===========================================================================
Sonic Wings Special FAQ (Sega Saturn) v1.2 (12/10/2003)
Written by Herr Schatten (
[email protected])
===========================================================================
This FAQ Copyright (c) 2003 Alex Vormbrock
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any website (other than
www.GameFAQs.com) or otherwise distributed publicly without advance
written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of
any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
Sonic Wings Special (c) 1996 Video System Co., Ltd. All other trademarks
and copyrights contained in this FAQ are owned by their respective
trademark and copyright holders.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
1 Introduction
2 Gameplay
3 The Options Menu
3.1 Level
3.2 Control
3.3 Monitor
3.3.1 Normal
3.3.2 Scroll
3.3.3 Interlace
3.3.4 Arcade
3.4 Sound
4 The Pilots and their Planes
4.1 Team USA
4.1.1 Blaster Keaton/Mecha-Keaton
- F117 Sea Hawk
- F4-U Corsair
4.1.2 Captain Silver
- A-10 Thunderbolt II
- P-61 Black Widow
4.2 Team Japan
4.2.1 Hien
- FS-X
- Gekkou
4.2.2 Mao Mao
- F-15 Eagle
- Seiran
4.3 Team Russia
4.3.1 Volk
- Ka-50 Hokum
- Mig 3
4.3.2 Chaika & Pooshika
- IL-102
- IL-2 Stormovik
4.4 Team Sweden
4.4.1 Kowful the Viking
- AJ-37 Viggen
- Ju87G Stuka
4.4.2 T.B.A-10
- F-104 Star Fighter
- B-239 Buffalo
4.5 Team P.K.F.
4.5.1 Whity
- YF-23
- Hs129
4.5.2 Lord River N. White
- AV-8 Harrier II Plus
- Boulton Paul Defiant
4.6 Team NATO
4.6.1 Anjera
- Rafale M
- Dowoitine D520
4.6.2 Ellen & Cincia
- F-14 Tomcat
- Sword Fish
4.7 Secret Characters
4.7.1 Kotomi
- Aka-Usagi
4.7.2 "The Man"
- Diabloon
5 Stages
5.1 Stage 1: Tokyo
5.2 Random Stages 2/3/4
5.2.1 Dover
5.2.2 Mato Grosso
5.2.3 New York
5.2.4 Paris
5.2.5 Schwarz Wald
5.3 Stage 5: Syrian Desert
5.4 Stages 6/7
5.4.1 Path: Panama
- Stage 6a: The Panama Canal
- Stage 7a: Range of Ural
5.4.2 Path: Bosporus
- Stage 6b: Bosporus Straits
- Stage 7b: Grand Canyon
5.5 Stages 8/9
5.5.1 Path: Mexico
- Stage 8a: Teotihuacan
- Stage 9a: Another World
5.5.2 Path: Moskva
- Stage 8b: The Red Square
- Stage 9b: Orbit of Satelite
5.5.3 Path: Hawaii
- Stage 8c: Hawaii
- Stage 9c: Barmuda Triangle
5.6 The Alternative Set of Stages
5.6.1 Stage 1: Tokyo
5.6.2 Stage 7b: Grand Canyon
6 Miscallaneous
6.1 Two Players Mode
6.2 Time Attack Mode
6.3 The Data Save Option
6.4 Other Versions
6.5 Other Games in the Series
6.6 Bonus CD
6.7 Rabio Lepus
7 Conclusion
8 Special Thanks
9 Version History
1 INTRODUCTION
==============
Sonic Wings Special is an arcade-style vertically scrolling shoot-em-up
game. You control a craft flying over various locations all around the
world and shoot down whatever comes your way. Don't forget to dodge the
incoming enemy fire or your game will be over quickly.
Sonic Wings Special is something like a remix of the three earlier Sonic
Wings games (which are known as 'Aero Fighters' in the west). It features
some of the most popular characters and planes of its predecessors as well
as a couple of new ones only found in Sonic Wings Special. Stages and
bosses from all three prequels have been included as well. While some of
the stages and bosses are almost exactly like their counterparts found in
the prequels, others have undergone more or less noticeable changes.
All information given in this FAQ refers to the default settings of the
game (normal difficulty, 9 credits) unless otherwise noted.
2 GAMEPLAY
==========
The controls in this game are simple enough. Push your joystick/d-pad in
one of eight directions and your plane on the screen will move in that
direction. Push the A button and a shot will be fired. Push the B button
and a bomb will be set off. Holding down the C button will result in rapid
fire. Some of the planes have special attacks that can be launched by
holding down the normal shot button for a couple of seconds. Finally,
pushing the R button lets you turn on/off the score display. Note that
these are the default settings for the buttons. You can alter them in the
options menu. (See chapter 3.2 for details.)
While playing the game you can see that on the topmost part of the screen
your score is shown. The number of lives you have left is displayed just
below that. On the bottom part of the screen you can see how many bombs
you have left in stock and how many credits you have remaining. If you run
out of lives, you can use a credit to continue the game. In earlier stages
the game will let you start off where you lost your last life, but on
later levels it will send you back to the beginning of the stage.
Sometimes (usually after shooting larger enemies) items appear. You can
grab those and benefit from them. There are four different kinds of items
available:
Power-Up: This is a bullet-shaped capsule with a large 'P' written on it.
Collect it and your weapon power will increase. Different planes
need different amounts of powerup-capsules to reach their
maximum strength. Unfortunately, the ammo for maximum weapon
power is limited. It will be used up after a while and your
firepower will revert back to the next lower level. If you grab a
powerup-capsule while you're still at the highest level, you'll
get 2000 points and your weapon power will be recharged.
Full-Power: A powerup-capsule with an 'F' on it. It will max out your
firepower immediately. This one is usually not found in the
game, but Sonic Wings Special will throw it your way if you
use a credit. Collecting this while you still have maximum
firepower will give you 10000 points and recharge your weapon
power.
Bomb: A bomb-shaped capsule with a 'B' on it. Collect it to add one more
bomb to your bomb stock. If your bomb stock is full and you collect
this, you will get 2000 points.
Currency: Points bonuses that look like Dollars, Yens or some other
currencies. The kind of currency depends on the plane you're
using. Each bonus's value depends on its position on the screen:
If you grab it near the top of the screen, you'll score up to
10000 points, but if you grab it when it is near the bottom of
the screen, it's only worth a meager 200 points.
The game ends when you run out of lives and don't use a credit to
continue, or when you finish one of the three final stages.
