50 pts. each.
Every punch/shot from 5-9 hit combos - 70 pts. each.
But a mere 20 pt. bonus can't be _all_ you're after, right?? :)
10-hit combo - 50 pt. bonus on the 10th hit
11-hit combo - 60 pt. bonus on the 11th hit
12-hit combo - 80 pt. bonus (on the 12th hit)
13-hit combo - 100 pt. bonus
14-hit combo - 150 pt. bonus
15-hit combo - 200 pt. bonus
16-hit combo - 250 pt. bonus
17-hit combo - 300 pt. bonus
18-hit combo - 350 pt. bonus
19-hit combo - 400 pt. bonus
20-hit combo - 500 pt. bonus
Each additional hit: 500 pt. bonus
Those bonuses really up! And don't forget about your advanced moves!
Dash Attack: 50 pts. base for each hit
Roll: 100 pts. base per hit
Clear-Out: 100 or 150 pts. base per hit
Charge-Up Shot: 150 pts. per hit
Note that if you're interested in high scores, the scoring system seems
to be a bit different than most (with the Metal Slug series as a
possible exception). Actually defeating a zombie, or even a Boss,
doesn't net you any points. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) You're
gonna get your best scores from the actual hits and combos you do,
because that's were most of the points are to be gained.
A final note for this section: Why else should you strive to score high?
A mini-incentive, aside from making the Top 10 Scoreboard (no initials,
though), is the "merit badge" of sorts. Depending on your final score
and overall progress, you will receive AMS badge rankings from Level 1
to Level 9, which will be shown at the very end of your game. Badges get
progressively cooler and more decorated, and the Level 8 AMS badge is a
nifty white one with the AMS insignia. But Level 9 is a golden one :).
Oh, and I'm pretty sure the character you played is also noted in the
Top 10.
8. A Note on Being Poisoned
---------------------------
Lone zombies aren't too hard to handle. But add additional zombies to
the mix and things get interesting, with hits harder to avoid. Whenever
you're hit by a zombie or projectile, you'll notice a purple mist over
your lifebar equal to about double the damage that you take. If you're
hit too often and too quickly, the poison will eventually slow you down
to a dangerous extent, unless an antidote herb is nearby. You'll
literally turn purple and start limping, and the poison takes time to
wear off. However, your attacks will become more powerful to compensate.
Hopefully you'll never get into such a situation, but the following
super combos will be available if the poison meter (purple mist) takes
up over half of your lifebar. I'll leave it to you to see what they do.
Stick: P repeatedly; or P, P, S, and then S repeatedly
Linda: P repeatedly while holding the joystick towards your opponent
Rikiya: P repeatedly; or, P, S, S, S (you might want to keep hitting S
afterwards)
Do note that there may be other high-poison meter super combos or
special moves I haven't uncovered yet, especially for Linda. Also note
that you also seem to temporarily improve in other departments when the
poison meter is high. If you're knocked down, you seem to get up quicker
if you use a rising attack, and the rising attack may hit more than just
one nearby zombie on the way up...
9. A Note on Two-Player Games
-----------------------------
I don't usually play two-player games, but if you do or are thinking
about it, here's some very general tips. See BLui's FAQ also for more
details.
[Tip# 1.] Your attacks and weapons will do less damage (all of em, even
mass destruction special weapons), because you'll be fighting the same
number of enemies, but with two players. This applies ESPECIALLY to
holding moves, which do dramatically less damage. This is good for
combos but bad for getting the job done quickly. Plan accordingly. Also,
while a red-sight lock is also less powerful, consider having both
players focus red-sight locks on the same zombie. It's very effective.
[Tip #2.] Don't get in each other's way. Some attacks will affect the
other player; while no damage will be done, it'll stun your partner and
possibly cause big trouble. Don't be on opposite ends of the screen if
you can help it. If you don't stay fairly close, you can't progress in
the level, and you do have a time limit to deal with.
[Tip #3.] Plan ahead as to which zombies to target first, etc. While it
sounds somewhat scripted, and the zombies you run across are the same
each game, it'll help you get farther along. And don't worry one bit
about any boredom factor; the game won't play the same every time. ;)
[Tip #4.] Cooperate during boss fights. For example, one character can
attract the boss's attention while the other gets behind the boss and
hammers away, so that the other player can now join in or wait around to
cover in case things get ugly. A stronger character might also want to
act as the tank while waiting until a life up comes along.
[Tip #5.] If the other player is defeated and quits, the damage will
return to the one-player setting (just watch out for your former
partner, who is now a green zombie ;)).
[Tip #6.] Be aware of the bonuses. You might want to leave a certain
weapon for the other player if he/she's better at using it, or let the
other player pick up spare handgun clips, or more importantly let a
beat-up player have the life-up. I've seen good, cooperating two-player
teams get quite far on one play. Perhaps a self-evident tip, but worth
mentioning nonetheless.
Mindful that we've just finished a really long section, here's some
additional indications that we're moving on to the Items and Weapons
section:
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
-+-+- BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK -+-+-
******* the items and weapons section *******
-+-+- BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK -+-+-
******* is next *******
-+-+- BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK -+-+-
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
;)
*******************************
* VI. Items and Special Weapons *
*******************************
Here's the complete list and descriptions of the items and weapons
you'll come across in ZR. There's _20_, to be exact.
1. Pickups
----------
These first four items are obtained simply by walking over them.
[Bullets] - The most common item in the game, and important for keeping
your handgun ammo supply up. Every zombie you defeat will drop one of
these, so if you're careful about using your ammo you'll never run out.
Gives you one clip of 10 bullets, and you can hold 5 spare clips max at
a time.
<Point incentive:> You'll find you get a 200 pt. bonus after picking
up 3 clips so long as you haven't used up your present clip (had to
reload). You'll continue getting the 200 pt. bonus for picking up the
extra clips so long as you don't reload. It pays to spare ammo!
(Sometimes...)
[Antidote] - The second most common item in the game, found on many but
not all zombies, the antidote herb will completely remove any poison
from your lifebar.
