=============================================================================== * ELEVATOR ACTION II * (Elevator Action Returns) FAQ Version 0.100 For The Taito F3 & Sega Saturn (c) gameoverDude 2003 =============================================================================== Table of Contents 00) Trademarks 01) Legal Crapola 02) History 03) About Elevator Action II 04) Game Start 05) Things To Know 06) A Few Tips 07) Soundtrack 08) Shout-Outs 09) The Pillory 10) Final Disclaimer =============================================================================== 00) TRADEMARKS: Elevator Action II and all related trademarks are property of Taito Corporation. Any other trademarks are those of their respective owners. =============================================================================== 01) LEGAL CRAPOLA (Terms & Conditions): This FAQ is Copyright (C) gameoverDude 2003. All rights reserved. It may be posted only on the following sites: www.gamefaqs.com GameFAQS www.gameoverdude.com gameoverDude.com, the author's web site. Did you see this FAQ on another site? Tell me pronto. It is to be EXCLUSIVE to these sites. Sorry, I will not grant permission to host this FAQ elsewhere. No one is to profit from this FAQ. This includes but is not limited to magazines, COP-DN or other for-profit sites, and others. The FAQ may neither be used as a basis for commercial strategy guides nor may it be sold. You must not pay a penny for it. If you sell games, you may not give my FAQ away with it. DON'T STEAL MY WORK. I don't intend for anyone to make a lamearse profit off my work. Don't plagiarize. If you wish to use any info found herein in a FAQ or other material you are working on, ask the author for permission first. If permission is granted, you are to credit the author in your work for the information used. If permission is not granted, then believe me- you'll be looking for trouble if you use any of this info in your FAQ. The author reserves the right to litigate if the TERMS & CONDITIONS are violated. If you disagree, you may not use this FAQ. This FAQ is protected by the Berne Copyright Convention of 1976 as well as any US Copyright laws. NOTE: I can only be reached via a Private Message at my site gameoverDude.com. Due to spam, I regret to inform you that I no longer accept email. OK, I think I've bored you enough with this legal crap. Let's go! =============================================================================== 02) HISTORY: June 05, 2003 Work begins on the FAQ for Elevator Action II (hereinafter referred to as EA2). June 16, 2003 Version 0.100 of the FAQ is finally published. =============================================================================== 03) ABOUT EA2: Released in 1995, EA2 is Taito's sequel to their 1983 spy themed platform game. The cartoony style of the original game and the comical BGM are replaced with a more butt-kicking look, good voice acting, and a dramatic soundtrack. If the Violence Mode setting is on hard, there's some blood when you damage or kill enemies or have one crushed under an elevator. The game carries an AMOA red tag rating of "Animated Violence- Strong". In 1997, EA2 was ported to the Sega Saturn. This is a perfect port, but the score counter has 7 digits instead of the arcade's 6 (maybe high scores in Japan have gone over 1,000,000). After you beat the Saturn version, you get to play the original EA by choosing the "Old" game from the start menu. =============================================================================== 04) GAME START: You can choose from one of three characters: Kart Bradfield - The fastest of the three with decent stamina. Gun power is not as good as the other two, though. Subweapon is a Grenade that sends an explosion across the entire screen. After a slight delay, it will blow. This blast cannot go through walls. Edie Burrett - Can run quite fast and has excellent firepower, but can go down rather easy in battle if you're not careful. Subweapon is a Fire Bomb that creates a lingering flame after exploding. The Fire Bomb will detonate rather quickly. The flames will dissipate after a few seconds. Jad the Taff - Slow as hell, but can take a lorryload of damage. Subweapon is a Sensor Bomb that explodes after a set time or if an enemy gets too close to it. The sensor bomb is weaker on flying armored vehicles, but will take out groups of soldiers because the shrapnel does get around nicely. You have a life gauge that decreases if you are shot or physically assaulted, but there are other ways to buy the farm. If you are crushed under a lift or fall down a shaft, kiss your ass goodbye (unless of course you have another life left). You cannot find any extra lives, so be careful. The Saturn version limits each player to 3 credits. Scores don't reset in any version when you continue, but instead you get 1 point for continuing. Only one-credit scores (ending in "00") truly mean much. =============================================================================== 05) THINGS TO KNOW: Basic Moves- EA2 uses an 8-way stick and 2 buttons (or it can be set for 3 on Saturn.* ) L or R - Walk left or right. L,L (hold) or R,R (hold) - Run in that direction U or D (in elevator) - Go up or down U (on floor) - Aim gun diagonally upward D/DL/DR (on floor) - Crouch Shot + Jump - Toss Bomb (Subweapon) D/DL/DR +Shot + Jump - Roll Bomb a short distance Jump - Jump Attack enemies. * The Saturn version's controls can be configured to allow the use of a third button for bombs. NOTE: Jad the Taff will ram enemies or objects if he runs into them. You can crouch in the elevator if you're taking it down- keep holding down. If you're going up, then you'll need to rise and tap up when the elevator gets to the next floor. OBJECTS Boxes, Drums, etc.