3 THE OPTIONS MENU
==================
Select 'Options' on the title screen to access the options menu. Here you
can adjust the game's settings until they match your preferences. Use the
d-pad to move the cursor and press the A button to change the settings.
Settings will be saved to the internal memory, so you don't have to enter
the options menu everytime you play the game.
3.1 Level
---------
Changing this alters the difficulty level of the game. You can set the
game level to 'easy', 'normal', 'hard' or 'pro'. The default setting is
normal.
Tied to the difficulty setting is the number of credits available. You can
select any number from zero up to the limit of your current setting. The
default for normal difficulty is 9.
3.2 Control
-----------
Here you can adjust the settings of the firebuttons. The default is
A=shot, B=bomb and C=rapid fire, but you may want to change that.
3.3 Monitor
-----------
This is the most important option in the menu. Here you can adjust your
monitor settings. There are four screen modes to choose from:
3.3.1 Normal
This is the default setting. It's meant to be played on a normal
horizontally oriented screen. Since Sonic Wings Special is designed for
playing on a vertically oriented screen you will get a picture with black
borders on the left and right. The upper and lower parts of the playing
area will be clipped and remain invisible outside the screen. The game is
definitely playable in this mode, but the smaller screen means that you
have less room to dodge. Use this mode if you play Sonic Wings Special on
a normal TV set.
3.3.2 Scroll
This is similar to normal screen mode, but this time you have the entire
playing area to roam. The screen will scroll up and down to show the part
you're in at a given moment. This 'wobble'-mode is really confusing.
Technically it means you have a bigger area to dodge, but actually it only
means that most of the time you can only see half of what's going on. This
screen mode is not recommended.
3.3.3 Interlace
To make it short: I don't have a clue what this screen mode is supposed to
be. You get a small squashed picture with big black borders all around.
The screen flickers so much it makes your eyes hurt. I found interlace
mode completely useless.
3.3.4 Arcade
Finally, this is the screen mode which Sonic Wings Special is supposed to
be played in. It's meant to be used only with vertically oriented screens
(such as those found in some arcade cabinets), not with normal TVs. You
can see the entire playing area all the time and you don't have any ugly
black borders. This mode (which is often referred to as 'TATE'-mode) is
definitely the way to go.
3.4 Sound
---------
This is pretty much self-explanatory. You can choose between mono or
stereo output. You can also listen to some of the BGM tunes and sound
effects here.
4 THE PILOTS AND THEIR PLANES
=============================
In total there are 14 pilots and 26 planes to choose from. Not all of them
can be played right out of the box. Four of the pilots and the majority of
planes must be unlocked before you can use them.
First there are only 10 characters available. Each of them comes with
his/her own plane. The pilots are divided into 5 different teams, so every
team consists of two characters from the same country or organisation. If
you choose to play a game in two players mode you can only select planes
from the same team.
When you finish the game with one of the characters, that character's
secret plane becomes available. When you have unlocked all of the secret
planes, a new team appears on the selection screen: the NATO team.
Unlocking both of the secret planes of the NATO team enables you to pick
planes from different teams in 2P mode.
In addition to the NATO team the secret characters Kotomi and 'The Man'
are unlocked as soon as you finish the game with all of the standard
characters. You can select Kotomi and 'The Man' by pressing up from the
USA team or by pressing down from the NATO team. The secret characters
have no secret planes.
Note that you automatically access an alternative set of stages when you
play with one of the secret planes. Read chapter 5.6 for more information
on this issue.
Each plane can fire a main weapon and set off a bomb attack. Most planes
gain secondary weapon systems after collecting a couple of powerups. Some
planes can launch special attacks if you hold down the fire button for a
couple of seconds. These special attacks are mostly tied to the secondary
weapons, so they may not be available at the beginning of your game.
Don't be reluctant to use your bombs. Unlike other games, Sonic Wings
Special doesn't give you any bonuses for not using them. The effects of a
bomb attack vary greatly from plane to plane. Some bombs can save your
life in critical situations, some others can be used to strike devastating
finishing blows on bosses. Knowing how your bombs work and knowing when
they are best used is crucial.
4.1 Team USA
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe the most generic of the available teams. Nothing special to say here.
4.1.1 Blaster Keaton/Mecha-Keaton
--------------------------------
Blaster Keaton is your standard American military guy. He's from the
original cast of the first Sonic Wings game. After finishing the game with
him once he turns into Mecha-Keaton. That's the form he appeared in in the
second Sonic Wings game. His abilities remain unchanged after his
transformation.
Normal plane: F117 Sea Hawk
The F117 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It fires a narrow stream of straight forward lasers, which are of
decent strength. Its secondary weapons are napalm bombs that drop down
forward. The bomb attack creates giant lasers that sweep the ground and
clear the screen of projectiles. It's not especially powerful, though.
There's no special attack available. To sum it up: The F117 is average in
every aspect. A plane without any real strengths or weaknesses.
Secret plane: F4-U Corsair
The F4-U needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It fires a broad forward shot. Its secondary weapons are missiles
shot in a spread pattern. The bomb attack creates a giant invulnerable
Robo-Keaton who does major damage to every foe he touches. You can move
his figure slowly across the screen. If you press the fire button during
the bomb attack, the giant mecha will punch enemies with his fists. The
special attack charges a silver orb that can be shot at enemies by
releasing the fire button. It will bounce off any enemy it hits. This
behaviour makes it useful for clearing crowded areas, but it renders it
almost useless during boss fights.
4.1.2 Captain Silver
--------------------
Captain Silver is a retired top gun. He's always accompanied by his pet
parrot. He first appeared in the second Sonic Wings game.
Normal plane: A-10 Thunderbolt II
The A-10 needs 2 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 6
bombs. It has a very powerful straightforward shot. The missiles that are
its secondary weapons do a lot of damage, too. The bomb attack of the A-10
is a powerful big explosion. It's probably the most powerful bomb attack
of all the regular planes. There's no special attack available, but even
without one this plane is extremely strong. Its only major disadvantage is
its really slow speed.
Secret plane: P-61 Black Widow
The P-61 needs 4 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4
bombs. It fires a straight shot of decent strength. Its secondary weapon
is very interesting: The plane shoots a spread of shots in the direction
of the nearest enemy. The plane is strong and fun to use. Its bomb is
fairly powerful as well. Pressing the bomb button makes the plane flip
over and fire a spread of 5 enormous missiles that explode in very short
range. The P-61 doesn't have a special attack.
4.2 Team Japan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The members of the Japanese team both appeared initially in the first
Sonic Wings game.
