Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Multiplayer FAQ v1.2
This document is to be posted at GameFAQs ONLY.
This guide has very minor spoilers regarding weapons and unlockables.
Last update: 11/27/04
Hi everyone. First off, before anything else, I want to thank the
people on the message board here for being so helpful during the first
week the game has been out. A lot of people have had trouble with this
or that *coughboostbosscough* and it's great to see so many users
working together for a common goal. Awesome job, everyone!
Next on the list:
--Table of Contents--
1) [int] Introduction
2) [faq] Starting out and frequently asked stuff
3) [lvl] Pick your level
4) [wpn] ...and pick your weapon, too!
5) [str] Strategy
6) [msc] Misc. Info
7) [bye] Bye byes!!
NOTE: A useful feature that some of you may not know about is that you
can press CTRL+F to bring up a search box. Put in the word in brackets
of the section you'd like to jump to. For example, if you need help on
weapons and power-ups, type in [wpn] and hit find...voila! You're
there! Also, this works with any document or website, so it's good to
know. A real time saver.
SECTION 1: [int] Introduction
------
Welcome, and hello too. This guide is meant to help you kick your
friend's butts(unless they read this too, in which you've got a good
opponent). Here I will list all the weapons and powerups you can
acquire, as well as all the levels and some strategy too. I hope you
find this useful. Other than that, enjoy!
SECTION 2: [faq] Starting out and frequently asked stuff
------
The very first thing you should know about multiplayer is that you need
two controllers. You should also get comfortable and familiar with the
controls. Practice a bit of dodging, aiming and firing, and just get a
feel for the game. Then you can start fighting your friends. You'll
have a blast!
Now choose Multiplayer on the main menu. After a few brief confirmation
screens, you're ready to play.
Here are some of the more frequently asked questions(hence FAQ...)
"How do I unlock Multiplayer?"
Plug in two controllers. Make sure they're snug. Grab a friend. Hooray,
you just unlocked Multiplayer!
"Do I need to find weapons in single player to use them in
Multiplayer?"
Nope. It's not like it's a huge graphical spoiler or anything either,
because most of the weapons are considerably dumbed-down in the looks
department(I was disappointed with the multiplayer Annihilator, yet I
was very impressed with the single player version when I got it). This
was probably done to keep the game at a steady framerate.
"Are there bots in multiplayer?"
Unfortunately, no. So you really do need a friend to play it, unless
you just want to screw around and explore the multiplayer levels by
yourself, or have fun fragging the idle 2P Samus.
"How do I unlock the two secret levels?"
Right from the get-go, you can see two hidden levels on the level
selection screen. You unlock them through energy restoration in the
temples. More on that later.
"Can I change my suit color?"
No. Yeah, it kinda sucks. You could swap controllers with your friend
to pick a more favorable color though.
"How do I get more music?"
You also unlock music in the single player game. Refer to Misc. Info
for that.
"Can I use Charge Combos in multiplayer?"
No, aside from the Super Missile which doesn't really function as a
combo of anything(it's just death in projectile form).
"How many modes are there?"
Just two. Deathmatch and Bounty, where you collect coins spewed from
your enemy's battle wounds ^_^
"Is there co-op?"
Nope. All battles are every-man/woman-for-themselves.
"How many levels are there?"
Four; two are unlockable. 6 total.
"Can you play as Dark Samus?"
No, only the Samus color variations.
SECTION 3: [lvl] Pick your level
------
First, you can choose Deathmatch, which is just a free-for-all, or
Bounty Mode, where you collect coins. Now select a level.
---Crossfire Chaos---
A rather standard arena with a desert environment(reminds me of the
Chozo Ruins of MP1). It contains two "bases" holding item boxes and
randomizers, with a large but shallow pit between the two buildings.
There is a super missile right in the center of it all. Item boxes are
also found in front of the buildings, and small things like missiles
and health orbs are scattered everywhere. This level is almost entirely
symmetrical. Neat, huh? No? Okay, it's not the most interesting map out
there, but it could be fun to form alliances with other players and
play a "king of the hill" type game on your own even though the game
itself doesn't provide one. One cool thing, however, is how you can
blow up some of the outer walls of the buildings with your weapons.
