****************************
* NES Total Recall FAQ *
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Author: David Mitchell
[email protected]
Date: 2002-06-20
Version: 1.0
All information in this document Copyright (c) 2002 David T. Mitchell
This document may be reproduced and distributed so long as it is not sold
for profit. Please do not make changes to the document if reposting for
public consumption.
Total Recall and the characters therein are copyright (c) 1990 TriStar
Pictures
===============================================================================
CONTENTS
1.Story and Introduction
2.Moves
3.Items
4.The Game: Level by Level
4.1 Mr. Quaid's Neighbourhood
4.2 The Giant X-Ray Machine
4.3 Futuristic Subway Security is Murder
4.4 Hobotown
4.5 Welcome to Beautiful Mars
4.6 Darn Sunday Drivers
4.7 Blue Collar Baddies
4.8 Zombies from Mars!
4.9 Death to Bob Barker
5.Arnie's Tips (general strategies and secrets)
===============================================================================
1.STORY AND INTRODUCTION
Loosely based on the movie starring Arnold Schwarzenneger, Total Recall puts
you in control of Douglas Quaid, a working stiff who suffers serious memory
loss after a virtual trip to Mars, courtesy of Rekall Inc. Like any good
Schwarzenneger character, Quaid decides to settle his problems with his fists
and an arsenal of guns.
I recently forced myself to play through this mediocre NES title, and I thought
someone ought to benefit from it. If you are struggling through Total Recall,
I feel your pain, hopefully my FAQ can help you out in some little way. The
"moves" and "items" sections should be self-explanatory. The "level by level"
walkthrough includes descriptions of the enemies, since each level has it's
own selection of enemies. Arnie's tips features a special guest appearance
from the action hero himself, Arnold will share his best strategies and top-
secret tips for beating Total Recall with you here.
Finally, please excuse my Canadian spellings, and my terrible sense of humour.
I'm making up all of the names for items and characters as I go along, because
I don't have the instructions, and besides, it's funnier this way. This FAQ
contains spoilers, so watch out if you don't want to know the next "exciting"
plot twist in Quaid's adventure.
===============================================================================
2.MOVES
Quaid isn't going to be able to infiltrate Rekall Inc. by sitting on his duff.
Learn how to control him here.
On foot:
---------
Directional Pad: Press left and right to walk, up to climb ladders or enter
certain doorways, and down to duck.
A Button: Press this to jump. Hold down while jumping to "jump down" from
certain platforms.
B Button: Press this to punch or fire a weapon.
Start Button: Press this to pause the game.
Note: You can toggle between weapons while the game is paused by pressing
left and right on the control pad.
In the car:
------------
Directional Pad: Press up and down to steer, right to accelerate and left
to slow down or reverse.
B Button: Press this to fire handy-dandy car-mounted machine guns! Those
Martians know how to do transportation right!
A Button: Press this to drop a landmine; they can't stop cars, but they will
blow up those annoying snipers that pop up behind you.
===============================================================================
3.ITEMS
Quaid will be able to pick up a few handy items during his battle with Rekall
Inc. which will help him in his quest to stop that nasty Rekall Inc. To pick up
any item, just touch it.
Hand Gun: Quaid can equip himself with this in a few places on earth. It fires
slowly, but it's better than bare-knuckle fighting.
Machine Gun: This features slightly faster fire than the hand gun (slightly is
the key word). You can pick it up on the way to Mars.
Laser: Quaid's most powerful weapon is found in the second-last section of
Mars.
Soylent Soda (a.k.a. Energy Canisters): Soylent Soda is Quaid's favourite
drink! When he picks a can of it up, it will restore somewhere between 1/3
and 1 of his energy blocks. Enemies may drop these after being defeated.
1-Up: Quaid's old friend Voodoo Joe left behind lots of shrunken heads that
Quaid can pick up for an extra life.
===============================================================================
4.THE GAME: LEVEL BY LEVEL
Each level description includes information about the enemies and traps in that
level and a walkthrough.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1 Mr. Quaid's Neighbourhood
Quaid decides to search his apartment for clues. Unfortunately, he lives in
one tough neighbourhood!
Enemies
--------
Driveby Thugz: These nasty rascals drive around the neighbourhood shooting
at any and all passerby. You are likely to run into them near the cinema,
and they cannot be stopped. Dodge their bullets and move on.