4.2.1 Hien
----------
Hien is a ninja. Certainly one of the coolest characters this game has to
offer.
Normal plane: FS-X
The FS-X needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4
bombs. It shoots a spray of shurikens. These shurikens are replaced by
kunai daggers when reaching maximum power level. However, it can be a bit
difficult to aim at enemies because the FS-X has no straight forward shot.
This is somewhat compensated by its cool subweapon: The plane shoots
floating shuriken-shaped mines that home in on enemies. The bomb attack
unleashes a powerful beam of electricity. There's no special attack
available.
Secret plane: Gekkou
The Gekkou needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. Its main weapon is similar to that of the FS-X. Its subweapon,
however, is very interesting. You get two small pods attached to the sides
of your plane. When you move up or down, you change the direction in which
they shoot. But the most interesting thing about them is the special
attack. When you hold down the fire button, the pods will move to the
front of your plane. You can move them around with you as long as you keep
the button pressed. Upon releasing the button the pods will stay at their
exact position on the screen. That way, you can 'park' them right in front
of a boss's vulnerable spot, then move your plane away to some safe place
and keep firing until the boss is destroyed. The bomb attack of the Gekkou
engulfs the plane in a ring of fire for a brief moment. It can save you
from getting hit, but it's not of much use otherwise.
4.2.2 Mao Mao
-------------
Apparently, Mao Mao is a singer, actor and megastar. You can even listen
to two of her songs on the mini audio CD that comes with the game. Why she
spends her spare time flying around and saving the world is beyond me.
Normal plane: F-15 Eagle
The F-15 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It shoots a straight forward shot of average power. Its subweapons
are forward lasers. The special attack unleashes a spread of lasers which
I found to be pretty useless. The bomb attack, however, is pretty unique.
Pressing the bomb button creates a time-stopping energy field. Smaller
enemies will be destroyed while bigger ones are frozen for a couple of
seconds, which enables you to damage them without having to dodge stuff.
The F-15 is a very fast plane, which sometimes makes it difficult to
control properly.
Secret plane: Seiran
When flying the Seiran, Mao Mao puts on a different dress. The Seiran
needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4 bombs. It
shoots little bolts of electricity straight forward. Its subweapon are
homing lasers, which do a fair amount of damage and which look incredibly
cool while moving in snake-like fashion across the screen. Pushing the
bomb button creates a shield. It lasts only a brief moment, but it can
save you from getting hit. The Seiran doesn't have a special attack.
4.3 Team Russia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The aces of Russia are definitely a strange bunch.
4.3.1 Volk
----------
Volk is a grumpy looking Russian veteran. He's the only one who doesn't
fly a plane, but a copter. Apart from Sonic Wings Special, he also appears
in Sonic Wings Limited. It's interesting that his name, Volk, is actually
a German word and means 'people'.
Normal craft: Ka-50 Hokum
The Ka-50 needs 2 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It fires a powerful narrow straight shot that doesn't spread at
all. Instead, it always fires a bit in the direction you're going. So when
going left, it will fire a bit to the left and going right will cause the
Ka-50 to fire to the right. Flying forward or back centers the shot. You
can lock the shot direction into position by holding down the fire button.
In addition to the extremely powerful main shot the Ka-50 fires homing
missiles. When you press the bomb button, three huge bombers will appear
and attack everything on screen. It takes a split-second to activate the
bomb, so it's unlikely that it will save you in a dangerous situation.
Note that when you set off the last bomb in stock, it will look slightly
different and inflict more damage than the normal ones.
Secret plane: Mig 3
The Mig 3 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4
bombs. It fires a very broad straight shot of average strength. It's
secondary weapon, however, looks really impressive: Big bolts of lightning
come out of the plane and strike enemies. The bomb attack releases a
missile spread and is not very powerful, but overall the Mig 3 is a
desirable plane to use. There's no special attack available, though.
4.3.2 Chaika & Pooshika
-----------------------
Chaika & Pooshika seem to be sisters. They are dressed in very traditional
clothing and they initially appeared in the third Sonic Wings game.
Normal plane: IL-102
The IL-102 needs 4 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 6
bombs. It shoots a spray of fairly powerful shots. Similar to the FS-X,
it's sometimes hard to aim at things because there's no straightforward
center shot. The bombs the IL-102 drops as secondary weapons are above
average in power and do pretty much damage. Pushing the bomb button
releases a disappointingly weak napalm attack. There's no special attack
available.
Secret plane: IL-2 Stormovik
The IL-2 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It fires a V-shaped spread shot which is pretty powerful, but
which, again, makes it difficult to directly aim at things. However, the
very odd secondary weapons make up for that. The IL-2 shoots tower spires
similar to those found in stage 8b (see chapter 5.5.2 for details).
Surprisingly, these spires deal out a lot of damage. The bomb attack of
the IL-2 is likewise hilarious: After pushing the bomb button a giant
Russian doll will appear. It will dance across the screen and do a lot of
damage to everything it touches. Sometimes, instead of one big doll, a
couple of smaller ones will appear. It's really the weirdest bomb
available in the game. The IL-2 has no special attack.
4.4 Team Sweden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The members of the Swedish team both made their first appearance in the
first Sonic Wings game.
4.4.1 Kowful the Viking
-----------------------
Kowful is a Viking. Actually, that's all you can say about him. He doesn't
talk much, but he laughs a lot.
Normal plane: AJ-37 Viggen
The AJ-37's firepower really is great. This is possibly the strongest of
the regular planes and it can stock 6 bombs. It shoots an extremly strong
forward shot. The small missiles that are this plane's secondary weapon
are shot in a widespread pattern and are fairly powerful as well. Thus,
the AJ-37 offers the perfect combination of screen coverage and weapon
strength. Add to that the fact that it only needs 2 powerups to reach
maximum strength and you have a highly desirable plane. Well, of course it
has to have some disadvantages: The bomb attack and the special charge
attack both suck. Holding down the fire button and then releasing it fires
a big black missile that is disappointingly weak. And the bomb attack
shoots eight homing missiles. However, these are pretty weak as well and
often they just miss their aim. The bomb can save you from getting hit,
but it doesn't nullify enemy bullets, so chances are good that you're
still in trouble after having escaped the immediate danger.
Secret plane: Ju87G Stuka
The Ju87G needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 6
bombs. Kowful's secret plane is pretty unexciting. It fires a straight
shot and equally straightforward missiles. The bomb attack creates a huge
explosion. There's no special attack available. That's really all there is
to say about this plane.
