Version 1.0 - October 15, 2000
By Blue Type 1 (aka Choo-Kar Kua)
** CONTENTS **
Introduction
How to play
Pilots
Weapons and Items
Planes
Levels
Misc
The Future
Legal Stuff
========================================================================
** INTRODUCTION **
"The fighting in this area is ferocious.
Only fate will determine if we live or die.
Only a madman would take on this mission ...
Luckily they found me!"
This is an old school shooter (none of this new 1st person shooter
stuff) made by Capcom. I used to kill lots of money on this game at the
arcade, but at least I developed a super fast button pushing finger.
Why UN Squadron? Well, it's not a typical shooter in that you don't get
super powerful weapons that cover the entire screen resulting in you not
doing anything. This game requires skills!! If you looking for an easy
shooter, this ain't it!
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** HOW TO PLAY **
You don't really need to be an aeronautic engineer to figure out this
game. You have three main buttons:
Shoot - fires your main vulcan weapon
Special - uses your previously purchased special weapon
Change - allows you to switch between different special weapons
Basically, you use the direction pad to move your plane around and shoot
down bad guys (duh!). You have an energy meter on the bottom left
indicating your plane's hit points. Everytime that you get hit, you
will temporarily go on fire and lose some energy. While your hit, the
bar will flash and read "DANGER". If you get hit again, you will lose a
life. After a couple of seconds, the bar will come back. The amount of
damage that you take depends on how you got hit. Generally, projectiles
take off a minimal amount while crashing your plane into enemies tends
to take off lots. On the bottom right, is a display of your current
special weapon in use. A handy trick is too change your weapons while
your pause the game. On the top of your screen, you will notice that
you have a SCORE and a MONEY counter. For every 100 points you get, you
will receive $300. In the top right corner, you have your Vulcan cannon
level and number of power-ups (POWs) that you have. The display
indicates how many POWs you need before you get to the next level. Note
that POWs are the glowing gem-like items that you get after killing
certain red enemies. They come in two varieties, orange (worth one POW)
and blue (worth 3 POW)
** PILOTS **
When you start, you have a choice of which pilot you are going to be.
SHIN KAZAMA:
"A specialist by nature, Shin quickly masters most normal weapons"
- this means that Shin will be able to level-up the main vulcan cannon
the quickest. I find that I like using this guy because I rely heavily
on my main weapon (and so should you)
MICKEY SYCHMON:
"Having incredible dexterity, Mickey is known to use many weapons
simultaneously"
- Mickey can use more than one special weapon at a time. I don't really
find this terribly useful.
GREG GATES:
"Able to fly even the most damaged plane, Greg has been the sole
survivor of many dangerous missions"
- this guy is hardcore. He can take the most damage and still be able
to fly. If you think that you need the extra hits, then choose him.
Advantage/Disadvantage
Shin - he gets level ups quickly but I think that he has the lowest hit
points out of all the pilots
Mickey - able to use multiple weapons but he is the middle guy in terms
of powering up and has about the same hit points as Shin
Greg - can take lots of punishment but takes forever to level up
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** WEAPONS AND ITEMS **
This is the section which contains all the extra weapons that you will
be able to carry on your plane. You won't be able to beat some missions
without the aid of special weapons (though you can come VERY close).
I've included the description in the game and my own commentary.
W E A P O N S
Cluster Bomb - "Shoots in every direction."
- a circular ring of explosives surround your plane to clear out enemies
around you
Phoenix - "It locks on to enemies."
- allows you to shoot out three missals that seeks enemies
Falcon - "It skims over the ground."
- drops a missile that travels along the ground until it hits something
Bullpup - "Launches missiles in 5 directions."
- five missiles shoot forward and fan out
Supershell - "It shoots a powerful energy beam."
- a large shot comes out and is able to travel through most structures
thereby allowing you to hit multiple targets with the same shot
Thunder Laser - "It shoots lasers in 3 directions."
- three electrical bolt like beams come out of your plane. One goes
forward and the other two diagonally.
Bomb - "A conventional bomb."
- a bomb that you drop downwards
Napalm - "Defoliation weapon."
- a bomb that upon contact with the ground, a wave of flame spreads out.
Gunpod - "It shoots a vulcan cannon in the upward diagonal direction."
- basically another main weapon that shoots diagonally
Sailing Missile - "It shoots missiles straight up."
- 3 missiles are released upwards. Not very useful unless fighting
bosses.
Mega Crush - "The ultimate weapon."
- kills everything on screen
I T E M S
POW item - found after killing orange enemies. Normal ones are orange
and give you one POW. Sometimes you will be lucky and get blue POWs
(worth 3 normal ones). These are necessary to powerup your main weapon.