<Point incentive:> As you get better at avoiding attacks, though,
you'll also be rewarded with even more bonus points. If you pick up
2-3 antidotes without getting hit, you'll start getting 300 pt.
bonuses for each antidote you pick up thereafter (usually, anyway).
[Life-up] - Unquestionably the most important item in the game. Those
precious boxes of life-up goodness you knew and loved from House of the
Dead are back, and almost always in hidden locations or boxes. Depending
on the life-up you get, you'll receive anywhere from 10-100% of your
life back. The life recovery for each specific life-up box does vary
somewhat, but predictably, from game to game.
<Point incentive:> Score-wise, it _really_ pays off to keep your
lifebar is perfect condition. Not only will you receive awed looks of
amazement from the crowd due to your...well...mad skillz ;), you'll
also get a really nice *2,000* bonus pts. for every life-up you get
when your lifebar is at 100%. In a certain secret room which I'll
mention in the walkthrough, this means BIG points.
[Elixir] - The rarest and most coveted item in the entire game, there's
only one of em. (okokok, so there's only one Drill and one Cannon Shot
in the game that I know of too, but hey, I'm making a value-based
judgment here -- the Elixir is infinitely better than those heaps of
junk ;).) It's easy enough to find, but very difficult to get. Why? The
magical elixir acts just like a free continue. The moment your lifebar
runs out, you'll automatically be restored to full health. Not only
that, your score won't reset :). I don't remember if you get a point
bonus for picking this up.
2. Special Weapons
------------------
All of the following 16 (!) weapons are picked up by pressing P (or S?)
while over the item (the square around the item will glow as you step
over it).
Be very careful when using these weapons! If you're hit just once by
anything, you'll drop the weapon and have to pick it up again. On the
other hand, with the exception of the hatchet, you can't let go of the
weapon unless you get hit, use it up or swap it! Shot-based weapons
cannot be reloaded with fresh ammo -- you'll need to pick a new one up.
Also know that by standing over a usable weapon lying on the ground, you
will "swap" your existing special weapon. Though useful (your old weapon
is still available if you want it back), it takes considerable time to
complete the swap. The last thing you wanna do when a horde of zombies
is on your case is to be trapped in a weapon swap when you'd much rather
fire off a few salvos to, well, get 'em _off_ your case :). So keep
clear of special weapons when you're happy with the one you have. But
I'm quite sure that if you've played stuff like Shadows over Mystara,
you're aware of this.
While basic combos can't be done, you'll still be able to Dash and Dash
Attack with many of these weapons in hand. You'll also be able to block
while carrying many of these weapons, but not all. Some weapons even
allow you to continue using your handgun. If you absolutely need to, the
Clear Out Attack is usually available while holding many of these
weapons, but its range and effect will remain the same.
Here we go!
[1. Pipe] - Found in Area 1 and Area 2.
Slowdown Factor: Low. You can still Dash and Dash Attack.
Rating: Good
Press P to swing.
This pipe is, well, a pipe. Technically, it's a 4-5 foot aluminum-
looking narrow cylindral object that doubles as a ranged melee weapon
good for a certain number of hits (about 16-20 swings) ;P. Pressing PPP
will execute three relatively quick hits (not as fast compared to Stick,
but it's much faster than Rikiya and Linda's attacks) for very good
damage. Note that the pipe hits will not knock down, though this means
you can keep swinging away until a zombie goes down. Another advantage
is that your character will swing the pipe in very wide arcs, hitting
zombies to the side of you and even right behind you. The pipe can also
be used for fairly nice combos, using P swings, PP swings (more
difficult), or just plain PPP. After a number of hits your player will
lean back some and toss away the pipe, so be careful. Still, it's quite
useful when you can find it. You can still use your handgun.
[2. Axe] - Found in Areas 3 and 5.
Slowdown Factor: Moderate. Dashing/Dash Attacks still possible.
Rating: Very Poor
Press P to swing.
This very big and heavy axe can be used once for one mighty swing at a
zombie. Should it connect it'll lodge in the zombie's skull and it's
bye-bye for the zombie no matter what. If it misses you can keep
swinging until you hit something ;). You can fully use your handgun
since the axe is a one-hander. However, this axe slows you down quite a
bit; has a very long wind-up; and if you whiff, it can be bad news.
Also, if the target zombie's it's too short, below you or crawling, no
go. Avoid picking this up.
[3. Hatchet] - Found in Areas 5 and 8.
Slowdown Factor: Very Low. Dashing/Dash Attacks still possible.
Rating: Very Poor
Press P to throw.
You'll find hatchets on the highly annoying and dangerous hatchet-
zombies later on. You can still use your handgun. The hatchet, while a
throwing weapon, does very little damage to anything it hits, so I don't
recommend you pick one up.
[4. Machine Gun] - Found in Areas 1-8, but I don't think 9 :P.
Slowdown Factor: Moderate. You can still Dash/Dash Attack.
Rating: Very Good
Holds 40 bullets. Has lock-on ability.
Press S to fire an aimed stream of 5 bullets at the enemy (get a blue
sight lock-on first).
Press P to fire an unaimed stream of 10 bullets in a wide arc.
Machine guns are very common weapons, found in every area. Firing rate
is very good. One S-burst will only do maybe the damage of a red-sight
handgun shot, but I find this weapon absolutely fantastic for dealing
quick distance damage to foes. Against a larger groups, it won't
do much, but if you concentrate your fire or fire P-bursts, you'll still
be better off in the long run. You get slowed down quite a bit by it,
but this is compensated for by the machine gun's versatility and nifty
combo potential. :) The machine gun can also directly aim at and hit
downed zombies or zombies on raised platforms. This weapon will only
knock down weaker zombies, but it will send all zombies packing with the
proper use.
[5. Shotgun] - Found in Areas 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Slowdown Factor: Moderate/High. You can still Dash/Dash Attack.
Rating: Moderate/Low
Holds 6 shells. Does not lock-on to targets (if only it did...).
Press S to fire one shot.
Press PPP to hit a zombie three times with the shotgun itself, which
knocks down.