4.4.2 T.B.A-10
--------------
T.B. A-10 is a robot. An artificial pilot specifically designed to
outmatch all his human counterparts.
Normal plane: F-104 Star Fighter
The F-104 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4
bombs. Like the F-15 it's a very fast plane, so maneuvering through some
of the more advanced bullet patterns can become a bit difficult. The plane
fires a broad straight laser which pierces through enemies. This sort of
makes up for its relatively low strength. The secondary weapons of the
F-104 are mines that hover around. These do major damage. The bomb attack
releases a giant floating mine that explodes into a ring of smaller ones
the moment it hits an enemy. Holding down the firebutton makes the plane
spit out some stationary mines around it which explode after a second or
so, but these are in fact not very useful.
Secret plane: B-239 Buffalo
The B-239 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4
bombs. It fires an unexciting but decent straight shot. It's secondary
weapons are the same mines the F-104 uses, but instead of just flying
around on the screen these actually home in on enemies. The bomb attack of
the B-239 is pretty cool. It locks the plane into position and renders it
invulnerable for the duration of the bomb attack. At the same time it
creates crosshairs with which you can aim at enemies. The plane releases a
very strong stream of bullets in the direction of the crosshairs. There's
no special attack available, but the B-239 is still an interesting plane
to use, although it's a bit difficult to handle.
4.5 Team P.K.F.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have absolutely no idea what kind of organisation the P.K.F. is supposed
to be, but it definitely employs the weirdest pilots around.
4.5.1 Whity
-----------
Whity is a talking dolphin. I have no clue how he can control a plane with
those flippers, but who am I to question the abilities of this strangest
of aces. Whity first appeared in the second Sonic Wings game. He was
renamed in the western release and is known as Spanky to all those who
have played Aero Fighters 2.
Normal plane: YF-23
The YF-23 needs 2 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4
bombs. But even the maximum firepower is not really that strong. The plane
shoots a slightly V-shaped stream of bullets accompanied by forward
shooting ring-shaped projectiles. So it has decent coverage, but the
bullets do only little damage. The bomb attack releases a bunch of big
black steel orbs that shoot out in a spread pattern and crawl very slowly
across the screen. They do a lot of damage, but they are definitely not
able to save you in a critical situation. There's no special attack
available.
Secret plane: Hs129
The Hs129 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. Unlike Whity's regular plane, it shoots a straight forward shot.
Its secondary weapons are miniature versions of the steel orbs from the
YF-23's bomb attack. These are actually quite effective. The bomb attack
creates an energy wave that sweeps the screen. This is very useful for
panic bombing. Holding down the fire button charges up a decently powerful
energy blast. Unlike other special attacks the blast is launched the
moment it is fully charged up and not when you release the fire button.
4.5.2 Lord River N. White
-------------------------
Lord White is an old man with a cat on his shoulder. The P.K.F. seems
really to be in desperate need of pilots. He first appeared in the first
Sonic Wings game. The cat is actually called Pictus and appeared first in
the third Sonic Wings game accompanying a guy named Alex. Why Pictus left
him and now flies with Lord White I don't know.
Normal plane: AV-8 Harrier II Plus
The AV-8 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It fires a spread main shot along with straight forward missiles.
It's bomb attack creates two fiery clouds of explosions, which can be
quite effective if you use them properly. There's no special attack
available. Overall, the AV-8 is one of the less desirable planes around,
except for its 5-way spread shot when maxed out.
Secret plane: Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and
can stock 4 bombs. Unlike all other planes it has a tracking main shot.
This is useful whenever there's only one target onscreen, but the shot
seems to be unable to decide what to home in on when the screen is crowded
and often it doesn't hit a thing. Similar to Volk's copter, you can change
the behaviour of your main shot by holding down the fire button. Doing so
will make the plane fire straightly forward. Fairly powerful forward
missiles accompany the main shot. The bomb attack of this plane is very
interesting: A couple of small helper planes lines up at the sides of the
plane and fire with great efficiency. If you have ever played Daisenpu
(aka Twin Hawk), you know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, the
helper planes can get shot down. This will usually happen quite quickly.
4.6 Team NATO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The NATO team must be unlocked before you can play it. It will appear on
the character selection screen after you have finished the game with all
of the regular planes.
4.6.1 Anjera
------------
Anjera's name is probably a misspelling of 'Angela'. She's a french lady
with a questionable taste in clothing. She first appeared in the second
Sonic Wings game. Funnily, in the western release of Aero Fighters 2, she
was renamed to 'Steve' and was declared a (male!) punkrocker. This
happened without changing any of the pictures, however. She still looked
like a woman. Very strange indeed.
Normal plane: Rafale M
The Rafale needs 2 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It fires a quite powerful forward shot. The subweapons are scatter
mines that fly around in an odd pattern and do very much damage. The best
about the Rafale M is the bomb attack. It creates a giant sphere of
electricity that does a lot of damage. Better yet, inside the sphere the
enemies' shots are nullified, but your own ones aren't. Thus you can point
blank a boss by dropping the bomb on him and then shooting him right in
the core. This can take down some of the bosses within seconds. The bomb
attack is also able to be used as a lifesaver in critical situations. The
Rafale M has no special attack, but with its powerful standard weaponry
and the best bomb around it's a well-rounded plane that can
whole-heartedly be recommended. One of my favourites.
Secret plane: Dowoitine D520
The D520 needs 3 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 4
bombs. It fires a pretty weak 3-way spread. Its subweapon, however, is
very interesting. You get a little satellite that circles your plane. It
nullifies enemy bullets, but it's too small to be of much use as a shield.
But when you hold down the shot button, the satellite will emit a laser
sword that pierces through all enemies on screen and does major damage to
them. It's difficult to handle, but definitely interesting. The bomb
attack looks cool, but damage-wise it's a pretty standard affair. It
creates a pair of searchlights that sweep the screen and damage every foe
they hit.
4.6.2 Ellen & Cincia
--------------------
Cincia's name is probably a misspelling of 'Cynthia', but I might be
mistaken at that. She's a little English schoolgirl. Her mother Ellen is
with her to make sure she doesn't get into trouble. The pair of them
appeared first in the second Sonic Wings game.
Normal plane: F-14 Tomcat
The F-14 needs 4 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 5
bombs. It fires a decent straight shot. Homing missiles are its subweapon.
Its bomb attack fires a bunch of missiles. These are quite strong and can
do a lot of damage if used properly. The Tomcat is the fastest plane in
the game, so be careful to not accidentally crash into a bullet or foe.
Holding down the firebutton will adjust the position of the F-14's wings.
