======================================================================
METAL STORM: THE STRIKE MISSION
- Nintendo Famicom / Nintendo Entertainment System -
======================================================================

Metal Storm Copyright 1990 Irem America Corp.

Spherelander Videogame Strategy Guide Series #01 - Version 1.5
Copyright 2000-2002 Faididi (faididi@hotmail.com)
This strategy guide is intended for private use only. This, including
any part of it, may not be copied or distributed for personal gain
without the author's permission.

This document contains about 17120 words.
If what you get is significantly different, somebody might have
tampered with this document (probably by cutting out the copyright
information and walkthrough credits). While I can't do crap about
it (except complain), you should care in the event some important
gaming data have been accidentally removed or if there has been an
error in downloading this guide. If you still give a damn, e-mail
me to inform me that something funny's going on.

---------------------
[0.0] VERSION HISTORY
---------------------

Version 1.5 (Winter'02 Special Edition)
Updated - 12 31 2001 Monday - New Year's Eve
New Feature(s):
- Cleaned up some wording and mistakes.
"Mr. M-308 takes a break to enjoy the New Year."

Version 1.4 (Autumn'01 Cheater's Edition)
Updated - 09 22 2001 Saturday - Autumnal Equinox
New Feature(s):
- Updated the Passwords!!!
- Added a few more details about the bosses.
- Added a couple RAM address cheats.
"...."

Version 1.3 (Summer'01 Edition)
Updated - 08 03 2001 Friday - A very special day...
New Feature(s):
- Added the GamePak Code.
- Added some reference material to the Credits section.
"Super M-308 fun!"

Version 1.2 (Spring'01 Edition)
Updated - 05 28 2001 Monday - Memorial Day
New Feature(s):
- Added a section summarizing all boss tactics.
- Detailed the "waiting trick" for beating bosses.
- Cleaned up some wording and mistakes.
"...."

Version 1.1 (Winter'01 Edition)
Updated - 12 31 2000 Sunday - New Year's Eve
New Feature(s):
- Added a complete set of Passwords for Expert Mode.
- Added some advice for the extra dangers on Expert Mode.
- Added the Staff Credits to the Ending section.
- Refined the Voltars battle strategy.
"Cyberg gets another visit from Mr. M-308."

Version 1.0 (Summer'00 Edition)
Updated - 06 16 2000 Friday - A warm summer night
New Feature(s):
- N/A
"The M-308 takes a break and sits down to read about itself."

---------------------------
[0.1] CARTRIDGE INFORMATION
---------------------------

Developer: Irem
Producer : Irem
Publisher: Irem
GamePak Code:
 American: NES-4M-USA
Release Date:
 American: February 1991
Dimensions:
 American:
  Length: 11.9 cm
  Height: 13.4 cm
  Width:  01.6 cm
  Memory Size: 384 KB
  Mapper: 4 (Nintendo MMC3)
Cover Art:
 American:
  The M-308 stands in front of an image of Cyberg, which is floating
  over Pluto, from space. The red, large, lens-like structure forming
  one end of Cyberg's long, black body is the tip of the LaserGun.
  Looks like the M-308's ready to use that rifle it's brandishing!

======================================================================
======================================================================

INDEX

I.  Background Info
     [1.1] Now We're Really Screwed (the story)
     [1.2] The Hero (details of the M-308 Gunner)
     [1.3] How to Pilot Your M-308 (the controls)
     [1.4] The Items
     [1.5] The Structures (including the Arrow platforms)
     [1.6] Score Screen
     [1.7] General Hints

II. Stage Strategies
     [2.1] Stage  1: Access Corridor Alpha
     [2.2] Stage  2: Tesseract Tunnel
     [2.3] Stage  3: Gravitrain Access Corridor
     [2.4] Stage  4: "The Cage"
     [2.5] Stage  5: Laser Defense Corridor
     [2.6] Stage  6: Free Fall Corridor
     [2.7] Stage  7: The Core

III.The End
     [3.1] Epilogue & Staff Credits
     [3.2] Expert Mode

IV. Extra Stuff
     [4.1] Passwords
     [4.2] 5-Minute-Waiting Trick
     [4.3] Stage Timers
     [4.4] Boss Battle Strategies
     [4.5] RAM Address Cheats
     [4.6] Game Genie Codes
     [4.7] Game Evaluation
     [4.8] Really Small Details

V.  Credits

======================================================================
I. BACKGROUND INFO - Things you're supposed to know about.
======================================================================

------------------------------
[1.1] NOW WE'RE REALLY SCREWED
------------------------------

  In 2501 AD, mankind faces a disaster. The powerful LaserGun on
Cyberg, a battle station orbiting Pluto, suffers a fatal malfunction.
Intended to serve as protection from hostile aliens, it is now bent
on destroying the entire solar system! Neptune was the last planet
to become space dust. Now Earth's only chance is to send the advanced
M-308 Gunner to Pluto to activate Cyberg's self-destruct device. But
it must hurry - the LaserGun is charging up (hence the title, which
connotes the fast and deadly strike that is about to take place)!

--------------
[1.2] THE HERO
--------------

The M-308 Gunner
 Height:         3 meters
 Mass:         952 kilograms
 Power Level: 1300 kilowatts
 Armor:       Geopolyum Alloy
 Weapons:
  Fusion Rifle (w/ Magnetic Clamp Stock Power Magazines),
  Plasma Beam, Shield Force, and Gravity Fireball
 Special Equipment:
  Gravity Control Device (GravCon),
  Anti-Gravity Unit, Hyper Boosters, Armed Movable Wings,
  Sensor Array, Night Vision Scopes, Thermal Vents
 Function:
  All-Purpose Combat Robot

Here are more descriptions of the equipment:

Fusion Rifle
 The M-308's primary weapon. Using the wonders of fusion power,
 this rifle can fire almost forever. It may be upgraded to shoot
 the Plasma Beam, but the M-308 will only be able to use one special
 weapon at a time, so if it's using the Plasma Beam it will not be
 able to use the Shield Force or the Gravity Fireball.

Gravity Control Device (GravCon)
 Allows "normal" function in any gravitational field so the M-308
 can work in various environments. This also allows it to fall
 upside-down by reversing the gravitational field around itself.
 The unit is located in the large domes behind the M-308's shoulders.

Anti-Gravity Unit
 Works in conjunction with the GravCon to nullify the effects
 of gravity on the M-308, facilitating jumping and maneuvering.

Hyper Boosters
 Mounted next to the wings, these let the M-308 fly around in
 space (you only see this in the Ending Movie for Expert Mode).
 The M-308's high jumps are also made possible by these boosters.

Armed Movable Wings
 Beats me. I guess these help by stabilizing the M-308 when it's
 jumping or flying around. And yes, they're "armed," not in having
 guns mounted on them, but in having movable joints. If you notice
 carefully, the M-308's wings fold in when it has Enhanced Armor.

Sensor Array
 The M-308's just a big fat robot that tends to get into trouble,
 so it'll help if it can check out its surroundings with this
 high-quality scanning equipment.

Night Vision Scopes
 Let the M-308 see in the dark. It won't need to use these in the
 game because Cyberg's interior is pretty well-lit-up. Yeah, even
 a psychopathic computer needs a little light here and there....

Thermal Vents
 Hmmm... I wonder what these do? Well, these special vents keep the
 M-308 cool under the most extreme conditions, especially when it
 uses the Gravity Fireball attack. It's true that in space you can't
 dissipate heat quickly (because there's nothing for the heat to pass
 on to), but how these things work in vacuum is beyond me. I'm not
 gonna risk getting squished just by bugging Mr. M-308 about this.

----------------------------------------------------------------
[1.3] HOW TO PILOT YOUR M-308 WITHOUT TURNING INTO SHEEEET METAL
----------------------------------------------------------------

Here's how our heroic robot works:

 D-Pad  - Move the M-308 and aim upwards or downwards
          (relative to your TV screen).
 B      - Shoot!
 A      - Jump or reverse gravity when "Up" is held.
 Select - Cycle between the Start & Password options on the Main Menu
          and highlights the first character on the Password Screen.
 Start  - Pause the game. (Great for taking photos!)

 Note: If you manage to press Left and Right simultaneously, Right
       will prevail and you'll move right (for both rightside-up and
       upside-down). Likewise, when pressing both Up and Down, Down
       will prevail. Don't ask.

Q. How do I reverse gravity?

A. Press Up and A to flip gravity. To return gravity to normal,
   press Down and A. Controls always remain relative to the screen,
   regardless of vertical orientation.

Q. Why should I care to reverse gravity?

A. Flip gravity to beat obstacles you otherwise can't overcome.
   Need to get past some spikes? Try running along the ceiling!

Q. What else can I do by reversing gravity?

A. You can make longer and higher jumps by flipping gravity at the
   right time. If you reverse gravity at the peak of your jump, you
   can cross huge chasms (providing there's a ceiling on the other
   side). You can also jump past 2 floors at a time, if the floors
   are close enough together. Because you're partly through the 2nd
   floor at the peak of your first jump, reversing gravity will let
   you drop up through this 2nd floor.

Q. Why do I die with 1, single, lousy hit?

A. That's because Mr. M-308 got too big and fat from all that
   ice cream. Just kidding - our hero, as bulky as it may look,
   is actually pretty flimsy. In order to be so maneuverable in
   various types of environments (vacuum included), it is lightly
   armored. Picking up some Enhanced Geopolyum Armor (see below)
   will let you suck up 2 hits before dying, but it's not much....

-----------------------------------------------------
[1.4] THE ITEMS IN YOUR PATH OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
-----------------------------------------------------

P Chip - Plasma Beam Unit
 Modifies your fusion rifle to fire more powerful shots.
 The Plasma Beam is stronger and wider than your standard shots,
 plus it can penetrate some structures your standard shots cannot.
 Also adds 1000 Points.

S Chip - Shield Force Unit
 Generates a protective barrier in front of you.
 This barrier absorbs certain projectiles and damages any enemies
 it touches. Normally, it faces the direction you move towards.
 If you leave it facing one direction, however, you can lightly
 tap the other direction to turn around without moving it. In
 effect, you now have a rear shield!
 Also adds 1000 Points.

G Chip - Gravity Fireball Unit
 Envelopes you in flames whenever you flip gravity.
 Enemies and projectiles touching you will be damaged or destroyed,
 while you'll be rendered invincible until you hit the floor/ceiling.
 Also adds 1000 Points.

C Chip - Crusher
 Destroys all (regular) enemies on the screen when collected.
 Also adds 1000 Points, in addition to the Points from the bad guys.

A Chip - Enhanced Geopolyum Armor
 Gives you more protection so you can suck up an additional hit
 (the M-308 will look bulkier if it has this). Some enemies die
 if you touch them while you have this, too.
 Also adds 1000 Points.

B Chip - Bonus Points
 Adds 5000 Points.
 Wheee!

T Chip - Extra Time
 Adds 120 seconds to your Timer.
 Most Stages start you off with 400 seconds.
 (You get 200 if you restart from a Checkpoint.)
 Also adds 1000 Points.

1-Up Chip - Extra Life
 Gives you an additional chance to complete the mission.
 This tends not to reappear like the other items
 if you die and restart the Section you're on.
 Also adds 1000 Points.