Shotguns are also very common in ZR, but I find them generally less
useful. Firing rate is poor, with considerable reload time needed. This
wouldn't be so bad as the shotgun often deals tons of damage to a group
of zombies in front of you (though it doesn't knock down). The problem
is that either by virtue of a bug or having to aim very precisely, hits
will either do awesome damage or REALLY LOW damage (maybe one Roll's
worth). This problem only seems to apply to non-Boss zombies, though.
Still, many times the shotgun will do terrible damage just when you need
it most. The fact that it doesn't lock-on also makes things difficult.
For some reason, though, if a ZOMBIE carrying the shotgun hits
you with it, it _always_ hurts :) (and knocks YOU down, btw :P).
Also, the shotgun slows you down, so be careful with it. The PPP
knockdown combo has almost no practical use, is super-slow, and does
pathetic damage. Dash Attack instead. Overall, the shotgun is useful,
but only for some occasions.
[6. Grenade] - Found in Areas 1, 6, 7 and 8.
Slowdown Factor: Very Low. You can still Dash/Dash Attack.
Rating: Good
Press P to let 'er rip. Does lock-on, though it isn't necessary to work.
Can't be reused if you miss. :)
The grenade are one of the three mass-destruction type explosives you'll
find in ZR. It's also the most useful. Note that you'll never be hurt by
the grenade. While you can only carry one at a time, it can wipe out all
zombies within a limited radius with a really impressive boom. Well, all
zombies that aren't Bosses. :) You can still use your handgun while
carrying it. It doesn't take too long to let it fly, but you'll be in a
mandatory crouching "Take Cover!!!" animation (not actually blocking
though!) until the grenade blows. Of course that doesn't matter if the
grenade blows everything up :P. The lock-on ability makes the grenade
doubly useful...but in general, as soon as you see any blue-sight lock,
chuck it! Even if it wasn't the best target to toss the grenade at, in
most cases you'll have some margin of error *grin*. Careful, it
occasionally misses and rolls some ways off the mark.
Also note that in two-player games, the grenade and all mass-destruction
devices will not necessarily mean instant doom for the zombies, though
it'll hurt 'em quite a lot.
[7. Land Mine] - Found in Areas 4 and 7.
Slowdown Factor: Pretty Low. Dash/Dash Attacks still possible.
Rating: Good
Press P to lay the mine. Once primed, it explodes in about 3-4
seconds.
This is the second-most effective of the big boom devices in ZR :). It
will also never hurt you. You can still use your handgun. The advantage
over the grenade is that after you set the mine, you're free to move
about and do whatever you want. No take cover animation. The bad news is
that the mine is time-delayed, so it isn't the best bet for moving
targets. Still, since you get explosions about the size of the
grenade's, it isn't so bad :P. Of course any zombie in the blast radius
is history. Same damage rule as the grenade applies in two-player games.
[8. Cannon Shot] - Found in Area 6, and that's pretty much it.
Slowdown Factor: Moderate/High. You can still Dash and Dash Attack.
Rating: Very Poor
Press P or S to let loose one big-butt rocket at the enemy. One shot
only.
This is the third mass-destruction weapon in ZR. It's also the least
effective, unfortunately. To be honest, that's really not giving it a
fair shake, but the only appearance it does make is in an area full of
fast and dangerous enemies where you couldn't possibly use the cannon
shot effectively. (Whew! Say that 10 times real fast!) Think of the
destructive power as that of a launched land mine or grenade. I've never
actually hit anything with it, though...no lock-on ability, it's slow,
and it only fires horizontally (not like you get to use it against any
bosses anyway). Well, it looks cool anyway...it's a guitar case! Your
character will mount the cannon shot on his/her shoulder and fire it
bazooka-style. :) I just wish the cannon shot coulda been available in
narrow corridor-type areas...
[9. Guitar] - Found in Area 6, and I think that's it.
Slowdown Factor: Moderate/High. Dash/Dash Attacking is possible.
Rating: Moderate/Low
Holds, hm, 48 bullets? (24 per case)
Press S to fire an concentrated burst of about 8? bullets at the enemy.
Press P to fire an unaimed burst of about 16 bullets at the enemy in a
wide sweeping arc.
This is the less powerful but somewhat more useful cousin of the Cannon
Shot, which only comes in one case. This guy comes in two cases! :) :)
It's not bad to use, but it takes time to fire and it burns up ammo
awfully quick. There doesn't appear to be any lock-on ability, but if
the zombie you're firing the guitar at is more or less in your line of
sight, then you'll automatically adjust to hit it when you press S.
It'll spray the enemy with bullets for good damage, but it might not
knock down. Of course, the autocorrect might just miss everything! :) In
general, you should really think twice about using this weapon on a
fast-approaching zombie crowd, unless you've got backup.
[10. Dual Handguns] - Found in Area 2 and maybe Area 7.
Slowdown Factor: Very Low. Dash/Dash Attack is possible.
Rating: OK
Holds 40 bullets, 20 per gun.
Press S to fire 5 shots at one enemy. Does lock-on.
Press P to fire 10 shots in a wide arc.
But wait, don't I already have a handgun!? Well, yes, yes you do, but
these are _dual_ handguns. Well what's the difference?! :P Think of the
dual handgun as a slower-firing version of the machine gun, and you'll
get the idea. You can move around quicker while you use this weapon, and
you can also combo with it, but the problem is, well...it's a slower-
firing version of the machine gun. Won't get the job done as quickly,
and I think it does the same amount of damage. Since you'll always have
the choice to use this weapon or the machine gun, I'd go for the machine
gun...but if you gotta use the dual handguns, you're still good to go.
[11. Gasoline Canister] - Found in Area 4.
Slowdown Factor: Moderate/High...Dash/Dash Attack possible (?)
Rating: Not Bad
Holds a whole lotta gasoline.
Press S to douse the floor with gasoline.
Press P to swing this 5-gallon sucker at the zombies, and PPP for a 3-
hit knockdown combo.
This weapon is actually quite interesting. In its S use (dousing the
floor), it's completely useless (at least to me). It looks like you're
applying floor cleaner to the ground. Where's my mop?!? You can move
around while emptying the gas can's contents on the floor, but...why
even bother? It's just silly. Here's the deal: Once the gas is on the
ground, you can create a nifty area explosion by thereafter igniting it,
which is possible by firing off a shotgun in the direction of the
spilled gas. It might also damage you, though, if you're near the flames
which result. So OK, all I need to do is let go of the gas can, find me
a shotgun, and blast the gas to get me a zombie barbecue, right?
