-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Gunstar Heroes: Weapons Combinations FAQ For Sega Genesis/MegaDrive Version 1.0 March 2004 Copyright (2004) fabian (fabian@roxette.org) Gunstar Heroes, all of the trademarks, characters and anything related are trademarks and copyrighted ownership of Treasure (1993). Sega, Genesis and Megadrive are trademarks of Sega Corporation (1993-2004). -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ::: FRONT END ::: This "Gunstar Heroes: Weapon Combinations FAQ" is the original work of Fabian Davy (fabian@roxette.org). The copy that you are reading now can originally be obtained from www.gamefaqs.com. For future requests of posting my guide, I have decided to review my posting policy. From October 2003, any web-masters or individuals who wish to include my guide in their web site and have obtained my permission to do so, can freely distribute this guide as long as it is not used for any commercial gains. Bear in mind though that this can only be done after asking for permission from me by e-mail. The information here is highly prohibited to be published in any paysites or game magazines or anything else that is money driven/oriented whether directly or indirectly. Reproduction of this guide in any form is also not allowed as long as it is for your own personal use. No alteration or modification of any form is allowed to the original document. However, you are allowed to use the contents of this guide without informed consent by acknowledging me in the credits as well as where did you obtain my guide (which version, etc.). This rule however assumes that you are not plagiarising this document. In short, proper referencing please!!!! If you wish to publish this guide in your site, you can do so by sending me just a simple email informing me of your intention. I am not going to send you the guide by email. In case of any new updates, just check the GameFAQs.com pages to download the new version. I am allowing this because I do lost track of time when I am checking my email (since that I don't have a home internet connection) and it can take me days or even weeks to respond. My point is: Don't plagiarise. It took quite an effort to produce this guide. Why pirate it when it's already free. I know you are wise to make the decision. My trust is with you. ============================================================================= CONTENTS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ============================================================================= [1.0] INTRODUCTION [2.0] FIRING MODE - Free Shot - Fixed Shot [3.0] BASIC WEAPONS - Force - Lightning - Fire - Chaser [4.0] WEAPON HYBRIDS - Force + Force - Force + Lightning - Force + Fire - Force + Chaser - Lightning + Lightning - Lightning + Fire - Lightning + Chaser - Fire + Fire - Fire + Chaser - Chaser + Chaser [5.0] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ============================================================================= [1.0] INTRODUCTION :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ============================================================================= Well, here I am doing a Gunstar Heroes FAQ. It has been a long, long time since I played this game on my MegaDrive but it was sure a very exciting experience. Gunstar Heroes is one of the best titles for the 16 bit Sega MegaDrive. If you can imagine what Treasure did with this game especially for a system with limited capabilities, you'll be impressed. Since that this game is already more than 11 years old from time of release, it will be very hard for you to find a working copy (except ROMs but we don't want to go there, now, do we?). I read on the boards that some people are selling this game on internet auction sites such as eBay, so you can try your luck there. I will never sell my copy of the game since I bought it with my hard earned money (I was 12 years old at that time. Money was a precious commodity) and also because the game really rocks. I am even sure that it can even beat hit shoot-'em-up games such as the excellent Metal Slug series on the Neo Geo and arcade. How many games allow you to kick, throw and slide and shoot bullet at the same time. Very few huh? Consider that at the year this FAQ was written (2004), the graphic and memory capabilities of the current systems have increased hundreds fold and yet it is still hard to find a game such as these. A priceless classic. When I read the General FAQs, I have noticed that the weapons combinations aspect have already been covered. Some are extensive and some are quite basic. So why did another FAQ where the info can be found elsewhere too? Simple. I am hoping to write a more in-depth, extensive FAQ about the aspect of weapons combinations (or hybrids as I refer them here). I hope that I did a great job for this lovely game. Enjoy! ============================================================================= [2.0] FIRING MODE ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ============================================================================= There are two firing modes that you can choose at the beginning of the game. It is important that you decide which firing mode that you prefer to