Kinda gives it a Dark Samus feel, huh?
---Items of notes: Super Missile in the center(accessed from the two
surrounding platforms or a good jump), item boxes in front of and
inside the two base buildings
---Sidehopper Station---
This place is a favorite. With plenty of nooks and crannies to enter
and lots of action, the station can be a hectic place to battle in. You
can use the kinetic orb cannons at the station's "feet" to launch
between halves of the level. If two players use the orbs at the same
time, double death occurs. There are randomizers strewn in small rooms
and also you can find some kinetic orb cannons inside the station,
which throw you into the ventilation ducts. Grapple points are located
here as well. In the vents, you can hop up to the top surface of the
station, which is actually not a bad place at all for fighting.
Following the top surface, you can find some excellent sniping spots
overlooking the orb cannons that take you to opposite sides.
---Items of note: Super Missile on the station's top, item box right in
front of Super Missile, item box at the front of the main chamber,
randomizers in the two small rooms leading the main chamber
---Spider Complex---
A very interesting level we have here. There is a huge spider-track
sphere in the center, which is littered with powerups. Use the two
kinetic orb cannons to reach it. There is also a nicely placed Super
Missile for you if you Boost on the circle on the side of the sphere.
There are small rooms and intertwining hallways that lead to lower and
upper floors of the main chamber, which is also littered with powerups.
You can boost off of the sphere to reach different items. There's also
some spider track near one of the kinetic orb cannons that you can use
to reach a small catwalk; this is on the second floor.
---Items of note: Super Missile in a small alcove(Boost off the
sphere), red health orbs(Boost off the sphere), randomizer on top of
the sphere, Massive Damage Icon on the side of the sphere, randomizer
behind the catwalk, item boxes at hallway intersections and turns, item
box behind kinetic orb cannon
---Shooting Gallery---
Yes, everyone's REAL familiar with this one. Mainly because
of...hmmm...definitely gotta be that awesome purple health orb to the
right of the randomizer on the west side facing the TURRET...oh that's
right, the turret. We all know what it does to your health(and if you
don't know, you'll soon find out next time you get hit with it). You
can hit people in front of you, to your sides, below you, across into
the large pillar room...you can even hit people in mid-grapple! But not
behind you. If someone gets behind you, you're screwed one way or
another. So you better have good aim, 'cause this is the shooting
gallery. Pick longer-ranged weapons(missiles and annihilators work
great) and have yourself a jolly good time. Just be careful of the
turret, and the poison water too for that matter. The pillar
room(directly across from the turret) is a great, fun place to have
strafing battles. Learn to dodge, jump, and aim well in this level.
With the turret or any weapon, you can blast the floor right out from
under someone! Grates can be smashed with it. Boost by someone on a
grate, lay a quick bomb, and unroll to see them fall face-first into
the poison. Use the grapple point right in front of the turret and you
can have a shooting battle with it since you can fire while swinging.
Very fun. Trap someone in a poison room, lay a power bomb to block the
exit, and see if they're clever enough to be able to get out in time...
---Items of note: Super Missile in the west poison room(grapple and
jump to reach it), item boxes in small notches in hallways, & turret
room, randomizers in poison room hallways
---Pipeline---{SECRET}
Some really nice underwater fighting done here. This is a very fun and
varied level. It's well worth the effort to unlock it, so when you do,
it's something that you can look forward to next time you meet with a
friend. Anyway, this level consists of three main areas. The first is
the control room. It's loaded with metroid holding tanks(no metroids
though) and computers. The second is the hallway system. It's a dual
hallway that goes on either side of the control room, down into water
until you're fully submerged. The third area is the huge underwater
region below the control room, reached via hallways. It's got a Super
Missile on a semi-hidden ledge, and a large platform in the center fit
for duels. There are also huge pillars in the corners that form large,
fat hallways of rock around the room(though it's still open). The
environment here is much like any land area...you just have a jet now.
Press and hold B after your two initial jumps to shoot upward; this can
be used offensively and defensively depending on your enemy's
elevation. There are some awesome underwater fights waiting for you in
this stage.