Pink Alley Midgets: The genetics division of Rekall Inc. has secretly been
developing a strain of super midgets designed to take out troublemakers
like Quaid. If Quaid walks past an alley, one of these little persons may
try to grab him, and then Quaid will have to defeat several midgets before
he can leave the alley and continue his journey. They jump around a lot
and it takes about two hits to beat them. To avoid these guys completely,
just jump past every alley you see: they will only attack Quaid if he's
walking.
Rats: Some of the alleys have rats in them. They don't seem too dangerous,
just hit them once or avoid them altogether.
Trash Can Kids: After enduring years of terror at the hands of the Driveby
Thugz, these youngsters decided enough was enough. They hang out in trash
cans near the cinema where they can pop out and ambush the Driveby Thugz.
Quaid can't hurt them, so just jump over their bullets.
Police Cops: With a neighbourhood full of miscreants like the Trash Can
Kids and Driveby Thugz, is it any wonder the local law enforcement is a bit
jumpy? The Police Cops hang out on the second floor of the station waiting
for unsuspecting citizens to pass by, then they leap out in groups and
swarm all over their enemy. Luckily, they can only withstand one punch.
Stand in place and press B repeatedly, or try to stand where the Police
Cops will land and punch them as they get there.
Crazy Bob: Crazy Bob lives in the lot outside the Police Cop station. He
likes to poke sticks through the holes in his fence when people who walk
by; it's the only human contact Crazy Bob gets. Avoid his stick, because
that futuristic, high-tech wooden fence is too much for Quaid to get past.
Just avoid the holes in the fence.
Old Man Pearson: Living right next door to the Police Cop station, Old Man
Pearson fears for his life. So he's equipped himself with a variety of
bombs. The best thing to do is to try to jump up the stairs outside Old
Man Pearson's window as quickly as possible, and dodge bombs if you can.
You may get hit by one bomb, but they're surprisingly weak.
Spandex Lady: If I remember correctly, Spandex Lady was a major character
in the film. Here she just attacks Quaid in his apartment with a handgun.
She's jumpy, but she'll drop the gun after three hits, and can then be
killed with three or four more shots from the gun.
Machine Gun Thug (a.k.a. Richter): This balding fellow will hound you
throughout your campaign to stop Rekall Inc. If you turn back during your
trip to the apartment, Richter may be waiting for you, and he can kill you
with a single touch! Later, he shows up at Quaid's apartment and he lays
down an endless stream of machine gun fire. You can easily duck under it
(Richter's not too bright), but you'll eventually have to jump past Richter
to get out of the apartment.
Walkthrough
------------
The battle starts outside the Cinema. Early on you'll run into the Driveby
Thugz: if you duck right away when you see them, their bullet fire should
pass right over you. You may also want to stop in the Cinema to see the
game's credits. Be forewarned that the Driveby Thugz will be waiting for
you when you get out. After this, you'll have to make your way past a
tricky network of trash cans and alleys. Keep jumping to avoid getting
attacked by Pink Alley Midgets and to avoid gun fire from the Trash Can
Kids.
Your next stop is the Police Cop station. The Police Cops will jump out of
one of two windows, and they land underneath the window opposite of the one
they jumped out of. Try to be standing where they will land and punch them
as they get there. If one lands far away, face him and punch repeatedly.
Don't walk towards him, as he will probably punch you before you get to
him. While you fight the second bunch of Police Cops, Crazy Bob will try
to poke you with his stick. Just stay in the central area, and avoid the
holes while you fight the Police Cops.
Your next test is to get by Old Man Pearson. As I said before, you should
basically try to get up the stairs as quickly as possible. Avoid the bombs
if you can, but it isn't too serious if you get hit by one. After you get
past him, you have to jump from roof to roof (apparently Quaid's apartment
doesn't have a front door). You'll encounter the Police Cops again, but
this time you can just stand in the center of the screen and punch them as
they jump out of their windows. After this you'll have to jump across
several rooftops, and the Driveby Thugz may make a second appearance; if
you're jumping quickly, their gunfire will miss you completely.
When you finally jump your way to Quaid's apartment, press up to enter it.
You'll see Richter's big ugly face on the screen, and a few shots will be
fired through the door. Stay still and duck under the shots. Spandex Lady
will burst into your apartment. You should jump over her shots and try to
land next to her, then punch! After you punch her about three times, pick
up her gun, and try to keep your distance from her so that she can't kick
you.