Unfortunately, that's far from easy. The gas can will stick onto you
like no other weapon. I haven't EVER been able to empty the gas
canister, or toss it off by whacking some zombies with it. Also, running
for the shotgun while hoping that the zombies haven't moved from the
place where you spilled the gasoline is just too much trouble anyways.
Surprisingly however, the P-swing use is far more useful. It's slow to
start, but three mighty swings at a zombie later and you've got a
knockdown combo that does rather good damage. The gas can even whacks
zombies on the ground! Looks funny too :). Of course, the slowness of
the attack is a real problem in Area 4...and you can't use your handgun
while holding it...but at least it's better than nothing. In Area 4, I
use it for one specific purpose :), but in general, I don't recommend
you get stuck with it.
[12. Taser] - Found in Area 4.
Slowdown Factor: Very Low, Dash/Dash Attacking is OK.
Rating: Terrible
Press P to fire a short-range electric beam at the zombies (shock it
with the taser)
Again, perhaps I'm not giving the taser its due. But in the only scene
where you can use it, it just doesn't have any use (and you'd want to go
for another weapon instead). You basically need to clear the room of all
threats anyway before you can access it. As such I can't honestly say
how much damage it does. When I've used it, I also haven't ever hit
anything with it. (You can use your handgun while holding the taser.)
[13. Drill] - Found in Area 4.
Slowdown Factor: Supremely High. Don't even think about dashing.
Rating: Worse than the taser :)
Press P to swing the drill around in a short arc to damage multiple foes
(low damage).
Press S to concentrate on drilling the heck out of one zombie.
It's big, it's slow, it's powerful, and it's no use in the one scene
where you get to use it. By the stage you find it, all of the zombies
are capable of smacking you around with multi-hit attacks, so avoid
picking the drill up at all costs...at least until only one unarmed
zombie is left. Curiously, you can still block while carrying this two-
handed monster (your handgun can't be used). The drill is good for S-
drilling 5 or so zombies into oblivion, but it'll take too long to focus
on one zombie, because by the time you want to drill another, you're
surrounded. Still, it's not a bad deal using the drill on the last
zombie remaining...the S-drill will carve a rather nasty hole in the
poor zombie for about 15-18 hits, and has a nice whiny sound.
[14. Chain Gun] - Found in Area 7 and 8.
Slowdown Factor: High, can't Dash with it
Rating: Not bad
Holds 80 bullets, if I remember correctly. No lock-on (sigh).
Press S to fire a rapid burst of 16 bullets at one opponent.
Press P to fire a burst of 32 bullets in a wide arc.
Now we move on the really big guns. This chain gun is even bigger than
the drill! Oh, maybe 2-3 times bigger ;). It's got fantastic stopping
power, and is excellent for firing merciless streams of bullets at them
zombies, though depending on how you use it you get only 5 or 2.5 uses
max. I've only tried this weapon against the Area 7 Boss, but it must do
fabulous damage IF it connects with normal zombies. Hopefully it'll
either knock down or shred your target zombie to a pulp. Which is pretty
much the biggest issue with this big gun. Since there's no blue lock-on
sight for this weapon, you've got to aim right at your target -- easier
said than done -- since the auto-correction before firing doesn't always
kick in. If you miss, you're in real trouble. Also, it takes precious
time to actually fire off the chain gun. On the other hand, if you're
feeling lucky, you can hit a zombie for a meaty 16 hits! The chain gun
also has combo potential. I once hit the Area 7 Boss for a 30-hit combo
with the chain gun, and if you keep jamming on S (given you started from
close range), you could probably do better! It's hard to deny that
satisying feeling when you hit something with the chain gun ("Eat THIS,
evil zombie scum ;)!"), but overall, use with caution.
[15. Laser Gun] - Found in Area 7 and 8.
Slowdown Factor: High, can't Dash with it
Rating: Not bad
Holds about 18 or so laser charges. No lock-on.
Press S to fire a single straight laser blast.
Press P to fire an arcing burst of about 3-4 laser shots.
Yet another big gun. But since I never use it, I can't tell you much
about it other than to experiment. The S-blast is very efficient
(really, you get the most shots out of all the weapons), it only uses up
one charge, but like the chain gun, it's slow to fire and straight-line
hit or miss. Not good against a big lumbering Boss. Damage appears good,
but it isn't dealt quickly enough. Also, it has very little stopping
power, as opposed to the humble but effective machine gun. I wouldn't
use the laser gun unless there's only one zombie left (Area 8), and I
wouldn't use the gun against the Area 7 Boss unless you're feeling
adventurous. :)
[16. Flamethrower] - Found in Area 4 and 7.
Slowdown Factor: High, in that you can't Dash, but you'll be able to
move at near-walking speed.
Rating: ***Supremely Good!***
Press P (or S) to spit a stream of mid-ranged flame to ignite zombies.
No lock-on, but that's not a problem. When fired continuously, streams
flame for about maybe 10 seconds.
No hedging here...it's my favorite big gun in ZR! First found in Area 4,
just pick it up and start firing! This gun is different from all the
others in that there's no activation lag or reload time whatsoever.
Essentially, this means you can walk around and activate the
flamethrower with impunity. The secret to using the flamethrower
properly is to tap P in bursts, rather than burn up all the ammo in one
shot. It will greatly extend the usage of the flamethrower. Using the
flamethrower in narrow sweeping motions is also effective against groups
of zombies. The flamethrower does excellent damage and can really clear
out a whole room of zombies, given its good range. Nice flame effects
too, I might add. :) Very effective against the Area 7 Boss should you
choose to get it.
******************************
So...where will you find all these? Some are just laying there. The
hatchets, machine guns and shotguns are sometimes held by the zombies,
and you'll need to knock them down to make them drop the weapons. Almost
all others can be found by breaking open certain crates, or entering
secret doors.
Finally, at long last, we get to...the walkthrough!!!
