Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Battle Mode Guide
by TwilightPhoenix

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Table of Contents
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1. The Purpose of the Guide
2. Disclaimer
3. Action Race
 A. Characters
 B. General Strategies
 C. Stages
4. Treasure Hunt
 A. Characters
 B. General Strategies
 C. Stages
5. Shooting Battle
 A. Characters
 B. General Strategies
 C. Stages
6. Kart Race
 A. Characters
 B. General Strategies
 C. Stages
7. Chao Race
8. Chao Karate
9. Version History
10. FAQ
11. Other Guides By Me
12. Contact Info
13. Copyrights

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The Purpose of the Guide
--------------------------------------------

The idea behind this guide is to somehow improve your playing ability
in the multiplayer modes of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.  This guide
describes each character, alternate costumes where applicable, and
various stage strategies.  Each section is broken down by the mode it's
found in.  In other words, all the characters and stages for one mode
are together and not mixed in with any other mode.  That way you don't
have to jump around to find relevant information for the mode you're
interested in.


--------------------------------------------
Disclaimer
--------------------------------------------

This was written for the GAMECUBE version of the guide.  There very
well may be changes from the Dreamcast version in how the game plays,
strategies, and so forth.  I don't have access to a DC, let alone a copy
of SA2 itself with a save file of everything unlocked, so I'm powerless
there.


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Action Race
--------------------------------------------

The objective of the race mode is simple:  reach the goal ring first.
Of course, it's not just running down a strip of asphalt, you have to
play through the stages and run, grind, bounce, jump, homing attack, and
summersault your way to victory, all the while collecting rings to use your
special abilities to hinder your opponent.

Players start in equal positions, usually side by side.  Middle markers
are placed sporadically throughout the courses, usually in the same
places that they are in single player.  When a player dies, they return
to the farthest middle marker.  Player progress through the course is
tracked on the bottom of the screen.  Also, if handicap is turned on, a
player will get an ability upon respawning and also get better
abilities with less rings.  The farther behind they are, the better
the ability.


-----Characters-----

Sonic -  Sonic is very similar to his in-game playing style.  He is a
middle speed character with average jump height, but has access to the most
abilities.  He is able to perform the Homing Attack, Light Dash, Spin Dash,
and Summersault.  He cannot use the Bounce Ball, Magic Hands, Fire
Summersault, Mystic Melody, and Ancient Light, unfortunately.  His special
abilities are Speed Up, Sonic Wind, and Time Stop.  Without handicaps, he
gets each ability every twenty rings in order, restarting at eighty.

Speed Up -  Double your running speed for a few seconds.  Best used in areas
where all out ground speed is ideal.  Combine with a Speed Shoes power-up
and make or close some serious distance between you and your opponent.

Sonic Wind - Unavoidable attack that damages the opponent.  If they have a
shield, it'll destroy it.  It'll knock a player backwards, so its often a
good idea to wait to use it.  Ideally, you want to use it to knock the other
player to their death, so use it when they're bouncing on springs, grinding,
making large jumps, using the homing attack, or when they have zero rings.
Note there is a small delay in which the opponent can retaliate with their
special abilities after you execute Sonic Wind, so don't be surprised if
you get hit by Chaos Spear or Amy Flash right after using this ability.

Time Stop -  Freeze time for ten seconds.  Not only is the player trapped,
but enemies and traps are also stuck too!  If you're grabbing tons of rings,
it's a cheap follow-up to Sonic Wind, especially if you knock them down.
You can also attack a frozen opponent too.  Do note that its time can be
drained quicker by rotating the control stick.  Also, while time is stopped,
you cannot use special abilities.

Sonic is one of two characters with Light Dash and Spin Dash, so abuse them.
Spin Dash can be used to attack the other player and generate quite a bit
of speed in a small space with little time, as well as making you invincible
to basic attacks.  Though it does slow down the longer you're in it.  Light
Dash can be used to cover large gaps quickly and speed through other areas
faster than usual, all the while collecting rings!  On levels like Metal
Harbor this advantage is huge.

If you get all A ranks with Sonic in single player, you'll get an alternate
costume which allows him to do Sonic Wind every twenty rings!  It's
extremely deadly and a great counter to Amy's cheapness.  However, Metal
Sonic's Black Shield can stop it, so he is the counter to this suit.  If
you die with handicaps on, you can still get Speed Up and Time Stop.


Shadow -  Shadow is very similar to his in-game playing style.  He is a
middle speed character with average jump height, but has access to the most
abilities.  He is able to perform the Homing Attack, Light Dash, Spin Dash,
and Summersault.  He cannot use the Fire Summersault, Mystic Melody, or
Ancient Light, unfortunately.  His special abilities are Speed Up, Chaos
Spear, and Chaos Control.  Without handicaps, he gets each ability every
twenty rings in order, restarting at eighty.

Speed Up -  Double your running speed for a few seconds.  Best used in areas
where all out ground speed is ideal.  Combine with a Speed Shoes power-up
and make or close some serious distance between you and your opponent.

Chaos Spear - Unavoidable attack that damages the opponent.  If they have
a shield, it'll destroy it.  It'll knock a player backwards, so its often a
good idea to wait to use it.  Ideally, you want to use it to knock the other
player to their death, so use it when they're bouncing on springs, grinding,
making large jumps, using the homing attack, or when they have zero rings.
Note there is a small delay in which the opponent can retaliate with their
special abilities after you execute Chaos Spear, so don't be surprised if
you get hit by Sonic Wind or Amy Flash right after using this ability.

Chaos Control -  Freeze time for ten seconds.  Not only is the player
trapped, but enemies and traps are also stuck too!  If you're grabbing
tons of rings, it's a cheap follow-up to Chaos Spear, especially if you
knock them down.  You can also attack a frozen opponent too.  Do note
that its time can be drained quicker by rotating the control stick.
Also, while time is stopped, you cannot use special abilities.

Shadow is one of two characters with Light Dash and Spin Dash, so abuse
them.  Spin Dash can be used to attack the other player and generate quite
a bit of speed in a small space with little time, as well as making you
invincible to basic attacks.  Though it does slow down the longer you're in
it.  Light Dash can be used to cover large gaps quickly and speed through
other areas faster than usual, all the while collecting rings!  On levels
like Metal Harbor this advantage is huge.

If you get all A ranks with Shadow in single player, you'll get access to
a new costume for him.  The costume gives him the ability to use a five
second Chaos Control every twenty rings.  However, unless Shadow is in the
lead and/or grabbing a bunch of rings, this is mostly a minor
inconvenience.  However, it's great against Metal Sonic, since his Dark
Shield cannot do anything about it.  And if you are collecting a bunch of
rings, your opponent may not get the chance to move very much.  If you die
while using this suit, you might get Chaos Spear or Speed Up when you
respawn if handicaps are on.


Amy -  She is slower and cannot jump as high as the other characters.  So,
at glance, she might look pretty useless.  Then you might notice that she
gets her abilities every ten rings.  On levels with many rings, she can
become your worst nightmare!  An endless storm of special abilities
accompanied by "He he he!", "Yeah!", and "Just wait a minute!"  Do note
that Amy cannot use the Light Dash or Spin Dash, which can put her at a
big disadvantage in some areas.  Her special abilities are Speed Up,
Storming Heart, and Amy Flash.

A piece of trivia, when Amy does the Homing Attack, she whips out her
Piko Piko Hammer, but doesn't use it at all.  I wonder why?