Smart Bomb - looks like Chun Li's head. It destroys all enemies on
screen. Note that it won't kill all enemies but will damage them.
Energy capsule - looks like a blue POW turned vertically. This will
repair about 3 blocks of your plane's energy
Bonus Star - a white star. This item will grant you an extra $50,000.
Weapon Reload - looks like a horizontal barrel. This will restock your
weapons.
Windmill - a red and white swirl. Grabbing this will fully repair your
plane.
Unicorn - a small unicorn. As you probably know, this is the mascot of
UN Squadron. Grabbing this will grant you extra hits. An electric
field will surround your plane and you will be able to take up to three
hits. Really, important on some levels.
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** PLANES **
There are 6 planes that you are able to purchase throughout the course
of the game. Each has its own characteristic advantage. Be certain of
what type of plane suits your playing style. Note that the maximum
level indicates the highest possible vulcan cannon level.
F8E Crusader (max lvl 5) - this is your default plane. It can only
carry the basic equipment such as the bomb, cluster bomb and a mega
crush.
F20 Tiger Shark (max lvl 5) - cost $250,000.
"Excellent for both ground and air attacks".
A101A Thunderbolt2 (max lvl 3) - cost $350,000.
"Can be equipped with largest number of ground weapons."
YF23 Stealth Ray (max lvl 6) - cost $500,000.
"A new fighter, it can be equipped with upward attacking weapons."
F200 Efreet (max lvl 7) - cost $1,000,000.
"This is the ultimate fighter and has every function."
- this plane is able to carry all the weapons and in high quantities.
You have to make sure that you have enough money to equip this plane.
========================================================================
** LEVELS **
Ground Base
- this is a pretty simple level that is there to prime you for what is
to come. Note that there are two smart bombs (looks like Chun Li) on
this level. One is early on and the other after the ground cannons.
The boss is a heavily armed tank. He shoots both large missiles and
small ones. The smaller ones can be shot down but not the large ones.
The best way to fight this boss is to aim for the glowing beacon, this
way you destroy the small missiles as they are released. When the large
missiles come, simply duck down and return to position. Special weapons
are not needed.
Stealth Bomber
- a dogfight in the skies! The pace of this battle is a lot quicker
than the first mission. You have to keep your wits about. There are
two smart bombs on this mission. The first is at the beginning when the
blue planes first appear from behind; it is found in the bottom third.
The second bomb is located on the top third, after the time when beige
planes first start shooting missiles at you. It appears at the time
when there is a large plane that shoots grappling hooks and red planes
that fly out. There is also a plane repair item (it looks like a blue
POW). It can be found right before you fight the boss in the upper
third of the screen.
The boss is a stealth bomber that attacks you with mines that shoot in 8
directions and rear shooting cannon. It is best to equip yourself with
all the weapons you can handle (cluster bombs, bombs and mega crush).
The bomber will appear from the bottom left. This is when you unload
your cluster bombs. Then go crazy with the bombs. Once you're out,
you've got to finish it off with your normal weapon. At this point, I
normally use the mega crush to clear the screen of enemy fire so that I
can get behind the plane. From here, just shoot and avoid the rear
cannon. It should go down in no time.
Desert Ground Carrier
- this mission has a lot of ground targets to eliminate. If you don't
feel comfortable with just your vulcan cannon, I suggest carrying some
bombs or if your plane can handle it, napalm. There is a super bomb on
the level (though it isn't too useful) and is located in the first cave.
There is a bonus star (worth $50000)in the second cave. I find that the
easiest way to get this one is to fly in quickly and use a cluster bomb
to take out the tanks and also to reveal the item. Right before you
fight the Ground Carrier, if you shoot around the middle third of the
screen, you will reveal a weapon reload item (it looks like a horizontal
barrel). The carrier attacks by shooting missiles vertically, releasing
small planes, a cannon and a missile launcher. Your main priority is to
disable the carrier's weapons. You can destroy the vertical missile
launcher by shooting them as they release the missiles. The best
position is right below the line of fire of the main cannon. If your
positioned, you will see the opening of the launcher flash yellow as it
is being hit, and at the same time dodge the main cannon. There are
four of them and careful because the carrier moves back and forth. The
next target is the plane release bays. The planes appear at about the
same level as the vertical missile launchers. When done correctly, the
bay doors should flash yellow. Once all of the plane bays and missile
launchers have been destroyed, stay near the left of the screen and fire
into the main missile launcher. Don't aim at the main cannon because
this portion is invincible. Dodge the missiles as the come and return
to position. The carrier should fall in no time. You don't really need
to use special weapons against this boss. The cluster bomb might be
helpful at the beginning of the battle because of the planes and
missiles.
