TIME CRISIS ENEMIES GUIDE Written by Desmond Hew wilddog_tc@hotmail.com Jun 18, 1999 [PLAYSTATION and ARCADE] This FAQ may be electronically reproduced in whole or part, free of charge, as long as credit is given to its author, Desmond Hew. This FAQ is NOT to be altered in any way or used for profitable/promotional purposes of any kind. This document was created and is owned only by me [Desmond Hew]. You can e-mail me at wilddog_tc@hotmail.com on your comments or whatsoever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Greetings fellow gamers, and welcome to my one and only 'TIME CRISIS ENEMIES GUIDE'! I've personally made this whole guide because Time Crisis is among my ALL-TIME favorites and since I have the opportunity, why not tell of all the great stuff I've experienced with this game! For several months, I've worked myself up to get in-depth info on all the enemies as well as insane strategies to beat the bosses. I could not possibly make walkthroughs for all the areas in the game as it'll take waaaaay too long to complete. And since the game is now marginally old [but sort of a classic], it wasn't practical for me to do it all. Time Crisis overall, is seriously tough and Namco really should be given credit for its creative ways. It takes loads of skills [and cash] to even get you all the way to the final boss. In my guide, I've covered all 3 bosses as detailed as I've possibly could. All the dangers to be aware of the regular enemies have also been included to assist you. So as what his superior said to him [in the 'briefing' cut-scene], "Good luck Richard!". NOTE: If you're unclear about certain parts of this guide, then don't hesitate to e-mail me your problems. Time Crisis and the Time Crisis logo are registered trademarks of Namco Ltd. Playstation and the Playstation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. This guide is copyright 1999 by Desmond Hew. CONTENTS: I.) The Enemies II.) The Bosses III.) My Tips For You IV.) The Ranking System V.) The Ranking Chart VI.) T.C.'s Best Feature VII.) Improving Your Time VIII.)Version Update IX.) Special Thanks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE ENEMIES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time Crisis is loaded with some of the most relentless scums who'd just love to pulverize your life with lead! Most of them attack you with many strategic methods [which does make things tough], unlike those in Virtua Cop [1 and 2]. The great thing about them though, is that not every soldier has the exact same accuracy as one another. Depending on which enemy attacks you, his accuracy, speed and agility will vary, which makes Time Crisis seem more realistic than other gun games! If you're having too much trouble with any of these punks, then my guide here might just be the thing you're looking for! BLUE SOLDIERS Clothing: blue in color uniform and wears sunglasses Weapon: Handgun Accuracy: 20% - 40% Appears:- Stage 1: Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3. Stage 2: Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3. Stage 3: Area 1, Area 2, and Boss Area. The most common of the whole batch. You'll see these guys just about every time you stick your head out after hearing "ACTION!". Fortunately, their accuracy isn't much to worry about. But that DOESN'T mean you don't need to watch your back. A very important note to remember is that the accuracy of ALL the soldiers in the game who carry handguns, can VARY. If you frequently play the game, you'll notice that some blue soldiers fire very slowly, while some others rapidly pull their triggers like maniacs! Just like a real person, their accuracy maybe spot-on if they do it. So it's most essential to look out for anyone of these goons who tend to hammer on their triggers. But usually, it's not all that much of a problem to deal with blue soldiers. Better yet, who's to bother watching out for these guys when the game has other punks, many times more dangerous than them! BROWN SOLDIERS Clothing: brown shirt, light yellow pants and wears sunglasses. Weapon: Handgun Accuracy: 35% - 50% Appears:- Stage 1: Area 1, Area 2, Area 3. Stage 2: Area 1, Area 2, Area 3. Stage 3: Area 1, Area 2, Boss Area. Supposedly, these guys [who are commanders] have a higher hit rate than the blue soldiers. Usually, you'll see them leading a group and ordering them to gun you down. Brown soldiers aren't too common and they hardly have a habit of hammering their triggers so it's not likely for them to always get a bullseye shot. They can still get lucky, but not often. BLUE SHIELDED SOLDIERS Clothing: dark blue uniform, wears a helmet, carries a bulletproof shield, and wears red shades! Weapon: Handgun Accuracy: 20% - 40% Appears:- Stage 1: Area 1, Area 3. Stage 2: Area 1, Area 2, Area 3. Stage 3: Area 1, Area 3, Boss Area. Note: For their appearance in Area 3 of Stage 3, they DON'T carry shields. There's very little difference between these guys and the regular blue soldiers. Their accuracy is just as lame, but also varies from how quick they pull the trigger. The only noticeable difference is that these punks carry a considerably large shield which protects half [sometimes 3 quarter] of their bodies as they run or attack. My guess is that these guys are here to sort of test [or should I say force] players into shooting more carefully, instead of firing blindly [which does work in other gun games]. For the average player, getting a clean/easy shot at them can be annoying; some may even need a full clip to take out just one bugger. Observation though, really does work in getting rid of them. If you watch carefully, you'll notice their legs are usually exposed as they run or attack. So if you want them dropped quick, go for their legs. Unfortunately, that's not the TRULY effective solution for these punks; some of them tend to literally shield themselves [including their legs], preventing fast players from nailing them quickly. Sometimes, it's also tough to shoot their legs as they run because their shields continuously block them. So what's the REAL solution? Well, it's tough, but effective; go for their heads instead! That's right! Their heads will FOREVER be exposed regardless of what they're doing. So if you're a good marksman [at least try to be], you'll find that shooting for their face or fore head will always bring them down instantly! Supposing you can't cope with this one, your last option is to shoot for their legs. Aiming for either their chests or arms is pretty pointless. RED SOLDIERS Clothing: wears a red uniform, and wears…………sunglasses! Weapon: Handgun Accuracy: 90% Appears:- Stage 1: Area 1, Area 2 and Area 3. Stage 2: ALL AREAS [!!] Stage 3: ALL AREAS [?!!] The ever annoying buggers whom every Time Crisis player hates! In case you aren't aware, red soldiers are probably THE MOST dangerous of all the regular troopers! Although their accuracy isn't really 100% as some others [yes there ARE some enemies with that skill], their VERY FIRST bullet fired is normally spot-on! These guys also have the element of surprise to pop-out [very fast!] at the most unanticipated moments. And since they fire bullets [which obviously travel at the speed of light], you'll naturally find yourself short of a life everytime one of them appears. Yep, that spells [well, sort of] absolute trouble!! On a bright side, their SECOND bullet [and so forth] forever misses and it will take a few more shots before they can get another direct hit into your face. So if you've successfully dodged their first bullet, you're pretty safe [which gives you the advantage to shoot back for revenge]! Generally, red soldiers, are a real pain in the butt [which is probably why they're in the game] and if you really want to complete the game, you're gonna have to memorize all their appearances throughout! Yeah I know that sucks, but other ways of dealing with them are mostly ineffective because they usually attack quick. Through my experience [when I was first an amateur] their bullets were already in my face by the time I noticed their presence! Of course, in some situations, you will see them first BEFORE they even have a chance to aim at you. Well, from all these info, I suggest your priority is to shoot red soldiers FIRST whenever you see them. Just don't be overconfident or……… WHITE SOLDIERS Clothing: white in color uniform. Weapon: Varies from handguns, machineguns, grenades, iron poles and daggers! Accuracy: Varies from the weapon you see them using: Handgun: 50% - 75% Machinegun: 88% - 94% Grenade: 100% Iron poles: 100% Daggers: 70% - 93% Appears:- Stage 1: n/a Stage 2: Boss area Stage 3: Area 3, Boss Area. Although they don't look very different [other than color] from their blue, red, [and so on] brothers, I consider white soldiers as special enemies. This is because they can use all sorts of weapons unlike the others. But don't get confused with what I've just said; I'm NOT saying they can switch to another weapon anytime. What I mean is that you won't always see them using the same weapons; some will use handguns, others a machinegun and so forth [as listed above]. Judging from their accuracy, you can tell that they are deceptively deadly. So my advice to you for these twerps, is to gun them all down without any hesitation. ORANGE SOLDIERS Clothing: orange uniform [pretty obvious] and sunglasses. Weapon: Handgun Accuracy: 0% [yahoo!] Appears:- Stage 1: Area 1, Area 2, Area 3. Stage 2: Area 2, Area 3. Stage 3: ALL areas. Apparently, these guys are some sort of joke for being "enemies". Generally, orange soldiers are EXTREMELY harmless! Well, they do attack, at least they TRY to; most of them aim their handguns at you, but NEVER even decide to pull the trigger [which is why their