Speed-up -  Doubles Amy's running speed for a few seconds.  Unlike Sonic
and Shadow, since Amy is slower than normal, this boost doesn't steal your
control as much, so there are more places where you can use it without
much risk of crashing into enemies.  Combine with a Speed Shoes power-up
to start moving really fast!  ...well, fast for Amy.

Storming Heart - Unavoidable attack that damages the opponent.  If they
have a shield, it'll destroy it.  It'll knock a player backwards, so its
often a good idea to wait to use it.  Ideally, you want to use it to knock
the other player to their death, so use it when they're bouncing on
springs, grinding, making large jumps, using the homing attack, or when
they have zero rings.  Note there is a small delay in which the opponent
can retaliate with their special abilities after you execute Storming
Heart, so don't be surprised if you get hit by Sonic Wind or Chaos Spear
right after using this ability.

Amy Flash -  Freezes time for twenty whole seconds.  Thats quite awhile!
During this time, all enemies and traps are frozen too, allowing you to
navigate the area with little difficulty.  If you're getting enough rings,
it's a cheap follow-up attack to Storming Heart.  Do note your opponent can
rotate the control stick to speed up the timer on it.  Also, you cannot
use special abilities while this ability is active.


Metal Sonic -  He's fast!  Real fast!  But...thats about it.  Metal Sonic,
while quick, actually isn't all that good.  He has the potential in the
hands of a skilled player, but on the average levels he's just kinda meh.
He has the Homing Attack and Summersault, but he lacks the Spin Dash and
Light Dash, which both of which will allow Sonic and Shadow to overtake and
pass him very easily.  He also lacks special attacks, but instead has a
Black Shield.  So if he falls behind, your opponent needs to make some
mistakes for him to catch back up, and you cannot really count on that.

Black Shield -  Protects Metal Sonic from all damaging attacks, including
Sonic Wind, Chaos Spear, and Storming Heart.  However, it will not block
time stoppage.  Also, when using this ability, Metal Sonic gradually slows
down, speed boosts are less effective, he cannot change directions, and
he drops like a rock.  Its best use is for stopping the aforementioned
special abilities and Spin Dash attacks.  There are better ways to avoid
the Homing Attack. Summersaults and enemies are easy to avoid anyways.


-----General Strategies-----

Remember, Sonic and Shadow have the Light Dash and Spin Dash.  Use them
and abuse them.  Light Dash can be used to quickly grab lines of rings
while traveling over distances and gaps at high speeds.  Also, it can
occasionally be used to attack the other player if they happen to be in
the way and fresh rings are close enough to continue the dash.  The Spin
Dash can be used to accelerate to high speeds very quickly while becoming
impervious to Homing Attacks, Light Dashes, Spin Dashes, and Summersaults.
It also damages your opponent if they get hit.  It does, however, get
slower the longer you're in it, so make sure to jump or something to
escape.

All characters can use the Homing Attack to get a boost in acceleration
from low speeds.  If an opponent is going fast enough, you can use it to
chase them indefinitely with zero effort on your part.  Only problem it's
not too reliable of a trick in a number of situations.

Beware of the "Amazing Hedgehog Thrower".  More of a glitch than anything,
but it is amusing.  To do it, a player needs to get a check point and
position himself right where the opponent will spawn.  The opponent needs
to die and respawn.  Before respawning, the first player needs to start
charging the Spin Dash, but not release.  Every time the second player
respawns, they will die instantly!  Over and over again!  A great way to
irritate your opponent.

Check points are often play a pivotal strategic role.  When a player dies,
no matter how far behind they were, they will return to the marked check
point closest to the finish line.  A player far behind can catch up by just
getting killed.  However, the front player can prevent this by not marking
check points.  This is risky, because if they die, they go far back!  Also,
grabbing a check point often gives you rings or a power-up.

Be sure to use moves like Sonic Wind when they're sure to kill your
opponent, either directly or by knocking them into a bottomless pit.  Just
be ready for the counter attack if handicap is on.

Use Speed Up when you don't need to worry about precision AND you'll be
running on the ground.  This and the Speed Boots power-up do not in any
way help air speed, grind speed, etc; only running.

If you're in the lead, try to grab as many rings as you can.  The less
rings available to your opponent, the less likely they can catch you.

You can do tricks off of ramps by pressing 'A' while on foot and
snowboarding, often allowing you to either go farther, move faster,
and/or reach areas that are normally difficult to get to or completely
inaccessible otherwise.  On Final Rush, you can also do trick off of rails
by pressing 'A' whenever you pass over a bunch of holographic green arrows.
These will allow you to do some really high and far jumps, enabling you
to skip small sections of a level that would otherwise slow you down.  You
can also do rail tricks on Sky Rail, though I haven't quite figured out
the timing yet.

Remember, there aren't any points in Battle Mode.  So doing nifty, albeit
unnecessary tricks, like doing a Light Dash to an out-of-the-way rail won't
trigger any bonuses, just waste time.  Though showing off is always fun.


-----Stages-----

Downhill Race -  A snowboarding course.  It's more difficult than the one
in City Escape, complete with a large number of ramps and metal fences to
get in your way, as well as a fair number of turns.  Be careful how you use
ramps.  Hitting 'A' early on the ramp makes you less likely to run into
something, but hitting it late will allow you to go farther, faster.  It'll
also let you do cooler stunts (or if you're Amy, her only decent stunt).

Also, the fastest way to go around a corner is to follow something known as
the racing line.  When approaching a corner, it's best to start on the
outside.  As you go through the corner, you should come very close to the
inside wall.  You should come out of the corner on the outside again at a
higher speed than otherwise possible.  Coincidentally, it's easiest to do
this on single 90¡ corners.  A 'S' corner is the toughest.


Grind Race -  The race is mostly grinding, with a couple of brief running
segments.  The trick to winning is to crouch the whole time and switch to
the fastest rails, usually the one on the inside of the corner.  You can
switch quickly by pressing left/right and A, though it takes practice.
It also slows you down a tiny bit, so don't do it for no reason.  If you
die, you can get a special ability to use on the running segment if
handicap is turned on, though Speed Up is pretty much useless.  You can
also find a bonus rail with forty rings by jumping at the end of the rail
before the second check point.  This will give Sonic/Shadow their attack
ability, but only allows Amy to use Speed Up.  Useless for Metal Sonic.


City Escape -  Starts off with a snowboarding segment, though has more
ramps than single player.  These are usually side-by-side, so you still hit
the same number of ramps.  You cannot use special abilities while
snowboarding, but you can still get hit by them, so try to get through this
as quickly as possible.  The same skills in the Downhill Race work here.

Some enemies are moved around, but not a big issue.  Though the ring chain
switch at the start of the running segment is gone, so no Light Dash there.
When running through, always opt for grinding rails and taking the high
routes.  They're faster and often more rewarding.  During the downhill
running segments, use the ramps to grab rings and power-ups, along with
boosting your speed.  Also, avoid cars, they slow you down.  Though Speed
Up works in these sections, along with the wall running segment.  The
course ends prematurely just after the wall running.


Metal Harbor -  Move forward a little bit at the start to gain an
advantage.  Or you could try a Spin Dash to knock an opponent out early.
Note that many of the ring trails have been replaced by springs.  However,
the ones you don't have to use to cross gaps are still there and give a big
advantage to Sonic and Shadow over Amy and Metal Sonic, since this is where
most of the rings are.

