Zombie Revenge - Strategy Guide (Page 01)
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Zombie Revenge - Strategy Guide (Page 01).
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
z o m b i e
R E V E N G E
by SEGA
a less-than-definitive,
arcade and kinda Dreamcast FAQ
by
Mav (c) 2000 email: web_tester226@yahoo.com
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Version 0.99
NOTE: As with all Internet FAQs, this FAQ is protected under
international copyright law. Reproducing this FAQ in any manner, shape
or form without the express permission of the author is strictly
prohibited. This FAQ is intended as a guide to help interested and
would-be interested Zombie Revenge players towards better progress,
higher scores, longer playing times, and hopefully more fun! And don't
forget, it's only a game...
Version History, Etc.--
v0.5 -- 7/23/2000: Liftoff/creation date of my first, albeit somewhat
"incomplete" Zombie Revenge FAQ. More updates to come if I forget
something, have new insights, new techniques, or defeat that annoying
two-part second-to-last boss on the weirdy floating small lighted
platform so as to go on, face Zed in his two forms, and finally finish
the game.
8/8/2000: Recently played Zombie Revenge three or so times after a 6-8
week hiatus to refresh my memory about move names, cinema info, game
strategy. Somewhat dismayed at the decay of my performance from being
away from ZR for a while :), but getting back up to 100%.
8/9/2000 -- v0.5 complete! Wow I wrote a lot :P.
8/21/2000 (pre-"Game Day" report :P): I'm backkkkkk! To Zombie Revenge,
that is. I'll try to play the game using Linda and Rikiya to get you
more accurate info on attacks, damage, combo abilities, and character
strategies. As for finishing the game, I'm contemplating swallowing my
pride and using continues *gasp* to see this FAQ to the very end...but
maybe not yet...
(post-"Game Day" report): Arrghhh! It is with great regret that I inform
you that (yeah I know I said "that" twice) I returned to the arcade only
to see Zombie Revenge gone! I'm afraid for good, too. And some of the
replacement games are very questionable. Ah, fate :P. What do I do
now...get good at fighting games?!?? (Which I've never been much good
at, and thus aren't too crazy about, incidentally) Why arcades remove
the games I like, beats me. I guess Zombie Revenge wasn't getting enough
quarters or something. But to replace a 1999 3-D kick-butt action game
with some 1990 2-D side-scrolling ripoff of Street Fighter and Fatal
Fury that probably plays like garbage...that's just wrong :( :P.
Well, this basically means that since Zombie Revenge is no longer at the
arcade (and the only other place I found it also replaced it with...a
fighting game) the FAQ can never truly be completed, since I can't pass
the game or play any of the other characters now. The next update to
this FAQ will be titled "v0.99" in "commemoration" of the cool game that
got away :P.
8/26/2000 -- updated v0.99 complete. Too bad it doesn't look like I'll
ever get to v1.0... Added a "Playing Screen" section... after realizing
that I made readers infer that there were life bars, weapons, time
limits, scores, etc. :P... for the sake of completeness. Includes
numerous typographical/grammatical/formatting/whatever corrections, and
more of the longwinded commentary and extraneous thoughts (including a
few reflecting on the recent disappearance of Zombie Revenge from the
local arcade) that makes this FAQ a nightmare to download on anything
less than a broadband connection :P. Minor updates may be added later.
***Advance thanks to BLui, who helped inspire me to write this FAQ, and
whose GameFAQ got me started in Zombie Revenge! His FAQ also helped fill
in some blanks for the move names, combos, holding moves, and Act names
where my memory fails me.