This will make the plane a tiny bit slower and easier to control.
Secret plane: Sword Fish
The Sword Fish needs only one powerup to reach maximum firepower and can
stock 6 bombs. It fires a lone weak needle-like forward shot that changes
into an extremely broad forward shot when you pick up a powerup-capsule.
This plane has by far the best coverage of all the available craft, but
it's pretty weak otherwise. The secondary weapons are bombs that drop to
the ground and bounce forward and the special attack fires two straight
missiles. Sadly, both the bouncers and the missiles aren't all that
strong. The bomb attack drops a couple of energy bombs and is nothing to
write home about either, so the only real advantage of the Sword Fish is
that it reaches maximum power with only one powerup.
4.7 Secret Characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These secret characters are available as soon as you have unlocked the
NATO team. You can't see them on the character selection screen, though.
They can be accessed by either pressing down from Anjera/Cincia & Ellen or
by pressing up from Keaton/Silver. They don't have secret ships to unlock,
but, believe me, their regular craft are strange enough already.
4.7.1 Kotomi
------------
Kotomi is a young girl with strange long ribbons on her helmet that look
like rabbit ears. Her ship is the Aka-Usagi. A rabbit-shaped craft. The
ship first appeared in the game Rabio Lepus. It's a cute sidescrolling
shoot-em-up Video Systems released a couple of years before Sonic Wings
Special.
Normal craft: Aka-Usagi
The Aka-Usagi needs 2 powerups to reach maximum firepower and can stock 6
bombs. It's without a doubt the most powerful ship in the game. Its
forward shot is very strong and it's accompanied by likewise powerful
homing missiles. The special attack charges a strong plasma ball that can
be thrown at enemies. The bomb attack makes the Aka-Usagi invulnerable for
some seconds. During that time, you can simply ram enemies. The best about
the Aka-Usagi is that, unlike all other craft, it never powers down. You
only lose your maximum firepower when you lose a life, no matter how much
you shoot. The speed of the Aka-Usagi is neither too fast nor too slow.
All in all the Aka-Usagi is a ship that is a delight to use.
4.7.2 "The Man"
--------------
"The Man" is a mysterious shadowy figure. You can never see his face in
any of the pictures.
Normal craft: Diabloon
The Diabloon looks like a flying bulldozer. It needs 7 powerups to reach
maximum firepower and can stock 2 bombs. However, it's very unlikely that
you will ever actually see the devastating power of the fully tooled-up
shot of the Diabloon, because it's the exact opposite of the Aka-Usagi: It
always powers down, no matter which level your shot is currently on.
Normally, craft in Sonic Wings Special only power down from the maximum
power level to the one below that, but the diabloon has limited ammo for
any of its levels of firepower. The weapon of the Diabloon is a great
spread of plasma shots that covers the entire screen when maxed out, but
it's miserably weak onlower levels. Chances are that you will never be
able to collect enough powerup-capsules in time to actually benefit from
the Diabloon's weaponry. The bomb attack of the Diabloon calls on a bunch
of fireballs that sweep the screen. This can be quite devastating. There's
no special attack available and the Diabloon also lacks a subshot for the
main weapon. Overall, the Diabloon is too annoying to be of much use. I
wouldn't recommend using it.
5 STAGES
========
There are 17 (or 19 or 34, it depends on how you count them - see info in
chapter 5.6) different stages in this game, but you only have to play nine
of them in a row to finish the game.
The first stage always is the Tokyo stage. After that follow three stages
that are randomly chosen out of five possibilities. The fifth stage is
always the Syrian Desert stage. At the end of that stage, the path will
branch and you can choose which way to go. Two stages later you are
allowed to choose again. Depending on your choice, you can end up in one
of three different end stages. The stage tree looks like this:
STAGE 1: Tokyo
|
|
STAGES 2/3/4: Dover Mato Grosso New York Paris Schwarz Wald
|
|
STAGE 5: Syrian Desert
/ \
/ \
STAGE 6: Panama Canal Bosporus Straits
| |
| |
STAGE 7: Range of Ural Grand Canyon
/ \ / \
/ \ / \
STAGE 8: Teotihuacan Red Square Hawaii
| | |
| | |
FINAL STAGE: Another World Orbit of Satelite Barmuda Triangle
5.1 Stage 1: Tokyo
------------------
The game always starts here. The Tokyo stage is fairly easy, so you can
get the hang of the controls and collect a couple of powerup-capsules.
There are only few enemies around, mostly copters and tanks. None of them
should get you into any trouble.
The boss is the green flying machine from the Tokyo stage of the first
Sonic Wings game, but it's easier to beat here. Beware of its death laser
and you will be fine.
This stage is similar to the Tokyo stage from Sonic Wings 1, but it also
borrows some background graphics from the corresponding stage in Sonic
Wings 2.
5.2 Random Stages 2/3/4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you can guess from the headline, you will play three randomly selected
stages out of the five ones available.
The difficulty of the stages depends on their position in your stage
line-up for that particular round of Sonic Wings Special. The exact same
stage will be tougher if you happen to get it as your fourth stage than if
you encounter it as your second one. The change in difficulty is not all
that big, though. It generally means that normal enemies are more likely
to shoot at you and bosses will, for example, replace waves of
destructible bullets with ones of the solid huge orange kind or throw in
an additional attack.
5.2.1 Dover
-----------
Dover is one of the easier random stages. First you fly over Stonehenge,
then travel over fields (blowing up lots of tanks along the way) until you
reach an airbase. There, formations of three fast jets will greet you.
Refresh your weapon power at the hangars before you meet with the boss.
The boss is a giant bomber that is about to escape. Its most annoying
attack is the aimed huge orange shot it fires from its rear cannon. To
stop that attack once and for all, you have to blow up one of the plane's
wings. So concentrate all your fire on one of the wings first until it's
destroyed. After that the remaining attacks of the boss shouldn't pose
much of a problem.
Both the stage and its boss are derived from the England stage in Sonic
Wings 1.
5.2.2 Mato Grosso
-----------------
Mato Grosso is one of the tougher random stages. Fly over a jungle first
and stare in awe at the flamingos passing underneath your plane. After a
while, you will reach a base. There you can reap a lot of points in the
form of currency bonuses. But don't be too greedy or the copters will get
you.
The boss is a naval battle cruiser. I don't know how it came into the
middle of the jungle, but it moves on rails and is quite a formidable
enemy. The first form is easily killed, so there's no description needed.
