Welcome to the Mobile Police Patlabor: Game Edition FAQ!
Playstation - Japan
Version 1.1 - 01/03/2001
Written by Jay Levy
[email protected]
Basically, what this FAQ will do is assist you in getting through the game - it
is not intended as a translation, however, if anyone would like to work on a
translation with me, please e-mail me at the address listed at the top of this
document.
Future revisions of this FAQ will include more background history of the
Patlabor world.
This is my first FAQ. I would love to hear from anyone who uses it or reads it.
Feedback is appreciated! If its useful to you, tell me - I'll continue to
update it with more information and add combo algorithms.
Revision History:
1.1 - 1/3/01 - Corrected storyline; added info on terrorist group and main
villain; corrected misspellings; standardized control references.
1.0 - 1/2/01 - First public version
Table of Contents
1. Game Description
2. Characters
3. Labors
4. Main Screen
5. Controls
6. Combat
7. Misc. Combat/Game Info
8. Stage Descriptions
9. Thanks and Acknowledgments
1. -Game Description-
Each level in Patlabor is broken into 3 segments:
1) Story
2) Piloting
3) Conclusion
It is important to note that the Story and Conclusion segments are totally in
Japanese. Knowledge of the spoken word or ability to read is necessary to
understand the storyline. The basic story is similar to the first movie in
which a virus has infected the operating system of many labors (i.e. giant
robots). Its your job as a new member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special
Vehicles Section 2 to stop the terrorist responsible and protect the citizenry
(and cause as little damage as possible). The storyline is fully voice-acted by
the original actors, a huge plus for fans of the series. The battles put you in
control of the AV-98 Ingram-3 in the streets and underworld of Tokyo. Oddly
enough, the battle system is reminiscent of Xenogears. Please see the section
on battles below.
My take on the game: I love it; definitely worth the purchase. The graphics are
very good for a Playstation game, especially the labor models. I enjoy
replaying the battles to find new combos - and there are a ton. However, there
is one caveat - I'm a huge Patlabor fan. If you are, buy this game! No doubt,
you'll enjoy it. If you're not, beware ... its not the longest game on the
planet if you plan to skip the incredible amounts of voice acting. E-mail me if
you have any questions about it.
Game Protection: Normal level, no mod protection
Why to buy an original copy: 1) Full color instruction manual 2) Cool case 3)
Full-color illustration book with 8 different works (including Noa!)
Why to get a bootleg/copy: NONE! There is no reason to steal someone's work!
There are importers that can and will get you the game (Tronix and NCS come to
mind). If you want people to keep making high quality games, please support
them by purchasing the game! -soapbox is now being put away-
2. -Characters-
Midori Soratani - A new character! The second (or backup) to Section 2's newest
Ingram; your commander in the field. Don't worry! You interact (well, watch
interactions, actually ...) with the rest of Section 2. The characters of her
last name mean "empty valley." So, take that as you will ... she seems a little
air-headed to me! :)
Noa Izumi - Ingram pilot with an intense emotional attachment to her patlabor
(she's named him Alphonse)
Asuma Shinohara - Noa's backup and son of the president of Shinohara Heavy
Industries, the manufacturer of the Ingram and several other labors.
Isao Ohto - Ingram pilot and the word for which overkill was created. He's
dangerous with a gun! Although he maintains a strong code of honor, he's very
reckless. He likes shooting - a lot! Check out his combo overdrive attack with
Midori! Scary!
Capt. Goto - Captain of the division; he looks laid back, but he's sharp as a
tack. Too sharp, actually, which is why he's been left behind in promotions. An
amazing strategist and manipulator; very dedicated to doing a good job for the
people of Tokyo.
Shigeo "Shige" Shiba - mechanic with large amounts of computer know-how.
Takeo Kumagami - Isao's back-up, and his commander in the field. Probably the
most mature field officer in the division.
Detective Matsui - A Tokyo police detective that often works with Goto to
resolve in-depth crimes. Also very capable.