S E C T I O N S
-------------------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction/Disclaimer
II. The Story
III. "Select Players...": Stick, Linda and Rikiya
1. Stick Breitling
2. Linda Rotta
3. Rikiya Busujima
IV. The Playing Screen
V. Moves List
1. Basic Moves
2. Advanced Moves
3. Advanced Gunplay
4. Basic Combo Moves
5. Advanced Combo Moves
6. Advanced Fighting Techniques
7. Higher Scores Through Cool Combos
8. A Note on Zombie Poison
9. A Note on Two-Player Games
VI. Items and Weapons
1. Pickups
2. Special Weapons
VII. Walkthrough
Part I: Woodside City
Part II: Edward Street
Part III: Industrial Sewage Plant
Part IV: Chemical Plant
Part V: South Union Railway
Part VI: Cassandra
Part VII: Mount Sacrifice
Part VIII: The House of the Dead
Part IX: The Dawn
VIII. Helpful Hints, Closing Thoughts, Mysteries of the Game, and Other
Stuff
IX. Credits
-------------------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction/Disclaimer
Here begins my first attempt at an arcade FAQ (though the FAQ might also
be helpful for Zombie Revenge players on Dreamcast's Arcade Mode), and
very first Internet FAQ of anything, really. Hope you find it helpful,
or at least amusing and entertaining to read. Heck, I think it's fun to
read through FAQs of great games I'll never even play :). There's lots
of great FAQ writers out there! Zombie Revenge is really a great game,
though it might take some time getting used to. (e.g. slight control
problems)
This FAQ also goes out to all the can-do gamers who've seen the game,
watched others play it, and decided to pop in those quarters and give it
a spin, to HECK with the humiliation of being a beginner! Trust me, I
sure felt nervous as heck before I finally mustered up the courage to
begin my video game quest against Zed and his minions of evil. It's not
over yet, but I DO have a firm hold on the top score board...and if I
can do it, so can you!
Of course, no FAQ or guide of any kind can replace the experience you
get from playing the game for yourself. At the very least, I'd like it
if this FAQ could help gamers who like the game, but can't get past the
first boss (yep, he's a real doozy in the early going), or gamers who'd
like to get to the next levels, or gamers who'd like to refine their
techniques and kick their scores up a notch (props to Emeril Lagasse),
etc...
Which brings me to the obligatory "Disclaimer" section. First off, sorry
if my FAQ reads like a novel. This FAQ will attempt to tell you
_everything_ I know about playing the game. But heck, maybe you'll warm
to my rambling yet conversational style :P. Please refer to my quick
reference guides if you just wanna know the moves first. As for the
items and weapons...there's just too many to put in a quick reference
chart :).
Second, I apologize if my FAQ starts sounding kinda know-it-all with all
the add-ons, heads-up notes and do's and don'ts that I'm bound to start
adding as I get this FAQ on the road. Be forewarned: I think lotsa folks
might find my playing style a bit...weird ;), but I think going for the
combos and fancy plays is one of the reasons we play games in the first
place -- to get the high scores! (if not win the affection of members of
the opposite sex [maybe not], get bystanders oohing, aahing, and
swarming to see your bad self kick major zombie booty, and so on...oops,
I'm rambling again)
Third, as I hinted to on the "splash page," this FAQ is in no way meant
to be the definitive way to get ahead in Zombie Revenge. This FAQ is
written from a single-player point of view and my own style of playing,
since I don't normally play with other players (unlike in Area 51 -- 2
1/2 hour one-credit glory days and glory plays, not to mention super-
sore wrists, Entity, you bonus hogger); the only player I really play is
Stick Breitling; I haven't passed the game, though I'll wager I'm the
best (Zombie Revenge) player at my local arcade; many times I go for
points over safety and survival; I don't always get to the same level
with my plays; etc. If my strats don't work for you, try your own! Well
enough of the build-up, here comes the FAQ! Hope you enjoy it!
*************************************************************
II. The Storyline (fictional, of course)
A government experiment to "recycle" the dead for military use has gone
horribly wrong, and an entire city has already fallen to its ravages.