For its second form I can't really tell you a specific strategy. The
patterns shot by the numerous different cannons and the vulnerable core
interweave in the most unpleasant of ways. Just dodge the best you can and
make sure you don't get cornered.
The stage resembles the Brazil stage from Sonic Wings 2. The boss also
originally appeared in the same game, but in another stage (Sydney, to be
exact).
5.2.3 New York
--------------
New York is something like the average random stage. It's neither easy nor
exceptionally difficult. Pass over Manhattan and shoot down the occasional
plane or copter until you reach a large water area. Here you will
encounter a couple of boats and eventually reach the boss.
The boss is another large battleship, but other than that in Mato Grosso
this one is vertically oriented. You can dismantle it bit by bit as it
slowly advances. Its attacks aren't difficult to dodge. Just keep an eye
on the support copters that appear once in a while. The last attack
pattern of this boss can be coped with in one of two ways: Carefully dive
through it if you have a slow plane, but quickly move around it if your
plane is fast.
Both the stage and its boss originate from the first Sonic Wings game.
5.2.4 Paris
-----------
Paris is the hardest of the random stages. Make sure you concentrate all
your fire on the big black jets whenever they appear to take them out
quickly or they will cause a lot of trouble. Apart from that, the stage is
not that bad, but, unfortunately, the boss is.
It's a silvery plane with a very large wingspan. Its attack patterns
aren't actually too hard to dodge. The problem is that you can damage its
wings and body separately. When you happen to blow off one of the wings,
the plane will start spinning and shooting like mad in erratic patterns.
If that happens and you don't have a good bomb attack to finish it off
quickly, you can get into serious trouble, because it's very difficult to
avoid that mad attack for a long time.
The Paris stage resembles the France stage from Sonic Wings 2. The boss is
a newly created one. I think it's in Sonic Wings Limited too, though.
5.2.5 Schwarz Wald
------------------
Schwarz Wald is the easiest stage of the random bunch. There are no
really dangerous enemies around and you can still get a lot of points when
fighting big green planes while flying over a medieval town amidst a large
forest.
The boss looks like a castle. Blow up the little turrets first, then go
for the tower on the left. After that, concentrate your fire on the main
building until it explodes and reveals the futuristic base underneath.
Take out the grey square turret in the middle immediately. After that,
keep slipping through the gaps in the slowly moving bullet patterns and
try to destroy the tower on the left. Once it's trashed the rest of the
battle should be a cakewalk.
The stage seems to appear in modified form in Sonic Wings Limited. The
boss, however, is a Sonic Wings Special exclusive.
5.3 Stage 5: Syrian Desert
--------------------------
No matter which stages you got as your random picks, you'll always end up
here. Surprisingly, the Syrian Desert stage is easier than some of the
random stages. The only thing really noteworthy is the huge copter that
attacks you at the very beginning of the stage. It will appear on the left
side of the screen, so be prepared.
The boss is a huge desert tank. Its first form shouldn't pose a problem.
Shoot the core if you are in desperate need of a powerup, otherwise
concentrate on damaging the two cannons left and right. When the tank
unfolds, be careful not to get cornered and keep an eye on those support
copters. The attacks of the tank are actually quite easy to dodge.
Both the stage and its boss originally appeared in Sonic Wings 1 first,
but the boss can also be found in Sonic Wings Limited.
5.4 Stages 6/7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the end of the Syrian Desert stage you will be asked to make a choice.
Out of the two possibilities you can pick the route you desire.
5.4.1 Path: Panama
------------------
If you choose 'Panama' at the end of the Syrian Desert stage, your next
two stages will be 'The Panama Canal' and 'Range of Ural'. I found this
route to be slightly easier than the other one.
Stage 6a: The Panama Canal
--------------------------
The nightly canal looks intimidating at first, but it isn't all that bad.
Keep an eye on the little trains and take out the endless formations of
boxy blue planes quickly.
The boss is a huge submarine. It shoots a lot, but its attacks are easy to
dodge and the sub is quickly destroyed. Well, after that the REAL boss
comes out. It's a huge mecha guardian. You have to maneuvre very carefully
between the various bullet patterns it throws at you, so you hopefully
don't use too fast a plane. When you watch the patterns closely and don't
panic, most of this boss's attacks are easy to avoid. The only tricky bit
is when it starts to throw quick waves of very fast little bullets at you.
When that happens, stay left of the center. There's a bigger gap you can
slip through.
There's a Panama stage in Sonic Wings 3, but for Sonic Wings Special it
has been modified even more heavily than other stages, so it's safe to say
that this is like an entirely new stage. The boss is another Sonic Wings
Special exclusive and cannot be found in any of the other games.
Stage 7a: Range of Ural
-----------------------
This stage always reminds me of Flying Shark. Nothing special here. Just
make sure you destroy the boats as quickly as possible.
The boss is a couple of huge gun turrets set in a mountain range. Stay
centered and watch the two big turrets. When they lock into position, you
can see in which direction they are about to fire. Dodge accordingly and
stay at the bottom of the screen in the middle or right in the center, as
appropriate. After a while they will start to shoot slow waves of huge
bullets. Use your best dodging skills to slip through the gaps. Hopefully
the boss will give up soon afterwards.
This stage cannot be found in any of the original Sonic Wings games. I
guess a similar stage is also in Sonic Wings Limited, though. The boss
originates from Sonic Wings 3, but it is also included in Sonic Wings
Limited.
5.4.2 Path: Bosporus
--------------------
If you choose 'Bosporus' at the end of the Syrian Desert stage, your next
two stages will be 'Bosporus Straits' and 'Grand Canyon'. I found this
route to be slightly more difficult than the other one.
Stage 6b: Bosporus Straits
--------------------------
This is a pretty crowded stage. Destroy turrets on boats or carriers as
quickly as possible. Keep an eye on all those small bullets and you will
be fine.
The boss is a heavily armed hovercraft. If possible, take out all of the
small turrets before destroying the core. After the center piece is blown
up, the hovercraft will start to shoot spreads of very fast huge bullets.
With a fast plane, you can dodge them, but with a slower one you'll have
to dive right through them. Use a bomb when things start to get out of
hand.
Both the stage and the boss are derived from the Mediterranean stage in
the first Sonic Wings game.
Stage 7b: Grand Canyon
----------------------
The toughest enemy is the mecha guardian at the beginning of the stage.
Not that it's really that threatening, though. Later in the stage there
will be a spot where copters, coming from all directions, will surround
you. If you stay at the middle of the bottom of the screen for most of the
stage, they'll have no chance to catch you off guard.
