________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ___ __ | | | | | | | | | | | \ | | | __ | | __ | |__ __| |__ __| | __ | | \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ | | | |__| | | | |__| | | | | | | | | | |\ \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ \ | | | __ | | | __ | | | | | | | | | | \ \| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ | | | | | | |__| | | | __| |__ | |__| | | | \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ | |__| |__| |________| |__| |________| |________| |__| \__| ______________________________ ______________________________ | | | | | | | | | ________________________| |________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |________________________ ________________________| | | | | | | | | | |________________________ | | ________________________| | | | | | | | | | | | | ________________________| | | |________________________ | | | | | | | | |______________________________| |______________________________| o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | Platform: NES | | Version 1.0 (March 11, 2003) | | | | By Brian Sulpher & The Admiral | | Email: briansulpher@hotmail.com & Admiral1018@yahoo.com | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o INTRODUCTION ------------ So many clichιs jump to mind when thinking of Action 52: "They broke the mold with this one," "They just don't make them like they used to," and "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Action 52 is a terrible game, by any standards, and no one will ever tell you otherwise. In fact, the sole reason that this guide exists and that you are likely reading it is because Action 52 is so astoundingly bad that you almost need to see it to believe it. It's not just bad based on a few gamers' experiences, either. The game was a complete scam, released by a phantom company at an initial price of $200. Action 52 was sold under the guise of "52 games for less than $4 each," but even this statement relies on a very loose interpretation of the word "games." Nearly every single one of the 52 games is loaded with bugs or glitches. Some games don't start, some freeze or crash moments after loading, and many are just clones of other games with different colors and sprites. The story of Action 52 is probably more interesting than the game itself, and this guide dedicates a section to the folly that was Active Enterprises and the game that has become their legacy. Even after all that, there's something strangely attractive about this game. It's drawn enough attention among a dedicated enough circle that it's a veritable cult classic in the making. When you relax all your standards of what a game should be and just take it for what it is, you can actually have quite a bit of fun "playing" Action 52. This guide, while keeping in the that spirit of fun, offers a very in-depth look at the workings of each game, from the initial storyline presented in the manual down to the individual glitches that will end your gaming adventures. Hopefully, this guide will enhance whatever fun Action 52 affords you, letting you experience one of the most unique games ever made to its fullest. Yeah, they just don't make them like they used to. And Active Enterprises sure broke the mold with this one. ============================================================================= D I S C L A I M E R ACT0A ============================================================================= This FAQ is meant for personal use only and cannot be reproduced or redistributed for commercial usage under any circumstances. No portions of this guide may be reprinted, in part or in entirety, without the expressed, written consent of the authors. If you would like to use any part of this guide in your FAQ or on your website, we will probably give you permission if you ask, but you must ask first (Email: briansulpher@hotmail.com or admiral1018@yahoo.com). The Action 52 title and all characters, games, and contents within are copyright of Active Enterprises, 1991. ============================================================================= T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ACT0B ============================================================================= To jump to any section of this guide quickly, click the Edit option on the toolbar, then go to Find and type in the index number listed in the right column. You can also press Crtl+F to bring up the search box in most browsers and text editors. The index codes for all game are ACT## where ## is the number of the game. Codes for all other sections, including the games, can be found below. INTRODUCTION DISCLAIMER..............................................................ACT0A TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................ACT0B EMULATORS...............................................................ACT0C GAME WALKTHROUGHS.......................................................ACT00 1. FIRE BREATHER........................................................ACT01 2. STAREVIL.............................................................ACT02 3. ILLUMINATOR..........................................................ACT03 4. G-FORCE..............................................................ACT04 5. OOZE.................................................................ACT05 6. SILVER SWORD.........................................................ACT06 7. CRITICAL BYPASS......................................................ACT07 8. JUPITER SCOPE........................................................ACT08 9. ALFREDO..............................................................ACT09 10. OPERATION FULL MOON.................................................ACT10 11. DAM BUSTERS.........................................................ACT11 12. THRUSTERS...........................................................ACT12 13. HAUNTED HILL........................................................ACT13 14. CHILL OUT...........................................................ACT14 15. SHARKS..............................................................ACT15 16. MEGALONIA...........................................................ACT16 17. FRENCH BAKER........................................................ACT17 18. ATMOS QUAKE.........................................................ACT18 19. MEONG...............................................................ACT19 20. SPACE DREAMS........................................................ACT20 21. STREEMERZ...........................................................ACT21 22. SPREAD FIRE.........................................................ACT22 23. BUBBLEGUM ROSY......................................................ACT23 24. MICRO MIKE..........................................................ACT24 25. UNDERGROUND.........................................................ACT25 26. ROCKET JOCK.........................................................ACT26 27. NON HUMAN...........................................................ACT27 28. CRY BABY............................................................ACT28 29. SLASHERS............................................................ACT29 30. CRAZY SHUFFLE.......................................................ACT30 31. FUZZ POWER..........................................................ACT31 32. SHOOTING GALLERY....................................................ACT32 33. LOLLIPOPS...........................................................ACT33 34. EVIL EMPIRE.........................................................ACT34 35. SOMBREROS...........................................................ACT35 36. STORM OVER THE DESERT...............................................ACT36 37. MASH MAN............................................................ACT37 38. THEY CAME...........................................................ACT38 39. LAZER LEAGUE........................................................ACT39 40. BILLY BOB...........................................................ACT40 41. CITY OF DOOM........................................................ACT41 42. BITS AND PIECES.....................................................ACT42 43. BEEPS AND BLIPS.....................................................ACT43 44. MANCHESTER..........................................................ACT44 45. BOSS................................................................ACT45 46. DEDANT..............................................................ACT46 47. HAMBOS ADVENTURES...................................................ACT47 48. TIME WARP...........................................................ACT48 49. JIGSAW..............................................................ACT49 50. NINJA ASSAUL........................................................ACT50 51. ROBBIE ROBOT........................................................ACT51 52. CHEETAHMEN..........................................................ACT52 ACTION 52 DRINKING GAME.................................................ACT0D CONTACT INFORMATION.....................................................ACT0E REVISION HISTORY........................................................ACT0F CREDITS.................................................................ACT0G ============================================================================= E M U L A T O R S ACT0C ============================================================================= Action 52 performs very differently on many emulators. Some will not run Action 52 at all, some will not run all the games, and some run the games with limited performance. For technical reference, Action 52 uses Mapper 228, and any emulator which does not support this one cannot load the game. Please note that this guide does not provide links to any ROM images of Action 52, nor will such files be provided if you contact the authors. This guide assumes that you own the cart and are playing the ROM legally from an image you flashed yourself. The following section includes a list of which emulators best play this game, based on the most recent versions at the time of this guide's completion. If we have excluded any worthwhile emulators or new releases which handle this game differently, please contact us. RockNESX (v2.0): Performance-wise, this was the best all around emulator we found. It has near flawless graphics and sound emulation, controller support, easy to use save state features, and options that allow you to adjust the graphics, sound, and color palette to best suit your tastes. The only downside is that this emulator, like many, will not play Alfredo or Jigsaw. NESten (v0.61, with v1.2 Mappers): This was the only emulator we found that could run all games on the ROM flawlessly, even ones that the actual cart couldn't load. This includes Alfredo and Jigsaw. The graphics and audio performance are not as good as RockNES or a few other emulators, but they are more than sufficient. It also does not have a true full-screen mode, which doesn't help. The main drawback of this emulator is that save stage reloads are always glitched. You can still play, but the graphics are garbled. This problem will be fixed if you lose a life, complete the current stage, or switch games. NNNesterJ (v0.23): Good emulator with multiple graphics options that allow for smoothing, which is noticeable in most Action 52 titles. Controller support and sound emulation are also very good, but this emulator cannot play Alfredo or Jigsaw. FCE Ultra (v0.81): This emulator has decent performance with good sound emulation, but the graphics settings get lost in the transition to full- screen mode and become jagged. This emulator also has the common issue of being unable to fun Alfredo and Jigsaw. Nester (v2001.01.27): Cannot run Action 52 NESticle (vx.xx): Cannot run Action 52 VirtuaNES (v0.74): Cannot run Action 52 JNES (v0.50): Cannot run Action 52 ============================================================================= G A M E W A L K T H R O U G H S ACT00 ============================================================================= The following sections give full descriptions or walkthroughs for all 52 games on the Action 52 cart. Each section gives a the game's description from the instruction manual, a general overview, controls listing, tips and strategies, tactics for facing enemies and obstacles, and a discussion of some of the bugs and glitches. Some of the more complex games include stage overviews of walkthroughs, depending on the level of detail. These instructions and strategies will hopefully guide you through any problematic sections of the game (or let you know if this is even possible). If you spot any errors or areas you think could be improved, please contact the authors. Good luck in your Action 52 endeavors! ============================================================================= 01. F I R E B R E A T H E R ACT01 ============================================================================= "It's the last of the dragon wars. You must kill the dragon riders in the midnight skies and bring victory to the kingdom." OVERVIEW -------- This game is a Two Player game that has each player in the control of their own Dragon. You will try to knock your opposition from the sky by pelting their Dragon with enough fireballs to cause it fall from the sky. Remember that the levels allow for wrapping around provided no obstacles block the path through. First Player to get more victories out of the eight matches will be the champion of the Fire Breather duels! This is the only decent Two Player experience on the cartridge, but that isn't saying much. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your Dragon up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your Dragon left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots fireballs from your Dragon's mouth. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Fireballs will just spin in place waiting for someone to run into them. They can be removed with a fireball of your own. 2. Moving objects will appear and try to hunt your Dragon down. They can be removed with a fireball of your own. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- 1. The first level is wide open, with one castle blocking off part of the top right quadrant. 2. The second level is another wide open level, but it has one castle blocking off the top left quadrant. 3. The third level is a completely wide open level. 4. The fourth level is rather wide open, but it does have a castle in the bottom right quadrant. 5. The fifth level is rather wide open, but it does have a castle in the bottom right quadrant. 6. The sixth level is a completely wide open level. 7. The seventh level has many small blocks strewn about to try and cut your flight paths off. 8. The eighth level has a windy wall all along the bottom of the screen as well as large thick wall on the left half of the screen. ============================================================================= 02. S T A R E V I L ACT02 ============================================================================= "The star gets brighter until there is no night. Then the fire creatures come out to rule and defeat you, but kill them all and bring back the night." OVERVIEW -------- The game's description makes no sense at all, but Starevil is a typical space shooter. You control a pod-like ship that fires projectile "bars" at enemies, as you fly through three vertically scrolling stages. The graphics and play control are actually decent by Action 52 standards, but, as you'd expect, the gameplay is pretty limited. Most enemies look like your ship or some variation of your ship via a little uninspired palette swapping. The AI is also close to non-existent, as the enemies don't do much more than fly forward, occasionally moving diagonally in some direction. Nothing shoots at you or really presents much of an obstacle. The biggest roadblock is trying to avoid crashing into walls or dying from the horrid hit detection. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship forwards and backwards. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots projectiles from the ship. Holding down the A-Button will fire a constant projectile screen, but not as fast as you could by tapping the button yourself. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. SHIPS (100-500 PTS): This game has an assortment of green and red enemy ships that attack you. There isn't really much difference between any of them, except that some move a little faster and some can veer left or right. Most will just fly straight at you and the right on past you. None of the ships fire projectiles of any kind. 2. BOSS SHIP: Large, red ship that guards the end of stages 1 and 2. It moves quickly around the screen in straight lines, seemingly independent of where you are (ah, the amazing AI at work). This foe takes a few dozen hits to dispatch, but is hardly much of a threat it all. It also does not fire any projectiles. 3. WALLS AND BLOCKS: These include the blocks and obstacles scattered around the screen, as well as the edges of the screen. Touching and of these will likely kill you. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. At the start of each stage, there is a block directly in front of your ship that will typically kill you within a second. Be prepared the fly left or right to dodge it, or you'll be in for a quick game (like this would be a bad thing...) 2. The vertical hit detection is extremely poor. If there is a block or wall even half a ship length in front of or behind you, you will hit it and most likely be killed. Keep this in mind when flying. The horizontal hit detection (side-to-side) seems to be much more accurate. 3. You actually have a life bar in this game –- found on the lower-left side of the screen. It helps protect you from enemy collisions and *slight* touches against walls and blocks. 4. It makes sense to stay against the bottom of the screen at all times. This gives you the most time to react to obstacles, and there is no fear of anything coming from behind and killing you. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. You can be killed by blocks/walls that you don't even touch. This only seems to happen when you get close to obstacles directly in front of or behind you. 2. The game has no end. Stage 3 reaches a point where the scrolling stops and enemies just keep appearing forever. OBJECTIVE --------- Make your way through three scrolling space stages, defeating the boss at the end of each one. You have 4 lives to complete this game, and dying sends you back to the start of the stage. You also have a life bar that offers you a slight bit of protection from enemies and obstacles. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Gold, red, and blue background. As soon as you begin, move your ship to the right. There is a block just before the start of the stage that will kill you otherwise (nice way of Action 52 to "add" a challenge). After this point, the level is pretty easy. You can more or less remain in the center of the screen and continuously fire. Enemies do their part to stay away from you, so they shouldn't pose much threat. There is a boss at the end of the stage that is moderately difficult. It will fly forward and try to make contact with you, but moves about somewhat erratically. Try to stay near the center of the screen and keep your distance from the boss. If you patiently wait for your opening to fire, the fight should be over in about 30 seconds. Stage 2: Red, white, and blue background. Same cheap trick as at the start of stage 1, only more annoying. You'll need to be holding LEFT as soon as the level start, otherwise your ship will smash into a pair of blocks. This level has a series of "block traps" scattered throughout, which are arrangements of blocks that you will need to zigzag between. The end boss is the same as in stage 1. Again, try to stay near the middle of the screen and fire when given the opportunity. It's more important to keep your space and stay alive than to get a few extra hits off, so try to remain patient. Stage 3: Brown, red, and blue background. Another cheap trick at the start, though this one gives you some time to react. Overall, this level is probably easier to navigate than the previous one, as the passages are more open and the blocks are farther apart. The enemies, however, are noticeably quicker. Still, not a threat. As you would expect, Starevil's major glitch takes effect about half way through the level. The scrolling just stops, and you are left on a screen with continuous enemies and nothing else. No matter how many you kill, you can never advance beyond this point. Even if you cheat to get to the next level (through Game Genie or hacking), there is nothing programmed. Starevil was never meant to go beyond stage 3. Too bad. This game was verging on only "poor," but this glitch bumps it back down to "terrible." ============================================================================= 03. I L L U M I N A T O R ACT03 ============================================================================= "The Illuminator must find his sister in the dark. He must also find batteries if his get weak and can use a special spotlight to kill the enemies. Can also get additional flashlights, but he must be careful of enemies like shadows, vampires and others." OVERVIEW -------- You run around the multi-floored levels attempting to zap any enemies you can find. The catch is that the levels are dark except for when you burn an enemy to a crisp, which lights the level for about a second or two. You will use ladders to move up and down to get your enemies, with only the floors and enemies being visible. Take them out with extreme prejudice! The Levels will be covering to level ten, but they may go further. However, for my own sanity, that is as far as I am going to play this game. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down ladders. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots an electrical charge at the opposition. B-BUTTON: Causes a jump when your character is stuck in the floor. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Vampires just move back and forth across the screen trying to run you down. 2. Shadow Walkers also just move back and forth across the screen trying to run you down. 3. Shadows stand in place trying to hide in the dark to pick you off as you walk around. 4. Bats will relentlessly hunt you. Get to the bottom floor of the level where you wait till they draw near, at which point you go through the wrap around wall to get rid of them (they crash to ground). They can be shot, but this is exceptionally hard to do. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Stick to guarding one or two floors at all times until you have to go get the other floors when enemy stocks are running low. 2. Keep a sharp eye out for Bats as they can really hurt your progress with their speed and ability to home directly in on you. 3. Partially climb a ladder when you have to get up/down to the floor with an enemy with a small route to patrol so you will have better chance of killing instead of being killed. 4. In later levels, make sure that no Shadows are standing over the tops of ladders when you use a save state (if you use an emulator) or you will have to sacrifice a life because level is impossible to defeat if this occurs. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- ========= Level One ========= ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| |||------+--+--------------------------------------------------||| |||------+--+--------------------------------------------------||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| |||------+--+----------------------------------------+--+------||| |||--------------------------------------------------+--+------||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| |||------+--+----------------------------------------+--+------||| |||------+--+--------------------------------------------------||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| |||------+--+------------------+--+----------------------------||| |||----------------------------+--+----------------------------||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| ||| +--+ ||| -------------------------------+--+------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Walls prevent you from wrapping around. ========= Level Two ========= ---------------------------------------------+--+------------------- ---------------------------------------------+--+------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ------+--+-----------------------------------+--+------------------- ------+--+---------------------------------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ------+--+------------------+--+------------------------------------ ----------------------------+--+------------------------------------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ----------------------------+--+--------------------------+--+------ ----------------------------------------------------------+--+------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ----------------------------------------------------------+--+------ -------------------------------------------------------------------- -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. =========== Level Three =========== ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| |||------+--+------------------+--+----------------------------||| |||------+--+------------------+--+----------------------------||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| |||------+--+----------+--+----+--+----- ---------+--+------||| |||--------------------+--+------------- ---------+--+------||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| |||-----------+--+-----+--+--------+--+--------------+--+------||| |||-----------+--+-----------------+--+------------------------||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| |||------- +--+-----+--+--------+--+----------+--+----------||| |||------- ---------+--+----------------------+--+----------||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| ||| +--+ +--+ ||| |||--------------------+--+----------------------+--+----------||| |||------------------------------------------------------------||| -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -Walls prevent you from wrapping around. ========== Level Four ========== ------------ --------------- ---------------------+--+------ ------------ --------------- ---------------------+--+------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+---------------------------------- --------------+--+------ +--+---------------------------------- ------------------------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+--------------------+--+----------------- ----------------- ------------------------+--+----------------- ----------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---------- ----------+--+----------------------------+--+------ ---------- ------------------------------------------+--+------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ --------------------------------------------------------+--+------ ------------------------------------------------------------------ -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. ========== Level Five ========== --------------- ------------------ ------------ ------+--+ --------------- ------------------ ------------ ------+--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+----------- ---------------------- ------------------+--+ +--+----------- ---------------------- ---------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+----------------------------- --------------------------+--+ --------------------------------- --------------------------+--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ --------------- ------+--+---------------- --------------+--+ --------------- ------+--+---------------- ------------------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ -------------------------+--+-------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. -You will need to use your mini-hop on this level. ========= Level Six ========= ---------------------------------------+--+------------------------ ---------------------------------------+--+------------------------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+-----------------------------------+--+------------------------ +--+--------------------------------------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+-----------------------------------+--+------------------------ ---------------------------------------+--+------------------------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+-----------------------------------+--+------------------------ +--+--------------------------------------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+--------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. -You can collect the batteries strewn about the level. =========== Level Seven =========== ------ ------+--+---------- ------+--+----------------------- ------ ------+--+---------- ------+--+----------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ------ ------+--+--- --+--+-- --+--+----------------------- ------ ------------- --+--+-- ----------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ -------------------- ----+--+-- ----------------+--+--------- -------------------- ---------- ----------------+--+--------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ----------------+--+------ --------+--+------------+--+--------- ----------------+--+------ --------+--+------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ----------------+--+------ --------+--+------------------------- -------------------------- ------------------------------------- -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. -You will need to use your mini-hop on this level. =========== Level Eight =========== ------------- -------------------- -----------------+--+------ ------------- -------------------- -----------------+--+------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+------------------- -------------- ----------+--+------ ---+--+------------------- -------------- -------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+---------- ----------------------- ----------+--+------ ----------------- ----------------------- ----------+--+------ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+----------------------- ------------------------+--+------ ---+--+----------------------- ---------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+--------------------------------- ------------------------ ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. ========== Level Nine ========== ---------------+--+------------------------------------------------- ---------------+--+------------------------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+--------+--+------------------------------------------------- ---+--+------------------------------------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+--------------------------+--+------------------------------- ---------------------------------+--+------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---------------------------------+--+--------------------+--+------- ---------------------------------------------------------+--+------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---------------------------------------------------------+--+------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. ========= Level Ten ========= ---------------------------------+--+------------------+--+--------- ---------------------------------+--+------------------+--+--------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+--------------------------+--+------------------+--+--------- ---+--+------------------------------------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---+--+------------------------------------------------------+--+--- -------------------------------------------------------------+--+--- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---------------------------------+--+------------------------+--+--- ---------------------------------+--+------------------------------- +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ ---------------------------------+--+------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. ============================================================================= 04. G - F O R C E F I G H T E R ACT04 ============================================================================= "Watch your fuel level. Use it wisely and escape the force that holds you. The enemies are strong but the G-Force of the planet will take us as we get powerless." OVERVIEW -------- Fly your Fighter Jet through the narrow corridor as you fight off enemies. As you kill enough enemies, you will progress to the next level, but if you take too long or take too much damage, your energy will run and low and your Fighter Jet will be blown apart! Good Luck pilot. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your Ship up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your Ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots ammunition rounds from your Ship's cannon. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. The enemies will fly straight at your Fighter Jet, and if they make it past you to the edge of the screen on the left, they will fire missiles going to the right. These missiles will often die out before they go too far, but they will usually go far enough right to get your Fighter Jet. 2. The enemies that you have seen fly by will reappear flying at the same altitude and the same formations as before. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Only shoot when you have an enemy lined up. Since your Fighter Jet is limited to one bullet on the screen at a time, you do not want to have stray shots not allowing you to shoot the approaching group of enemies fighters. 2. Try to be aggressive on one half of the screen only. If you try to fight too large an area, you will end up running into the oppositions fighters more often than when you shoot them. ============================================================================= 05. O O Z E ACT05 ============================================================================= "Avoid the green ooze." OVERVIEW -------- You are a small, green Mohawk-sporting tough guy who has a slime wrecking gun in his holster. You must make your way through the various worlds killing off enemies and making sure to avoid the Ooze (puddles of it will bound at you). Good luck to you on your adventure, even though it is a terrible game due to god awful design flaws. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots bullets from your sidearm. B-BUTTON: Causes your character to jump. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Ooze are large blue puddles will bounce their way across the screen (from right to left) without worry as they are invulnerable. 2. Slimes are two versions of this enemy. One sits in place, firing shots at you occasionally, and the other bounds back and forth while popping off the odd shot. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Shoot as many Slimes as you go across the screen. This will lessen the amount of projectiles you will need to dodge. 2. If you see the Ooze coming after you, try to get onto a ledge in the air. If you can do this, you will be able to dodge the deadly charge of the Ooze. 3. If you use an emulator and save states (most people have to), some areas of the game can be defeated when normally they can not. You will often run into an area where the Ooze attacks and you have no ledge to hide on. If you saved just previously to this area, keep reloading as necessary to keep respawning the enemies until the Ooze does not spawn in that area. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Oozes will sometimes appear in areas where it is not possible to get onto a platform. This means that you will be unable to pass over the Ooze in certain parts of some levels. 2. Sometimes the Slimes will be hopping back and forth along their patrol routes, which will cause a problem as the Slimes will often hit your guy with a projectile of their own. ============================================================================= 06. S I L V E R S W O R D ACT06 ============================================================================= "Mutants in the forest and the must be fought off." OVERVIEW -------- A romp through the forest by you, a brave knight of some kingdom (you never really find out) to rid the world of the terrible mutants that dwell within the trees. You will do this by throwing your seemingly inexhaustible supply of Silver Swords, but it will not be so easy. The enemies will show up in groups of two to four at a time, which can be quite deadly to you. Be careful, Sir Knight! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your Silver Swords at the mutant in the forests. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- There three types of enemies to be faced, and they are: 1. Non-projectile enemies will move around the screen in an attempt to run you down. 2. Projectile using enemies will come on screen and strafe around you shooting solo shots at you. 3. Multi-projectile using enemies will come on screen and strafe around you shooting solo shots at you. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Advance forward slowly, taking out enemies one at a time. 2. If you are facing a projectile enemy, try to pick them off from a distance. It lessens your chance of getting hit. 3. On Level Two you can get in the second column from the right wall (imagine if you had a twin walking between you and the wall), and when you are there, run forward at top speed while firing your Silver Swords off at top speed. This will allow you to cover large parts of the level with minimal attacks from enemies. 4. You can often scroll enemies off the screen if they are near the bottom of the screen. This will rid yourself of one less threat periodically. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- 1. Level One is mostly a forest with a few boulders thrown in. More than half the enemies will be non-projectile enemies, but the area you can walk in is quite limited. 2. Level Two is a rock filled pass with a few sections of heavy boulder walls bottle-necking the walkable areas. The enemies are split into 50/50 groups of projectiles and non-projectiles enemies. 3. Level Three is a mix of the first two levels. The area begins with heavy amounts of non-projectile enemies rushing you, and switch to many projectile enemies later on. ============================================================================= 07. C R Y T I C A L B Y P A S S ACT07 ============================================================================= "You have got to land with your valuable cargo, but the intense gravitational pull on this planet is treacherous. You must initiate landing procedures defeat this gravity problem and save your cargo." OVERVIEW -------- A top view shooter that moves from left to right. You shoot enemies as you make progress to the end of the level. Good luck Pilot as you will face heavy resistance to your invasion of air space (with nearly impossible controls to counter this of course). Avoid this one is my advice to you. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your ammunition rounds out of your Ship's Cannons. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Enemy Ships will attack you as you right the gravity pulling you to the ground below. 2. Tall Blocks can also hit your ship, causing severe damage. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Try to get enemies to come at you from the above or the front. These are the easiest locations from which to deal with them. 2. Try to avoid or shoot the squares on the ground as soon as possible. It is difficult to deal with the enemies and these obstacles as your ship flies counter maneuvers to enemy attacks. 3. Keep your firing direction forward as much as possible to clear your flight path. This will prolong the life of your ship. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Your shots have a slight delay to them. This makes it exceptionally difficult to take out closing targets with any degree of accuracy. 2. Occasionally, the game will allow your ship to hit a block in your path and remain in flight (this should destroy your ship). ============================================================================= 08. J U P I T E R S C O P E ACT08 ============================================================================= "At first we saw one or two fall and thought nothing of it, never thinking it could result in a Meteor shower. Using the "Star-Zap" Laser we shoot them out of the sky, before they collide with things, but the meteor shower gets more intense." OVERVIEW -------- There is a meteor shower that apparently only drops meteors within a one screen area, and it's your job to destroy them all or else... well, or else nothing. You don't actually need to destroy the meteors, nor are you penalized for any that get by. Jupiter Scope is a stationary shooter, and your goal is to destroy the meteors that fall vertically downward. These meteors move slow enough that they present hardly any threat, and only the lethargic movement of your "Star-Zap" Laser adds any challenge. While the meteors do move faster at later stages, the tedium remains quite constant throughout. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your Laser forwards and backwards. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your Laser left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots projectiles from the Laser. Holding down the A-Button will fire a constant projectile screen, but not as fast as you could by tapping the button yourself. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. FALLING METEOR (100 PTS): The meteors are your only obstacle in this game. They appear randomly in the sky and fall straight down, with speeds varying by stage. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Not really anything tricky about this game. Just don't go too far out of your way to blast a meteor, or you end up hitting it instead. The Star- Zap Laser isn't very maneuverable. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. After completing the seventh stage, the game just sends you back to the first one. There is no ending or other acknowledgement that you've completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to defeat as many meteors as you can an progress through the stages. You move to the next stage after defeating a set number of meteors without dying. As the levels advance, the meteors become quicker. Here is the listing of how many "kills" are required to advance past the given stage. Level 1: 20 kills Level 2: 30 kills Level 3: 40 kills Level 4: 50 kills Level 5: 60 kills Level 6: 50 kills Level 7: 60 kills (back to stage 1) This count resets when you die. Also, when you go from stage 8 to stage 1, your point total remains intact but the levels are identical otherwise. ============================================================================= 09. A L F R E D O ACT09 ============================================================================= "The pasta has gotten out of control, and you've got to race the clock and get the spaghetti, linguine and other pasta back into the pot where it belongs." OVERVIEW -------- Most likely, you won't even get far enough to experience the culinary joy that is Alfredo. This game only seems to load one emulator, at least as of the date this guide was written. See the "Emulators" section for more details. If you can get it started, Alfredo (a.k.a Alfredo and the Fettuccini's) is a typical side-scroller with decent graphics and the usually poor play control. You play as a stereotypically Italian chef, whose objective is to "flatten" all the various pasta that have escaped with some sort of cooking ladle. Unlike the game's description says, there is no clock to race against and no pot to put the pasta in. To make up for it, the game treats you to all sorts of delicious bugs and glitches, such as the "invisible block" bug, the "fall into pits and don't die" feature, and the delectable "random freeze in stage 3" glitch. Get your palate ready for the best damn pasta-based scroller ever created by Active Enterprises! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used LEFT/RIGHT: Moves the character left and right. You can also move while jumping in mid-air. A-BUTTON: Pounds the ground with your chef's ladle. Repeatedly pressing the A-Button as you fall lets you "glide" down from your jumps. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can press LEFT or RIGHT to glide down in that direction. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- Note that these are not the official names of these enemies. 1. FETTUCCINI: (100 PTS): Small, noodle-like pasta that run back and forth through the first two stages. They can be pretty difficult to avoid, and require a well timed attack to flatten. 2. RAVIOLI (50 PTS): Small, square-like pasta found in stages 2 and 3. Ravioli does nothing except remain stationary. Just pound it and move along. 3. LINGUINE (50 PTS): Has a Z-like shape and moves across the ground at blazing speeds. These stage 3 enemies are extremely deadly, and require a well timed pounding to flatten (no pun intended). 4. SPAGHETTI (50 PTS): Snake like pasta that doesn't move. Unlike the Ravioli, this enemy is too large to jump over. You will also find Spaghetti guarding the edges of pits, so be mindful to flatten them before jumping. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. The game doesn't start on the cart or in most emulators. See the "Emulators" section for a list of which ones can run this game. 2. Facing backwards and pressing the A-button will still cause you to attack forwards. 3. Many of the blocks that are supposed to be impassible can be walked through, as though they aren't there. This occurs mainly when there are adjacent raised blocks. 4. There is a cool glitch that let's you fall down pits and come flying down from the ceiling. As soon as you fall, start pressing the A-button as fast as you can. When you drop off the bottom of the screen, you will then reappear from the top, and "glide" down. You need to keep pressing the A-button, otherwise you will die in mid-air. Very nice glitch, indeed. 5. Near the end of stage 3, there are some pits that should kill you. Instead, you are able to stand on top of them as though there is a block underneath. 6. When dying near the middle to end of stage 3, the game may freeze. 7. After stage 3, the screen turns gray and the game freezes. You will need to reset it at this point. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Some of the pasta come racing towards you once they appear on the screen, and it's very likely that you won't have much time to react. You can improve your chances by "nudging" forward instead of walking continuously. 2. Some enemies guard the opposite side of pits blocking your way. In a few cases, these enemies are too far away to hit, yet do not allow you enough room to cross the pit to kill them. One cheap solution is to hit them while falling into the pit, then use the pit glitch (number 4 above) to survive. OBJECTIVE --------- You have only 2 lives to make it through 3 kitchen stages and flatten all the various pasta that come your way. Getting hit by anything will cost you a life, and you are returned to the beginning of the stage when killed. There are no end stage bosses of any kind. You just have to walk far enough and the next level will begin. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: This first stage consists mainly of Fettuccini enemies, who rush towards you as soon as they appear. Spend some time near the beginning to get the timing of your ladle down. There is a noticeably long delay before attacking, and timing is often critical to surviving. It will benefit you a lot to advance slowly through stage 1, as to ensure you have enough time to respond to the enemies. Aside from this, the level doesn't have much else to offer. Stage 2: Not too different from stage 1. This level also introduces Ravioli enemies, which essentially do nothing. They don't move or attack you, but are often placed in annoying locations. The Fettuccini's have returned, and are interspersed with the Ravioli. Overall, this level is probably a little easier than the previous one, though also slightly longer. Stage 3: Stage 3 is tough, and not just because the game may randomly freeze when you die. The two enemies occupying this level are Linguine and Spaghetti. Linguine are blazingly fast versions of the Fettuccini from the previous stages. You often have no room for error when attacking them, as even a slight delay will mean your demise. There are also the Spaghetti enemies laying about, very similar to the Ravioli's. These foes are slightly larger than their stage 2 counterparts, and seem to be situated at very inconvenient locations. This level also sports more jumping obstacles than the previous ones do, but these aren't more than moderate challenges (especially given the pit bug). Stage 3 always ends with a frozen screen, which puts an abrupt end to any "fun" you may have been having. Time to reset and move on. ============================================================================= 10. O P E R A T I O N F U L L M O O N ACT10 ============================================================================= "Mission: Assault Luna Base 1; Drive your dune buggy through enemy territory, destroying all terrible occupants and establishments. Better look around real good and leave no moon-stone unturned." OVERVIEW -------- OFM (Operation Full Moon) is another vertical-scrolling shooter, though this one has an extremely imaginative twist: instead of flying aimlessly through space, you now drive aimlessly across the moon in a dune buggy! The levels are very realistic, too, with moonscapes going from tropical green to bright fuchsia. The description makes it seem like this game is an all out raid on some enemy moon base, but it's anything but. The only thing you'll encounter are turret guns that fire horizontally, offering no challenge whatsoever. Like with most games, the biggest obstacle in OFM is coping with the poor play control and trying not to hit the walls and platforms. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your buggy forwards and backwards. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your buggy left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots projectiles from the buggy. Holding down the A-Button will fire a constant projectile screen, but not as fast as you could by tapping the button yourself. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. TURRET GUNS (100 PTS): Turret guns are the only enemy you'll encounter on your trip across the lunar surface. They sit on top of platforms and fire bullets horizontally. Bullet speed increases with level. 2. WALLS AND BLOCKS: These include the blocks and obstacles scattered around the screen, as well as the edges of the screen. Touching one of these is truly the only threat in the game. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. You have a hidden health bar in this game. You are allowed 3 hits from enemies and obstacles before dying. This includes hits from bullets and turrets, as well as *slight* contact with blocks and walls. This isn't as useful as it might sound, however, since nearly all of the danger comes from hitting blocks and walls. 2. A few of the stages have cheap traps at the start of the level. Be alert, or else you'll have lost a life before the stage screen even fades out. 3. Try to stay back as far as you can in this game. There is no penalty for doing so, and it allows you more time to respond to the terrain. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. After completing the eighth stage, the game just sends you back to the first one. There is no ending or other acknowledgement that you've completed the game. 2. The music seems to glitch when the game is paused, even more so than in other games. After unpausing, the foreground theme will disappear or the music will shut off completely. OBJECTIVE --------- Make your way through the 8 stages of the lunar surface on 4 lives. You have an invisible health bar that allows you to take up to 3 hits worth of damage from bullets and turrets. As always, dying sends you back to the beginning of the stage. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== There isn't really too much variety in the levels. The main differences are that the background colors change and the turret's bullets speed up. Some areas have difficult block layouts and cheap surprises, and these are noted below. Stage 1: Light green background. Nothing much to say here. Take out the turrets on the sides of the screen, if you want. The block arrangement isn't too tricky, so it shouldn't be very tough to avoid them. Stage 2: Light blue background. Nearly identical to the first stage. The turrets are still laid out more or less along the sides of the screen, and they still pose little, if any, threat. The middle area of this level has a step-like block arrangement that can very rather tricky. Just move all the way to the left and try to squeeze through the opening near the last block. Stage 3: Orange background. This stage has a really cheap obstacle just after you start. As soon as the new stage screen fades out, move left or right immediately, otherwise you'll run right into a block and die. I guess this was the closest the programmers could come to emulating a challenge. Aside from this, Stage 3 does have a few trick block arrangements. All such obstacles are best passed on the left side of the screen. Stage 4: Yellowish-brown background. Yet another very cheap trick to start the level. There is a stair-like arrangement of blocks that you'll smack into unless you start the stage by moving all the way to the left. This level is probably the toughest one you'll face in this game. There several sequences of stair-like block layouts, which are probably the hardest type to pass. You will also notice, by now, that the enemy bullets have gotten considerably faster. Still, these pose only a marginal threat, at best. Stage 5: Tropical green background. There is no cheap trick at the start of this stage, nor really much else, for that matter. This level seems far easier and shorter than the last few. Stage 6: Light purple background. Not much, if at all, different from the previous stage. The bullets are now quick enough that you need to actively time your way past them, however. Stage 7: Hot pink background. More of the same. The last stage was copied and the color palette was changed. It seems like the programmers stopped putting in any effort (if you can even call it that) after the fourth stage. Stage 8: Light blue background. Very anti-climactic finish. Same as the previous level, with only a few obstacles modified slightly. Once you reach the end of this stage, you are returned to stage 1. Your point total is kept, but the game remains identical otherwise. ============================================================================= 11. D A M B U S T E R S ACT11 ============================================================================= "They are destroying everything and the only way to save the wildlife is to break the dam and let the water free." OVERVIEW -------- You must hustle out to fight off the animals that are enraged with thirst as you try to break the dam, although you never see a dam, although pools of water are readily apparent, thus rendering the point of the game useless. Anyway, fight off the animals as you make it through the two levels in the game to reappear at the start of level one once again (whoopity doo!). CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your weapon at the wild animals. B-BUTTON: Not used. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Enemies will throw projectiles at you, whether they are stationary or mobile. They can fire multiple shots at a time, so finish them off quickly. 2. Move quickly through the level as you fight. If you linger in an area too long, enemies on the screen will home in on you quickly with their shots, and randomly spawned enemies will appear to make you miserable. 3. With only two levels, you can be slightly careless and still "beat" this game. Go ahead and be a little reckless to increase your enjoyment of the gameplay. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. When you fire a shot up or down, it will lose it's line of fire if you move to the LEFT or to the RIGHT. This occurs because of the programming reading the bullets location as on a vertical path on the screen, instead of a specific spot in a level as a whole. ============================================================================= 12. T H R U S T E R S ACT12 ============================================================================= "You have right and left thrusters. Hit full speed and use laser canons to avoid the alien invasions in the galaxy." OVERVIEW -------- Yet another space shooter. Yet another substandard title. Thrusters is hardly a memorable game, and offers little variety from the dozens of other identical shooters on the Action 52 cart. You command a ship and... you fight a lot of enemies to... oh, who the hell knows. The game has no plot and crashes well before you can even get into things. You won't get more than half way into stage 2 before the game becomes unplayable, and the one and half stages you can play are virtually pointless. The enemies can literally be ignored with no consequence at all. Even if you do try attacking, your shots will likely go right through the enemies and have no effect. If you want a quick 2 minutes of gaming, Thrusters is the title of choice for you. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship forwards and backwards. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots projectiles from the ship. Holding down the A-Button will fire a constant projectile screen, but not as fast as you could by tapping the button yourself. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. SHIPS (25-200 PTS): This game has a series of ships that all fly at you and fire bullets as they pass. Some are different sizes, but all are essentially the same. None of them possess much threat, and the different point awards are assigned for not explainable reason. 2. EDGES AND BLOCKS: These include the blocks scattered around the screen, as well as the edges of the screen. These aren't nearly as big of a threat as in other games. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Ignore the enemies. Really, that's all you need to do. Don't worry about killing them, as you probably won't hit them even if you try. Avoiding them lets you focus on avoiding the bullets and obstacles. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Hit detection when shooting enemies is very poor. Your bullets will occasionally pass right through other ships, causing no damage. 2. Nice Action 52-style glitch in Stage 2. After about a minute or so into the level, the screen begins to flash like a disco dance. During this time, enemies stop appearing, the music ends, control of your ship becomes staggered, you cannot fire a projectile more than a ship length away, and things that otherwise killed you (like blocks) don't hurt you. If you happen to die (by touching the side of the screen), you reappear as this fragment of pieces, seemingly invincible. 3. Above glitch also happens randomly on some emulators just when dying. 4. Due to Stage 2 glitch, game is unplayable beyond that point. Very nice 4- minute title in this one. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 4 lives to make it through the first two stages, until the game glitches. Getting hit by enemies or blocks, or touching the edges of the screen, will kill you. You return to beginning of the level when killed in stage 1, and you crash the game when killed in stage 2. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Blue stars, blue blocks. There is nothing especially challenging about this level. The enemies do fire projectiles at you, but they move slow enough to avoid quite easily. You can realistically go the entire course of this stage without killing an enemy, and that may occur even if you aren't trying to do, given the terrible hit detection. Stage 2: Red stars, purple horseshoes (all you need to green clovers for a complete box of Lucky Charms). Take stage one, alter some of the colors, return the exact same enemies, and add an assload of glitches. You now have stage 2. There's really nothing different about this stage, except the bugs. Dying will often cause you to reappear as a mass of fragments, unable to do anything. Even without dying, you eventually reach a point where the screen starts to flash and the game becomes unplayable. This game is a strong contender for the "Acty" award of "Shortest Play Time Before a Major Glitch." Good luck, Thrusters! ============================================================================= 13. H A U N T E D H I L L ACT13 ============================================================================= "Ghosts and ghoulies are running loose in the cemetery. Get them all back to where they belong and end the chaos in the Halls of Wentworth." OVERVIEW -------- Enter the large-breasted heroine, who dares to defeat the undead creatures within the dungeon halls. You can tell Active Enterprises was going for sex appeal with this title. Haunted Hill (though there is no Hill, so it was probably going to be "Haunted Halls") is actually one of the more playable titles in Action 52. You defeat enemies by hurling miniature crucifixes at them as you journey through three side-scrolling levels (nice religious motif). As usual, this game is plagued by poor play control, so enemies will frequently appear from angles in which you cannot kill them (though they, of course, can kill you). Don't feel guilty at all about abusing the save state feature on this one -- the levels are ridiculously long, and the game always sends you to the start when you die. There is bound to be a glitch that kills you along the way, so save yourself the frustration. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used LEFT/RIGHT: Moves the character left and right. You can also move while jumping in mid-air, and this is necessary to make it across certain areas. A-BUTTON: Shoot a crucifix projectile at enemies, which travels across the screen. You can also fire while in mid-air. Your character cannot shoot any lower than her waist, so keep in mind that enemies traveling from below cannot be targeted. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can press LEFT or RIGHT to glide down in that direction. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Your character has zero ability to survive falls. NEVER jump off a platform onto a lower level. Always fall off by walking horizontally. 2. If you see an enemy approaching from below, try jumping up a few times. The targeting AI will tell the enemy to move up at this same point, possible allowing you to kill it with the crucifix. 3. In sections with spiders, you can often make your life easier by waiting a few moments after they first appear. Usually, several of the spiders will disappear off the screen, making it easier to pass BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Due to poor enemy placement (spider spawning location, enemy starting point), some areas of the game are impossible to pass without dying. Luckily, enemy appearance locations are randomly chosen each time you enter a screen. 2. After completing the third stage, the game just sends you back to the first one. There is no ending or other acknowledgement that you've completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- Make your way past the ghouls and ghosts and defeat the giant Spider boss guarding each of the game's three levels. After defeating the boss of stage 3, the game just sends you back to stage 1. You have 3 lives to beat the game, otherwise you return to stage 1. Getting hit by anything –- ghosts, "lava" floors, ceiling chains, spiders -– will kill you, sending you back to the start of the level. ======================== HAUNTED HILL WALKTHROUGH ======================== Stage 1 ------- The first stage is pretty basic. For some unexplained reason, you begin in a blue-stoned dungeon, and are attacked by ghosts, skulls, and red and white ghouls. From the start, just walk forward normally, jumping over the pitfalls and stopping to kill anything that might be chasing you. Ghosts that appear above eye-level are easier to take out by jumping and shooting, so you might want to use this approach. When you get to the part of the dungeon with overhead chains, be careful to avoid jumping into them. They will kill you, of course, since we all know that hanging chains are extremely lethal. Right near the end of the first stage, a patch of pink bubbles will appear on the floor. This is probably supposed to be lava or something, but just keep in mind that it will kill you if you walk onto it. Just after this pink patch, a giant spider boss will appear. Jump back over the pink bubbles and stand beneath the cob webs on the ceiling. From here, you can hit the giant spider without fear of being damaged. The spider can be either at an eye-level or an elevated position. When it's down, you can hit it by simply firing crucifixes across the screen. When it's up, you'll need to jump and fire from the peep of the jump to hit it. Most of the time, the spider will just sit there doing nothing, so don't anticipate any sort of challenge. It will take about 48 hits to end the fight, so get ready to spend a few minutes annoyingly tapping the A-button. Stage 2 ------- The second stage is much more annoying than the first. Most of the level is filled with vertically moving spiders, which make it next to impossible to pass by. You can't kill the spiders, but they will often disappear on their own if you wait long enough. The spiders' appearance is entirely random each time the screen loads, and it's very possible to get a pattern that makes it impossible to pass (what a shock). Just prepare to be frustrated in advance. This level also introduces platforms, which you will need to jump between in order to cross vast areas of "lava." Be warned that you can never jump onto a lower platform and survive –- you will die in mid-air if you try to do this. Just fall onto lower ones by walking off the higher ones. The key to making it through this level is patience. Watch the patterns of the spiders, and figure when the best time to go is, as well as if it makes more sense to go under them or jump over them. Not far from the start of stage, there is a bridge made of platforms that's covered in spiders and hanging chains. It's *extremely* difficult to make the jump onto the platforms with the chains without hitting your head and dying. To do this, you'll need to jump straight up and then hold RIGHT to glide underneath the chain. This is, of course, assuming there isn't a spider there to kill you. Also, if you see an enemy appear from below while you're waiting to jump, consider yourself dead. You can try to jump up and down a couple of times to bring it to your height, but most likely it will hit you from below and cost you a life. Keep these things in mind as you move through the level. This stage has two large lava areas covered by platforms, then a few smaller lava pits with one or two platforms, then finally another long lava area before the boss. At the end, another giant spider awaits, just as before. Stand on the left side of the screen and use the same strategy as last time. It will be dead after a few minutes, and you can then bask in the effort and originality that went into this creature. Stage 3 ------- This final level is pretty similar to the Stage 2, with one enormous difference: the lava in this stage is green!. The spiders and platforms have also returned in full glory. Shortly after the stage begins, three ghosts will appear from the right side of the screen. Try jumping a few times and possibly moving back left to get them low enough to kill. You will need to time it well (or be lucky) to kill them all without dying. The rest of the section across the green lava should be about the same as what you've already seen. Ghouls and Skulls do seem to appear more often in this stage, however, so keep an eye on the left side of the screen. After the first section, the pink lava return and you'll need to cross yet another platform bridge. Once you hit the end of the bridge, three ghosts will once again appear from the right side of the screen, making it extremely difficult to survive. You can try moving back up and left after they appear, giving you a better chance to kill them. You can also kill them from your standing spot, if you time it right, but either way is tough. After this, the green lava returns. Be sure, once again, to walk off the platforms and not to jump. It may look like you'll fall in the lava if you walk off, but you'll clear it. When you get to a section where to floor tiles contain dozens of crosses, you're about 2/3 of the way through the stage. The remainder is a series of jumps over lava pits, all of which you've seen before. The Stage 3 boss is... *drum roll*... another giant spider! Unlike the previous ones, however, this one can only be hit when it's elevated, as the down position puts it within the rock. No problem. Stand beneath the first or second chain and continuously fire crucifixes. After 48 hits, the giant spider will once again be dispatched. You amazing reward, for having cleared Haunted Hill is... getting sent back to stage 1. You do keep your score, however. Yippee! Don't forget that START + SELECT will take you back to the main menu. ============================================================================= 14. C H I L L O U T ACT14 ============================================================================= "Old man winter is at the top and is your goal, but it keeps snowing and he's blowing. You must reach the top before you get snowed under." OVERVIEW -------- With such a great build-up as this, how can this game not be the best!?! Actually, this game is rather similar to Illuminator in the killing of enemies on multi-floored levels, but it does not have the uniqueness that an Illuminator style game can offer. An alright game that is done better elsewhere on the cartridge, so only the first four levels will be mapped here (once again for my sanity). CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down ladders. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots a frozen iceball at the opposition. B-BUTTON: Causes a jump from your character. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Stick to guarding one or two floors at all times until you have to go get the other floors when enemy stocks are running low. 2. Partially climb a ladder when you have to get up/down to the floor with an enemy with a small route to patrol so you will have better chance of killing instead of being badly damaged or even killed. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Sometimes you will jump over a hole in the floor to land on the far ledge, to only have yourself die. The game somehow reads you as falling, which is not true as you do make it to the next ledge (this should not kill you). STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- ========= Level One ========= +--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ | | | |+--+| || || | | || || || || || | | | +--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ | | | || || || || | | || || |+--+| || | | | +--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ | | | |+--+| || || | | || || || || || | | | +--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ | | +--+ | | +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || | +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. ========= Level Two ========= +--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ | || || | | |+--+| || || || || | | || || || | +--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ | |+--+| | | || || | | || || | | || |+--+| | +--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ | || || | | || || |+--+| || || | | || || || | +--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ | | +--+ | | +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || | +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. =========== Level Three =========== +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ | || | | || || || || || || || || | | || |+--+ +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ | |+--+| || || || || | | || || || | | || |+--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ | |+--+| || || | | || || || || || | | |+--+| | +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--+ | | +--+| | +--+ +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || | +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. -Ladders extend through floor, so do not climb too far down or you will die from falling too far. ========== Level Four ========== +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ | || | | || |+--+| || || || || || || || |+--+| | +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--+ +--+| | | || || || | | || || || || | | || | +--++--+ +--++--++--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--+ +--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ | || | | || || || || || || || || || || |+--+| | +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--++--+ | | +--+| | +--+ +--++--+ +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || | +--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--+ -Just watch the ladders to tell when it is safe to climb up to next level to make a kill. -Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. -No walls mean you can wrap around to the far side of the screen. ============================================================================= 15. S H A R K S ACT15 ============================================================================= "You are a Frogman and must collect rare marine creatures and recover lost treasures at the bottom of the sea. You have your stun-gun and can always retreat into your electromagnetic base that repels sharks and the rest of the enemies. Your diving suit can only survive a few shark bites and is useless against the deadly jelly fish." OVERVIEW -------- You are fighting off the Sharks as you swim around under the ocean (the story states you are recovering "lost treasures", although they never appear on screen or anything), and be sure to avoid the deadly Jellyfish! Use your stun-gun to rid yourself of sharks, but be wary that the skills of the sharks increase as their colors change! However, be even more wary of your face changing color to a green tinge as you come close to vomiting with the terribleness of this game! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your Stun-Gun at the vicious Sharks. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Grey Sharks are the first type of shark you will face. They are worth 20 points or 40 points each (unsure as to what separates the scoring). 2. White Shark are slightly faster version of they Grey Shark, it is worth slightly more points at 50 points a kill. 3. Jellyfish are invincible to all of your attacks (all one of them!). Just avoid these fast moving beings as they attempt to cut you down through their sudden changes in direction. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- 1. Level One requires about 10 Shark Kills on a single life to advance to the next level. Grey Sharks are the only enemies in this level. 2. Level Two requires about 15 Shark Kills ona single life to advance to the next level. Grey Sharks and White Sharks are the enemies on this level. 3. Level Three has a massive amount of Jellyfish that appears to be never ending (I spent forty minutes dodging them before I quit). Jellyfish are on this level for sure, but no clue as to the inclusion of Sharks or not. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Try to remain in the middle of the open area of the sea. This allows you more options for you when you come under attack. This will also make it less likely the enemy will trap you. 2. Avoid the Jellyfish at all costs. Even if this means you must get bit by a Shark to do so, you will have the chance of living through the Shark bite instead of the instant death alternative of the gelatinous enemy. 3. Be wary of new Sharks with every level that you clear. The higher the level, the faster the Shark you may encounter. The same holds true for seeing more Jellyfish per level. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. After the first level, the seafloor will become uneven, apparently cutting your area to swim in to a lower percentage. However, you can swim in this rocky area to your hearts content as the physical boundaries were not programmed into the game. ============================================================================= 16. M E G A L O N I A ACT16 ============================================================================= "She comes out of no where with her evil armies. You must defend against the wave after wave of enemies and they will attack until only the Empress Machine "Megalonia" remains." OVERVIEW -------- You must go it one on all the forces of your opponent, only armed with your ship's blaster. However, you have a superior ship when compared to the weak enemies. You can fire shots forward at great speed, you have incredible (well compared to the enemies you do) maneuvering abilities, and you also have a tougher ship. Even with these advantages, a good pilot is still needed, and that pilot is you soldier! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship up and down ladders. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your ship's blaster at the vicious attack ships. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Regular Ships are fighters will fly from the right side of the screen towards the left side of the screen. They rarely shoot a shot forward, but are notorious for letting their slow moving payloads move back towards the centre of the screen after they pass your ship. 2. Power Ships are monstrosities can take multiple hits before dying, and they also can move in all directions. They shoot large groups of bullets in any direction as they go, so these are the most dangerous enemy you will face. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Keep your ship close to the left side of the screen. This allows for maximum reaction time to the enemies attacks. 2. With the above point in mind, keep a small space between your ship and the left side of the screen. This will make it harder for enemy attackers to shoot you as they pass overhead. 3. When fighting a Power Ship try to be patient. Since there is no time limit to beat, you can take your time to be sure that you do not get hit by the multitude of shots you are faced with. ============================================================================= 17. F R E N C H B A K E R ACT17 ============================================================================= "You may try to keep the cookie patterns pounding, and the bread rising but it's not as easy as it sounds." OVERVIEW -------- Being a French Baker, you must try to get the rebelling food and furniture to stop going crazy so you can work at your job as a chef. Another Illuminator-style game, but this one is rather bland in graphics as well as in design of enemy balance and control. I will map three level for you as this game is of too poor quality to deserve any more than that. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down ladders. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your Rolling Pins at the . B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Walking Bread is worth 25 points. 2. Hot Dogs are worth 50 points. 3. Birthday Cakes are worth 75 points. 4. Serving Carts are worth 100 points. 5. Filing Cabinets are worth 100 points. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Stick to guarding one or two floors at all times until you have to go get the other floors when enemy stocks are running low. 2. Partially climb a ladder when you have to get up/down to the floor with an enemy with a small route to patrol so you will have better chance of killing instead of being killed. 3. Also remember that you can stop on any point on a ladder to throw Rolling Pins at enemies on ledges to your left or right. This is a great way to clear platforms that would be difficult to clear otherwise. 4. Falling through a hole will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Every now and then one of your rolling pins will pass through an enemy for no apparent reason. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- ========= Level One ========= =============================================================== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ======================================= ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ========================= ========================= ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ================================================================== ================================================================== ================================================================== -Falling off of a ladder of ledge will result in instant death for your French Baker, so be wary of this problem. -Up to five enemies can be on screen at one time, and they can appear almost on top of you, so be ready for that attack as well. -There is NO WRAP AROUND rules here, so try to remember that as you flee from the enemies. ========= Level Two ========= ======================================================= ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ =============================== ================================ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ====== ============== ====== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ================================================================= ================================================================= ================================================================= -Falling off of a ladder of ledge will result in instant death for your French Baker, so be wary of this problem. -Up to five enemies can be on screen at one time, and they can appear almost on top of you, so be ready for that attack as well. -There is NO WRAP AROUND rules here, so try to remember that as you flee from the enemies. -The small hole between the second highest set of floors is not really a hole, and both you and then enemy can walk across it safely. =========== Level Three =========== ========================= ========== ========================= ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ========== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ========================== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ =============================================================== =============================================================== =============================================================== -Falling off of a ladder of ledge will result in instant death for your French Baker, so be wary of this problem. -Up to five enemies can be on screen at one time, and they can appear almost on top of you, so be ready for that attack as well. -There is NO WRAP AROUND rules here, so try to remember that as you flee from the enemies. -The small hole between the highest set of floors is not really a hole, and both you and then enemy can walk across it safely. ============================================================================= 18. A T M O S Q U A K E ACT18 ============================================================================= "The legions of space pirates are causing solar flares and sending shock waves to destroy your planet. You must fly in and arrest them all." OVERVIEW -------- Atmos Quake is a space shooter, having a grand total of five levels before ultimately crashing. This is another unmemorable title, offering very little over the other shooters in the game. The ship's handling and firing rate are identical, though the enemies do fire projectiles as they pass, making them slightly harder than in most other shooters. You are supposedly fighting against a band of space pirates who are threatening your planet, but the story may as well be anything. These "pirates" all fly the same type of ship, which just happens to come in five different colors. The enemies do become trickier in later stages, which is at least one novel point in favor of Atmos Quake. Aside from this, you'll have a difficult time remembering this title over the other dozen space shooters. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship forwards and backwards. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots projectiles from the ship. Holding down the A-Button will fire a constant projectile screen, but not as fast as you could by tapping the button yourself. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. SHIPS (100-200 PTS): Ship come in white, yellow, aqua, and green. For the first three stages, their main method attack is to fly straight forward and hope that you happen to be in the way. Starting at Stage 4, the green ships leave trails of small bullets as they fly by, making it difficult to quickly maneuver through the screen. Also, as the levels increase, the speed of the ships also increases. 2. BLOCKS: Purple in stage 1, Green in stage 2, spiked ledges in stages 3 and 4. The blocks are placed in various positions to impede your flying. Touching them is sure death, so stay back and plan your path around them. 3. ANTENNA AND "ROOTS:" These are found hanging off the ledges and walls in the early stages. Like other static obstacles, just don't get too close and hit them. 4. WALLS AND SPIKES: Some of the biggest obstacles in the game. Walls align the sides of the screen, and, in later stages, are covered with spikes. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. The enemies increase in speed and difficulty as the stages advance. One trick to taking out as many as you can is just to fire continuously as you move. This will often kill enemies just as they appear, and seems to be more effective than waiting to fire on a target. 2. It makes sense to stay as far back as you can, unless trying to squeeze between a tight area in front of you. There is no penalty for doing so, and this usually gives you more time to react to the enemies and obstacles. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Stage 5 is extremely glitchy, to the point of being unplayable. Your ship begins to explode all over the screen for no apparent reason, and it's literally impossible to advance for more than a few seconds at a time. 2. Because of the stage 5 bug, this game has no ending. You will either die or be forced to reset. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 2 lives to make it through five vertically scrolling levels. Dying sends you back to the start of the level. There is no boss or guardian at the end of the stages, and you simply move on to the next one once you've flown far enough. Your main objective is to avoid hitting the different non- moving obstacles and tight passageways, until the game finally glitches at the start of stage 5. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Blue and green background. The stage layout is pretty wide open and simple to navigate. A few sections near the end of the stage have some cramped passageways, so enemies are slightly more threatening here. Also, watch out for the antennae and roots (or whatever they are) jutting from the ledges. Stage 2: Purple background. This level has a much tighter layout than the previous one. Also, the walls and ledges are laced with spikes, so be careful when nearing them. Stage 3: Purple and blue background. More open than the previous stage, but blocks and ledges have been replaced by long, spiked platforms arranged across the screen. The layout of these also makes it difficult to move in some areas, but this stage is still probably easier to navigate than the last. Stage 4: Purple and green background. This stage is pretty tough. The spiked platforms have returned, and now the walls narrow in many parts to an uncomfortably small space. As if the maneuvering weren't bad enough, the enemy speed has become noticeably faster. Also, the green ships now leave bullets as they pass by, resulting in yet another obstacle to avoid. Stage 5: Blue and green background. Let the nightmares begin. Atmos Quake has been pretty playable until this stage, but you now experience the joy of the "randomly die at unexpected places" bug. Yes, you can navigate for a few moments, but will always die at some unexpected point without fail. You can abuse the save states and find some areas to traverse that let you survive for a minute or so into the stage, but this really accomplishes nothing. You won't get through, and will only get frustrated by trying. Even if you cheat to move beyond this stage (via Game Genie or hacking), the subsequent levels are unplayable. Oh well. This is Action 52 we're playing, so no real surprise here. ============================================================================= 19. M E O N G ACT19 ============================================================================= "Board game of strategy and skill. Try to get places from starting line to goal. Watch out for hidden traps. Harder than it sounds." OVERVIEW -------- Meong might have been impressive were it released for the Atari or Commodore 64 systems nearly a decade earlier. As it is, Meong is the laughing stock of Action 52, and it's the game people tell you to play when they're trying to convince you that this is the worst cart ever made. Meong is a unique puzzle game in which you control a piece that looks like a triangular "A52." You navigate the "A52" over a board with hidden traps and bombs that will often kill you before you can see them. Many people think this game has a "die randomly" bug, but this actually isn't true. If you wait long enough, you will always be able to see the traps in advance. Still, even with this amazing secret revealed, Meong will probably only hold your interest until the title screen fades. Save yourself the pain of playing through all four levels. It really never gets any better. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your "A52" piece forwards and backwards on the board. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your "A52" piece left and right on the board. A-BUTTON: Not used. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. TIME. That's right, time is against you. Standing still for too long will cause your "A52" to explode. You'll need to keep constantly moving to survive, even if this motion is simply between the same two tiles, repeatedly. 2. PITS. Flying into black pits will cause your ship to explode. 3. HIDDEN TRAPS. Most people think this game has a "die randomly" feature, but it's really the hidden traps. If you stay on a screen for long enough, they will begin to open and close. Much of the strategy in this game is "biding your time" to see which tiles are safe to cross. 4. BOMBS. In stage 3, you'll notice "bomb" tiles that appear throughout the board. Unlike other traps, these will kill you both on the tile where they lay AND the tile above that one. Tiles underneath are still safe, however. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Meong is pretty simple once you realize how the game works. The easiest way to pass through the levels is to proceed forward very slowly and deliberately. At this pace, any hidden traps should reveal themselves before you get to them. You can also bide you time by moving back and forth over two tiles, waiting for hidden traps to appear. Either way, just don't rush into things. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Surprisingly, the only real glitch is the fact that stage 4 sends you back to stage 1 when completed. There is no indication or acknowledgement of any kind that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to pass your "A52" piece safely through the 4 mazes that make up the Meong board. The only objective is to survive and complete the stage without dying. Getting killed by either a pit, trap, or bomb will send you back to the start of the level. ================= MEONG WALKTHROUGH ================= STAGE 1 ------- Below is one set of directions to pass through stage 1. There are certainly other ways to make it across the board, but this one is fairly straight forward. For the most part, it hugs the right-hand wall. 1. RIGHT: 6 2. UP: 39 3. LEFT: 2 4. UP: 3 5. RIGHT: 2 6. UP: 38 7. LEFT: 1 8. UP: 4 9. LEFT: 1 10. UP: 3 11. RIGHT: 1 12. UP: 7 13. RIGHT: 1 14. UP: 42 15. LEFT: 1 16. UP: 2 17. RIGHT: 1 18. UP: 19 STAGE 2 ------- Below is one set of directions to pass through stage 2. There are certainly easier paths to take, but this one gets the job done. It mainly involves hugging the right-hand wall. 1. RIGHT: 6 2. UP: 25 3. LEFT: 1 4. UP: 2 5. RIGHT: 1 6. UP: 10 7. LEFT: 2 8. UP: 3 9. RIGHT: 2 10. UP: 9 11. LEFT: 2 12. UP: 2 13. RIGHT: 2 14. UP: 27 15. LEFT: 2 16. UP: 3 17. RIGHT: 2 18. UP: 18 19. LEFT: 1 20. UP: 2 21. RIGHT: 1 22. UP: 33 23. LEFT: 2 24. UP: 4 25. RIGHT: 2 26. UP: 2 27. LEFT: 1 28. UP: 13 29. RIGHT: 1 30. UP: 4 STAGE 3 ------- Below is a set of directions to pass through stage 3. Again, it is one of many possible combinations. 1. RIGHT: 6 2. UP: 39 3. LEFT: 3 4. UP: 5 5. RIGHT: 3 6. UP: 18 7. LEFT: 1 8. UP: 3 9. RIGHT: 1 10. UP: 30 11. LEFT: 3 12. UP: 6 13. RIGHT: 3 14. UP: 56 STAGE 4 ------- Below is a set of directions to pass through stage 4. Despite being the last level, stage 4 is actually less challenging than stage 3. Once you cross the finish line, you return to the first level. 1. RIGHT: 6 2. UP: 28 3. LEFT: 1 4. UP: 8 5. LEFT: 1 6. UP: 3 7. RIGHT: 1 8. UP: 6 9. RIGHT: 1 10. UP: 27 11. LEFT: 1 12. UP: 2 13. RIGHT: 1 14. UP: 13 15. LEFT: 1 16. UP: 2 17. RIGHT: 1 18. UP: 30 19. LEFT: 2 20. UP: 3 21. RIGHT: 2 22. UP: 35 ============================================================================= 20. S P A C E D R E A M S ACT20 ============================================================================= "There is a black hole and on the other side are all your space dreams. You must get past all of the obstacles to enter the hole and realize your dreams." OVERVIEW -------- You control a baby's pacifier trying to manage its way through a cartoon-like space zone filled with toys and other kiddy trinkets. Yes, the game is really this stupid. The description doesn't seem to have any bearing at all on what actually happens. You are probably playing from a baby's perspective, and the game sure does a good job of treating you this way. As far as Action 52 space shooters go, Space Dreams has to rank near the bottom. Who really thought this would be a good idea? You face such menacing opponents as "Clothes Pins" and "Yellow Rubber Duckies." Every level of the game is identical, and the challenge is really non-existent in the first 8 or 9 stages. This game might be worth playing for a good laugh, but don't expect too much aside from this. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your pacifier forwards and backwards. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your pacifier left and right. A-BUTTON: Fires some projectile from the tip of your pacifier. Only one projectile can be on the screen at a time. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- Nearly every enemy below is identical. All of them will just fly straight down from wherever they appear, and none can maneuver horizontally. If you are generally in front of them when they appear on the screen, most will fire a bullet at you. Some enemies don't appear until the later stages, and this is also listed below. 1. Teddy Bear (75 PTS) 2. Red-Haired Doll (100 PTS) 3. Clothes Pin (100 PTS) 4. "Number 1" (40 PTS) 5. "Letter A" (90 PTS) 6. Hanger (50 PTS) 7. Balloons (75 PTS) 8. Blocks (70 PTS) 9. Baby Rattle (25 PTS): First appears in stage 7 10. Race Car (45 PTS): First appears in stage 9 11. Lawn Chair (150 PTS): First appears in stage 10 12. Rocking Horse (50 PTS): First appears in stage 11 13. Rubber Ducky (100 PTS): First appears in stage 12 14. Sun Spots: These enemies appear in all stages, and are stationary spots on the screen that kill you when touched. They are maroon/purple with a yellow lining, and are hard, at first, to distinguish from the background. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. In the first few stages, you hardly need to move from the starting spot. Just continue to shoot and most enemies appearing in front of you will be killed. You may need to move slightly left or right if an enemy is not aligned exactly. 2. In the later stages, the easiest way to survive is by dodging enemies, rather than attacking them. Enemies will be appearing quickly, so just move aside and let them pass right by. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Once you complete stage 12, you are sent back to stage 1. There is no indication or acknowledgement of any kind that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to fly through 12 identical space stages. Getting hit by anything will take a life away, and you will be sent back to the start of the level. There is no end boss or indication that a current stage is ending – this will just happen after you've flown far enough. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== All stages: Every stage in this game is identical in terms of layout. There are stars and other symbols in the background that may look dangerous but can be flown over freely. Most of the stage is wide open space and a complete joke in terms if challenge. You hardly need to move at all to survive, and can literally get away with never killing an enemy. All of the enemies, in fact, are identical. They all fly straight down and will fire bullets if you're in the way. None pursue you or exhibit any type of AI whatsoever. About 2/3 of the way through any level, sun spots will being to show up. These are static, purple bubbles with yellow outlines. They make navigating a little more tricky, but likely won't make things that much harder. Once the area of sun spots is over, you know the stage ending is nearby. As you move in to later stages, the enemies begin moving faster and some new foes show up. Still, these are no different from all the others. Once you complete stage 12, you are simply sent back to stage 1. Your score remains intact, but the game plays identically apart from this. ============================================================================= 21. S T R E E M E R Z ACT21 ============================================================================= "Try climbing to the top of this one by throwing steamers and climbing them. On your way up you better watch out for the various pie throwing clowns, burning candles and bouncing balls, because if they get you, you'll die a little each time." OVERVIEW -------- A very unique little game that takes a bit of the coolness of Bionic Commando's bionic arm idea. Put the main character as a clown, and you have a happy fellow attempting to bypass some mean enemies as he climbs to the top of the tower, one floor at a time. A great idea with a decently designed game that suffers from the mistake of only one level being designed. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your Streamer at on a 45 degree angle B-BUTTON: Not used. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. If you feel an enemy is going to hit you, run off the platform. In this game, you can fall as far as you want to without dying. 2. Every fourth hit you take will kill you. Try to conserve hits as you climb because you will occasionally be forced to take a hit by enemies blocking your path with no way around. 3. Try to time your ascending to an enemy platform with the enemy just starting to turn away from your location. This allows the maximum amount of time for your clown character to ascend to the next platform before the enemy returns to hurt you. 4. Once you get to the top of the tower, try to go back down to the very bottom. Then try to climb it again. See how many times you can do this for an added challenge to a too short game. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Occasionally your streamer will pass through the level above your clown to attach to the one above that one. However, this is rarely a good thing as the game just throws your clown clear of the floors to fall down (possibly into an enemy). 2. Enemies will sometimes appear in areas where you cannot bypass them, requiring your clown to take a necessary but annoying hit. ============================================================================= 22. S P R E A D F I R E ACT22 ============================================================================= "You may have some great weapons, in fact the best. You will need them to fight off the tremendous enemies that seem to multiply." OVERVIEW -------- The description gives no hint as to what this game is about, nor what your ship is and why enemies keep attacking. That is assuming you are even controlling a ship. It may very well be a giant lobster or a large insect. Spread Fire is another stationary shooter, which has the feel of a poor man's Galaga. You basically move back and forth and try to shoot enemies before they hit you. Unlike other shooters, this one actually has enemies that target you, as well as a decent challenge as the levels increase. Still, the hit detection is bad and the kill counter is bugged, meaning your success is more determined by luck than skill. This game also has 19 stages, which is a record for any Action 52 title. Mind you, these stages aren't fun, but there's still 19 of them. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your "ship" left and right on the board. A-BUTTON: Shoots projectiles from the ship. Holding down the A-Button will fire a constant projectile screen, but not as fast as you could by tapping the button yourself. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- The enemies are very non-descript and have no official names, so bear with the following descriptions. 1. ORANGE THING (50 PTS): Not sure what it is, but it's the only orange foe in the game. This enemy moves in straight lines and will pursue you, though not ardently. Probably a medium threat. 2. BLUE THING (50 PTS): Same sprite as Orange Thing, only it's blue. Same exact movement and attack patterns, also. 3. COCOON/MOTH (100 PTS): This enemy changes between a cocoon and either a moth or butterfly. You cannot kill this enemy when in moth form. It generally flutters near the top of the stage and leaves you alone, though will occasionally move down and attempt to hit you. This enemy is light threat. 4. WHITE LINES (400 PTS): This enemy looks like a set of dual white/gray lines with red balls scattered within. You'll know it when you see it. This foe moves quickly across the screen and frequently attempts to hit you. Consider it a pretty immediate threat. 5. BLUE LINES (200 PTS): Definitely the most challenging opponent in the game. Blue Lines looks just like white lines, only blue (obviously). Once this enemy appears on the screen, it will immediately target you and fly at any angle to hit you. It also moves quite fast, so you'll need to forget what you're doing and pursue it. This enemy is an urgent threat. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Learn the enemies patterns of attack. This will often help you decide which foes you should go after first, and which are relatively harmless. 2. If an enemy reaches the bottom level where you are, you can move away from it in hopes that it will take back to the air space above. Alternately, if avoiding this enemy may cause too many enemies to reach your level, then take the hit as you remove the more serious threats. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. The hit detection is very bad in this game. You shots will often pass right through the enemy and not phase it at all. 2. The game's kill counter is bugged. You typically need to defeat 12 enemies to advance in levels (this is the programmed total), but the game keeps track of kills in a weird way, crediting you for kills you don't make or not counting ones that you do. As a rule of thumb, expect the require kills to be off by up to 2 each level. 3. Once you complete stage 19, the game sends you back to stage 1. Your score remains intact, but these levels are identical otherwise. After stage 19, there is no indication or acknowledgement of any kind that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to make it through 19 stages. You advance to the next stage once you kill 12 consecutive enemies without dying. Enemies become faster with each passing level. You are allowed one free hit from enemies per life, and, after that, any hits will kill you. ============================================================================= 23. B U B B L E G U M R O S Y ACT23 ============================================================================= "Rosie is looking for her gum, but so are a lot of other gum-starved critters. Help her get her gum back but be careful the critters don't get you first." OVERVIEW -------- The main character's name is spelled three different ways between the menu screens and manual –- Rosy, Rosie, and Rossie (referred to as "Rosy" from here on). This just illustrates the kind of meticulous detail that went into this title. While the concept is not terrible, the execution and end product certainly are. Bubblegum Rosy is a side-scroller in which you help a little girl navigate through an alien planet to find bubble gum. Yes, that really is the story. This game goes for the cute angle and even comes with its own catchy tune. Unfortunately, it also comes with terrible level layout and horrible programming. Any potential that this game might have had ends abruptly when Rosy can't even pass a jump less than a minute into the game. Here's three cheers for laziness and horrific game design! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves Rosy left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots bubbles. Rosy can only have one bubble on the screen at a time. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. Rosy can also move left or right while in mid- air, and this is often needed to make certain jumps. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. BOUNCING STICKS: This is the main enemy in stage 1. It remains relatively stationary and hops up and down. Rosy has no way of defeating it, so you'll either need to jump over it or run underneath it. 2. BALLS: Race along the ground at Rosy. Again, she has no way to defeat them, so just hop over or avoid them. 3. BLUE ALIENS (30 PTS): These big eyed buggers appear in a few places in stage 1 and don't really do anything. Your bubbles actually hurt these creatures, so just fire away from afar. 4. BAT (30 PTS): Small orange creatures that move quickly and fly after you. Bats are a big pain, but there aren't too many. Just wait for it to swoop down, then shoot it quickly. 5. SPIKES: Spikes line the insides of some pits, and are supposed to hurt/kill you when touched. However, most of the spikes in the game are bugged and do nothing. Since some of them still hurt you, it's still best to avoid stepping on them. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. The best strategy for talking on most of the Bouncing Stick enemies is to run underneath them. Just wait a couple of seconds and time your movement accordingly. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Most spikes in stage 1 do not hurt you. In fact, only the third spike pit does, and only the third spike within this pit will harm you. The others can all be safely crossed with no fear of death. 2. There is a bug that let's you jump and remain within platforms. Just jump through one from the bottom that you don't clear entirely. Given all the other problems in the game, this on is hardly an issue. 3. There is a jump about 45 second or so into the stage that is impossible to pass. You can go no farther than this point, and will then need to reset or end the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 2 loves to make it through the alien world and find Rosy's bubble gum. Unfortunately, you are guaranteed to fail in this task, as stage 1 has an impassible jump. Rosy is allowed 1 free hit from enemies, and any hit after that will kill her. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Enjoy it while you can. This level isn't too difficult, or at least the small area of it that's playable. The main opponent is the Bouncing Sticks, and it's best to just run underneath these enemies and move on. While on the ground, Balls will occasionally come rolling at you, so you'll need to stay alert. Apart from this, there is little challenge. About a minute into the stage, Rosy comes to a ledge too high to jump over, and your fun ends. You will need to die, or, more likely, reset. Even if you cheat and go to the next level, it's completely unplayable. Stage 3, however, is a fully playable and highly challenging level. Perhaps future editions of this guide will have an overview of that stage and some cheat codes to get there. After stage 3, however, the game ends for good. It's too bad that any time and effort at all went into such a horribly buggy game. ============================================================================= 24. M I C R O M I K E ACT24 ============================================================================= "He's only the size of a flea, and it's difficult getting from here to there when your smaller than the strand of hair. It seems like your in the land of the giants." OVERVIEW -------- You are a small worm like character that has an automatic scrolling screen to fight as he tries to advance past the much larger enemies trying to thwart him. Add in the fact that Micro Mike has to be maneuvered between pillars that will go about crushing Mike if he is too slow (which he ends up being because of horrid control and lack of speed), and you have possibly the worst game of all fifty-two right here. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your worm up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your worm left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your weapon at the enemies. B-BUTTON: Not used. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Fire your weapon continually. Do not worry about where the enemies are, as you will have precious little time to line up any shots. 2. Taking the above into account, spend ALL of your time trying to dodge the incoming pillars by going through their small openings. Enemy hits hurt you, but getting crushed is an automatic kill. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Micro Mike can occasionally (very rarely) slip through a wall when he is not in the opening of the wall. ============================================================================= 25. U N D E R G R O U N D ACT25 ============================================================================= "Tunnel this way and that in order to find the gold. Be careful of the other strange creatures you find here." OVERVIEW -------- Shoot away at the enemies as you wander around the tunnels underground aimlessly. This is what the game is. I never saw any gold, but that is just me I guess. I also never once got to "tunnel", since I could only use the pre-dug ones in the game. So there ya have it, and now I suggest ya don't play it... CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down ladders. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your bullets from your gun. B-BUTTON: Not used. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Shoot through walls. This is something that I can not stress enough as a great way to rid yourself of enemies. They have no way to run you down while you pick them off easily. 2. Avoid the mushrooms on the floors of the tunnels as they are poisonous, and thus they will kill your character upon contact. 3. Sometimes enemies will congregate upon a small platform, making it impossible to climb up and shoot them, right? Well, there is a programming error (ya, I know, I am shocked at this revelation too) that allows your character to climb up the very side of a ladder. If done correctly, you will be able to climb safely to the level where the monsters are so you can shoot them all easily. ============================================================================= 26. R O C K E T J O C K E Y ACT26 ============================================================================= "Futuristic cowboy straddles a rocket attempting to lasso various robo-cattle. The lasso gains power as it glows brighter, but gets dimmer and loses power as the bad guys shoot and hit." OVERVIEW -------- I hope you guys wanted another side-scrolling shooter with terrible backgrounds, uninspired enemies, and a slow to shoot weapon, because this one delivers that in spades! You are a space cowboy after the robo-cattle, and this has to be the worst story of all 52 games for me. BLEH! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Throws your Lasso at the robo-cattle. B-BUTTON: Not used. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Avoid the enemies as you shoot. This is ALL you need to do in this game. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Well the hit detection on your character is larger than the area representing him graphically on the screen. This is just poor programming (yeah, I am utterly shocked there is poor programming on this cartridge too). ============================================================================= 27. N O N H U M A N ACT27 ============================================================================= "They're not human. They have a mind of their own. They are hungry and they want you as their next meal. Get them before they get you." OVERVIEW -------- Non Human borders on being non-playable. It's another side-scrolling title, only this time you play some hideously deformed beast who is wandering around in some Twilight Zone of other hideously deformed beasts. Really, there is no point. The game has only one stage, and it consists primarily of jumping puzzles and horribly placed monsters. The usual Action 52 play control means that you'll likely be unable to make most of the many annoying jumps or defeat a lot of the enemies. You'll want to abuse the save state feature quite extensively to make it through this one. Your reward for making it past stage 1: you get to do it all over again! It's very ironic that only a non-human could ever find enjoyment in this game. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves the demon left and right. You can also move while jumping in mid-air, and this is necessary to make it across many areas. A-BUTTON: Shoot a projectile at enemies, which travels across the screen. You can also fire while in mid-air. You cannot shoot more than one projectile at a time. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can press LEFT or RIGHT to move in that direction. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. RED FLYING EYE (50 PTS): Looks like a floating red blob with a huge eye and a pair of arms. This enemy appears and flies at you, slowly moving upward and out of your range of fire. Make sure to defeat them while they are still low, otherwise you will almost certainly be out a life. 2. WHITE FLYING EYE (50 PTS): Same as the Red Flying Eye, only white. 3. BLUE FLYING EYE (50 PTS): Same as the Red Flying Eye, only blue. 4. CHATTERING LIPS (50 PTS): Easier than the flying eyes, as these foes remain on the ground. Hurl a projectile at them as soon as they come your way. 5. PINK DEMON (50 PTS): Almost identical to the Chattering Lips, the Pink Demon only moves along the ground and is roughly the same size. You will find it near the end of the level. 6. SILVER SNAKE: Slithers along the ground before appearing, hunching up, and firing a projectile at you. This enemy cannot be killed, nor can you stop its projectile attack. Once it shoots, you'll need to perform a forward jump over its projectile. This is no small task, given how unresponsive the controls are. This foe can be brutally troublesome. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Use save states often. This game has an annoying amount of jumps and simply horrid control to accompany this. No matter what you do, you *will* die at some point just due to the bad handling. 2. Shoot enemies as soon as they appear. Several of your opponents have a nasty habit of flying upward and out of your attacking range once they enter the screen. Dispatch them as quickly as you can, otherwise they become much more bothersome. 3. Be careful when jumping vertically. Your demon has a terrible resistance to falls. Any drops more than the height of his body are fatal. This means that jumping off higher platforms onto lowers ones will mean sure death. In these cases, just walk off. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. The game only has one complete stage. Finishing it just takes you back to the start. There is no acknowledgement saying that you've completed the game, or that you should only expect one level. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to take your demon through the only stage this game offers. Getting hit by an enemy or falling into a pit will kill you, sending you back to the start of the level. After completing the first stage, you are simply returned back to the start of it. Your points remain the same, but the level is unchanged otherwise. ===================== NON HUMAN WALKTHROUGH ===================== Stage 1 ------- The only stage of the game is short but extremely annoying. Practice your jumping abilities by crossing the first couple of pits that you come to. If you fall into the purple area with the demon faces, you die. Nudge your character forward slowly, and shoot at anything that pops on the screen. After a short while, you will come to a path of blocks that lead up and to the right. Jump on them, and move along on top. If you fall off or move too far forward by taking the lower path, you'll be trapped and required to kill yourself. Navigating this platform bridge is probably the hardest and most frustrating part of Non Human. The jumps are all long, and your handling abilities are terrible. Try to jump while on the move, and make sure you wait as long as you can before leaping. Keep your fingers crossed and hope you get lucky over the dozen or so jumps you'll be making. Once you arrive near the end of the bridge, hurry down off the blocks, but don't jump down (this will kill you). Instead, fall down and shoot at the approaching Flying Eye. If you stay on the bridge while this enemy appears, it will likely attack from some unassailable angle. After the bridge, the Silver Snakes appear, which are another troublesome pest. These enemies crawl up near you and fire a projectile. You'll need to stay far enough back and then jump forward over these bullets as soon as you can. Only a forward jump -- and a well timed one, at that -- will allow you to survive. After a while, the background will shift from light green to purple. This means you're about 3/4 of the way through the game, and the trip is easier from here. Get an early jump on the remaining enemies and cross the last few jumps you come across. Rather abruptly, the stage will end and send you back to the start. What a wonderful few minutes of playing this must have been for you... ============================================================================= 28. C R Y B A B Y ACT28 ============================================================================= "Try to get cry baby back to his crib, but be careful to aovid open electric sockets, poisons, fire in the stove. There are things to help along the way such as cookies, lollipops, candy bars and pacifiers. If the baby meets any bad guys trying to kidnap him he squeezes his bottle and shoots them." OVERVIEW -------- Well, let's see: kidnappers, siblings, and fires all try to hurt the baby until it dies. So if you are big on child murder, this is the game for you! An even poorer version of Illuminator that actually has an extended life bar to allow the baby to take a few hits. However, a few actually means about six or seven (what is the baby made out of... STEEL?!?), and this makes the game laughably easy. I just wonder what happened to the "cookies, lollipops, candy bars and pacifiers" to help you along? An alright one, but not worth a lot of attention. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down ladders. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your Milk Squirts from your bottle. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Kidnappers (wearing sunglasses and gay suits) and siblings (dressed in shorts and a shirt) wonder back and forth along a programmed path trying to touch the baby. If they succeed, they will disappear, but they will take some of the baby's life meter with them. 2. Fires will spring up occasionally, and they will stay in the same position never moving or spreading. They too will remove part of the baby's life meter if they come into contact with the child. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Climb the chairs, couches, etc. to move between floors. 2. Stick to guarding one or two floors at all times until you have to go get the other floors when enemy stocks are running low. 3. Partially climb a ladder when you have to get up/down to the floor with an enemy with a small route to patrol so you will have better chance of killing instead of being killed. 4. Falling through a hole or off some furniture will result in your death, so be sure to avoid the holes at all costs. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Your milk shots will occasionally NOT extinguish a Fire due to poor hit detection between the two in the programming (yes, the programming is to blame). ============================================================================= 29. S L A S H E R S ACT29 ============================================================================= "They are everywhere. Mean guys with nails that are nine inch knives and they like to slash everything that comes into their path. Don't get in their way or your the next victim." OVERVIEW -------- You appear to be on the rooftop of a large building where faux Spidermen and large breasted women are out to beat you up. About as fun as it sounds (it is not fun in case you are confused), but it had potential to be good. Alas it will never reach that level of goodness it could have... CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Causes your character to punch. B-BUTTON: Causes your character to kick. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Faux Spidermen will approach to fight with you. They use the same attacks as you do, so knock them out before they do the same to you. 2. Big Breasted Women will also fight with you. They too use the same attacks as you do, so knock them out before they do the same to you. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Just pound the attack buttons to kill off your opponents quickly. There are no other relevant strategies to use. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Occasionally you or your opponent will be unable to land any blows on the other while getting hit repeatedly. This is not because of the proper timing of one or another, but rather because the game puts the attacks beyond the defenses of their opponent. 2. When a fight ensues, you will be unable to move in any direction to try and escape the fight or get into a better location to fight from. ============================================================================= 30. C R A Z Y S H U F F L E ACT30 ============================================================================= "Educational puzzle game. Picture matching with many levels, game and options. Tests memory and concentration skills." OVERVIEW -------- You are a small orange thing that must shoot the enemies as it collects blue pieces of a puzzle to find the next level. Not overly exciting, and it does suffer from hard to hit enemies with your razor thin projectiles, but overall it is at least playable. Play it for a little bit to get some entertainment (just not a whole lot of it). CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your ammunition from your orange ship. B-BUTTON: Not used.. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. the Orange and Purple enemies are worth 50 points each per kill. they move randomly around the maze trying to attack you as you recover the blue pieces. 2. The all Purple enemies are invulnerable to weapons fire, but if they do kill you, they will surrender 25 points to your score (not a good trade). 3. The purple nests in the vines will kill you on contact, so do not move into the vines in their sections. STRATEGIES ---------- 1. You can enter into the vine dividers between the pathways partially, but do not do so where purple openings sit. They will kill you immediately. 2. Collect the blue pieces as fast as you can to turn more enemies into harmless beings that can touch you. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Sometimes when a just turned harmless being touches you character, you will kill this enemy off of the screen. ============================================================================= 31. F U Z Z P O W E R ACT31 ============================================================================= "Fuzzy must get to the land of Guru. He's got to avoid the walking brushes, hair dryers, combs and other natural hair disasters, because if he losses all of his hair he's bald and the game is over." OVERVIEW -------- Here's a game with a lot of thought put into it. You play a freakishly deformed midget with a ton of hair named Fuzzy. Each time the enemies hit Fuzzy, he loses some of his hair, until he is eventually bald. Once bald, Fuzzy looks like a giant, shaved penis. There's no more tactful way of putting it. All the enemies trying to "de-fur" him are hair care products and appliance -- from brushes to combs to blow dryers. As far as side-scrollers go, Fuzz Power has decent graphics and play control by Action 52 standards. The praises stop there. Everything else about this game is terrible. There is no point, the enemies are all equally identical and unchallenging, and the game has an impassible point in stage 3. Couple this with the "no score" bug and the "bald character is physically disgusting" attribute, and you've got one really bad game. Fun in some odd, sick sort of way, but still really, really bad. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: No use. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves Fuzzy left and right. You can also move while jumping in mid-air, and this will help cross many of the pits in the game. A-BUTTON: Rolls Fuzzy into a ball and attacks enemies. You must hit them at the right time to inflict damage. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. Fuzzy can move and attack while in mid-air. When attacking, he will roll into a ball and damage the enemy as he's falling. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. HAIR DRYER: One of the toughest enemies you'll encounter. These foes will fire waves of hot air at you if given enough time. Get a jump on them by attacking as soon as you can. 2. HAIR BRUSH: The Hair Brush walks back and forth aimlessly, hoping you'll be dumb enough to run into it. They aren't much of a problem unless in a group with other enemies. 3. COMB: A taller and slimmer version of the Hair Brush. Combs often appear in groups with other enemies. A simple rolling attack will defeat them. 4. GREEN THING: A green bush with legs scurries about the screen with the other enemies. It is pretty much the same as the Brush and Comb. 5. Bomb: Found starting in stage 2, these enemies are pretty similar to all others in the game. Take them out using whatever method is safest for you. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Get a jump on enemies. For the most part, this game rewards action over patience. Continue to move forward and take out the enemies before they have a chance to kill you. In areas with lots of jumps and rocks, slow down the pace and proceed a little more cautiously. 2. Attacking on the moving is the best way to defeat enemies. Don't just stand still and press the A-Button, walk or jump and transition into your attack from that. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. There is something displayed as a bunch of gray blocks in the top-left corner of the screen. Whether this is supposed to be points or health, who knows. It doesn't work in either case. 2. The game keeps a score value, but enemies don't give any points. 3. There is an impossible jump at stage 3, which will always force you to end the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to guide Fuzzy through 3 stages infested with hair care products (and other random enemies). You start off with a full head of hair, and can take 2 hits before you are completely bald. Once bald, a single hit will kill you, sending you back to start of the stage. Entering a new level restores your hair to full. There is an impassible jump at stage 3, so the game will always end at this spot. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Stage 1 is probably the toughest level you'll encounter. At the start of the stage, it's best to walk quickly and make an early attack on all the enemies you come across. This lets you get a jump on the Hair Dryers, who become much harder is you give them time to get into firing mode. Stay aggressive and move quickly until you clear the forest and reach an area with a sky-blue background. You can slow down here and take things more carefully. The enemies are easier in this section, but make sure you don't get swamped by enemies coming in a staggered order. The remainder of the stage is pretty easy. Stage 2: This level is similar to the second half of stage 1. You can proceed at your own leisure, but this level is actually pretty easy to complete if you are constantly holding RIGHT and quickly attacking through most of it. You will encounter bomb enemies starting at the mountain section straight-away, but they are no different from all the other enemies. Be careful and a little more deliberate near the ending, and you should pass this stage easily. Stage 3: There isn't much to before the game has an impassible point (yes, you must be shocked). Cross a few jumps and kill a few enemies, and you will come to a small rocky region with a jump too high to make. Even if you cheat to move to stage 4 using a Game Genie or by hacking), it is unplayable. There is a programmed stage 5, but it just seems like and extremely glitchy version of stage 2. So, the programmers clearly didn't intend for you to play more than 3 stages of Fuzz Power. Take a few moments to recover from this shocking loss, then get ready to reset the game. ============================================================================= 32. S H O O T I N G G A L L E R Y ACT32 ============================================================================= "Seven different levels to test shooting skills. Skeet shooting, gallery shooting, target shooting, quick-draw and a final shoot-out with bad guys and all." OVERVIEW -------- Or, more accurately, one level to test your ability to blindly mash the A- button and then reset the game after an inevitable crash. Shooting Gallery might have been a nice idea on paper, but it was given the good old Action 52 treatment. The game will always freeze once you shoot a certain number of enemies, never allowing you to advance beyond the first (mindless) stage. Shooting Gallery plays as a stationary shooter, although there is no way for your character to die. You simply target enemies that pop into the range and blast away. The challenge is lessened by the fact that the enemies just stick around until killed, giving neither an incentive nor penalty for speed. There's really no point at all to this title. You can play the game blind- folded, and will just end up turning it off after about a minute anyway. Ah, if only the shooting range had Action 52 cartridges for you to target. I'd play this game all day... CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your shooter left and right. A-BUTTON: Used to shoot bullets from your rifle. Holding down the A- Button will fire a constant projectile screen, but not as fast as you could by tapping the button yourself. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- All enemies are basically the same. They appear in the shooting area and move around, vertically and horizontally. You get a fixed amount of points for killing each one, and there is no threat if you miss too many. 1. Pink Rabbit (25 PTS) 2. White Duck (50 PTS) 3. Green Pheasant (75 PTS) 4. Crocodile (75 PTS) 5. Horse (100 PTS) TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. There's really no strategy involved at all. It often helps if you try targeting enemies as they move vertically, rather than horizontally. This game will be over so fast that it really doesn't matter anyway. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. The game crashes once you complete the first stage or if you try to exit by pressing START + SELECT. You will be forced to physically reset at this point. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives at the start of this game, though there is no way to die. After 12 kills, the game freezes and you need to reset. ============================================================================= 33. L O L L I P O P S ACT33 ============================================================================= "The chocolate monsters have taken Lolli. You are Johnny Jawbreaker and must try to rescue her." OVERVIEW -------- It's not hard to imagine the pitch while this game was being developed: "Let's mix Metroid and Candyland, take out the fun, add a bunch of glitches, bad control, and terrible music and graphics, and voila! Lollipop!" Yes, someone really did think a good game could come from this idea. As if one stupid, poorly executed rip-off wasn't enough in a single title, Lollipop gives you TWO. It's almost unimaginable that anything could tarnish the reputation of Candyland, but Lollipop succeeds with flying colors. Action 52 does not disappoint, yet again. Lollipop plays as a side-scroller, with basically the same level of control and challenge as the other scrollers (read: Poor and None). Supposedly, chocolate monsters have captured some girl, and you, Johnny Jawbreaker, need to save her (if that isn't a porno name, I don't know what is). Two problems with that: 1.) there are no chocolate monsters in this game, and 2.) the game crashes well before any "Lolli" is rescued. Guess the fudge and caramel beasts will be having their way with Lolli tonight... CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used LEFT/RIGHT: Moves the character left and right. You can also move while jumping in mid-air. A-BUTTON: Swings your lollipop and attacks enemies. You can "glide" down from your jumps by repeatedly pressing the A-Button as you fall. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can press LEFT or RIGHT while tapping the A-button to glide down in that direction. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. BLUE BUGS (200 PTS): Blue, bug-like creatures that are usually situated atop and guarding the platforms in stage 1. It will take a well time attack to take them out from this perch. 2. PINK GUM DROPS (200 PTS): Red smile faces with legs. They walk along the floor and chase after you. A well timed attack will take them out easily. 3. RED FLUFF (200 PTS): Red blob that gets bigger and smaller as it moves along. These foes scurry along the floor and come after you when near. 4. CANDY BAR (200 PTS): A blue candy bar with legs. In stage 2, it seems to be able to walk over pitfalls to get at you. Otherwise, it's basically the same as all the other enemies. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Your attack is not instantaneous, so get the timing down early on. When enemies are a few steps away, start your swing. 2. The tip of your lollipop actually goes lower than your character if you attack while in mid-air. This makes it possible, though very difficult, to kill enemies as you land on them. You can use this as a strategy for killing enemies across pits. 3. If Johnny falls far enough, he will be killed. It will take a pretty long fall to do this, but it's not that unlikely in the first stage. You can survive these falls by pressing the A-button as you drop. You will glide down and always survive. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Falling Player bug. This useful glitch allows you to survive far drops. By pressing the A-Button as you're dropping, you will glide down and survive any fall. 2. Pitfall bug. This is an extension of the falling player bug above. If you fall into a pit, pressing the A-Button repeatedly will make you come out on the top of the screen and glide down, surviving the drop. Very useful in stage 2. 3. The stage 3 music is glitched. It will sound like beeps and crackles. This bug persists when you die, reset this game, or leave the stage. 4. Stage 3 also shakes occasionally when you move. A minor bug, but it can be disorienting. 5. Stage 3 has three doors that all lead back to stage 1. There is no way to move beyond this stage, and the game gives no acknowledgement of any sort that you've completed the game after stage 3. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to make it through 3 levels of Candy filled goodness. Getting hit by anything will kill you, and you return to start of the level when killed. Each stage ends with a green door, which takes you to the next level. ==================== LOLLIPOP WALKTHROUGH ==================== Stage 1 ------- This level is made up of blue orbs and hanging bubbles. It might seem mightily familiar to you *cough*MetroidRipOff*cough*. You'll get right into the action fairly quickly. Take out enemies that approach you by hitting them with your lollipop, but take into account the swinging delay. You'll need to time you shot about half a second before the enemies would hit you. Take some time and practice on these early enemies, which all appear alone and make easy targets. Not too far into the stage, you'll notice that candy cane ladders and platforms begin appearing. Ignore them all. The lower route is much quicker and easier. Eventually, just after you see the first Candy Bar enemy, you will come to a small, pink wall that can't be jumped over. To cross it, you'll need to climb the platform to the left of it, which has a Blue Bug at the top. Killing this enemy without getting hit is quite a challenge in itself. To climb the ladder, you basically "jump up" along it. Try to stay to the extreme edge of the rungs, so that most of your body is off the ladder. Jump up a couple of time, face the Blue Bug, wait until it's on the opposite side of the platform, and jump, tapping the A-button as soon as you do. If you're lucky, you will hit the enemy and kill it. Bad timing, of course, is certain death. Once on top of the platform, things get interesting. If you fall straight down or blindly jump off, you will die. You have a few choices. First, you can take the cheap approach and abuse the "falling player" bug. This bug allows you to survive any pitfall so long as you constantly press the A- button as you're falling. Works very well here. There is a also a legitimate way to cross the wall, but it's much harder. You'll need to execute a perfect jump from the very edge of the platform and land on the ladder just over the wall. A well time jump will hit the third step from the top, but this is pretty hard to do. Once across, stay along the ground and enter the green block. This is the door exiting the stage. Stage 2 ------- The second stage takes you outdoors underneath a starry night sky. The floor is now covered with yellow orbs and pink stalks. The first thing you might notice is how off the music is. The previous stage's theme was pretty action oriented, but this level has an extremely somber tune, despite being filled with candy drops and sweetness. Very odd. For the most part, this level is just a straight away area, with enemies coming onto the screen one at a time. The only danger comes when enemies are on the opposite side of pitfalls, as it's hard to jump across and kill them without being hit. You can always abuse the "pit fall" bug and kill them as you fall into the pit, then re-emerge at the top of the screen and "glide" down. To do this, just make sure you're constantly pressing the A-button. The stage has nothing special after this. Be careful when the hilly region begins, as its easy to move down the slope quickly and fall too far. Take those steps one at a time. Once you see a ladder, you're almost at the end. The exit door is on the top platform. Stage 3 ------- Let the glitching begin! The first thing you'll notice is that the music is entirely screwed up. It consists of loud screeches and high pitched beeping. VERY annoying. If you have any dogs in the room, expect them to start howling. At this point, you may wish to mute the volume, or at least lower the sound. The second glitch you'll observe is the shaking stage. As you walk, the floor and screen begin to vibrate. No, this is definitely not supposed to be happening. Apart from this, stage 3 looks similar to stage 2, but has much more difficult enemy arrangements. Foes now approach you in groups of 2 or 3, and move much quicker than they did in the previous levels. Eventually, striped platforms will appear. Try to stay on top of them, as you will eventually get stuck if you don't. After a short while on top, you will eventually come to a green door, which leads back to stage 1. You can jump over it and continue if you don't want the fun to end yet. Note that if you're underneath it at this point, you're out of luck and won't be able to leave the level on this life. A few jumps over is another green door, also going back to stage 1. You'll know you're in the right spot by the X-Mas lights hanging between the platforms. A bit farther down along the top is yet another green door leading back to stage 1, the last you'll come to. If you keep going on after this, you come to a ladder and dead end. You'll need to kill yourself (via the Red Gum Drop on top) or reset. Nice run, but the journey ends here and Lolli will never be rescued. There will be no joy in Candyland, as the great Johnny Jawbreaker has struck out. If you return to stage 1 via one of the green doors, the music will remain permanently glitched. Your score will stay recorded, (like this is of monumental importance to you), but everything else is the same. Save yourself and your pets the headache and just exit this game. ============================================================================= 34. E V I L E M P I R E ACT34 ============================================================================= "Arabian desert has bad Arabians and genie's. Hasha, the warlord has stolen the great genie. With it he will rule the land, unless you can defeat his evil empire and save the genie." OVERVIEW -------- You appear to be a Ninja who is crusading on the side of good. However, instead of having great abilities like most Ninjas, you get to have little throwing stars and the ability to fall half a foot to your death. Anyway, you must fight the Evil Empire, which is rotten to it's core to free the good civilians. You know what else is rotten? THIS GAME! However, I will map three levels for you so you can plan your strategies to take out the evil power (only two as I despise this game so much). CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down ladders/ropes. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your Throwing Stars at your Evil Empire Enemies. B-BUTTON: Causes your Ninja to jump. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Flying Carpets, Green Ghosts, and Flying birds all attempt to run into you as they patrol their specific areas. 2. Fire Pots and Ninjas can kill you upon contact, but they also have the ability of throwing out projectile weapons (fire balls for the Fire Pots and throwing stars for Ninjas). TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Stick to guarding one or two floors at all times until you have to go get the other floors when enemy stocks are running low. 2. Partially climb a ladder when you have to get up/down to the floor with an enemy with a small route to patrol so you will have better chance of killing instead of being killed. 3. You can turn while on ladders to shoot enemies off in the distance. This is especially useful for attacking enemies who are in hard to reach areas with small patrol areas for the enemies. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Sometimes your Ninja will take the required jump to another platform that some levels (first time it appears is Level Two) require, you will be killed for doing so despite the need to do so. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- ========= Level One ========= ============== ++ ++ ========== ++ ++ ========== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ============== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ========== ++ ++ ========== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ============== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ =============================================================== ========= Level Two ========= ========== ++ ++ ++ ========== ++ ========== \ ++ / / ++ \ \ ========== / / \ \ / / \ \ / ========== ========================== ========== ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ====================================================== -Remember that you need to take a leap of faith off of the ladder near the top of the area where you start. You need to do this to go after the enemies in other sections of the level. ============================================================================= 35. S O M B R E R O S ACT35 ============================================================================= "A Chivato (thief) has stolen all of the sombrero's. You must use your pistola, take the law into your own hands and get them back." OVERVIEW -------- You are on a mission to get the "stolen" Sombreros back. Well, the criminals must be the dumbest people around as their stolen merchandise is strewn about the countryside just waiting to be picked up. Avoid the bandits and cars as you return the much needed Sombreros to the populace to become a Mexican Hero! However, be a bigger hero and just say no to crap like this! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your pistola at the Chivatos. B-BUTTON: Not used. ENEMIES ------- 1. Chivatos are a common threat to your character throughout the game. They run around trying to pop off shots to kill the hero, so pop them first with your pistola. 2. Cars will run you down if you wander into the middle of th road, and their is no way to kill them off. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. On Level One, walk up one of the sides of the road until you are beside the Sombreors in the middle of the road, at which point you should go straight across the road to get the Sombreros. This will allow you to avoid the cars and get the Sombreros without facing any danger. 2. Shoot the Chivatos as soon as you can. They can be quite the nuisance if you allow them to hang around. 3. Make sure to grab Sombreros as soon as you see them, or else they will disappear from the screen if you wait. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Occasionally cars will hit you, but your character will remain unhurt. 2. Your character will be shot, but sometimes he will not get hurt. ============================================================================= 36. S T O R M O V E R T H E D E S E R T ACT36 ============================================================================= "Using your tanks you must avoid the mine fields set by the evil army of Satan Hosain. The evil Satan's army of soldiers will kill you or die trying." OVERVIEW -------- You are kidding me right!?!?!?!?!? This has to be the saddest attempt I have ever seen at hiding what the creator is driving at (this is a HUGE dig at Saddam Hussein in case you somehow missed it through some sort of mental breakdown on your part). Anyway, in this deplorable game, you are fighting the army of "Satan Hosain", which is comprised of foot soldiers, tanks and large robotic "Satan Hosains" (yeah you read that correctly). All in all, just an abomination of a game that is sad on so many levels I am just left without an adequate closer sentence to this Overview... CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your tank up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your tank left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your tank rounds at the forces of "Satan Hosain". B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Foot Soldiers run through the screen firing off a lot of shots. They can be run over or shot, but they can kill you by shooting you from behind in your tank. 2. Pink Tanks will attack frequently with their turrets. They can be run over or shot, but they can kill you by shooting you or ramming you from behind in your tank. 3. Giant robotic "Satan Hosains" will appear periodically to stomp through. They might be able to kill you, but they appear invulnerable to your weapon (they are too fast to ram). TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Stay in the middle of the screen. This will allow you to take out multiple targets, and it will also allow you to defend yourself easier (less chance the enemy can sneak up on ya). 2. Try to run over enemies a lot. It is easier than shooting them because your shots are small in diameter. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Your Tank gets a lot of friendly hit detection decisions from the programming. It usually requires a near perfectly directed blast to the middle of your rear. ============================================================================= 37. M A S H M A N ACT37 ============================================================================= "Your a funny looking dude with a little head and great big feet. You've got to mash everything in sight before they somehow mash you." OVERVIEW -------- There are stupid games, and then there are STUPID games. Mash Man is one of the latter, and is atrocious even by Action 52 standards. You control some deranged guy with a size 72 shoe who's wearing an outfit that would embarrass the World Bowler's League. And this isn't even the bad part yet... Mash Man plays as a side-scroller, but stops short of even the abysmal effort put into the others. All you do is walk straight and either jump on or over some stationary enemy. Nothing attacks you, so the whole game is just a giant test of how well you can tolerate the pathetic controls. Terrible beyond terrible. If you hate Action 52, you'll love this game. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: No use. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves the character left and right. You can also move while jumping in mid-air. A-BUTTON: Not used. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can press LEFT or RIGHT while tapping the A-button to glide down in that direction. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. EYE ENEMIES (200 PTS): These are the small creatures with big eyes that remain stationary and let you squash them at will. These are the "harmless" enemies that do not damage you when stomped. They come in the red, blue, and pink varieties. 2. SPIKES: Spikes look like upside-down triangles, and can be white or red. They are "harmful" and always damage you when you touched. Just jump over them. 3. TACK: Small, black, upside-down T. Likes spikes, Tacks always damage you when touched. Jump over them. 4. SHARP ROCK: A pointy, white shaped object. Could be a rock, could be anything, but let's just call it a rock. It's is also a "harmful" enemy and damages you when touched. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Don't jump on sharp objects. This is about the only thing you need to know for this basic game. You can safely jump on the Eye Enemies, but need to leap over everything else. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. After completing stage 3, you are simply returned to the first level. There is no acknowledgement whatsoever that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 4 lives to make it through 3 stages of "harmful" and "harmless" enemies. The harmful type include Tacks, Spikes, and Rocks, and these damage you when touched. Your character has a hidden health bar and can take 3 free hits before being killed. Dying takes you back to the start of the level. A new stage begins when you walk far enough, and there is no end-stage boss or indication that a new level is approaching. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== All the stages are basically the same. They all consist of completely straight-away areas with colored blocks in the background and enemies every few steps. A greater proportion of the enemies become "harmful" as you advance in stages, but nothing else really changes. If you look carefully at the block formation in the background of third stage, you can just make out the phrase "Kill Me Now" (I can dream, can't I?). After surviving the excitement that is stage 3, you are returned to the first level. Your score is kept intact, but the game plays through again without any changes. If you are even tempted to go through these stages again, you are a mentally unstable individual who needs to seek help immediately. ============================================================================= 38. T H E Y C A M E ACT38 ============================================================================= "Try killing all of the green-eyed monsters only to be attacked by their leader." OVERVIEW -------- Well, you are in a purple ship that is attempting to fight off the attacks of an aggressive group of warriors (sounds familiar to many other games on the Action 52, eh?). Your ship has a little durability (the ability to take a couple hits before exploding), unlike your enemies who are one hit kills. Here is the real kicker though, as whenever I died, the game would freeze, not allowing me to do anything! Play at your discretion, but I say skip this clunker. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your ship's cannon at the opposition. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Purple Fliers will fly generally simple patterns as they fire off the occasional shot in your direction. These are the most common enemy. 2. Green Flutters will move quickly and erratically around the screen in an attempt to ram your shuttle. Much more rare than the more common Purple Flier. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Try to not stray too far from the centre of the screen. You will be in the best position to shoot enemies as well as not be ambushed by appearing enemies (they could crack some quick shots into you without warning). 2. Be wary of the backgrounds. These can hide the approaching bullets of the Purple Fliers, so be sure to keep an extra sharp eye on these sections of the level. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. How about we start with the game crashing immediately after you die! This will require a reset of the cartridge to get back into playing any game. ============================================================================= 39. L A Z E R L E A G U E ACT39 ============================================================================= "You're trapped in a warp with only your laser. You must try to stay alive collecting new weapons on the way and avoiding the traps they've set for you, until you can be rescued by the laser-league." OVERVIEW -------- A side scrolling shooter with your character armed with a lazer as he is flies to the right. Enemies attack as you shoot them, and you will switch levels when you defeat the large square boss (looks like a Pacman Pizza Box or something like that). However, you get a whole TWO LEVELS to play (I know that I am overwhelmed)! Anyway, still one of the best side-scrolling shooters on Action 52, so give it a chance. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your Lazer at the enemies. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. All enemies will fly across the screen from right to left, attempting to hit you physically. 2. Firebirds, Blobs, U.F.O.'s, and Dark Lobsters are worth 25 points each. 3. Scissor Fliers, and Space Flowers are worth 50 points each. 4. Pacman Pizza Box (the Boss Fight) takes 24 shots to defeat each successful hit landed by your lazer blaster is worth 50 points, meaning that the total score for a boss fight is 1200 points. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- 1. Level One has red bricks with open parts of space in the background. The enemies seen here include: Firebirds, Blobs, U.F.O.'s, Scissor Fliers, Space Flowers, and a Pacman Pizza Box. 2. Level Two has the same background as level one with the exception being a blue outline on top of the red brick wall. The enemies seen here include: Space Flowers, Dark Lobsters, Scissor Fliers, U.F.O.'s, and a Pacman Pizza Box. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Keep your ship close to the left side of the screen. This allows for maximum reaction time to the enemies attacks. 2. If you shoot at an enemy and miss, move out of the line of the enemy. You will likely not have enough time to shoot a second time (the enemy will reach you before shot disappears to allow you another one). 3. When the Boss Fight comes up, shoot at the Pacman Pizza Box continually while you watch for his red projectiles. Since you have a red brick wall as the background, you will need to watch the shots extra carefully as you hit the Pacman Pizza Box for 24 hits to move onto the next Level. ============================================================================= 40. B I L L Y B O B ACT40 ============================================================================= "Marylou has disappeared. The bad guys have her, but Billy-bob is stuck in jail and must find his way out from deep within this prison in the desert by traversing all of the levels and rescuing Marylou." OVERVIEW -------- Welcome to Prince of Persia with a redneck title. Billy Bob is a side- scrolling adventure game with lots of jumping puzzles and mild problem solving. Fans of the Prince of Persia series will be happy to see one of their long-time favorites ripped off and urinated on. Still, Billy Bob is actually one of the deepest and most playable games on the entire cart. That is, if you can get past the first two rooms. The quest for your sister/girlfriend, Marylou, takes place in abandoned ruins and ancient caverns, all littered with hundreds of falling spear and boulder traps to protect the absolutely nothing that lies within them (no wonder this ancient culture is extinct... the people wasted all their time and resources building traps for Billy Bob). Bad ass that he is, Billy Bob is armed with a pistol that does virtually nothing except give the A-button a use. But oh, wait till you see him jump... This game actually had some potential, and it isn't often that you'll see that written about any of the terrible games on this cart. If the play controls weren't so horrid and the traps weren't so damn numerous or impassible, this game might have been decent. "Might" being the keyword. As it is, you will probably need to use the save states at every other screen or so, as survival is based more on luck than on skill (what a shock). Still, if you can figure out how to make it past the first couple of rooms, you may actually derive a few seconds of pleasure from this title. And that is about the greatest praise that any game from Action 52 could ever hope to get. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Pressing UP when at a ledge will cause Billy Bob to perform a vertical leap. He will then grab the upper ledge and pull himself up. The DOWN button does nothing. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves Billy Bob left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoot bullets from pistol. The only enemies vulnerable to gun shots are Bats. B-BUTTON: Used to perform horizontal jumps, but you need to be moving to use this. In some cases, this required a running start from a previous screen. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- Note that none of the enemies give you any points. 1. SPEARS: Sharp spears appear randomly along the ceiling and drop down when you pass underneath. They are rather narrow and can be avoided with some quick maneuvering. There is also a bug that will eliminate all the spears on the screen if you jump and hit your head on the ceiling. This can come in very handy in some sections. 2. BLOCKS: Falling blocks will cause you problems throughout most of the game. They also hang from the ceiling and drop as you pass underneath. The main difference is that Blocks are wider and less nimble than spears, making them a little more difficult. Always proceed slowly and try to trigger any loose Blocks before moving on. 3. BATS: Bats are quite rare, but fly around a few rooms in the game and can be slightly troublesome when trying to move. If they get close enough, you can take them out with your pistol. 4. PITFALLS: Pitfalls are the main obstacle in the game, so get used to them. Learning to jump over pits of all shapes and sizes will be very necessary. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Master the two types of jumps. Billy Bob has both a vertical and horizontal jump in his arsenal, and he will need both to complete the game. The vertical jump is triggered by pressing the UP-Button when below a higher ledge. The horizontal jump can be performed by pressing the B- Button while running. You may need to start running from a previous screen to execute some of the horizontal jumps. 2. When in doubt, explore strange places. This includes falling down pits that would seem to be fatal. Also, keep a close eye out for anything even slightly out of place. Billy Bob hides secret passages and doors in some very odd places. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Nothing in this game gives you points, which is odd given the scoring gauge. 2. In later stages, you can't leave the game. When you die or press Start + Select, you are not given the chance to return to the main menu. You will need to manually reset to leave the game. 3. After completing Stage 5, the ending doorway takes you back to Stage 4. You can travel between these two levels forever, but will never move on. The game has no ending, and you get no acknowledgment after stage 5 that you have reached the end. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to navigate the traps and pitfalls of 5 side-scrolling stages. Getting hit by anything or falling to far will kill you, sending you back to the start of the stage. Each level has an ending door which takes you to the next stage. ===================== BILLY BOB WALKTHROUGH ===================== Stage 1 ------- Interestingly, the toughest part of this entire game is likely the first few rooms of stage 1. It will probably take a short while to get used to the controls and feel of the game. Even after this point, you'll need at least some measure of luck to survive certain areas. You begin inside a cage, located within a larger temple-like area. Even before moving, you should see spears and ceiling blocks hanging from above. These objects fall down once you pass underneath, so be very careful. You may need to move quickly into and out of an areas to "trigger" their falling before you can proceed. Drop out of the cave, and walk over the first wall. You can jump vertically upward by pressing the UP button on the D-Pad. Do this for the first two ledges, and hope that no spears or blocks decide to fall while you're jumping. When you get to the end of the first screen, begin running onto the next one. As soon as the next screen appears, press the B-button to jump and hold the RIGHT button on the D-Pad. This *should* take you safely over the pit. Now, this is a good point to discuss the two types of jumping. You can leap and pull yourself up ledges by pressing the UP button at the right places. You can also jump horizontally, but you must be in motion to do so. If you don't have a controller, executing a lot of these maneuvers is next to impossible. From the second screen, proceed to the end of the platform. If there are spears or blocks that look like they'll fall as you jump, walk down to the two ledges instead, working your way up with vertical leaps. If not, make the jump, but be careful not to go onto the next screen just yet. The third screen has the same type of pitfall as the second. Get a running head start in the small area, then press the B-Button as soon as you get to the next screen. Follow the platform to the end now, dodging any falling objects. The fourth screen has a small pit, which shouldn't be too hard to traverse. Don't bother exploring the area below the pit, as it only leads to a dead end. The fifth screen has two jumps and the sixth screen has three, with the third jump taking you onto the next screen. This section is easier to cross by running straight through, barring any falling objects. If timed right, you should land on a platform on the seventh screen. Jump over it and move on, running right through the eight screen (which has no pits). In the middle of the ninth screen, there is a ledge that you'll need to get to by vertically jumping. Be very careful of the spears when in this area. You may need to walk under the ledge to trigger them before jumping. Once you're up, start running and jump again as soon as the next screen appears. You should now see a large, red door in front of you. Entering it will take you to stage 2. Stage 2 ------- The second stage looks basically the same as the first. Make your way past the first screen and onto the second. From here, jump over the short pit and continue heading right, but don't leave just yet. The third screen has an extremely cheap trick, which will kill you as soon as you enter. To avoid this, you have to be in mid-air as you enter the screen. So, before leaving the second screen, make sure to jump. The third screen has three more pits, with the third one connecting to the fourth screen. Simply cross over the floor until the next screen appears. There will be two ledges stacked in front of you that need to be climbed vertically. Again, trigger the spears before jumping if you need to. Once you reach the top level, all the spears will disappear. This actually happens every time your head touches the ceiling, and this a useful trick to remember. The blocks do not disappear, though, and can still kill you easily. Be wary of them, and head right and onto the next screen. The sixth screen has two pits over lava, which are slightly harder to make given your height off the ground. Make sure there are no falling blocks, and time your jumps carefully. If any spears appear, you can always make them disappear by jumping into the ceiling. The seventh screen has a single pit in the middle of the floor, and leads harmlessly into the eighth screen. This section is tough. The room is pretty wide open, with ledges on each end and two small platforms in the middle. Pray that no spears appear when trying to cross from the second to third platforms, as there's nothing you can do. Also, given the fact that the third platform is only one block wide, it's easiest to keep moving and take care of the screen in one fluid attempt. If this is impossible due to falling objects, you should by all means stop and wait. If you can make it to the ninth screen, you're nearly at the end. Walk to the end of the screen, and climb the ledge from the right side. This will pop you up onto the tenth screen, which has a door on the right. At this point, it will look like you're standing on nothing. Tap the RIGHT button a few times, and, when close enough, leap vertically onto the platform with the door. Stage 3 (Says Stage 1 when the level loads) ------- The third stage has gray blocks, and you begin in a bat infested room with three stacked ledges on the right side. The bats can be killed with your gun if they are in range (yes, the gun actually *does* have a use). Trigger and overhead spears, and climb the ledges using vertical leaps. Take out any bats if they come to close. On the second screen, run off the starting ledge onto the middle of three more stacked ledges, then just drop down and head right. The third screen has some water pits and even more ledges. Climb the first two against the left wall, then turn right and make a vertical leap. Remember, if there are lots of spears along the ceiling, you can get rid of them by jumping. You will now have to cross three small pits, which is a very tricky feat. Be careful not to over-jump, and try to stop after each leap to adjust your position. You'll want to jump from the far side of the blocks, so as not to overshoot your targets. After some practice, you should make it through this room. The fourth screen has a single jump shortly after you enter the room. You do have a little space to run, so there's no need to jump immediately this time. The fifth screen has another three jumps, all fairly easy. This is the first curve ball the game throws you. The stage now spits, with one way being a dead end and the other taking you to the exit. Once you get to the far right side, try to climb up onto the overhead ledge. If you walk right onto the next screen, you've gone the wrong way. The top path should take you out in an open room with lots of single blocks. Make the four jumps going left, then climb the two small blocks. From here, make the next 3-4 jumps heading back right. Take your time and be very deliberate of the falling objects. Climb the final block, and walk onto the seventh screen. The seventh screen is very much like the second one in this level. Run right off the starting ledge onto the middle platform, then drop down and head right. The eighth screen has two easy jumps over water, and the ninth screen has a huge pit. From here, you'll have to drop straight down. Don't worry, this won't kill you. You should land on the tenth screen, which has a large water pit in the middle. Leave the screen on the right, and keep going right past the flat grounds of the eleventh screen. On the twelfth screen, make the three jumps over the water pits and enter the blue door. Stage 4 (Says Stage 1 when the level loads) ------- This section takes place inside a green cavern, and it is much easier than the previous three stages. There are no more spears, but a lot more falling blocks now. Run right through the first screen, and make the small jump in the second. The third and fourth screen are identical, and each have two easy jumps evenly spaced out. The fifth screen has three stacked ledges, which shouldn't be very hard to climb. The sixth screen has a single jump near the entrance. Since you are at about the height as the ceiling, this pit can be tricky, but no harder than the ones you've seen already. Be very careful for the blocks here, as they are quite numerous. The seventh screen has two pits going down, all of which can be crossed by running off the ledges (no jumps required). The eight screen has another descending pitfall, which again can walked over. Should be a nice breath of fresh air, right? The ninth screen has only a single pit, and tenth screen has none. Again, look out for the blocks, but you should be low enough now that they aren't too menacing. On the eleventh screen, walk to the end and drop down the pit (you won't die). This takes you out on the twelfth screen, which has a flat area and three stacked ledges as you go downward. Take them one at a time, and head left to the thirteenth screen, which has another single jump. The fourteenth screen has two more jumps, and the fifteenth is a straight-away. Just keep heading left. The sixteenth screen has a short single jump, the seventeenth has a long single jump, and the eighteenth and nineteenth are straight-away section. The twentieth screen has a long, single jump, the twenty-first is a straight-away, and the twenty-second has another long jump. This screen is another trick, however. Instead of jumping it, fall down into the pit, and you will come to the door. If you jump the pit and keep going, you'll come to a cliff. Dropping from it will kill you (very nice, A52). Stage 5 (Says Stage 2 when the level loads) ------- Another green cave, and this one devoid of falling blocks and spears entirely. The first room has bats looming around the ceiling, but these can be avoided entirely. The second screen has two jumps, the third is a straight-away, and the fourth has a single jump. This is another trick. Head down into the pit instead of going right. The fifth screen has steps heading down, the sixth and seventh have single jumps, and the eighth through tenth have identical, double jumps. The eleventh screen is a straight-away, and the twelfth is a dead-end, with a pit you need to fall down. The thirteenth section has descending steps. Head left onto the fourteenth screen and down the pit again. When you land, walk right and you'll be on the final screen, with a doorway. This door leads back to stage 4, but hey, how much more could you ask for from Action 52? Five complete levels, and some level of a playable challenge. It almost seems like this game is out of place... Well, don't get too used to it. More crappage awaits in the coming games. ============================================================================= 41. C I T Y O F D O O M ACT41 ============================================================================= "While scaling the city skyscrapers to rid the city of the evil insect plague, you better shoot well and accurately because the fall is a long way down." OVERVIEW -------- You know that crazy dude that you hear about on the news every few years? The one who climbs the side of some large metropolitan building and thinks he's Spider-Man? Well, Action 52 game this guy his own game. City of Doom is a vertically scrolling shooter in which your main goal is stop the evil insect infestation plaguing the city. Of course, the city consists of only three buildings and a typical can of Raid bug spray is your only weapon. But don't let this ruin your fun. City of Doom is a fairly unique idea that was ruined by poor execution. For one thing, the most lethal opponent in the game is a window. Touch any of them and your life bar is virtually drained to nil. Secondly, the majority of the obstacles are apples pies and bowling balls that are thrown from the building windows. You don't need a degree in psychology to figure out the functionality of those families... If you've come to expect nothing at all in terms of gameplay or enjoyment from Action 52, City of Doom won't disappoint. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your character up and down along the building walls. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right along the building walls. A-BUTTON: Used to shoot aerosol projectiles. You can only fire one shot at a time. Your character will fire projectiles in whatever direction you last pushed the D-Pad, so use this to your advantage. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. BOWLING BALLS (150 PTS): Randomly drop from the top of the screen as you are climbing. A blast from your bug spray (for some reason) will destroy them. 2. APPLE PIE (150 PTS): Like Bowling Balls, except these are dropped more along the window line of the building. Once again, your omni-purpose bug spray will do the trick. 3. RED LOCUST (75 PTS): Red Locusts enter the screen flying horizontally, then change directions at some point to either pursue you or exit the screen. You can ignore them for the most part, but stop if they're flying in your direction to spray them. 4. GREEN LOCUST (100 PTS): Like the red Locusts, but a bit more agile. Green Locusts only seem to appear in stage 1, but are rather tricky opponents to take out. Try ignoring them, if you can, and only attack when they are flying close to you. 5. YELLOW LOCUST (100 PTS): Pretty similar to the Green Locusts. These pests seem to hang out farther up the building than their colored brethren. Use the same strategy to take them out. 6. WINDOWS: Yes, windows hurt you. Climbing over them will steadily deplete your life. For this reason, it's best to stick to one side of the building or the other and avoid the potential damage. 7. GIANT INSECT BOSS (2000 PTS per hit): The boss sitting high atop the building at the end of each stage. See the walkthrough for details on swatting them dead. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Positioning is everything. You really don't want to be moving left and right as you climb, so try to find a spot that lets you avoid the falling Apple Pies but always target the Bowling Balls. The walkthrough section below has a recommendation for this location. 2. You can shoot bullets in 4 different directions. Your character will instinctively shoot in whatever direction you last pushed the D-Pad. Usually, you won't need to shoot in many directions other than Up, but bosses are a different story. Shooting in multiple directions will be a great asset in that situation. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. The enemies will occasionally vanish off the screen for no reason. This happens mainly with the flying Locusts and occurs while you are also moving. It may be a side-effect of bad programming related to the scrolling. 2. The end stage bosses *should* always take four hits, but sometimes die in 3 (4 hits is the programmed life level). It's unknown what causes this difference, but you lose out on the extra 2,000 points that the fourth hit would typically give you. 3. Once you complete stage 3, the game sends you back to stage 1. Your score remains intact, but these levels are identical otherwise. After stage 3, there is no indication or acknowledgement of any kind that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to climb 3 different buildings and defeat the insect boss perched on the top. You character can take 4 free hits, but the fifth one will kill him (your life bar is located on the bottom-left part of the screen). Dying will send you back to the start of the stage. ======================== CITY OF DOOM WALKTHROUGH ======================== Stage 1 ------- First off, stay away from the windows. For whatever reason, they cause some major damage and will completely kill you after only a few moments. The easiest thing to do is stay between the second and third windows. Edge to the left side, so that there's a slight space between the character's left hand and the windows. This position allows you the angle to shoot most things as you climb. The stage will begin with falling pies and bowling balls. Apparently, lots of overweight bowlers and bad cooks inhabit this building. These two obstacles are easy enough to shoot as they drop. When the Locusts fly across the screen horizontally, you should stop for a second to blast them. You are near the end of the stage once the blue skyline turns dark. At the top, you'll run to the Giant Insect boss, who flies quickly all around you and will probably take your life in a single hit. Stay near the middle of the screen at a window intersection, and shoot in different directions to hit him. After 3-4 hits (which is harder to do than it sounds, you'll be sent to stage 2. Note that you also get 2,000 points per hit, so taking out this bugger is worth up to 8,000 in total. Stage 2 ------- The second stage takes place on a blue colored building, but the window layout and enemy types are identical. The enemies move noticeably faster in stage 2, so it will seem like far more are attacking you. The same place between the second and third windows will again work well in this stage. The Red Locusts are the biggest threat while climbing, since they appear in groups of two now and can swarm you. Still, it's not something to worry about. Just continue to climb as shoot. This level seems to be slightly shorter than the previous, but there is the same Giant Insect boss at the top. This one moves slightly faster, but takes the same 3-4 hits. Employ the same strategy as in the previous stage, and it should fall without too much of a hassle. Stage 3 ------- This final stage takes you up a brick-red building in the middle of night. The enemies are even faster and more numerous here, so be alert and keep moving. Slowing down is the worst thing to do, as you'll probably get swamped. Keep going and don't slow down. The end of the stage has yet another Giant Insect Boss. This one is the hardest so far, and your survival is very much in the hands of luck, as there is no way to react to its movement. Just find a nice spot with some mobility and shoot. Hopefully, the Giant Insect won't fly directly into you before you get your shots off. After 3-4, this final opponent is toast, and you're sent back to stage 1. Your score is kept intact, but everything else plays as it did the first time through. ============================================================================= 42. B I T S A N D P I E C E S ACT42 ============================================================================= "Try to make solid lines out of various sizes and shapes as they float down to the bottom of the screen." OVERVIEW -------- WOW! You look at the above description, and then you play the game. Somehow this is not what I imagined a Tetris clone to look like since it is NOTHING LIKE THAT DESCRIPTION! Instead of the vaguely hinted at Tetris Clone, we instead get a graveyard pseudo-platformer. I call it a pseudo-platformer because of the overall lack of ANY platforms, but anyway... You jump monsters as you head right to reach a certain point where you will move to the next level. Decent game, but quite forgettable overall. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used.. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Not used. B-BUTTON: Causes your ghoulish character to jump. OBSTACKES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Werewolves are brown, and they attack from in front of your character. 2. Swamp Things are green, and they attack from in front of your character. 3. Skeletons are white, and they attack from in behind of your character. 4. Purple People Eaters are... well... PURPLE! They will attack from in behind of your character. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. When you are going forward, which causes an enemy to appear, take a step back to time your jump. If you jump on the forward move, you will end up hitting the enemy, unless you stop first to jump straight up in the air followed by your forward push to clear the approaching enemy. 2. Stopping to wait for enemies coming from the rear is a good idea as well, or they will likely chase you into a tough situation to void getting hit. BUG AND GLITCHES ---------------- 1. Your character can take many more hits than is normally possible. If you jump into the air and still touch an enemy, provided it is anywhere on the opposite side of the body where the claws are, the enemy will just disappear instead of shredding your character into "Bits N Pieces". ============================================================================= 43. B E E P S A N D B L I P S ACT43 ============================================================================= "Robots, microscopic and humungous. Here they come. Ready your weapons and fire!" OVERVIEW -------- A space shooter that has a few twists to it, including building up your armor, and more aggressive enemies. A decent shooter, it suffers from the same flaws as some other shooters on the cartridge, including the VERY annoying way that the last direction pressed is the aim of your weaponry at enemies. Decent, but not good by any stretch of the imagination. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your ship up and down. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ship left and right. A-BUTTON: Shoots your bullets in the last direction you pressed. B-BUTTON: Not used. POWER-UPS --------- 1. These little pink "1-Up" signs will add a dot to the edge of your ship. Every one that is added to your total (maximum of four) allows your ship to take a hit by sacrificing one of these balls of armor. OBSTACELS AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. The first type of enemies are non-projectile using enemies who will try to ram your ship in an attempt to destroy it (or remove upgraded armor sections). 2. The second type of enemy are projectile throwing foes who can also ram your ship in an attempt to destroy it (or remove the upgraded armor sections). STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- 1. Levels One and Two are wide open with one of each type of enemy involved in the fight. 2. Level Three heralds the arrival of walls in play which blocks movement of both you and the enemy. At this point the enemy types are still mixed. 3. As the Levels progress, the enemies are more and more likely to become all projectile users to cause more chances for death. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Try to not stray too far from the centre of the screen. You will be in the best position to shoot enemies as well as not be ambushed by appearing enemies (they could crack some quick shots into you without warning). 2. Learn your enemies look and behaviors to ascertain how dangerous they are to you. Often non-projectile enemies can be ignored as you work to rout the projectile users from an intense firefight. ============================================================================= 44. M A N C H E S T E R B E A T ACT44 ============================================================================= "You must try to keep the rhythm but noisy little critters won't let you. Roll the drums and they go away temporarily, but they'll be back." OVERVIEW -------- A platformer game that pits you, a red-haired, red pants, and green shirt crusader who is fighting against music haters. Use your fists of fury and your agility to dodge and take them out as you progress towards the boss at the end of each level. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your character left and right. A-BUTTON: Causes your character to unleash some deadly punches. B-BUTTON: Cause your character to jump. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Flames are invulnerable to your attacks, so just work your way around these pains. 2. Grey Soldiers are usually patrolling a specific areas, although they do charge straight ahead at times. They are worth 52 points each, requiring on hit each to go down. 3. Fireballs streak across the screen on a straight line trying to incinerate your character. A quick punch can disable them for 100 points each time, but they often travel in groups, which makes for hard to get them all hitting. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Advance slowly so only one Fireball will streak across the screen at a time. This makes it easier to kill more of them for more points without risking the combo hits required when a whole set come flying your way. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. If you want to skip past most of the enemies in a level, when you find a cliff that has a narrow hole, run forward off of the cliff to land partially under the main ledge. You will be in the ground where you can run past everything above you until you reach the Boss or you see more holes in your path (you can just continue right through creative level changing on your part). ============================================================================= 45. B O S S ACT45 ============================================================================= "The Toad is the Mafia boss who uses salamander hit men. They're all out to get you, but you can beat them as long as your partner, Spector keeps a good eye out for those bad guys." OVERVIEW -------- You're a lizard with a bad ass attitude, hell bent on taking down the nefarious Toad Mafia and all their goons. You live in the average city, whose only inhabitants are gangster reptiles are munitions dealers with WAY too many spare bombs. It's just you and Spector, whoever that is, against the world. And that's the way you lizard thugs like it. Boss is a poorly named side-scroller that was really scraping the bottom of the barrel for new ideas. I know 52 separate games are hard to design, but give me a break with this crap already. Virtually the entire game can completed by holding RIGHT and tapping the A-Button. Dumb idea, bad play control, idiotic game. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your lizard left and right on the screen. You can also move while in mid-air by holding these buttons. A-BUTTON: Fires bullets from your rifle. You can only have one bullet on the screen at a time. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can shoot by pressing the A-Button and move left or right by holding those buttons. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. SALAMANDER HITMAN (50 PTS): Tough guys who stand in the middle of the screen and shoot bullets at you if given enough time. You can always take them out by firing as soon as (if not before) they appear. 2. CHAMELEON RUNNER (50 PTS): Another hitman whose method of attack is charging right at you. Once again, a preemptive shot will take care of business. 3. BOMBS: Large hands and shady faces will drops bombs out of buildings and windows. Pay attention to where the bombs hit the floor, and run under them when you spot an opening. 4. DON TOAD (50 PTS per hit): The mafia boss at the end of each stage. Stand on the left side of the screen, and the Toad can never harm you. Hit it with 15 shots and it's the good old cement shoe treatment for the amphibious kingpin. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. As you're moving across the screen, never stop shooting. You should always have a bullet on the screen, and press the A-button repeatedly as you move. This will often take out enemies just as they enter the screen and well before they can mount an attack. 2. Adjust your spacing when running under falling bombs, especially in the city levels. The hands appear from windows and drop bombs, but the bombs don't fall directly below the hand. Spend a few moments watching where they drop, edge closer, and make a run for it as soon as you have an opening. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Once you complete stage 6, the game sends you back to stage 1. Your score remains intact, but these levels are identical otherwise. After stage 3, there is no indication or acknowledgement of any kind that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to pass through 6 stages of crime filled goodness. Each stage ends a Don Toad boss, and getting hit by anything sends you back to the start of the level. Once you complete stage 6, you are sent back to stage 1. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Here you are, just an average lizard gangster, hitting the streets with all sorts of crazy amphibious thugs ready to put the smack down. Can you say "excitement"? Anyway, this first stage takes place in the city streets, and there are really only a couple different types of obstacles. As you walk, just keep pressing the A-Button to shoot. This will take out the Hitmen before they can even get their guns loaded. The only other real threat is the falling bombs. When you get to the areas where the giant hands are dropping them, take your time and run as soon as a bomb hits the ground. Note that the spot where the hand appears is not the spot where the bombs will fall. At the end of the level, you'll come across the dreaded (or not) Don Toad. As soon as he appears, move to the left side of the screen as fast as you can. Now, take your time and shoot the Toad. He won't move beyond the latter third of the screen, so there is no threat. He'll be gone after 15 hits, and you'll be sent to stage 2. Stage 2: You're now inside the elegant, wooden confines of Ton Toad's hangout. This stage is actually a lot easier than the previous. All you really need to do is walk to the right and never stop pressing the A-Button. The bombs are a smaller threat, so you don't even need to stop that often, if at all. There is another Don Toad at the end. Take him out the same way as you did in stage 1. Stage 3: Back on the city streets. Nothing new, except that the bombs drop faster, so be extra careful You may notice a few more Runners, but these guys aren't a threat if you are constantly shooting. The end of the stage has another Don Toad, who seems to appear quite unexpectedly after a pair of bomb-dropping hands. Don't waste any time in getting to the left side of the screen, then dispatch the mafia boss at your leisure. Stage 4: The hunt takes you into a brick warehouse now. Again, this stage is easier than the previous. You can virtually walk uninterrupted if you just keep firing. Take your time at any obstacles that seem threatening, but don't expect much danger. Toad, as usual, is a pasty. Stage 5: One last march into the streets. The bombs drop even faster now, and the enemies, especially the runners, are also more agile. You'll need to be careful, as this stage is rather tough. If you stick to the same game plan as you've been using, you should still be able to pass this level without too much of a hassle. Say good morning and good night to Mr. Toad when you see him. Stage 6: You're in a blue-bricked warehouse. The enemies are the at their quickest now, but this level is still easier than the previous one. The Runners are the major threat, so don't stop firing bullets. Your reaction time alone probably won't be enough to catch these baddies. You'll eventually come to the final Don Toad, who can be taken out the same as all the others. Well, your crime days have been fun. Say goodbye to the cold-blooded (literally) world you've come to embrace... ============================================================================= 46. D E D A N T ACT46 ============================================================================= "Help the ant protect the ant hill from intruder and protect the queen. Push pebbles to close the hole against intruders, but it's not easy." OVERVIEW -------- Your ant colony is under attack, and it's up to you to ward off the invaders, armed only with a stock of pebbles. Dedant is a stationary shooter with an interesting premise, and it's one game that partially delivers on its promise. The game is fairly playable and highly challenging, making it one of the better shooters in the game. Dedant is not without its many flaws, however. There is a bug that makes you invincible if you exploit it, ruining much of the fun. The enemies on the higher levels are so fast and numerous that it's nearly impossible to survive without using that cheat anyway. Still, at least the intruders are unique and have some semblance of AI controlling them. Don't confuse this for a good game, but it does stand out amongst the gaming nightmare that is Action 52. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your ant left and right. You can move off one side of the screen and reappear on the other. A-BUTTON: Shoots a projectile from the tip of your ant. You can only fire one projectile at a time. B-BUTTON: Not used. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. GREEN ANT (25 PTS): The staple enemy and permanent denizen of the invading ant colonies. Green Ants scurry about in straight lines, occasionally firing pebbles at you and coming down to your level. It's best to take them out when they're moving vertically upwards or downwards. Letting them crawl all the way to the ground will cause all sorts of headaches, so try to take them out before this. 2. BLUE ANT (25 PTS): Identical to the Green Ant, but the beneficiary of a little palette swapping. Blue Ants aren't quite as common, but should be dealt with in the same manner when they do appear. 3. WINGED GREEN ANT (50 PTS): The mature members of the colony, Winged Ants first appear in stage 2. The green variety are more common. Their movements are similar to the regular ants, but they are noticeably quicker and more aggressive, meaning they'll likely come down to your level when they can. Taking them out while they fly vertically will work well, as will trying to attack them when they are still near the top of the screen. 4. WINGED BLUE ANT (50 PTS): Just like their green brethren, these arthropods first greet you in stage 2. Don't let them get too close, and place a high priority on them when more than 2 appear at the same time. 5. PINK SPIDER (75 PTS): Occasionally, ferocious predators of the ants will enter the lair looking for an easy meal. The Pink Spider is one such menace. The most aggressive type of foe you will encounter, these arachnids will hone in on you are track you relentlessly, moving through the walls and diving at any angle. Consider them extremely dangerous. You can take refuge from them by exploiting the "side of the screen" bug, and this is detailed below. Pink Spiders first appear in stage 2. 6. BLACK WIDOW (75 PTS): Truly the terror of the insect world, Black Widows are the most aggressive and ferocious opponent you will face. They come straight at you with blazing speed and extreme hostility from the moment they appear on the screen. You will be forced to give them your immediate attention when they appear, so always keep your eyes peeled. Black Widows invade your colony in stage 3. 7. PINK LARVAE (25 PTS): These starving, infant ants and will scour the colony in search of their first meal. They move in straight lines only, but are much quicker than regular ants. Consider these newborns an intermediate threat. They first appear in stage 4. 8. WINGED PINK ANT (50 PTS): Larvae grow up into Winged Pink Ants, and are extremely fast and aggressive. These foes will fly over walls and other obstacles to get a tasty bite from the nearest resident ant. They aren't as dangerous as the spiders, but should still be considered a serious threat. They first appear in stage 4. 9. BLUE SPIDER (75 PTS): Blue Spiders are much slower and more deliberate than their colored brethren, but just as hostile. These foes move in zigzag patterns and creep down towards you, making them fairly difficult to target. Don't let one of them get too close to you, or it's a sure fire lights out. Blue Spiders make their debut in stage 4. NOTE: In stage 5, all enemies except regular Blue and Green Ants will target you and move through walls and obstacles to get to you. This is an all out invasion of the colony, so you should be extremely cautious. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. You have the ability to wrap around from one side of the screen to the other. This gives you an important tactical advantage when facing opponents, and you should always be prepared to take this route when being ambushed. You can also abuse this feature by exploiting the "side of screen" bug mentioned below. 2. Your shots are slow and limited, so make them count. The best strategy for taking out nearly all enemies is waiting until they are moving vertically, then blasting them. Killing a horizontally moving foe requires near-perfect timing or incredible luck. 3. In the latter stages, position yourself near the side of the screen, and be prepared to scurry to the opposite side. The enemies' numbers and speed of movement will quickly overwhelm you on the ground level otherwise. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. There is small zone on invincibility formed when your ant is on the sides of the screen. If you can arrange it so that half your body is on each side, you are well within this area. Once here, enemies cannot harm you. The opponents that can fly through obstacles (spiders, flying ants) will also vanish when they enter this region. This is an extremely useful (and cheap) way of surviving on the latter stages. 2. Once you rake up the required kills for passing stage 5, the game will either freeze or dump you to the game over screen (it will even display your Lives Remaining total correctly). There is no way to continue playing, and no acknowledgement that you've completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 4 lives to repel wave after wave of insect invasion. This game has 5 stages, and you progress to the next one by killing a fixed number of opponents without dying. Each stage has a somewhat different layout, and the latter stages usher in new types on opponents. As the stages advance, all enemies become quicker and, at stage 5, the enemy attack patterns will change. Still, the basic goal remains the same: take your time and eradicate the invading insects. The number of consecutive kills required to advance past the following stages are: Stage 1: 12 kills Stage 2: 14 kills Stage 3: 20 kills Stage 4: 30 kills Stage 5: 40 kills (game freezes or Game Over) ============================================================================= 47. H A M B O S A D V E N T U R E S ACT47 ============================================================================= "Donkey Kong type of game. Try to get Hambo to the top, and watch out for the rolling balls." OVERVIEW -------- Well, a Donkey Type of game description is valid with you having the goal of climbing ladders to reach the top level to enter the next world at a specifically designated area. However, the similarities end there as anything fun, fair, and good is removed, you get something that is almost close to the steaming pile that is Hambos Adventures. Horridly designed with TWO enemies being impossible get past in most circumstances, a lousy jump, and NO EXTRA LIVES to call upon (although 1-Ups can be collected). Avoid with extreme prejudice unless you are a sado-masochist looking to punish yourself with a very brutal title! CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Moves your pig up and down ladders. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your pig left and right. A-BUTTON: Not used. B-BUTTON: Causes your pig to jump. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Balls are the main enemies you will face. Three types will attack you by patrolling their platforms. The slowest roller is the Beach Ball (impossible to jump), Two-Toned Ball is the middle speed ball, and the highest speed ball is the Bowling Ball. 2. Sticks of Dynamite will appear randomly throughout the level on occasion, and even though their fuse is lit, they never explode. If they are in the way of your progress to the exit, you have no choice but to die as they are impossible to get past. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Partially climb a ladder when you have to get up/down to the floor with an enemy with a small route to patrol so you will have better chance of slipping by without being killed. 2. Try to slip by the Beach Balls by waiting till they pass over your ladder, so you can climb up from underneath on the ladder to race past them to the next ladder. Otherwise, you will need to die to reset the enemy spawning locations. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Sticks of Dynamite will never explode, and they will often spawn in an area of the room that you can not pass. 2. Beach Balls are impossible to jump as they roll due to a combination of your poor jumping skills and the slow movement of the Beach Ball. ============================================================================= 48. T I M E W A R P ACT48 ============================================================================= "As the Ticker continues, you must stop the hour blasters and jump the time warp to stop the Tickers." OVERVIEW -------- Welcome back to the 1950s, where nothing made sense and two fingers crawling along the floor were the "groovy" thing. Or not. Time Warp is supposed to be some nostalgic flashback that incorporates all sorts of symbols and themes from the 50's. What it is, instead, is a piece of crap that transcends all time and generational gaps. Time Warp is a side-scroller, and the description for this game tells you absolutely nothing about what really happens. You move around a pair of fingers. That's right, a pair of fingers. It's sort of like "Thing" from The Addams's Family, only a whole lot stupider. There's no plausible reason why this is your character, it just is. You basically just walk it around the stage and "flick" any old icon that comes your way. Mindless, unintelligent, tedious garbage. Thankfully, this blast from the past expires after two stages. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your "fingers" left and right on the screen. You can also move while in mid-air by holding these buttons. A-BUTTON: Used to flick your finger at the enemies. There is a significant attacking delay and cool down time between attacks. Also, only the tip of your finger can damage enemies. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. You can only jump while moving, however, so you'll need to have the LEFT or RIGHT buttons depressed when you tap the B-Button. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. BLUE EYE (50 PTS): Large blue eyes that scurry along the screen. They are usually found in the air, but occasionally attack at ground level. 2. FLYING CLOCK (250 PTS): Small, circular clocks with the hands moving around at rapid speed. These foes usually float through the air and well away from you. 3. MICROPHONE (50 PTS): Microphones walk along the ground, mostly, and are a pretty annoying threat. You'll need to time your "flick" attack just right to hit them. 4. RED REFRIGERATOR (100 PTS): Small, red refrigerator with a big smile. This appliance usually floats on overhead, but will come low enough to hit you sometimes. 5. ROLLING WHEEL (150 PTS): Looks like a rotating ball with a stick coming out of it. It could be just about anything, actually. Like most enemies, this one sticks to the air. 6. SNAKE (500 PTS): Small snakes that wiggle across the floor and attack you. These enemies are the most common ones that you'll likely face in the game. Take them out with a well timed flick, and jump over them if there are several in a row. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. For whatever reason, you cannot jump in this game from a standstill. If you plan on doing so, make sure you tap LEFT or RIGHT just before pressing the B-Button. 2. There are some points, during the second stage especially, when two enemies will come at you, right after the other. When this happens, your "flick" attack isn't fast enough to kill them both, due to the cool down time and attacking delay. Your best alternative is to jump over them in these cases. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. After completing stage 2, the game simply sends you back to the first stage. There is no indication or acknowledgement that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to enjoy the nostalgia and defeat all the 1950s relics that assault you over the only 2 stages of play. One hit from any enemy will kill you and send you back to start of the level. Stages end when you have walked far enough, as there is no end stage boss or checkpoint of any kind. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Welcome back to the glory age of Americana –- the 1950s. The black and white checkered floors and jazzy background tunes should make you feel nice and warm inside (or that might just be your lunch making its way back up, thanks to A52). You will have to guide your two fingers past the enemies in this stage, which will take a bit of timing and effort. Your attack is unimpressive at best: a mere finger flick. It's difficult to see exactly how it hits, but watch carefully and get a feel for the timing by taking out the Snakes and Microphones early one. You want the tip of your finger to make contact with enemies after the attack, as this is the proverbial sweet spot. For the most part, stage 1 is pretty uneventful. You can stay on the ground nearly the entire time , but be sure to jump if random foes approach you from behind or fly just a little too low for comfort. Stage 2: It's hard to tell that this is a different stage, save for the enemy movements. The 50s relics move a lot quicker now, and come at you in more challenging formations. The most threatening pattern is probably the wave of Snakes, which occurs when two or more are coming at you at once. When this happens, jump over them instead of attacking. In fact, most enemies in Stage 2 are easier to jump over than to kill. Single snakes on the ground are quite manageable, but anything else might give you trouble. Outlast the blast from the past for a minute or two, and you'll be going on to the next stage. Well, you *should* be going on to the next stage, but Action 52 decided that any more excitement would be way too much, and just sends you back to the first level again. This fits in really well with the time warping motif, you know? It's also really cool how this feature got incorporated into most other games on this cart. Leave it to Action 52 to come up with the little, clever easter eggs like that. There truly is no other game quite like this one. ============================================================================= 49. J I G S A W ACT49 ============================================================================= "Challenging Jig Saw puzzles. Shows you picture then scrambles it and you must put it back together. Finish one and they get more and more difficult." OVERVIEW -------- Never has a game description been more inaccurate. Jigsaw has nothing to do with puzzles. It's a side-scroller featuring a carpenter who's tools have escaped the toolbox and gone nuts. This game wins the award for "fewest colors in a single gaming title," coming in with some total between 8 and 10. This game is also a serious contender for "buggiest title," though the candidates for that award are far, far too numerous to list. You may also be lucky enough to be playing A52 on an emulator (or cart) that won't even load this game. In fact, nearly all emulators will crash after the title screen. The "Emulators" section has a list of which ones play this game, but save yourself the trouble. You're not missing much by passing up on Jigsaw. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used LEFT/RIGHT: Moves the character left and right. You can also move while jumping in mid-air. A-BUTTON: Shoots a nail from your nail gun. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can press LEFT or RIGHT to glide down in that direction. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- Unless otherwise noted, all of the following enemies are identical as far as movement goes. The only differences are the point values and sprites used. 1. SAW (10 PTS): One you your staple enemies that looks like an orange, hand- held saw. Expect to see these guys quite often in all areas. 2. VICE (10 PTS): Another one of the more common opponents. The Vices look like orange clamps that open and close as they walk. 3. PLIERS (20 PTS): A little less frequent that the previous tools, Pliers are bright red and scurry about the floors on all levels. 4. CIRCULAR SAW (50 PTS): Probably the rarest of the tools, the circular saw is only found on the lowest floor levels. They are also noticeably larger than the other tools. 5. HAMMER (750 PTS): Hammers are red and purple, and are somewhat rarer than the other tools. For some unknown reason (probably a programming error), these enemies are worth 75 times as many points as some of the other enemies you encounter. There's really no reason why this should be the case. A single nail will take them out, and they are no more dangerous, either. 6. SHARP FLOORS: There are a few pits that have spiked floors in them. Landing on these is fatal. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Always give enemies the chance to kill themselves. They will often appear on the screen and then disappear right off if given the space and time. Use this to your advantage. 2. Be wary of floors. This game has a bug that lets enemies pass right through some of the floors, killing you on what should be a safe spot. Never take for granted that your elevated position provides you safety from the tools below. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. This game doesn't load beyond the menu screen on the cart or in most emulators. See the "Emulators" section for details on getting the game to run. 2. Enemies will often disappear off the screen if given the chance. Leave a space about 3-4 sprites wide and monsters will usually vanish 3. Enemies have a nasty habit of passing right through the floor to get to you. There are specific block formations where this seems to occur frequently, usually on the lower portions of the floor. 4. You shots will occasionally pass right through enemies, leaving them unharmed. Always be prepared to fire a second shot in case the first "misses." 