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
-+-+- BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK -+-+-
******* the WALKTHROUGH section *******
-+-+- BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK -+-+-
******* took its sweet time getting here, but here it is! *******
-+-+- BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK BIG CONSPICUOUS SECTION BREAK -+-+-
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Z O M B I E
r @ ========================= @ r
e : ----------------------- : e
v : | ********************* | : v
e : |* VII. ZR WALKTHROUGH *| : e
n : | ********************* | : n
g : ----------------------- : g
e @ ========================= @ e
Z O M B I E
Notes:
-- ">>>>>COMBO:>>>>>" denotes combo opportunities available while using
Stick.
-- Subsections separated with "**********" offer additional commentary,
secrets, or other useful side information.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
++++++++++++++++++ ZR - Part I: Woodside City - ZR +++++++++++++++++++++
your quest begins >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Stick, Linda and Rikiya are just hangin' out in their cozy armored
carrier transport when they receive a cryptic e-message from Zed, signed
with love toward all humans :P. Yeah right. Linda wonders, "Are we still
following this guy?" Stick replies, "He's the one making the zombies. To
catch him we have to follow." And with a "Let's go!" you're on your way.
(True, it's not the most inspired dialogue you've ever heard.)
--[QUICK STATS]---------------------------------------------------------
Difficulty: Low
BOSS Difficulty: Low
Expect to lose this much life: Maybe 10-25%
You're fine if you leave the Area with: at least 50% life
Life-ups: 2 (for 20-35% total health)
Secrets: 2
Combo Opportunities: 2, and possibly more
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The very first level serves all sorts of purposes, it's generally a
starter course in playing the game. This is by no means to say it's an
easy level, though -- it can all end very quickly if you don't know how
to properly deal with the Boss at the end.
Once you leave the safety of your very big, solid, multi-wheeled
transport (well, it wouldn't be much fun if you could just steamroll
over everything :P), the game begins.
The first wave of four slow, weary-looking zombies will start coming at
you. They're virtually harmless, only able to only swipe at you once for
8-10% damage, or grab you for even less damage. You can easily defeat
them simply by standing in place and firing four red-sight shots. Note
that their lifebar is pretty much exactly equal to the damage of a red-
sight handgun shot for future reference (if you're playing Rikiya you
get about 10% bonus damage on that). But if you'd like to start racking
up big points right away... :)
>>>>>COMBO: (All combo examples are done using Stick) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Shoot down only the first two zombies that you automatically target.
Then walk up to the third zombie (closest to you) and just keep hitting
it with weak P jabs. (I know I said P jabs are boring, but here's one
instance where P jabs are the only attacks that really work.) You'll
get anywhere from 9-12 hits. By then the zombie will either be defeated
or the fourth zombie will be right in front of you. Continue the chain
by closing in with P jabs on the fourth zombies (finish off the third
zombie first if it's still got life left when the fourth zombie gets
there). You get up to a 25-hit combo on just 2 weak zombies this way.
Or, you could also keep the combo going by getting a little fancy after
the combo meter hits about 20. Try PP, P, PP, P, PPS for 30 hits and a
knockdown!
But that's STILL not all! Try executing a Roll immediately after the PPS
finisher. If you connect twice, you end up with 32 hits (though
typically you settle for 31 :P)! Not bad for the first scene!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Now comes a second wave of four zombies. This time you get 2 funky
walking zombies with baseball caps and 2 red-coat zombies.
The baseball-cap zombies aren't much trouble, but they _do_ have a
variety of attacks. They can leap in the air with a non-guided fist
swing attack that hits for 1/5 damage and knocks you down if you don't
dodge, block, or shoot them out of it. They can also hit you with
an arcing sideways arm swipe for about 1/6 or 1/7 damage. If you're
unlucky, they can even hit do a 3-hit combo on you for over 1/2 damage
(watch for a very important lag between the second and third attack)!
Luckily all of these attacks are fully blockable...if you see them
coming.
The red-coat zombies can either shoot at you with their weapons, swipe
at you once for low damage, or grab you for also low damage.
The best way to deal with the above zombies is to attack the red-coat
zombies first. Since they carry one machine gun (about 1/3 damage if
you're hit) and one shotgun (almost 1/2 damage!) and can shoot it at you
(and you can't block the bullets), that makes them your first priority.
Go for the zombie nearest the your transport first. As soon as you get a
lock on the zombie (can hit it), bring it down with a PPS combo (or PPP,
PPS if you want). You'll notice the PPS combo does just enough to put
down the zombie. Take note of the damage if you want. You can then
charge into the fray and knock down the shotgun-holding red zombie.
These three zombies won't be hard to deal with as long as you take the
initiative and just get in there with dash attacks. Be careful though,
the shotgun-holder may let off a shot before you get there. If the
zombie starts to aim at you and you don't think you can hit it in time,
just keep dashing away from it at a safe distance (MAKE it track you by
running left or right from it) and there's a good chance the zombie will
miss, possibly igniting the gas under it :).
After you've cleaned things up, you're instructed to lift up the
aluminum vertical sliding "door" and enter the next room. Don't forget
to break open the big crate for an extra machine gun, and take the time
to practice your moves outside if you've still got a lot of time on the
clock left. For a fun combo, pick up a machine gun for this next
section. :) So you don't accidentally waste ammo, go up to and face the
big door and hit G instead of P or S to enter the next room.
You'll find two unarmed red-coat waiting for you there. You'll also see
a cowering girl there that you really should save (you don't have to,
but you're a good guy, it's your job!). And since you have the machine
gun ready (right?), you really should try this combo out ;).
>>>>>COMBO:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This one's really easy since you've got the fast-firing machine gun at
your disposal. Walk in as far north as you can (just to right behind the
girl -- "Help me! Helllllp!" :)) as soon as you enter the room, and then
start opening fire on the nearest zombie. Spray 2 S-bursts at it in
quick succession. The first 5 shots will connect and send the zombie
flying, and some if not all of the next 5 shots will connect. Don't wait
too long, and as soon as you see the blue lock-on sight on the zombie in
back (you don't really even have to look for the sight, the target
switching is more or less automatic), plug away with the S-bursts. The
combo should still continue. Don't stop firing even after the zombie
gets blown to bits...you can still get hits on what's left of it :)
This will yield anywhere from a 35 to 40-hit combo by only using the
machine gun's 40 bullets (and practically standing still, no less)!!
