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

Metal Storm Copyright 1990 Irem America Corp.

Spherelander Videogame Strategy Guide Series #01 - Version 1.2
Copyright 2000-2001 Faididi (faididi@hotmail.com)
This strategy guide is intended for private use only and may not
be distributed for personal gain. This, or any part of it, may
not be copied without the author's permission.

This document contains about 14944 words.
If what you get is significantly different, somebody may have
tampered with this document (probably cutting out the walkthrough
credits and copyright information). While I can't do crap about
it (except complain), you should care in the event some important
gaming data is accidentally removed or if there is an error in
downloading this guide. If you still give half a rat's ass,
e-mail me to inform me that something funny's going on.

Cartridge Information (Approximations)
 Length: 11.9 cm
 Height: 13.4 cm
 Width:  01.6 cm
 Memory Size: 384 KB
 American Release Date: February 1991
 American Cover Art:
  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!

---------------
VERSION HISTORY
---------------

Version 1.2 (Spring'01 Edition)
Updated - 05 28 2001 Monday - Memorial Day
New Features:
- Added a section summarizing all boss tactics.
- Really, really verified the waiting trick for beating bosses.
- Cleaned up some wording and mistakes.
The M-308 is more happy than ever.

Version 1.1 (Winter'01 Edition)
Updated - 12 31 2000 Sunday - New Year's Eve
New Features:
- A complete set of Passwords for the Hard Dificulty Level
- Fine-tuned the Triad Voltars battle strategy
- Added some advice for the extra dangers on the Hard Dificulty Level
- Added the game staff credits to the Ending section
Cyberg gets another visit from Mr. M-308.

Version 1.0 (Summer'00 Edition)
Updated - 06 16 2000 Friday
The M-308 takes a break and sits down to read about itself.

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

INDEX

I.  Background Info
     - Now We're Really Screwed (the story)
     - Stats (for the M-308 Gunner)
     - How to Pilot your M-308 (the controls)
     - Items
     - Structures (including the Arrow platforms)
     - Score Tally Screen

II. Stage Strategies
     - Stage 1
     - Stage 2
     - Stage 3
     - Stage 4
     - Stage 5
     - Stage 6
     - Stage 7

III.The End
     - Epilogue
     - Hard Mode

IV. Extra Stuff
     - Passwords
     - 5-Minute-Waiting Trick
     - Boss Battle Strategies
     - Game Genie Codes
     - Really Small Details
     - Game Evaluation

V.  Credits

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

------------------------
NOW WE'RE REALLY SCREWED
------------------------

  In 2501 AD, mankind faces a disaster. The powerful LaserGun on
Cyberg, a battle station on 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.

-----
STATS
-----

The M-308 Gunner
 Height:         3 meters
 Mass:         952 kilograms
 Power Level: 1300 kilowatts
 Armour:      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 on the equipment:

Fusion Rifle
 The M-308's weapon. Using the wonders of fusion power, this
 rifle can fire almost forever. It can be upgraded to fire
 the Plasma Beam, but the M-308 will only be able to use one
 special weapon at a time.

Gravity Control Device (GravCon)
 Allows normal function in any gravitational field so the M-308
 can work in any environment. This, of course, 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 with the GravCon to nullify the effects of gravity on the
 M-308. This facillitates jumping and maneuvering.

Hyper Boosters
 Mounted next to the wings, these let the M-308 fly around in
 space (you only see this during the Ending for Hard 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. You won't need to use these
 in the game as Cyberg 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 weapon. 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. :)

----------------------------------------------------------
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 and downwards
          (relative to your TV screen).
 B      - Shoot!
 A      - Jump!
 Select - Cycle between the Start & Password options on the Main Menu.
 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.

Q. Why should I care to reverse gravity?

A. Flip gravity to get past 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.

-----------------------------------------------
THE ITEMS IN YOUR PATH OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
-----------------------------------------------

P Chip - Plasma Beam
 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
 Generates a protective barrier in front of you.
 This barrier absorbs some projectiles and damages any enemies
 it touches. It faces the direction you move towards. If you leave it
 facing one direction, you can lightly tap the other direction to
 turn around without moving it. In effect, you have a rear shield!
 Also adds 1000 Points.

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

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

A Chip - Enhanced Armor
 Gives you more protection so you can suck up an additional hit.
 The M-308 will look bulkier if it has this.
 Also adds 1000 Points.

B Chip - Bonus Points
 Adds 5000 Points. Wheee!

T Chip - Extra Time
 Adds more time to your clock.
 Almost every Stage starts you off with 400 seconds.
 (You get 200 seconds if you restart from the Checkpoint.)
 There are no time limits for bosses.
 Also adds 1000 Points.