Krishna Amalnarto - The leader of the terrorist group you fight; they're called
the House of the Sea, and they oppose the Babylon Project. He also created one
of the last the labors you face. He once employed by Shaft Enterprises, creator
of the Type-J9 Griffon
MIA's - The following don't show up in the game, since their respective voice
actors were probably unavailable:
Kanuka Clancy
Hiromi Yamazaki
Mikiyasu Shinshi
3. -Labors-
The following labors can be found in the game
AV98-T Dorfan <Dauphin>
AV98 Ingram 1
AV98 Ingram-2
AV98 Ingram-3 ver.1
AV98 Ingram-3 ver.2
HL-96 Tyrant2000
ASV-99 Boxer
HL-98 Hercules21
M-5 Abraham
Asuka-SSL96 Taisyo
Type7 Blocken
GNX-002 Ganesha
Type-J9 Griffon
4. -Main Screen-
New Game: Start a new game here
Continue: Continue from a saved game - once you complete the entire game, you
can continue at any level and attempt a better ranking, then resave the game.
Data Base: After you defeat a labor type, you can view its 3D model here. As
well, newspaper clippings from each of your victories is stored here. You can
view them at will.
Option: Regular options about system load, changing sound level, vibration, as
well as bullet limit and assault gauge recovery.
Special: You can unlock 3 live-action Patlabor movies. They take the form of
movie trailers. While being basically the same, each subsequent one adds new
scenes. I unlocked all of them by beating the game.
5. -Controls-
O-button - Circle button
X-button - Cross button
Triangle - Triangle button
Square - Square button
L1, L2 - Left shoulder buttons 1 and 2
R1, R2 - Right shoulder buttons 1 and 2
Please note, as with many Japanese PS games, the O-button selects while the
X-button backs up or exits.
Another note, if you press the Triangle during a story scene, the scene will
continue to play without pausing (neat if you want the TV episode feel). Press
start to skip story.
-Movement-
Digital pad: The digital control pad controls the direction the labor will
walk. The patlabor will continue to face the same direction when walking.
L1: Pressing this will rotate the direction the body faces left.
R1: Pressing this will rotate the direction the body faces right.
X-button: Pressing this and a direction on the digital pad will cause the labor
to run that direction.
Square: Pressing this just as the opponent strikes will cause your labor to
block.
O-button: Dash in, grapple - main attack! Learning to time this properly and
gauge distance is a major step in winning the game. From the grapple, you combo
the opponent as discussed in the Combat section.
Tapping down twice on the control pad will make the labor hop back a step, very
useful for avoiding attacks and counterattacking.
6. -Combat-
Combat relies on several gauges located throughout the screen. Using your gun,
however, doesn't have an effect on these gauges. Make sure you have enough room
between you and your opponent, since drawing the gun takes a lot of time!
L2 or R2 held: Will pull up your lock-on site for use with the revolver cannon
(i.e. gun)
Triangle with L2 or R2 held: Draw gun
O-button after gun drawn, L2 or R2 held: Fires gun, stuns opponent
Once you draw your gun, wait for the target lock-on before firing. You only
have 6 bullets, so shoot wisely.
The main form of combat is definitely hand-to-hand. As mentioned earlier, press
the O-button to dash and initiate a grapple. Once the grapple has begun, you
begin a timed combo system. Right under the name of your labor (normally
Ingram3) and above your blue life bar, is a green attack gauge. Once you dash
and grapple, the bar must recharge before you can attack again. At this time,
you and your opponent jockey for position. Don't forget to guard if you see the
exclamation point!
Once you've grabbed your opponent, you have to attack. The button always start
off corresponding to certain attacks; after that you have to watch closely to
monitor your follow up attack. How do you know what button does what attack?
Another gauge (Input Gauge) in the bottom left corner has each button with an
attack listed (in English!). For the first attack, the button are always:
Triangle: Stick Start
Square: Left Punch
X-button: Low Kick
O-Button: Straight
As the grapple begins, white flecks of light will begin to head towards the
center on the gauge; once they converge, press the button just as it turns
white. If you time it correctly, you'll attack - and 4 new attacks will appear.
Repeat the process.
It's not quite as simple as it sounds. First, Stick Start will have the labor
pull its Stun Stick - and electric prod for labors. It does more damage, but
the timing is TOTALLY different, making it very hard to use (although it's very
cool!). Practice with martial techniques in the beginning. Second, certain
attacks end the combo by knocking down your opponent. Once you do this, the
combo ends and you can't achieve mega-damage or the super-cool Special Attacks.