If you take too long fighting Spandex Lady, Richter will show up at your
door and fire his machine gun. To get out of the apartment, you have to
walk over to the door, and jump towards it. You can do this while Richter
is firing, but you have to be careful not to get hit too much. If you try
to stay near the door during your fight with Spandex Lady, this will be
easier, because you won't have to jump through his bullets.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2 The Giant X-Ray Machine
Quaid makes his way to the subway station, where he hopes to escape. It
seems like a clever idea, but apparently futuristic subway stations are
armed with highly advanced and lethal security systems.
Enemies
--------
Subway Security Guards: In Total Recall's future, Subway Guards are
authorized to use lethal force, and some even come armed with guns! These
guys jump and duck a lot, making them hard to shoot. They take about seven
hits to kill.
Security Bots: These little orbs are mounted in the ceiling of the giant
x-ray machine, where they fire at people who forget to validate their
tickets. If you walk underneath them, they may dislodge themselves from
the ceiling and start chasing you! It takes about five hits to destroy
one.
Walkthrough
------------
The whole fight takes place in a giant x-ray machine, with a 1-up at the
far right side. To escape, you must kill all the Subway Security Guards,
but you don't have to destroy all of the Security Bots! The best strategy
is to stay on the far left, dodging the first Security Bot and staying far
enough to the left to avoid getting shot by the other two Bots. Kill the
first three security guards, and shoot the fourth one four or five times,
then make a dash to the right to grab the 1-up. Turn around and finish off
the last Security Guard, and then run to the right, and Quaid will jump out
of the x-ray machine.
You must not kill the last Security Guard until you pick up the 1-up,
otherwise Quaid will escape from the x-ray machine before you can grab it.
If you have trouble getting through the level this way, you may want to
kill all of the security guards before making a run to the exit; you won't
get the 1-up, but that doesn't matter if you always get killed while trying
to get it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3 Futuristic Subway Security is Murder
Quaid made it past the giant x-ray machine, but he's still got a big fight
ahead of him if he actually wants to board the subway! To make matters
worse, it looks like he dropped his handgun down the side of the escalator,
so he'll have to fight with his fists.
Enemies
--------
Grey Foot Soldiers: Rekall Inc. troops that come armed with guns. They
jump around a lot but don't shoot very often. Three punches will make them
drop their guns, at which point they start to kick. Three or four more
punches will knock them down for good. I suggest jumping towards them an
punching them as you land, they seem to be less likely to attack you if
you do this than if you walk straight towards them.
Rabies Hounds: Rekall Inc. keeps all of it's dogs rabid just so they'll
be more vicious: they like to bite people in the rear. You can kill them
by ducking and punching, but since they usually appear alongside Grey Foot
Soldiers, it's easiest to jump over the Rabies Hounds and concentrate on
the Foot Soldiers. If a Rabies Hound bites your bum, press left and right
rapidly on the direcional pad to shake him off.
Red Foot Soldiers: These wimps will try to ambush you if you get on top of
the subway cars. They can only withstand two punches, and they don't carry
guns. Use a similar strategy to the grey ones, jumping towards them and
punching as you land, to take these guys out.
Walkthrough
------------
There's a fairly simple pattern to this level. First, you'll have to fight
a Grey Foot Soldier and a Rabies Hound. The Rabies Hound will
automatically disappear after you beat the Foot Soldier. Now, jump onto
the link between the subway cars, and from there jump to the top of the subway
cars to grab the health-replenishing Soylent Soda located there. You will be
attacked by Red Foot Soldiers up there, if you can beat the Grey ones, these
ones should be no problem. Now move to the left, and you'll see another Grey
Foot Soldier and Rabies Hound attacking. You can get back down to the ground to
fight these two by jumping and holding down on the directional pad. Once they
are beaten, repeat these steps. You will fight past about three subway cars in
this fashion, until you get to the last car, where you just jump in the door by
pressing up.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4 Hobotown
Someone calls Quaid and tells him to put a wet towel on his head. I guess Quaid
gets this kind of thing all the time, because he does it without hesitating.
The mysterious caller then tells him to come to the cement factory and pick up a
briefcase. What he doesn't mention is that the old cement factory is a popular
hangout for hobos.
Enemies
--------
Midget Hobos: At a glance, these appear to be your typical homeless little
people, but a closer look at those beareded faces reveals that they're actually
some of Rekall Inc.'s genetically-enhanced super midgets, working under cover!