---Items of note: Super Missile on isolated ledge(Gravity Boost your
way to it), randomizer at floor of underwater chamber, item box
underneath main platform in underwater chamber, two item boxes in
control center, randomizer in control center.
---Spires---{SECRET}
This unlockable level is split into actually two aerial arenas; the one
with the randomizer in the center will be labeled A and the other one
B. You can shoot from one arena to the other via kinetic orb cannon.
When doing so, you will pass through a ring in the sky containing a
Super Missile. On B, there are two kinetic orb cannons that lead to
pretty much the same place. Also on B, there is a huge central
structure(the one that "catches" you when being thrown from a kinetic
cannon on A). This can be use as a defensive bulwark against homing
attacks. You can also go behind it for some goodies. Same goes for A,
except the central structure has openings so you can shoot, lay traps,
etc. A really fun and original level.
Items of note: Super Missile in center sky ring, randomizer behind
central structure B, item box behind central structure A, randomizer at
A's center, item box at front of B facing sky ring
SECTION 4: [wpn] ...and pick your weapon, too!
------
Now that you're all set, you need to start exploring- that power beam
won't be too helpful when you come across your buddy packing three
dozen missiles and a fat Annihilator to top it off. Well, the
Annihilator's skinny, but whatever. There are some things that you
already are equipped with:
Combat Visor
Dark Visor
Power Beam
Charge Beam
Morph Ball
Morph Ball Bomb
Grapple Beam
Space Jump
Boost Ball
Spider Ball
Gravity Boost
Some important things to look out for are as follows...
Health Orbs: These are you friends. They heal you...duh. They come in
two flavors; grape and cherry. Grapes restore 10 health while cherries
give you 30. Yum! As expected, red ones are less likely to be in plain
sight.
Item Boxes: These contain your beam weapons. The boxes look like
floating, rotating metal cubes with a strange glowing yellow symbol on
it. You can get Dark Beam, Light Beam, and sometimes an Annihilator or
Power Bomb. Simply shoot at the box to open it.
Weapon Icon: This is left behind when an Item Box is broken open. Light
Beam looks like a white circle over a crescent moon. Dark Beam looks
like two purple stones under a larger arrowhead-shaped one. Annihilator
looks like a panda bear head. Simple as that. Power Bomb looks like
round metal sandwich with bits of orange. Note that if you already have
a weapon and you collect its icon again, you'll just get an ammo
refill.
Missile Icon: An orange missile-shaped rotaty thing found everywhere.
Each one gives you access to your Missile Launcher and 5 missiles. You
can hold up to 50 at one time.
Super Missile Icon: This rare item is put in harder-to-reach spots than
most normal items. They look like normal missile icons, except a little
bigger and with metal plating. They upgrade your Missiles into deadly
Super Missiles for about 25 seconds. Use 'em wisely.
Massive Damage Icon: A one-of-a-kind item found only in Spider Complex.
It adds 100% to your damage, effectively doubling it. Oh, by the way,
collecting this item and then getting Massive Damage from a randomizer
right after will not give you more than double damage.
Power Bomb Ammo: These restore ammo to your power bombs of course. They
look like little flying robot heads, like metal balls with antennae
sticking out the bottom. These are sorta rare. You don't see them too
often, so don't miss with your power bombage.
Kinetic Orb Cannon: This is an orange spherical hologram. Dive into it
with your morph ball to be shot to god knows where.
Spider Ball Track: These metallic railings can be clung to with your
spider ball. Hold down R to activate.
Coin Chest: Found in Bounty Mode. The chests contain coins...yawn.
Heavy Turret: Ahh yes, everyone's favorite. 75 damage, infinite
ammo...and very vulnerable. This cannon is found in the Shooting
Gallery stage. Enter the hologram in normal mode(not morph ball) and
you can use it to fire huge green blasts of energy. Have fun! Oh yeah,
to exit you press B.
Grapple Point: This looks like an orange grapple symbol suspended in
the air near things that your Grapple Beam can cling to. Look up at it
until it turns blue, then press L to swing. Let go of L to drop off, or
rotate around and press A to move your swing trajectory and shoot
enemies.