1-Up Chip - Extra Life
 Gives you an additional chance when you blow it by getting
 yourself blown up. Tends not to reappear like the other
 items if you die and restart the Section you're on.
 Also adds 1000 Points.

----------------------------------------------------
THE STRUCTURES IN YOUR PATH OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
----------------------------------------------------

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

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

Down-Arrow Platforms
 You can 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 will go through them, not even Plasma Beams, death rays,
 acid sprays, bullets, nuclear explosions, peanut butter, etc.

------------------
SCORE TALLY SCREEN
------------------

Here's a quick (but probably not too accurate) run-down of
the Score Tally 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 Bonus Points you get from beating the boss,
 depending on how fast you defeat it.

Time Bonus
 The Bonus 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 finished.

======================================================================
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 the
General Tips, which will tell you what to expect and give some overall
tips. 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 Hard Mode, and then comes the strategies for
the next Stage. Simple, right?

------------------------------
STAGE 1: Access Corridor Alpha
------------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal    --- - ---- - ---
  Hard     !LG - TFCN - 3JZ

BACKGROUND:

This was designed as a route for maintenance crews. 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.

GENERAL TIPS:

Nothing in this Stage can really kill you. You'll 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:

[Section 1-1]

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, if you flip it.

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!

[Section 1-2]

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

Stay on the ground. There'll be another turret. Gravity
Fireball upwards, blow it up, 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 blow up 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.

The next room is the last one. 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 now. Go right
to the 1st boss...

[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 doorguard
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 out in a complex pattern. The dome's 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.

Gorgoth is one of the few bosses who you can use the cheap 5-
minute-waiting trick against (see the Extra Stuff section below).
Make sure you find a safe place to hide at. When you start, don't
move. The rings should all miss, again due to the 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 Hard Mode is radically different....

Beware of the blue bots - they fire tiny bullets at you now,
so don't just run up to them!

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
as you're standing right next to Gorgoth, firing mindlessly into
the dome. The waiting trick, obviously, will be more difficult
to employ here.

-----------------------------
STAGE 2: The Tesseract Tunnel
-----------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal    S4T - 17RL - XT9
  Hard     3DZ - @22N - G@C

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 make
life even harder for the M-308.

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:

[Section 2-1]

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 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.

When you're through, go on to the right. Jump upwards past
another pair of green traps. Keep going right. 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 jump again quickly. Or, skip it and save
yourself some trouble. Now go up and continue to the right.
Flip gravity and stay on the top if you already aren't. Quickly
jump downwards past the double set of green traps. As soon as
you go right, a white ship will appear. Shoot and get rid of it.
(These guys can shoot curving shots out from their backs.)

Now you should be "below" 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 to be fried.
You have 5 floors to go until you reach the Checkpoint.

[Section 2-2]

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 spikes to drop up to the 1-Up. This 1-Up
DISAPPEARS if you die, so you gotta pick it up now if you want it.

Jump through the Up-Arrow platform and continue on. 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 gravity. 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 and get them. If you don't have it, you'll
have to go through the Up-Arrow platform and do it the hard
way. Be careful not to fall onto them due to the wacky screen-
looping.

Now jump up along the staircase-like structure until the next step
up is a spike floor. 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 Bonus might disappear -
you may 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 jump
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 go past the 2 plain platforms to the left.
Once you're on the bottom, you can find a path to another Bonus!

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

[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, and 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.

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

#1 - Do the same thing you did for the first Energizer. Jump out
     of the way before the Energizer in front of you fires and
     risk getting blasted by another one above/below you. Or...

#2 - 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 floor, but it can go
     through the red floor. The trick is to let the outer edge of
     your shots hit the remaining Energizers. (They have to open
     up to extend themselves into your shots.) You can hit them,
     but they can't hit you!! Or...

#3 - Use the 5-minute-waiting trick. It's cheap, but it works.

HARD HINTS:

The white ships with the rear cannons that fire curving shots
will appear right at the beginning. Don't get trapped by their
projectiles (but talk is easy and 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 trick them. Hop lightly 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 CANNOT panic!! Methodically but swiftly hop and jump your
way past them, tricking the next pair just as the one on your
floor is resetting its positions.

The Energizers are pretty much the same (good for you), except 2
or more of them can fire simultaneously. I hope you have sharp
reflexes.

-----------------------------------
STAGE 3: Gravitrain Access Corridor
-----------------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal    86C - KRQX - KQ@
  Hard     L3V - R0WH - WKW

BACKGROUND:

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

GENERAL TIPS:

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

IN-DEPTH:

[Section 3-1]

Start moving to the right because the Gravitrains will come soon.
If one of them appears and is going to ram into you, shoot 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 move ahead. 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? There's one to the right, placed on the ceiling. Work through
the Gravitrains and pick it up, since it's probably more useful.
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 on 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 on the bottom and fire upwards.
The Shield will save you from Gravitrains and from the turret's
projectiles. Flip gravity and move on to the right, right up to the
Checkpoint. When the screen stops scrolling, the Gravitrains will
stop appearing (to prevent cheap deaths, ya' know?).