Cinch combo for big points baby! Sure to turn heads at the arcade.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
After the two red-coat zombies are dealt with, down will come 3 more
zombies (2 armed) after some shaking and rumbling. The camera view will
whip around 180 degrees. First off, position yourself near the back of
the room (opposite from the aluminum door), and get ready for a shotgun-
holding zombie to drop from the ceiling and get back up. As soon as you
get a sight lock, do a PPS combo or whatever and get rid of it. You'll
usually be able to run up to the next red-coat zombie and dash-attack it
down before it lets off a shotgun blast.
************************************************************************
SIDENOTE: Machine-gun and shotgun-holding zombies can be tricky to deal
with if you've got other things to take care of first. If you can't
close in with melee attacks in time, there's also the possibility of
stunning it with handgun shots, special weapons or the charge-up shot to
buy more time. Problem is, everything else except the charge-up shot
will merely stun the zombie for a short time. For all the recoil the hit
seems to do, the zombie is still as ready as ever to pull the trigger
after its quick recovery. Also be careful as the charge-up shot will at
times "graze" the zombie for full damage, but NOT knock down...
************************************************************************
The only other zombie left is a pretty weak one that can't pick up
weapons, so deal with those two as you please. After you've defeated all
the zombies, the girl (if she's still alive) won't thank you. Curious.
Instead, she'll strike a rather pouty pose, and give you a disk ("Here!
A man with the golden eyes said to give it to you!"). It's useful for
later. If she doesn't survive, just pick up the disk left on the ground.
Now head out the door before the time runs out (while she wonders "How
did I get myself into this mess?"). Don't pick up any shotguns unless
you have to.
You're now back outside. You can pick up the shotgun the zombie left
behind if you want and then head straight for the Boss if you want, but
if you've been hurt at all or want the 2000 pt. bonus head for the
regular door to the left of the aluminum sliding door and hit G, P or S
to enter the ***SECRET ROOM***. You'll find a weak zombie and a life-up
perched atop some boxes. You can try this Stick combo practice on the
zombie if you want: P, P, PP, P, PPP, PPS + 2 rolls (or make your own
combo!). Then after the zombie's gone, just keep punching the boxes to
make the life-up (10-15% life up) drop down. Handgun shots and even
clear-out attacks will also help, and hitting the boxes gets you 30 pts.
per hit. Head on out after you're done.
Before going for the Boss, I highly recommend you get the shotgun. It
will be immensely useful in the early going. However, if you wanna combo
up on the Boss, get the machine gun on the ground first (there should
have been two, one on the red zombie and the other in the crate). Note
that the machine gun will do less damage per burst and just won't do the
job as well -- and I'm not _that_ combo-crazy ;P. Head in the direction
of the guiding blue arrows and you'll face...
*******************************
<<< BOSS: Scrapyard Monster >>>
(He ain't so tough.)
*******************************
Walking towards what looks like a scrap heap, Stick feels rumblings
underneath and wonders "What?" (this expression varies depending on
the character). What indeed? Welp, next thing ya know there's a really
big monster bursting outta the heap, and he don't look happy to see ya!
Oh, and did I mention he's literally full of junk?
---[BOSS ATTACKS:]------------------------------------------------------
Damage estimates are based on your full lifebar.
All attacks are blockable except the shockwave!
#1. Tantrum attack. Occasionally, if you're hitting the Boss too much
(probably if you somehow got behind it), he'll tremble in anger and
lunge forward with two claw swipes. The Boss is invincible during this
time. Careful, the attack also produces a shockwave that will knock you
over if you're too close. Damage to you ranges from about 1/3 to maybe
1/8 damage depending on where you're when the Boss pulls off this move,
and how much you get hit by it.
#2. Lunging claw swipe/punch (in place). 1/4 damage.
#3. Counter attack. The Boss will turn red and charge at you, hitting
you for about 1/12-1/15 damage and knocking down.
#4. Extreme anger attack. The Boss will raise both arms in the air,
shaking, and then bring them both down in a mighty blow. Does about
_4/5_ damage to you and knocks down if not blocked!
#5. Grab attack. The Boss will grab you and head squeeze for about 1/15
damage...if you don't shake out of it with the joystick and button
mashing, he'll double-slam you headfirst for about 2/3 or more damage!
Ouch! If you do shake out of it (quite easy to recover), you'll recover
and kick him in the face for about 1/8 or so total damage to him, and
safely fall out of his grip.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[BOSS STRATEGY:]
For a first Boss, this superzombie has an amazing arsenal. But play your
cards right and you'll take only minimal damage. You'll learn to block
here, or face near-certain defeat.
Getting this Boss down to 50% life (long green bar near the bottom of
your screen) can be done in many ways. The easiest way is to take your
shotgun (which hopefully has at least 5 shells in it), and fire off 4
shells without thinking, since you'll start the battle facing right at
the Boss. That'll rip off 50% from that huge green Boss lifebar.
The second way, if you're a combo nut (though I don't recommend this
much for the reasons above and below), is to empty your machine gun at
the Boss. You should get in at least a 30-hit combo as the Boss will
just sit there and take the damage (for now). The Boss will probably NOT
be down to 50% life though.
Note that in either case the Boss may occasionally launch into a tantrum
attack after you damage the Boss for about 50%. The best thing to do is
just start guarding until it's over.
The third way, if you forgot to take a weapon along (though you really
really should bring a weapon), is to just run in there and hammer away
with basic combos. Again, the Boss will not counter until his lifebar is
about 50%. Careful for the tantrum/anger attacks though.
The Scrapyard Monster will have two normal zombies to assist it. If you
have the shotgun, run away from the Boss after the fourth shotgun blast
and try to get both zombies roughly within your sights. With luck you
can take em both out in one shot, and possibly even hit the Boss again
too! This won't be so easy if you have the machine gun. But whatever
special weapon you have, make sure you empty it soon. Your handgun will
take over from here.