accuracy is considered zero]!! Worse still [but kinda amusing], they'll fall back, run off and never return! Other orange soldiers will just impatiently run off [very fast] like cowards when you see them! This really makes me wonder how did they get hired in the first place. Actually, that's the whole point – they DON'T want you to shoot them. True that that applies to all enemies, but for orange soldiers, they're desperate. You see, these guys actually give you a time bonus when you shoot them! You'll notice text words like "+5 sec." appear on-screen when you shoot them. The time bonus you get will then be added to your 'time extension' when you proceed to the next scene. The only problem is that it's normally not easy to shoot them. Basically though, orange soldiers are here to help players throughout the game [?!]; there's nothing worse than getting " TIME IS UP!" even after all your hardwork in keeping your lives unscathed. For novice players, shooting them, are most essential to help you complete the game. Be warned though, orange soldiers can sometimes be used as a distraction to the enemy's advantage; it can be tempting to shoot them when you should be taking care of the more dangerous foes on screen. Still, you'll need them until you can find better ways to improve your time. When that happens, you'll find that shooting them will no longer be necessary. NOTE: The time bonus you get from the orange soldiers is based on how quick you shoot them. The earlier they're shot, the higher the time bonus [5 seconds at maximum] you receive! MACHINE GUNNERS Clothing: light green suit, a blue scarf, has vertical hair and sunglasses. Weapon: Machinegun [of course] Accuracy: 88% - 94% Appears:- Stage 1: Area 3. Stage 2: ALL areas Stage 3: Area 1, Area 3, Boss Area. NOTE: Some machine gunners in Stages 2 and 3, will be portrayed by white soldiers. Though machine gunners can't instantly get a direct hit with their first bullet [unlike Red soldiers], the constant firing of their machineguns still makes them particularly dangerous. Like real machineguns, getting spot-on shots is a snap for them if you stay out too long in their gunfire. So if you see anyone of these spikeheads in a group, take them out first [but still look out for red soldiers]! Fortunately though, machine gunners aren't very quick so you should be able to shoot them before they can do the same to you. If lets say one of them already has his bullets spraying on to you, make use of the pedal by continuously ducking as you try to nail him. Staying down and waiting for him to stop firing is pretty useless as it costs you precious time! POLE SOLDIERS Clothing: yellow jacket, green pants, yellow hat and sunglasses. Weapon: Iron pole Accuracy: 100%! Appears:- Stage 1: Area 3 Stage 2: n/a Stage 3: Area 1, Area 3, Boss Area. NOTE: Some pole soldiers in Stage 3 will be portrayed by white soldiers. I'll be frank here; these guys are utterly annoying! Pole soldiers tend to quickly step right in front of you [up close] and smash your face with their iron poles [notice there's some blood on it]. They'll either interfere with your shooting, or give you one hell of a shock! If you're a first timer, you'll know what I mean when you reach Stage 3. As you move on, pole soldiers become more annoying, fast and aggressive [though their appearances are brief], making things even difficult for you. At least it's easy to nail them since they attack at point blank range. Still, these numbskulls are not to be underestimated. Just be quick in releasing your pedal if you think it's too late to shoot them. You wouldn't want to get careless with these guys! GRENADIERS Clothing: yellow jacket, green pants, yellow hat and sunglasses. Weapon: Grenades Accuracy: 100%! Appears:- Stage 1: Area 1, Area 3. Stage 2: Area 1, Area 3, and Boss Area. Stage 3: Area 1, Area 3, and Boss Area. NOTE: The grenadiers in the Boss Area of Stage 2, will be portrayed by white soldiers. If you check their description, you'll notice that grenadiers seem very similar to pole soldiers. Well, that's because they are! Tell you the truth though, I think they look like construction workers of some sort. Well anyway, grenadiers attack you with er……………grenades! Yes their accuracy is what you see above, but they are practically among the slowest enemies to attack. In many situations, where you're shooting hordes of baddies, grenadiers normally show up and bug you with their grenades. This forces you to take cover everytime and can be annoying. It goes without saying that it's best to gun them down as soon as possible. Usually, you'll see them BEFORE they start throwing their grenades, so shooting them in time [just like some of the other baddies] ISN'T really difficult. Shooting their thrown grenades in the air IS POSSIBLE, but it really isn't worth it at all! You're not playing Virtua Cop you know! BAZOOKA SOLDIERS Clothing: Light brown suit and wears sunglasses. Weapon: Bazooka Accuracy: 94% Appears:- Stage 1: Area 1, Area 3. Stage 2: Area 2. Stage 3: Area 1, Boss Area. Another heavy fire-powered baddy just to make life miserable for you. Without a doubt, bazooka soldiers will shoot a large rocket straight into your face with impressive accuracy. They can STILL MISS [but rarely] as some of them carelessly shoot upwards! The rockets they fire travel VERY fast, but not as quick as bullets so you may still have time to duck in a split second. In most cases, bazooka soldiers are pretty slow and you'll often see them before they can even steady themselves to aim. True that their accuracy [stated above] looks intimidating, but they have virtually no element of surprise [unlike red soldiers] so it's not all that tough to deal with them. GRAY NINJAS Clothing: Gray armored vest [not bulletproof though], black tights and wears a giant claw glove on their right arm. Weapon: Razor sharp claws Accuracy: 100%! Appears:- Stage 1: Boss Area. Stage 2: Area 1, Area 2, Area 3. Stage 3: Area 3, Boss Area. These guys have very impressive skills in the acrobatic department! Mostly, you'll see them dropping down from above [sort of like an ambush strategy] to attack you. They have no projectile attacks of anykind and rely only on their speed to confuse you. Of all the regular baddies, gray ninjas [including Moz] have the GREATEST SPEED! What they'll try to do is alter your complexion – in other words, scratch you to pieces with their sharp claws. Theoretically though, it's not that tough to nail them. True that their 'hopping-around' and 'side-stepping' can be hard to get a clean shot, but they're practically history if you rapidly fire on them. It's only when they work in groups [like in Stage 1's Boss Area] that can give players a lot of trouble. Still, be a fast learner, and they won't have a chance against you. MOZ [GOLD NINJA] Clothing: gold armored vest [definitely not real gold], black tights and wears a giant claw glove on his right arm. Weapon: Razor sharp claws Accuracy: 100%! Appears:- Stage 1: Boss Area [as a boss] Stage 2: n/a Stage 3: Area 3, Boss Area. Mysteriously after you beat Moz as a Boss in Stage 1, the guy REAPPEARS as a regular enemy [in some brief parts of Stage 3], but still requires you 3 shots to drop him! The similar tactics you use for gray ninjas WILL work on him [except for his appearance in Stage 1]. Strangely, the guy's body disappears [just like any other baddie] when you shoot him 3 times [in Area 3 of Stage 3], and yet he returns during the Wild Dog battle, but only needs 1 shot to be killed! Quite a weird thing. HELICOPTERS Description: Surely you know. Weapons: Chainguns Accuracy: 90% - 96% Appears:- Stage 1: Area 3 Stage 2: n/a Stage 3: Area 1 The rarest, but also among the deadliest of them all! Since they use chainguns, their fire rate is extremely high. Like machine gunners, you must NEVER stay out too long in their gunfire. Helicopters move very slowly, but can take A LOT OF DAMAGE. You have to constantly shoot it [while continuously ducking to avoid its annoying stream of bullets] until it goes down. This can take really long if you haven't got lightning fast fingers. Thankfully, you'll face helicopters, only twice throughout the game. The first one in Stage 1 is marginally easy [over 10 shots], but the second helicopter can really be a nightmare [over 20 shots]. Dodging their gunfire is easy, but you risk losing time in the process, so you have to constantly shoot it as many times as possible with every chance you get. Fail, and you may end up seeing 'TIME IS UP' in front of you. You can actually shoot the helicopter UNHURT even while it's spraying its bullets on to you, by simply making use of the pedal. Just fire 2 or 3 quick shots, duck, and immediately repeat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE BOSSES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Each stage in Time Crisis has its own unique boss. As you progress further, the next boss you face will seem much tougher than the previous one. It'll also take more time and especially more shots from your gun to beat them. For instance, it takes 3 shots to beat the Gold Ninja, 10 for Sherudo Garo and……20 for Wild Dog! The thing that makes them different from other bosses in gun games [like House of the Dead], is that their patterns of attacking can vary, so the battle won't always be exactly the same. This just makes Time Crisis even cooler!! Here, I'll guide you step by step on how to beat all 3 bosses. I'll even include all their possible variations in detail so you'll know what to expect from them. STAGE 1 BOSS – Gold Ninja [3 shots] CUT-SCENE Dialogue: Richard runs into one of the castle's hallways, turns his head to the right and sees a door [which is where Rachel is held captive]. He