You can tell they're under cover because they're wearing trenchcoats. These
guys play it cool at first, pretending not to notice Quaid. But if he attacks
them, they'll charge at him with fiery hobo sticks! Luckily, they just run
straight forward, making them easy targets. Four hits from the gun or eight
from Quaid's fists will put these guys out of commission.
Fire Pits: The main reason the cement factory has such a thriving hobo
population is because it has lots of handy fire pits for sitting around on a
cold night. Don't touch them, stupid!
Giant Spike Balls: These big, spikey balls are real beauties, I tell you! No
futuristic cement factory should be without them! They're great for...smashing
cement up into smaller bits, or something like that. Anyway, these things drop
down from the ceiling, and then fly back up; Quaid will have to dodge between
them. Note that it's better to try and aim just a little bit to the right of
the center between two spiked balls then dead-on the center: they seem to hit
Quaid from the left more easily than the right.
The Hobo King: Revered by the other hobos for his nice trenchcoat and fancy hat,
this guy is impervious to bullets, and his hat is a lethal weapon. He's also
holding Quaid's briefcase, so you have to beat him. He'll take about a million
punches to knock down, and the only thing that makes it possible to beat him is
that he will often stand in one spot, throwing his hat in the same direction
over and over again while you punch him in the back. For a few more tips on
beating him, read the walkthrough.
Walkthrough
------------
This is a big level, so I've broken it down into three sections: getting to the
boss, fighting the boss, and getting out of the level.
Getting to the boss:
----------------------
In the first area, you should jump over the fire pit and Midget Hobo, then turn
around and take the midget hobo out. Climb up the ladders on this side of the
fire pit; you'll find a spiked ball falling up and down above one of the
ladders, but it's pretty easy to avoid. Just climb up until you're about halfway
off the ladder, then as the ball is rising, make a break for it. Your prize for
coming up here is a new gun.
Climb back down the ladders and kill the Midget Hobo again. Now jump over the
fire pit and climb the ladders on the left. You can fight some more midget
hobos if you want but you don't have to. Eventually you'll come to another spot
where a spiked ball is falling just above the ladder: this one is much trickier
to get past. If you poke your head up over the ladder at all, the ball will hit
you. Do your best to get past it, but if you get hit once, it's no big deal.
After a bit more climbing and one more Midget Hobo, you will run into your first
big group of spiked balls. As suggested before, when you're trying to stand
between two of the balls, you should try to stand just a little bit to the right
of the center.
Once you get past these, you'll run into another Midget Hobo, and there are
ladders going both up and down. Go up first, you'll find a 1-up hidden up
there. Then follow the ladders down past two or three more midget hobos.
You will eventually find yourself in an area above two midget hobos, one of
which is already running around with his fiery stick. Climb part way down the
ladder above him, and get ready for some tricky timing. Wait for him to run to
the left of Quaid, and just after he turns around and starts running to the
right, press left on the directional pad. You should fall down to the left of
him: quickly turn around and shoot him down. You should probably do the same
to the one sitting by the fire, because otherwise you'll have to jump over him
and the fire, which is hard to do without getting hit.
Now you'll climb up a series of ladders on the right side of the screen, facing
more Midget Hobos, and eventually another series of spiked balls. Then you'll
face two more midget hobos, one of which will charge at you automatically, and
finally you're ready to fight the boss.
Fighting the Boss:
-------------------
The Hobo King is very dangerous. If you had to take him on in a fair fight, you
would lose. But luckily this isn't a fair fight because the Hobo King is very,
very stupid. Still, his hat can cause a lot of damage, so it is good to have at
least four blocks of energy before fighting him. The first thing you should do
is switch from your gun to your fists - for some reason he's impervious to
bullets but not punches. You can do this by pausing the game and pressing left
or right on the directional pad.
Now climb down the ladder until the Hobo King starts to walk towards you, then
climb part of the way up. You want your feet to be more or less even with the
bottom of the top floor, but you don't have to go all the way up. He should
walk under you and turn around. When he gets to the right of the ladder, drop
down and punch him from behind as fast as possible. If you get hit by his hat,
he may turn around; if he does, run to the other side and punch him from behind
there. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but unless you get hit, he will
usually stop turning around and just throw the hat in the same direction while
you punch him from behind.
After punching the Hobo King A LOT (at least forty times, I don't know the exact
number), he will fall down and leave behind Quaid's briefcase. What mysteries
lie within? We'll never know, because the game never even mentions it again.