It's now crawling with zombies. As it seems, foul play and sabotage by a
mysterious figure named Zed are responsible for the mayhem. Of course,
it's up to the forces of good (you) to stop this madman. Basically, you,
as one of three elite AMS agents, have been assigned to single- (or
double-) handedly foil the evil Zed's plot to raise an army of
horrifying undead soldiers which would surely take over the earth...if
you didn't stand in their way. (See BLui's FAQ for the actual in-game
text) If that weren't enough, you have a set time limit with which you
must complete a stage, or a demon of destruction will swoop in and
finish you off! Now that you know what you've gotta do, it's time to
save the world!
-------------------------------------------------------------
III. "Select Players...": Stick, Linda and Rikiya
1. Stick Breitling
Character Info:
Stick Breitling is a early-to-mid 20s AMS agent who has the most
personal involvement with Zombie Revenge's (ZR's) zombie crisis. It
seems his parents were also scientists who worked on the mysterious
government project which has since backfired. Aside from the moral
struggles that must surely come about from his parents' indirect
involvement in this disaster and knowing what source material was used
for the experiments, Stick must now face a neverending undead horde.
Analysis:
In my humble opinion, Stick Breitling is THE character to use in the
game. He is ideal for beginners and I would probably say all players.
Stick is a well-balanced player with a nice variety of useful moves,
pretty good footspeed, and most importantly, the quickest if not most
powerful melee attacks. He is _most_ definitely the go-to guy if you're
looking for the highest scores (more on that later). His handgun, which
all characters have as a default weapon, is the "weakest" of the
characters, but is still plenty good enough.
2. Linda Rotta
Character Info:
The lovely Linda Rotta is the youngest AMS agent, being barely into her
20s, and may or may not have a romantic connection with Stick (we'll
never really know, but isn't that the way it always is?). Despite
outward appearances, she is not a character to be underestimated. Used
properly, she is a force to be reckoned with.
Analysis:
Linda's primary advantage would be that of speed. She is the most nimble
of the characters and has the fastest dash. Unfortunately, her superior
footspeed does not carry over to her melee ability. Her hand-to-hand
combat attacks are for the most part very slow and not very powerful,
which can at times lead to vulnerable moments. However, it seems in
gameplay demos and BLui's FAQ that these attacks are quite maneuverable,
allowing Linda to handle more than one zombie at once. In any case, her
slower and weaker melee attacks are somewhat compensated for by her
superior firing speed of the handgun. I repeat: Firing SPEED. She won't
lock on any faster, or do any more damage. I would recommend only
advanced players use her.
3. Rikiya Busujima
Character Info:
This mysterious Japanese AMS agent, in his 30s, bears numerous scars and
even a metallic mesh that partly grafts his face! At the same time,
however, his melee attacks reflect possible "enhancements" that improve
his ability to battle the minions of Zed. Although he speaks only
Japanese, Stick and Linda, who are also fluent in Japanese, can easily
communicate with him. (Don't worry, everything spoken in the game is
subtitled anyway).
Analysis:
Rikiya's defining attribute seems to be raw power, although this is
debatable from my limited experience using him. His attacks are somewhat
faster than Linda's, but not nearly as fast as Stick's. His standby
basic combo, however, ends in two short-range but wide-arcing attacks
that can really hurt multiple enemies at once. Rikiya is the slowest of
the characters, although his dashing speed seems to match Stick's.
Rikiya's additional advantage is his more powerful handgun, which not
only looks bigger, but can also finish a job in 2 shots whereas Stick or
Linda would require 3. All of his moves are fun to pull off and watch,
and quite over-the-top, but I wouldn't choose Rikiya until passing the
game or getting good with using Stick first.
Note: To select alternate costumes for the characters (thanks to BLui
for the tip), simply depress and hold the start/play button and then
press any of the other three buttons to begin (you can let go as soon as
your character is chosen)
-------------------------------------------------------------
IV. The Playing Screen
The screen/character interface for Zombie Revenge is very simple and
straightforward. Your character's essential info will be displayed in
the top left corner of your screen if playing solo, or the top right
corner of your screen if playing as a second player. Right next to your
character's picture is a test tube positioned horizontally (thanks to
BLui for pointing this out) filled with yellowish liquid. This is your
life bar, which will decrease as you take hits from enemies, projectiles
and obstacles. If your life bar runs out, it's game over...with one
possible exception :).