- To make a drum start rolling, simply attack it. Enemies that it runs over will be injured or killed. Other objects can stop the drum and blow it up. Dealing enough damage to a drum will cause it to explode & catch on fire. Drums can be crushed under elevators. Destroying boxes and other debris can leave you some items or cause an explosion. Large boxes tend to give you special weapons (L & M). A few boxes throughout the game have a couple of grenades hidden in them. When one of these is upset, the ordinance clatters to the floor and acts like one of Kart's grenades. Fire & Explosions (from boxes, Edie's bomb, secret grenades, & drums)- Lethal to all enemies on contact. Boss enemies take damage. Does not affect you. The player who caused the fire will get a Special Kill bonus for enemies who die in this manner. Special Items- Red Door - Entering these rooms is required to progress further in the current stage. If you're taking a bit too long to get to the next red door, you'll be nagged with a Caution alarm which sounds about as pleasant as a cat having its tail stepped on with cleats. You get 1000 points. Blue Door- Going behind a blue door will trigger a spinning wheel with various items on it. When you hit the shoot button, what it stops on is what you get. Point Items- These include CD-ROMs (2000 pts.),computers, etc. Health Items- These give varying amounts of life back. Some of these items include health drinks, burgers, fries, etc. M (Machine Gun)- An M item contains 100 bullets. Nothing fancy- it's just your typical rapid-fire hold the button down type gun. Once this is gone, you revert to the pistol. L (Launcher) - Contains 20 Rockets. If you shoot an enemy with a rocket he'll catch on fire. Rocket kills score 2X (or 4X if you did the attack in a darkened area). A rocket continues across the screen until it is stopped by a wall, so you can take out several foes. If more enemies come out and bump into their burning comrades, they may also catch on fire. Once all rockets are fired, you revert to the pistol. When the missile hits a wall, the resulting explosion can hit targets. Try shooting one into the ceiling when an enemy is above you. All enemies except the flying armor will go down in one hit, even the Riot Shield troopers. An added bonus is that this can neutralize enemy bullets. * If you have bullets left on an M item and pick up another one, the new 100 is added to your stock. So, if you have 45 bullets left in the machine gun just before you pick up another M, you'll have a total of 145. The L item works this way also. However, if you switch from M to L or vice versa then you will lose the original weapon and all its remaining rounds. Bombs - Extra subweapon charges. A small case (single bomb) offers 5, and a large one (box) gives 10. Not an easy item to find. Lights & Power Boxes- Shooting out lights and power boxes can temporarily darken a part of the stage. When a light is shot out, the darkness covers that floor. Knocking out the power will darken the entire area. You have an opportunity for bonus points in this case (see Kill Bonuses below). Three pistol shots will take out a power box. If the blackout is caused by destroying a power box, it will last longer than one from shooting out the lights. All items taken are worth double if done in a blacked out area. If your life gauge is full, you get points for food- be a pig! :D Red doors are worth double, so you may want to wait until you shoot a light out. Security Box- This is a small red metallic container on the wall that can be opened with an explosion. Drums or bombs will do the trick. You can get a CD-ROM (2000 or 4000 points) out of this. Cameras- These pivot back and forth looking for you. If you're sighted, a brief siren goes off. I'm not sure how being found affects you. Control Panels- Some electrocution traps are keyed to a control panel. Blow that away to shut them down. Special Kill Bonuses These kinds of kills are Special Kills which are worth 2X the enemy's value. *Hand-to-hand attacks *Bombing *Overrun by drum *Fire/Explosion *Crushing under elevator *Electrocution *Secret grenade *Falling lights or cameras Kills in darkened areas are worth double their normal amount. When the lights go out, you may want to start slugging rather than shooting. If a Special Kill is done in a darkened area, then you receive 4X the enemy's point value (this means the karate guys in suits cough up a big 2,000 when cold-cocked or bombed, for example). All SKs will show the point value on screen. Jump attacks do NOT count as melee kills. Neither does Jad's running into an enemy. HAZARDS Electrocution Traps These will shoot a zap of electric either horizontally or vertically. Some of them will be disabled if you blow out the corresponding control panel. These can damage you and do Special Kills to enemies. Time Bomb When you approach one, its timer will start at 3 then count down to zero. It then explodes, doing damage to you or taking out enemies who happen to be too close. If an enemy is killed with a time bomb, then this is scored as a bomb kill. It's fun to attempt this but rather risky. These will be dropped by flying armored vehicles as they approach you. INSTANT DEATH Being Crushed By An Elevator If an elevator crushes you against a floor or ceiling, you lose one life immediately. Time Over Once your remaining time for the stage is down to a minute, you will hear "Hurry up!". The timer will then be shown on screen until you clear the stage or it expires. One life is lost right away if you run