Game & Watch Collection 2 for Nintendo DS FAQ

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Game & Watch Collection 2 for Nintendo DS FAQ

by BHodges

Version 1.0
Created 01/01/12

This document Copyright © 2012 by Brian Hodges. It may not be placed on any
web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.

Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. Getting Started
A. Game Select
B. Memory Clear
III. Watch/Alarm
IV. Parachute
A. Controls
B. Gameplay
C. Mistakes
D. Scoring
E. Bonuses
F. Strategies
V. Octopus
A. Controls
B. Gameplay
C. Mistakes
D. Scoring
E. Bonuses
F. Strategies
VI. Parachute x Octopus
A. Controls
B. Gameplay
C. Mistakes
D. Scoring
E. Bonuses
F. Strategies
VII. Game Review
VIII. Frequently Asked Questions
IX. Version History
X. Contact Information

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I. Introduction

This is a FAQ for the DS game Game & Watch Collection. It contains information
on how to play the games, a FAQ, and a mini-review.

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II. Getting Started

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A. Game Select

On the Title Screen, your bottom screen will have two signs: one says GAME
SELECT and the other says ALARM SET.

Choosing ALARM SET allows you to set an alarm. See Section III. Watch/Alarm
for more info.

Choosing GAME SELECT allows you to pick which of the three games you wish to
play. After choosing a game, the top screen will display that game's control
scheme while the bottom screen is your Mode Select screen. On the Mode Select
screen, you'll see boxes for Game A, Game B, Time, and Back. The high score
for each mode is also displayed here. Press left/right to select a game mode,
Game A is for beginners, Game B is a harder version of Game A. Press the A
button to begin playing. Press B to return to the Title Screen.

Oddly, pressing the X Button allows you to do a "Score Select"; basically
allowing you to begin a new game with a previously earned score.
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B. Memory Clear

To clear the game card's memory, hold down the A, B, X, Y, L, and R buttons as
the game starts up.

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III. Watch/Alarm

Choosing Alarm Set on the Title Screen allows you to set the alarm using the
control pad. When the alarm sounds, it can be stopped by pressing select or
tapping the Alarm Stop icon with the stylus.

Choosing Time from any of the three games' Mode Select screens will enable
Watch Mode. A demo of the game will play and the current time will be
displayed. Press A, B, or Start to return to the Mode Select screen.

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IV. Parachute

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A. Controls

Control Pad Left Move boat left
Control Pad Right Move boat right
A Button Move boat right
Y Button Move boat left

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B. Gameplay

The object of the game is to catch the skydivers with your boat before they
land in the shark infested water.

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C. Mistakes

Allowing a skydiver to hit the water counts as a "mistake". If you make three
mistakes the game is over. The number of mistakes is displayed using shark
icons under the title "Miss".

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D. Scoring

You get one point for every skydiver you rescue.

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E. Bonuses

Every ten points you score will cause fireworks to display in the top screen.

If you reach 200 or 500 points then all of your mistake icons will be cleared.

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F. Strategies

- No real strategy, just catch them before they hit the water!

- In Game B, skydivers can get caught in the tree on the far right. They
will hang there for a random amount of time before freeing themselves and
falling towards the water.

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V. Octopus

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A. Controls

Control Pad Up/Left Move diver left
Control Pad Down/Right Move diver right/Grab treasure
A Button Move diver right/Grab treasure
Y Button Move diver left

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B. Gameplay

The object of the game is to avoid the octopus's tentacles and fill your bag
with treasure. You get treasure by standing next to the treasure chest and
pressing down, right, or A.

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C. Mistakes

Touching a tentacle is a "mistake". When you make a mistake you lose a diver,
lose all of your divers and the game is over. Your remaining divers are
displayed in the boat in the upper left.

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D. Scoring

You get one point for each piece of treasure you put in your bag. If you make
it back to your boat with treasure you earn three bonus points (that's three
total NOT per piece of treasure!).

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E. Bonuses

Every ten points you score will cause fireworks to display in the top screen.

If you reach 200 or 500 points then any lost divers will be returned.

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F. Strategies

- The best strategy is to make your way to the chest and pump the A button to
grab treasure. When the tentacle starts to descend move to the closest safe
spot to the left, then make your way back to the chest when he raises his
tentacle.

- Don't bother returning to the boat, those three measly points aren't worth
the risk.

- It may seem like the boat is a safe spot, but after a few seconds your
diver will automatically jump in the water.

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VI. Parachute x Octopus

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A. Controls

Above the water

Control Pad Left Move boat left
Control Pad Right Move boat right
Control Pad Down Dive underwater
A Button Move boat right
Y Button Move boat left

Below the water

Control Pad Up/Left Move diver left/Surface
Control Pad Down/Right Move diver right/Grab treasure
A Button Move diver right/Grab treasure
Y Button Move diver left/Surface

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B. Gameplay

This game combines Parachute and Octopus. You start out by playing Parachute
on the top screen. After a while, a life preserver with a sign pointing down
will appear. You will then be able to row to the far left and press down to
dive under the water to play Octopus. After a while, the skydivers will start
falling again so you have to climb back into your boat to play Parachute. You
continue to alternate between the two games until you make three mistakes.