[Section 3-2]

Again, watch out for the Gravitrains as you go right. 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'll 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. These traps can't be destroyed, but you
can shut them off by reversing gravity. Likewise, they can be
turned back on when you flip again, so be sure to get the hell out
of their way! Drop down and run over it. Jump on the little
platform, and then hop over the spikes. Just tap the A Button
lightly, unless you enjoy wearing spikes for hats.

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 go above the small platform.
If you stand right between the 2 parts of track, where the track
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 get to 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. Remember, you can blast any Gravitrain in front of you.

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.
Get the 5000 Points, get back up to the ceiling, and then continue
to the right. Reverse gravity next to the spikes and drop down
to the platform below. The screen will have stopped scrolling by
now, so be happy! You're done with the Gravitrains!

[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 criss-crossing each other at
a perpendicular angle, the 2 discs revolving around Gultzen,
and Gultzen itself.

Gultzen starts off above you. Aim up and pound it. After awhile,
it will unlock itself and move. It can only go to 4 spots
around the room, 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 itself. 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. The blades will block your shots,
but you'll hit Gultzen most of the time anyway.

The lasers divide the screen into 4 quadrants. You must be in
a quadrant different from that of Gultzen's since the circling
blades will cover the entire 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
harder to avoid Gultzen if it cuts diagonally across the screen.

HARD HINTS:

First, you'll notice that the Gravitrains are of a new color - grayish
black. Second, you'll notice that 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 to
simply avoid them. The Stage is the same, but now you have to go
through it more slowly, waiting for the Gravitrains to pass and then
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 fly out and squeeze off shots at you. (These
are the same guys from the Free Fall Corridor.) This area is
extremely deadly due to the number of enemies and projectiles, not
to mention the nearly indestructable Gravitrains.

Gultzen is the same, only he's much faster. Predict when he's going
to move so you can run ahead first. If you wait too long, you're
screwed.

-------------------
STAGE 4: "The Cage"
-------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal    @GD - G3ZM - V8B
  Hard     50N - 065B - KM3

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 moves right,
stay on the left so you have more time to see what's up ahead.
The Cage moves in a preset pattern. If you want to, memorize its
path to make it easier for yourself. You only have a short amount
of time to grab any power-ups that appear before the Cage moves
away. Running outta time is also not of concern here - the Cage
always moves through its route in the same amount of time.

IN-DEPTH:

[Section 4-1]

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 indestructable 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.

Get to the ground as soon as possible. A grey orb will appear very
soon. Each of these orbs sports a spinning disc blade, very much like
one of Gultzen's. Shoot the grey orb and destroy it. Note that its
revolving disc also gets destroyed. Right after this grey 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 Armor 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 moves up, wait for 3 pairs of green traps. Remember
these guys from Stage 2? 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 as
the Cage will now start moving to the right. Stay low and avoid the
next pair of green orbs. Gravity flip to avoid some more green
orbs. Soon enough a grey 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 grey orb. Be careful not to scrape against
the greens.

Now get ready for the regenerating blue turrets. These guys
will reappear shortly after you blow them up, so keep blasting
them. 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 moves 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. The Cage will pause with 2 turrets in it, so stay
in the lower left corner and blast upwards and rightwards to
keep them at bay. The Cage will now continue to the right, and
another turret will appear on the top. After this fifth turret,
prepare to fight the only minibosses in the game!

[MINIBOSSES: The Galons (Surface Drones)]

These guys can really sweep the floor. There are 4 Galons, and they
start racing clockwise around the Cage's surfaces. They'll speed up,
slow down, and then fire a circular shot in the direction opposite to
the side they're on (for example, the top Galon shoots downward).
After that, they'll repeat the pattern, moving in the other direction.

Start off by pumping the Galon to your left as much as possible.
Jump over the oncoming 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 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!

[Section 4-2]

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 now
starts going to the right. In the lower half will be a Shield Force.
Above will be Armor. Grab both for an easier time.

New enemies! These 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, so be prepared to jump or gravity flip out of their way.
The Shield Force can destroy them. The first one will be right
behind the S Chip. Soon enough, more will come 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 it tough for you if you want the Crusher because it will
move down and right away really fast. Pick up the Crusher before
the Cage moves away and the bug on the bottom will die. Now
quickly decide what you want - the Gravity Fireball, or the
Plasma Beam? I go for the P Chip because I love brute force,
but you should go for what you like most. If you want to,
you might even keep the Shield Force - any weapon will help!