5. After completing stage 3, you are sent back to the first level. There is no indication or acknowledgement that you have completed the game at this point. OBJECTIVE --------- You are given 3 lives to take out the rogue tools in all 3 stages. Getting hit by any tools will kill you instantly, sending you back to the start of the level. When you have walked far enough, you are sent to the next stage. There is no end boss or visible marker to let you know where this point is, however. ============== STAGE OVERVIEW ============== Stage 1: Enter the carpenter in his workshop overrun with tools and poorly drawn levels. Yes, the graphics are close to terrible, but the music is quite catchy. That's about the only bright spot that this title has to offer. Your biggest challenge in stage 1 will be dealing with the glitches and bugs as you try to survive the waves of poorly placed enemies. The places that are truly a challenge occur when you're moving down, from higher floors to lower ones. It's often very hard to drop to a lower level, place yourself, and fire a shot in time to kill the enemy before it kills you. Also, note that standing over a ledge with an enemy below is certain death. If even the tip of your boots are touched, you're life is as good as a piece of construction rubble. You should let enemies take themselves out, which they will often do by vanishing from the side of the screen. All they need is a little space and some time, and most will walk right off and never return. Take advantage of this wonderful "feature" and your trip through stage 1 should be uneventful. Stage 2: There's not even a trivial color change to let you know that this stage is different. The enemies are a lot faster, but it's still the same set of tools that are chasing after you. This level has more difficult pit encounters, which is what happens when you try to move to a lower area occupied by enemies. For the most past, it will take timing and a great deal of luck. If you come to a small pit area that has 2 or 3 enemies swarming, hope that you can eliminate 1-2 of them using the "off the screen" bug. If not, it will be impossible to pass, and you'll need to try again. Also, there are several spots where enemies pass right through the floor in pursuit of you. This mainly seems to happen on the lowest floors, so always keep your distance and proceed carefully. About 2/3 of the way through the level, you will come to spot where the floor drops, like in the following illustration. A _________ | B C |___ _________ | | |^^| You will be coming from point A, and enemies will be at points B and C. Most likely, the Pliers will be stuck at B, and the only way to pass is to jump over them. This often means you will be immediately killed by the enemy at C. To cross this area, jump slightly over the enemy at B so that you just clear the pit. As soon as you touch down, start firing. If timed right, you'll kill the hammer before it kills you. Stage 3: More of the same from Stage 3. The "monster through the floor" bug is back more than ever, and the enemies are much quicker than before. Employ the same tricks are you've been using all along and it shouldn't be too hard. Then just wait for the amazing ending after stage 3! ... Still keeping a straight face? Who are we kidding... You just get sent back to stage 1. About as much fun as hitting yourself over the head with the one of the tools that's chasing you. ============================================================================= 50. N I N J A A S S A U L T ACT50 ============================================================================= "The Master has given you the task to defeat the Zin-Zan evil ninja tribes. Prove you are worthy, defeat the evil tribe while avoiding the Chinese stars and other objects." OVERVIEW -------- Set out to fight the varied forces of the Zin-Zans and you will feel SUPER HAPPY FUN TIME PARTY GOOD! Actually, you will feel some rage at the badness of this game if you play it. A decent game, but it is not really worth a lot of your time and effort. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves your Ninja left and right. A-BUTTON: Swings your Ninja's War Clubs. B-BUTTON: Causes your Ninja to do a spinning jump. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. Evil Ninjas appear in various colors, and they will approach you to start fighting you. They take several hits to destroy, so keep on them till they are dead. 2. Birds are trained to attack any one that is not of the Zin-Zan, these birds will swoop in from above to attack your Ninja for a one hit kamikaze run. A single hit will eliminate them. 3. Rabid Dogs were purposely infected and mistreated by the Zin-Zan, these fierce guard dogs will run through the area you occupy until they are taken down on a single hit, or they kamikaze bite your Ninja. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Jump to hit the birds. This will make it harder for them to attack you as you take them out. 2. Try to take the offensive on fighting all Zin-Zan members so they can not have the time needed to attack you. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. The log jumping will often have your Ninja landing in the water despite your well executed use of the controls. STAGE OVERVIEW -------------- 1. Level One is a long trek to the right as you fight the enemies listed above. 2. Level Two is a fight with a single warrior is more powerful than the average Zin-Zan, so hit him until he crumbles. 3. Level Three is a jump across the river on logs type of level, and it is exceptionally hard. ============================================================================= 51. R O B B I E R O B O T ACT51 ============================================================================= "Robbie must lead his good robots against his evil brother Brainy. But Brainy has his own robots and it's not going to be easy." OVERVIEW -------- You can tell the ideas were running thin by the time this game came along. This sounds like it could be some great tale of robot wars, but don't kid yourself. This is Action 52 you're playing. You control a robot who looks like an overweight gamer and makes funny sounds when he walks. It's pretty hard to tell that this guy is a robot, and it's even harder to figure out why this game was ever created in the first place. Robbie Robot is a side-scroller that you can certainly do without. The game is either mindlessly easy or frustrating beyond all hell. The challenge, as always, comes from poor level layout, horrible control, and terrible enemy placement. Honestly, unless you're a masochist, avoid this game. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: Not used. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves Robbie left and right on the screen. You can also move while in mid-air by holding these buttons. A-BUTTON: Fires bullets from your gun. Holding the A-button will allow you to shoot continuously, but not as quickly as you could fire by pressing the button repeatedly. B-BUTTON: Used to jump. While in mid-air, you can shoot by pressing the A-Button and move left or right by holding those buttons. OBSTACLES AND ENEMIES --------------------- 1. TURRET GUN: The most common enemy you'll come across. The turrets fire bullets in rapid fire, making your life very unpleasant. The best strategy is to run underneath them before they have a chance to open fire. 2. ENEMY ROBOT: Robots siding with your evil brother will come after you with full force. They generally just attack by running towards you or firing bullets as they move. You can get an early strike by continuously firing as you run. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Don't stop shooting as you run. You can often take out any approaching robots before they have a chance to be of much danger. 2. Go within the floor. You can often "half-jump" and land within the floor as you cross certain pitfalls. This will make it easier, in many cases, to survive enemy attacks and bullets. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. Once you complete stage 6, the game sends you back to stage 1. Your score remains intact, but these levels are identical otherwise. After stage 3, there is no indication or acknowledgement of any kind that you have completed the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 3 lives to guide Robbie past the turrets and other robots in 6 stages. There is no end of stage boss, and getting killed sends you back to start of the level. ============================================================================= 52. C H E E T A H M E N ACT52 ============================================================================= "Boy gets dragged into the TV while playing video game, changes character into one of three "CHEETAHMEN" and must fight off all of the bad guys from the previous 51 games." OVERVIEW -------- At long last, you come to Cheetahmen, the ultimate game on the Action 52 cart. Yes, Cheetahmen is the flagship title of Active Enterprise's epic masterpiece. It has it's own, fairly well-designed opening. It has a story. It has characters with names. Hell, it even got it owns sequel. You can see that hours of effort and days of dreaming went into this game, which probably foreshadowed entire lines of action figures, TV shows, and lunch boxes (a la the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Cheetahmen was highly ambitions, tremendously deliberate, and invariably expensive to make. And still, it fails to create a solid video game on every single level. You can forgive Active Enterprises for the half-assed and badly rushed effort that went that into the other 51 games, but not this one. Cheetahmen was *supposed* to be good. It was supposed to be at least one partially redeeming feature to this otherwise sham of a game. And yet, it comes to epitomize the almost tragic quality of Action 52. You could write a Promethean drama about the journey Active Enterprises took with their game, all culminating with Cheetahmen. No programmer sets out to release crap. Crap is the inevitable bi-product of too few resources or not enough time. Whichever it was, Cheetahmen was crap that was never meant to be crap. The game in itself isn't nearly as bad as the other titles. The play control is more fluid, the game has somewhat of a purpose, and the graphics and music are about on par with early NES games. Still, Cheetahmen is utter garbage when you take it outside the warped Action 52 universe and compare it to any other release. Everyone should give Cheetahmen a play through, and everyone should realize that this, sadly, is the best that Action 52 has to offer. CONTROLS -------- UP/DOWN: In side-scrolling stages, it moves your Cheetahmen up and down ladders. In 3D stages, it moves the Cheetahmen up and down along the screen. LEFT/RIGHT: Moves the Cheetahmen left and right across the screen. A-BUTTON: Used to attack. Each Cheetah has a separate attack, so the effects of this button will vary depending on weapon. B-BUTTON: Used to jump in side-scrolling stages. Some levels also have a bug that lets you jump through the air repeatedly by jumping just after you attack. This is noted in the appropriate sections below. TIPS AND STRATEGIES ------------------- 1. Several stages have a bug that lets you repeatedly jump by attacking/jumping continuously. After jumping, press the A-Button, then quickly press the B-Button to jump again. You can scale the entire height of the screen this way, and actually "float" through entire levels. Note that in some levels you will die if you jump off the screen from the top. 2. Stages 1 and 3 have secret warp zones near the start of the stage that take you to a 1-UP and the next level. They make your life a lot easier, and should be taken when you find them. The locations are listed below in the Walkthrough. BUGS AND GLITCHES ----------------- 1. At the end of stage 6, the game sends you back to the title screen. There is no ending of other indication that you beat the game. OBJECTIVE --------- You have 4 lives to guide your three Cheetahmen through 6 stages. You control a different Cheetah beginning every second stage, and the game selects the appropriate one. Each Cheetah has a life bar that consists of 4 blocks. Once your life is expended or you fall into a pit, you lose one life an return to the start of the level. There are stage bosses at the end of every even numbered stage, and each Cheetah will end up fighting one of them. ============== THE CHEETAHMEN ============== ARIES: You have the joy of playing as Aries in stages 1 and 2. He wields two clubs, and, if you press the A-button to attack with them fast enough, it looks like he's dancing. Aries is actually one of the easier to control Cheetahs. His range of hitting is quite good, giving him the ability to take out most opponents from any angle. HERCULES: The biggest and strongest Cheetah, Hercules will accompany you through stages 3 and 4. He attacks with his bare hands and feet, and has a hit range that spans his entire body. His attack and movement are somewhat slower than Aries, but his vertical range is greater. He's probably as good as, if not better than, Aries, so enjoy his company while it lasts. APOLLO: Apollo and his clumsy crossbow unfortunately accompany you through stages 5 and 6, the toughest lot in the game. Apollo is rather terrible, as his firing rate is slow, his range is narrow, and he has virtually no chance of killing most enemies. You WILL be annoyed with his lack of mobility and offense. Good luck trying to use him, and pray that fortune is on your side, especially in stage 5. ====================== CHEETAHMEN WALKTHROUGH ====================== Cheetahman races into heart-pounding excitement with an opening cut scene of your Cheetahs in action. Here is the game's story: "The Action Gamemaster was at home playing his video game. When suddenly... An arm reached out of the TV and pulled him inside.... When he looked up he saw three gigantic yellow bodies. It was the Cheetahmen.... He began to explain.... The Cheetahmen told of the enemies Here in Game World. Don't worry We will fight for you... The Cheetahmen ran off.... ....and now.... The Cheetahmen" Stage 1 ------- You begin this level controlling Aries, the Cheetah who wields two clubs. This stage has a 3D layout, so to speak, meaning you can move your character up and down along the ground, as well as left and right. You begin in the middle of the woods, and then work your way out through littered TV's scattered along the dirt. The enemies come at you nearly one at a time, and don't really present much of a challenge. You can take up to 3 hits from enemies before being killed, though this shouldn't even be necessary. The only consideration when fighting them should be alignment, which can be difficult to judge from your angle. The main obstacle in this stage will be avoiding the pit falls, which are rather easy to fall into if you're not careful. Don't chance it by moving too close, and take your time when walking between them. Shortly after the start of the stage, there is a very useful shortcut. You can enter the second waterfall near the top portion of the screen. This comes about 30 seconds or less into the level. Once you touch this area, you'll be warped to stage 9, which is a solitary room containing a 1-UP. After leaving the room, you are sent to stage 2, skipping the remainder of the first level. If you don't take the shortcut, continue walking along the ground level until you see a ladder. Don't climb it just yet, but continue walking as far along the bottom as you can (the screen won't scroll up until you do this). Now, head back over and take the ladder up. The top section begins with a series of staggered pitfalls, which can be really tough to navigate. Again, take your time. Move by tapping the D-Pad, and remember that this is Action 52, so the pits will likely kill you even if you're not visibly touching them. Shortly after the pits are over with, stay near the bottom of the screen. The level will end soon after this. Stage 2 ------- The second stage takes place in the ruins of some ancient civilization, and you play, once again, as Aries. This level is a side scroller, and you now jump by pressing the B-Button. You start atop a set of platforms, and need to drop down to begin the stage. Once you reach the floor, start moving right. Jump over all the pits you see, by try to stay on ground to attack the enemies. In fact, it helps if you nudge forward to trigger the enemies movement so you have more time to react. You will be attacked mainly from the air by Spinning Spikes and from the ground by mini Saddam Hussein's (yes, this is actually supposed to be Saddam Hussein, who also stars in Storm Over the Desert. Leave it to A52 to set the bar for appropriateness). Once you come to a section with ascending pillars, the end stage boss is near. Be careful at this point and move forward slowly, as he appears out of nowhere. Your opponent is the Jumping Salamander, whose only attack is leaping high into the air as he moves across the screen. It's very easy to run underneath while he is jumping, so the offensive threat is rather low. The key to damaging him is to sneak up from behind and attack when he hits the ground. Be very careful not to draw too close, however. After 5 hits (which seems to vary), the Jumping Salamander is toast. Thank Aries for his kind service, and prepare for stage 3. Stage 3 ------- You now control Hercules, the largest of the Cheetahmen. Hercules has the greatest area of attack -- being able to hit enemies at any level in front of him –- so use this to your advantage. Stage 3 takes place in some secret warehouse, filled with all sorts of enemies who are completely out of place. Not far from the start, you will be bombarded by bullets from Turrets and Blue Slugs. While some opponents may seem out of place, you can reach them using the "jumping attack" bug. Basically, you can forever by pressing the B-Button right after attacking. Use this to reach far off enemies or escape danger. The best way to handle the enemies early on is to run right by them. Many times, you can pass by the Turrets before they even start to shoot. If anything gets in front of you, don't hesitate to attack it. The background changes once you cross the first pitfall. You will now have to deal with Racing Cars and Hammers that attack you along the ground. You can defeat these enemies by kicking them, so simply attack at the right moment to take care of business. The second pitfall is another secret shortcut. Falling down it will take you out to Stage 9 again, which holds another 1-UP and a door leading to stage 4. There's no reason not to take advantage of this secret. If you choose to go on, continue to avoid the hazards that attack you along the ground. When you come to the third pitfall, you will notice an amoeba guarding the far side. You can take you chances by jumping and attacking, or you can multi-jump by taking advantage of the bug. If you opt for the latter, be careful of the missile that zooms by, as you may hit it. The segments of the stage now begin to repeat exactly, but all the same tips apply. When you get to areas with suspended Blue Slugs, always run under them immediately. Once they start shooting, the task becomes a whole lot harder. Stage 4 ------- You're now in the sewer and get to see some weird disco action as you begin. Also, your Cheetahman seems to have died his hair since the end of the last stage, as he looks quite different. You will finally notice a life bar in this stage, which can be found at the top-left corner of the screen. This shows how many of the 4 hits you still have left. Stage 4 has a couple of new obstacle: conveyer belts and waterfalls. These will pull you in one direction or the other, and they either boost or impede your movement depending on which direction they're moving. Make your way across these belts from the start of the stage, and be ready to attack any sailing Blue Jets as you leap. It's best not to stay on the conveyer belts at all, so just keep in the air as much as you can. You will come to a ladder after a short walk. Climb up it, and jump off when you see a red block to the right. Be careful, as the first platform has a Big-Breasted Red-Head who will probably hit you if you aren't expecting her (if only real life were so easy...). Continue moving right, but be extra careful when around the waterfalls. They move you off the platform in both directions, so you don't have much time to adapt. Again, try to stay in the air as much as you can. You will eventually come to a very difficult area with conveyer belt platforms mixed in with waterfall platforms. Try to touch the ground as little as possible, and always be ready for a Flying Shark or Blue Jet attack as you jump. After a long waterfall platform, you can cross over to a green, brick area. This is the home stretch. Watch out for the Bombs, Microphones, and Donuts that will come charging at you quickly. When you see a long, red window in the background, slow down the pace to slight nudges. The boss, the Charging Rhinoceros, will appear out of nowhere and attack. If you're off-guard, this means certain death, even with full health. As soon as the Rhino appears, move all the way to the left side of the screen. If you stand right by the edge, his charge attack won't hit you. Any other place is nearly impossible to survive. Face right and VERY gently tap the D-Pad that direction until your attacks will begin hurting him. The only way to know this is by listening for the sound. The ideal spot occurs when your foot is just past the end of the first green brick on the floor. Any farther than this, and you will be hit. The Rhino takes 10 "full" hits to kill. Full hits should occur each time and make two separate sounds. On some occasions, this total may be higher. Stage 5 ------- For the final two stages, you control Apollo, the Cheetah with a Crossbow. While this sounds nice, Apollo sucks big time. He can only fire one slow- moving "arrow" at a time, his jumping and moving abilities are the least maneuverable out of anyone, and he has an extremely hard time hitting most enemies. It's not that difficult to make it to Stage 5 without losing any lives, but it's almost impossible to leave stage 5 saying the same thing... at least without cheating or massive save state usage. From start, jump over the first pit and start hopping along the purple platforms (you can ignore the shifty eyes in the holes). After a few platforms, a Green Skull will come homing in on you. You will have about one shot to hit this enemy without taking damage, and the odds of doing so on your first try are slim to none. Shortly after this, a Flying Diamond will attack you in mid-air as you jump. Unless you shoot before jumping, there's no way to avoid damage, once again. Two platforms after this is Green Debris, which comes from the same angle. A few platforms over, you'll see a Ravioli running around, which means a Flaming Skull is nearby. The Ravioli can't be killed, but you can avoid the Skull by shooting as you jump. After this, just dodge the Ravioli or kill it by falling down between the platforms to the left and shooting. You should now see yellow bricks ahead of you. Shortly after crossing, you'll come upon a Molotov Cocktail (firebomb) sitting on the ground. As you jump over it, a Green Skull will come charging, so prepare to shoot in mid-air. Also, get ready for a charging Ravioli as soon as you touch down. It's really hard to avoid both of these enemies, so take it as slowly as you can. After this, a Green Demon comes walking towards you, and it can be avoided easily by jumping. You will come to a pit with a Molotov Cocktail at the other side. This begins the really annoying stretch of the stage. You'll need to position yourself to land just before the cocktail, then jump over it again if you survive. There is a Green Demon after this, and then another pitfall with the same scenario. You can jump down this second pit to take a secret shortcut. You will be warped to Stage 9, which has a 1-UP and a door leading to Stage 10. Unfortunately, stage 10 is almost completely unplayable, and may very well freeze while moving around within it. You'll be forced to reset if you come here, ending your glorious Cheetah playing days for good. On the other side of this pit is a Molotov Cocktail and an incredibly difficult sequence of events. As soon as you jump over the cocktail, a Flaming Skull will charge. You'll need to shoot in mid-air and time it perfectly to avoid damage. Shortly after this a Green Skull, which is next to impossible to defeat. It starts low and comes at an angle that doesn't allow you to attack. You can try to kill it by jumping to raise its level, running left, then turning and attacking. If you are VERY lucky, you will hit it. Most likely you won't, so it's good to have at least one spare health bar in reserve at this point (much easier said than done). The remaining enemies after Flying Diamonds, and they come as you are jumping along the brick ledges. A few bars of health will help, but save states will help a lot more. After a couple of these guys and some jumping, this nightmarish level comes to an end. Stage 6 ------- Finally, you get a break. Stage 6 is mainly open space, easy jumping puzzles, and NO ENEMIES!!! From the start, move right and climb the ladders, continuing to do this for 4-5 ladders. There is a trick ladder after the fourth, so just keep going by it and the real one will appear. After 5-6 ladders, you will reach a final stretch made up of purple blocks. When you see two layers of floor appear, you are just about at the boss. Position yourself between the two layers, and walk forward. The Red Falcon will appear. For the final boss of the game, Red Falcon is quite easy. Stand on the left side of the screen, just before where the upper platform begins. Jump and fire shots at Red Falcon as he moves across the screen. If you hold your position, he should never get close enough to touch you. He will be dead after 20 shots, at which point the game throws you back to the title screen. Nice work for a job well done. You get to play this terrific game once more. If you were going through Action 52 by individual game, you have reached the end of the boat. Or, more aptly, the tip of the sinking Titanic. If you were playing this game as a sick fraternity pledging duty, think twice before saying "thank you sir, may I have another." If you were playing this game for fun... HAHAHAHA! Loser! You need to get out more :P ============================================================================= A C T I O N 5 2 D R I N K I N G G A M E ACT0D ============================================================================= In honor of the greatness of Action 52, the authors have come up with a drinking game to make your experience more fun (or perhaps more tolerable). Feel free to add or change any rules, as well as alter the amounts of alcohol per rule to suit your tolerance. If you have any interesting additions that aren't included below, please feel free to contact us. Rule #1: Drink to the game's intro Rule #2: Drink to the Cheetahmen intro Rule #3: Drink every time someone dies within 3 seconds of beginning a game Rule #4: Drink every time something should kill your character, but doesn't Rule #5: Drink every time your character dies for no discernable reason Rule #6: Drink every time your character dies as the result of falling in a pit due to the horrible jumping controls Rule #7: Drink every time you realize that the game being played is one of the other 51 with different graphics Rule #8: Drink every time someone presses START and SELECT to end a game, and you have not yet drank to that game Rule #9: Drink every time the game crashes or freezes and you need to reset. Rule #10: Drink every time someone reaches a point in any game that is unbeatable or impassable Rule #11: Drink every time someone spends more than two minutes on any one game Rule #12 Drink every time someone spends more than two minutes searching the title screen for a game that does not suck Rule #13: Take two drinks for every comment made along the lines of: "There's 52 games here! There must be one good one at least!" Rule #14: Take two drinks every time someone completes a stage Rule #15: Chug when someone actually beats a game Rule #16: Chug when someone says something along the lines of: "This game isn't THAT bad! ============================================================================= C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N ACT0E ============================================================================= Thank you for taking the time to read through this guide. We hope you found it informative and useful in your adventures through Action 53. If you have any comments on the guide, whether they be corrections, suggestions for future revisions, spelling/grammar mistakes, formatting problems, additional strategies, or any other type of feedback, please let us know. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BRIAN SULPHER: If you would like to drop me a line on any of the things you have seen in this FAQ, I am more than happy to answer you through the following e-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com. I also use MSN periodically, so if you want to speak person-to-person (as personal as the net gets anyway), then use my e-mail to add me to your list and I will add you to my list. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE ADMIRAL: I can be reached regularly at the following email address: Admiral1018@yahoo.com. Please include "Action 52" or something along those lines in the email subject heading if you can, so the email isn't accidentally deleted. Any feedback or comments, positive or negative, are always appreciated. ============================================================================= R E V I S I O N H I S T O R Y ACT0F ============================================================================= Version 1.0 – March 11, 2003 • Initial Release ============================================================================= C R E D I T S ACT0G ============================================================================= Big thanks to everyone who helped us with this guide, especially the members at the GameFAQs message boards – this guide would not have been possible without your ongoing support. Particular thanks to the following: BRIAN SULPHER: • Well, I had never heard of this cartridge till early last month when a fellow FAQ writer by the name of BTB (also known as "The Chad"), could not believe I had never experienced the awfulness that is this cartridge. I tried it out, was wowed by the god-awfulness of the whole mess, and then found out Admiral here was planning to write on it. So I thought it would be a good chuckle to write for these games and off we set. • It has been a pleasure working with Admiral, and I hope this FAQ helps someone with some aspect of the terrible thing called... ACTION 52! • For Cougar, Howler, and Koonce. I miss you, and I hope you are living it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my memories, and you will never be forgotten. THE ADMIRAL: • BTB: For all the encouragement, support, assistance, proofreading, and just about everything else you helped us out with. Also, thanks a lot for helping with the Drinking Game. This guide wouldn't have been possible without you. • djg40: For his interest and encouragement in Action 52 and the creation of this guide. It really helped along the way. • Action 52 manual: For game descriptions and pure amusement. Also, thanks to http://atarihq.com/tsr/manuals/, the site that provided the manual and has become the best source on the net for NES gaming manuals. • And, of course, Brian Sulpher: It's been a great experience working with you on this project. Thanks a ton for everything. ================================END OF GUIDE=================================