The part where you have to Homing Attack multiple foes can be bypassed
more quickly with the spring, though going through the long way, while
risky, does give rings for your trouble.  At the end of the level, the
rocket is gone, forcing you to use springs and small platforms to cross to
the missile.  Where you normally grab into the missile is where the goal
rings is.


White Jungle -  An early Spin Dash is evil!  If you're Sonic or Shadow, do
it!  You get an attack chance on your opponent and can usually shoot ahead
of the competition.  The rest of the level plays mostly like White Jungle
in single player, though there are springs to compensate for a player
getting certain vines first.  Otherwise they have to wait.  So it's
important to reach vines first, since they're usually faster or you'd be
stuck waiting on a new one.  Also, wait to use moves like Chaos Spear when
an opponent is just coming off a vine.  They're immune to being knocked
around while on it, but they usually can be killed very easily the moment
they come off a vine.  The level ends where you either get the Air Shoes
or, if you already had them, Light Dash across the gap.  Try to miss the
spring at the end, it'll save you time.


Green Forest -  Like Shadow's foliage filled counter-part level, an early
Spin Dash is dangerous.  The same thing applies to vines on this level,
though they are not as common.  Also, some of the side-paths and enemies
have been removed, which isn't a problem.  Those were usually slower
anyways.

Once you get off the the first hollow log and you see the three GUN Robots,
there's a side path to the left that goes up.  The reason why this path is
worth taking is for the long ring line you can use Light Dash on, saving
Sonic or Shadow much time while guarantying a special ability.  After the
first check point you can Light Dash the rings and reach a rail which leads
you straight to the next spring.  There are several other rails on the
inside of the turns in the hollow log parts that you can grind.  These
will allow you to avoid Spin Dashes and often get you rings.

When you reach the bungee vine, do not hold 'A'.  There's nothing down
there to reward you for the waste of time.  Also, keep in mind the last
check point is pretty far from the goal ring, so getting killed after it
can cost you the race.  On the other hand, if handicap is on, a special
ability might give you a second chance.


Sky Rail -  The same as single player, minus the side paths for Ancient
Light.  The strategy here lays in good rail switching and reaching the
propeller springs first.  If you fall behind on getting to one, you'll have
to wait even longer.  Though if someone is on one of these (or on the rails
for that matter), you can easily knock them down with an attack like
Storming Heart.  At the end of the level, if you have a Speed Up, take the
rail that goes down.  This way, you can use the speed boost to reach the
goal ring faster.


Radical Highway -  Anyone know why one of the easiest levels in the game
is Level 3?  Lets be honest, White Jungle is harder, even if just slightly.
There are a ton of rings on this level, along with a fair number of ring
lines for Light Dashes.  So, whoever is in the lead will probably win...
unless it's Metal Sonic, due to a simple lack of special abilities.
Although he can still starve the opponent of rings.

If you're Sonic or Shadow, Light Dash the rings on flat ground.  The ones
where you're going vertical or on a loop-de-loop can get you killed.  When
you reach the forks in the road for the loops, the first one take the left,
the second take the right.  Those have extra boosts.  Also, towards the
middle of the stage when you have a choice of going up or down, go up.
It's faster, even if it's a little tougher.  You'll need to do a trick off
a ramp to reach is feasibly (takes too long otherwise).  Speaking of ramps
you're better of doing tricks whenever you hit them.  It's best to do them
middle/late while on the ramp so you don't undershoot the shortcuts.


Final Chase -  Unlocked by clearing the Hero Story.  And man, I love this
level.  It's nice and long, with lots of neat grinding, awesome tricks to
do off of rails, and tons of paths and shortcuts.  Do note that the
position indicator is pretty inaccurate, though the game still knows who
is in the lead.  So no 10-ring-20-second-Chaos-Control-Handicap for the
leader.

There's some awesome shortcuts early in this level.  At the start of the
level, once you're off the rocket, move forward slightly and you'll start
grinding at a higher speed.  You can either do a trick off the rail or ride
it off normally.  Hold forward and aim for the purple rail on the left.
The next big shortcut isn't long later.  You'll see a rail going down from
the platform you're on.  Ahead is a square platform with an enemy and
a purple rail.  Jump over and take that rail.  Eventually you'll reach
the side-by-side rails, you can jump to the left for some rings.

The third big shortcut is at the end of the huge three-level corkscrew, and
is the biggest one in the entire level.  At the end, jump to the rail on
the right.  If you look carefully, you'll spot a distant, third rail to the
right that appears to go straight into oblivion.  Jump to it.  Don't worry if
you miss.  If you keep holding forward while following it, you should
eventually land safely on it.  You'll skip a large portion of the level.
You can also do a trick at the end to skip the first vertical rail (do
Homing Attacks on these to climb them quickly).

When you hit the vertical rail after a booster amid the long series of
small vertical rails, if you hold right you sometimes can grab onto a
square platform saving some time.  Jumping can help sometimes.  The fifth
shortcut is after the huge vertical rail.  Take the one on the right and
you can skip another bit of the level with a rocket.  The final shortcut
is towards the end by doing a trick off a rail to skip the last vertical
rails.  The level ends just before the colony debris avalanche.


Final Chase -  Unlock by completing the Dark Story.  And man, I hate this
stage in single player.  However, I can't help but feel disappointed
that it is so short.  You don't start grinding and it ends very early.  I
don't know if this is even the same level, since the gravity drum and
spring pattern is so different.  Since it's so short, there isn't much
strategy.  Just run to the end as fast as possible.  And be careful on the
gravity drums, they're extremely glitchy.


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Treasure Hunt
--------------------------------------------

In this mode you go searching for items.  Usually shards of the Master
Emerald, but sometimes a few other things.  To find them, you'll have to
search, dig, glide, and swim while relying on your character's senses to
pinpoint the item in question. Players start side-by-side and respawn at
the starting location on death.  You can often find power-ups by just
digging in the ground.  You can also use the hint system to help you find
the item.

On a side note, I personally think all the special ability animations in
this mode are rather poor.  They're nothing like Chaos Spear or Dark
Finish.

All characters gain their abilities every twenty rings.


-----Characters-----

Knuckles -  He plays exactly like he does in single player.  However, he
only has access to his Shovel Claws, so no Air Necklace, Iron Knuckles, or
Sunglasses.  Knuckles' attacks consist of a one-two punch followed by an
uppercut.  He can also do a sort of spinning attack by rotating the control
stick and pressing 'B', though this takes practice and has little
use in this mode.  His special abilities are Hammer Punch, Thunder Arrow,
and Power Flash.

Hammer Punch -  Slam the ground, causing a small quake that can knock the
opponent off their feet and stun them.  It'll also knock opponents off
walls, so it's a great move against the other player if the player is close
to finding an emerald buried in the wall. This can be avoided by either
being in the air or by digging.

Thunder Shoot -  Special attack that directly damages an opponent.  When
it hits, it will make the other player dizzy, messing up their controls,
which can be quite annoying.  Though this lasts only for a few seconds.  It
can be avoided by digging.

Power Flash -  Freezes time for ten seconds.  Most useful when your
opponent is about to grab an emerald.  Otherwise it's just a minor
inconvenience, since this mode typically takes awhile anyways.  You can
escape it by rotating the control stick.

Knuckle's alternate costume, unlocked by earning all 'A' ranks with him,
grants him the ability to use Thunder Shoot every twenty rings.  Annoying
with all the dizziness that can be dealt to an opponent, but it can also be
dodged by digging.