Now more red bugs will appear, but the real danger 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, and they take up a lot of room and damage.
Get to the ground 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 appears on the
right, but its open side is on the top.

Now come the barriers. A wall to 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.

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

Take a quick breath as we move into the final part of the Cage's
route! When it goes down, 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 will appear from the right. Aim downwards as
another white ship will come from the left. The Cage should now
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 lower right. Take caution shooting them as the Cage shifts
left and right through more green orbs. Quickly move to the left
or right side of the Cage because more green orbs will cut through
the Cage's middle. Stay on the floor if you're on the left side to
avoid getting whacked when the Cage moves right. On to the bosses!

[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. It's nothing compared to Zoniar, who shoots vertical
lasers right across the entire screen!

Take out the two parts of Zoniar first. When you start, run right
underneath Kridon and shoot down at the lower Zoniar. The top part
will fire first, giving you time to destroy the bottom one as the
top part is moving towards you. When the top part does fire, move to
the right. Room will be tight! When the top part stops blasting, shoot
upwards at it. If you didn't kill the bottom part, you'll have to
do it now. If the top part is still around, you'll be really
hard-pressed. Try the Plasma Beam - you can kill Zoniar really
fast with it!

With both Zoniar parts gone, Kridon is just a piece of cake. Just
run around it, reversing gravity if you need to. Waste Kridon, and
then it's on to the next Stage!

More tips! Kridon is the main boss. If you kill it first, Zoniar
will blow up 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. You lose the Armor, but Kridon blows up and
you instantly win!!

HARD HINTS:

Oh, crap. This Stage is 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 their locations
because they are fairly easy to remember. What IS difficult are
in the locations themselves. The grey orbs with the revolving
disc blades are placed close together so their discs almost
overlap. You can find Armor in Section 4-1, but you 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 sufferring a scratch.
Due to their boosted speed, they will literally cover all of the
Cage's surfaces instantaneously!!! The only way I can beat them
is to use the Armor from Section 4-1, 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 almost always 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 have some
extra room to work with. And, yes, the shots they fire when
they stop are faster too.

Kridon and Zoniar, like most other bosses on Hard Mode, are no
different except in speed and in hit points. You'll definitely
wanna kill Zoniar first since both its parts will fire like crazy.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You cannot kill Kridon just by touching it with
Armor!! Doing so causes no damage to it and only wastes your own
protection! The lesson here? Keep the Armor (providing you have
any) and just take it out the hard way. Man, this sure is tough!

-------------------------------
STAGE 5: Laser Defense Corridor
-------------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal    BWQ - BCQ1 - KV8
  Hard     XQD - B53Q - B27

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 everything in its path!

GENERAL TIPS:

As soon as you start the Stage, you must move forwards continuously,
stopping only to take out the laser turrets. The energy column will
catch up to you before you can run out of time, so keep moving.

IN-DEPTH:

[Section 5-1]

Talk about beam dreams! You don't see the energy column yet,
but it's defintely 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'll just have to move to the side
and wait. Ahead are 2 more turrets. Again, wait for them to stop
and then shoot them. For the lower turret, you can kneel down
partly over it and shoot it without falling in.

Having the Plasma Beam helps immensely as 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 on 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 have to flip gravity to
reach it. When it's going to fire, you must flip back down and
wait again. Try to use the Power Beam as it saves you a lotta time
and is wide enough to hit the turrets without forcing you to step
right in front of them. You can actually hit the high turret
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 to the right are 2 more turrets, and
one aims right 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 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 on 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, grab the Shield Force and then get the
hell out. Continue right to the Checkpoint!

[Section 5-2]

We now have a turret on the ceiling. Quickly kill it before the
boogieman of an energy column catches up to you. (This 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 and
continue on.

Now comes a tough part. Take the middle corridor when you reach
the green floors. There will be little blue flying bugs that
zip from right to left. If you hit them, they release a large wave
of energy at you. And if you don't kill them, they will release
the energy wave backwards at you anyway! But it's safer to let
them release it from the back because you'll have more time to
react. If the bug flies through the middle of the corridor, its
wave will cover the entire corridor. If it flies 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 some of their waves.

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

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 down to the orange block left of the middle
turret and above of the lowest turret. Again, press Down to
destroy the 2 turrets with the Shield. If you don't have the
Shield Force, you'll have to take out the turrets the hard way.
(Kill the middle, top, and bottom turrets in that order.) Note
that you can 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 nested in some tough, really 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.

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 the 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.