Now comes the second and harder phase of the fight. True, the helper
zombies are gone for good, but they were never an issue. The Boss will
start turning red and do a long-distance charge (no, not a collect call
:P) at you if you hit it even once. The charge/swipe won't hurt you
much, but it'll knock you down and costs valuable time (and if you run
out of time it's just plain Game Over). You'll take damage here, but
once you get the hang of things, only minor block damage. Here's my
approach:
Trying to run around and hit the Boss in the back while playing alone is
a dicey proposition. Running away from what seems to be a slow-moving
claw punch is surprisingly difficult since the Boss tracks you, and if
you're hit, you'll get hurt a whole lot. So...what I recommend is to run
away as far as possible once it's just you and the Boss (after the Boss
is down to 50% life and you used up your special weapon) and get in as
many red-sight locks as you can, firing only after the handgun is fully
powered up. But if it looks like the Boss will reach you with his
counter attack after a shot, immediately hit G to start blocking and you
should be able to easily block the hit.
OK, so what next? Granted, the following strat feels a little risky, but
I highly recommend you follow it. After blocking the charge, dash up to
the Boss quick if the distance is short enough, stop, then throw a punch
and KEEP HOLDING P for a holding move (if the attack the Boss does is
non-tantrum, you'll hit him out of it), it takes guts but it practically
never fails ;). Then, hit P like crazy and you'll extract a pipe from
the Boss himself (no damage to the Boss though)! If you need some
reassurance, I've _never_ taken any damage from doing this. Besides,
it's kinda neat to literally rip out a weapon from the Boss. :)
So great, I have a pipe now, you may be thinking. What good does it do
if any combo I try will immediately result in getting knocked over by a
charging attack? Don't worry about that yet...the Boss will be hunched
over in pain for a short amount of time, plenty good enough to get in a
point-blank red-sight shot. If it counters, block it. You can then give
the Boss a one-swing whack with the pipe if it still doesn't counter
(one swing does quite good damage), and by then it probably WILL charge
at you. Block it, you'll have plenty of time. Then, walk in close to the
Boss and fire a shot (notice how your proximity affects the shot's
power). Block the charge. If you can, walk up and swing the pipe once.
Block. Fire a shot. Block. Move in and pipe swing once. Block. Fire
snother shot. Block. Repeat as necessary so long as you have the pipe.
If you keep on blocking, moving in close, swinging the pipe once,
blocking and firing once, this whole process takes maybe 15 seconds,
tops :) You'll find that this method, though a bit tricky, will put down
the Boss in the quickest and easiest way, since you don't have a lotta
time to waste.
If you get knocked over and thus lose the pipe, just substitute a single
punch for the pipe swing...there's no critical need to pick up the pipe
again, especially if the Boss is close by. Don't recover from a
knockdown with a rising attack, this frequently means you hit the Boss
and it just counters you down again before you can do anything (and it
just looks silly, hehe...since the rising attack does well, a shred of
damage on the Boss, you'll never defeat it in time). If you need
breathing space, you can do another P-based holding move (punch the Boss
and hit P like crazy) and shoulder-charge the Boss a good distance away
after the pipe's out. All told, now that you're armed with the secrets
of the Guard button, the Boss will go down without much trouble at all.
You're victorious! You now have the remaining time to run over to the
narrow alleyway to begin the next stage. Before you do, though, be sure
to get the hidden life-up and grenade first. The life-up crate will
typically be hidden in the back (out of the screen) after the camera
view shifts, and you can _usually_ get to it (but sometimes the camera
is cruel and the life-up is inaccessible...or maybe you somehow broke
open the crate early in the Boss fight, didn't notice the life-up and it
disappeared...oh well, no biggie). Run up to the crate (it's at the top
of the scrap "hill" surrounded by the metal-fence barrier) and smash it
with a Roll, a Clear Out Attack :), a pipe swing COMBO if you still have
the pipe, or a Clear Out Attack with the pipe to get the life-up (10-
15%). Quite often your lifebar will be fully restored (see? Block damage
isn't THAT bad...), and you're back in business!
Don't forget to break open the small crate just before the alleyway to
pick up the Grenade before you go.
You're now headed to...
mounting unease >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
+++++++++++++++++++ ZR - Part II: Edward Street - ZR +++++++++++++++++++
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Your character will now hop over the small barrier of wood and other
junk to enter Edward Street. Stick will say "What's happening?" while
Linda will ask "Is that another zombie, too?" Really!? Another zombie?
You gotta be kidding me! XD But to answer your question, yes Linda, that
is another zombie. Oh, and you might want have a good long talk with the
guy who writes your lines. I recommend using the Zombie Rag Doll Toss to
get your point across. ;)
--[QUICK STATS]---------------------------------------------------------
Difficulty: Low generally; depends on luck
Expect to lose this much life: 0-all%, hopefully 0
You're fine if you leave the Area with: at least 25% life
Life-ups: 0
Secrets: basically 0
Combo Opportunities: 2-3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the computer type letting you know where you're, you'll see four
zombies drop down and start heading for you. Actually, I stand
corrected, THREE zombies...I believe the fourth zombie flies? shimmies?
slithers? ;) out of the garbage container to your right and just falls
flat on its face...it's a subtle detail, but a really nice touch :). If
you didn't pick up the grenade from the last area, or used it on the
boss, no worries -- use lots of dash attacks and keep your distance and
you shouldn't get hurt too much. These zombies can only swipe or grab to
my knowledge, no multi-hitter combos YET. If you DO have the grenade,
however :), give it a whirl and keep pressing P right before the
transition cinema ends to make sure you toss it right away. Take
cover!!! ;)
If the grenade doesn't miss and roll like it sometimes does...BOOM!!!!!
It'll blow the heck outta 3 zombies for about 450 or so pts. Sure, no
combos, but better safe then sorry...besides, it's fun to use the
grenade. :) The other zombie, who was apparently spared as it was still
on the ground and not yet "hittable," should stand up by then. Until to
get to the door in the alleyway, all you need to do is deal with this
zombie and the upcoming baseball cap zombie as you like, it's really,
really easy. If you feel like it, you can hit some of the garbage
containers on the right side to cough up some bullet clips, but I don't
think it's worth your time. Especially if you're gonna make up the
points in grand style with this next combo :).