Rouge -  She plays exactly like he does in single player.  However, she
only has access to her Pick Nails, so no Treasure Scope or Iron Heels.
Rouges' attacks consist of a one-two kick followed by a jump kick.  She can
also do a sort of spinning attack by rotating the control stick and
pressing 'B', though this takes practice and has little use in this mode.
Her special abilities are Hip Drop, Black Wave, and Charm Ray.

Hip Drop -  Slam the ground, causing a small quake that can knock the
opponent off their feet and stun them.  It'll also knock opponents off
walls, so it's a great move against the other player if the player is close
to finding an emerald buried in the wall. This can be avoided by either
being in the air or by digging.

Black Wave -  Special attack that directly damages an opponent.  When
it hits, it will make the other player dizzy, messing up their controls,
which can be quite annoying.  Though this lasts only for a few seconds.  It
can be avoided by digging.

Charm Ray -  Freezes time for ten seconds.  Most useful when your
opponent is about to grab an emerald.  Otherwise it's just a minor
inconvenience, since this mode typically takes awhile anyways.  You can
escape it by rotating the control stick.

Rouge's alternate costume, unlocked by earning all 'A' ranks with her,
grants her to use a five-second Charm Ray every twenty rings.  Not very
useful at all.  Its only advantage is that it cannot be avoided.


Tikal -  While her special abilities look exactly like Knuckles', she does
not play the same as her main character counterpart.  She is quicker than
the other characters by a little bit, but her regular attacks have short
range (they're like Knuckles' by the way).  Also, her senses are weaker,
causing her to only sense emeralds in the yellow and closer range.  This
is a mixed curse.  It is certainly a hindrance, but it also makes it harder
for the other player find the emerald by relying on your treasure sense.
Her special abilities are Wrath of Gaia, Heaven's Justice, and Captive
Light.

Wrath of Gaia -  Slam the ground, causing a small quake that can knock the
opponent off their feet and stun them.  It'll also knock opponents off
walls, so it's a great move against the other player if the player is close
to finding an emerald buried in the wall. This can be avoided by either
being in the air or by digging.

Heaven's Justice -  Special attack that directly damages an opponent.  When
it hits, it will make the other player dizzy, messing up their controls,
which can be quite annoying.  Though this lasts only for a few seconds.  It
can be avoided by digging.

Captive Light -  Freezes time for twenty seconds.  Most useful when your
opponent is about to grab an emerald.  Hers is actually pretty useful,
since it is, well, twice as long as normal.  You can escape it by
rotating the control stick.


Chaos Zero -  The antagonist from the original Sonic Adventure.  He is
slow, but his punches (which look just like Knuckles' and Tikal's...hmmmm)
have a big reach, though they're slow too.  His main advantages are the
power of his time stopping special and his ability to breathe underwater.
Yes, that's right.  Chaos Zero can breathe underwater.  His special
abilities are Chaos Impact, Chaos Strike, and Chaos Bind.

Chaos Impact -  Slam the ground, causing a small quake that can knock the
opponent off their feet and stun them.  It'll also knock opponents off
walls, so it's a great move against the other player if the player is close
to finding an emerald buried in the wall. This can be avoided by either
being in the air or by digging.

Chaos Strike -  Special attack that directly damages an opponent.  When
it hits, it will make the other player dizzy, messing up their controls,
which can be quite annoying.  Though this lasts only for a few seconds.  It
can be avoided by digging.

Chaos Bind -  This move freezes time for thirty seconds!  Even for this
mode that is one very long time!  Useful at pretty much any time, sheesh.
You can speed it up by rotating the control stick if he hits you with it.
Believe me, you'll need it.


-----General Strategies-----

While gliding, you can dive by pressing 'B'.  While diving, you will descend
very quickly and damage the other player if you happen to hit them.
You can cancel a dive by pressing 'A' to resume gliding.  Use this to drop
altitude rapidly and then break into a glide to avoid digging.

You can dig to avoid almost all attacks!  Only time stopping moves will
work on you.

You can simply jump to avoid ground pound attacks.

Get a sort of pattern going on that you use to check the whole level.  This
will save a bunch of time.

Use hints wisely.  And I don't mean think about them carefully.  While
there are no points, your opponent has access to them too!  If he has no
clue where it is and you have at least a vague idea, try not to use hints.
I normally ignore them except on the large stages.

If you get hit by a move like Black Wave in the air, you can instantly
glide again once you get hit.  It's pretty much impossible to kill someone
with these moves if they don't have zero rings if they know they can do
this.  So save your Thunder Shoots for when your opponent gets close to
the emerald.

You can dig pretty much anywhere and randomly find rings or power-ups.

You don't have to grab emeralds in order.  If you see one and it's not
pinging, go ahead and grab it anyways!  It'll still count!

I recommend keeping the time limit off on this one, as it makes completing
the larger levels near impossible.


-----Stages-----

Pool Quest -  A segment of Aquatic Mine, the emerald is somewhere
underwater.  Because of this, Chaos Zero dominates this level.  While
everyone else has to go up for air or die, he'll never drown.  Only one
emerald can appear in this level.


Planet Quest -  You know that small, spherical planet in Mad Space?  Yeah,
it's this level.  Only a single emerald buried somewhere on the planet.
Just run around until you get an exclamation mark and then start digging.


Dry Lagoon -  This is only about half the level, the second part with the
actual lagoon.  It can be divided into four sections:  left side, right
side, center, and underwater.  Chaos Zero handles the underwater section
quite easily.  The best way to do this level is to go about 3/4 into the
east and west end, checking for a signal if you don't already have one.
Once you pick one up, start looking.  Emeralds are very rarely underwater.


Egg Quarters -  Same as single player, minus the Egg-Beetle and the
stealth element.  Your best bet is to run laps around the level while
searching for a signal.  Once you find one, it's likely to be in the
upcoming room or, on occasion, in a nearby hallway.  Remember there is a
tiny chamber near the ceiling in the egg chambers.


Security Hall -  The top floor is inaccessible and all the safes are now
unlocked.  There are three floors with three walls.  I find it easiest to
find a signal by running around the second floor and
jumping/gliding/climbing until I get one. Then I check up.  If thats a no
go, then keep going along the path.  Nothing there, check the first floor.
Though sometimes it's not on the outside walls, so make sure to check the
giant crate areas and small rooms in the inner wall, as well as the
rafters.


Wild Canyon -  Just like single player, minus all the hidden rooms.  Can
be broken down into four areas:  underground, central area, left area, and
right area.  You start underground, so check it first.  Then ride the wind
column up, if nothing, fly 3/4 into each area and try those.  To go back
underground again, look for the little holes in the center area floor.
You might have to move stuff to find it.


Pumpkin Hill -  This area is pretty darn big.  The three main emerald
locations are the main mountains:  Church Mountain, Ghost Train
Mountain, and Pumpkin Mountain.  Sometimes it'll be around the starting
area or on one of the distant pumpkin pillars, however.  Check the
mountains first, followed by the starting area, and then the pillars.  The
latter can take quite awhile.


Meteor Herd -  This is a huge area, complete with a ground area, a tower,
dozens and dozens of floating platforms, and an inverted tower to literally
top it all off.  There is no good way to find the emeralds fast, though
they often are not on the ground area.  The best way to search is to scale
the platforms without use of springs/rockets/etc.  Though if you need to
go up quickly, they're there.