-------------------------------------------------------
[1.5] THE STRUCTURES IN YOUR PATH OF CARNAGE AND MAYHEM
-------------------------------------------------------

Normal Platforms
 You may jump through them from any direction. They are
 either unmarked or have 2 tiny up and down arrows in them.

Up-Arrow Platforms
 You may only jump up through them from the bottom.

Down-Arrow Platforms
 You may only jump down through them from the top.
 (Reverse gravity to jump downwards.)

Reinforced Walls
 Regular shots won't go through them, but the Plasma Beam will.

Really Reinforced Walls
 NO shots may go through them, not even Plasma Beams, deathrays,
 acid sprays, bullets, nuclear explosions, peanut butter, etc.

Spikes
 Ouch - these kill you if you land on their sharp surfaces!
 No shots may go through them either.

------------------
[1.6] SCORE SCREEN
------------------

Here's a quick (but probably not too accurate) run-down
of the Score Screen you see at the end of every Stage:

Area Score
 The Points you get from blasting enemies and grabbing items
 during the 2 Sections of the Stage.

Stage Bonus
 The Points you get from beating the boss,
 depending on how fast you defeat it.

Time Bonus
 The Points you get from the time you have left
 when you reach the boss. The Points you earn are
 the number of seconds on the Timer multiplied by 50.

Stage Total
 The sum of the 3 Scores above (or the Score just for that Stage).

Total Score
 The net Score you have from all the Stages you've finished.

-------------------
[1.7] GENERAL HINTS
-------------------

Here are some tips you can apply over the entire course of the game.

- Use gravity to your advantage. Metal Storm is centered around this
  concept, so if there's an obstacle you can't beat, flip gravity and
  see if you can make any new progress. Traps and bosses alike are
  often defeated with an ingenious application of gravity-reversing.

- Choose your guns carefully. If you're going for a lone but
  tough target, the Power Beam's focused strength will usually
  be an advantage. For scenarios where a more defensive approach
  is required, the Gravity Fireball or the Shield Force will be
  the handier weapon. If you're not sure, come back again with
  another gun and see if you do any better.

- When you cross over from the first Section of a Stage to the
  second Section, whatever Time you have left is carried over.
  But if you die and restart from the Checkpoint, your Timer
  will be reset to a preset value (these values are listed below).

- High Scores don't seem to offer any bonuses, so you might as
  well take your time, avoid more enemies, and conserve your Lives.

- Go for the 1-Ups whenever you can. If you die, they disappear!

- Also always go for the Armor if possible. In addition to its ability
  to reverse gravity, this extra protection is one of the M-308's most
  valuable assets. Trust me - Cyberg is a dangerous place!

======================================================================
II. STAGE STRATEGIES - Get the space dirt down on every Stage!
======================================================================

Alright, this is how the strategies are set up. First, each Stage
will begin with some background history, which describes the
setting and explains the area's (former) purpose. Next, there'll
be some general advice, which tells you what to expect and offers
a couple overall hints. Then, there'll be the in-depth part, which
is essentially the step-by-step walkthrough this document's mostly
about. Many details will be covered, from the enemies to the terrain.
Finally, you'll get to the Red Alert Sequence section, which will
help you out with the bosses. After the boss tactics will be a few
more tips for playing the same Stage on Expert Mode, and then comes
the strategies for the next Stage. Simple enough?

Hey, these tactics aren't the only ones you can use to beat the game
with. If you have something you think is more effective or you feel
more comfortable with, you are encouraged to use that instead!

------------------------------------
[2.1] STAGE 1: ACCESS CORRIDOR ALPHA
------------------------------------

"Let's go...."
        - the system voice, from "Tiny Tank" (Appaloosa)


PASSWORD:

 Normal - ------------
 Expert - 131-DDFW-KSB

BACKGROUND:

This has been designed as a route for maintenance crews, but it
looks like they won't be needing it anymore! Being lightly defended,
this corridor serves as a great entry point for the M-308 Gunner.

GENERAL TIPS:

Nothing in this Stage can really kill you. You should have no problem
navigating the simple terrain and blasting the relatively harmless
robots. Just remember the blue droids also flip upside-down whenever
you do.

IN-DEPTH:

[2.1.1] Section 1-1 (Normal = 400 seconds, Expert = 400 seconds)

Go right past the blue robots. These guys just run
left and right on the floors and ceilings. Their gravity
is reversed along with yours when you flip.

After the 10th blue bot you'll find a white bot circling
a platform. Get rid of it, but watch out for another white bot
coming at you on the floor. You can reverse gravity and go on
the ceiling if you wanna avoid it.

2 more blue bots between 3 Double-Arrow platforms are next. You
don't really have to kill them, but do it for the Points anyway!
Jump on the platforms or reverse gravity to get up onto the high
wall. Now jump across the spikes or run along the ceiling.

WATCH OUT for the red turret on the other side! If you're on the
ceiling, run ahead and kneel (by pressing Up) before the shot comes.
Behind this turret may be another blue bot. Take out the turret by
jumping up when it stops firing or hit it from the ceiling. Now go
on to the first Checkpoint in the game!

[2.1.2] Section 1-2 (Normal = 200 seconds, Expert = 200 seconds)

Stay on the floor. Shoot upwards to remove the turret on the
platform. Now jump up to grab some goodies. The Enhanced Armor
will definitely help, but the Gravity Fireball will let you zip
through enemies and their projectiles when you reverse gravity.
Flip again to jump back down through the floor.

Stay on the ground. There'll be another turret. Gravity Fireball
upwards, blow it away, and then go back down to the floor just to
be safe. Ahead are 2 more turrets and 1 blue bot. If you gravity
flip up you can take them out with ease. Right afterwards there
are another 3 turrets. You should know what to do by now. Jump
up the platforms and meet 1 blue bot. Drop down and meet 1 turret.
Reverse gravity and kill 1 more turret on the ledge. Gravity
Fireball through the shots if you want to.

Get on the ceiling now. Jump downwards through the 2 platforms.
Run right slowly because there's a huge robot guarding the
hallway. It sweeps through the entire path, and there's no
way out until you destroy it, so keep firing. When it gets
too close, run back to give yourself some space. (If you
touch this guy while you have Armor, it will blow up!)

The next part is the last one before the end. Look out for 2 blue
bots when grabbing the Plasma Beam on the top. You'll lose the
Gravity Fireball, but the Plasma Beam is much more useful for
the following scene. Go right to the 1st boss...

[2.1.3] RED ALERT!: Gorgoth (Reactor)

Gorgoth is a ceiling-mounted reactor, but that doesn't mean it
doesn't wanna pound you! Think of it as an oversized door guard
for Cyberg.

Being the first boss, Gorgoth is pretty easy. It periodically shoots
out a set of 3 energy rings aimed vaguely in your direction (because
its tracking ability sucks). Also coming out of Gorgoth is a big
pinkish-purple dome. That's its weakness - shoot it enough times
and Mister Big Bad Reactor goes "BOOM!"

There are 3 places you can hide at. The first one is underneath
Gorgoth's center and slightly to the side. Gorgoth will shoot the
rings straight down, but they'll miss. The other 2 places are on
the ceiling, either to the left or to the right. If you kneel, the
rings can't hit you. Stand up and shoot at the dome when it comes
out on your side.

The dome pops up in a complex pattern. Its first 4 appearances are
on the bottom, on the right, on the left, and on the left again. If
you're fast and equipped with the Plasma Beam, you can kill Gorgoth
during the dome's second exposure. If you touch the dome when you
have Armor, the dome will disappear, only to show up in the next
spot as scheduled (and Gorgoth will be unaffected).

Gorgoth is one of the few bosses you can use the cheap waiting
trick against (please refer to the section devoted to this trick).
Make sure you find a safe place to hide at. When you start, don't
move - your initial position is actually a blind spot! The rings
should all miss, again due to their poor range of angles. If you
do move, you can just use the other hiding spots mentioned above.

HARD HINTS:

Playing Stage 1 on Expert Mode is radically different....

Beware of the blue bots - they now fire tiny horizontal bullets if
you line up with them, so don't just rush 'em! The white bots that
roll along the surfaces can shoot vertical bullets too.

There are many more turrets (of different sorts) than before.
Proceed slowly to avoid getting trapped by walls of enemy fire.

The large robot sweeping the corridor in Section 1-2 will now shoot
wave beams at you! Reverse gravity to avoid the beams since the bot
will fire high and low shots alternately.

Gorgoth gets beefed-up with a new weapon. Along with its triple-ring
attack, an additional homing ring will follow you. While it can be
avoided rather easily, don't underestimate it while you're standing
right next to Gorgoth, firing mindlessly into the dome (this homing
ring is of a darker color and can be destroyed). The waiting trick
will be more difficult to apply here, obviously.

-------------------------------
[2.2] STAGE 2: TESSERACT TUNNEL
-------------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal - 37!-7ZRP-4NC
 Expert - QVF-Q4R@-4@0

BACKGROUND:

The Tesseract Tunnel is Cyberg's first true line of defense.
Nevertheless, it uses warp technology to confuse intruders.
The looping corridors are lined with extra robots and traps
to further impede the M-308's progress.

GENERAL TIPS:

Once you get used to the screen warping, you'll have no trouble
getting to the end. Press towards the right, jumping up or down
to get around the walls in your way. Use the looping to your
advantage!

IN-DEPTH:

[2.2.1] Section 2-1 (Normal = 400 seconds, Expert = 100 seconds)

Welcome to warping technology! Run right until you see 2 blue bots.
Up leads to down and vice-versa, so don't worry about falling off.
Get rid of the blue bots and go on. If you jump ontop of the yellow
floor, you'll see a Bonus Chip. If you jump onto the bottom of the
floor, you'll find a Plasma Beam. If you already have the Plasma
Beam, go for the Bonus instead. (You can't get both.)

Beware of the green traps - when you move between them, you only
have a short amount of time to get out before they clamp down on
you! Hop up and immediately leap up again to escape their wrath.

When you're through, continue to the right. Jump upwards past
another pair of green traps. Keep moving forward. You should
see a Bonus Chip on the other side of a wall blocking you, and
you should see the Armor Chip on the bottom. Get the Armor (reverse
gravity if you need to) if you don't have some already. Getting the
Bonus requires even faster reflexes. You can jump up, grab it, and
then jump again quickly. Or, skip it and save yourself some trouble.

Go up and continue to the right, staying on the "ceiling." Quickly
jump downwards past the double set of green traps. As soon as you
go right, a white ship will appear. Get rid of it. (These guys
shoot parabolic shots out from their backs.)

Now you should be "underneath" several floors stacked together
like a staircase. The trick here is to jump up and to the right.
Keep moving unless you want your M-308's butt fried. You have 5
floors to go before you reach the Checkpoint.

[2.2.2] Section 2-2 (Normal = 200 seconds, Expert = 200 seconds)

There should be a 1-Up Chip on the top right corner of the screen.
Jump into the space between the spikes, and then flip gravity
before you hit the sharp stuff to drop up onto the item. This
1-Up DISAPPEARS if you die, so pick it up now if you want it!

Jump through the Up-Arrow platform and continue. The red and white
gates swing open and shut whenever you flip gravity. If you're in
their path when they swing, you die, Armor or no Armor! The trick
here is to find a safe spot to reverse gravity in.