out of time. =============================================================================== 06) A FEW TIPS- not a walkthrough First and foremost- KNOW YOUR ENEMY. Enemies: Lackeys- These guys have long hair and wear either blue, red, or black shirts. The red ones take 2 shots or one smack to go down, but sometimes they leave you a parting gift. Will shoot if they see you. Can crouch and shoot. Zombie Soldiers- Bald and shirtless, these guys have an eerie gait. They don't shoot on sight, but instead will cut loose with dual machine guns when you least expect it. Two shots or one good whack do them in. They can fire from a standing or crouching position. Karate Agents- These guys in dark suits not only have guns but would prefer kicking the snot out of you at close range. They can also shoot while retreating. Can fire from standing and crouching positions or while lying down. Trenchcoat Goons- Hidden under their coats are shotguns. They can only shoot while standing. Guard Dogs- If they see you, they'll charge and try to make a snack of you. Hazmat Squads- Clad in orange hazardous material gear, they carry either flamethrowers or guns. Occasionally they will fly on jetpacks and mob you from the air. Three hits from bullets or hand-to-hand will do them in. The purple ones are bosses and will take tremendous damage before biting the dust. Spiderbots- Often found in a dormant position. When they sense your presence, they'll drop down. They are low to the ground, so their bullets must be jumped over. They'll crawl on walls and ceilings to get where they want to go. It takes a few shots to take them out with the pistol. OTOH, one jump attack does them in. Special Squad- They carry riot shields which will break if you keep shooting. If they're feeling cantankerous, they will try to cap you from a lying down position. Flying Armor- It zips around the screen and is armed with a machine gun. Will also drop Time Bombs. Terrorist Leader- You will see him taunting you a few times. Later in stage 6, you'll have to deal with him personally. Reach his inner chamber and he's got a really nasty surprise waiting. Stage 1 This is nothing fancy- you're going straight toward the bottom. Get some practice shooting the lights and powerboxes to take advantage of the Blackout bonus. Stage 2, Top Floor The orange hazmat suits will keep right on coming. Here's a chance to milk some points, weapon supply and timer permitting. Stage 3, Boss Battle: Shoot the power box in the bottom right corner JUST 2 times. Wait until the terrorist leader taunts you, then turn off the juice. Immediately afterward, go to the top floor and detonate the barrels with your gun. Get back to the bottom level. Many jetpack enemies will fly into the flames and barbeque theirselves giving you 1,200 points a pop. Stage 4 Watch for the flying armored vehicles. These will lay Time Bombs or even drop them at you from above, as well as use a frontal machine gun. Bombs help, but in a pinch you can use dashing and jump attacks. More tips to come. My best 1-credit score is 650,300 on the Hard setting with 2 lives (Player Stock 1) and 20 grenades. I lost my last life to the end boss- argh! =============================================================================== 07) SOUNDTRACK The soundtrack is from Zuntata member "Yack." (Yasuhisa Watanabe), who has also done the soundtrack for Super Chase, Fighter's Impact, Kaiser Knuckle, and a lot of others. Currently, he has composed the BGM for Border Down, a shooter on Sega's Naomi which I hope comes out on a home system. =============================================================================== 08) SHOUT-OUTS (The Credits): If you supply me any information that is used in this FAQ, you're going to be credited here. Corrections are welcome as well, if something is wrong. Taito Corporation, for yet another excellent game. Ving, for bringing it perfectly to the Sega Saturn on 2/14/1997. Jeff Veasey of Game FAQs ( gamefaqs.com ) for having started a great FAQ site. You, for checking my FAQ out. Thanks! =============================================================================== 09) THE PILLORY A few guilty parties are here to be subjected to public shame. You may now throw your rotten tomatoes at: Megagames.com - For ripping off more than a few members of the Game FAQs community. ( Ripping en masse) Gamesdomain.com - Ripping en masse. CNET Games Center games.netscape.com/Faqs - Ripping en masse. If anyone violates copyrights on my FAQ, they will be listed here as well. =============================================================================== 10) FINAL DISCLAIMER This FAQ publication is (C) gameoverDude 2003. All Rights Reserved. Breaking the Copyright is a prosecutable offense subject to applicable civil & criminal penalties. Using this FAQ in an attempt to profit from it is strictly forbidden. No web site other than gameoverDude.com or GameFAQs may host it. It is not to be used to aid in the preparation of a commercial strategy guide. The FAQ is NEVER to be altered. If this FAQ is ever ripped, the guilty party will be going into The Pillory above with all the other FAQ rippers. Taito Corporation is the sole owner of all copyrights and trademarks that are relevant to Elevator Action II. Any other trade marks are the properties of their respective owners. Last note: If you find something out about the game that I've not covered in this FAQ, I'd like to hear about it. Please give me any comments or suggestions you may have as well via Forum Private Message (requires registration) at: www.gameoverDude.com ===============================================================================