[RED ALERT!: Multatron (Triformer)]

Welcome to Area R-75, where the mighty Multatron lurks.
This guy is not fun. As its name implies, it transforms into
multiple forms, each 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 shifts into a different one as you pound it.

Form 1 - Blue
 Multatron will fire tiny diagonal laser bolts at you. They
 reflect off 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 shot. Keep firing as you're avoiding the bolts.

Form 2 - Red
 Now Multatron gets mad, and it starts to shoot 90 degree
 lasers at you. A tiny laser bolt will come out horizontally.
 When it's over you, it will bend straight down or straight up.
 It alternates between going down and going up, so keep this in
 mind as you're beating up Multatron. If the bolt bends away,
 just keep shooting. If the bolt heads for you, run away. Make
 sure you have plenty of room.

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 at
 you (similar to the blue bugs' beams in the previous Section).
 Jump or flip gravity to avoid these walls of death.

But 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 will constantly change 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! Just keep firing and switching
your strategies to keep up with Multatron's, and you'll win!

HARD HINTS:

One word: RUN!!! The laser sweeping the Stage is twice as fast,
severely reducing the amount of time you have to escape. But
remember 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 alongside
the twin laser ones. While they're not your most dangerous foes,
they can zap an unattentive 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.

---------------------------
STAGE 6: Free Fall Corridor
---------------------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal    8F0 - L3ZT - VN3
  Hard     8RM - S7WN - T7Q

BACKGROUND:

The closer you get to the Core, the nastier the 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:

Slowly move towards the right, watching out for gun emplacments
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, reversing gravity and looping around them when necessary.

IN-DEPTH:

[Section 6-1]

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 Stage 3? Reverse gravity to shut them off. Go on
right to a S Chip, a P Chip, and a 3rd trap. After you get what you
want, go on. Soon a white turret will appear above a large blue
platform. Take it out by shooting it from underneath or from hanging
under the small blue platform to its left.

To the right are orange and white platforms. Look out for another
turret, but watch for the white platform as it supports many more
red and white gun emplacements. 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 towards the right. Kill or avoid them. Another
energy column trap marks the end of this Section.

[Section 6-2]

And yet another trap marks the beginning of this Section! (This
guy disappears if you die and restart from here.) Go on to the
right until you see some spikes. Look for the Armor above one
set of spikes. Grab it - it's easy to reach! Past 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 robots.
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. This will shut
off the last trap. When it's clear, quickly run to the right,
falling off towards the many blue platforms on the far right.
Before you meet a horrible death on the spikes above, flip
gravity and drop onto one of these blue platforms. Now just
head right.

[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.

The 3 box-like Voltars will circle the room in a counterclockwise
fashion very much like 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.

This fight may be even harder than the one with Multatron. Only
one Voltar is vulnerable at a time, and there's a pattern to
who can be hit next. 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 on the bottom. The Voltars aren't spaced
evenly apart, so you must adjust your jumps accordingly.

Wanna know when a Voltar is vulnerable? Look closely at a hatch
located underneath their top surfaces. In order to avoid
over-heating, a Voltar must open this hatch to cool down.
When their hatches are open, you can blast them.

As you jump, be sure to shoot to the left, hitting the Voltar
on the other side. Remember that only one can be damaged at
a time, so be patient. If it's hit, you'll know it.

Once you damage a Voltar, the next one behind it should be
vulnerable. When you hit all 3, the pattern will restart, and
you'll have to find the next vulnerable Voltar. Once you
hit it, keep getting the others. When you hit a Voltar for
the 3rd time or so , it will turn red. This means that it's
only ONE shot from being destroyed!

Note: this trick works only if you hit all the Voltars one
after the other. If you mess up this order, you'll have a
much tougher time taking them out!

"Okay, so I start to destroy 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. Kill
the first one by doing the usual jump-left-and-fire trick. Then
blow up the 2nd Voltar (the one you just jumped from) by aiming
up at it. Now there's only the Voltar you're standing on remaining.
You can aim down and blast it, or you can drop off to the side,
turn around, and shoot it in midair. Ya' know, just for the style?

If you win, the energy bands will 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 Hard Mode. When
you reverse gravity, so does the entire Stage! Keep this in mind
as 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 fact 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 same, except now they open their hatches
out of order. Look closely and shoot carefully to avoid being
trapped without any way out. Make sure all 3 units are red before
killing them.

-----------------
STAGE 7: The Core
-----------------

PASSWORD:

 Normal    X0B - ZSRW - BXV
  Hard     BT@ - TGWK - P3N

BACKGROUND:

The last of the Core's defenses is the toughest. All the bosses
you've destroyed in the past are brought back in a final effort
to stop you from blowing up Cyberg.