Underneath your life bar is an image of a handgun, the default ranged
weapon for all characters. To the right of this is the number of bullets
remaining in the loaded clip (represented by little bullets). A fully
loaded clip holds 10 shots. To the right of the bullets remaining
indicator are little bullet clips, which represent the number of spare
clips you're carrying at the present time. As you empty your loaded clip
one spare clip will disappear from your reserve while you reload. You
can carry up to 5 spare clips. Underneath the handgun info display will
pop up special weapons displays with the image of the weapon you have
and the ammo it has left, if applicable.
In the top center of the screen is your time counter. Make sure you
clear each scene within the time remaining, as you can't extend or
freeze the time counter! Or else...
Under the time indicator appear any special items you might come across
and collect, such as a diskette, a flashlight, a weapons bag, or an
elixir. These items are automatically used/activated when the need
arises or at certain times.
Finally, at the bottom left or bottom right corner of the screen, again
depending on if you're playing solo or 2-player, is the all-important
score. Don't be scared of the fact that there's EIGHT numerical
placeholders...I've barely been able to break 300,000, much less
99,999,999 :P. Go for the highest score you can!
In the middle of all of this is where the action takes place. Awesome
3-D graphics, character models, animation, etc., from a basically third-
person perspective...you get the idea :).
Now that we know our interface, let's proceed to the moves list.
-------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Moves List
1. Basic Moves
On the ZR arcade cabinets there are three buttons: Guard (G), Punch (P)
and Shoot (S), from left to right.
O O
--->| O P O
| G S
joystick,
moves character
in all directions
-------------------------------------------------------------
QUICK REFERENCE: Basics
Joystick -- move, hold in a direction to climb up/jump down from low-
level platforms
G: makes your player guard
P: makes your character punch
S: fires one shot from your handgun
Dash: Press G while moving
Roll: Press G and P while standing still
Clear Out Attack: Press G, P and S at once
Dash Attack: Press P or S while dashing
Charged Physical Attack: Press and hold P for about one second and then
let go
Charged Handgun Attack: Press and hold S for about three seconds, wait
for player animation ready position, and let go
Guard Break: Press P rapidly just after blocking an attack
Attacking Fall: Hit G, P or S just as you are being hit by an attack
(when you're not blocking)
Fall Recovery: Press P rapidly after falling
Back Attack: Press G and S at the same time
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
QUICK REFERENCE: Combos and Holding Moves
Basic Combos (button presses must be fairly quick):
Stick:
1. Press P 5 times or P rapidly until combo finishes
2. P, P, S
Linda:
1. P, P, P while joystick is neutral
2. P, P, P while holding joystick towards enemy
3. P, S, P, P
Rikiya:
1. P, P, P, P or P rapidly until combo finishes
2. P, S, S, S
Holding Moves (performed after pressing and holding P briefly; you must
hit zombie with the button press; zombie cannot be facing too far away
from you; see following section for more details)
Stick:
1. Press P 3 times or rapidly while joystick is neutral
2. Press S 3 times or rapidly
3. Press P 3 times or rapidly while holding joystick towards opponent
Linda:
1. Press P 3 times or rapidly while holding joystick towards opponent
2. Press S 3 times or rapidly while holding joystick towards opponent
3. Press S 3 times or rapidly while joystick is neutral
Rikiya:
1. Press P 3 times or rapidly while joystick is neutral
2. Press S rapidly and continuously while joystick is neutral
3. Press S rapidly and continuously while holding joystick towards
opponent
-------------------------------------------------------------
--Guard
Guard is one of the most essential functions in getting through Zombie
Revenge, although it may not be often used. Shortly after pressing and
_holding_ Guard (Caution: there is a slight lag before your guard is
really up), your character will assume a defensive position where you
are currently facing. He/she can then block all manner of attacks so
long as they are headed directly at you (with some small degree of
error).