For the first gate, stay to the far right and flip. Easy, right?
Do something similar for all the other gates. Go on until you
see 2 turrets. If you have the Plasma Beam, you can shoot through
the floors to get at 'em. If you don't, you'll have to go through
the Up-Arrow platform and do things the hard way. Be careful not
to fall into them due to the wacky screen-looping.

Now jump up along the staircase-like path until the next step up
is covered with spikes. Reverse gravity and continue right. Drop
up into the Armor. Jump to the underside of the spike floor (to
the left of the gate). Go rightside-up and carefully jump across
to the right. Go through the Up-Arrow platforms. See that Bonus?
Go upside-down and jump down to the ledge below the gate. Reverse
gravity again to fall onto the Bonus (the Chip might disappear
if you scroll it off the screen by accident).

Get out and drop into the vertical shaft to the right. You'll keep
falling, so move right to go on. There are 2 more gates. Manipulate
gravity as needed to get past them. Go upside-down and leap through
the Down-Arrow platform if you want a Plasma Beam. Before jumping
down and out, use that trick where you reverse gravity at the peak
of your jump to bypass the 2 plain platforms to the left. Once
you're on the bottom, you can find a path to another Bonus!

Jump out quickly, because a bunch of flying white ships will
approach! Take them out before they can squeeze off their shots.
Jump through the platforms to avoid enemy fire and to get past
walls. Keep moving forward to the next Red Alert Sequence.

[2.2.3] RED ALERT!: The Energizers (Plasma Cannons)

"They keep going and going and going...."
                                - from the "Energizer Bunny" ad


The Energizers are plasma cannons mounted on a wall. You'll need
to get past these guys if you wanna get outta the Tesseract Tunnel.

Don't get confused by the screen warping - there are a total of 5
Energizers, but all are equally deadly. Each one fires independently,
so you never know when one will open up and attempt to roast you.
When you start, fire like a madman at the Energizer in your corridor.
When its beak-like helmet retracts, jump up to the floor above.
Chances are the Energizer that just fired won't shoot again for
some time, so reverse gravity and drop back down to the corridor
you started from. Fire again, and this time the Energizer should
blow up. There're still 4 more to deal with, but at least now you've
got a safe spot to rest in. Energizers are not affected when you
touch them while you have Armor.

There are 3 ways to clean up the others from here:

#1 - The Hard Way
 Do the same thing you did for the first Energizer. Attack and then
 jump out of the way before the giant cannon in front of you fires,
 risking getting blasted by another Energizer above/below you.

#2 - The Easy Way
 Take advantage of the Plasma Beam's width! Stand a little to the
 left over where the red floor meets the yellow floor. The Plasma
 Beam can't go through the yellow, but it can go through the red.
 The trick is to let the outer edge of your shots hit the remaining
 Energizers. (They must open up in order to extend themselves into
 your line of fire.) You can hit them, but they can't hit you!

#3 - The Honorless Way
 Use the waiting trick. It's cheap, but it works.

HARD HINTS:

You will start off with less time than usual in the first Section,
but 2 Time Chips near the end will solve that problem (unless you
die first).

The white ships that fire curving bullets from their asses
will appear near the beginning. Don't get trapped by their
projectiles (unfortunately, talk is ridiculously cheap).

Your biggest problem comes from the green traps. Because they snap
shut like lightning now, you'll have to go through some extra steps
to beat them. Lightly hop up once, with your head slightly entering
their corridor, so they will slam together. While they return to
their original positions, quickly jump past them. At the end of
Section 2-1, where there're 5 sets of them, you mustn't panic!
Methodically but swiftly hop and jump your way through them,
tricking the next pair to slam together just as the one on your
floor is resetting its positions.

The Energizers are almost the same. Several of them can now fire
simultaneously, flooding the screen with hot death. I hope you
have sharp reflexes.

-----------------------------------------
[2.3] STAGE 3: GRAVITRAIN ACCESS CORRIDOR
-----------------------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal - J3S-FDFX-KHB
 Expert - XMV-9353-1FG

BACKGROUND:

Cyberg's automated supply route has become another line of defense.
The trains that ride along its gravity track are strong enough to
crush anything in their path, and the spikes and robot drones lining
the corridor make it even more dangerous!

GENERAL TIPS:

Move forwards slowly, avoiding the Gravitrains. Don't worry - you
have more than enough time to finish this Stage. When drones appear,
destroy them first. Take extra care when you jump over spikes - you
still have to watch out for the Gravitrains!

IN-DEPTH:

[2.3.1] Section 3-1 (Normal = 400 seconds, Expert = 400 seconds)

Start moving to the right because the Gravitrains will come soon.
If one of them appears as though it's going to ram you, waste it.
These green suckers are easy to spot, and they appear at a certain
frequency. As soon as one passes by or is destroyed, hurry up and
continue forward. When you get to the spiked floor, jump across
(which is riskier) or go along the ceiling. Grab the Gravity
Fireball. The Gravity Fireball will protect you when you flip.

If you don't want the Gravity Fireball, then how about the Shield
Force? It's probably more useful, depending on your playing style.
There's one to the right, placed on the ceiling. Work through the
Gravitrains to pick it up. To the right, underneath a ledge, is
an Armor Chip. Take it, especially if you don't have Enhanced Armor
already.

Keep going to the right, but watch out for a white turret near
the top of the screen. If you have the Gravity Fireball, you can
blaze upwards and blow it up, along with any Gravitrain in the way.
If you have the Shield Force, sit at the bottom and fire upwards.
The Shield will save you from both Gravitrains and the turret's
projectiles. Flip gravity and move on, right up to the Checkpoint.
When the screen stops scrolling, the Gravitrains will also stop
appearing (to prevent cheap deaths, ya' know?).

[2.3.2] Section 3-2 (Normal = 200 seconds, Expert = 200 seconds)

Again, watch out for the Gravitrains. Shortly after the Checkpoint,
there should be a Plasma Beam and some Armor. You can only get one,
so decide carefully. (Remember that if you die, you will come back
here.) Get what you need and continue on.

When you reach the narrow passageway, go upside-down and run
along the ceiling, over the spikes. Ahead of you on the bottom
is an energy column trap. This trap cannot be destroyed, but
you can shut it off by reversing gravity. Likewise, it can be
turned back on when you flip again, so be sure to get the hell
outta its way when you do! After passing it, jump on the little
platform and then hop over the spikes. Tap the A Button lightly,
unless you enjoy having spikes jabbed into your brains....

Stay on the floor to be safe, and go right. On the top will be
another white turret. When no Gravitrain's around, aim up and blow
it away. Now, go upside-down and race along the ceiling. Hop or run
over the small set of spikes and get above the small platform. If
you stand right between the 2 parts of the track, where it bends
down and wraps around underneath the small platform, you'll be safe.
Kneel if you're not too confident. When it's clear, move right until
you meet more spikes. Flip back down onto the 2 longer platforms.
The Gravitrain track cuts through the next platform, but you won't
fall through this cut-out part. Going above or below this platform
is up to you.

The next part requires you to be upside-down. Stand on the bottom
of the very small ledge that's jutting out. When you're ready, jump
down and run underneath the wall and on to the other side, where
it's safe again. Remember, you can always blast any Gravitrain that
gets in your way.

Want the Bonus? Blow up the Gravitrains on the other side, quickly
run to the right, drop up to the ceiling, and run back to the left.
Grab the 5000 Points, get back up on the ceiling, and then resume
towards the right. Reverse gravity next to the spikes and drop down
to the platform below. The screen should stop scrolling by now, so
be happy - you're done with the Gravitrains!

[2.3.3] RED ALERT!: Gultzen (Laser Field & Disc Drone)

This guy is more dangerous than it looks. There are 3 things to
look out for: the 2 sets of lasers crisscrossing each other at
a perpendicular angle, the 2 discs revolving around Gultzen,
and Gultzen itself.

The boss starts off above you. Aim up and pound it. After a while,
it will unlock itself and move. It may only float to 4 spots in the
room, which are marked by the big yellow circles in the background.
It goes to the spot closest to where you are, so move as soon as
it unlocks. The difficult part comes from timing your way through
the laser bolts without getting whacked by Gultzen or its circling
death-blades. When Gultzen locks itself down, start shooting again.
Its blades can block your shots, but you'll hit Gultzen most of the
time anyway (furthermore, it is only vulnerable when it stops).

The lasers divide the screen into 4 quadrants. You must be in a
quadrant different from that of Gultzen's, because its revolving
blades will cover almost all of the quadrant they're in. Run left
and right or flip gravity to get past the gaps between the laser
bolts. The safest way to move is to go counterclockwise around
the room. It's tougher to avoid Gultzen if it cuts diagonally
across the screen!

There's an extremely easy and almost effortless trick to beating
Gultzen that requires the sacrificing of Armor. When you start,
the boss will be above your head, so just flip gravity and fall
through it. Gultzen is unaffected if you touch it while you have
Armor, but by dropping onto the ceiling directly above it, you'll
be in its blind spot. The blades can't hit you (because they will
fly through the ceiling and miss the M-308's feet), and Gultzen
can't ram into you because it is restricted to the yellow circles
(in this case, it's stuck in the same spot). All you just have to
do here is to aim at it and fire away!

HARD HINTS:

First, you'll notice the Gravitrains are of a new color - grayish
black. Second, you'll notice how they're unnaturally hard to kill.
Unless you have the Plasma Beam and spend several moments pumping
them with energy, you're not gonna waste 'em. Your best bet is simply
to avoid them. The Stage is the same, but now you must go through it
more slowly, waiting for the Gravitrains to pass and running to the
next safe spot when it's clear.

Watch out after the initial series of spikes in Section 3-2. A
bunch of flying robots will dart out and squeeze shots off at you.
(These are the same guys from the Free Fall Corridor.) This area
is extremely deadly due to the sheer number of projectiles and
enemies, not to mention the nearly indestructible Gravitrains
that are still pouring through!

Gultzen is much faster. Predict when he's going to move so you can
run ahead first. If you wait too long, you're screwed. That blind
spot trick still works - if you're willing to give up some Armor
(assuming you have any)!

-------------------------
[2.4] STAGE 4: "THE CAGE"
-------------------------

"Let's go!"
        - Epsilon Eagle, from "Alien Soldier" (Treasure)


PASSWORD:

 Normal - 948-3RJ1-TFV
 Expert - ZNX-0952-1WD

BACKGROUND:

Originally created to transport scientists safely through fields
of space mines, this strange structure has been modified by Cyberg
into a flying death-trap. It will take passengers closer to the
Core, but along the way they must endure a wide variety of hazards.

GENERAL TIPS:

Sit on the side opposite of the Cage's movement. If it goes right,
stay to the left so you have more time to see what's up ahead. The
Cage moves in a preset pattern. If you wish, memorize its path to
make it easier for yourself. You must be quick to grab any items
that appear before the Cage slides away. Having your Timer run
down to 0 is also not of concern here, because the Cage always
moves through its route in the same amount of time (thus, you'll
also always earn the same Time Bonus at the end). Each Section,
no matter what the Difficulty Setting is, lasts about 70 seconds.

IN-DEPTH:

[2.4.1] Section 4-1 (Normal = 500 seconds, Expert = 500 seconds)

You start off with 500 seconds on the Timer, but it doesn't matter.
The Cage will start moving to the right. Stay on the ceiling if you
want the Gravity Fireball. The green orbs are floating "mines." They
don't explode; they're more like invincible barriers that kill you
when touched. The first green orbs you'll meet are placed on the
bottom and the top of the Cage's path. Jump or gravity flip by them.
You can also use the Gravity Fireball.