The boss is a four-legged tank. None of its attack patterns are especially
difficult to dodge, so just blast away and it will be gone in no time.
The stage originates from Sonic Wings 3. The boss initially appeared in
the Tokyo stage of Sonic Wings 2, but it can also be found in Sonic Wings
Limited.
5.5 Stages 8/9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the end of the 'Range of Ural' and 'Grand Canyon' stages you will be
asked again which route to go. The choice of your path determines the two
final stages you'll have to cope with. There are three different ways that
can be chosen.
5.5.1 Path: Mexico
------------------
This path can only be accessed from the 'Range of Ural' stage. I found it
to be the easiest route. So if you play for survival and the completion of
the game is your main goal, this is the one you should pick. But if you
play for score, you should go for one of the other two, as the Mexico
route will earn you less points in the end.
Stage 8a: Teotihuacan
---------------------
Fly over pyramids and ancient cities, shooting down huge planes and
copters. When you see a trapdoor (of which three can be found in this
stage) open up, there's a bit of randomness involved, as it can contain
either four tanks or four air-based enemies.
At the end you will stop at a huge pyramid. It'll open up and out comes a
huge black UFO. It will fire fast bullets at you, so a quick-moving plane
is desirable here. After that the UFO will start to emit radial bullet
patterns. When it enters its next attack mode, it will shoot streams of
destructible bullets. Hopefully, you will be able to shoot down the UFO
soon, as it will go into angry mode next and its attacks will be hard to
dodge.
The stage resembles the Mexico stage from Sonic Wings 2. The black UFO is
one of the final bosses of Sonic Wings 3 and it appears also as the final
boss in Sonic Wings Limited.
Stage 9a: Another World
-----------------------
The enemies here are all silver spheres that open up and shoot various
unpleasant bullet patterns at you.
When you reach an area with coloured glass windows in the background, it's
time to fight the midboss. You'll face a huge red insect. It will shoot
drops of green liquid aimed at you. Circle it once to avoid the attacks.
After that the insect will shoot the liquid in set patterns that can
easily be dodged with a bit of practice. Keep an eye on the baby insects,
though, and drop a bomb when necessary.
The last silver sphere before the final boss has a full-power capsule.
It's the only one found in the game. The final boss is a strange eyeball.
It will extend various devices and attack you in numerous ways. Stay away
from it and keep dodging. Hopefully, you'll be able to take it down before
its really nasty attacks start.
The stage is similar to the final stage from Sonic Wings 2. Even the
eyeball boss is the same. Only the midboss has been exchanged. Instead of
the monster fly you have to battle a monkey in Sonic Wings 2.
5.5.2 Path: Moskva
------------------
This path is the toughest of the three possible routes. It's accessible
from both the 'Range of Ural' and the 'Grand Canyon' stages.
Stage 8b: The Red Square
------------------------
This stage is hard. It starts out easy with only some copters and tanks,
but a little later the screen gets really crowded. When you see a bigger </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
building, concentrate your fire on that or the flying tower spires will
get you into trouble.
This stage has even two bosses. Two huge black jets will attack you. Their
combined attacks are very difficult to dodge. Don't be reluctant to use a
bomb when you need to.
Both the stage and its boss originate from Sonic Wings 1. Like many of its
pals, the boss also appears in Sonic Wings Limited.
Stage 9b: Orbit of Satelite
---------------------------
Yes, I know how to spell 'Satellite', but, obviously, Video Systems don't.
After shooting down some smaller spaceships you'll encounter the first
midboss. Take out the ground turrets on the left and right sides of the
screen first, the rest shouldn't be much of a problem.
The second midboss is a Space Shuttle. It's a nasty opponent, but it
doesn't take too many hits before it is destroyed.
Out of the shuttle a cylindric golden capsule will emerge. This is the
final boss. It will attack you in various nasty ways. I can't give you a
detailed strategy here. Just keep dodging like mad and fire like there's
no tomorrow. After a while, the skull-shaped warhead will be revealed.
When that happens, you'll know that you are close to victory. Don't let
the warhead escape or you'll get a bad ending.
Sometimes, instead of the golden capsule, a monkey will emerge from the
damaged shuttle. If that happens, you're lucky. The monkey is much easier
to beat than the death satellite. He will attack you by shooting bullet
spreads from his palm and by sending some smaller monkeys down the
screen. Just stay as far away as possible from him and keep shooting.
The stage is similar to the final stage of the first Sonic Wings game. The
bosses are the same ones as those found in the original.
5.5.3 Path: Hawaii
------------------
This route can only be accessed from the Grand Canyon stage. Not quite as
tough as the road via Moskva, this route is your top pick if you play for
score, as it gives you the almost the same opportunities to score well,
but is a little easier than the Moskva path at the same time.
Stage 8c: Hawaii
----------------
This stage is very short, even by this game's standards. Nothing is really
noteworthy here.
The boss is a giant stealth bomber. It's quite a tough opponent.
Concentrate your fire on the main body and keep moving, so the occasional
aimed shot, which the bomber fires inbetween its bullet patterns, will
miss you.
The stage is derived from Sonic Wings 2, but like the Panama stage, this
one has been modified so much that it can be actually called an entirely
new stage. The boss also is from Sonic Wings 2, it shows up in the New
York stage there.
Stage 9c: Barmuda Triangle
--------------------------
Again, I know how to spell 'Bermuda'. Sadly, Video Systems obviously have
no clue.
This is an underwater stage. Shoot down some subs until you reach a place
with sunken ship wrecks. There you'll find the midboss, a kind of heavily
armed cyclops jellyfish. After shooting some spread patterns of lasers at
you it will start to summon parts of the shipwrecks and attach them to
itself. As with most of the later bosses, I can't give you a fool-proof
strategy here. Stay far away from the thing and keep dodging. Hopefully,
you'll be able to destroy this midboss before its really nasty attacks
start.
Eventually, you'll reach the end boss of this stage. It's a huge glowing
pink orb on top of a column. It will attack you by creating smaller copies
of itself and occasionally shooting a spread of huge yellow bullets.
Surprisingly, this endboss is much easier to beat than the jellyfish
midboss. It's actually more of an endurance test than a challenge of your
reflexes. Dodge the small spheres and the shots they fire while shooting
madly at the big one. It's not much of a strategy, but it certainly works
well enough.
This stage is similar to one of the two possible final stages of Sonic
Wings 3. The cyclops jellyfish is actually the final boss of Sonic Wings
3, while the pink orb is another newly created Sonic Wings Special
exclusive.