Guard will help you deflect punches, swipes, grabs, electric bolts,
zombie spit, lunges, and more for only a fraction of the cost of life
than if you took the attack full-on, or unsuccessfully tried to run from
an attack that's just too fast (e.g. one tick of life vs. 1/3 or WORSE).
You can even block many boss attacks. You will almost always take a
little damage, but you can take a ton of blocked hits as opposed to only
a handful of unblocked hits, depending on the zombies you're facing.
Guard also has more advanced defensive uses.
Of course, guarding has its limitations, as it should since many
fighting games of this type don't allow for blocking, especially with a
dedicated button. Guard will help you block many attacks, but not ALL of
them (don't worry, I'll try to make the unblockables very clear). You
can only successfully block attacks that don't come in from too far of
an angle from where you are presently guarding. You certainly can't
block an attack from behind. Your guard will probably break down if more
than one zombie is attacking you. Also, you can't move to adjust while
your guard is up. However, you can drop your guard immediately at any
time to continue moving.
--Punch
When weaponry won't do the trick (and in many situations it won't), one
must resort to fists and feet. Luckily all three characters are quite
capable of melee combat, if in varying degrees and styles. Press the
Punch button when facing an enemy to, well, throw a punch. Stringing
multiple and fast presses of the P button (and P followed by the S
button in various combo presses) allows for your bread-and-butter
basic combos, as a single jab does next-to-no damage to a normal zombie,
although it will stun them. P can also be used for advanced tactics.
--Shoot
While melee attacks are great and all, perfect for getting physical with
the undead, there will be many times when charging in just won't work.
Either the zombie will be spitting projectiles at you from afar,
multiple zombies will be headed your way, getting close is much too
dangerous, or punches will go over the zombie's head (especially those
that are short or crawling). That's when the default handgun weapon,
activated by the Shoot button, comes in. Pressing S will fire one bullet
at the enemy.
However, effective use the default handgun requires the proper
technique. You aim the handgun at one zombie at a time, and at a close
enough range a blue spherical sight will appear, signifying that you're
locked on. You can lock-on to a target from a good distance away. You
can certainly shoot and hit now, but damage will be very limited.
Emptying your clip at the zombie in this manner (with just a blue-sight
lock, or, in other words, not taking the time to aim) will get up to
a 10-hit combo, but will do VERY little damage, while you have to
reload, draining your precious supply of ammo and leaving you vulnerable
in the process (chances are the zombie will continue right on towards
you). By keeping your sight trained on your target zombie, your handgun
will power up, the sight turning from blue to yellow to orange and
finally red as you take careful aim at your target, where it will do the
most damage with only one bullet. This feature is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
The gun also has a secondary function.
2. Advanced Moves
Moving around, blocking, punching and shooting alone will serve you well
through the early part of the game. However, more advanced moves will
enhance your character's ability, get you farther in the game, and
ultimately improve your ZR gaming. These moves are the Dash, Roll,
Clear Out Attack, and the Dash Attack, Charge-Up Punch, Charge-Up
Handgun attack, Guard Break, Attacking Fall, and Fall Recovery...oh, and
the Back Attack (silly me). What you get is a surprising amount of
gameplay and character depth with the use of only three buttons.
--The Dash
The Dash should definitely be one of most frequently used "advanced"
moves. Not only will your character move much faster, so as to get out
of harm's way, charge into the fray, etc., you will be able to burst out
of the dash into the all-important Dash Attack!