Randomizer: It looks like a glowing pillar of light with a question
mark in it. Step in to receive a random battle effect. Refer to Misc.
Info for details.
---WEAPONS---
Here we go. These are what you want to fight back with! This is how I
will format the analysis of each weapon.
Name: Duh.
Description: How the weapon works, what it's like, etc...
Damage: Points of damage dealt to your opponent on hit. Charge the
weapon to increase damage. The more you charge it, the better it gets.
Speed: How fast the weapon fires and travels, averaged together. Scored
in X's from 1 to 5, with 1 being terrible and 5 being great.
Range: The weapon's maximum range. Also scored in X's.
Usefulness: Overall, how good and reliable it is in a fight. Scored in
X's.
Notes: Any side-effects or other info.
On with it!
Name: Power Beam
Description: Your default beam. It fires a small orange blast of energy
that bursts into a little shockwave on impact. The charge beam
increases its size and shockwave range.
Damage: 1 standard, 7-15 charged
Speed: XXXXX standard, XXX charged
Range: XXXXX standard, XXXXX charged
Usefulness: XXX
Notes: It has great rapid-fire abilities and good speed, making it hard
for the enemy to dodge. However, the lack of strength is a really bad
downside. Of course, it also has its tactical upsides, like if you
enjoy whittling down your opponents with fast, accurate weapons while
dodging, etc. It can be really fun. It's up to you. Power Beam is not
bad at all, but sometimes you need more punch.
Name: Dark Beam
Description: Unveil your evil side and blast your enemies with rapidly
spinning purple shots. The charged version offers a larger blast that
explodes into many dark particles that slowly damage your enemies over
time.
Damage: 5 standard, 12-20 charged; particles do 5-8 for a total of
about 17-28
Speed: XX standard, XX charged
Range: XXXX standard, XXXX charged
Usefulness: XXXX
Notes: Charged Dark Beam shots also have a freezing effect; use this
opportunity to blast away with missiles, another Dark Beam shot, or
other weapons. Each Dark Beam shot uses 1 ammo; a charged one takes 5.
Maximum capacity is 50.
Name: Light Beam
Description: This purifying weapon blasts a scorching ray of light
straight forward. The charge beam version releases multiple lasers of
long-ranged light that can home in if you lock on to your target.
Enemies hit by this beam burst into flame. The charged Light Beam
releases 3-5 lasers, depending on how long you charge it.
Damage: 10 standard, 11-15 charged; 3 fire damage for a total of about
14-18
Speed: XXXXX standard, XXXXX charged
Range: XX standard, XXXXX charged
Usefulness: XXXX
Notes: The flame effect not only adds a bit of damage to your attack,
but it also impairs your enemy's vision. Nice! The homing feature is
great for fleeing opponents. Every Light Beam shot you use eats up 1
ammo unit, and charged shots take 5.
Name: Annihilator Beam
Description: This bad boy releases sonic pulses that home in your
enemies regardless of lock on; just fire somewhere in the general
direction of your opponent for it to activate. Upon impact, shots burst
into waves of sonic energy. Charged-up blasts release huge, non-homing
waves of energy. It explodes outward into a fading circular shockwave.
Damage: 5 standard, 20-35 charged
Speed: XXXXX standard, XXX charged
Range: XXXXX standard, XXXXX charged
Usefulness: XXXXX
Notes: While it doesn't have any side-effect like freezing or burning,
it does pack some very high firepower and does well in most stats. It's
fast, powerful, long-range, and can have homing properties too. The
downside is that it costs 1 dark AND light ammo to fire, and 5 of each
to use a charged shot. On another topic, keep an eye out for those Item
Boxes, because getting a full refill for both light and dark ammo is
just plain great.
Name: Missile
Description: Your missile launcher fires a high-grade blue and white
explosive that bursts into a dome of light on impact. It homes in on
your foes when locked on.
Damage: 20
Speed: XXX
Range: XXXXX
Usefulness: XXXXX
Notes: It does good damage, has great range, and is a nice way to
damage or kill fleeing opponents. Missiles hit hard and with good
accuracy, so they're a fine idea in ranged battles. They can chase your
enemies all the way across the battlefield if need be(though it usually
hits before then).