A few nice changes here include a smaller number of enemies, no meteors to
come and randomly smack you, and the underground area cannot be opened up,
removing a slightly smaller area of possibilities.  Though just try to
avoid getting killed.  It can hurt you a great deal, especially if the
emerald is on the inverted tower and you were just up there.


Death Chamber -  Complete the Hero Story to unlock this level.  The rooms
can be divided by color.  There is also the big center room where you start
and all those little hallways.  Best way to do this is to run laps
similar to Egg Quarters.  Though make sure to check the center room every
so often.  A good thing to know though is that the huge water filled
chamber is gone.


Mad Space -  Complete the Dark Story to unlock this level.  This place is
even bigger than Meteor Herd.  To top it off, the clues are either
written backwards or tell lies.  This area, however, can still be divided.
Starting platform, gravity planet, capsule planet, the blue, meteor magnet
planet, random platforms, the inverted tower, and the ring of tiny
platforms way below everything else.  Most emeralds can be found at the
capsule planet while a fair number still spawn in the random platform
area, inverted tower, and platform ring.  The minorities are the other two
planets followed by the rare start location emerald.

When checking the capsule planet, be sure to examine both ends.  It is so
large the emerald cannot be sensed from the wrong end.  Try to avoid the
gravity planet unless you intend to search for an emerald there, as getting
sucked to it by the gravity is quite annoying.  Finally, only check the
platform ring if you've checked the other major sources.  It takes a long
time to check all of those platforms and it takes awhile still to get back
up to the start location.


--------------------------------------------
Shooting Battle
--------------------------------------------

In this mode the object is to kill your opponent, as opposed to it being
an optional pastime.  The players control mechs and typically start
opposite of each other.  Rings and balloons with rings or power-ups
periodically spawn around the arena.  Rings restore health to each player
and power-ups act the same as always.  The winner is whoever is left alive
at the end of the match, whether they killed their opponent or not.

All characters get abilities every twenty rings.


-----Characters-----

Tails -  Like all the other characters from the single player mode, he
players similar to how he does solo.  Tails has access to his Hover Jets,
but lacks Mystic Melody, the Vulcan Cannon Upgrade, and the Laser Upgrade.
His abilities are Laser Missile, Rocket Launcher, and Power Laser.

Laser Missile -  Fires a burst of fast moving semi-homing shots, identical
in appearance to the lock-on shot.  Does a fair amount of damage and is
difficult to evade at close range.

Rocket Launcher -  Launches twelve rockets into the sky, which then lock-on
and seek out your opponent.  These can usually be avoided by simply running
away from them.  If they happen to miss both the target AND the ground or
walls, which is extremely rare, they'll turn around and make a second
attempt.  Usually only the first one to hit, hits.  But it is
possible to get get hit twice by this attack.  Does a fair amount of
damage.

Power Laser - Fires a large, powerful, continuous laser from the front of
the Cyclone.  This inflicts a bunch of damage and Tails will automatically
aim it a bit to the left, a bit to the right, up, and down.  However, you
are totally immobile when using this ability, so use with caution.  One
trick is to jump before shooting, since the descent is slow and you hit
a wider, vertical area.

Tails' alternate costume takes away all of his special abilities, but makes
him extremely fast!  He goes faster than Sonic!  Even in the air!  It's
very difficult to master, but insanely fun.  Can you say "ZOOM!" boys and
girls?


Eggman -  Like all the other characters from the single player mode, he
players similar to how he does solo.  Eggman has access to his Hover Jets,
but lacks Mystic Melody, the Vulcan Cannon Upgrade, the Laser Upgrade, and
the Heavy Armor (DANG!).  His abilities are Laser Missile, Rocket Launcher,
and Power Laser.

Laser Missile -  Fires a burst of fast moving semi-homing shots, identical
in appearance to the lock-on shot.  Does a fair amount of damage and is
difficult to evade at close range.

Rocket Launcher -  Launches twelve rockets into the sky, which then lock-on
and seek out your opponent.  These can usually be avoided by simply running
away from them.  If they happen to miss both the target AND the ground or
walls, which is extremely rare, they'll turn around and make a second
attempt.  Usually only the first one to hit, hits.  But it is
possible to get get hit twice by this attack.  Does a fair amount of
damage.

Power Laser - Fires a large, powerful, continuous laser from the front of
the Egg Walker.  This inflicts a bunch of damage and Eggman will
automatically aim it a bit to the left, a bit to the right, up, and down.
However, you are totally immobile when using this ability, so use with
caution.  One trick is to jump before shooting, since the descent is slow
and you hit a wider, vertical area.

Eggman's alternate costume takes away his lock-on ability, but grants him
Power Laser every twenty rings!  I consider this a very fair trade, since
Power Laser is so darn powerful, especially if you use it correctly, and
because Lock-on Shots are slow and weak.


Chao Walker -  A faster character (not nearly so much as Tails), but has
lower attack and defense capabilities.  He is a good character for evasion
and hit-and-run tactics, but suffers in a stand-up shootout.  He does take
a bit more skill than Tails or Eggman to play, simply because a mistake can
be pretty costly.  His abilities are Booming Missile, Rumble Launcher, and
Zap Laser.

Booming Missile -  Fires a burst of fast moving semi-homing shots,
identical in appearance to the lock-on shot.  Doesn't do very much damage
and is difficult to evade at close range.

Rumble Launcher -  Launches six rockets into the sky, which then lock-on
and seek out your opponent.  These can usually be avoided by simply running
away from them.  If they happen to miss both the target AND the ground or
walls, which is extremely rare, they'll turn around and make a second
attempt.  Usually only the first one to hit, hits.  But it is
possible to get get hit twice by this attack.  Does a fair amount of
damage.

Power Laser - Fires a medium-sized, short-lived, fairly powerful laser
from the front of the Chao Walker.  It inflicts quite a bit of damage and
Chao will point it in several different directions.  However, it is totally
immobile while using this, so have caution.  One trick you can do is jump
before firing so you can cover a larger vertical area.


Dark Chao Walker -  Of course, it  is the opposite of Chao Walker.  Slow
and ponderous, but high offense and defense.  Not only is it a tank, but
its special abilities are also downright powerful as well.  More difficult
to use than Tails and Eggman, since it requires a bit more forethought to
compensate for the lack of agility.  Otherwise you'll never hit anything
and keep getting pummeled.  Special abilities are Crazy Rush, Hell Bomber,
and Dark Finish.

Crazy Rush -  Fires a burst of fast moving semi-homing shots, identical in
appearance to the homing shot.  And then it fires a second volley!  You can
point the second volley in another direction to trap a player, or force
them one way with the first and then smack them with the second.  Does fair
damage and difficult to avoid at close range.

Hell Bomber -  Launches a whopping twenty-four rockets into the sky, which
then lock-on and seek out your opponent.  These can usually be avoided by
simply away from them.  If they happen to miss both the target AND the
ground or walls, which is extremely rare, they'll turn around and make a
second attempt.  Usually only the first one to hit, hits.  But it is
possible to get get hit twice by this attack.  Does a fair amount of
damage.

Dark Finish -  Fires a huge, very powerful, awesome looking laser from the
front of the Dark Chao Walker.  It inflicts quite a bit of damage and
Dark Chao will point it in several different directions.  However, it is
totally immobile while using this, so have caution.  One trick you can do
is jump before firing so you can cover a larger vertical area.


-----General Strategies-----

Keep moving!  Don't stop unless you know what you're doing.  And even then,
you might want to reconsider it.