Forest Fortress
- this mission has a combination of land units, planes and a new Harrier
jet unit. You will have to destroy some jungle foliage to get at some
of the enemies. Good weapons to have during this mission are cluster
bombs and perhaps napalm (for the enemies hiding in foliage). There is
a bonus star in this mission after the second thing that spurts flames.
It is located in the top third of the screen. Again, cluster is really
good because you can get rid of whole squadrons of Harrier jets that
float around you. There is also a Unicorn in this mission after the
missile mine field. The Unicorn grants you temporary invincibility for
3 or 4 hits. I don't know where exactly it is but I have received it on
a couple of occasions.
The boss is a huge ground fortress with numerous cannons. Position
yourself in such a way that you avoid the cannon shots but can still hit
them. They will fall after a couple of hits. There are larger cannons
that will fall after many hits but are not important because they shoot
quite slowly. After the first large cannon, you will be confronted with
a structure that opens up and releases small missiles. This is the weak
spot. If you still have cluster bombs, this is a good time to use it
because not will it only give you a couple of extra hits, but it will
take out the annoying missiles that are released. Using a mega crush is
also smart. Unless you have a super powerful vulcan cannon, you
probably have to make another pass at the weak spot. On your way back,
the first cannon that you encounter has a Windmill item above it. This
item will give you all of your plane's energy back. The second pass
should allow you to take out the boss easily.
Seavet the Submarine
This is an air to sea battle. Seavet attacks with a main missile that
causes a huge explosion (careful, it leaps out of water). It also
launches missile vertically that explode into smaller mine type things
that float down. There is also an annoy plane that flies around
shooting you. This sub is fairly easy, just go down to its level and
let loose with your cannons. Watch out for the main missile that it
launches occasionally. You don't really need any special weapons on
this sub but bombs may help.
Wolfpack Squadron
It is a good idea to carry lots of cluster bombs, not to mention bombs
and mega crush. If your plane can handle it, the Phoenix missile is
fairly good. Basically just dodge and shoot. These planes are a bit
tougher and require more hits. A good trick to avoid headaches at the
beginning is to just sit at the top firing, this will talk out the green
planes coming down. Take out the white planes that come from behind
with your cluster. The boss consists of three smaller stealth bombers.
These guys have two attacks, they can shoot missiles forward and fire
shrapnel type things backwards. These guys follow such a predictable
pattern. Stay behind them and you'll do ok. Occasionally, you'll find
that you are above one of them, just let those bombs go.
Minks the Aircraft Carrier
The level is fought over water. It is pretty much the same as the
desert mission in that annoying surface enemies attack while your
distracted by the airplanes. This mission requires much dexterity and
special weapons. The enemies are so numerous that at time you will be
overwhelmed. Good weapons to carry on this mission are the cluster
bombs, phoenix, bullpup, supershell and megacrush.
The boss is a carrier called Minks. It is a crazy battleship with tons
of huge guns. A good strategy is to launch a megacrush so that it will
clear out their shots and attack the big guns first. The supershell
weapon is excellent here because it hits multiple times. You might want
to carry bombs or napalm as well. There is an unicorn that you should
get, it is located in the top third of the screen above the first big
gun. As you travel forward, you have to destroy basically all of the
ship, not just the guns (towers and all). It'll probably take you two
passes to kill it. Just keep on unloading all your special weapons.
Canyon Base
This mission takes place inside a canyon. There are a couple of new
elements to this mission such as walls of rocks with guns inside them
and napalm dropping planes. For this mission you want to carry cluster
bombs, phoenix and megacrushes. There are two bonus stars found on this
level. Both are inside the walls of rocks. Destroy these and then
shoot what is left of the base. The boss is a large jet called the
Blackbird that shoots out multidirectional missiles that seek you. It
occasionally releases a large missile but this is easily avoided. You
can beat the boss with only your main weapon but you will have to be
constantly avoiding the seeking missiles. A better way would be to use
the cluster bomb when missiles get close and just maintain fire on the
boss. You can also use supershell or bullpup to help with the damage.
Cavern
You will be flying into a cavern for this mission. There are lots of
Harrier jets in this level which makes this extremely annoying. Enemies
will approach you from behind, leaving you very vulnerable. Either out
maneuver them and dodge them OR use special weapons. I like to use
Phoenix on this level because of the seeking ability and the multiple
shots. The boss of this level is a strange tank that hangs on the
ceiling. There is a blue orb that is the weak spot. This boss is
extremely difficult to hit with the main weapon without getting damaged.