Name: Super Missile
Description: The king of explosives is well worth the effort you put in
to reach it; you now have the power of huge, deadly explosions at your
command.
Damage: 50
Speed: XXXX
Range: XXXXX
Usefulness: XXXXX
Notes: It's like being a kid in a candy store here. For almost 30
seconds you can track down and slaughter your opponents with the Super
Missile's incredible damage. It's fast too, and it locks on and homes,
so if you can see your enemy, he's a good as dead unless he's smart
enough to put an obstacle between himself and the missile. Other than
that, enjoy your missiles while they last.
Name: Morph Ball
Description: Morph Ball Bombs release up to three small blue spheres
that soon explode into shockwaves. It does small damage but it really
adds up, especially when you use them to confuse your opponent or draw
them him into traps. Using a bomb when very close to an enemy will
explode it immediately instead of having the lag time. It's also useful
for drive-by attacks with the Boost ability. Speaking of boost...by
charging B in morph ball mode, you can release stored energy to reach
high speeds. The flame aura that forms around you during Boosts can
even damage enemies! On to Power Bombs. These puppies will unleash a
mammoth explosion that will absolutely shred anything near you to tiny
bits. Of course, you gotta get it to hit the enemy. So what do you do,
plant it on them from above. Trap them in a corner and set one off. Use
it while Boosting. Just think I'm sure you can come up with many more
ideas for the morph ball other than escape...
Damage: 10 bombs, 10 boost, 99 power bombs
Speed: XX bombs, XXXXX boost, X power bombs
Range: X bombs, X boost, XXX power bombs
Usefulness: XXXX all
Notes: Well, since I just realized I put all my notes up in
Description, oh well. Uhh...Morph ball is good? I guess? Have fun with
it.
Name: Heavy Turret
Description: Man the gun to fire enormous green shots. Use with
caution; you can still be harmed.
Damage: 75 per hit (!)
Speed: XXX
Range: XXXXX
Usefulness: XXX
Notes: Yes, the damage is ridiculous for something that can fire like
the turret. However, there is a way to beat a turret camper. And that
is the morph ball slot directly behind it...more on that in the
Strategy section.
Name: Kinetic Orb Cannon
Description: When firing out of one, you become a weapon o.O
Damage: Uh...insta-kill!
Speed: XX?
Range: Kinda hard to determine.
Usefulness: X
Notes: I included this because I felt like it. If an enemy touches you
when you enter the hologram, they die. End of story.
SECTION 5: [str] Strategy
------
This is where I shall *arnold schw. voice* PUMP YOU UP! Seriously, you
need to have some sort of battle plan or tactic to win. If you just
charge in with guns ablazin', your enemy will turn, yawn, and then pelt
you with missiles. You need to defend when you need to, counterattack,
and use the terrain to your advantage while forcing the opponent(s)
into bad situations.
---Offense---
When you decide to go on the offensive, pay attention to both your
beams and the enemy's. If he has a Light Beam, stay out of range and be
ready to duck behind corners to avoid the charge-shot. If he has a Dark
Beam, strafe a lot so his shots miss, and stay at midrange. If he's got
an Annihilator, then it takes a bit more cunning. You should try to
play defensive here; try to whittle down his ammo until he's forced to
use something different against you. To fight against the annihilator
is like fighting a stone wall- it's very hard and time-consuming.
You'll need more tactical planning with your morph ball, grapple beam,
and other methods of attack since using your beams against the
annihilator is not always a good idea.
---Defense---
If you're losing health, try to maintain a higher position than your
opponent. This forces him to look up manually or back up far enough to
see you, both of which take some time so you can escape. Use pillars,
walls, and other obstacles to block shots, and strafe out in erratic
intervals so you don't make a pattern. Better yet, strafe out one side
a few times and then pop out the other side or attack from a completely
different direction. Attacking with a surprise element not only is a
health-saving tactic but also is very fun and rewarding, just like
shooting out the floor from underneath someone's feet in Shooting
Gallery or swinging on the grapple beam while massacring your friend
who's in the ventilation duct directly in front of you. Using indirect
methods of attack puts you in a better position to be offensive, and
increases your odds of winning in general.