Now get to the ground as quickly as possible. A gray orb will appear
very soon. Each of these orbs sports a spinning disc blade, very
much like Gultzen's. Shoot the gray orb to destroy it (note how
its revolving disc also gets whacked). Right after this gray orb
is another one, but this one's on the top. Shoot it from underneath,
and then gravity flip to the ceiling to avoid the next 2 green orbs.

After the Cage moves a little more to the right, you'll see an Armor
Chip stuck between a triad of green orbs. Gravity Fireball through
the orbs to get the Chip and then flip again to back out. In the top
right corner is a Plasma Beam. Act fast - the Cage will temporarily
stop and then continue upwards. Don't get nailed by the green orbs!

When the Cage slides up, expect 3 pairs of green traps. Remember
these guys from the Tesseract Tunnel? They close in on you when
you're between them. Stay on the floor. When the bottom pair is
almost lined up with the top of the M-308's head, gravity flip
and drop up through them. Kneel when you hit the ceiling, just
in case. We don't need anyone to be decapitated here.

Now look out for 3 white turrets in the upper right corner. Get back
to the Cage's lower left and deal with them quickly, since the Cage
will now start moving to the right. Stay low and avoid the next pair
of green orbs. Gravity flip to avoid more of those green spheres.
Soon enough, a gray orb will appear on the top, so prepare to blast
it. After you do, run up to where it was and gravity flip down to
fight another gray orb. Be careful not to scrape against the greens.

Now get ready for the regenerating blue turrets. These guys reappear
shortly after you blow them up, so keep firing. You don't need 'em to
fill the Cage with their spinning crescent shots (but you can destroy
these shots)! The first one is on the right. When the Cage slides up,
there'll be another one on the left. As soon as the Cage moves right
again, a third and a fourth turret will appear from the top and from
the bottom, respectively. There's a point where the Cage pauses with
these 2 turrets inside it, so stay in the lower left corner and blast
upwards and rightwards to keep them at bay. The Cage then continues
to the right, and another turret will appear on the top. After this
fifth turret, prepare to fight the only minibosses in the game.

[2.4.2] MINIBOSSES: The Galons (Surface Drones)

These guys can really sweep the floor! There are 4 Galons, and
they start by racing clockwise around the Cage's surfaces. They'll
accelerate, slow down, and then fire a circular shot in the direction
opposite to the side they're on (for example, the top Galon shoots
downwards). After that, they will repeat the pattern in the opposite
direction. If you touch a Galon while you have Armor, that unit dies,
but you'll still have the other 3 to deal with!

Start off by attacking the Galon to your left as much as possible.
Jump over the incoming Galon from your right. Now just keep firing
left or right as you lightly hop over the Galons dashing underneath
you. Control your jumps so you can match their speed. When they stop,
shoot the closest, easiest-to-hit Galon. Just hang on, and you'll be
turning the last Galon into molten slush in no time!

[2.4.3] Section 4-2 (Normal = 200 seconds, Expert = 200 seconds)

No problems, right? Now that you've passed the Checkpoint, you should
be ready to take on the second half of the Cage's tour. It starts by
going to the right. In the lower half of the screen will be a Shield
Force. Above will be Armor. Grab them for an easier time.

New enemies! These creepy little red bugs will run out to the
Cage's edges, pause, and then rush at you! The M-308's gun might
not be able to hit them due to their odd angles, so be prepared to
jump or gravity flip outta their way. If you have the Shield Force,
you should have an easier time destroying them. The first bug appears
from behind the S Chip. The rest comes from various directions. Stay
in the middle of the ceiling to give yourself more room. You also
want to be on the ceiling for the next part.

After 4 or 5 bugs there will be 3 items. On the top is the rare
Crusher, and on the bottom are a G Chip and a P Chip. The Cage
makes snatching the C Chip difficult because it'll slide away down
and right really fast. If you manage to pick up the Crusher, the
bug on the bottom will die. Now quickly decide what you want - the
Gravity Fireball or the Plasma Beam? Or should you keep the Shield
Force? I usually go for the P Chip because I love brute force, but
you should go for what you like most.

A couple more red bugs will appear, but the real danger now comes
from the shield turrets. Why do I call them shield turrets? Because
they are armored on almost every side! They spit out little shots
that are hard to see, plus they take up a lot of room and damage.
Get to the floor and destroy the first turret you see from the
bottom. Watch out for any shot it fires. If you have the Shield
Force, use it.

After the first shield turret and another bug, the Cage will move
up. The next shield turret will appear on the left, and its open
side is also on the bottom. If you don't want to risk getting
crushed by it, move to the right. You can use the Gravity Fireball
if you want to. A third turret soon shows up on the right, but its
open side is on the top.

Here comes the barriers. A wall on the right will form up from
the top and bottom edges of the screen. (It makes a distinctive
"wwhhrrnn" sound.) Once formed, a launcher in the middle will drop
a missile out at an angle. Stay back so you can jump up and shoot
the central launcher. If you don't kill it, the Cage will continue
on, squishing you against it (the barriers themselves act like normal
walls - they only block you; however, the launchers kill you if you
touch them)!

Next comes 2 more of these walls, at the same time! Stay in the
MIDDLE, or else. The barriers will form to your right and to your
left. Hop up and kill the left wall first because the Cage will
promptly reverse itself, moving left. If you jump straight up in
the middle, you will avoid the missiles. After you blow the left
barrier away, run left to give yourself some room for taking care
of the right wall.

Catch a quick breath as we move into the final part of this ordeal.
When the Cage slides downwards, flip up onto the ceiling so you can
see the green orbs coming up. Stay to the left so you can shoot at
the white ship that appears from the right. Aim downwards as another
white ship comes in from the left. The Cage should then move down
and to the left, and then it'll abruptly shift to moving down and
to the right. Jump, kneel, and flip gravity to avoid the green orbs.
Be careful not to get trapped in a corner!

Now 2 white ships will appear - one from the top left, and one from
the bottom right. Take caution shooting them as the Cage shifts left
and right through more green orbs. Quickly move to the Cage's sides
because even more orbs will cut through its middle. Stay on the floor
if you're on the left side to avoid getting whacked when the Cage
slides right. Finally - on to the bosses!

[2.4.4] RED ALERT!: Kridon & Zoniar (Battle Drone & Laser Cannons)

Kridon and Zoniar are even meaner than the Galons! I'm not sure
if I'm getting the names right, but that's not important now.
I'll refer to the bouncing red drone as Kridon and to the twin
lasers collectively as Zoniar.

Kridon just bounces around the inside of the Cage at 45 degree
angles. But then there's Zoniar, who shoots vertical lasers right
across the screen!

Take out the 2 parts of Zoniar first. When you start, run past
underneath Kridon and shoot downwards at the lower Zoniar. The
top half will fire first, giving you time to destroy the bottom
part as the top one is moving towards you. (Room will be tight!)
When the top part stops blasting, shoot upwards at it. If you
didn't kill the bottom half, you'd better do it soon. If either
part is still around, you'll be really hard-pressed for the rest
of the fight. Try the Plasma Beam - you can kill Zoniar really
fast with it!

With both Zoniar halves gone, Kridon should be a piece of cake.
Just run around it, reversing gravity as required. Waste Kridon,
and then it's on to the next Stage!

One more tip - Kridon is the main boss. If you kill it first,
Zoniar will die along with it. If you want to, you can beat these
bosses without even pressing the B Button! Get some Enhanced Armor
and then touch Kridon with it. You lose the Armor, but Kridon blows
up and you instantly win!!

HARD HINTS:

Oh, crap. This Stage is now exceptionally difficult. Using the Game
Genie may not save you, and even emulating this game (including the
use of cheap features like saving the state of the game) will prove
to be intensely frustrating. The Cage runs through a COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT route, and the enemy and item patterns are also changed.
I don't need to list down the patterns because that's not what
is so tough now. What IS difficult are in the new enemy locations
themselves. The gray orbs with the revolving disc blades are placed
close together so their discs almost overlap. Waves of those flying
bots also swarm you with their cheap little shots. You can find
Armor in Section 4-1, but you'll need to preserve it for the
minibosses....

The Galons will no doubt piss off all Players. There is virtually
no way you can beat them without suffering a scratch. Due to their
boosted speed, they will virtually cover all of the Cage's surfaces
instantaneously!!! The only way I can beat them is to use the Armor
from the previous Section, and doing that requires you NOT to lose
it beforehand. Then, when you meet the Galons, you should start
pumping shots into the drone immediately to your left. Eventually
the Galons will hit the speed of light, so you'll pretty much have
to touch one of them. If you have Enhanced Armor, the touched Galon
will die. Even if the other 3 are still running along at warp speed,
you at least now have some extra room to work with. And, yes, the
shots they fire when they stop are faster too.

Some regular enemies are now so tough that even the Plasma Beam
cannot kill them fast enough. Those little red bugs and shield
turrets will really hound your ass throughout the second Section.

Kridon and Zoniar, like most other bosses on Expert Mode, are
no different except in speed and in durability. You'll definitely
wanna kill Zoniar first since both of its parts will fire like crazy.
Kridon has an incredible amount of life here, so you can't afford to
be getting shot at while you're slowly blowing it apart.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You cannot kill Kridon just by touching it with
Armor anymore! Doing so causes no damage to it (but the top half
of Zoniar does become destroyed). The lesson here? Keep the Armor,
providing you have any, and just take out the bosses the hard way.

-------------------------------------
[2.5] STAGE 5: LASER DEFENSE CORRIDOR
-------------------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal - DB4-V9RW-4N6
 Expert - W8@-TXJQ-TZQ

BACKGROUND:

Cyberg's next line of defense is composed of lasers - lots of
'em!! Not only are there twin laser turrets nested throughout
the place, a lethal column of high-voltage energy will sweep
through the entire corridor, vaporizing anything in its path!

GENERAL TIPS:

As soon as you begin, you must move forwards continuously, stopping
only to take out the laser turrets. (Other enemies seldom appear
here.) The energy column will catch up to you before you can run
out of time, so keep moving. (By the way, this column instantly
wastes you, even if you have Armor!)

IN-DEPTH:

[2.5.1] Section 5-1 (Normal = 400 seconds, Expert = 400 seconds)

Talk about beam dreams! You won't see the energy column yet, but
it's definitely coming! To the right is a twin laser turret. When
it stops firing, run underneath it and gun it apart. If you think
it'll fire again, you will just have to move to the side and wait.
Ahead are 2 more turrets. Again, wait for them to stop before
blasting them. For the lower turret, you can kneel down partly
over the adjacent ledge and shoot it without falling in.

Having the Plasma Beam helps immensely because its strength lets
you take out the turrets faster. Its width also doesn't require
you to stand directly in front of 'em.

Go on and you'll find another turret at the bottom of a vertical
section. After that comes turrets #5 & #6. Take out the lower one
first. The other one can be tricky - you must flip up onto the
ceiling to reach it if you don't have a special weapon. When it's
going to fire, you must flip back down and wait again. Try to use
the Power Beam's width to hit the turret (do it by aiming up from
the bottom, letting the edges of your shots damage it. After you
waste 'em, go on right until you meet yet another laser turret on
the bottom. Take it out and read the next part before going on....