GENERAL TIPS:

Choose your weapon and fight through a gauntlet of all
the previous bosses! After you get past this final line
of defense, it's on to the Self-Destruct Mechanism!

IN-DEPTH:

[Section 7-1]

You start off in a short hallway with 100 seconds on the clock.
At the end are 3 Chips: the Plasma Beam, the Shield Force, and
the Gravity Fireball. Choose your weapon and then exit to the
right to start the horrible torture. If you die, you only restart
at the boss you are at. If you Game Over, however, you gotta
start from here again!

[Sections 7-2 to 7-7]

Nothing else much I can say. It's all up to you. You can use
the strategies I presented for beating the bosses, or you can
use your own. Stick with what you're more comfortable with and
go teach the bosses how history repeats itself! When you whack
the Triad Voltars once more, it on to the final...

[RED ALERT!: The Self-Destruct Device]

This isn't really a boss, but you have a minimal 30 seconds
to complete this Section! 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? Actually, you don't. 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. 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:

Unlike the wussy party ontop of my buddy's skyscraper that you
get in Normal Mode, there are NO weapons at the beginning of this
Stage. Hey, you kept a special weapon from the previous Stages,
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 is the same, only now (like Gorgoth) it has
extra defenses. As you blow off the nodes, small guns on the Device
that shoot tiny wave beams will be activated. The wave beams only
travel in a straight path towards the left, but you'll have to 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 Hard Mode game on the NES.

Here's to the Strike Mission.

(This is the part where you make a toast with me.
 See you up there on the skyscraper.)

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

------------------
EPILOGUE & CREDITS
------------------

(As taken from Hard Mode, with some minor changes.)


                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 !


                    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


        METAL STORM: THE STRIKE MISSION

                     THE END

---------
HARD MODE
---------

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


How'd you like the Ending? Sucks, doesn't it? It offers a
very stupid reason for letting you play again on a more
difficult setting. So what's different about Hard Mode? Well,
it's damn tough, that's for sure! In a previous edition of
this walkthrough, I included a short and incomplete list of
what's different in Hard Mode. Now, all of the differences
are written in-depth above with the rest of the Stage strategies.
Go back up to check the Hard Hints if you choose to brave Hard
Mode, but here's a quick list of what's been made nastier anyway:

- Regular enemies start doing things they normally wouldn't,
  like firing extra weapons, running on turbo mode, becoming
  super-tough to kill, or appearing in more areas than they're
  supposed to.

- Bosses get just as bad. 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
  cage, but everything else is different! Its path is different,
  not to mention the new (and highly dangerous) patterns of
  traps and bad guys.

- Items tend not to reappear. Sheee-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!
======================================================================

---------
PASSWORDS
---------

Can't get past some Stages? Well, here's your chance to skip
ahead and see what you've been missing! As an added bonus, the
Passwords listed here give you some decent starting equipment.

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

Game 1 (Normal Mode - You start with the Plasma Beam and Armor)
  Stage 1    --- - ---- - ---  -> Access Corridor Alpha
  Stage 2    S4T - 17RL - XT9  -> Tesseract Tunnel
  Stage 3    86C - KRQX - KQ@  -> Gravitrain Access Corridor
  Stage 4    @GD - G3ZM - V8B  -> "The Cage"
  Stage 5    BWQ - BCQ1 - KV8  -> Laser Defense Corridor
  Stage 6    8F0 - L3ZT - VN3  -> Free Fall Corridor
  Stage 7    X0B - ZSRW - BXV  -> The Core

Game 2 (Hard Mode - You start with only the Plasma Beam*)
  Stage 1    !LG - TFCN - 3JZ  -> Access Corridor Alpha
  Stage 2    3DZ - @22N - G@C  -> Tesseract Tunnel
  Stage 3    L3V - R0WH - WKW  -> Gravitrain Access Corridor
  Stage 4    50N - 065B - KM3  -> "The Cage"
  Stage 5    XQD - B53Q - B27  -> Laser Defense Corridor
  Stage 6    8RM - S7WN - T7Q  -> Free Fall Corridor
  Stage 7    BT@ - TGWK - P3N  -> The Core

*The lack of Armor means even more trouble for you, as beating
 the Hard bosses is hideously difficult and I haven't got the
 skill to get Passwords that start you off with Armor. Hard Mode
 is HARD!! If you have better Passwords, use them instead!

----------------------
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 oppenent(s). The cool part is, when it runs
out, the boss, not you, dies! Of course, you have to survive
long enough for the long 5 minutes to count down so the boss
self-destructs. 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.

