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Shanghai Mini FAQ/Guide/Walkthrough
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
System: NeoGeo Pocket Color
Accessories: Link Cable, Worm Light
Author: Laplace
Version: .75
Table of Contents:
1. Version History
2. Modes (descriptions from the manual)
3. How To Play
4. Classic Mode
5. Tournament Mode
6. Dynasty Mode
7. General Tips
8. Author/Contact Information
9. Thanks
10. Legal Stuff
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1. Version History
5/17/02--I began work on this FAQ
5/22/02--I submitted the FAQ
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2. Modes
Classic
-There is no time limit in the classic game of Shanghai.
When you cannot find any tiles to match during a game, call
up the menu using the Option button to find a removable
tile, return to your previous move, change the tile layout,
or change the game difficulty.
Tournament Mode
-This mode has 12 continuous stages for you to challenge.
There are time time limits to each stage. A "Game Over"
will occur if you become "Deadlocked" during the play of the
game, or all tiles are not matched within the time limit.
There is a story screen for each of the stages. Press the A
button to scroll through the message text on the story
screen.
Dynasty Mode
-This mode allows you to play against the computer or
challenge a friend. Use power tiles to hinder your opponent.
The first player to clear their tiles is the winner.
VS. Mode
-This is basically the 2 player mode of the game.
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3. How To Play
To clear tiles you must simply move the cursor with the joystick and
press the A button to select desired tiles. Remove matching tiles which are
free (not blocked). You can cancel your selection of the tiles using the B
button.
The thing about tiles not being blocked means that they are free to
move left or right. Also, it means that they are not covered by another
tile.
Some tiles can be matched, which don't even look alike. These tiles
are called Flower tiles, and Season tiles. You can refer to the pictures of
these tiles on page 17 of the game manual. My best advice to a beginner of
this game is to learn how these tiles look so that you can match them up
without confusion which may slow you down.
When you can no longer match any tiles you are in what is called a
"Deadlock." At this point the game will end unless you are in Classic mode
which will allow you to shuffle the tiles, or to go back a move which will
allow you to continue playing.
When all tiles are cleared, you win!
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4. Classic Mode
-As you finish stages in Classic Mode you will unlock a graphic and
some Chinese text. The following is a list of the graphics you will unlock
in the order or appearance. Note that the list will repeat itself after you
get to the end of it.
-Dragon
-Rat
-Hour Glass
-Lion
-Snake
-Yin-Yang
-One of the most importnat things to remember while playing in
Classic mode, and while trying to see all of the graphics, is to use the
shuffle feature to your advantage. When you come to a deadlock, just simply
choose the shuffle feature and the tiles will be moved around so that you may
continue.
-Another thing to remember while trying to see all of the graphics
is that if you turn off the game in mid-play it will allow you to go back to
the stage you were on when you turned it off. Note that you cannot start
another mode after doing this unless you don't want to go back to that stage
because once you start another mode it will erase the option of going back to
that stage you stopped on.
-Also, if you press the Option button while in Classic mode you will
be able to change the difficulty of your layout and also what type of layout
you would like to work on. Just go to the option Layout Difficulty.
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5. Tournament Mode
-In Tournament Mode you will get a storyline which revolves around
you the main character and his ascent of the Shanghai Tower. Some of this
dialogue is pretty funny, but it does add something to the rather dull
Classic mode.
-While playing in this mode you will receive passwords in order to
continue to the last stage you played on. To find out some of the passwords
you can check out the GameFAQs code and secrets section for this game.
Otherwise I will post a list of them here in a future update.
-This mode is pretty much the same as Classic mode except that in
this mode you can't really customize anything. My best tip to beginners of
this game is to try to practice in Classic before you try out Tournament mode
because in this mode there is a time limit while in Classic you can work as
slow as you want, and learn what the tiles look like, etc.
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6. Dynasty Mode
-This mode is much more frantic than the other modes of play. In
this mode you race the computer or you friends to see who can complete a
puzzle first. The twist is that in this mode there are special tiles
included in the puzzle which will mess up the other person's puzzle. The
tiles are listed below.
-Scramble
-Your opponent's tiles are reshuffled and his layout changes.
-Shuffle
-The tiles of your opponent's layout are shuffled.
-Cursor Reverse
-For a limited amount of time, the directions of your
opponent's cursor will be reversed. However, this does not
work when you are playing against the computer.
-Turn Over
-For a limited amount of time, your opponent's tiles are
turned over. If the A button is pressed, you will know which
tiles are available.
-Return Three Pairs
-This returns 3 of your opponents previously matched pairs to
his layout.
-To see a list of pictures of these tiles you can check out page 18
of the game manual. You can turn these tiles on or off on the option screen.
You can change just one or two tiles or you could choose to turn all of the
tiles off.
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7. General Tips
-Basically these are the tips I have for beginners, which I haven't
already mentioned in the guide.
-The biggest tip I have is for beginners to learn exactly what the
tiles look like. By doing this you cna make matches much quicker.
-In Tournament mode, always keep an eye on the timer so that you don't
lose with only 2 matches left just because you ran out of time.
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8. Author/Contact Information
If you see me on the boards, my user name is Laplace.
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9. Thanks
I would like to thank first of all SNK for making this great game and
system. I also, and finally, would like to thank GameFAQs for posting this
FAQ on such a great website.
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10. Legal Stuff
All of the information from the manual is copyright of its
maker/writer. All other content is copyright 2002 of I, Laplace. If you
wish to use my FAQ on your website, email me and I will consider your
request.
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