Execute the Dash by simply walking your character in any direction, and
while doing so press the Guard (G) button. He/she will be able to run
for a considerable amount of time (about 2 seconds) so long as you do
not stop running. The Dash can be started very easily over time as you
learn to hit the Guard button immediately after moving. While you don't
turn corners so well when Dashing, you can instantly stop the Dash by
letting go of the joystick to its neutral position. After that, you can
immediately do something else, or start the Dash again. In this manner
you could practically Dash as long as you want with almost no stops.
--The Roll
The Roll is another useful move which will make your character execute a
roll by pressing the Guard and Punch (G and P) buttons at the same time
while you are NOT moving.
Rolling can be used to quickly move a short distance to get out of
harm's way. It even inflicts a small amount of damage on any enemies it
hits (even those on the ground or knocked to the ground), and it can be
performed 2 or 3 times in a row. However, excessive Rolling will
drastically reduce the speed of the Roll, rendering it quite useless in
battle, and the slow Roll will not hit enemies, so try to use it
sparingly. The Roll also has advanced applications to help extend
combos!
--The Clear Out Attack
If you've seen most beat 'em up games in the style of Final Fight,
you're probably quite familiar with the Clear Out Attack. Hitting all
three buttons at once (G, P and S) will cause your character to spin
wildly in place, arms out, turning you around 180 degrees and knocking
down all nearby normal zombies. To my knowledge every zombie hit by this
attack will suffer the rough damage equivalent of a fully powered
handgun shot.
The Clear Out Attack's biggest limitation, of course, is that it takes
your lifebar to execute. Most of the time. Occasionally you can pull it
off for free, but the occasions are rare and there is no pattern for it.
The even BIGGER limitation is that as far as I know, it takes off the
most life of any of the clear out moves of any game. I'm talking
somewhere between 1/6 and 1/5 of your OWN life with a single clearout.
And life-ups are not too easy to come by. Worse, if you accidentally
clear out on an already defeated but still falling or un-disappeared
foe, you will still suffer the large life deduction.
Thus, use this attack VERY sparingly around your foes, and only when
you're surrounded or absolutely must knock down the zombies fast (e.g.
otherwise you eat two shotgun blasts, which will almost certainly wipe
off your life bar). Also note that you can't execute clear out attacks
if your lifebar is less than the life cost it would take to execute.
However, you can execute the Clear Out Attack with impunity and with no
cost to your lifebar as long as you don't hit a zombie/enemy with it :).
Fine, you might say, but why on earth would I toss clear out attacks if
there's no zombies around? For fun? To beat the stuffing out of thin air
:P? Actually...the clear out attack is very useful, especially for
getting to those hard-to-reach boxes (more on this later). The attack
can be performed fairly quickly and as many times as you want to knock
around things, knock DOWN items, and break open boxes and destructible
barriers, etc. Besides, it looks cool and causes the screen to shake and
stuff!
--The Dash Attack
This advanced move is executed by pressing either the P or S button
while Dashing, and before your Dash is completed. This attack is
extremely useful, though it does even LESS damage than the Roll, as it
will knock down non-crawling normal zombies. This will give you all
sorts of opportunities in terms of breathing space, focusing on one
zombie at a time, shooting at a zombie while it's flat out on the ground
for effectively free and safe damage, and so on. The even better news is
that a good hit will knock down up to three zombies at once!
Stick, Linda and Rikiya all have different Dash Attacks. Stick will Dash
Attack with his left arm sweeping out in a limited arc before hitting
home, allowing knockdowns with offset hits (the swinging left arm
shadow, basically). Linda will leap in the air and come down with an
overhead kick; unfortunately, her Dash Attack takes the longest to
execute and needs excellent control and distance judgment to use. Rikiya
will Dash Attack with both arms thrust straight forward, yelling out
like the take-no-prisoners guy that he is, and appears to have an edge
in terms of range.