---Morph Ball Tactics---
The morph ball is a great thing in MP2 that's just a little different
from the big-name, big-multiplayer shooters. The morph ball is not just
a tool for escape. You can also be fiercely offensive with it. Yeah, it
sounds funny being "fiercely offensive" with a little ball, but can you
take an ordinary rubber ball and set off massive bombs or speed along
at 60 MPH directly into your neighbor with it? No. The morph ball has
three main methods of attack discussed in the Weapons section. Bombs,
power bombs, and boost. The bombs are the basic form of attack. They're
weak but using them together will add up. It also adds up if you
confuse the hell out of your opponent with them and then unroll behind
them and start blasting away. Morph bombs can be used as a quick way to
break up the flooring in Shooting Gallery while enabling you to escape
in time(boost). Bombs have a lot of variety in them; you just need to
know how and when to use it. You could even surround an enemy with the
3 bombs if you've got the time and health to do so. Just think. There
are many more uses for bombs. They may not be in this FAQ, but they're
in your head, and that's what makes this game simply awesome.
Morph ball boosting is our next topic. Boosts deal as much damage as
one bomb. Not much, but you can use it as a hasty retreat or as a last-
resort method of attack. Retreating with it is easy enough, but what do
you do if there's a missile on your ass? Roll into a lower elevation.
Roll behind a wall. Roll behind your opponent. Roll this, roll that.
Just roll. Ok, sorry. The boost is also used if you need to cross a
room that the enemy is in and you want to do it fast. If the exit is on
a higher elevation, don't attempt to bomb jump- instead, temporarily
unroll and quickly jump up. This puts you at a better position. While
you're a larger target, you don't need to waste time just sitting there
as a ball waiting for your bombs to go off. You can also be ready to
fight back if your enemy turns and starts firing, and you'll be at a
higher elevation to boot so that buys you some time if you can't fight
back. Then you can duck safely behind a wall or corner(unless someone
else is behind you!) and morph. While boosting, a nasty trick is to
place bombs right as you pass your opponent. You could even do this
with power bombs, just try to have good timing and get it behind them
so if they don't know what's going on, they will be dead- the time it
takes to turn 180 degrees around to look will kill them.
Power bombs...the insta-killers. If you place them right, that is. Just
putting one at your enemy's feet is a bad idea since he can just back
up and watch the pretty fireworks. Instead, try placing one behind him-
sneak up. Or even more fun is to spot your enemy below you, bounce
right on top of his head, and THEN lay a power bomb. Hooray! You can
also try placing them in hard-to-see spots, so you can hope that your
enemy doesn't see that particular place until it's too late. You can
trap your foes with power bombs. Force them into a small area with only
one exit, and block it off with a power bomb. This buys you time to get
into a better position for attacking if they survive. IF they survive.
To make sure that doesn't happen, place it nearer your enemy. This
ensures that they die, and the exit won't matter anymore ^_^
---The Power Beam---
The power beam is your weak default beam. It is weak. Very. A single
shot does 1 damage. A volley of them does maybe 8. C'mon, your morph
bombs do more than that. This beam sucks, right? Not really. It's got
low power, yes, but it is helpful in the beginning and it's a fun
weapon to use if you feel like saving your ammo or chipping an enemy to
death. This weapon is one of the most accurate you have simply because
of its speed. The extreme rapid-fire capabilities allow you to shoot
volleys of this weapon in great bursts. It can be tiring though. At
least to me. Whenever I try the Power Beam my thumb gets sore...