Some combo-enders are:
Punch
Knee-Kick
Elbow
Hammer Blow
Rarriatto
Stick-B
Heel-Kick
Short Tackle
Right Upper
What if you miss an attack? The opponent gets a counter-attack, that's what!
So, don't mis-time - if you do, you can block by pressing the Square button at
the right time, just like an attack. Just watch the Input Gauge.
Didn't I mention Special Attacks? Yes! The bottom right hand corner has a
Special Attacks Meter that builds as you do combos. As you do combos, sometimes
you will see attacks that are in either yellow or red. Yellow attacks use 50%
of the Special Attack Gauge, red attacks use 100%. The path to the special
attacks is always the same, however the location of the attacks on the Input
Gauge always changes. Pay attention and you'll start to get a feeling on how to
get to different Special Attacks. Special attacks are worth the price of
admission - excellent scenes are revealed!
7. -Misc. Combat/Game Info-
Could there possibly be another gauge? I'm glad you asked! Yes, there is! A
Battery Gauge is located on the bottom right. I have yet to run out of power,
but it's possible. I do believe it has an effect on your level ranking.
Backing up against walls and boundaries gives you a performance penalty on your
level ranking. Try to not get hit or run into anything. Conserve energy by
moving efficiently and using strategy to attack your opponent. This really is
more of a simulation as compared to an action game.
Rankings I have seen so far, in order or worst to best, are: C, B, A, S, and E.
8. -Stage Descriptions-
Please note: This includes SPOILERS! Attempt to make your way through the game
without looking at the basic storyline and the order in which you fight the
labors. I think its more fun to make it through with surprises. I will include
basic tips on how to defeat each labor in a manner to maximize your ranking,
but let me know if you come up with something better! I plan to add more detail
in future revisions:
Stage 0:
Setting: Section 2 HQ - Training Field; this is your "entrance exam" into
Section 2 against another recruit.
Labor: AV98-T Dorfan (you pilot the Dorfan, as well)
Strategy: Pretty straightforward. Dash and grapple, back up and defend while
your Attack Gauge builds back. Repeat.
Stage 1:
Setting: Turumi Area, a bridge, with a runaway labor with a child inside.
Labor: HL-96 Tyrant2000
Strategy: The difficulty here is that the Tyrant continues to run away, due to
the child inside. The best strategy is to turn facing the side of the Tyrant
and strafe ahead with the run button, then turn and dash/grapple.
Stage 2:
Setting: Heiwajima, between Section 2 HQ and the restaurant - the funniest
episode of the bunch. A labor is robbing the delivery drivers, so they won't
deliver to the HQ. Ota dresses up as a food deliveryman (including delivery
bike!) to lure the labor out.
Labor: ASV-99 Boxer
Strategy: A straight on attack will work best. This labor will attack more than
the last two, so be prepared to guard or backstep.
Stage 3:
Setting: Tyoda Area, city streets, labor crime in progress! A masked villain!
Obviously a wrestling fan. Midori and Noa were actually watching wrestling the
night before, and you have to check out some of the poses the Hercules does.
Definitely another light-hearted adventure.
Labor: HL98-Hercules
Strategy: This one actually runs and dodges. This will be your first real
experience with positioning. The shape of the streets will have an affect on
the battle, too - so, be aware of your boundaries. Try and get in front, but he
will jump back. Prepare to defend. Follow him down the first few streets until
he gets to the Section 2 carriers. That will be your best chance for a first
attack - he'll be running until then.
Stage 4:
Setting: New Taitou Area - Midori is trapped in an infected labor, and Goto (!)
comes to the rescue. Another city area, with narrow streets - however, the
labor starts in a more open area. You have to navigate your way there.
Labor: HL-Tyrant2000
Strategy: Similar to the previous, except it avoids more and attacks less. Be
careful of dashing in to attack just as it changes direction.
Stage 5:
Setting: Tyoda Area; the US has arrived to apprehend the bad guy! All is solved
right? Not quite. Their labors are taken over, and they take out Ota in record
time.