use because you cannot change this option later on in the game, not even during continues. Here are the characteristics of each firing mode: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | FREE SHOT | FIXED SHOT | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | * Enables you to fire shots while | * You can only fires shots when | | moving around (walking, jumping). | you are not moving. | | * You can switch position (from | * To switch firing positions, you | | standing to crouching or vice | need to release the fire button | | versa) and still firing your shots | for a moment before resuming. | | * Aiming is difficult as you tend to | * You can aim your shots at eight | | move while changing your aim. | directions while standing or | | To aim at certain directions, you | while hanging on a platform | | need to jump and then point at a | and still be static. | | desired direction or even moving | | | around to do so | | | | | | * Ideal for: | * Ideal for: | | - Close range combat, when there | - Long range firing especially | | are a lot of enemies on screen. | when dealing with bosses. | | - Firing and dodging enemy attacks | - Firing at the enemy from a | | at the same time. | (specific) safe distance. | | - Offensive tactic, good for | - Defensive tactic when using | | taking advantage of those short | 'Lightning + Fire' and 'Fire | | range, powerful Fire hybrids. | + Chaser' hybrids that posses | | - Majorly Chaser Hybrids. | awesome destructive powers as | | | you don't exposure yourself to | | | any harm by moving yourself to | | | change your firing aim. | | | - Majorly Lightning and Fire | | | hybrids and a few Force | | | hybrids. | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================================= [3.0] BASIC WEAPONS ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ============================================================================= At the start of the game, you will be asked to select your initial weapon type. The selection is very important because you will be stucked with a weapon type everytime you start over. ============================================================================= F O R C E BASIC WEAPONS ============================================================================= Force is basically a bullet-based projectile weapon. The most prominent trait of Force is rapid fire, meaning that hits that came out from the weapons are fast and plenty. The second most prominent feature is the size of the shots, which is the biggest of all. Any combination of weapons with a Force will posses this characteristic, so if you need a weapon type that can spread widely, able to fire many shots at a time without a lag, this is your choice. Force based weapons has very good firing reach, as good as Lightning but with one distinctive trait that separates a Force and a Lighting: Force weapons cannot pass through barriers such as walls or dividers. In terms of damage, Force is a bit higher than Lightning, second to Fire. When To Use Force: --------------------------- - Too Many Enemies On Screen. --------------------------- Force based weapons will help you to keep the enemies away because of its extensive firing. If you have a lot of enemies on screen that like to charge at your, Force will at least prevent them from getting close to you. This is particularly useful when fighting against those small soldiers that love to kick and throw you as you get close to them. They might be small but annoying as hell. ------------------------- - You Need Big Firing Range ------------------------- Weapon combinations with a Force will always have the upper advantage of having big firing/shooting range. If precise firing is not your thing, you are better off with Force. This is why Force is great for chaotic full screen fighting as well as for dealing with bosses because you can just aim the shots anywhere and guarantee that it will hit any enemy. ============================================================================= L I G H T N I N G BASIC WEAPONS ============================================================================= Lightning is a weapon type that fires thin blue energy ray (sort of like a blue laser beam). Using a Lightning weapon assumes better precision and skills in firing the shots in a particular direction (unlike Force) because Lightning can only be aimed at one direction at a time. If combined with a weapon element, the resulting combination is a weapon type that posses limited hit/attack area even though Lightning can travel towards the end of the screen. Lightning's best property is its ability to go through barriers such as an enemy bullet, walls or any physical dividers that other weapons cannot touch. It can even pass through the enemies' body. Damage wise, Lightning is the third most damaging weapon after Force. When To Use Lightning: ------------------------------------------- - The Enemy Is Protected By A Shield/Barrier. ------------------------------------------- A few bosses in the game actually makes it harder for you to hit them by protecting themselves with distracting elements such as homing bombs, bubbles, secondary enemies on the screen, multiple hit blasts or their protective