The Dash Attack does have some lag and recovery time after it's
executed, but with practice you can execute a Dash Attack mere moments
after your last one finishes up. How? Thanks to the responsive buttons
on the ZR cabinet, you can start moving, hit G and almost immediately
afterward hit P or S, launching from a stop into an instant Dash Attack
if needed. Right after the Dash Attack ends (at least for Stick and
Rikiya) you can repeat the process. (use your index and third finger to
hit G then P or S in a quick left to right pressing motion for best
results)
--The Charge-Up Punch
While I have yet to see any real use for the Charge-Up move, it does
have its uses, and it's great for when you feel the need to show off, or
let a Boss know that you simply can't be beat...even when using the
charge-up move :P. The Charge-Up move is executed by holding down the P
button for about a second, then letting go. NOTE: If you hit and hold P
but hit a zombie, you will go into a holding move ready position and it
will take much too long to execute a charge-up move if you can at all.
Charge-Up moves vary. Stick will jump into the air with a quick double-
kick, hitting a zombie twice and launching normal zombies into the air
for possible juggle opportunities. In any case the move will knockdown.
Linda will lunge a short distance forward with two quick and slightly
arcing punches, possibly hitting multiple enemies but NOT knocking any
down. Rikiya will raise his arms to concentrate his energy, then release
it in a purplish blaze; the problem is, though, you can't move while
charging Rikiya's move, the range is horrible, and I've never actually
hit any zombie with it -- also, whether it knocks down is unknown to me.
If you're ever really gonna use the Charge-Up move, you basically will
need to throw a punch in the air and then move around while charging up
for the attack, as hitting the zombie with that punch will begin a
holding move combo since you're holding down the button after the hit
(See Basic Combo Moves for details.). Still, you can immediately begin
charging for another charge-up attack even as your first one is being
pulled off, meaning for example that Stick can double kick a mere second
after the first move so long as you press and hold the Punch button
again while Stick executes the double kick. This does not apply to
Rikiya though, I believe.
--The Charge-Up Handgun Attack
This move is also not always frequently used, but I find it much more
useful than the Charge-up physical attack. I always use this move at
least a couple times in every game :). Pressing and holding S will
cause your character to enter a windup position for about 3 seconds
before snapping back to the ready with their handgun drawn, ready to
fire as soon as you release the S button. Releasing the S button will
use up 5 bullets. So what? The resulting blast will shoot straight
with a fairly wide blast radius, and deal a fully powered single shot's
worth of damage on any zombie it hits, usually knocking down the normal
zombies unless the shot merely grazes them (and even then it will still
do full damage). Careful and skillful use of the charge-up handgun move
will allow you to knock down multiple zombies bunched together in a
single blast. Additionally, there's a little trick: you can still fire
the full power charge up blast with less than 5 bullets in your clip!
Just charge and fire as normal and your clip will be emptied and
reloaded to the full 10 from your reserve.
Also, unlike the guarding move, you can swivel in place slowly while in
the charge-up handgun ready position to adjust your aim (use the
joystick), but you will only be able to move left or right; your blast
will always shoot straight from the shoulder and cannot be adjusted up
or downwards. In the meantime, you will have to deal with the rather
long startup time for the move. Still, you can cancel the windup
anytime, and this move is great for knocking down zombies from a safer
distance. You can move or fire again immediately after firing a charged
blast.
You might wonder, OK, so this cool move uses up 5 bullets after I end my
windup. But I have to press S before I hold it, and I always have to use
up a bullet, so I lose 6 bullets! The solution: Throw a punch first. Hit
P, and then press and hold S very quickly afterward. After the punch,
you will begin the windup with no wasted bullets. So you can still fire
the charge-up with but one bullet left (and that can be very handy).
--The Guard Break
How can you tell if your Guard worked? Instead of seeing your character
reel from a hit, you will instead see a purplish-bluish blocking light,
and hear a blocking-type sound. Guard successful! But now what? Luckily,
the Guard button can be used for more than just turtling.