The lock-on shots, while homing, are slow and weak.  They often can be
avoided by moving around.  They usually seem to hit by someone
falling/hovering on them, at least for me.

Don't just shoot straight at your opponent.  Aim ahead of them, aim behind
them, change your shots up.  Shoot to trap an opponent and nail them with
the homing shot.  Or use the homing shot to force them in a direction and
nail them with your cannon.

Use the hover ability, abuse it.  It is your friend.  As Omochao says,
"Have you tried slow descents using hovering?"

If you hit a balloon while hovering, you'll get an elevation boost.

When you get close to the other player, don't hesitate to use your melee
attack against him (towards + 'B').  Not only does it harm him like a
normal shot, but it'll send him flying.  You can even knock your opponent
off the stage for an easy win.

One mean trick is to jump, hover, and land behind an opponent, immediately
following it up with a melee attack.  Can be tough to pull of, but it is
very useful.  Or, even better, use the Power Laser.  >:)

If you have a Power Laser and so does your opponent.  Trick them into
using it and dodge it.  Then, while they're immobile, get them with yours!
Alternatively, you can also do the melee attack.

The best way to get hit by the Rocket Launcher is to jump.  It's easiest
to avoid it on the ground.  Unless you're in Tails' second costume...


-----Stages-----

Deck Race -  Wait a minute?  A race in the shooting mode?  Yeah, that was
my first impression too.  The Level 1 stages are short races as opposed
to just beating up the other guy.  Due to this, there are no rings, now
power-ups, and both players are technically invincible, but will still be
stunned when hit.  Hence, Chao and Tails' alternate walker are
good picks for these two, whereas the Dark Chao is a bad idea.

For this stage, both players start right next to each other.  So if you're
fast, you hit the other player with the walker's melee attack, giving you
a bit of a head start.  You'll start by having to cross a group of
horizontally moving platforms which you can simply jump over.  Next are
three moving boxes, simply shoot them to get by and make sure to dodge the
spinning spike balls.  Next you'll have to launch a rocket at the cages,
giving a chance for the other player to catch up.  Also at this point a GUN
robot appears.  Either kill it or avoid its attacks.

Next you'll need to navigate a few walls of indestructible crates by
blasting the wooden ones to proceed.  After this you'll need to carefully
navigate an area full of springs and more spinning spike balls.  If you
hit a spring, just hover over everything, though watch out for the trio of
GUN robots.  Past that is the goal ring.  Jump into it as opposed to
using the springs if the race is really close.


Pyramid Race -  This one starts with a straight forward charge through
destructible walls.  Though don't be too hasty, as the first block hides
boosters facing the opposite direction.  Another wall hides some spike
balls which will slow you down.  You'll then come to a group of more
destroyable walls.  Go through the middle, the left and right are blocked
by those black crates.

Now you have a choice of paths.  Go left.  The right side gets blocked
early on by more black crates.  As you go through, watch out for the spike
balls laying in the way.  You'll then come to a tricky area with a group
of springs beneath spinning spike balls and flanked by boosters on all
sides.  Hitting the boosters will send you back into a wall or the rows of
spike balls you just passed.  So carefully navigate the center and jump
low over the boosters, making sure to shoot your opponent if he is this
far.  Then all you have to do is hop over the fence and get the goal ring.


Weapons Bed -  This area's basic layout is very similar to where Tails
and Eggman first fight.  The obstacle and item placement, however, are
radically different, as is the camera angle.  Both players start opposite
of each other, with springs behind them.  There are two rows of rings on
either side with a wall as well.  Boosters that lead away from the stage
area surround the outside.  On the buildings in the back are power-ups and
rings.  You'll need to use the pulley on the opposite side or the springs
to reach these and the balloon at the front of the stage.  You can also
shoot jets and green boxes if you want, but these yield no rewards.

The best way to play this level is to use all the springs and boosters to
help you dodge attacks.  Try not to run into them by mistake, or you'll
probably get hit.  Only take the pulley when you're sure it's safe, since
you'll be pretty vulnerable up there.  You can also use the wall for cover
if you need to.


Iron Gate -  A small, enclosed level.  It is entirely ringed by laser
beams, so hitting the outside edges will cause you to take damage.  You
start near the center, with boosters behind you that'll send you to the
other side of the level in a flash and are great for avoiding attacks.
The ones at the bottom of the level work like that too, though lead to
short springs that'll make you more vulnerable for a moment afterwards.
The back end of the level has two areas filled with rings blocked by
destroyable containers and surrounded on three sides by lasers, making it
a bit risky.  There's also an elevator used to reach the balloons (or get
over the containers), but it's slow, so be careful using it.


Hidden Base -  This level is very small and narrow, as well as easy to
fall off of, making evasion quite difficult.  You'll start on opposite
ends, pretty close to the edge, so be careful about those initial shots.
Springs are on either end lead to the upper area, which can also be
accessed by climbing the crates.  From there, you can pretty much reach
all the power-ups with homing shots (such as the ones on the other side of
the fences) and the vulcan cannon.  If you can get it, a Power Laser will
fired from either side of the level is devastating and nearly unavoidable.
You can even get hit in the upper area of the stage.


Mission Street -  A flat, long level.  IT's fairly large, but mostly
horizontal.  Both players start far apart on opposite ends.  On either
side of the level is two sets of springs and a destroyable barrier, all
to help keep you on the stage.  The middle, which narrows by the way,
contains two boosters which will shoot you to one side of the level quite
quickly.  All the rings and power-ups are in balloons, of which there can
only be three on the stage, so you'll need your shooting skills here as
opposed to special abilities.  However, like on Hidden Base, a Power Laser
fired from one end is very difficult to avoid.  The best way to dodge it
would be to get close or use the springs.  The boosters here really
aren't helpful for avoiding attacks.


Sand Ocean -  This stage is quite hazardous, as it is very easy to fall
into the stand.  You start on opposite ends of the level's main feature:
a rotating platform, complete with a ring of rings.  On the left and right
are identical platforms with rings and power-ups, as well as pulleys to
help you get around and to hit a balloon way above the stage.  The north
platform merely has a balloon.

You can stay safe by being on any of the three non-moving platforms, but
the match isn't likely to get anywhere.  However, the center platform is
pretty risky, so approach it with care.  I do recommend staying off of it
if your opponent has a special move ready, particularly the Power Beam.
Yes, once again it is very difficult to avoid it, though this time only in
the middle.  On the left and right platforms you can simply grab the
pulley.


Cosmic Wall -  The level is divided into three rectangular platforms
parallel to each other.  You start on the lowest platform, with the other
two above you at separate levels.  Most of the rings and power-ups spawn
on the ends of the lower platform where the players start and in the center
of the top platform.  But the best part about this level, and why I like
it so much, is the gravity.  It's low, so you can actually fly!  It makes
for some great hover tactics and platform switching.  Keep in mind, you
can only gain altitude from a jump.  If you get hit or fall, it acts like
normal.  So don't go flying over the bottomless pit in your evasive moves.


Eternal Engine -  Same room Tails and Eggman fight for the last time,
except there are more chemical containers to beware of.  The screen is now
split as opposed to shared, so you'll need to utilize camera rotation.
Because without it, you won't be able to tell where you're going.  There's
not much room here and few rings, so expect this level to be pretty much
a quick grudge match.  You can avoid the Power Laser like you can in the
main game, fortunately.