But rest assured, it was something really good. Unfortunately, the Midget Hobos
are angry at you for killing their leader, and they want revenge! You now have
to return to the starting point of the level, and the Midget Hobos will attack
you on sight now instead of waiting for you to attack them.
Leaving the level:
-------------------
Most of this will just be a repeat of what you already did, but you have to try
to remember which side the Midget Hobos will be on when you're climbing down
ladders so that you can immediately face them and shoot. I'll describe a couple
of particularly hard sections here:
First, the section where you had to drop down with one Midget Hobo running
underneath you earlier will be harder now, because you'll have two running
underneath you. It is possible to use the same technique as before to drop down
and kill them both without getting hit, but it's hard. Do your best.
Second, right after that section, you'll have to climb a ladder with a Midget
Hobo running around above you, it's impossible to get past him without getting
hit, so make sure you have some extra energy before going through this section.
You can stock up by repeatedly killing earlier Midget Hobos and picking up any
Soylent Sodas they drop.
Finally, after getting past the spiked balls near the beginning, be sure to face
to the left before climbing down the ladder and stand your ground and shoot as
soon as you get down. Otherwise, your reflex reaction will probably be to run
to the right to avoid the Midget Hobo when you get down the ladder, and this
will cause you to run straight into a spiked ball, which causes a lot of damage.
When you get to the start of the level again, you'll have to jump over the fire
pit, and that somehow causes you to exit hobotown. Now you're ready to go to
Mars!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5 Welcome to Beautiful Mars
Enemies
--------
UFOs: These pesky robots fly around and fire heat-seeking bombs. It takes about
four shots to knock one down, but they always leave behind a nice supply of
Soylent Soda. You can also shoot down the bombs, if your shooting skills are
sharp enough.
Lasers: The place is also outfitted with laser beams, but they're fairly easy to
avoid. One shot will take them out, and they can only fire straight forward.
If you know where they are, they shouldn't pose any problem at all.
The Grenade Brigade: Rekall Inc. has sent out a troop of grenade-bearing
fighters to stop Quaid on Mars. They can only withstand three shots from
Quaid's machine gun, but if they manage to hit a window with a grenade, it may
suck Quaid out into Mars' unwelcoming atmosphere. They tend to duck a lot, and
won't attack while Quaid is firing. They take three shots from the machine gun
to kill.
Walkthrough
------------
The level is split up into four sections, and they're all pretty similar.
The first thing you should do in each section is hope up to the top of the
beams. There are some pretty obvious platforms on top of them, and there are
some less obvious ones in the middle. Climb up here, and take out the UFO
(there is one in each section). If you are in the first section, the UFO will
be there as soon as you start. In the second, third and fourth sections, you
need to jump to the top of the second beam before the UFO will show up. Once
you see the UFO, just jump up and down and fire at it as quickly as possible.
If you are in the second or fourth sections, there will also be a member of the
Grenade Brigade around. As long as you fire very rapidly at the UFO, he won't
attack you. Once the UFO is finished, pick up the Soylet Soda it drops, and
then take out the Grenade Brigade guy. To beat them, just duck and fire at
them. If they break one of the windows with a grenade, you have to try to jump
over the window using the beams, otherwise you'll be sucked out the window and
you'll lose a life.
In the first, third and fourth sections, there are lasers mounted on the far
right walls. As long as you stay toward the left while fighting the UFOs and
Grenade Brigade, you won't have to deal with these lasers until the end; just
shoot them and move on. There are two in the first and third sections, and one
in the last section. You can proceed without shooting them, but you won't get
any points.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.6 Darn Sunday Drivers
Quaid gets tired of running around and grabs a car from the Transit Hub. Little
does he know, driving around Mars is even more dangerous than walking.
Enemies
--------
Bazooka Joe: Bazooka Joes like to jump out of manholes and shoot at drivers.
They will show up behind you and tend to follow you. Usually you will just have
to drive fast enough to get away from them, but you can try laying down a mine
to stop them, or if one comes up right behind you, you can back up over him.
Mines: These orange circles look like manholes at first, but they're actually
explosive mines. Shoot at them to detonate them before you drive over them.
Traffic: Throughout your trip, innocent drivers will be driving from the top and
bottom of the screen, heedless of Quaid's speeding vehicle. Dodge them or shoot
them to avoid a crash.