LIGHTLY hop up on the orange block to the right and stay on the
BOTTOM, because hidden ahead are 2 more turrets, with one aiming
straight through the middle of the screen! You'll have to jump up
and shoot it when it's not firing. Also clear out the lower turret.
You should see Armor on the ceiling and a Plasma Beam on the bottom.
I strongly encourage you to get both if you don't already have them.
Keep going right, and there should be a single turret in the middle.
Take it out or run past it.

Now get on the ceiling. Soon, 2 more turrets will appear, with
one shooting left through the middle of the screen and the other
shooting up vertically. When it's clear, quickly grab that neat
Crusher at the top right. That should take care of those nasty
turrets! Drop back down onto the platform and move right. A 3rd
turret will shoot to the left above your head. If you want to,
pick up the Shield Force and then get the hell out. Continue
forward to the Checkpoint!

[2.5.2] Section 5-2 (Normal = 200 seconds, Expert = 200 seconds)

We now have a turret on the ceiling. Quickly kill it before that
boogieman of an energy column catches up to you. (This initial
turret doesn't appear if you die and restart from the Checkpoint.)
Head right to a second turret, which is oriented vertically. If
you have the Shield Force, jump onto the side and hold Down on
the D-Pad. The M-308 will push the Shield down onto the turret,
destroying it! Grab the Armor and the Bonus while you're at it.

Now comes a tough part. Take the middle corridor when you reach
the green floors. There will be little blue bugs that fly from
right to left. If you hit one, it releases a large wave of energy
at you. If you don't kill it, it launches the energy wave before
they leave the screen anyway! However, it's safer to let them
release it backwards from the screen edge because you'll have
more time to react then. If the bug zips through the middle of
the corridor, its wave will stretch across the entire corridor.
If it goes through the floor, its wave will cover 1/2 of the
corridors above and below the floor. You can kneel under (or
above) the bugs and their waves, if the height they are launched
at allows so.

As I said, take the middle corridor. When you meet a wall, leap up
into the top corridor (it's a bit easier than the bottom one). Get
back down into the middle as soon as you can. Remember to jump and
kneel to avoid bugs and waves. Staying in the middle allows you to
easily escape to either adjacent corridor.

At the end, you should see a trio of turrets. Get on the ceiling
where it's safer. If you have the Shield Force, get to the far
right and drop down on the ledge above the highest turret. Press
Down and push the Shield into it. Now you can drop onto the orange
block left of the middle turret (and above the lowest turret).
Again, press Down to destroy the 2 emplacements with the Shield.
If you don't have this special weapon, you'll have to take them
out the hard way (in this case, kill the middle, top, and bottom
turrets in that order). Note how you can safely kneel under the
lasers of the lowest turret.

After the triple turrets, get on the ceiling. If you don't, you'll
get waxed by a turret shooting near ground level. Drop down to the
turret's right side and kill it. Remember, you can duck its lasers.

Now, the last 2 lasers are to the right. You can't hit them because
they're tucked away in some tough, super-reinforced structures, so
you can only avoid 'em. To grab the Plasma Beam, stay upside-down
on the wall between the 2 turrets. When they stop firing, drop up,
grab the Chip, and reverse gravity to drop back down. Hold left or
right to move to the side, away from the lasers!

To meet the boss, you gotta go down into the narrow passageway on
the right. You'll have barely enough time to make it through before
the lasers come on again. Reverse gravity and run along the ceiling
if you have trouble jumping in rightside-up.

Here's a tip - if you don't mind losing out on some Time Bonus, you
can wait for the death-beam column to catch up. That sucker kills
everything it touches, including those turrets protected by the
tough structures. Be sure to move as soon as the turrets are gone,
because the energy column will be uncomfortably close by then!

[2.5.3] RED ALERT!: Multatron (Triformer)

Welcome to Area R-75, where the mighty Multatron lurks. This guy
is not fun. As its name implies, it has the ability to transform
into multiple forms, each one having its own attack.

Multatron stays on the right, floating up and down and shooting
to the left. Spikes above and below it keep cheap M-308 Gunners
from sneaking beneath its unprotected sides. Yep, you gotta use
whatever space you have to avoid its lasers. Multatron has 3
forms, and it'll morph into a different one as you pound it.
No matter what form it is in, touching Multatron while you have
Armor will not affect it.

Form #1 - Blue
 Multatron fires tiny diagonal laser bolts at you. They reflect
 off of the ceiling and the floor, so you should take extra care.
 If a shot is coming at you, jump over it, run underneath it, or
 run away from it. It all depends on where you are in relation to
 the projectile. Keep firing while you avoid the bolts.

Form #2 - Red
 Now Multatron gets mad, and it starts to shoot 90-degree lasers
 at you. They come out horizontally at first, but when they're
 over you, they will bend straight down or straight up. They
 alternate between going down and going up, so keep this in
 mind as you're attacking Multatron. If the bolts bend away,
 just continue shooting. If the bolts head for you, run off
 to the sides. Make sure you have plenty of room to escape to.

Form #3 - Green
 Multatron is even meaner than before, but this form may be
 the easiest to beat! It'll shoot vertical beams of plasma
 (similar to the blue bugs' beams in the previous Section).
 Jump or flip gravity to avoid these walls of death.

After the 3rd form, there's still more! Am I kidding? No! Multatron
is now beyond pissed, and it's ready to tear ass!! It'll constantly
morph to confuse you. This is probably the toughest part of the
fight, since it'll shoot out 2 lasers at a time! This means TWIN
diagonal bolts, TWIN right-angle bolts, and TWIN plasma walls!
Keep firing and switching your strategies to keep up with the
boss', and you'll win!

HARD HINTS:

One word: RUN!!! The energy column sweeping the Stage is twice as
fast, severely reducing the amount of time you have to escape, but
it's still important to stay cool while you're taking out the twin
laser turrets.

Speaking of turrets, beware of some extra white turrets in
addition to their twin laser counterparts. While they're not
your most dangerous foes, they can zap an inattentive M-308
strolling through the corridor....

Multatron gets jacked-up on robotic steroids. Not only is it
faster, its projectiles are also quicker! Keep to the same
strategies, however, and you'll beat it just the same.

---------------------------------
[2.6] STAGE 6: FREE FALL CORRIDOR
---------------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal - D10-JB59-1KP
 Expert - @P@-!35@-1QP

BACKGROUND:

The closer you get to the Core, the nastier Cyberg's defenses
become. Worse than the Tesseract Tunnel, the Free Fall Corridor
pushes warp technology to its limits. The entire Stage is patrolled
by endlessly floating traps, so the looping screen is only one of
your many worries.

GENERAL TIPS:

Patiently and slowly move towards the right, watching for gun
emplacements on the floating platforms. For the huge traps that
emit massive columns of energy, reverse gravity to switch them on
and off. You may have to "fall around" them to proceed. Do the same
for the spikes, flipping gravity and looping around when necessary.
While the blue platforms are pretty normal, the red ones can block
your shots, including the Plasma Beam's!

IN-DEPTH:

[2.6.1] Section 6-1 (Normal = 400 seconds, Expert = 400 seconds)

You'll start off standing on one of the many blue platforms floating
upwards. Go right and you should see 2 energy column traps. Remember
these guys from the third Stage? Reverse gravity to shut them off.
Continue on to a S Chip, a P Chip, and a 3rd trap. Soon afterwards,
a white turret will appear above a large blue platform. Take it
out by shooting it from underneath or from hanging below the small
platform to its left.

Up ahead are orange and white platforms. Look out for another
turret and for several red and white gun emplacements on the
white platform. Take it slowly when you take them out - it's
very easy to loop around and accidentally fall into them!

Past the white platform are some pesky flying robots. These
guys pop out quickly from the right, squeeze off a shot, and
then retreat back to the right. Kill or avoid them. Another
energy column trap marks the end of this Section...

[2.6.2] Section 6-2 (Normal = 200 seconds, Expert = 200 seconds)

... and yet another trap marks the beginning of this one (this
guy disappears if you die and restart from here)! Go on to the
right until you see some spikes. Look for Armor above one set
of spikes. Grab it - it's within easy reach! Beyond the Armor
is one more trap. Flip upside-down and carefully move around it.

Soon you should see a white platform. You know what this means:
more turrets! This platform, unlike the last one, carries more
white turrets. Past this is a vertical series of blue platforms,
which in turn is in front of a longer blue platform. Watch out
here - there are 4 red turrets and more flying bots. 2 of the
turrets are on the bottom, and 2 are on the top.

Now to the right of the blue platform are some orange ones.
Flip gravity to avoid the spikes. When you're on the big orange
platform, flip upside-down and drop up past the spikes on the
right side, landing on the underside of the orange platform.
From here, flip back rightside-up and drop down onto the blue
platform. Doing so shuts off the first of the next 2 traps and
lets you pass. Now jump above the spikes to the right and flip
gravity again. You should drop upwards onto the underside of
the next blue platform and shut off the last trap. When it's
clear, quickly run to the right, falling off towards the many
blue platforms on the other side. Before you meet a horrible
death at the spikes above, flip gravity and drop onto one of
those blue platforms. Just head forward from here to meet...

[2.6.3] RED ALERT!: The Triad Voltars (Hanger Maintenance Modules)

These guys were originally made to perform various duties around
the hanger and to service star vessels, but now they're building
up a fleet of warships so Cyberg can attack other parts of the
galaxy. Having no weapons of their own, these tools of death must
use the lethal bands of energy running along the floor and the
ceiling to stop intruders (i.e. you)!

The 3 box-like Voltars will circle the room in a counterclockwise
fashion reminiscent of that of the Galons, only they don't change
their speed or shoot. Whatever you do, don't touch the floor or
ceiling. The Voltars will attempt to crush you or force you onto
the energy bands there!

You start off standing on the lower Voltar. When it races up the
right wall, jump to the left and onto the next Voltar catching up
from below. The Voltars aren't spaced evenly apart, so you must
adjust your jumps accordingly so each time.

This fight may be even tougher than the one with Multatron. Only
one Voltar is vulnerable at a time, but there's a pattern to who
can be hit next. Wanna know when a Voltar is vulnerable? Look
closely at a hatch located underneath its top surface. In order
to avoid over-heating, the Voltar must open this hatch to cool
down. When the hatch is open, you can blast and damage the Voltar.
As you jump, shoot to the left, plugging the Voltar on the other
side. Be patient - if it's hit, you'll know it.

Once you damage a Voltar, the next one behind it should be open.
When you hit all 3, the pattern will restart, and you must find
the next vulnerable unit again. Once you hit it, keep nailing the
others in order. (If you mess up the series, you'll have a much
tougher time taking them out.) After you tag a Voltar for the 3rd
time or so, it'll turn red. This means that it's only 1 (ONE) shot
away from being destroyed!

"Okay, so I start destroying the Voltars. But they're also my
safety platforms! What the hell am I supposed to do?!," one might
ask. I say, "Don't worry!" Remember that you're invincible as soon
as you beat the boss(es). The trick is to time your attacks so you
kill the last Voltar before touching the energy bands. Waste the
first one by doing the usual jump-left-and-fire trick. Then blow
up the 2nd Voltar (the one you've just leapt from) by shooting
upwards at it. Now there's only the Voltar you're standing on
remaining. You can simply aim down and blast it, or you can drop
off to the side, turn around, and shoot it from midair. Ya' know,
purely for the style, freshness, or whatever you call it?