opens it and sees the President's daughter tied up next to a wall. Rachel quickly warns him. Rachel: Don't come! It's a trap! [The chair she's siting on is then revealed to be attached to the wall as it flips over and shifts Rachel into a hidden room.] As the wall is about to shut tight, Rachel yells "Oh no!", informing Richard that it's already too late. Moz the Gold ninja, leaps down from above in front of Richard. Moz then calls down 2 other gray ninjas for assistance and the battle begins. Introduction Although I know his name is Moz, I thought it would be easier if I called him Gold Ninja! In this battle, you'll also face gray ninjas fighting alongside of him. These guys are all dressed in a strange armored suit and are armed with long sharp claws on their right hands. Make no mistake – although these guys don't use bullets, they move very fast and they never miss! So you can bet a depletion of 1 life is guaranteed everytime they attempt to cut your face with their sharp claws. OUCH! The Battle As viewed in the cut-scene, the Gold ninja will have 2 gray ninjas standing next to him – one on his left and another on his right. At the very beginning [when you hear "ACTION!"], the 3 of them will immediately leap backwards against the wall behind them. Here's what you do; quickly shoot the Gold ninja first, followed by the gray ninja on his left and finally, the gray one on his right. It is important that you shoot the Gold ninja first because he'll attempt to make a big leap from the left pillar to the other one on the right, before jumping down to cut your face. This move of his, makes it difficult to get a fix on him as it's very fast! The gray ninja on the left also poses some difficulty as he'll quickly side step to the far-left corner of the screen and will immediately dash towards you to cut your face. The gray ninja on the right, is generally harmless because he stands in one spot and won't attack until after a few moments. NOTE – Unlike the regular gray ninjas [who you only need one shot to kill], the Gold ninja will just leap away when you shoot him because more shots are required to beat him. When you've successfully nailed those 3, two more gray ninjas [side by side] will drop down from above. I doubt you'll have much trouble with these 2 as they can easily be shot even before their feet touches the floor! After dispatching those 2, the Gold ninja and 2 more gray ones will then drop down from above. There are 2 variations on where all 3 of them will land and which one you'll get is at random! Fortunately, you can tell which one you've got by looking down on the floor for their shadows. But regardless, both variations are easy! Variation 1 – If you see a single LARGE shadow appearing on the floor [which is actually all 3 of them bunched up], then it's most likely that you're getting this variation. Here, all 3 of them will be LINED UP together when they land. Just rapidly pull the trigger on their spot and you should get all 3 of them. Supposing you don't, one of the gray ninjas will quickly side step to the right and attack you from there. When that happens, you'll have to make a quick shot to drop him. Then, quickly aim back to the left to land your second blow on the Gold ninja if you didn't get him yet. Variation 2 – You can tell that you're getting this variation if you see 3 shadows appearing on the floor. However, you won't be able to shoot the Gold Ninja yet, as he'll be blocked by the gray ninja on the right. You'll have to shoot him first, then quickly nail the gray ninja on the left. When he's dropped, blast the Gold ninja [whom now should be visible, if you've followed the instructions] before he gets dangerous. When that's over, the Gold ninja [this time alone] will make one more attempt to cut your face; by leaping from left to right on the large pillars before jumping down to swing his claw. Here, you have 3 alternatives. a) Shoot him in the air before he reaches the left pillar [expert]. b) Shoot him in the air before he reaches the right pillar [medium]. c) Dodge his attack and quickly shoot just after his claw misses you [beginner]. If you take cover too long, the Gold ninja will quickly hide and you'll have to wait until he reappears on the right side. Whichever one you pick, you'll beat the Gold ninja when he's been hit for the third time. If you're trying to make a time record, you'll have to go for the first alternative. If you follow all my steps correctly and try doing it all very fast, it's possible to beat him in under 9 seconds! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STAGE 2 BOSS – Sherudo Garo [10 shots] CUT-SCENE Dialogue: Richard runs up the stairs and into the highest floor of the tower. He looks around and sees Rachel tied up once more [this time standing]. She quickly warns Richard again. Rachel: Look out! [Suddenly, a few daggers are thrown next to Rachel's neck, probably to shut her up. Richard looks in the direction as to where they were thrown and sees the leader Sherudo Garo] Sherudo: My name is Sherudo. I rule this nation now. So……you are the fool who came to rescue Rachel. [Richard cocks his gun, preparing himself] Since you've traveled so very far, be my guest and let me entertain you! [Sherudo reaches for his hair and pulls out 3 hidden daggers within it!] Introduction This battle is divided into 3 parts/scenes unlike the first boss [which only has one]. When it's time for you to proceed to the next scene, your 'TIME' will be extended. Now that Sherudo has decided to "entertain you", it's time you return the favor by nailing him with some lead! Sherudo's only weapon are his daggers which he'll use to throw straight into your face! Just to make you be aware of things, this battle won't be easy. For a start, Sherudo is very precise [and fast] in throwing his daggers and trying to nail him may prove quite difficult. Throughout this battle, Sherudo will IMMEDIATELY hide after he throws a dagger[s] and will repeat when he pops out at other corners. It's possible for him to miss you, but the odds of that happening are 1 out of 20! To make matters worst, most of Sherudo's appearances around the corners are at random! So for those of you who want to be experts in beating him, you'll have to work very hard in memorizing ALL his possible appearances! When shot almost everytime, Sherudo will take cover for a short moment and his bodyguards [soldiers dressed in white] will reveal themselves to assist him in attacking you. These troopers are slightly different than other soldiers because they can carry different weapons – some carry handguns, while others use machine guns, grenades, daggers and so on. To win this whole battle, you must learn to release the pedal very quickly [since the daggers can reach you in under a second!]. If you don't, then the odds of you winning are next to nothing! By the time you see Sherudo, his dagger will already be halfway through its distance in reaching you! I strongly advice you to duck immediately after firing only 1 to 3 bullets regardless of whether or not you hit him. Fire too many bullets, and Sherudo's dagger will already be in your face by then! You have been warned. The Battle First Scene. Here, Sherudo will constantly pop-out around the giant pot [which has a very large, healthy green plant in it]. There are 4 variations on where he'll appear. Variation 1 [left side] – Sherudo stands up [exposing approximately half of his body in the process], before throwing a single dagger. He isn't so quick here, but you'll still have to watch yourself. Variation 2 [lower left side] – Sherudo will quickly roll out and throw a dagger before going back to hide. His whole body is exposed, but since he's crouching, he still isn't such a big target. Variation 3 [above the plant; either left or right] – This one's the easiest! Sherudo jumps straight up into the air, exposing his entire body, while attempting to throw 3 daggers consecutively. Variation 4 [lower right side] – The worst of all outcomes! Sherudo pops-out at lightning fast speed to throw a single dagger. By the time he shows himself, his dagger's already released from his hand! Only a real marksman can get Sherudo before his dagger reaches him/her. When Sherudo has been shot the first time, he'll take cover and 2 white soldiers, appearing on both sides of the giant pot plant [EACH in the center of a pillar], will immediately throw a grenade at you. These 2 will attack at the exact same time, so you'll have to duck after shooting one of them, before you take care of the other. However, a good expert can gun them both down, before they'll even have a chance to throw any. These 2 won't stay here for long though. If you look closely, they'll hide and disappear after they each throw 2 grenades. Of course, you'll lose precious seconds in this process. When you're done with them, Sherudo will reappear and attack as before [refer to the 4 variations for details]. Once he's been shot the second time, he'll hide and you'll now face 2 soldiers [one white, one red] using regular handguns. They will be attacking you from the previous positions of the 2 grenadiers earlier. If you're familiar with TIME CRISIS, you'll know that soldiers dressed in red are the most dangerous among all the regular ones. This is said because their very first bullet can instantly deplete your life! Here, it's very difficult to know exactly which pillar the red soldier will appear on because his location is variable - sometimes it'll be the left pillar, while other times, on the right. The white soldier [who is the least of your worries] will be on the opposite pillar depending on where the red guy appears. These 2 will shoot immediately when they reveal themselves. Whether or not