----------------------
BOSS BATTLE STRATEGIES
----------------------

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


Here is a condensed set of strategies for beating the bosses
and the minibosses. They will be listed in alphabetical order,
so the M-308 won't get confused. :)

Energizers
Stage: 2
Attacks: plasma beams
Weakpoint: always vulnerable
Tips:
   There are 5 Energizers, 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. Fire 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 edge 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 you'll also win.
   On Hard, multiple Energizers can fire simultaneously.

Galons
Stage: 4
Attacks: touching you, energy shot
Weakpoint: always vulnerable
Tips:
   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 oncoming 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 can match their speed. When they
 stop, shoot the closest, easiest-to-hit Galon.
   On Hard, these guys are extremely fast. Grab some Armor before
 fighting them if you want to survive.

Gorgoth
Stage: 1
Attacks: energy rings (plus homing rings on Hard)
Weakpoint: the pinkish-purple dome that pops out
Tips:
   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 Hard, 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 it during the dome's second exposure.
   Gorgoth, on Normal, is one of the few bosses who you can
 use the 5-minute-waiting trick against. Make sure you find a
 safe place to hide at first.

Gultzen
Stage: 3
Attacks: laser field, revolving blades
Weakpoint: when it stops and locks itself onto the wall
Tips:
   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, and you must maneuver past the lasers to get to
 another quadrant. Timing your way through the laser bolts
 without getting grinded by Gultzen or its circling blades is
 of the utmost importance. When Gultzen locks itself down, start
 shooting again. Its blades will block your shots, but you'll hit
 Gultzen most of the time.
   Gultzen on Hard 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 very difficult.

Kridon & Zoniar
Stage: 4
Attacks: touching you (Kridon), lasers (Zoniar)
Weakpoint: always vulnerable
Tips:
   Kridon just bounces around at 45 degree angles, so run and jump
 around as necessary while shooting it. The two Zoniar parts
 will alternate shooting vertical lasers through the entire Cage.
 Take out the Zoniar parts first. As you're aiming up or down,
 don't forget that Kridon is still bouncing around to get you.
 After Zoniar is gone, Kridon will be much easier to deal with.
   For a shortcut, get some Armor and then touch Kridon. You'll
 lose the Armor, but you'll defeat the bosses immediately!
   Unfortunately, this trick does not work on Hard, where the
 bosses are also faster and tougher to kill.

Multatron 
Stage: 5
Attacks: lots o' lasers
Weakpoint: whenever it's not transforming
Tips:
   This happy guy likes firing lasers at you, and those lasers'
 patterns are determined by the form taken on by Mr. Multatron.
   In the blue form, it fires diagonal laser bolts at you. They
 reflect off 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, but keep firing as you're dodging.
   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 huge vertical waves at you.
 Jump or flip gravity to avoid 'em.
   When Multatron is about to go BOOM!, it will constantly switch
 its form. This may be the toughest part of the fight, because it'll
 shoot out 2 lasers at the same time. Keep firing and switching
 your strategies to keep up with Multatron's, and you'll win.
   On Hard, Multatron and its shots are faster.

Self-Destruct Device
Stage: 7
Attacks: none (Easy), wave beams (Hard)
Weakpoint: the writhing wire nodes on the side
Tips:
   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 Hard, 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, and 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.

Triad Voltars
Stage: 6
Attacks: crushing you, forcing you onto the floor and ceiling traps
Weakpoint: whenever their vents open up
Tips:
   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 on the bottom. The Voltars aren't
 spaced evenly apart, so you must adjust each of your jumps.
   When the hatch under a Voltar's top surface is open, you
 can blast it. 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. 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 Hard, the Voltars will always open up their hatches
 randomly, making this shoot-in-order strategy 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 one 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 remaining Voltar,
 you can simply kneel down to blast it.

Zoniar
 See Kridon & Zoniar above.

----------------
GAME GENIE CODES
----------------

Still need more help? If you have a Game Genie, you may be in luck!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
  Code      Effect(s)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

AASOYYPA    Infinite Lives. (This is great for Hard Mode!)

TEXUNLZA    Start with 6 Lives.

PEXUNLZE    Start with 9 Lives.

AVKYPSGL    Slower Timer.

AXKYPSGL    Faster Timer.

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!)

------------------------------------------------------------------
REALLY SMALL DETAILS THAT ARE SO TRIVIAL NO ROBOT CARES ABOUT THEM
------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cage
 Did you notice how the Cage looks pretty ancient for a
 setting this futuristic? It looks like it was borrowed
 from the Great Palace in the Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventure
 of Link. Plus 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 from Star Wars!