If you win, the energy bands shut off, and you'll be on your way
to the Core....

HARD HINTS:

Well, at least this isn't as bad as the Cage on Expert Mode. When
you reverse gravity, so does the entire Stage! Keep this in mind
when you're flipping around the energy column traps.

In Section 6-2, the platforms will only move when you land on them.
Stay sharp, and use this phenomenon to your advantage. Don't forget
that warping around the top and bottom edges of the screen is one
of your most potent tactics here.

The Triad Voltars are the pretty much the same, except now they
open their hatches out of order. The number of hits they take
before they turn red is different for each unit, too. Look closely
and shoot carefully to avoid being trapped without any way out.
Make sure all 3 units are red before killing 'em!

-----------------------
[2.7] STAGE 7: THE CORE
-----------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal - !F1-ZRJ9-TTK
 Expert - 9RS-LRR2-495

BACKGROUND:

The last of the Core's defenses is definitely going to be tough. All
the bosses you've destroyed in the past (with the exception of the
Galons) return in a final effort to stop you from blowing up Cyberg.

GENERAL TIPS:

Choose your weapon and fight through a gauntlet consisting of the
previous bosses! After you beat them again, it's on to the Self-
Destruct Mechanism!

IN-DEPTH:

[2.7.1] Section 7-1 (Normal = 100 seconds, Expert = 100 seconds)

You begin in a short hallway with 100 seconds on the clock. At the
end are 3 weapons: the Plasma Beam, the Shield Force, and the Gravity
Fireball. Pick your favorite and then exit to the right to commence
the horrible torture. If you die, you only restart on the boss you
got wasted at, but if you Game Over, you gotta start again from here!

[2.7.2] Sections 7-2 to 7-7

Nothing else much I can say - it's all up to you. You can use the
strategies I've presented to beat the bosses, or you can use your
own. Stick with what you're more comfortable with and go teach those
bosses how history repeats itself! (Unfortunately, you cannot kill
Kridon by touching it with Armor here.) When you whack the Voltars
once more, it's on to the final scene!

[2.7.3] RED ALERT!: Self-Destruct Device (Normal/Expert = 30 seconds)

This isn't really a boss, but you have a minimal 30 seconds to
complete this Sequence! You see, the LaserGun is done recharging
at this point, and it's about to give Earth the "Death Star"
treatment!!

The Self-Destruct Device is a gigantic, metallic, er..., uh...,
"shaft" (heh heh ;). To blow up Cyberg, you gotta "plug"
the Device into the wall on your left (heh heh heh heh ;p).

So how do you push something the size of a battleship across the
room? Well, you see those little nodes attached to the side of the
Device? (They look like clustered bunches of writhing wires.) Shoot
them off! There are a total of 4 nodes. Every one you destroy will
slide the Device closer to the wall (and bring the next node onto
the screen). You can jump up to shoot them, but it's easier to
go underneath 'em and just aim upwards. Don't touch the nodes
by accident - they can still kill you!

When you destroy the last node, the whole Device clicks in, and
you win! Enjoy the Ending!

HARD HINTS:

There are NO special weapons in the first Section of this Stage
on Expert Mode. Hey, you've kept one from the previous areas,
right?. No?? Oh well....

The bosses are all the same, including the terrifying Kridon and
Zoniar and the boogieman we all come to know and love as Multatron!
(At least you still don't have to fight those @$%&#! Galons.)

The Self-Destruct Device, like Gorgoth, now has some new tricks. As
you blow off the nodes, small guns on the Device that shoot tiny wave
beams will be activated. The wave beams travel only horizontally in
straight lines towards the left, but you must use all of your skills
to hop, skip, and reverse gravity around them, surviving long enough
to destroy the nodes within the same 30 seconds.

When you accomplish your mission, live the rest of your life knowing
that you've beaten the toughest Expert Mode game on the NES.

Here's to the Strike Mission.

(This is the part where we smash beer bottles into our heads.)

======================================================================
III. THE END - What a kick-ass game!! Hell yeah!!!! #*$%@&?!
======================================================================

------------------------------
[3.1] EPILOGUE & STAFF CREDITS
------------------------------

(As taken from Expert Mode, with some minor editing.)

                Through your courageous
                efforts all the people on
                Earth will sleep peacefully
                tonight.   The massive
                computer that set out to
                destroy the Blue Planet has
                been eliminated.

                Leaders from the Earth Nation
                will now bestow upon you a
                reward greater than any
                medal, and more valuable
                than all the gold known to
                man.   You have earned
                everlasting life.

                Yes! Your courage has won
                you immortality: Now it is
                your duty to return to the
                cosmos and protect the more
                vulnerable Earthlings from
                future alien attacks.

                Hang tough !

(We see the M-308 blast towards the screen from the distant,
 pitch-black background. It floats in front of us while the
 Staff Credits roll by.)

                    Staff

     Music Composed by  Toru Watanabe
      Sound Effects by  Ikuko Mimori

       Other Staffers:  Yousuke Hayashida
                        Takayuki Kudou
                        Osami Okano
                        Youichi Suzuki

Characters Designed by  Sadamitsu Numayama

           Graphics by  Utata Kiyoshi

         Programmed by  Hikaru Yamashita

           Directed by  Kengo Miyata

(The M-308 turns and shoots off, disappearing into the dark void.)

        METAL STORM: THE STRIKE MISSION

                     THE END

-----------------
[3.2] EXPERT MODE
-----------------

"YOU WON! ADVANCE!"
                - from Blade Master (Irem), when you finish a Stage


How'd you like the Ending? Does it suck or what? It offers a silly
reason for letting you play the game again on a higher Difficulty
Setting. So what's different about Expert Mode? Well, it's damn
tough, that's for sure! In the first edition of this guide, I've
included a short and incomplete list of what's different in this
new Mode. Now, all of the differences are written in-depth along
with the rest of the Stage strategies. Go back up and check the
Hard Hints sections if you choose to brave Expert Mode, but here's
a general list of what's been made nastier anyway:

- Regular enemies start doing things they normally don't, such as
  using extra attacks, running on turbo mode, becoming super-tough
  to kill, or appearing in more areas than they're supposed to.

- Bosses get just as bad (although the toughest scenes are
  actually the Sections themselves and not the boss fights).
  They fire more stuff at you, move around like a blur, and
  are encased in truckloads of armor.

- The Cage just ain't "The Cage" anymore. Okay, it's still a moving
  box, but everything else about it is different! Its route gets
  altered, not to mention the new (and highly dangerous) patterns
  of traps and bad guys.

- Power-ups may not be in the same place anymore. They might be
  replaced by something else, or they might not even show up!

- Besides 1-Ups, some other items will also not reappear if you die
  and restart from a Checkpoint. Sheeee-yit.

For now, just be happy that you beat the damn game. Hey, Normal
is okay, right? What?! You say "no" to that? Then to hell with the
Strike Mission - let's all just get drunk and play air hockey!!!!

======================================================================
IV. EXTRA STUFF - Other bits, pieces, and chips you may find helpful!
======================================================================

---------------
[4.1] PASSWORDS
---------------

Can't get past some Stages? Well, here's your chance to skip
ahead and see what you've been missing! As a free bonus, the
Passwords listed here give you some very decent equipment.
That's right - each code below will start you off with 9 Lives,
the Plasma Beam, and Enhanced Armor! YEEEE-HAW!!

Note: The "@" character stands for the Heart Symbol.

**********************************************************************
  Stage     Normal          Expert       Stage Name
**********************************************************************
    1    ------------    131-DDFW-KSB    Access Corridor Alpha
    2    37!-7ZRP-4NC    QVF-Q4R@-4@0    Tesseract Tunnel
    3    J3S-FDFX-KHB    XMV-9353-1FG    Gravitrain Access Corridor
    4    948-3RJ1-TFV    ZNX-0952-1WD    "The Cage"
    5    DB4-V9RW-4N6    W8@-TXJQ-TZQ    Laser Defense Corridor
    6    D10-JB59-1KP    @P@-!35@-1QP    Free Fall Corridor
    7    !F1-ZRJ9-TTK    9RS-LRR2-495    The Core
**********************************************************************

----------------------------
[4.2] 5-MINUTE-WAITING TRICK
----------------------------

Believe it or not, you still have a Timer running when you're
fighting bosses! While you can't see it, you have 5 minutes to
beat up your big opponent(s). The cool part is, when it runs
out, the boss, not you, dies! Of course, you'll have to survive
long enough for the lengthy 5 minutes to count down. Is there
any catch to this method? You won't get any Stage Bonus Points,
but who cares?!

This trick is most effective against Gorgoth and the Energizers,
because those bosses provide safe locations for you to hide at.

------------------
[4.3] STAGE TIMERS
------------------

Here are the time limits each Stage starts you off with on each
Difficulty Setting. Listed first is the number of seconds you are
given when you begin the first Section of the Stage. The second
number is the number of seconds you get when you die and restart
from the Checkpoint in the second Section. For Stage 4, the
numbers in the parentheses represent how long each Section
lasts, since the Cage's routes are predetermined.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
          Normal         Expert
          Section        Section 
 Stage   1   2   8      1   2   8
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   1    400 200 ---    400 200 ---
   2    400 200 ---    100 200 ---
   3    400 200 ---    400 200 ---
   4    500 200 ---    500 200 ---    (Each Section lasts 70 seconds.)
       (430 130        430 130)
   5    400 200 ---    400 200 ---
   6    400 200 ---    400 200 ---
   7    100 ---  30    100 ---  30
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

----------------------------
[4.4] BOSS BATTLE STRATEGIES
----------------------------

"[We shall] laugh like circus clowns while they scream for mercy."
                        - the Yin of Xing Loung (a.k.a. Jackie Chan),
                             from "The Adventures of Jackie Chan"


Here is a condensed set of strategies for beating the bosses and
the minibosses. The tactics are listed in alphabetical order of
the bosses' names.

NAME: Energizers
STAGE: 2
ATTACKS: plasma beams
WEAKPOINT: always vulnerable
STRATEGY:
   There are 5 Energizers in all, but each one fires independently.
 When you start, fire at the Energizer in your corridor. When its
 protective shell retracts, jump to another floor. Chances are
 the Energizer that just fired won't shoot again for some time,
 so reverse gravity and drop back down to the corridor you just
 jumped from. Attack again, and this time the Energizer should
 blow up. Now you've got a safe spot to rest in.
   If you have the Plasma Beam, stand a little to the left over
 where the red floor meets the yellow floor. From here, you can
 fire upwards or downwards, letting the outer edges of your shots
 hit the remaining Energizers as they open up and extend themselves
 into your shots.
   If you have another weapon, you'll have to do things the hard
 way by risking death in front of a cannon, jumping away before a
 beam hits you.
   If you don't mind losing out on the Stage Bonus Points, wait
 for 5 minutes and let the bosses blow themselves up!
   On Expert Mode, multiple Energizers can fire at the same time.

NAME: Galons
STAGE: 4
ATTACKS: touching you, energy shot
WEAKPOINT: always vulnerable
STRATEGY:
   These guys start by racing clockwise around the Cage's surfaces.
 They'll speed up, slow down, fire a circular shot in the direction
 opposite to the side they're on, and then start sliding again
 around the Cage, this time in a counterclockwise direction.
   Start off by pumping the Galon to your left as much as possible.
 Jump over the incoming Galon from your right. Now just keep firing
 left or right as you lightly hop over the Galons running underneath
 you. Control your jumps so you land between them. When they stop,
 shoot the closest, easiest-to-hit Galon.
   On Expert Mode, these guys are extremely fast. Grab some Armor
 before fighting them if you want to survive.