you're an expert, you'll have to aim for one of the pillars [choose anyone], shoot the soldier there [regardless of whether or not it's the red or white soldier], QUICKLY DUCK, and immediately come out to shoot the soldier on the opposite pillar. They start firing at the exact same time and since bullets travel at the speed of light, there's a significant chance you'll still get nailed by the red guy's first bullet if you don't duck as advised earlier. When those 2 are gone, Sherudo will attack once more. Shoot him and you'll then move on to the next scene [TIME EXTENDED]. Second Scene. When shot 3 times, Sherudo retreats to the left pillar. You follow him and now use the giant pot as your hiding place. In this next scene, Sherudo will pop out around the pillar to attack as usual. Things are slightly easier now as he's much closer to you [making it a snap to nail him] and there're only 3 variations of his appearance around the pillar. Variation 1 [left side] – Same as variation 1 in 'First Scene'. Variation 2 [lower right side] – Same as variation 4 in 'First Scene'. Variation 3 [center] – Sherudo will now use BOTH hands to each throw a dagger! If you shoot him on time, he'll only be able to throw one. Fortunately at the very beginning of this scene, Sherudo's first appearance around the pillar isn't variable. When you hear "Action!", Sherudo will appear on the lower right side. If he's shot, Sherudo will hide and you'll then have to take care of 5 white soldiers; 2 will use daggers while the other 3 carry handguns. When Sherudo takes cover, 2 soldiers carrying handguns [each appearing on both sides] will run to the center of the screen where Sherudo hid. When they reach it, they'll start firing their guns. These 2 aren't so accurate, but they can get lucky if you leave them unharmed for too long. Your first priority is to shoot the guy running from the left corner, and quickly blast the other one from the right. While you're taking care of them, a soldier will move and hide in front of you, BEHIND the giant pot. You can barely see him because his hat will only be sticking out. This bugger will move at lightning fast speed and he'll be well hidden before you even notice him. However, he won't attack; at least not yet. Afterwards, 2 more soldiers [both lined up] will come from the left and advance towards you. I suggest you shoot the one in front first as he'll try and hide behind the giant pot when he reaches it. If he's successful, he'll stay down for a moment and will later rise up [fast] to throw a dagger at you. This guy's very accurate so be careful. When he's done, he'll simply run away and never return! The soldier BEHIND him will stop and fire his handgun when he's close enough. This guy's your next easy shot. After that, the previous soldier who hid BEHIND the giant pot will finally make his move by rising up to throw 2 daggers [one by one] into your face. He's very quick and accurate so I suggest you duck just after you shoot him to dodge his daggers. After eliminating all 5 of them, Sherudo will reappear once more and attack. Here, he'll attack 2 consecutive times [NO bodyguards this time] so shoot him and do the same when he pops-out again. When that's done you'll finally be able to move on to the Final Scene [Time Extended]! Final Scene. After sustaining severe injuries, Sherudo then retreats to a nearby opening. As he reaches it, 3 white soldiers [carrying handguns] will appear and attack you to cover his back [you now use the left pillar to hide]. These 3 will be standing side by side. The one on the left isn't much trouble. However, the soldier in the middle and the one on the right, can really get lucky so take necessary precautions and quickly gun them down. Afterwards, Sherudo then makes his return by appearing on the right corner. I suggest you aim at that side and immediately shoot when you see the slightest bit of movement. When he's been shot, Sherudo takes cover and you'll face 2 white soldiers; one armed with a machine gun [appearing on right side] and another with a handgun [appearing on left side]. The machine gunner is quite deadly so I advice you to drop him first before you do the same for the left soldier [be warned though, as he can ALSO deplete your life if he gets lucky]. After dealing with those 2, Sherudo will again appear to attack you from the right corner. Shoot him and you'll then face a difficult situation where things start to get tricky; a white soldier on the left side [he won't attack yet] will stick a quarter of his body out [repeatedly] to peek. This is actually a diversion because as you're are distracted by his movements, Sherudo quickly moves out [right side of course] and surprises you with yet another dagger attack – this time, he'll throw 2! After Sherudo makes his move, so does the soldier on the left; he'll also throw a dagger and he's just as accurate as his boss. To deal with these 2, you'll have to shoot the peeping soldier first, the minute you see him. It's difficult as he barely shows his body. However, look closely, and you'll find that he juts his leg out too much. Shoot for it and be ready to do the same for Sherudo when he shows himself. After that, a white soldier on the right will try and do the same as his other friend – continuously peek and then later pop-out to throw a dagger. Use the same tactics as you did earlier to take him out and wait for Sherudo to reappear on the right. This time, he WON'T be so quick. Land your last bullet into him and he's finally beaten! Happy trails! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STAGE 3 BOSS [FINAL] – Wild Dog! [20 shots] CUT-SCENE Dialogue: After dealing with hordes of baddies, Richard finally catches up with Wild Dog on the castle's rooftop. From the looks of things, Wild Dog was just about to escape in a helicopter with Rachel until he was stopped. To everyone's surprise, Wild Dog is still very calm and instead of complaining about Richard's relentlessness, ……he jokes! Wild Dog: Oh! You're finally here to save me! [Wild Dog turns around to face Richard and points the gun at Rachel to prevent him from doing anything. Due to Richard's active pursuit, Wild Dog then decides to make a decision] Wild Dog: Let's end this once and for all. [He then pulls out a detonator] Wild Dog: Just to be sure! [He pushes the detonator's button and the clock tower behind him explodes. Part of Wild Dog's personality is now revealed as it turns out he had some other plans of his own after all this time. The point of the tower's destruction, is so it'll collapse and burn down the whole castle, preventing Richard from any means of escape. And since he still has Rachel as his hostage, there's nothing Richard can do. Wild Dog points his gun back at Rachel, ordering Richard not to try anything funny.] Wild Dog: Freeze! Both you and this stinkin' castle can BURN for all I care! So long. [But as soon as Wild Dog was about to make a move to the helicopter, Rachel finally manages to break free from his grip with a rough swing of her arm.] Rachel: Let me go! [She then anxiously runs away from him, towards Richard. But Wild Dog quickly aims his magnum at her.] Wild Dog: Hold it! [With a blast of true villainy, Wild Dog shoots Rachel from her back! A slow motion sequence occurs and we see Rachel screaming in agony, slowly collapsing into Richard's arms. He then finds her dazed from the effect of the gunshot. But like a real smart villain, Wild Dog isn't foolish enough to kill her (she's an invaluable hostage), which is why he only shot her in the shoulder. Due to her condition though, Richard gets furious and shows an exceptionally angry face as he looks back at her attacker. Wild Dog then laughs away in his usual accent, reaches for his coat and throws it away in a cool style [while still smiling], and the grand battle begins!] I guess it was good of Rachel to finally do something. If it weren't for her escape, Wild Dog would have won, and Richard could've been killed as the castle trembles in flames. NOTE: To see all the awesome detail in Wild Dog's facial expressions, you'll have to play the arcade version. Introduction This is it! The last boss before your completion of the game! Do you have what it takes? Well personally, I wouldn't be too confident of that as Wild Dog's gonna give you one HELL of a hard time, one you'll probably remember! He can perfectly be described by 4 words – quick, tricky, tough and nasty! To give you more background, he DOESN'T stick to one weapon/attack like the previous bosses. Wild Dog is capable of using 2 magnums [his most preferred], a machine gun, grenades and even martial art moves! Before I continue, I'd like to advice everyone who are first timers to this boss, NOT to read my guide on Wild Dog UNTIL you're seriously stuck with him. The guy's one hell of a nemesis and it'll be a real spoiler if you don't experience fighting with him on your own at least once. That's my advice to you. Anyway, let's continue. Being a real expert in beating Sherudo isn't enough to rival this guy's standards. Compared to Wild Dog, Sherudo's a cinch! Though Wild Dog doesn't really have the accuracy of a red soldier, his incredible speed in pulling the trigger on each magnum [even faster than Lara Croft!], greatly increases his chances of getting a direct hit! So the general rule here is to treat him as a machine gunner and NEVER stay out too long in his gunfire. If you do, don't be surprised if he can deplete your life in just 1 second! You'll also have to deal with many hordes of baddies, who are ever so willing to assist him [regardless of the fact that the castle is about to go down in flames!]