Labor: Seusa Type-M5 Abraham
Strategy: This is the first labor with firepower (i.e. a machine gun); plus,
its going to charge you right off the bat! This is an attack labor; definitely
not a construction machine. Its dash attack has much further range, so if
you've been jumping back to dodge, you'll probably need to defend with the
square button. If it starts backing up, prepare for gunfire. Just walking left
or right should keep you out of the line of fire, but the streets are narrow -
be careful. Good defense and solid combos will down this one, but always have
space to back up!
Stage 6:
Setting: New Taitou Area, same area as before (you can tell from the damage!) -
another infected labor with no driver. Could it be a decoy? Yep! A second
infected labor appears and you have no time for repairs!
Labor: ASV-99 Boxer; Asuka-SSL96 Taisyo
Strategy: This labor will run and attack more than your last boxer. It loves to
force you in a corner to knock you off of the barriers, so be careful. The
Taisyo is piloted, but doesn't offer much more of a challenge, just more damage
if it catches you.
Stage 7:
Setting: Turumi Area, on the bridge - The bad guy is making a run for it, and
Section 2 sets up a roadblock! Too bad the bad guy came prepared.
Labor: See Type 7 Blocken
Strategy: A really tough labor - and very cool (you can tell that just by the
way it gets out of the labor carrier and powers up). It will constantly attack,
and if you back off expect gunfire. Oftentimes, your best option is to wait for
it to attack, defend then rush in. Running away isn't cowardly in this case, if
it gives you a better opportunity.
Stage 8:
Setting: Ukishima-chou - entrance to the Babylon Project tunnels, a program to
turn Tokyo Bay into habitable land. Ota bites it in record time.
Labor: US Army GNX-002 Ganesha
Strategy: This will probably be your most frustrating fight, not because the
crab-mech is overly powerful (although it does have a powerful main gun), but
because of how difficult it is to get into position to grapple. The thing
constantly turns away from you! Use your revolver cannon to stun it, then rush
in for a grapple. Remember, you only have 6 shots. This will probably be the
closest you get to running out of battery power.
Stage 9-1:
Setting: Bablyon project entrance outside of the elevator
Labor: Seusa Type-M5 Abraham
Strategy: Same as the previous Abraham, but expect more attacks - especially to
interrupt your attacks. Prepare to switch to defense immediately following your
attack
Stage 9-2:
Setting: Babylon tunnel elevator
Labor: See Type 7 Blocken
Strategy: Same strategy as before. Try to keep far enough away so that his
attacks won't connect, but that he won't use his gun. In other words, dance
with him some.
Stage 9-3:
Setting: Bottom level of the Babylon Project tunnel; looks like a power plant.
Labor: SEJ Type-J9 Griffon
Strategy: Good luck! The fastest, most agile, most dangerous labor there is.
You're dead, right? Nope! I'm here to help. Stand still and rotate. The Griffon
is too fast for you. Block when he comes in. When you see the attack animation
start to fade, attack! If you get knocked back, you can still hit him run
forward a step and push the attack button.
Stage 11:
Setting: Section 2 HQ
Labor: AV98 Ingram-1 Alphonse
Strategy: Alphonse can do damage, but with all you've learned to get to this
point. You shouldn't have any problems. Straight on attacks will work the best.
As usual, stay away from the barriers for the best ranking.
9. -Thanks and Acknowledgments-
Tronix - www.tronixweb.com - IMHO, the best, most trust-worthy videogames
importer in the US. I've dealt with Joe for years, and he has the best customer
service and attitude of anyone I've met in the business (and I ran a videogame
store for over 2 years). Visit him. Buy from him. Tell him I sent you! He
tracked the game down and got it for me in record time!
Animerica - For some quick references to Patlabor
GameFAQS.com & CJayC - for hosting the FAQ, and - geez, who doesn't use that
site???
Bernard Li - For pointing out a major storyline error in that you don't control
Midori, she's your second. Also, for being the first to write me about my FAQ.
Thanks!
Bandai Visual for making *gasp* a good game!
Headgear for developing the world of Patlabor!
Sheryl - my gf, although she doesn't quite get the game thing, she puts up with
it ... thanks!
This FAQ is copyright of its creator, Jay Levy. Feel free to use it, as long as
you contact me first! I'd just like to know where it is. My e-mail is
[email protected] - drop me a line about anything!