NAME: Gorgoth
STAGE: 1
ATTACKS: energy rings, homing rings (on Expert Mode only)
WEAKPOINT: the pinkish-purple dome that pops out
STRATEGY:
   Avoiding the energy rings, shoot into the dome as it emerges
 on the left, right, and bottom sides of the reactor. Except for
 the homing energy rings on Expert Mode, this guy's aim sucks, so
 you can easily sidestep, duck, jump, or flip over most of its shots.
   The dome's first 4 appearances are on the bottom, on the right,
 on the left, and on the left again. If you have the Plasma Beam,
 you can kill the boss during the dome's second exposure.
   Gorgoth, on Normal Mode, is one of the few bosses you can use
 the waiting trick against. Make sure you find a safe spot to hide
 at first.

NAME: Gultzen
STAGE: 3
ATTACKS: laser field, revolving blades
WEAKPOINT: when it stops and locks itself onto the wall
STRATEGY:
   Gultzen starts off above you, so aim up and pound it. When it
 unlocks itself, it will move to the quadrant of the screen you're
 in, so you must maneuver past the lasers to get to another quadrant.
 Timing your way through the laser bolts without getting ground
 up by Gultzen or its circling blades is of the utmost importance.
 When the boss locks itself down, start shooting again.
   If you don't mind losing some Armor, you can also drop through
 Gultzen and land right above (or underneath) it on the ceiling
 (or floor). From there, it can't kill you because it will stay
 in the same spot (due to you not being in a different quadrant)
 and its blades will fly past you harmlessly!
   Gultzen on Expert Mode moves faster. Predict when he's going
 to unlock so you can run ahead first. Take care not to have it
 cut across the screen diagonally, because avoiding it then is
 extremely difficult.

NAME: Kridon & Zoniar
STAGE: 4
ATTACKS: touching you (Kridon), lasers (Zoniar)
WEAKPOINT: always vulnerable
STRATEGY:
   Kridon just bounces around at 45 degree angles, so run and jump
 around as necessary while shooting it. The two Zoniar parts will
 alternately fire vertical lasers through the entire Cage. Take
 out the Zoniar halves first. After Zoniar is gone, Kridon will
 be much easier to deal with.
   For a shortcut on Normal Mode, get some Armor and then touch
 Kridon. You'll lose the Armor, but you'll defeat the bosses
 immediately! Unfortunately, this does not work with Kridon
 in the final Stage (where you fight all the bosses again).
   This trick also does not work on Expert Mode (but the top
 part of Zoniar will die, at least!). The bosses are also
 now - as usual - faster and much tougher to kill.

NAME: Multatron 
STAGE: 5
ATTACKS: lots o' lasers
WEAKPOINT: whenever it's not transforming
STRATEGY:
   This dude's attacks are determined by the form it takes.
   In the blue form, it fires diagonal laser bolts at you. They
 reflect off of the ceiling and the floor, so you should jump over,
 run underneath, or run away from them. It depends on where you
 are in relation to the bolts.
   In the red form, it shoots horizontal lasers that bend up or
 down at right angles when they're over you. The lasers alternate
 between bending down and bending up. If the bolt bends away from
 you, just keep shooting, but if the bolt heads for you, run away.
   In the green form, it shoots wide vertical waves at you. Jump
 or flip gravity to avoid 'em.
   When Multatron is about to go "BOOM!," it'll constantly morph
 between its 3 forms. This may be the toughest part of the fight,
 because it'll shoot out 2 lasers at the same time too.
   On Expert Mode, Multatron and its projectiles are faster.

NAME: Self-Destruct Device
STAGE: 7
ATTACKS: none (Normal Mode), wave beams (Expert Mode)
WEAKPOINT: the writhing wire nodes on the side
STRATEGY:
   Shoot the 4 nodes off. Each one you destroy will slide the
 Device closer to the wall and bring the next node onto the
 screen. You can jump up to shoot the nodes, but it's easier
 to go underneath them and just aim upwards on Normal Mode.
   On Expert Mode, small guns along the top and bottom of the
 Device will start shooting small shots whenever a node is wasted.
 The shots travel straight to the left, so you'll have to hop and
 flip gravity to avoid them. Obviously, you cannot stand under the
 nodes to blast 'em, seeing how the little shots emerge from there!

NAME: Triad Voltars
STAGE: 6
ATTACKS: crushing you, forcing you onto the floor and ceiling traps
WEAKPOINT: whenever their vents open up
STRATEGY:
   The Voltars will circle the room in a counterclockwise direction.
 Don't touch the energy bands on the floor and ceiling. You start
 off standing on the lower Voltar. When it races up the right wall,
 jump to the left and onto the next Voltar catching up from the
 bottom. The Voltars aren't spaced evenly apart, so you must adjust
 each of your jumps.
   When the hatch beneath a Voltar's top surface is open, you can
 hurt the unit. As you jump, be sure to shoot to the left, hitting
 the Voltar on the other side. If it's hit, it'll flash. Once
 you damage a Voltar, the next one behind it should be vulnerable
 (if you're on Normal Mode). When you hit all 3, the pattern will
 restart, and you'll have to find the next vulnerable Voltar.
 If you screw up the order, things will get messy, but just keep
 jumping and shooting, and you'll eventually hit an open Voltar.
   On Expert Mode, the Voltars will open up their hatches randomly,
 making this shoot-in-order tip useless.
   Another challenge here is to time your attacks so you kill the
 last Voltar before touching the energy bands. A red Voltar indicates
 that it's 1 hit from being destroyed, and you'll want all 3 units to
 be red before killing them. That way, you can quickly destroy them
 and avoid getting pinned onto the energy bands. When you're standing
 on the last Voltar, you can simply kneel down and fire to destroy it.

NAME: Zoniar
 See Kridon & Zoniar above.

------------------------
[4.5] RAM ADDRESS CHEATS
------------------------

Let's get one thing straight: no cheating has been used during
the production of the tactics here, so the material you see above
is quite valid. Still, to make this guide more useful, I'm gonna
cover everything, including the cheating you can do by screwing
around with the RAM values! Come on, cheating from time to time
can be sorta fun....

The following are memory addresses associated with some important
values in the game. The values presented are only recommendations
(I won't want you to mess up your game now, will I?). Obviously,
you'll need some way to implement these cheats. Get a NES emulator
or any other device that supports this kind of address-tampering.
If you can, enjoy!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Address   Values                                Game Value(s) Affected
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

0054      ## (Set from 00 to 09 - Hexadecimal)  Timer - Ones Digit
0055      ## (Set from 00 to 09 - Hexadecimal)  Timer - Tens Digit
0056      ## (Set from 00 to 09 - Hexadecimal)  Timer - 100s Digit
  Running out of time is the least of your worries, but in case
  you prefer to crawl at a snail's pace through Cyberg, you can
  freeze the value of one of the above addresses at any number
  greater than 0 (you should know what happens if you freeze
  the ones or tens digit at 0...).

0528      ## (Set to 00 OR 30 - Hexadecimal)    Armor (visual only)
             (Set to 00 OR 48 - Decimal)
  Setting this to 48 will only make the M-308's appearance change.
  It looks like it has Armor, but touching an enemy will still make
  it go "BOOM!," unless you use the code below. (Set this to 0 if
  you don't want the Armor graphics.)

05D0      ## (Set to 00 OR 80 - Hexadecimal)    Armor (actual)
             (Set to 00 OR 128 - Decimal)
  If you set this address' value to 128, you will not die when you
  touch something nasty (you can even survive the crushing blows
  of the swinging gates!). The M-308 won't look like it has Armor,
  unless you use the code above. You might find some glitches if
  you start to touch things that will normally kill you with a
  single hit. The Voltars might push you off the screen (and ruin
  your game), and touching the energy column in Stage 5 might
  "warp" you. Sometimes you'll restart Section 5-1, or sometimes
  you'll skip to Section 5-2 (upon which, touching the beam again
  will mysteriously bump you ahead to Area R-75). Groovy - in an
  unstable sort of way!

0716      ## (Set from 00 to 09 - Hexadecimal)  Lives
  Freezing this address' value to get infinite Lives is great, but
  it won't be as helpful as having infinite Armor!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

----------------------
[4.6] GAME GENIE CODES
----------------------

Still need more help? If you have a Game Genie, you may be in luck!
A strange side effect of the "Game Enhancer" is that entering the
Password Screen after you turn on the game will offer you a strange
Password! This happens as long as you have the device connected,
even if you don't enter a single Game Genie code! (The mysterious
Password only starts you off in Stage 1 - Normal Mode - with no
special power-ups and 0 Lives.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
   Code      Effect(s)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(Concerning Lives)

 AASOYYPA    Infinite Lives.
 TEXUNLZA    Start with 6 Lives.
 PEXUNLZE    Start with 9 Lives.

(Concerning Time)

 AVKYPSGL    Slower Timer.
 AXKYPSGL    Faster Timer.

(Concerning Weapons)

 AESTKXGA    Permanent Gravity Fireball.
 AESXXNGY    Permanent Shield Force.
 NNNLOLAE    Start with Armor and ALL 3 Weapons!!
             (WARNING!! This code screws up your Passwords
              because you're not supposed to have more
              than 1 special weapon at a time!)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

---------------------------------------------
[4.7] GAME EVALUATION - SOME SERIOUS THOUGHTS
---------------------------------------------

Why did I write this guide? Because I like Metal Storm!
It's a chance to help others on a game I enjoy playing
a lot. But let's discuss the strong and weak points of
Metal Storm to get a better understanding of it.

Scoring:
 Poor -> Below Average -> Average -> Above Average -> Excellent

Story: Average
   It's basic stuff, but the Ending on Normal makes you wanna
 punch a wall. The Expert Mode Ending is definitely cooler,
 but not many people will live to see it. #@*%&$?!

Gameplay: Excellent
   The concept of reversing gravity is flawlessly merged into the
 intense action. The results? Interesting Stages, unique bosses,
 and one hell of a game!! Even if Normal Mode doesn't give you
 the best Ending, it's still a fun challenge that ordinary gamers
 can beat.

Replay: Average
   The game, as short as it may be, is nice to play from time
 to time. A few more Stages would've been nice; Expert Mode
 just isn't that fun!

Controls: Above Average
   The M-308 is very responsive. Moving, shooting, and flipping
 gravity is fast and smooth, but it's too bad the M-308 can't
 shoot diagonally (although it can fire straight up while running,
 like Samus Aran from Nintendo's Metroid). Aiming up and jumping
 at the same time is tricky too, because you might flip gravity by
 accident. Thankfully, Players easily and quickly learn to adapt to
 this. The Password Screen's interface has some good points coupled
 with some bad ones. While having the cursor automatically jump to
 the character shown in the current code helps in certain situations,
 it gets annoying if you DON'T want the cursor to bounce around
 everytime you enter something! And how come you can't clear the
 Password and start from scratch?