Sailing missile is the best bet here. Once you run out, you should try
cluster and phoenix. Try to carry as many weapons as you can. One
tactic that works is to launch a mega crush and then fly your plane into
the vicinity of the blue orb and start shooting (you are temporarily
invincible while the mega crush is in effect). The other annoying part
of this boss is the fact that there are small missile launcher that move
along a conveyor belt. There are also mini-torches that spout flames.
The boss also has a pair of flame throwers. You will be constantly
dodging these walls. You can find an Unicorn near the boss. I think
that it is located after the boss moves to the left for the second time
(ie. moves left, right then left). Shoot near the top of the screen.
This will help you out lots!!
Final Level
This mission has lots of twists and turns. Enemies come out from all
directions, so carry weapons like cluster bomb and phoenix. There is a
smart bomb item on the right wall when you first descend into the
ground. Get this or else dodge like crazy. Next there will be a narrow
tunnel where gun pods and harrier jets come after you. This is ok but
once the blue jets start coming from behind, it is extremely annoying
(use your cluster bomb or phoenix). The next section has flying rocks
that explode after a while; this is pretty easy but be sure to shoot
down any targets. After the flying rocks, there is a regions where
legions of harriers come after you. Again use lots of clusters or
phoenix missiles. There is a smart bomb located to the right of one of
the rock platforms. After clearing this portion, there will be a series
of tracks where guns will travel. Pretty easy. Be sure to get the
energy capsule right before a small wall near the bottom of the screen.
The next section is a tightly winding corridor. Use phoenix missiles to
get to enemies that are above and behind you. There is a weapons
recharge item after the second time you go upwards (if you use phoenix
missiles, it will automatically seek it out for you). Near the end of
this sections, there is the unicorn item. It is located in a small
enclosure above the main corridor. Again, use phoenix to locate it.
The first boss that you fight is a large Harrier jet. It has a main gun
that shoots diagonally down. It also carries small missiles on the top
surface of its hull that shoots upwards. Another one of its weapons is
a small missile pod that is released and skims the ground. Once it
comes near you, it launches a missile from beneath you. Make sure you
try to shoot down the missile pods. Other than that, the boss will fall
fairly quickly. Think that you beat the game? Nope, you then zip to
another location where you fight the real boss.
Its a huge plane with tons of guns. The first target to kill is the
front spreader cannon. Take this out with your normal gun and either
bullpup or supershell. Next try to take out the gunpods on the top
surface, with your main gun or supershell. You may not destroy them
all. Launch mega crushes when there are too many shots on screen (you
should have 3 mega crushes if you got the weapons recharge and have the
Efreet). Next, shoot off the fins. You will then turn around for a
second pass, this time from beneath the plane. Shoot the fin off and
then go for the gun pod (note that there is a rear gun pod that you
won't be able to kill). After you destroy the gunpod, go for the
booster. It should fall fairly easily. The next pass, you have the
chance to destroy the gunpods that you missed. Launch bullpups and
supershells liberally. Once these go, you should have exposed to weak
spot (a blue orb in the interior of the plane). Launch mega crushes to
damage it. If you brought bombs, go crazy. Cluster works well.
Surprisingly, bullpup is great here because it splits up and also can go
through the hull of the plane. If you are below, you can launch sailing
missiles. After awhile, it should die. Congrats, you beat UN
Squadron!!
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** MISCELLANEOUS **
Need quick cash? On missions with bonus stars, you might want to
purposely lose a life (as they are worth $50,000).
I think that every 100,000 points you get a extra life.
When you are trying to decide what to buy with your hard earned money,
one suggestion might be to put off buying a new plane until you can
afford the F200 "Efreet" (for $1 000 000). Sure the other planes might
give you a slight advantage in that you can use new weapons but wouldn't
you rather be able to use everything?
Want to finish the supply truck missions easily? Use cluster bomb
during the first pass and this should wipe out most of the trucks and
cannons. The second pass, skim along the ground with your guns blazing.
By spending $1000 for cluster bomb, you earn $20 000. Another way, is
to just shoot you way through, but this will damage your plane and may
kill you (you save $1000 though).
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** THE FUTURE **
I think that this is a fairly complete description of UN Squadron. Some
things that I am missing are the POWs required to level up Mickey and
Greg to levels 6 and 7. Also, I may be missing some of the hidden items
throughout the game (some missions seem to have no items).
========================================================================
** LEGAL STUFF **
This FAQ is the copyrighted property of me, Choo-Kar Kua (2000). You're
free to use this anyway you like, as long as I get the credit for it.
That means no copying OR putting your name on it and calling it yours.
If I find that this material has been plagiarized and used without my
consent, I will take full legal action. If you paid anything for this,
you were swindled (this is free info).