The Richtermobile: Richter's still at it! This time, he comes out of a garage
and chases Quaid in an attempt to cause a deadly rear-end collision. One hit
will kill you, so just try to out-drive him. Since he mirrors your turns
closely, it is often possible to make Richter drive himself into a wall.
Walkthrough
------------
There are three sections and they are all fairly complicated, so I am just going
to give you some general advice rather than a step-by-step walkthrough.
First of all, the level is broken into three sections. Near the beginning of
each section, you will pass a sideways T-shaped building with a can of Soylent
Soda sitting to it's right. Don't try to pick the Soylent Soda up, it's a
trick: the Richtermobile always comes roaring out of the T-shaped building and
tries to rear end you, and if you're hovering near the Soylent Soda, you're
probably going to get hit.
Try to keep your speed fairly low. You need to go at a moderate speed to escape
Richter and the Bazooka Joes, but going too fast will inevitably result in
crashes, which can cause a lot of damage if you are going at high speeds. I
also recommend staying near the top of the screen. I find it pretty easy to
stay safe driving along the top half of the screen.
Finally, you have to be moving forward or backward before you can move the car
up and down. If you want to move all the way up or down in a tight area, press
back and forth while holding up or down to zig-zag up and down.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.7 Blue Collar Baddies
After a quick trip through the Transit Hub, Quaid finds himself visiting a surly
mining operation owned by Rekall Inc. Apparently the company's employees are
paid to keep trespassers out, because everyone from construction workers to the
local bartender is attacking our hero!
Enemies
--------
Minimum-Wage Hardhat Boomerang Guys: Rekall Inc. really doesn't pay these guys
enough. Not only are they construction workers, but they double as security
guards: security guards armed only with boomerangs! Those boomerangs can hurt
Quaid quite a bit, but one shot from his gun will take these creeps out. Try
attacking as the boomerang returns to its owner.
Martian Cats: These nasty critters like to jump on folks' heads and claw up
their faces. Understandably, they aren't very popular housepets. You can kill
them by ducking and firing, and they'll only take one hit, but in some cases
it's easier just to avoid them. Much like Rabies Hounds, if a Martian Cat jumps
on your head, you have to tap left and right on the control pad repeatedly to
knock it off.
Ninja Star Hootchies: These women hang out in windows waiting for potential
customers to come along. They defend themselves from innocent guys like Quaid
by throwing ninja stars at them. You can kill the Ninja Star Hootchies, but you
can force them to hide in their windows by shooting at them.
Bottle Girls: The Bottle Girls run around with bottles filled with dangerous
moltov cocktails. When one hits the ground, it leaves a small fire their for a
few seconds. One shot will kill these pests, and it's usually pretty easy to
dodge their attack.
Drunks: These guys get tossed out of The Last Resort, a slimy place that is
Quaid's final destination in this level. They can't be stopped, and it's even
pretty much impossible to avoid them. All you can do is get hit by them as
they're thrown out the door.
Walkthrough
------------
In the first section, you'll have one Minimum-Wage Hardhat Boomerang Guy
throwing boomerangs, and a pair of Martian Cats running around. Wait for the
cats to get out of the way, then when the Boomerang Guy catches his boomerang,
jump up and shoot him. There should be three circle-shaped windows nearby, walk
past all of them to pick up three cans of Soylent Soda.
In the next section, you'll have a Ninja Star Hootchie attacking you as well as
a Boomerang Guy and a Martian Cat. Get on a platform high enough to shoot at
the Boomerang Guy, and shoot him and the cat. Just try to dodge the Ninja Star
Hootchie. After taking care of that, you'll have to jump up to a high platform,
where another Ninja Star Hootchie will be attacking you along with two Boomerang
guys below her. Keep her at bay, and then just jump down between the Boomerang
Guys and head straight for the ladder below them (you have to press down while
jumping to get down there). Don't bother fighting them, it's easier just to run
on by.
In the next section, you'll face off against a Ninja Star Hootchie, and below
her, a Botttle Girl. Jump past the Ninja Star Hootchie, and shoot the bottle
girl. As soon as the bottle girl is out of your way, proceed to the right,
where you'll face another Boomerang guy with two Martian Cats. Shoot the
Boomerang Guy and dodge or shoot the Cats.
You will have to climb up a ladder after this; at the top of the ladder you'll
face off against another Ninja Star Hootchie and a Bottle Girl, as well as some
Martian Cats. It takes some fancy timing and jumping, but you should be able to
get by them without too much trouble.