Graphics: Above Average
   Objects move fluidly, and multilayered backgrounds give some depth
 and add to the high-tech atmosphere. There's little slowdown, and
 everything is exceptionally animated. The blue bots from the first
 Stage have several frames of motion, as does your M-308, and the
 transformations for Multatron look cool as hell. The only problem?
 The coloring can be a little nasty. The M-308 looks muddy, and
 items can sometimes blend into the backgrounds.

Sound Effects: Excellent
   Your shots sound like energy weapons, and so do the enemies'.
 Regular bad guys blow up like if they got vaporized. Bosses
 explode like thunder (the same goes for you). Plus, reversing
 gravity has its own unique effect.

Voice: N/A
   No voice, no score. The M-308 doesn't need to talk anyway,
 especially when it has that big fusion rifle.

Music: Above Average
   The futuristic music fits the game well. Most of the tunes
 are memorable (my favorite is Stage 2's because it's so funny).
 A few Stages share the same tune though, but at least they're
 catchy ones!

Overall: Excellent
   You have in your hands one of the NES' best games (and also one
 of its most underrated ones). The action is incredible, and the
 wonderful visuals and audio give it even more flash. 8-bit games
 can't get any more advanced than this.

   Game on, and live the Storm.

------------------------------------------------------
[4.8] REALLY SMALL DETAILS NO COMBAT ROBOT CARES ABOUT
------------------------------------------------------

Da' Cage
 Do you notice how the Cage looks pretty ancient for a setting this
 futuristic? It initially looks like it was borrowed from the Great
 Palace in Nintendo's Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link.
 Then the Cage changes as you enter new Sections. Check it out -
 one minute it has ancient Greek architecture, and the next it looks
 like something taken out from Star Wars!

Funny Main Menu Options
 If you press the Reset Button, the game's RAM still keeps the
 last Password you got (assuming you've earned or entered any).
 Just go into the Password Screen and it'll be there. But wait,
 there's more! If you hold both the A and B Buttons right when
 the Title Screen appears, the Main Menu won't show up! When you
 release the Buttons, the Main Menu appears, but the Password Option
 will be highlighted first! And if you highlight "Start," pressing
 A and B together will automatically move the cursor back to
 "Password." Is this a useless bit of information or what?!?!

Why Gravity?
 Why exactly does Cyberg need Earth-like gravity? The robots inside
 can just fly around to perform their maintenance duties, and the
 bosses will have a much easier time blasting the M-308 if it's
 floating helplessly through the air. Of course, if this happens,
 we won't have a very fun game....

The M-308's Fusion Rifle
 It can only fire 2 shots at a time? What kind of gun is that? And
 they call it a fusion-powered rifle?! Okay, maybe it needs to cool
 down or something, and at least it fires fast enough to work like
 a machinegun at short ranges.

The M-308's Head
 Doesn't the M-308's shiny head look similar to the R-Type's canopy?!
 Maybe the R-9 Arrowhead and the M-308 are cousins, or maybe the NES
 graphics processor really has its limits.

Other Silly Uses for the GravCon
- You can retrieve balloons that float up beyond your reach.
- You can give annoying kids the roller coaster treatment.
- Coupled with Namco's GunCon, you can kick terrorist butt in style.
- You can run along the ceiling to cut ahead in the lunch line.
- You can scare people from above the doorway (like an Alien). Boo!
- Tired of waiting for elevators? You can climb skyscrapers faster.
- You can squish bats sleeping inside caves.
- You can flip around until you make yourself puke. Twice.

======================================================================
V. CREDITS - Because it won't be right without the proper thanks!
======================================================================

[5.1] Irem (www.irem.co.jp)
 Hey, these guys created this game, right? They can make some really
 neat stuff. Here's a list of a few other Irem games:
 -> R-Type (Various platforms)
     Shooter fans are familiar with this long-running series and its
   ass-tearing challenge. Look for one of the latest installments,
   R-Type Delta, on the PSX.
 -> Moon Patrol (Various platforms)
     The lunar landscape has never been so dangerous before. Zip
   over the bumpy terrain, jumping over rocks and pits and blasting
   annoying killer aliens. This early arcade hit can use a serious
   update....
 -> Kung-Fu (NES)
     3 words: "Chinese Action Theater." This features very simple
   martial arts moves. You're some guy named Thomas who must
   rescue his girlfriend Silvia from 5 hard-assed bosses. Also
   look for the sequel, Kung-Fu 2.
 -> Kickle Cubicle (Arcade, NES)
     As Kickle, save the Fantasy Kingdom from the evil Wizard King
   (and then get it on with Princess Mira!!) by knocking around ice
   cubes in this action-puzzle game. Think of this as a pumped-up
   version of Hal Laboratories' Adventures of Lolo.
 -> Undercover Cops (Arcade, SNES)
     A knock-off on Capcom's Final Fight, but a decent one. The
   graphics get downright gritty as you go on a gangster-killing
   spree as one of 3 heroes who have all been screwed one way or
   another. "Undercover" is an exaggeration here.
 -> Gallop: Police Unit (Arcade)
     A shooter different from the regular R-Types. As a cop in a
   futuristic police craft, take down krezzy criminals in record
   time with your wide arsenal of weapons, including a fearsome
   homing laser cannon!
 -> Gun Force (Arcade, SNES)
     A cheap clone of Konami's Contra. While the controls are perfect
   and the gameplay is solid, the graphics are mediocre and the music
   is rather bland. Still, you get what the title implies: a lotta
   gunfire! There are several special weapons and some really cool
   vehicles you can use, from jeeps to helicopters to even unoccupied
   enemy gun emplacements! The SNES version is pretty faithful to the
   original arcade game, but certain details are left out, such as
   the tanks and the motorcycles. Boo.
 -> Mystic Riders (Arcade)
     An interesting horizontally-scrolling shooter where you take on
   the roles of the young apprentices, Zeal and Mark, who must fly
   across the land to stop some sort of evil sorceress, saving the
   princess of an underwater kingdom along the way. The kid mages
   can charge up their magic blasts and use their staves for both
   offensive and defensive purposes. They also have the ability to
   land on and run along surfaces, firing upwards to clear bad guys
   outta the skies! This is a relaxing break from R-Type: Leo. Get
   a friend to play with you!
 -> Blade Master (Arcade)
     The Irem guys don't make a lot of medieval fantasy games,
   do they? Well, you get some great hack-and-slash action here.
   Roy and Arnold (bring along your buddy for more fun) must save
   Princess Emina from the forces of evil and then help her stop
   the Master of Darkness. While this seems just like another
   Double Dragon or Final Fight clone with swords, the scenery
   and the concept of the downstab (which you must use to beat the
   later bosses) are pretty neat. There is a surprising amount of
   attention paid to the details in the animations, such as the one
   where you try to climb back up after falling into a pit.
 -> Rocky Rodent (SNES)
     One of the more forgettable platform-action titles. As some sort
   of rodent with an intense visage, save some restaurant owner's
   lovely daughter, Melody, to get free meals. Yep, you're fighting
   for a sandwich. There are more "mature" elements in here, such
   as the restaurant owner's involvement with the local mafia and
   the scene where Rocky steps into a naked girl in her bath. The
   idea of using different hair-styles to kill enemies and to reach
   high places is new but not fun, plus some of the jumps are plain
   frustrating at times. Still, Pecky, a bird Rocky befriends later,
   is pretty cool. She goes around kicking ass with you, and I wish
   more action games will include people like her.
 -> In the Hunt (Arcade, PSX, SAT)
     An interesting shooter that uses submarines instead of
   spacecraft. As the captains of the latest attack subs, the
   Crimson Fire and the Azure Scourge, you and a friend must
   stop the Dark Anarchy Society from taking over the world.
   Destroy the enemy from the water with your massive arsenal,
   which includes 3 different types of torpedoes, 2 kinds of
   machineguns, homing missiles, and a ton of depth charges.
   Think of this as R-Type in water, since some of the bosses
   you fight can get downright creepy. Your submarine maneuvers
   like a real one (i.e. really slowly), but at least you don't
   have to restart from a Checkpoint whenever you die. The graphics
   are awesome. Though they have the heavy industrial feel from
   Undercover Cops, the superb animations are simply breath-taking.
   Visually speaking, this game did to the arcades what Metal Storm
   did to the NES.
 -> Lethal Thunder (Arcade)
     Some more space shooting action. This time, you build up your
   weapon power by rapidly tapping the Fire Button. The strength
   of your special bomb weapon also depends on your weapon power
   (and therefore depends on your Button-pressing). There are
   multiple endings, as with In the Hunt, but all that tapping
   will leave your fingers sore!
 -> Deadly Towers (NES)
     While this adventure title doesn't play as great as some other
   games of the same genre out there, its medieval world offers a
   challenging quest for those who manage to survive it.
 -> Guardic Gaiden / The Guardian Legend (NES)
     A truly kick-ass, sci-fi, action-adventure game. Irem helped
   Compile, a company with serious shooter and puzzle experience,
   to bring this out. Those who are looking for an intricate
   combination of rich exploration and intense shooter action
   owe it to themselves to check this out.

[5.2] Nintendo (www.nintendo.com)
 I need a platform to experience the Strike Mission on, right?

[5.3] Nintendo Power (www.nintendopower.com)
 Thanks also goes to this official magazine publication for
 providing some names (such as those of the Stages), the waiting
 trick, and a blown-up diagram of the M-308 (complete with all
 those neat hi-tech details). I wonder where NP got that M-308
 figure? They show pictures of it in several dramatic poses to
 brighten up the pages in their magazine.
 (Volume 22, featuring Metal Storm on the front cover, pages 8-19;
  I like that Star Tropics-themed "Howard & Nester" comic on the
  following pages too!)
 (Also refer to Top Secret Passwords, one of NP's many
  Player's Guides. Metal Storm is covered there on page 77.)

[5.4] Galoob (www.galoob.com) (www.hasbro.com/home.html)
 I don't (really) cheat when I write strategy guides, so the tips
 presented are quite valid. However, I gotta thank the distributors
 and the creators of this "Game Enhancer" for letting me equip all
 3 special weapons at the same time. Man, it feels good! Anyway, I
 got the Game Genie codes from the original manual.

[5.5] The guys who are nice enough to put this up on the web
 For posting this up. They're my electronic link to you, dear reader.

[5.6] My fellow Faididis & Spherelanders
 For helping me through the game and figuring out the best tactics.
 Now I've gotta find a way to keep that Fdd from squishing Mr. M-308.
 Run, M-308, run! Waaagghh!

[5.7] The M-308 Gunner
 This guy looks funny, but it's the hero anyway.
 Let's all give a big cheer for it and this game!
 (I wonder if they sell stuffed M-308 dolls anywhere....)

======================================================================
======================================================================

I hope you enjoy playing Metal Storm and reading this strategy guide.
Got questions or comments? Got the itch to contribute? Wanna argue
that something I've said isn't quite true?! Wanna tell me where I
can get M-308 plush dolls or action figures??? Wanna challenge me
and the M-308 to a game of air hockey?!?! Feel free to e-mail me at

  faididi@hotmail.com

... or post something at Metal Storm's Message Board
at GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com).

Also feel free to visit the staff's site.
Get your extra gaming info, fun pictures, and illegal goods down at

  www.geocities.com/ed057/index.html

Let us carry on the Golden Torch of Videogaming until the
sun explodes and all life on Earth dies a horrible death,
saving Cyberg the trouble of carrying out its krezzy task.  :)