5.6 The Alternative Set of Stages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You automatically play the alternative set of stages when you decide to
use one of the secret planes. Of course that means that you can't play the
normal stages with the secret planes and vice versa. In 2P mode, you play
the alternative stages even if only one of the players chooses one of the
secret planes. The alternative stages are mostly like the normal ones, but
the colour schemes are different, so it looks like you tackle the stages
at a different time of day.
The stages of the alternative set in Sonic Wings Special don't differ much
from their normal versions. The changed colours are the most noticeable
difference. Otherwise the stages are only a little bit tougher (mostly
because the secret planes aren't as strong as the regular ones and there
are less powerup-capsules to be found). Two stages, however have been
completely redesigned for the second loop.
5.6.1 Stage 1: Tokyo
--------------------
In the alternative set, the Tokyo stage is entirely different and it's
much harder this time around. You fly over the nightly (and completely
destructed) city, shooting down lots of enemy planes.
The boss is the same as in normal mode, but this time it attaches itself
to one of the buildings, thus turning that skycraper into a kind of giant
transformer. This boss is more difficult to beat than its counterpart in
the normal stage, but if you are careful not to get hit by its death
laser, you shouldn't have problems dodging all of its attacks.
5.6.2 Stage 7b: Grand Canyon
----------------------------
The assault on Grand Canyon also takes place in the middle of the night
now. Instead of some easy to dispatch copters and tanks you get lots and
lots of jets as foes this time. Still the stage isn't incredibly hard and
thankfully it lacks unpleasant surprises (like the copters surrounding you
in the normal version of the stage).
The boss is still exactly the same four-legged tank.
6 MISCALLANEOUS
===============
6.1 Two Players Mode
--------------------
Two players can play Sonic Wings Special simultaneously. Before you have
beaten the game with the NATO characters the two players can only select
planes from the same team.
All game-relevant issues refer to player one only. The currency that can
be collected for score bonuses is always that of the country the player
one character is from. Note that player one also draws all aimed shots
fired by enemies. This makes the life of the second player a lot easier.
6.2 Time Attack Mode
--------------------
You can select this mode from the start menu. In this mode you play a
short boss rush stage in which you battle six bosses in a row. Some of
them are more difficult here than they are in the normal game.
The purpose of this mode is to beat them in the shortest time possible.
The five best results will be saved in seperate lists for 1P and 2P mode.
6.3 The Data Save Option
------------------------
Unlike other shoot-em-ups Sonic Wings Special allows you to save your
game. To do so, press L+R+Start inbetween stages when the pictures of the
characters appear. You will be asked if you want to save your data. Select
yes, if you wish to do so.
After having saved the game data, the new item 'data load' will show up in
the start menu. When you select it, you start off where you have saved the
game with all the lives and credits you had left. You even keep your score.
You are allowed to save your game only once per round of play. Selecting
'start game' in the start menu will wipe the saved memory, so the data
save option is really only for those that have to interrupt an ongoing
session for whatever reason. You can't use it to cheat your way to the end
of the game.
6.4 Other Versions
------------------
There's also a PSX version of Sonic Wings Special. The sound is said to be
a tad bit better on the PSX, with crisper sound effects and slightly
smoother sounding BGM tracks. In opposition to the Saturn port, you are
allowed to save your game more often than once per round in the PSX
version.
Still, Media Quest did a marvelous job with the Saturn port, so you won't
notice much of a difference. And the harsher sounding music actually has
some appeal of its own. Both home versions are Japanese-only releases.
6.5 Other Games in the Series
-----------------------------
The Sonic Wings series consists of five games in total. The first game was
initially an arcade-only release, but later it got ported to the Super
Famicom. The second and third games in the series were released for
NeoGeo-based arcade machines and also for the home versions of the NeoGeo.
All three of the first Sonic Wings games were released in the west under
the names of Aero Fighters 1-3.
There's also a Japanese-only arcade exclusive called 'Sonic Wings Limited'
which runs on PSX-based hardware. It seems to feature only seven stages in
total. Some of the stages and bosses also appear (in modified form) in
Sonic Wings Special. A version with English display text is rumoured to
exist, but there's no information to be found on it.
Finally, there's a game for the N64 called Sonic Wings Assault. But this
one is not a shmup, but a three dimensional game, so I don't really count
it in as a part of the series.
6.6 The Bonus CD
----------------
With the game comes a mini audio-CD with two songs sung by Mao Mao on it.
One of the songs is also included in a karaoke version.
6.7 Rabio Lepus
---------------
Rabio Lepus, which is also known as Rabbit Punch, is a semi-cute
horizontally scrolling shmup Video Systems released prior to any of the
Sonic Wings games.
The rabbit-shaped ship from that game is something like Video Systems'
mascot. It is not only one of the secret craft in Sonic Wings Special, it
can also be spotted in Sonic Wings 1 and 2. It appears in Mao Mao's ending
in Sonic Wings 1. Pay close attention to the background graphics in the
Tokyo and New York stages of the second game and you will discover it
there too.
If you take a look at the pictures in your Sonic Wings Special manual, you
will see that Cincia holds a Rabio Lepus doll in the image of her on the
back of the manual. In the picture of Cincia on page 18, the same doll can
be seen behind her back.
7 CONCLUSION
============
There you have it. Everything you ever wanted to know about Sonic Wings
Special. When I first got the game I searched the net for info, but
couldn't find very much, so I decided to share everything I found out via
this FAQ.
I hope you found it an interesting read. If you have any comments,
suggestions or corrections, please email them to me (the author) at
<
[email protected]>.
Thanks for reading.
8 SPECIAL THANKS
================
Baby Bonnie Hood
- For writing great FAQs for the original Sonic Wings/Aero Fighters games
and for providing useful information on the stages and bosses of the
original games. Also for pointing out some mistakes in my descriptions
of the planes.
D
- For solving the mystery of the data save option and for double-checking
the information given in this FAQ. Also for providing additional
information on some of the bomb attacks.
Check his site <
http://turn.to/vertical> for a nice review of Sonic
Wings Special and for further in-depth information on the speed of the
planes.
shmups.com
- The shmuppiest place on earth. :)
9 VERSION HISTORY
=================
v1.2 (12/10/2003)
- Added information about the sizes of the planes' bomb stocks.
- Applied a few minor changes.
v1.1 (12/08/2003)
- Added additional information on some of the bomb attacks.
- Corrected some typos.
v1.0 (12/01/2003)
- Initial release.
===========================================================================
Sonic Wings Special FAQ (Sega Saturn) v1.2 (12/10/2003)
===========================================================================