---The Dark Beam---
Sure, it can be slow, but if you hit with it they will feel it, I
assure you. A common combo is using the charged dark beam over and over
to keep your enemy frozen. Of course, you cannot just rush an opponent
with the dark beam(that's absolutely laughable). You need to sneak up
on him. Spot your opponent coming, duck into a corner, wait for him to
pass, and then pop back out whilst popping him with your Dark Beam. It
also helps to keep a shot charged when waiting- that way, you can have
an attack ready on short notice. Now if they're frozen by your well-
placed Dark shot, you have a number of options. The first is to keep
them frozen with more Dark shots. This is cheesy. I don't recommend it,
but whatever floats your boat. Another option is a missile barrage. Get
yourself at a good distance, lock on, and let loose. Make sure you're
ready to defend against any counterattacks. One more thing you could do
is plant a power bomb directly in front of him for an easy finisher. An
easy, evil finisher. You need to be fast for this work, or else they
will break free. It's a risk.
Now, you need to hit with this beam. It is not terribly accurate so you
need to make up for that in your own terms. Sneak up, be stealthy,
attack from above or below(preferably above), think of something. Be
varied. Don't use the same strategy to hit with your beam over and over
or else they'll figure it out and punish you.
---The Light Beam---
Here we go. This a short-ranged, fast, accurate weapon(sorta opposite
the Dark Beam). You can make your enemies go flamity-flame-flame!! You
gotta get in closer range to hit with it unless you use the charged
shot, which is recommended for its range and homing ability. The light
beam has a decent rate of fire you can blast away if they get careless
or if you encounter them in front of you and they don't notice(they're
turned away or preoccupied). You can use the homing to your advantage;
just find a nice spot to snipe and fire away when they're not near any
obstacles. Good spots for this are the catwalk in Spider Complex and
the side areas of the top of Sidehopper Station. Be creative. This is a
fairly straightforward and easy-to-use weapon, but you can come up with
a lot of strategy with such simple things as terrain, elevation, and
enemy position.
---The Annihilator Beam---
The mammoth of the beams is BACK and BETTER THAN EVER!!! Okay I just
had to say that. Really, Annihilator is a very powerful(if brief)
weapon. Even collecting an annihilator icon is great; full refill for
both dark and light!! Assuming you have both beams, of course. Getting
an annihilator won't magically sprout the other beams. Anyway,
annihilator is a deadly weapon. Very powerful, very rapid-fire, and
great homing ability. Basically this is a button masher beam. If you
can get the enemy in sight, you can kill him in 20 mashes. Is he hurt
already? Then it's even less. Of course, just sitting there firing is a
bad idea. You need to be dodging his shots too. Keep an eye out on what
he's doing, and where he might be heading. If he's smart, he'll try
some clever trick against you or bust out a Death Ball to shove down
your throat. Be sure to save your ammo. Don't use the charge shot
unless he's in close range(watch out for light beams and charged dark
beams). Strafe, aim carefully, and fire when you have the opportunity,
like when he's busy charging something. If you get overwhelmed, don't
be afraid to run. It's better to save your own life and that tasty
annihilator than to lose it by being stubborn. Having an annihilator
does not make you anywhere near invincible. You have great attack
power, yes, but hey, Frodo and the gang DID take down that troll, did
they not? Keep an eye out for tricks. Take care, even with your
annihilator.
---The Missile Launcher---
Your missiles are some of your most deadly weapons. Great damage, good
speed, great accuracy, and a good radius to boot. Use them on fleeing
opponents or in your attacks as a mix-up. Not much to say here other
than have fun with them, like Super Missiles. Just be sure to not hit
any obstacles.
---The Heavy Turret---
The turret in Shooting Gallery is the focal point of the arena. Whoever
has it is the king of the hill. I personally like the freedom of
movement much more than 75 damage attacks, but whatever. If you have
it, you're in luck. It can be tough to breach a turret, but it's
possible so you have to have good aim. If you don't eliminate the
threat, they CAN kill you. The turret can be fired at and destroyed
just like you. If you have low health, you can hop in the turret to
save your life though. So it's good. You can fire across into the
pillar room, and if you have extremely precise aiming, you can hit even
the BACK of the pillar room, past the pillar! Be sure to watch the room
you're in, too. Hitting a moving target can be difficult, but you can
improve you odds by shooting apart the grates in the room to decrease
their mobility. You can even hit people while they're grappling. It's
very amusing. Even if you don't have a friend, try it out with a second
controller. It's really funny.