>>>>>COMBO:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Should you wish to combo your way to the door, it's pretty easy to do!
Start hitting the surviving regular zombie (remember, the funny one that
clambered out of the garbage can into the cruel world only to taste the
floor? :P) with P jabs and/or other small combo sets and keep advancing
until you see the baseball cap zombie approaching. Now, you can either
finish off the regular zombie quickly, or move in between punches (you
can slightly "push" zombies as you move with no harm to yourself as long
as they aren't attacking) so that when you hit the zombie, it hits the
baseball cap zombie right behind it! :) In any case, you can move in and
start hammering away at the baseball cap zombie with P jabs or whatever
you feel like, extending your combo. If you wanna get fancy and practice
those advanced combos then feel free, like finishing with a PPS combo
(for Stick), then doing two Rolls in succession (you _could_ try using
the handgun on the downed opponent, but tends not to work so well). You
can get anywhere from 30-60 hits! Don't worry if you can't carry the
combo to the baseball cap zombie though. Two smaller combos are still
plenty good enough. ;)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In the meantime you'll also come across a flashlight on the ground.
Get it for a cool flashlight effect in front of you or just for kicks,
it's not at all necessary to have it.
You'll now come to a door which the game very clearly directs you to
enter. Walk up to it and hit G, P or S (I'd hit G from now on to enter
doors) to enter.
Once inside, you'll be in a small, dimly lighted room with two zombies
that pose no threat to you whatsoever. One of them is even holding a rag
(if the rag had a SEGA logo, it'd be funnier, but it's still strange
enough) and will continue to hold it for a while. Deal with them however
you want or make yourself a...
>>>>>COMBO:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
And it's a fun one :). Go for the zombie that's not holding any rag
first. Start with P jabs and move on to PP or PPP sets to get in closer
to the rag-holding zombie and finish off the regular zombie before you
string along the combo. (It's actually not as difficult as it sounds.)
By then you should have 10-15 or so hits and one defeated regular
zombie. Now, move left VERY quickly (you should now be something to the
right of the rag zombie, who's since tossed the rag) and get a blue-
sight lock in that zombie as soon as possible (it's second nature after
a while). As soon as you get one, fire off a single shot. You'll notice
that if you were fast enough, your combo counter increases! Now move in
and finish the combo however you like -- don't do just single P jabs
though, use PP and PPP sets, since you've gotta get rid of both zombies
in a short amount of time. This can net you up to a 30+ hit combo...not
too shabby at all.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
After the two zombies are defeated (watch your time), dash attack or
just plain hit the two-door metal cabinet to the northwest to grab a
pipe (optional) and some bonus pts. for opening the cabinet. Then get
next to the dusty old computer the game points you to and press a button
to insert the disk you got into it. You then get a cinema with a weird
floating head who claims not to be your enemy (I wouldn't know about
that...), and you'll then be presented with three cards to choose from,
red, blue or yellow. Press a button to pick a card, any card, it doesn't
really matter unless you make it to the final boss. Can't decide? I
usually pick the blue one :P. The floating head will now compliment you
on sealing your fate (ha ha) and give you further instructions...but if
you just want to pick the darn card and get on with things, hit the
start button to speed things up.
Wait, didn't that guy have golden-looking eyes? Ah, just forget about
that for now. You're now free to leave the small room and get back on
the street. Before you do, though, you might want to empty your present
handgun clip to get a full clip of 10 bullets (you'll need them for the
next section). Get in the habit of reloading your gun before heading for
the next scene, it's good practice and hey, you'll never need anywhere
_close_ to 50 bullets (full clip + 4 spares) to get past a room.
Besides, the zombies drop extras along the way. Want a more exciting way
to empty your clip? Try practicing your charge-up shot right now. Wind
up for it, turn left or right as you need to and aim for the folding
chair in the corner. If you hit it, you get 500 pts. and the chair folds
itself! ;) Head on out.
Back outside, you'll be facing south and headed in a due south
direction. Make sure your handgun has a full clip and follow the arrows
to meet...
Three bats which suddenly fly out of a manhole! (Such skill! Such sense
of dramatic timing! Heh.) You'd best get rid of them as quickly as
possible, since another big wave of zombies isn't far behind. Otherwise,
things get complicated.
Fortunately, these bats have very little life. My best advice is to just
stand in place as the bats fly out and fire away at the bats without
going for anything near red-sight shots. As you fire though, don't just
fire blindly; use deliberate, well-timed S presses. This seems to work
the best. You can usually drop the 3 bats with 6 shots while standing in
place. However, this doesn't always work. You can aim at those bats way
up high, but they will be somewhat hard to track and will occasionally
dive at you for about 1/7 damage. If you ever see a bat swooping down at
you, block right away. Don't be fooled, since the attack is much faster
than it looks.
Should you defeat the bats you've only got 5 or 6 zombies left to deal
with :P. Whew! The first one you should really take care of, though, is
right "behind" you. As the zombies come out of the manhole or drop from
the sky, this red coat zombie will fall down carrying a machine gun. If
you happen to have the pipe on you, getting rid of this zombie will be a
snap. Wait until you can attack the zombie, and then wait until you get
a red-sight lock, which won't take very long since you'll be right next
to it. Fire a single shot once the handgun shot is fully powered and
then IMMEDIATELY use a PPP pipe combo (don't start off swinging the
pipe, you need to save it and it takes longer to get the job done).
You'll be simply amazed by the damage you do! In fact...oops, no more
zombie-from-behind problem, cuz he's done for. :) One less thing to
worry about, at least. Unfortunately, the other zombies are comin' at
cha and there's another red coat zombie with a machine gun getting ready
to fire. If he's gonna be trouble, rush in and dash attack him flat. Be
aware of your surroundings though...a brown zombie will crawl out of the
manhole while you're putting down the red-coat zombie behind you, and
usually whiff a claw swipe in your direction...but it'll end up kinda
close to you.
At this point you may find yourself surrounded. This is exactly where
the pipe excels. Use any combination of pipe swings once you're in the
thick of things to bash your way out, smacking all nearby enemies for
good damage and possible nice combos before the pipe is used up.