. This time though, they'll all be attacking from many complicated positions, that make this whole battle seem so impossibly hard! To be frank, I find Wild Dog the TOUGHEST last boss of all the other gun games!! NOTE: This battle is divided into 4 scenes and is veeerrry long. The Battle First Scene. This one takes place around a dried fountain. Directly in the center, is what I would call, the fountain's head [I can't find any suitable word for it]. Wild Dog will randomly [and continuously] pop-out either on the left or right side of it while madly firing his 2 magnums at you. Be very alert, as Wild Dog is extremely quick here! As mentioned before, you'll lose lives fast if you expose yourself too long in his gunfire. Sometimes, Wild Dog even enjoys fooling around by sticking himself out [not attacking] and immediately duck just to test your speed in reaction for the fun of it. When this battle starts, 2 problems will already be met. Wild Dog's first appearance around the fountain's head is at random – it could either be on the left or right side of it. Also, when he appears, Wild Dog starts to open fire BEFORE you even hear "Action!" meaning you can't rise up to start shooting until you're allowed to [one of the game's rules]. This could give him a better chance of nailing you as soon as you rise up! However, the good news is that because he starts firing first, he automatically reveals his location [though all this will happen very quickly]! So when you hear "Action!", step on the pedal and quickly shoot Wild Dog the very second you begin. There's actually not much danger here as long as you don't expose yourself too long while he fires. When he's been shot once, the 2 of you will start to circle AROUND the fountain for a moment. Things start to spin and the fountain's head will get in the way of your gunshots. When this happens, Wild Dog will pop-out from the RIGHT and quickly move over to the opposite side to hide again. WHILE he's doing this, he'll fire 2 quick simultaneous shots [one from each magnum]. The fountain's head [when it spins] will block and prevent you from getting a clean shot as Wild Dog quickly passes behind it. This actually gives him yet another advantage and though you may miss [by accidentally shooting the fountain's head instead], Wild Dog WON'T! While things spin, there's a 70% chance he can nail you with just those 2 bullets! But if you quickly aim [for the right side] and fire on time, he won't have a chance to attack. After being hit, Wild Dog will hide again and you'll have to wait and see where he pops-out next. This one is at random and it could be on either the left or right side. When you shoot him, the 2 of you will again circle around the fountain. Things then start to spin as before only now it's more intense; Wild Dog now makes 2 appearances WHILE the fountain's head is spinning. His first appearance has 2 variations. Variation 1[right side] – This one is exactly the same as I've discussed above; Wild Dog quickly moves from right to left while firing 2 quick bullets and the fountain's head spins which interferes with your aim. Variation 2[left side] – There's a 30% chance Wild Dog will choose this side instead. Here, he just stands still and rapidly fires his magnums as always. The fountain's head DOESN'T get in your way here. Be sure not to stay out too long or you'll be sorry. When you've shot him on either variations, Wild Dog will then pop-out on the LEFT side [this one is fixed] and will try to move from there, to the right while firing 2 quick bullets [the fountain's head WILL get in your way here]. Just rapidly aim for the left side and you should get him before he can even attack. Afterwards, the 2 of you will finally stop circling and the fountain's head will no longer interfere [phew!]. Now, Wild Dog will pop-out either on the left or right side [this one's at random] to once again use his magnums. Shoot him, and Wild Dog will again duck for about 4 seconds before popping-out elsewhere around the fountain's head [also at random]. Nail him and you can finally proceed to the next scene. Second Scene. After landing 7 blows into him, Wild Dog leaves the fountain and runs to a new area filled with strangely shaped/carved sculptures. Here, he won't attack so often, but he'll now have back-up [A LOT!] from his men. First, I'll have to describe to you this very complicated area [if only I could use pictures]. There are 2 sculptures on both corners; each one is a clamp that vertically holds up a giant cement coin [judging from how it looks]. Just beside the left sculpture, [to its right] is a pedestal [that's all I could think of to call it]. In the center of the area is a monument's base. It doesn't appear to be finished which is why there's no sculpture on it yet. Above the screen is a long ledge made from brakes. At the very beginning, you'll immediately face the first batch of baddies which are 3 blue soldiers, a red soldier and an orange soldier. When you first stick your head out, you'll see 2 blue soldiers – one BEHIND the giant coin sculpture on the right, and another one just on the left side of him. The soldier behind the sculpture is hard to hit because he's mostly blocked by it. But look carefully, and you'll see that his legs are exposed. I recommend you try and shoot this guy first. Then, nail his partner [left side of him]. There will be an orange soldier [in the center of the area] attempting to run past here. It's pretty optional whether you want to shoot him to give yourself a time bonus of 5 seconds [you'll have to be quick as he impatiently runs off to the left corner of the screen and won't return when he's gone]. Anyway, the dangerous red soldier will appear [a second after you hear "Action!"] just next to the pedestal. Half of his body will be covered by it, but since he's close, shooting him may not be so much trouble. After dealing with him, go for the third blue soldier [who is up on the ledge above] before he has a chance to open fire [which he'll do only after jumping on to the monument base]. Afterwards, 2 blue shielded soldiers [one appearing from the left and another from the right] will reveal themselves and immediately move towards each other to form a small barricade using their shields. They'll do this very fast and you may not even notice them [especially if this is your first time here] until you see their barricade. The reason why they're doing this is to cover/protect the grenadier who will appear BEHIND them; you can't see him until you get rid of those 2. Quite an impressive strategy don't you think? The 2 shielded soldiers will try and shoot you, but it should be easy get them since they're pretty close. Aim for their legs – it's the only area of their bodies that are easy to shoot. The grenadier won't attack until around 2 seconds after he appears. The guy will yell "Halt!" when he's about to throw a grenade. As this is all happening, you may notice another guy [who is actually a Pole Soldier] running across the ledge above [to the right] if you happen to look up. He won't start attacking until you've killed the grenadier. When that happens, he'll jump down and use his iron pole to smash your face [these guys never miss!]. Probably to avenge his grenadier friend! There are a few things you need to keep in mind about this guy – he drops down very quickly and immediately swings his pole without hesitation!! Remember to shoot him when he's about to jump down or you can try getting him as soon as you see him running on top. A machinegunner will also be appearing on the ledge above, from the left corner. He won't attack until he jumps down on to the monument base. Remember that machine gunners can deplete your life if you stay too long in their stream of bullets. Below, are who I recommend you shoot in order to get through this batch. BEGINNER – left Shielded Blue Soldier [when he juts his leg out], right Shielded Blue Soldier [when he juts his leg out], grenadier, pole guy [when he jumps down] and machinegunner [as soon as you're done with the pole guy]. EXPERT – right Shielded Blue Soldier [before he has a chance to join his shield with his partner], left Shielded Blue Soldier [shoot his leg as soon as you see it jutting out], pole guy [while he's running on top], grenadier and then machine gunner. When those hordes are done for, Wild Dog pops-out from behind the monument base and rapidly fires both his magnums [while laughing away]. When you shoot him, he'll take cover and throw a grenade to the coin sculpture on the right. When the grenade hits it, the clamps [below the giant cement coin] will be destroyed. The giant coin then drops and rolls towards your face! There WON'T be any "DANGER" sign shown but it's pretty obvious that it's heading straight for you! While the grenade is flying in the air, the next batch of soldiers come running, in an attempt to pulverize you. This is possibly the toughest, roughest batch ever! A bazooka guy [appearing on the left side of the ledge above] will be running to the right side. He'll try to then drop down BEHIND the coin sculpture on the right [what's left of it after being blown up by Wild Dog's grenade] and use his bazooka. He fires the very second he hits the ground and it only takes HALF a second for his rockets to reach you! A few moments later, a grenadier and a machine gunner, will both appear on the ledge above [from the far-left side]. The machine gunner will jog a bit to the right and drop down BEHIND the monument base. He'll then pop-out on the right side of it and fire straight into you! It goes without saying that he's quite lethal. Unlike the bazooka guy and the machine gunner [who both jog a bit to the right before jumping down], the grenadier will just jump down [as soon as he appears] BEHIND the left coin sculpture. As soon as he hits the ground, he'll quickly side step to the right [where he'll be COMPLETELY blocked by the pedestal!] and throw a grenade at you [which reaches you very quickly]. When done, he'll quickly hop back BEHIND the left coin sculpture. There, he'll STILL be blocked, but his legs will be exposed. The gray ninja only appears 1 second AFTER you've killed the bazooka guy. He'll reveal himself by dropping on to the monument base and then leap up [fast!] into the air once more. Shortly, he'll try and land directly in front of you to cut your face. This guy fortunately, is an easy shot. The rolling cement coin however, will tend to pose another problem, as it will force you to take cover while the baddies continue attacking. There's no way to prevent Wild Dog from throwing the grenade, but you CAN shoot it while it's in mid-air. It's difficult but it will prevent the grenade from destroying the sculpture. However, I personally feel that shooting the grenade [regardless of whether or not you're an expert] ISN'T necessary. It's actually possible for you to gun down all 4 baddies and STILL have time to dodge the rolling coin. First, shoot the bazooka guy when you see him up on the ledge – since he runs fast, you'll have to rapidly fire to ensure that you get him. Reload, and quickly shoot for the grenadier's leg as soon as he lands on the ground [don't wait!]