Finally, you'll come to an area with two Ninja Star Hootchies, just above The
Last Resort. Shoot the right Ninja Star Hootchie, and run past her window.
Shoot the one on the left, and/or jump over her Ninja Star. Continue firing at
their windows to keep them inside until you feel ready. Now comes the hard
part...jump down to the doors of the Last Resort, and press up on the
directional pad repeatedly. You will most likely get hit by a drunk, maybe even
two or three, but if you press up as fast as possible, you should get in the
door without dying. Give yourself a pat on the back.
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4.8 ZOMBIES FROM MARS!
Quaid finds his way to the actual mining operation, where the Rekall Inc
employees are as nasty as ever.
Enemies
--------
Steel Workers: These guys have a lot of pride! They don't like Quaid attacking
their mine, and they'll try to keep him at bay with flamethrowers! Luckily,
they can only withstand one shot from his gun. Just try to dodge their fire,
and then attack.
Zombies: Apparently, Steel Workers don't die, they just get reanimated as undead
skeletons. These nasty creatures start out as piles of bones, but come to life
when Quaid is nearby. They can't be killed, so just run on by.
Frogs: How did frogs get on Mars? I don't know. They hop back and forth in a
pretty predictable manner, and only take one shot to kill.
Sweaty Stalactites: The stalactites on Mars drip lethal goo that can hurt Quaid.
Avoid the goo at all costs! Well, it's not that dangerous, but you should still
avoid it.
Boulders: These fall down a hill near the end of the level. They can't be
stopped, and they cause quite a bit of damage.
Digger Dan: This guy spent a few too many hours on the drilling machine, and
snapped. Now on a power trip, he goes around killing helpless miners with his
powerful drilling machine of doom. His only weak spot is his head, the machine
protects the rest of his body. Perfect timing is required to shoot him as you
jump, and it will take around 10 hits with the laser located just to the right
of this boss to beat him.
Walkthrough
------------
There are a few different paths through this level, I'm just going to list the
shortest, easiest one that I know of.
You'll start with a Steel Worker attacking you with his flame thrower. Jump and
shoot him, then progress to the right. You will come to what looks like an
impossible jump, but if you squint very carefully, you'll see a small ledge down
near the bottom on the right, you can make the jump if you get close to the
edge of the current platform. You'll immediately find yourself under attack by
another steel worker. Jump to the platform behind him, and shoot him, then jump
up to him. You have to get very close to the right edge of platforms before you
make your jumps in this area.
There's a circle-shaped door on the platform where the Steel Worker was
standing. Press up to enter. Now you need to jump across about four platforms,
two of which have skeletons on them. If you jump quickly, they won't be able to
attack you before you jump away. At the end of the jumps, you'll find a doorway
to go through.
On the other side, you'll find a cliff with a big hill on the other side, and a
small ledge between them. Try to jump to the ledge, and then jump to the hill
and quickly leap up it. You will probably get hit by one or two boulders, but
it's hard to avoid them. If you really want to, try jumping to the ledge and
then watching them for a while to determine the pattern. If you don't make it
to the ledge, you won't have a chance of avoiding them, so you might as well
jump for your life.
After you get past this hazard, you'll jump to a door, but you can't enter.
Keep walking to the right, where you'll find the Laser...and Digger Dan! Digger
Dan drives towards the hole where you're hiding, and gets closer on each attack.
You need to walk to the place where the hole gets a little bit wider, and jump
and shoot at his head as soon as he pops out of the Digger, then run back into
the hole as he comes towards you. It takes very good timing, and you need to
hit him about twice each time he pops out of the vehicle to beat him before he
gets too close for you to survive.
Once you shoot Digger Dan enough, his head will fly off and roll across the
ground...eww! Now Quaid is off to his final challenge!
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4.9 Death to Bob Barker
In a climactic battle filled with thunder and lightning, Quaid finally comes to
the end of his quest, and now he must face...Bob Barker! Can Quaid save Mars
from the ultimate evil?
Enemies
--------
Purple Flyers: These commandoes fly around and shoot at Quaid from the sky.
They tend to slowly decend towards him before shooting. They take about four
shots to kill, and until they're defeated, Purple runners will keep dropping
from the sky. The best strategy is to fight off the Purple Runners until the
Purple Flyer gets low enough to shoot, then kill him as fast as possible. Also,
try to stay underneath the Purple Flyer, he can only shoot at a 45 degree angle,
so if you're close to him, he has to get lower to shoot at you - and then he's
in range for you to shoot back!