The Password Option on the Main Menu
 You know if you press the Reset Button, the game's RAM still
 keeps the last Password you got. 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 do their maintenance duties, and
 the bosses would have a much easier time blasting the M-308 if
 it's floating helplessly through the air. Of course, if this
 happened, we wouldn'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
 Fans of shooters put Irem at the top of their list of favorite game
 companies because of the awesome R-Type series. Here's something
 that'll make you happy: The M-308's shiny head looks similar to the
 R-Type's cockpit!!! Maybe the R-9 Arrowhead and the M-308 are
 cousins, or maybe the NES graphics processor really has its limits.

The M-308's Name
 I can't help but think that "M-308" sounds like a firecracker or like
 a real life weapon. But hey, Metal Storm does provide a good bang!

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

---------------------------------------
GAME EVALUATION - SOME SERIOUS THOUGHTS
---------------------------------------

"I'm crazy, but not stupid."
                - Xing Loung (aka. Jackie Chan),
                  stuntmaster and action film director/producer


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

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 Hard Ending is definitely cooler, but not
 many people will live to see it. Crap.

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: Below Average
 The game is very short though, and a few more Stages would've been
 nice. As for the Hard Mode, this no longer resembles a game....

Control: Excellent
 Can't argue here. The M-308 is as responsive as it can get.
 Moving, shooting, and flipping gravity is fast and smooth, but
 it's too bad the M-308 can't shoot diagonally.

Graphics: Above Average
 Objects move fluidly, and multi-layered backgrounds give some
 depth and add to the high-tech atmosphere. There's little slow-down,
 and everything is exceptionally animated. The blue bots from Stage 1
 have several frames of motion, as does your M-308, and Multatron's
 transformations look cool as hell. The only problem? The coloring
 can be a little nasty. The M-308 looks muddy, and the items can
 blend into the backgrounds sometimes. Then again, you must
 remember the NES has a severely limited color palette.

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 (and so do you). Reversing gravity makes its own
 unique sound.

Voice: N/A
 No voice, no score. The M-308 doesn't need to talk anyway.

Music: Above Average
 The futuristic tunes fit the game well. All of the music is
 memorable (my favorite is Stage 2's because it's so funny).
 Some Stages share the same tune though.

Overall: Excellent
 You have in your hands one of the NES' best games (and also one
 of the most underrated ones). The action is incredible, and
 the wonderful visuals and audio give it even more flash.
 Hold on to this cartridge! (Or if you're emulating this, get
 the cartridge! It only costs a buck or two, plus it has some
 great cover art!!)

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

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 Sony Playstation.
 -> Kung-Fu (NES)
     3 words, "Chinese Action Theater." This is an early arcade
   game featuring 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 (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 jacked-up
   version of Hal Laboratories' Adventures of Lolo.
 -> Metal Storm: The Strike Mission (NES)
     Sorry. I just have to mention this game again. And again.
   It's great how Metal Storm is as action-packed as R-Type, but
   is easy enough so a lot more people can enjoy and finish it.
   I say, "Go for a sequel!"
 -> The Guardian Legend (NES)
     Another heavy kick-ass game. Irem helped Compile, a company
   with serious shooter experience, to bring this out. Look for the
   Spherelander Videogame Strategy Guide Series #04 to find out more!
 -> 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. "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 twin sister and brother, 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 the bad guys out of the skies. This is a relaxing
   break from R-Type: Leo. Get a friend to play with you!
 -> Blade Master (Arcade)
     Irem 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
   you see when you try to climb back up after falling into a pit.
 -> In the Hunt (Arcade, PSX)
     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 surface-to-air
   machineguns, homing missiles, and a ton of depth charges. Think
   of this as R-Type in water, as some of the bosses you fight can
   get downright creepy. Your submarine maneuvers like a real one
   (ie. 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.
   Also, the PSX version has EVERYTHING from the original arcade game
   (it's an excellent translation by Kokepeli!), plus it includes
   extra music and a secret code that gives you infinite credits!

The Instructions Manual
 For providing names, especially for the bosses.
 And how to play the game, of course.

Nintendo Entertainment System
 I need a platform to experience the Strike Mission on, right?

Nintendo Power (www.nintendo.com)
 For providing even more names (such as the ones for the Stages),
 the waiting trick, and a blown-up picture of the M-308 (complete
 with all the neat hi-tech details). I wonder where they got that
 M-308 figure? They showed pictures of it in several dramatic
 poses to brighten up the pages in their Metal Storm issue.

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 felt good! Anyway, I
 got the Game Genie codes from the original manual. Wow, my Game
 Genie package is still in one piece after all these years!

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

My fellow Faididis & Spherelanders
 For helping me through the game and figuring out the best tactics.
 Now I gotta find a way to keep that Fdd from squishing Mr. M-308.

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 walkthrough.
Got questions or comments? Got the itch to contribute? Wanna argue
that something I 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 horribly,
saving Cyberg the trouble of carrying out its krezzy task.  :)