. Then, quickly aim up and shoot the machine gunner up on the ledge and nail the gray ninja when he lands in front of you. All 4 of them can be shot in under 3 seconds and since the rolling coin needs about 4 seconds to reach you, you'll still have time to duck! Of course, there are other FASTER ways than this one. This is just the simplest example for you to a get head start. If you're a real beginner and just can't cope with my method [but I strongly suggest you give it a try], then you'll have to be very patient with this batch. Try and shoot each of them one by one by repeatedly ducking to increase your chances of dodging their attacks. But by all means, shoot the bazooka guy FIRST [while he's running on top the ledge] – he's the most dangerous one! Take your chances against him, and you may find it very difficult to get through here. When all that's done, you finally begin the third scene! Third Scene. Just when you're about to close in on Wild Dog's location [which is still behind the monument base], he shows himself, orders you to "FREEZE!" and the next batch of baddies arrive and you quickly pick a new hiding place. Now that what you see is in a different perspective of the previous one, I'll have to once again explain how it all looks now from your view. The giant coin sculpture on the left is still where it was before only that it's much closer to you now that you're hiding in a different location. The monument base where Wild Dog hides is now on your RIGHT and also seems much closer. Above, are the same ledges. It's that simple! When you first stick your head out [after hearing "Action!"], you'll see a blue shielded soldier on the right. There'll also be 4 brown soldiers coming from the ledge above. 3 of them will be staying on top [firing their handguns] while the other one [appearing on the far-left side] will jump down and shoot his handgun BEHIND the left coin sculpture. I suggest you first shoot the blue shielded soldier, then shoot down all the 3 brown soldiers above before going for the last one below [you can actually shoot him while he's still up on the ledge to save time]. After these 5 go down, Wild Dog will appear on the left side of the monument sculpture and rapidly fire both his magnums. Shoot him, and he then throws another grenade after taking cover. This time, the grenade will be thrown to the LEFT coin sculpture. Oh and just for fun, LEAVE the brown soldier on the top far-left side alone [gun down the rest]. Then shoot Wild Dog when he pops-out [the brown soldier should have already jumped down] and watch the grenade he throws, blow away the unfortunate brown soldier! What a mean guy! Now back to the situation. As the previous one, this giant cement coin will roll towards you. The only difference is that this one only needs around 2 seconds to reach you! Simply because this one is much closer to you. Now, shooting the grenade is much easier and recommended! If you wanna make a good time record, then shooting it is COMPULSORY so you can easily take care of the next batch. Just to let you know, when the grenade has been thrown, an orange soldier will appear from behind the monument base. He'll quickly hop off to the right corner and won't return when he passes through here. To me, this guy's more of a distraction than a time bonus opportunity because your main concern here is to prevent the grenade from reaching the sculpture. Of course, experts can shoot them both on time. After the grenade explodes [whether or not it has been shot], you face yet another batch of soldiers; a machine gunner will appear on the ledge above [he'll yell "Get him!"]. His objective is to drop down and land behind the monument base. There, he'll pop-out on the left side of it and start firing. Definitely you should nail this guy first when he's still on the ledge. Around the same time he appears on top, 2 white soldiers [also on top] will run to the right side, past him. These 2 WON'T attack while they're on the ledge so you should get them while you can. The sooner the better right? If you let the 2 white soldiers pass through, then you'll face more problems! One of them will run all the way to the end until you can't see him anymore. After a while, he'll step right in front of you and smash your face with his iron pole! The other white soldier above [not so dangerous though] will just jump to the ground and fire his handgun [after making a quick jump ON to the monument base first]. Also up on the ledge, is another white soldier who will appear on the far-left side after his 2 white comrades start their running. He'll drop down and run out of the screen [?], but will then reappear to attack you after about 2 seconds. Surprisingly, what this guy uses to attack you with is VARIABLE. Sometimes he could use a handgun or a dagger [something which happens rarely]. But whichever one, he isn't so accurate which makes him an easy kill. There's also ANOTHER white soldier appearing from the left side of the monument base. He's a little hard to hit because he frequently takes cover and he DOES get lucky with his accuracy! Still, try to get him as soon as possible and don't take any chances! Also joining in the fray is Wild Dog himself and this time, he uses a machinegun! He'll pop-out, just on the right side of the monument base [he'll say "Shucks!"]. Instead of shooting it straight at you, he'll first aim it low and slowly move it upwards until its trail of bullets reaches you [perhaps he's fooling around again]. When that happens, you'll immediately lose a life! Of course, you can shoot him the minute he pops-out [if you miss, duck and try again]. Shoot him, and Wild Dog finally runs off from this area [while still firing his machinegun up into the air!]. The very moment he leaves this screen, another cowardly orange soldier [hopping to the right corner] tries to make his escape as well! If you're interested, you'll have to be quick because like others of his kind, he won't return once he's out. A few moments later, a Gold ninja will appear on the top-right side of the screen [in the air] and will land on to the monument base. He'll then try to jump in close to cut your face. However, you can get rid of him as soon as he lands on to the monument base! Surprisingly, you only need 1 shot to kill him [if that's the case, why is he in GOLD armor?]. Perhaps it's Moz on his last life! Anyway, dispose of him quick, and you're off to the final showdown with Wild Dog! Final Scene. Consider yourself good if you've made it this far! However, the WORST is yet to come! After dealing with hordes of soldiers, you finally continue your pursuit on Wild Dog. He then hides in a new area of the castle's rooftop. Here, Wild Dog will present to you some of the nastiest tricks around! Once again, I'll have to describe this new area. On the left side are 2 white pedestals [placed next to each other]. Surrounding almost the whole area, are a few row of hedges [I can't find any specific word for them]. On the right side, is one of the castle's rooftop entrances. When you hear "Action!", Wild Dog will immediately pop-out from it and fire his magnum. When he's been shot, the hard part begins and you will face a very intense and complicated situation; Wild Dog pushes the button on his detonator [after removing it] and all the hedges will be blown away. When this happens, the whole area will be set on fire and it's difficult to see. To get the best experience, you'll have to play the ARCADE version – the Playstation version lacks the smokey effect and graphic detail [no offence]. While the area burns, Wild Dog will attempt to pop-out somewhere on the right side and fire his magnum. Shoot him, and his next appearance will be in the center. After being shot these 2 times, Wild Dog will start to throw a grenade at you, [you can't prevent this]. It only needs 1 second to reach you! Of course, you have the 2 usual options – one is to duck and the other is to shoot the grenade. Attempting to get rid of it requires some bit of practice, but it isn't too difficult overall. When the grenade explodes [whether or not you shoot it], the entire area will be filled with thick smoke [you can't prevent this either] for a short moment. Seeing gets even HARDER now and Wild Dog will run right up towards you [appearing from the center] to do some kind of somersault kick [this move is