body parts. Things can get even harder if the enemy can only be hit at specific times, very much like a turtle withdrawing into its shell. For this you need Lightning so that even if you cannot destroy all the distracting elements, at least the enemy suffers some damage. ============================================================================= F I R E BASIC WEAPONS ============================================================================= Fire is the most powerful weapon in this game. Any weapon element combined with Fire will be very powerful, in fact Fire based hybrids top the list of most powerful weapons. The bad thing is, Fire based weapons are very limited in attack range: the worst of all four. Because of its tremendous power, some combinations of Fire based weapons can even extinguished enemy's projectile attack such as bullets, lasers, energy force or stop a blast. That's how powerful this weapon is. When To Use Fire: ------------------------------ - The Enemy Life Points Is Huge. ------------------------------ This is very straight forward but comes with a catch: if you are able to get close to the enemy, then it's fine or else forget it. Fire based weapons are very bad for long range attacks and can be suicidal if being used. If you are going against bosses, Fire is not usually a good choice unless you are very skillful in approaching the enemy. ------------------------------------------------------------------- - You Need To Project Yourself/Your Partner From The Enemies Attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire based hybrids such as 'Fire + Chaser' or 'Fire + Lightning' are extremely damaging but comes with very limited range. You can benefit from this weapon by NOT TO ATTACK THE ENEMY but to PROTECT. Yes, examples of the two weapon hybrids are so powerful that they can vaporise enemy bullets, bombs, stray energy beams or even gigantic blast upon contact. You can perform a strategy of one player protecting the other player who is actually doing the attacking. This can be very useful when fighting against bosses such as the 7 Force. ============================================================================= C H A S E R BASIC WEAPONS ============================================================================= Chaser is the least damaging weapon in the game. The best trait of Chaser is its homing ability. In other word, Chaser based weapons are able to seek out enemies without being aimed properly. Chaser will only attack enemies or any elements on the screen that can be destroyed, very suitable if you unsure of which body part of the enemies that can receive damage. When To Use Chaser --------------------------- - Damage Is Not Your Priority --------------------------- Very well said. If you need to vanquish an enemy in the shortest time possible, ignore this weapon or else you are wasting your time. For normal battles against minor enemies, Chaser based weapons are fine. Against bosses, you are tempting prepare a lot of time spent of firing (and dodging). --------------------------- - Precise Aiming Is Difficult --------------------------- There are times when the enemies are very hard to be hit, either because they are protected by some sort of barrier or protective body parts (of a machine) or if the vulnerable area is out of reach (even with long range weapons such as Force or Lightning). This is when Chaser works best because you don't have to aim the shots at the right direction: the Chaser will do the hard work for you. It can also be said that if you want an effortless battle you can always choose this weapon type. ============================================================================= [4.0] WEAPON HYBRIDS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ============================================================================= Two basic weapons can be combined together to form a hybrid (or combination) that possesses the traits of the two. This is one the best part of Gunstar Heroes as you can switch between one hybrid to another in order to fit the fighting needs at the time. Did I mention that it is so fun too? Anyway, at the end of each hybrid descriptions are ratings for the traits possessed by the hybrid. Here's what the rating points actually meant: Damage : The amount of damage produced by this hybrid on the enemy. Range : The hitting range that the shots fired from the weapon can cover. Hit Factor : The amount of area that the shots can cover at one time. A particular hybrid might that has bigger points for Range (usually Lightning Hybrids) doesn't necessarily attain big points for Hit Factor (usually assigned for Force or Chaser hybrids). Rapidity : The rate of how fast (or how rapid) the shots are fired. Aiming : The effort needed in aiming the weapons to hit the enemy precisely. More effort needed will result in lower points (Lightning hybrids likely). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F O R C E + F O R C E ============================================================================== This is basically a souped up version of the basic Force. You'll get bigger and wider shots, fired at an intense, very rapid pace. The shots fired from this weapon travels out in a Y shaped style: a straight firing line that branches out into two randomly swivering paths. So you'll get an ever bigger and wider shooting zone from this behaviour. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - The biggest plus is of course the huge shots being fired. You can focus to hit more than one enemy at a time, very useful when dealing with a crowded battle area. For body-area specific enemies such as stage bosses, this weapon is highly suitable in increasing your chance of hitting the right vulnerable spot, very good for bosses that moves around a lot or those bosses that hides the vulnerable spot during a specific time frame. - This weapon is not actually very powerful, as least not as powerful as Fire based hybrids. Because of its very rapid firing pace, the enemies receive more hits at one time, meaning more life points is drained away during a continuos firing streak. As I have said before, Force weapons are very good in keeping the enemy at bay, especially this hybrid. When dealing with a single boss (unaided), this weapon is perfect in keeping a safe distance between yourself and the enemy while at the same time inflicting damage. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - Sometimes you will be fighting against enemies that can take huge damage points before being defeated. Higher level enemies such as bosses sometimes are able to move around even when they are receiving hits. This can be bad because this weapon's firing shots will be obstructed by the enemy as he/she (or it) gets closer and closer to you. Because Force weapons don't posses the ability to shot through elements, this would means that all of the fired shots are absorbed by the enemy (until the enemy is destroy). If there are more than one enemies on screen at one time, you'll be unable to protect yourself from their attacks. -------------------- FIXED OR FREE SHOTS? -------------------- - Both are okay because you don't need to aim the shots clearly since the shots are big enough anyway ----------------------- | Damage 6/10 | | Range 7/10 | | Hit Factor 6/10 | | Rapidity 9/10 | | Aiming 6/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F O R C E + L I G H T N I N G ============================================================================== From the looks of this weapon, it doesn't really detract much from the basic Lightning. What you get from this hybrid is rapid laser shots that stray (or spread into many direction) as you change the direction of your weapon's aim. The fired shots are even more rapid than the basic Lightning, benefiting from the union with the Force. Damage is not really great but at least you are able to use the ability of Lightning's penetrative shot with Force's nimble launching speed. There's a catch though: if you wanted to launch stray shots, you need to 'wave' the direction aim of your weapon. What this means is to constantly change the direction of your aim weapon. If not you will only be firing at one straight line. Notice that you get two very evident weapons traits from this union. Not all hybrids showcase this behaviour clearly. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - This weapons highlights the most prominent features of Force and Lightning, so if you need a weapon that is able to fire shot at many areas at one time and being able to pass through obstructive elements: this is your cup of tea. It is fine for regular enemies and bosses but there is no clear indication that it is better for a particular enemy type. This is because damage wise, this weapon is very much average class. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - Having two great features in one weapon usually means that you will have to sacrifice something for that. For this, this weapon inflicts average damage to the enemies. When fighting against regular enemies such as the soldiers, it is not really perfect but good enough. Against bosses, the damage is quite small and you might take more time defeating them. However, this is not really a big hindrance for you as you are able to hit more vulnerable area than more powerful weapons (such as Fire based combinations) due to its long range (and penetrative abilities). As a conclusion, using this weapon is not really a bad thing after all. -------------------- FIXED OR FREE SHOTS? -------------------- - Fixed Shots is a better option because this enables you to aim at multiple direction without moving around a lot. You'll tap the 'stray' shots ability much better too especially when fighting the bosses. Free Shots Mode is okay but most of the time you will be firing in a straight line which defeats the purpose of using this weapon to the max. You can still fire the 'stray' shot but this would mean jumping around or moving back and forth to change the direction of your aim. Rather troublesome and risky in my opinion. ----------------------- | Damage 5/10 | | Range 8/10 | | Hit Factor 6/10 | | Rapidity 7/10 | | Aiming 5/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F O R C E + F I R E ============================================================================== With this weapon combination, you'll be firing big fireballs that will spread (or rather explode) into multiple similarly sized fireballs upon contact with anything solid (walls, enemies, the ground, etc). The size of the fireballs is the same as the single size of the shot produced by the 'Force + Force' hybrid. The firing speed is a bit slower as you'll be launching about 2 fireballs in one second. The fireballs as being said before, will explode as it comes into contact with anything solid. It can also be triggered to explode by letting go of the the fire button (B button by default), useful if it is hard to aim properly. The damage produced by this weapon is very good and highly suitable for fast demolition. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - Despite of the slower firing speed, this weapon is even better for hitting multiple enemies because of the widespread explosion. Imagine a series of chain explosions damaging the enemies (and we are talking about powerful explosions here). For single bosses, this weapons is lovely for long range attacks. You still need to aim though because the fireballs will not explode if they don't touch the enemies' body (or body parts). ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - For close combat, you are taking a risk using this. The shots fired is not fast enough even though the damage is big and the explosions are wide. Most of the time, the enemy will surpassed you by hitting you first so that you are unable to fire at them. The most rational way to get back at them is to do 'button tapping' or else pressing the fire button and then releasing it rapidly. This is done to trigger the explosions without actually having the balls to hit the enemy. The end result is a fire shield that surrounds your player. This can be very tedious to do and you are better off doing physical attacks instead. - Not all of the environments are actually constructed of 'solid' elements that can cause the balls to explode upon contact. If the enemy is the type that move from one point to another very fast, you'll be having a hard time to hit or even benefit from the explosion trait. The slow firing pace doesn't help much either by constantly missing the enemy. -------------------- FREE OR FIXED SHOTS? -------------------- - Fixed Shot definitely. Keep in mind that this weapon is better used from a far distance and using it in Fixed Shot mode helps you to aim better and of course safer too. Free Shot mode is suitable if you are just firing at one direction most of the time. Still, even in this mode, it is highly advisable to fire the shots from afar. You don't have enough time to let the balls to hit the enemy up close. ----------------------- | Damage 8/10 | | Range 7/10 | | Hit Area 7/10 | | Rapidity 4/10 | | Aiming 6/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F O R C E + C H A S E R ============================================================================== Visually, this weapon looks exactly like the 'Force + Force' hybrid without the 'Y' shaped shooting behaviour. Instead you'll get a straight line of big orange bullet balls that aims automatically at the enemies. The homing behaviour of this weapon type is very specific because the straight line shots can only 'bend' itself about 80 degrees from its neutral (straight) point. If you are firing straight up, this means that the shots are able to move either 80 degress to the left of the right. If you are firing straight forward, the shots can move 80 degress upwards or downwards. The rapidity of the shots is the same as the 'Force + Force' combination but the damage is the lowest for a Force hybrid. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - This is a rapid-firing, wide shot, homing weapon. It combines the 'push back' factor of the Force weapon with the homing skills of Chaser. Even though it can only focus on one enemy at one time, the fired shots are released in a continuos pace. This creates a 'string' like appearance of the orange bullet shots. Other enemies can still be whipped by this 'string' line even though the shots are not aimed directly at them. The switching pace, from one enemy to another is fast, ensuring that you'll constantly hit any enemy within the 'bending' range. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - For one, this is an exclusive one-enemy-at-one-time weapon. The weapon does not discriminate between enemy types as it only focus on firing at the enemy nearest to its firing line. If there are many enemies on screen, you'll see that the weapon will randomly shot at the enemies even though that particular enemy is not your main target. This can be annoying when fighting against enemies that fires demolishable missiles, bullets or bombs because you cannot hit them properly. - Another limiting factor is the 'bending' range of this weapon. This is the only hybrid type of Chaser that requires you to do some aiming. When the weapon is all 'stretched out' and cannot reach out anymore, you need to change the direction of your aim. -------------------- FREE OR FIXED SHOTS? -------------------- - No hard rule since it can used finely for both mode. Fixed Shot Mode is good if you constantly changes your aim to fit the 'bending' restriction. Free Shot is still good because you only need to change the direction your character is facing as the shots is able to adjust itself. ----------------------- | Damage 5/10 | | Range 6/10 | | Hit Area 6/10 | | Rapidity 8/10 | | Aiming 6/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ L I G H T N I N G + L I G H T N I N G ============================================================================== This hybrid produces a constant stream of blue Lightning rays. Unlike the 'Force + Lightning' hybrid, the ray can only be aimed at one direction at a time. Since this is a pure Lightning hybrid, it can obviously pass through anything. The high energy lightning ray is powerful, which should rightly be so considering the fired stream is thin and good enough to hit limited number of enemies. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - Imagine a weapon that acts like a straight blue line that pass through anything and that's what you get with this. You can hit multiple enemies at one time as long as they can be hit in a straight line. All of the enemies receive the same amount of damage by a single hit since there is no 'protective effect' of the shot. This is made possible by the ability of the ray to pass through any substance. Other weapon type that is not combined with a Lightning will experience the mentioned 'protective effect' to some extent, which is the phenomenon that causes any shots fired by the weapon to be absorbed by the enemy until they are destroy (or until they dodge the shots). This causes any other enemies that is not receiving the hits to be 'protected' by their comrade. If they do receive any hits, the damage attained will usually be milder since fewer shots actually get to them. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - As said before, this weapon type can only be aimed at one particular direction. Even if can pass through anything, is constantly and rapidly fired, it is still not good enough to destroy many enemies at a time. To actually achieve the feat of destroying many enemies, you just have to aim the shot precisely which made it better off be used in Fixed Shot Mode. With this being said, the firing area of this weapon is very, very limited. ------------------- FREE OR FIXED SHOT? ------------------- - Reading from the description above, you will immediately know that this weapon is born to be used in Fixed Shot Mode. As a general rule, all Lightning based hybrids are better off be used in Fixed Shot Mode except 'Lightning + Chaser'. ----------------------- | Damage 7/10 | | Range 8/10 | | Hit Area 5/10 | | Rapidity 8/10 | | Aiming 4/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LIGHTNING + FIRE ============================================================================== This is by far one of the top two most powerful weapon in this game. The fire power of this weapon is so immense that it can destroy a few more harming elements thrown by the enemy which includes stray bullets, energy bursts, grenades, laser and energy blasts (to name a few). All the other weapons combinations in this game (except the 'Fire + Chaser' hybrid) are unable to produce destructive powers as great as this. The mentioned harming elements would normally be able to pass through the shots of the other weapon combinations: requiring you to dodge them while firing at the enemy. The bad side of this weapon is the range, which is the shortest of all of the hybrids. The resultant outcome of this hybrid is a blue, sword-like high energy beam (think of the light-sabre in Star Wars movie). ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - The most obvious reason is the outstanding fire power. This weapon can be utilised best for close range combat due to its very limited reach. That would mean that this weapon is great for almost all circumstances except for bosses where long range firing is the most ideal style (most of the time). - Certain enemies have the tendency to send projectiles flying towards you. This makes it difficult to aim your shots and dodging their projectiles at the same time. Rather that using the strategy of firing at the suitable period (such as when the enemy is reloading), you can attempt to counter their attacks by negating or absorbing the projectiles with the weapon. If you are playing a two player game, the user of this weapon can be the protector (or the shielder), while the other player can focus on firing at the enemy. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - Range is extremely limited. You are taking a risk of trying to use the fire power advantage when fighting against enemies that are either fast moving, uses its entire body to attack, or those that launches projectiles to hit you. Even though this weapon is able to counter almost all of the enemies' projectiles, it is virtually impossible for you to hit all of them precisely. Remember that this is a Lightning hybrid weapon, you can only aim at one direction. Use this weapon wisely. ------------------- FREE OR FIXED SHOT? ------------------- - Any one is okay depending on the desired usage: Free Shot Mode for offensive playing and Fixed Shot Mode for defensive strategy. ----------------------- | Damage 10/10 | | Range 4/10 | | Hit Area 4/10 | | Rapidity 8/10 | | Aiming 4/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ L I G H T N I N G + C H A S E R ============================================================================== This is one of the fastest moving weapon in this game. With this hybrid you get a single stream of blue Lightning ray that chases the enemy. The homing trait of this hybrid is the same as the 'Force + Chaser' combination as it can only focus on one enemy at one time. There are many positive aspects of this hybrid. One, the Lightning stream moves at a very fast rate, faster then the 'Chaser + Chaser' combination. As it switches between one target to another, any enemies on its journey path will be receiving the damage as well. Secondly, you don't need to aim this weapon at all since it can find its target automatically. Because this is a Lightning hybrid, it can directly pass through the vulnerable area of an enemy without being stopped by obstructions (and we are talking about a weapon that seeks its target). With all those good stuff, the damage is surely average. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - It's fast, targets the vulnerable part without much hesitation and require no effort in aiming. You can keep the button pressed and only move the D-Pad to avoid the enemies' attacks. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - The worst bit of this weapon is its single focus. Once it hits a target, it will keep damaging that target until the target is destroyed. If you are dealing with a lot of enemies, make sure that they can be destroyed quickly by the Lightning ray or else you are defenceless. You can switch the focus of the ray by letting go of the fire button and pressing it again so that it can finds a new target. Sometimes, the Lightning ray can be 'distracted' by attacking elements that you don't intent to hit. It can even lost focus by hitting the wrong body part of the enemy that don't receive damage at all. ------------------- FREE OR FIXED SHOT? ------------------- - Free Shot Mode definitely. No question. ----------------------- | Damage 6/10 | | Range 8/10 | | Hit Area 7/10 | | Rapidity 6/10 | | Aiming 8/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F I R E + F I R E ============================================================================== The flame thrower. This is nothing more than a longer version of the basic Fire. By changing the direction of your weapon's aim, you are able to 'shake' the flame around. The flame stream is continuous, so as you move around or as you change the firing aim, the entire flame trail will follow you to your current position. This is great to estimate the range of hit that the weapon can reach. The flame trail is composed of a few medium sized fire balls that is able to stretch when you 'shake' them. This makes it possible to extend the range of the shot. If you need to hit even further, release the fire button and the rest of the flame will disperse into tiny burst of flame. You can treat this behaviour similarly as the 'Force + Lightning' combination by 'shaking' the firing aim to get stray shots. Range is still limited but at least it is a bit longer than the basic Fire version. Damage is still good being a Fire hybrid. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - Powerful, good range (even for a Fire hybrid) and extremely versatile. Suitable for any situation be it when fighting against normal enemies or bosses. This is truly one of the most balanced weapon in this game. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - Again, not much. Range is limited but you can get around this limitation by doing the 'shaking' or treating it like an ordinary projectile weapon: press and release the fire button. ------------------- FREE OR FIXED SHOT? ------------------- - Depending on the situation, these two firing modes can be used interchangingly. If you need to be at a safe distance from the enemy, then Fixed Shot Mode is a great choice. With this, you are able to aim the flame more accurately without moving too much, and... you have better angle to do the 'shaking' or sending bursts of flame towards your enemy. Free Shot Mode is perfect to incinerate large crowds of enemy as the flaming trail can act as a 'wiping' tool that clears anything on its path. Very cool huh? ----------------------- | Damage 8/10 | | Range 7/10 | | Hit Area 7/10 | | Rapidity 7/10 | | Aiming 6/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F I R E + C H A S E R ============================================================================== This hybrid produces a burst of flame that chases over the enemies on the screen. Like most other Chaser hybrids (except 'Chaser + Chaser'), the focus of attacking is only on one enemy at a time. There are two ways of how you can use this weapon. First you can just press the fire button and let the flame finds its target automatically. While this works good, the travelling speed of the flame is slow, the slowest of all Chaser hybrids. Using it this way is not suitable when there are too many enemies on the screen. The second approach is to 'control' the direction of where the flame can go. Any movements that you made with the D-Pad will translate exactly as to where the flame will go. To increases the speed of the flame, keep on pressing a particular direction key on the D-Pad for a longer period. By controlling the flame, the chasing trait is ignored until you let go of the D-Pad (by not pressing it at all). Damage produced is very good, second to the 'Lightning + Fire' combination. This is another weapon that is also able to vanquish the enemies harming elements such as missiles, stray bullets, bombs or grenades, blasts etc., very much like what the 'Lightning + Fire' combination is able to do. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - One word: DAMAGE. This is the second most powerful weapon you can use in this game. Against bosses, this weapon is a dream. You can protect yourself and your partner or... you can use this weapon for what it does best, causing major pain. Being second in terms of damage still makes it a great choice due to its longer and further reach. Speed can be slow but that can be increased by controlling it manually. As a 'shielding' weapon, if you have mastered the controlling aspects, it works much better than the 'Lightning + Fire' combination because you are able to destroy the harming elements further away before it even gets to you. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - You cannot treat this weapon like your regular Chaser hybrid, as in press the fire button and let the weapon take care of anything on screen. If you want this kind of effect, you must stand still at one spot while the flame does all the chasing... with a slow speed. If it takes quite some time to destroy an enemy, the flame will linger around, moving up and down, back and forth in order to do some damage. So that means the enemy will only be receiving damage when the flame touches them. To counter all of these limitations, you need to control the flame manually. By doing this, the flame speed can be increased many folds, the moving behaviour can be determined, and the enemy target can also be chosen. Remember though that, this actually means moving your character around a lot. It is very likely that you can hit the enemy or its attacking projectiles just to control the direction of the flame. With its slow speed and single attacking focus, this weapon is surely not a choice for close range combat unless you are able to do the controlling. ------------------- FREE OR FIXED SHOT? ------------------- - Very self explanatory: Fixed Shot. ----------------------- | Damage 9/10 | | Range 7/10 | | Hit Area 4/10 | | Rapidity 5/10 | | Aiming 3/10 | ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C H A S E R + C H A S E R ============================================================================== The ultimate Chaser weapon. This hybrid produces star-shaped, green homing projectiles that travels at an amazing speed. Unlike all other Chaser hybrids, the star shots fired are plenty, making it possible to hit multiple enemies at the same time. You don't need to aim the weapon at all even though you can still do so to let the stars travel less further in hitting the target by pointing the aim at the enemy. Damage is the most minimal of all the hybrids, but considering how fast the stars hit the enemy plus the number of enemies that it can attack, the accumulated inflicted damage is considerably huge. ------------------------ WHY THIS WEAPON IS COOL: ------------------------ - Fast and plenty shots. The most ideal usage of this weapon is when fighting against a lot enemies on screen at the same time. Even though the damage is not big, it is still better to have guaranteed shots than using a powerful weapon that is difficult to aim. The almighty lazy man's weapon. ----------------------- WHY THIS WEAPON IS BAD: ----------------------- - Nothing much except the damage. If you need a weapon that can kill enemies in an instant, stay away from this. -------------------- FIXED OR FREE SHOTS? -------------------- - Free Shot Mode all the way. ----------------------- | Damage 6/10 | | Range 7/10 | | Hit Area 8/10 | | Rapidity 8/10 | | Aiming 8/10 | ----------------------- ============================================================================= [5.0] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ============================================================================= I don't really sure who I should thank for since it has been a long, long time since this game was released. But I am trying my best here. * Sega Corporation for producing all those memorable games series such as Sonic, Bare Knuckle (Streets of Rage), and for the lovely Sega Megadrive which despite limited in terms of graphics and sound capabilities, out last the Super NES for the great quality of games. Thank you!!! I really miss those moments when they were still producing game consoles. * Treasure, for maxing out the capabilities of the MegaDrive with this game. I am not really sure if you guys are still around but if you do, I will take a look at the games that you guys have done. You guys should be proud of this classic masterpiece. * GameFAQs.com for hosting this FAQ and all the other FAQs by me. * My Sega Megadrive for still working (albeit barely alive) up to this days. What a great system. * My brother for playing this game with me. I sure had a great time with you two. * You, for reading up until this point. Thank you!!!