Anyway, what if you're trying to attack the turret? You can destroy it
two ways: Reduce its HP to 0 through conventional attack, or zoom
behind it and set off the morph ball slot to blow it up. It doesn't
really matter; both methods take effort and strategy. If your opponent
is careless or has bad aim, though, you could just save yourself some
time and boost up the walkway and set off the slot since it's quicker.
Now, if you're fighting the turret, that's a different story. Two hits
and you're gone. So you need to know where you're going. If you just
need to cross the room quickly, boost by with your morph ball. If you
need to traverse it any other way while fighting, you must avoid the
grates at all costs. They can be blown out from under you, dropping you
in acid and possibly reducing the number of times you must be hit from
2 to 1. Be careful, and use the turret's recoil time to your advantage.
You can attack or escape safer when it has just fired a missing shot.
Oh, and if at all possible, grab the super missile next door if you
just want to blow the crap out of the turret.
SECTION 6: [msc] Misc. Info
------
This is where I list all the odds and ends that didn't really fit
anywhere else.
1) Morph Ball Racing
2) So what's in that Randomizer, anyway?
3) Music Unlocking
4) Level Unlocking
5) Double-bomb Jump
1). Morph Ball Racing
---
A fun way to pass the time is morph ball racing. Set a course, have
each of you grab one power bomb, and race! Set different bombs to
impair other people's courses and boost to get ahead or smack another
player out of the way. Decide some laps, and there you go! Morph Ball
racing is one of those things that people wished were in multiplayer,
but hey, it IS!
2). So what's in that Randomizer, anyway?
Randomizers are those pillars of light with the ? symbol in it. They
can contain the following:
Unlimited Beam Ammo - Self explanatory.
Unlimited Missiles - See above
Invisibility - See above...use Dark Visor to see an invisible enemy or
when you see the enemy dot on the radar disappear
Invulnerability - Go on a killing spree!
Massive Damage - Doubles your attack power, turns those super missiles
into killing machines
Death Ball - This turns you into an electric morph ball; any who touch
you are most likely dead
Hacker Mode - Scan someone to hack them, distorting their vision and
doing damage
These all wear off after a few moments, so use them quickly.
3) Music unlocking
Music is unlocked through playing the game.
Luminoth(Temple Grounds theme) - Find U-Mos. If you're at the beginning
of the game, don't worry, he is not far away.
Pirate Fear("approaching pirates" theme) - Speak to U-Mos after
restoring energy to the first temple.
Torvus Bog(Torvus Bog theme) - Speak to U-Mos after restoring energy to
the second temple.
Sanctuary(Sanctuary Fortress theme) - Speak to U-Mos after restoring
energy to the third temple.
Darkness(Dark Samus battle theme) - Beat the game.
Dark Echoes(Menu theme) - Beat the game.
4) Level unlocking
Levels are also unlocked through playing single player.
Pipeline - Gotten along with Torvus Bog soundtrack.
Spires - Gotten along with Sanctuary soundtrack.
5) Double Bomb Jumping
Most everyone knows about this(in fact it's required sometimes in
Metroid games to get things). To perform this move, lay a bomb in morph
ball mode, and right before it explodes, lay a second one. Now as you
are launched into the air from your first bomb, lay your third one a
little below the apex of your jump. If timed right, you will be blasted
up twice as high and can reach higher places. You don't really need
this in multiplayer, but it's in here anyway.
SECTION 7: [bye] Bye byes!!
------
I'd like to thank Retro for bringing us Metroid Prime as well as this
masterpiece. I think they did a great job with the multiplayer too, for
their first try. It's incredibly fun, and that's why I made this FAQ.
Second I want to thank GameFAQs and all of the users there including
CJayC for keeping this site awesome all these years. Great job,
everyone!
Note: Since the first version of this guide does not have any player
input other than mine(duh), there are no further credits. If you want,
you can e-mail me at...
[email protected]
Please do not send spam and all that, it's just plain grr.
Other than that, feel free to send me your comments, suggestions,
strategies, etc. I will gladly put your name in this section.
So have fun! That's the point of this game, right? Hell, it's the point
of all games. So have fun!!