Lost Colony -  Probably the most strategic level in the entire mode.  Once
again, the level is splitscreen as opposed to shared, so make sure to
rotate that camera so you can see where you're going.  As for the level
itself, it's best to think of it as a square with a + in the middle.  You
start on opposite corners facing same direction (lap-wise).  The bottom
level is riddled with wood and black crates as well as the high dangerous
explosive canisters.  The middle has an elevator over damaging green liquid
that you can take to the upper level, which can also be accessed by
climbing some stacks of black boxes.

The upper level is where all the rings are at initially, as well as a ring
container above the elevator.  Wood crates will initially prevent you from
hovering to some of the platforms from some directions, but can be shot.
Also watch out for the lasers on the floor near the middle on two of the
platforms

Due to the lack of rings, you're going to have to try to maneuver yourself
into the best position to ambush your opponent.  Hit and run tactics work
great if your familiar with the level, as you can get around a corner and
then quickly climb to the second level to loose your opponent... or punish
him if he tries to follow.  Also bear in mind special abilities, except
the Rocket Launcher, will go through walls, making them very dangerous at
anytime.  So if your opponent gets Laser Missile, expect to take damage.
If they get the Power Beam, try to get to the other level.  It's best to
fire the power beam from a corner to cover the greatest area if you don't
have your foe pinned in a corridor.  In that case, fire directly down it,
as it would be near impossible to dodge.


--------------------------------------------
Kart Race
--------------------------------------------

To unlock this mode, you merely have to clear both kart levels in the
story mode, Tails' and Rogue's.  In this mode, it is simply against the
other player.  Yes, there are four other A.I. racers, but the game
only counts wins/losses based on how the players do against each other.

The stats are SPD (Speed), ACL (Acceleration), BRK (Braking), and GRP
(Grip).  For the sake of explaining them speed is how fast you can
go, acceleration is how fast you can get speed, braking is how fast
you can stop, and grip is how well you can stay on the track.  It
could also be called control.  The most important stats are the first
two.  You could actually do without the others.  The stats I give
are not exact, just rough estimates based on how long the bars are
compared to everyone else's.  I go by Very Low, Low, Average, High,
and Very High.  I also list alternate versions next to the stats.

And believe me, I really wish there was raw numbers I could just
give on these.

Though personally, I wouldn't play this mode if you have a game such
as Mario Kart: Double Dash, as this mode is extremely inferior to
those games, to say the least.


-----Characters-----

Sonic

SPD - High/Very High
ACL - Average/Average
BRK - Low/Very Low
GRP - Average/Low

Sonic's vehicle is pretty average, with high speed, but poor brakes.
He's good on the easier courses, but would take practice to do well
on the Expert track.  His alternate is even faster, but harder to
control.  His GRP in the alternate was difficult to determine, so I
went with low.


Tails/Chaos

SPD - Average/Very High
ACL - High/Average
BRK - High/Very Low
GRP - Average/Low

Tails has good acceleration and decent speed and control, making
him an ideal choice for the more difficult tracks.  His alternate,
the Chao, is very similar to Sonic's two karts.  Actually it seems
to be in between stat wise.  Do note it is smaller, so it can
actually avoid collisions a bit more easily.


Knuckles

SPD - High/High
ACL - High/Very High
BRK - Average/Low
GRP - High/Average

Knuckle's Kart seems a bit overpowered, though keep in mind,
despite my vague method of relaying vague stats, several other
characters are still faster, such as Shadow.  His kart really
works well in any situation, especially in getting off the line
and recovering from crashing.  His alternate is even better, giving
him more ACL in exchange for the near worthless stats.


Shadow

SPD - High/Very High
ACL - Average/Very Low
BRK - Low/Very Low
GRP - Average/Average

Shadow's vehicle is pretty average, with high speed, but poor
brakes.  He's good on the easier courses, but would take practice
to do well on the Expert track.  His alternate is the fastest in
the game, but comes at the high price of very poor acceleration.
If you choose to use it, you better not mess up...


Eggman

SPD -  High/Very High
ACL - Average/Average
BRL - Average/Average
GRP - High/Very High

These stats are so wildly inaccurate, especially in-game.  This
whole mode feels like it was tacked on at the last minute...
Anyways, despite the above, Eggman isn't all that fast.  He
has high grip, but grip is pretty worthless.  His alternate
only sees improvement in speed and grip.  The other stats
remain unchanged.

It's worth pointing out that, unlike all the other characters,
Eggman drops like a boulder.  So jumps are much less useful for
him, though this does give the advantage of keeping control
on the road much more easily, as opposed to flying over a wall
and into the ocean.  Though I have had him spin-out after hitting
a ramp for some reason.


Rogue/Eggman's Robot

SPD - High/Very High
ACL - High/Average
BRK - Average/Average
GRP - Average/Average

Tails has good acceleration and decent speed and control, making
him an ideal choice for the more difficult tracks.  Rogue's
alternate is actually one of Eggman's Robots (I bet it's a character
from a Sonic game I haven't played and I'm going to get emails
about it).  Sacrificing some ACL, it gains speed and grip.  But
really, should grip even be an issue for it?  It's hovering!


-----General Strategies-----

Collecting 20 rings will give you a speed boost.  This makes
you go faster (duh), but also greatly improves your grip on
the road.  If you're sliding all over the place, this will
give you control once more.

You can bounce off the walls if you hit them at the right
angles.  AKA slightly.  This can help you from completely
wiping out, but it will still slow you down.

Speed Boosters will, of course, increase your speed and
give you full control again.  Much like the boost ability.

Ramps will give you a small boost of speed and give you
your control again.  Also, keep in mind you can maneuver
the car in mid-air, allowing you to take jumps that
would otherwise lead into oblivion.

You can start skidding by releasing the accelerate button
momentarily.  This will allow your car to make wild turns
and nimbly move through complicated corners at the cost
of a little bit of speed.  Be careful, as you can
easily loose control when doing this.  To stop skidding,
drive forward a few seconds, hit the brakes a moment,
hit a ramp or speed booster, or use a boost.

Also note skidding changes the crash physics a bit,
sometimes making you bounce of walls easier, other
times making your crashes more catastrophic.

Player 1 always starts in 5th, player 2 in 6th. Always.


-----Stages-----

Beginner Course -  As you would expect, this track is pretty
simple.  There are plenty of rings (that the A.I. usually
gets) and very few obstacles.  The corners are pretty
easy to handle, though they get kinda tight at the end.
Near the finish line is a pit stop with a speed booster
in it, though it might not be worth going for since it's
kind of difficult to make.  Also note, rings respawn when
the first (human) racer makes lap 3.


Standard Course -  This track adds more speed boosters,
as well as introduced ramps and the dreaded 90¼ corner.
It even has a 'S' corner made up of nineties.  You can
hit ramps for a bit of speed, but just don't go flying
off into the sea.  Like the Beginner course, rings only
respawn when the first player makes lap 3.


Expert -  New to this track include a gap in the wall,
a gap in the road, and a corkscrew style turn that leans
tilts towards the sea, making the inside wall useless.
This track is more difficult, so you might want to
take it slowly, especially since it has a bunch of right
angle corners, including a pair that make a 180¼!  Ouch!
Rings respawn every lap, thankfully.



--------------------------------------------
Chao Race
--------------------------------------------

Unlike the rest of the game, up to four people can participate in Chao
Racing.  Also unlike the rest of the game, you don't control the event
directly, but rather watch and occasionally encourage your Chao to go
faster.  The biggest part of the race is raising your Chao.  On how to do
that, please see another guide.  To say there's way too much information
on that subject is barely even an understatement.