fixed and isn't variable]. It's quite difficult to see, but since he's running, you can actually see his movements and make out his shape. Shooting him here WON'T be a problem. After being shot, Wild Dog quickly takes cover and reappears later in the center to throw ANOTHER grenade. You're required to once again use the same tactics earlier to evade it. When it explodes, the whole area will once more be filled with thick smoke [it's amazing how the 2 of you can still breathe well]. Wild Dog's next attack within the smoke is now much more difficult! This time, he'll stand at a fairly FAR distance and rapidly fire one of his magnums [while laughing away]. You can't really see him [when the smoke is still present] because he WON'T move. To make matters worst, there are 2 variations on where he could decide to stand. Variation 1[right] – This variation is easy if you know he's standing here. If you fail to shoot him on time, he'll hide and appear in the middle. Fail to shoot him again, and he'll appear next, in the middle of the 2 pedestals. Variation 2[left] – This is one you wouldn't want to get! Wild Dog stands on the right side of the right pedestal [get it?] and only a quarter of his body is exposed. Fail to get him there, and he'll duck and immediately reappear in front of your face [a bit to the left] while giving you a good shock! Fail to shoot him once more, and he'll reappear in the middle. But whichever one you get, it's still hard to see him because of the thick smoke. The only way to tell where he is, is to quickly look and see where his bullets are coming from [don't stay out too long though!]. The other alternative is to wait until the smoke clears, which takes about 5 seconds [NOT recommended as this costs you precious time!]. When that happens, Wild Dog is probably already standing in another location. Note: It's amazing how the 2 of you can still breathe well in all this smoke! When you've successfully shot him, Wild Dog will reappear in the CENTER and fire his magnum again [this one is fixed]. Shoot him, and he throws yet another grenade. Where he'll appear next in the thick smoke, have 2 variations, which is either on the left or in front of you [standing]. If you see him coming from the left [he'll be running], it'll be easy to get him on time because he'll move a lot. Supposing you fail to shoot him, you'll get to see Wild Dog do an awesome roundhouse kick! If you happen to get the other variation [where he appears in front of you], then you may be in trouble because he'll try and do a somersault kick! Whichever variation you get, shoot as soon as you see his movements – it's not difficult unlike his previous ones. When he's been shot once more, he'll do another attack and his next location has 3 variations! Variation 1[left] – Exactly the same as Variation 2 earlier – Wild Dog attacks on the right side of the right pedestal [understand?] and only a quarter of his body is exposed. Variation 2 [a bit to the left/in front of your face!] – Here's one that could really give you a shock; Wild Dog quickly pops-out in front of you, almost face to face [check out his grin!] while rapidly firing BOTH his magnums! It's VERY difficult to tell whether you'll get this variation. But if you do, shooting him shouldn't be too much trouble since he's very close. If you fail to get him here, he'll reappear in the center of the area. Variation 3 – Very easy; he'll just stand on the right while firing one magnum. If you fail to nail him on time, he'll then reappear in the center. Once you've shot him in either of the variations, his next location will be in the center. Nail him quick, [how much more can this guy take?!] and he'll throw another grenade. As before, Wild Dog will try attacking you with his martial art moves [here, it'll be a roundhouse kick followed by a close range swing from his magnum]. As soon as you see Wild Dog, blast him and he's finally no more [until in Time Crisis 2] – then watch his detonator take care of the rest! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MY TIPS FOR YOU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Throughout your mission, you'll encounter lots of annoying baddies who know nothing more [or have nothing better to do] than deliberately ruining your game [which is the general idea since Time Crisis is tough]. In some cases, this game can be frustrating if you don't keep up with its pace. The game isn't made to be as simple as others like Virtua Cop [1 or 2]. If you don't [how should I say……] adapt, your chances of winning are slim because as a game that requires skill and strategy to complete, it expects you to learn from your mistakes……… and fast! The best tip I can give is to simply memorize every enemy who successfully depletes your life and remember WHEN and WHERE they came from. This is so you'll know what to look out for, the next time you return to the same area where you previously lost a life. Otherwise, those punks will just continue to make things tough [yet sickening] for you. I know this is a very basic way of learning in every video game, but I'm really freaked out by the fact that a lot of Time Crisis players don't even realize this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE RANKING SYSTEM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you've completed the game, the computer will grade your overall performance on several factors which are all listed below:- TIME – The most important one of them all! As it applies, Time Crisis requires you to finish the game as fast as possible if you're wanting to get a higher ranking in the chart. It's pretty tough, but there are several ways to be very quick. Refer to 'IMPROVING YOUR TIME' for full details [located somewhere below]. If you successfully manage to beat the top record, the computer will yell "New Record!" when your performance is being graded. ACCURACY – This is the overall accuracy of your performance for the whole game. It is slightly related to your 'SHOTS' [see below]. So basically, if the number of your shots is high, then your accuracy is likely to be reduced a little. However, your accuracy doesn't need to be so darn great; getting from 60% to 70% is still considered good. SHOTS – This shows you how many shots you've fired from you're your gun throughout your game [whether it's a miss or a direct hit]. Generally, this is just to let you see your skill in shooting down enemies without using too many bullets. This category isn't so important and it's quite all right to have even over 610 shots! DAMAGE – This designates how many lives you've lost for the whole game. Of course, getting less is better! For me, I always like to check myself on this category; I just love seeing 'zero' for this one! SKILL POINTS – Now this is one which basically, should be taken seriously if you're to be an expert. This states your overall skill and performance of your game, and it is judged by how many lives you've lost and your time taken. It uses star icons to grade you and has a maximum of ten. Achieving all that is possible through several ways. You'll automatically get 10 stars if NO lives were lost in your game. An additional star will be added [but only if you didn't get the maximum 10] supposing you manage to beat the current top time in the ranking chart. You may also gain another star if your 'TIME' is over 10 minutes. Your 'SHOTS' and 'ACCURACY' are not likely to affect your 'SKILL POINTS' as long as no lives are lost, or you made no continues. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE RANKING CHART ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The game shows you a list of 20 top players in a chart after you've finished the game. Instead of scores, Time Crisis ranks you based on how much time you took to complete it [which makes sense due to the game's title]. If your 'TIME' is faster than anyone on the chart [which is most likely], then the computer will allow you to enter your initials [you'll have to shoot for the letters]. Your record will then be added into the list, just above the record that you beat. The really cool thing about Time Crisis is that the computer is programmed to automatically save the top 5 records in its memory! So unless the shop owner did something to the arcade machine, you'll see your initials staying in the list, practically forever if you succeed to reach anywhere among the top 5 records! That is until you're pushed down by better records from some other great players. With this memory saving thing, players can keep track on how much they have improved since their previous record, the next time they decide to make a better one. Very useful indeed! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TIME CRISIS' BEST FEATURE: REPLAY VALUE! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Although it may seem that your job is done when you finally complete Time Crisis, it ISN'T! True that you've beaten all stages, but the true challenge within Time Crisis, awaits you! This immediately springs to mind when your performance is ranked for the first time. Though it's very easy to be qualified in the top 20 list, you'll be shocked to find yourself way below the top record. Most Time Crisis machines have an insane top time in the first ranking spot. Usually, it'll be records like 10'09"48 or something. Once in Singapore, I even saw 9'56"17!!!!!! Now just compare any of those records with yours and you'll notice there's one hell of a big difference! Of course, some regular players won't be bothered with this, but those who decide to take the challenge will later realize what a true MASTERPIECE Time Crisis really is! You see, the game's true challenge comes from attempting to beat the top record. Go ahead; try it! It's so tough, one could go mad! To brief it out, there's more to Time Crisis' lastability than meets the eye! Yes, way more than any other gun game you can think of. For details, refer to 'IMPROVING YOUR TIME' below. NOTE: Strangely, the Playstation version doesn't include any of Namco's best staff records and instead has a dull one; 14'00"00 [!!?]. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMPROVING YOUR TIME ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So you wanna challenge in beating the great Time Crisis at a very fast time? Well, as things go I have to tell you it could take a looonnnng time depending literally on your skill. First, there are a few basic steps you need to follow to get started:- 1# - Try to find a very good Time Crisis machine that's in great shape. I say this because let me tell you that some machines are pretty whacked up! Several problems like the sensitivity of the trigger, the gun's accuracy and the pedal are sometimes found messed up for some unknown reasons. The worst problem is when the game's screen is unable to read your gunshots on its far corners. 2# - Now here's the insane step; practice trying to finish the game using 1 credit, and then later without losing any lives!! Yes this is hard, but the aim of this is to ensure you get used to the game's difficulty. To give you some help, refer to 'MY TIPS FOR YOU' which is located somewhere above. 3# - If you think step 2 was nuts, check this! Work hard in memorizing the timing and appearance of ALL the enemies/bosses in exactly every area!! Truth is though, this won't be as tough as it sounds, assuming you've already been able to finish the game without losing any lives. By the time you reach this step, you would have already remembered most of the enemies' precise ways of attacking. Ok now let's get down to business! As you may have already guessed, to gain yourself a groovy time record, you'll have to be as quick as you can with every possible way. So the question is "how?". The first suggestion that would come to mind, is to shoot very quickly and don't worry too much about accuracy. Well in some cases, this does work but isn't so effective overall because you tend to waste 2 or more bullets on just a single foe and fast reloading will be constantly needed [which in the process, wastes you time]! I found myself not getting much results after following this little theory for a short period [my record was still way above 11 minutes]. However, after several times of additional playing, I then finally figured out the key to all this. A Time Crisis master wanna-be, will have to plan out a strategy to determine which enemy [in a group] should be shot first, second and so forth. The point of this is so you'll be able to gun them all down in a certain order WITHOUT even pausing for a second! As a result, you'll be able to annihilate them at a very fast time. To accomplish this, you must first memorize precisely the tactical maneuvers of all the baddies in the game [this is why step 3# was listed]!! Also, you have to make every shot of your gun count. Every group of soldiers seen presents a new challenge for you to plan out a strategy in taking them all out in a particular order. You're given the freedom to experiment and see which order suits you best. The main objective is to pick the quickest one and there's always more than one way to pulverize a group of baddies with a single streak of bullets! Do you shoot the red soldier first to decrease the risk of getting hit, or do you instead gun down the bazooka guy who is already aiming at you? Whichever way, it's all up to you on how to plan it all to gain yourself a fast record. But even so, not every group you see will be easy. Namco have specifically programmed these goons so they'll move around in a certain pattern, which does make things complicated. Some soldiers will quickly take cover for about 3 seconds [which wastes you time if they aren't shot earlier] before resuming their attack. Also, the death of some soldiers actually triggers another one hiding somewhere in the background, to pop-out and surprise you with a killer attack – usually, it's a hidden red soldier. A handful of others draw their weapons at a fast speed, but don't fire so quickly [which looks deceiving]. Some buggers [NOT referring to orange soldiers] won't even stay on screen long and will just run off [never return] so you could be wasting bullets trying to get them. All this you see, requires sufficient planning if you are to get through them and make a good record. Thankfully, Namco have at least made some things a little easy. If you pay close attention to each number of baddies, you may realize that in 95% of all situations, there aren't more than 6 soldiers on screen at once! Six soldiers. Hmmm………now don't you think it's possible to shoot them all just by using one clip [6 bullets] of your gun?! Makes sense doesn't it? The only catch is that you mustn't miss or you may not have enough bullets by the time you aim for the sixth soldier on screen. This is why practice is needed for perfection! Once you've gotten all your plans worked out, you must perfect them all and see what results you get. To know whether you have improved on your previous time is to check the 'AREA CLEAR' screen whenever you've completed any area. If you look BELOW your time, you'll see things like (+ 1'03"51). When you see a plus sign '+', this means that your time is SLOWER by the amount shown [which is 1'03"51 as mentioned]. But supposing you see (- 0'33"17) and the numbers are in red, this means your time is FASTER than the current top record for that area! In order to help yourself get faster in a slightly easier way, practice your skills in 'TIME ATTACK MODE'. Well, that's about all the help I can give you. Good luck on your success and don't give up! On a side note, this innovative gameplay of Time Crisis to my surprise, isn't noticed by everyone, but to only those who really play and learn from it. I know a handful of very popular game magazines who give no respect and don't see any of Time Crisis' true charm. They instead give stupid criticisms by saying it lacks power-ups [is that compulsory for its genre?!] and treat it as if it's a simple gun game like Area 51 or others. For their sake, I won't reveal them, but people like them had better learn to appreciate a game that's truly awesome in its own right. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VERSION UPDATE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Version 1 (January 24, 1999) Starting up my guide. Writing its introduction and copyrights. I was also trying to get used to all the features and functions in 'Microsoft Word'. Version 1.1 (January 26, 1999) Planning and writing my guide for the first boss in a journal. Updating my guide for Sherudo Garo in the journal. Version 1.2 (January 27, 1999) Guide to the first boss [Gold Ninja] completed. Sherudo Garo's guide is finally completed in my journal. Starting on Wild Dog's guide. Version 1.3 (January 30, 1999) The Sherudo Garo guide has been transferred into computer and completed. Wild Dog's guide has been updated and completed in my journal. What a day! Version 1.4 (January 31, 1999) Transferring Wild Dog's guide into computer. Transfer completed [it took a loooong time!]. Checking for mistakes. My guide is finally completed! Version 1.5 (March 21, 1999) Don't know why, but I've decided to also throw in some info and tactics on all the regular enemies in the game. Starting my plan and gathering the list on all the enemies. Version 1.6 (April 17, 1999) Wow, that was a long time for an update due to some college work of mine. But nevertheless, I have already began my draft work on the Blue, White, and Red baddies. Version 1.7 (May 10, 1999) Now that all of the enemies have been finished, it's time to move on to the other stuff like the ranking system. Version 1.8 (May 25, 1999) Phew! I'm finally done with all my notes for everything. Unfortunately, I have to put this work aside for a while due to more college work. Version 1.9 (May 30, 1999) Now that my holidays have started, I can finally get back to this project of mine. It's time to start typing out the notes on the computer! Version 2.0 (June 14, 1999) All the notes of the enemies have been completely transferred onto my computer. Now for the other stuff. Version 2.1 (June 17, 1999) Everything is finally completed and I can finally send this in to the great Gamefaqs site!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THANKS TO: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - NAMCO LTD. for making the most accurate and coolest arcade light gun and for creating Time Crisis [1 and 2], the BEST light gun game I've ever played! - GameFAQs for being the most comprehensive game guide site on the net! - Nicholas Pereira armageddon_10@hotmail.com for introducing me to Time Crisis! - Saiyanrage for making the 'Virtua Cop Time Crisis FanFiction Network a great site! http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/5612/ - Pc Whiz [a.k.a. Jim Song] for taking the liberty of asking me for his help. - All you visitors for taking a look at my guide. And finally... - Wild Dog himself for being one of the coolest villains I've ever seen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COPYRIGHTS [Repeat] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This guide is copyright 1999 Desmond Hew. Time Crisis and the Time Crisis logo are registered trademarks of Namco Ltd. Playstation and the Playstation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment. Inc. Distribution of my guide is highly recommended as long as no part of it is altered in any way at all or is used for profitable purposes.