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C. Mistakes

There are two types of mistakes:

- Allowing a skydiver to hit the water during a Parachute round.

- Touching a tentacle during an Octopus round.

Make three mistakes and your game is over.

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D. Scoring

You earn one point per caught skydiver and piece of treasure grabbed. If you
return to your boat with treasure you earn three bonus points.

If you grab at least five pieces of treasure during the Octopus round, you'll
earn TWO points per caught skydiver in the following Parachute round.

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E. Bonuses

If you reach 200 or 500 points then all of your mistake icons will be cleared.

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F. Strategies

- The same general strategies for Parachute and Octopus apply here.

- If you grab at least five pieces of treasure during the Octopus round,
you'll earn TWO points per caught skydiver in the following Parachute round.

- You HAVE to dive underwater once the skydivers stop falling. If you wait
too long, your rescuer will automatically row to the far left and dive.

- If you return to your boat too soon, your diver will automatically dive
back down.

- If you are underwater make sure you return to your boat once the skydivers
start falling again. The helicopter will start to flash and beep to warn
you to get to your boat!

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VII. Game Review

Game & Watch Collection 2 is the follow up to Game & Watch Collection. Both
are only available as a reward for Club Nintendo members. Game & Watch
Collection 2 is a compilation of two classic Game & Watch games: Parachute and
Octopus as well as a third all new game Parachute x Octopus where you play
both games on both screens in alternating rounds.

In Parachute you move a rowboat back and forth to catch falling skydivers
before they can land in shark infested water. The action takes place on the
bottom screen and gets boring very quickly. There are only three places they
can land so there's not a lot of strategy involved.

In Octopus you try to grab treasure being guarded by a giant octopus. Like
Parachute, the game takes place on the bottom screen but is a little more
involved. There's actually some strategy involved: you have to avoid the
tentacles while grabbing treasure and you get bonus points for making it
safely back to the boat with treasure.

Parachute x Octopus is a combination of the two. You play Parachute on the top
screen for a while then switch over to Octopus on the bottom screen. It's a
clever concept but your still playing the same two games.

One MAJOR gripe I have is the new Score Select "feature". This allows you to
start a game with a previously earned score. This totally defeats the point of
high scores, you might as well have unlimited lives.

To be honest Game & Watch Collection 2 is a bit of a letdown compared to the
first one. There are really only two games here, and both only use one screen.
There are plenty of dual screen Game & Watch games out there (i.e. Donkey Kong
II) they could have chosen. I only recommend picking this up if you loved the
original.

Pros
+ It's free!
+ Game saves your high scores.
+ I have to admit it's kind of clever how they merged two unrelated games
together pretty seamlessly in Parachute x Octopus!

Cons
- The game allows you to "continue" with a previous score which kind of
defeats the whole purpose of saving high scores.
- Really the "collection" consists of only two games...and neither one of
them were multi-screen originally.
- Games are a lot simpler and monotonous than the ones in the original Game &
Watch Collection.
- The original Game & Watch Collection is MUCH better.

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VIII. Frequently Asked Questions

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What is Game & Watch Collection 2?

Game & Watch Collection 2 is a compilation of two classic Game & Watch games
plus a third "new" game for the Nintendo DS. The three games included are
Parachute, Octopus, and a combination of the two (Parachute x Octopus).

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What is a Game & Watch?

Game & Watch was the line of portable LCD games produced by Nintendo from 1980
to 1991. Each Game & Watch contained a single game as well as a watch/alarm
feature.

Check out Wikipedia for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_%26_watch

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How do I get Game & Watch Collection 2?

"Officially" the only way to get this game is by being a member of Club
Nintendo and earning 800 coins.

Of course you can also find copies online at places like Amazon and eBay and
in used game shops like GameStop. It usually goes for around $30.

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What is Club Nintendo and how do I earn coins?

Club Nintendo is the successor to My Nintendo. If you have a My Nintendo
account, you can just log in and upgrade it to a Club Nintendo account.

You earn coins by registering 1st party Nintendo products in the Earn Coins
section of Club Nintendo. You will need the PIN included in the game inserts
(usually on the back of a Nintendo Power advertisement) and will be asked to
take a brief survey. Wii games typically earn you 50 coins and DS games 30
coins, however, not all games are eligible.

For more information go to https://club.nintendo.com.

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Do I earn 30 coins for ordering this?

No. Game & Watch Collection 2 does NOT come with a registration PIN.

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Game & Watch Collection or Game & Watch Collection 2?

I prefer the original Game & Watch Collection hands down. It contains three
great games that make great use of the dual screens.

The two games in Game & Watch Collection 2 were originally SINGLE screen games,
which is odd because there are plenty of multi-screen Game & Watch games they
could have picked (Donkey Kong II anyone?).

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Is it worth 800 coins?

That depends:

- If you don't have the original Game & Watch Collection then you should
spend your coins on that.

- If you liked the original then you should give this one a shot.

- If you hated the original Game & Watch Collection then you should save your
coins for something else.

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IX. Version History

1.0 01/01/12 Completed FAQ.

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X. Contact Information

You can contact me at [email protected]

Please leave constructive comments. I especially appreciate emails letting me
know if I have made a mistake, missed something or if you just have an idea for
improving this FAQ.

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End