Right after you successfully guard from an attack, but not before, begin
pressing the P button rapidly as you recoil slightly from the enemy's
attack. You will then recover more quickly, crouch slightly, then charge
forward with a short range shoulder dash. This move will knock down any
zombie it hits, and do slight damage, allowing for great breathing room
when dealing with a crowd. I do not recommend Guard Breaking against
bosses.
--The Attacking Fall
Of course, not everything can be blocked, and sometimes your reflexes
won't allow you to block either. Getting hit happens. But you do have
limited recourse. By hitting either G, P or S just as you are hit, you
will (hopefully) turn to face the enemy and fire four quick and fairly
damaging shots back at the enemy as you fall. The connecting shots have
a good chance of knocking down zombies. Being able to fall out of a
zombie assault, firing as you fly backward, is often much better than
reeling from a zombie attack, leaving you stunned and vulnerable to
others. After you fall, you may also further retaliate with a recovery
attack on the way up. This move is just about the hardest Advanced Move
to execute, as it requires excellent timing (and who WANTS to get hit?)
--The Fall Recovery
When you fall, it will generally be because you successfully pulled off
an Attacking Fall, got knocked down by the only trap crate I know of,
got knocked down by the first boss, got absolutely floored by a shotgun
blast, etc. In any case, you can recover with a feet-first charge at the
enemy as you get back up by pressing the P button rapidly, rather than
merely standing up. This will stun the zombie/s you hit. Do not use this
move against Bosses, it usually does no good.
--The Back Attack
Now this move is pretty darn useful, at certain points. Pressing G and S
at the same time will have your character execute an attack in back of
them without turning around. This can of course be a good thing if you
need to stop a zombie coming in from behind you. The attacks vary, but
in general the range of the attack is quite decent, as in Stick's back
kick, and the Back Attack can even be used towards combo strings
:)...although it isn't the fastest move and doesn't do much damage. Fun
for use in breaking down a paneled-up door and other objects "no-look"
style.
3. Advanced Gunplay
The handgun can be used for much more than hitting a zombie from far
away for a small amount of damage. You can only have 60 bullets max at
any one time, after all. It is quite integral to distance and even
close-range gameplay!
Firstly, the most important way to expand your handgun's potential is to
conserve your bullets. Train your sight on a zombie (after you lock on,
you will track the target so long as another doesn't get in range or in
the way), letting the sight turn to red or as red as possible before
firing. You will get far more damage from a single powered-up shot, and
get the zombie bashing done much faster. Remember that you can also aim
and fire shots at a fallen zombie, reducing its life bar or finishing it
off before it gets back up. There are times, though, when rapidly firing
off shots can also be useful (why wait for a red lock on a zombie that's
almost done for?), so use your own judgment.
Without getting into too much specifics at this point (I'll have
gameplay examples later), your handgun can be used to 1) finish enemies
more quickly at close range, and 2) even be used to string together
combos! You will find after playing ZR several times that the closer you
are to the zombie (or if the zombie is headed towards you), your sight
will turn from blue to red much faster. If the zombie is practically
right next to you, you can execute a full-powered single shot in less
than a second! I don't consider this a bug or cheating at all since if
you're so close to the zombie, you won't have much trouble aiming at it.
While even a full-power handgun shot's damage isn't quite as high in
comparison to that of most standard physical attack combos, you can
reduce a zombie's lifebar by incredible amounts with relatively quick
single charged shots up close. This is possible as most normal zombies
do not attack you immediately after getting close, and also that the
full power shot will often stun them or knock them back while you are
already charging up for another red sight lock. Single shot lag is very
low, and you can do practically anything not long after the shot is
fired. Do experiment, but in a nutshell, using close-up shots followed-
up with physical combos can do devastating damage, defeating a zombie
even before it is knocked down!
Secondly, experiment with the aiming feature of the handgun to string
together really nice and long combos. You can finish off one zombie with
punches and kicks, then turn to a fresh zombie and firing off a blue
lock-on shot soon after, closing in quickly to extend the combo with
further punches, handgun shots, or possibly a combination of both.
| Next Page » |