During the race, you can press A to give your Chao a brief speed boost
at the cost of some stamina.  This works at any part, except getting up
from tripping.

Speaking of tripping, if your Chao doesn't have legs, they trip less often.
And no, tripping is purely random, but only happens while running.

Supposedly a tired Chao will not perform as well as they normally do.
Since I don't like to make my Chao mad, and I'm not certain if making them
race while tired would irritate them, I haven't tested this.

Your Chao's stats play a role in the race, naturally...

Swim -  How fast your Chao can swim.  Only useful in water.

Fly -  How far and fast your Chao can fly.  Rarely used, but a high fly
stat can cover quite a bit of distance and even avoid some parts that
require swimming and/or climbing.

Running -  The most important stat by far.  How fast your Chao can cover
ground.  This is used heavily in almost all the races.  A Chao with a high
run stat and low stats everywhere else can just outrun the competition to
every part they're not so good at, where'll they'll get caught back up to
again.  But, once through it, they'll be in the lead once more!  And
considering that you almost always have to run a short stretch to the
finish line...

Power -  How fast your Chao can climb walls and make fruit fall from a
tree.  Not used that often.

Stamina -  How much energy your Chao has.  It slowly drains over the course
of the whole race, mostly while running.  You can spend some of it to
make your Chao get a speed boost.  Tons of stamina will let you boost a
bunch.  Just don't overdo it.

Intelligence -  Unseen stat, not sure how to raise it (most likely
classes).  Not used too often really:  once to open a lock and once to
figure out a simple puzzle.  Though the penalties for having a stupid Chao
is pretty severe when there's a call for smarts.


-----Stages-----

As much as I hate to say it, there's really not much strategy here in
the actual races.  Just knowing when to press A really.  Other than that,
it all depends on Chao stats.

Crab Pool -  A pure swimming course.  Only swim and stamina come into
play here.  The winner will simply be whoever can swim the fastest.


Stump Valley -  A flying focused course, but can utilize everything.  A
good flyer only needs run, fly, and stamina to win, as they'll completely
avoid the swimming and climbing segment.  And trust me, even being forced
to climb just a little is a major slow down here.


Mushroom Forest -  A pure running course.  Only run and stamina come into
play here.  The winner will be whoever can run faster and doesn't trip (or
trips less).


Block Canyon -  A power focused course.  Running helps in getting to the
wall first, but after that whoever is strongest will most surely win.


Aquamarine -  To unlock this or any of the others, you need to beat, in
single player mode, all levels of the above courses.  Stats with 300 or
higher will certainly net victory at each respective course.  Anyways, this
is a swimming focused course, though running helps in getting from pool to
pool and flying can help save some time at the Crab Pool as well.


Topaz -  Flying focused, though some power and swimming help, as does
running.  At the second jump, if your fly stat is high enough, you can
completely skip the swimming segment.  You might notice that the later
half of this course is very similar to Aquamarine...


Peridot -  A pure running course.  Only run and stamina come into
play here.  The winner will be whoever can run faster and doesn't trip (or
trips less).  You'll need much more stamina here than any of the other
courses, save Onyx and Diamond.


Garnet -  A power focused course, though running helps a bit, as does
flying at the very first part (and swimming if you really suck at flying).
Keep in mind there's no way to eat fruit any faster.


Onyx -  Eh, the braniest, luckiest Chao are supposed to dominate here,
but really it's runners, followed by the swimmers... so long as they
have at least decent intelligence.  Ideally, running helps here quite a
bit because you get to puzzles sooner.  Luck is crucial at the first part,
as getting surprised really hurts.  What's really important is getting to
the puzzle first, especially if there are few correct answers.  Because if
your Chao gets it wrong, odds are you won't win the race if your opponent
gets it right.


Diamond -  Well balanced stats help here.  In order of importance to
victory, I'd say Running, Swimming, Power, then Flying.  There's also
the same puzzles from the Onyx race, so be sure to try to get your Chao
there first.


--------------------------------------------
Chao Karate
--------------------------------------------

Like Chao Racing before it, Chao Karate does not have much interaction
once it's started.  A well raised Chao does best.  Though there are three
ways to influence the battle other than raising.  The first is
mandatoryish.  If your Chao starts sleeping, messing around, whatever, you
need to rapidly tap A.  This is more of an issue with younger, slower Chao.
Older, faster, more intelligent Chao attack much sooner and loose morale
much slower, making this happen much more rarely (and making it much worse
too).  Secondly, by giving your Chao a hat, you can boost defense slightly
at the cost of offense.  And thirdly, while not a good idea in my opinion,
you can stop your Chao from kicking by removing their legs.  This hurts
when all your Chao does is slow wind-up punches.

To win, your Chao must completely beat up the other Chao or knock them
out of the ring.  The more damage you inflict per attack, the farther
they'll get knocked back, which in turn will make them take longer to do
their next move.

Punches and kicks are random.  Unless you take away a Chao's legs, then
it's just punches.

And stats effect things too...

Swim -  Chao's defense.  This has two effects.  Higher defense means
less damage.  It also means you're not going to get knocked as far.  Very
useful.

Fly -  How well your Chao can avoid attacks.  The more fly, the more
likely you can dodge.  The bigger the fly difference between opponents,
the less the lower-fly Chao can avoid and the more the higher fly Chao
can evade.  This is all luck based, however.  Even if you had a fly of
3000, you might not ever dodge the entire match...

Run -  How fast the Chao is.  Or really, how long before they can go again.
Pretty important early on, but eventually the Chaos can get fast enough to
where they don't have to wait regardless, making additional speed moot.

Power -  Most important stat.  How strong your moves are, and determines
what they are.  Not sure on all the exact numbers, but really low power
makes your Chao attack like a baby, which is really slow and weak.  Raise
it some and they'll start standing, enabling faster punches and kicks.
Then they get a little karate battle-stance, which is merely cosmetic.
Finally, at 500 and up, they'll get wind-up punches, which are painfully
slow, and spin-kicks, which are painfully fast.  At higher level rounds,
the luck of which move the Chao chooses plays a large role.  Hence why
taking away their legs is a bad idea:  spin-kicks are superior.

Stamina -  As you would expect, the Chao's life.  High stamina and low
defense, and vice versa, will get a Chao defeated quite easily.  Have both
stats high and your Chao will become a tank... or at least be able to take
its fair share of blows.



--------------------------------------------
Other Guides by Me
--------------------------------------------

Escape Velocity Nova:  Close Combat Guide -  This is an in-depth guide
that tells you what ships, weapons, and outfits are good for close
combat, as well as giving multiple techniques on how to fight at close
range.

Ares:  Walkthrough -  Contains information on all the races, ships, and
other objects.  It also contains general hints, game basics, single
player walkthrough, and multiplayer hints and level strategies.

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends: Lu Bu -  Contains Lu Bu's move list,
how to use him, how to beat him, his weapon status, recommended item
set-up, and a walk through for his level.


--------------------------------------------
Contact Info
--------------------------------------------

Questions?  Comments?  Did I have incorrect information on something?
Email me at [email protected].  Make sure to have something
like "SA2:B Battle Guide" as the subject.  Also, no attachments unless
I am expecting one from you.  Finally, hate mail will be ignored, deleted,
and blocked.

Also, let me know where you found the guide, especially if you are not on
GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) or Super Cheats (www.supercheats.com).

--------------------------------------------
Copyright Info
--------------------------------------------

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