Purple Runners: These guys drop from the sky and try to hit Quaid whenever
Purple Flyers are nearby. You can kill them with about three shots, but they
just keep coming, so concentrate on their flying friends.
Zappers: Rekall Inc. is a bit cheap, and the platform where the final battle
takes place was built with substandard parts that are starting to fail. Zappers
will fire a small bolt of electricity at a 45 degree angle from the ground to a
generator to the upper right. There is always a platform on the generator that
you can jump to, so try to get pretty close, and then jump. Once you're on the
generator, the bolt can't hit you. You may miss the jump; if you do, run. You
may take a hit, but only one if you keep moving.
Bob Barker (a.k.a. Vilos Cohaagen): Apparently the evil villain behind all this
is none other than beloved The Price is Right host, Bob Barker! He's quite a
jumpy guy, hopping right over Quaid's shots, and returning with powerful fire of
his own. To make matters worse, there's a glowing orb-thingy nearby that will
blow up and kill everyone if it gets shot too many times. Bob Barker takes
about eight hits to kill with the laser, and you can find some extra-special
tips for fighting him at the end of the walkthrough.
Walkthrough
------------
The first thing you'll have to do is fight off a Purple Flyer and the Runners
that come with him. As mentioned before, try to stay close to the Flyer while
taking out the Runners, then shoot the Flyer as quickly as possible when he gets
close to the ground.
From here you'll have to pass one Zapper, and then deal with another Purple
Flyer and his friends. You'll pass three more Zappers, two of which are right
next to each other, but there is a safe spot between them - it's safe to stand
above the place where the bolt comes out.
Your reward is one more fight with a squad of Purples, and then one more Zapper.
You will come to an area with a glowing orb thing in it. Do not shoot the orb!
If you shoot it too many times it will blow up and you will lose a life. Now
prepare for the fight of your life, with Bob Barker himself!
Bob Barker is a dangerous foe, but there is a simple trick to beating him. Walk
to the right until you see him, then run almost all the way to the left. Turn
around and duck, then shoot at Bob as fast as you can. He will jump over most
of your shots, but every third one or so will hit him. Bob will take a shot at
you if he gets close enough, and one or two will probably do you in, so try to
get as far to the left as you can. After about eight hits, Bob will go down,
and Quaid is victorious! Congratulations!
===============================================================================
5.ARNIE'S TIPS
Hi, I am Arnold Schwarzenneger, and I have been asked here to give you puny
wimps some tips to get through my big, manly game! So I'll give you my best
advice here. If you still can't beat my game with these hints and tricks, you
are pathetic, and I will personally terminate you!
1.Free Life
Enter the Cinema at the beginning of Mr. Quaid's Neighbourhood and sit through
all of the credits for an extra life. Not that I need extra lives to beat this
tiny game!
2.Soylent Soda For Everybody!
There are several places in the game where you can stock up on that delicious
Soylent Soda by simply killing the same enemies over and over again. Here are a
few of of the best places to do this:
- Mr. Quaid's Neighbourhood: After you get to the rooftops, just walk back and
forth between the two Police Cop buildings to fight these wimpy guys for lots of
Soylent Soda.
- Hobotown: There are several places where you can destroy Midget Hobos over and
over again for Soylent Soda. My personal favourite is the spot right above the
Hobo King, where you can kill two Midget Hobos, go back to the right, then
return and kill them again!
- Zombies from Mars: The second Steel Worker you run into can be killed over and
over again by shooting him, then entering the door behind him, then returning to
shoot him again. Be careful, though, it is easy to get into a pattern while you
wait for a Soylent Soda, and you may enter the door before you can get it! My
advice is to take your thumb off of the directional pad while you shoot the
Steel Worker.
3.Skip Earth
Before you go to Mars, you will get a cryptic message saying "Hold A and B to
get to Mars fast". Luckily, my brain is in top shape just like my manly Austrian
body, and I soon discovered that if you get to Mars and run out of lives, then
start a new game, you can skip straight to the Martian levels by entering the
Cinema in Mr. Quaid's Neighbourhood and hold the A and B buttons while the
credits roll. You will also get a free life, as I said before.
There! If you still can't beat this game, I suggest you throw away your
Nintendo Entertainment System and cry, because you haven't got enough skill to
beat a little baby game about the alphabet or counting to twelve. Have a nice
day.
~FIN~
