The Code Veronica Battle Game Walkthrough Another bundle of FAQ joy from Thomas Wilde [storyteller@msc.net] ============= INTRODUCTION: ============= Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair. ====================== THE REAL INTRODUCTION: ====================== Boredom, and the euphoric boo-yah I-am-the-king I-got-chu-all-in-check rush I got from beating the Battle Game as Wesker, have joined together and given rise to this FAQ. It is a walkthrough of the Battle Game as all five characters, with notes on technique and style. Hope it helps. =========== LEGAL CRAP: =========== All characters blah blah blah property of Capcom blah blah blah Resident Evil isn't mine blah blah blah recycle you punkasses blah blah blah don't sue me I'm poor blah blah blah use this FAQ on your website only with permission blah blah blah. This FAQ should be on the following sites, either now or later: -- GameFAQs, at http://www.gamefaqs.com -- Gamewinners, at http://www.gamewinners.com -- CNET Gamecenter, at http://www.gamecenter.com/Faqs/ -- Resident Evil: A New Blood, at http://www.new-blood.com -- NeoSeeker, at http://www.neoseeker.com -- President Evil's Archive, at http://www.crosswinds.net/~presidentevil -- Fresh Baked Games, at http://www.fbgames.com -- Elsewhere, at http://www.dimfuture.net/elsewhere If it is somewhere else, someone has done something they shouldn't, and powerful Internet voodoo (tm JR Kerr) is coming their way. ========================== LAME EXPOSITORY PARAGRAPH: ========================== As you know, Timmy, when you beat Code Veronica, you gain access to its Battle Game. This is a minigame where you select a character, or, more likely, an arsenal for that character, and kill everything that stands between you and your character's archenemy. You'll go through eighteen rooms, chosen seemingly at random from Code Veronica's main game, filled with zombies and the odd biological weapon. You'll be judged at the end on how long it took you to beat the game with your character, among other things. =========================== GETTING VARIOUS CHARACTERS: =========================== Steve: Solve the fairly easy drawer puzzle in the first safe room Chris finds to get the Luger Replica. Put it in your item box. When you beat the game, Steve will be accessible. Wesker: Do a halfway decent job on Chris's mission. I've heard some talk of picking up Wesker's sunglasses after Chris punches them off of him, but I'm guessing that's either a feature of the Japanese version or an unfounded rumor. Alternate Claire: Do a halfway decent job on Claire's mission. Sunbunny Claire is Claire in a tight, midriff-baring workout outfit, white high-heeled boots, and a pair of sunglasses on her head. She's cute as hell, although the juxtaposition of that kind of cuteness and an assault rifle is thematically suspect. =================== STARTING EQUIPMENT: =================== Claire: Handgun Box of bullets. Claire does have to reload her gun, but she will never run out of bullets. Crossbow, with infinite explosive bolts Knife Four mixed herbs Chris: Knife Shotgun Box of shells. Chris does have to reload his shotgun, but will never run out of shells. Magnum, with infinite bullets Two mixed herbs Steve: Matched Ingrams, with infinite bullets Matched gold Lugers, with infinite bullets Knife Two mixed herbs Standard: a picture of Steve with his parents. Alt. Claire: AK47, with infinite bullets Grenade launcher Flame rounds, infinite Acid rounds, infinite Burst rounds, infinite Knife One mixed herb Wesker: Knife Three mixed herbs (This is because of a very simple Resident Evil rule: basically, people who are bastards in the main game get really screwed over in the minigame. See: Nicholai.) ========================= SPECIFIC CHARACTER NOTES: ========================= Claire: There is no reason that I can see to equip Claire with anything other than the crossbow. The crossbow is necessary for BLAMskritch, below. Note that the crossbow bolts actually tend to pull to the left after they leave the crossbow; they are tossed in a shallow arc, not shot. This makes long-range combat with the crossbow a little difficult, as the bolts will miss unless you compensate for the pull. Obviously, this is easier in first-person view. To master Claire, master the art of BLAMskritch. This is the art of rapidly reacquiring targets after the first one drops, resulting in a room that is soon emptied of zombie life. You should be hearing "BLAMskritch, BLAMskritch, BLAMskritch" as you fire, constantly tapping L-Trigger, X, L-Trigger, X. "Skritch", of course, is the sound of a zombie's head exploding like a melon. Chris: Keep the Magnum equipped at all times. If this was the shotgun we grew to love in past RE games, I'd say use it, but it's not, so I don't. Master the art of what I like to call BLAMthump. This is simple; when shooting zombies with the Magnum, wait to hear that satisfying meaty thud of a dead zombie hitting the ground, and instantly hit L-Trigger to get a new target. In other words, in a room full of zombies, you should be hearing "BLAMthump, BLAMthump, BLAMthump", or the more gratifying "BLAMthumpthudthump, BLAMthumpthud" as one Magnum shot hits more than one zombie. Remember, the Magnum is powerful kung fu, and leads to very, very short finish times. Claire's BLAMskritch kung fu cannot compare to the might of BLAMthump. Steve: The Ingrams are the better of Steve's two weapons. However, as pointed out to me by alert reader "zhichao", the Lugers can be used for shotgun-style headshots. To do so, you have to press up to aim high, and fire the guns while Steve is still raising his arms. If you do it with the right timing, something which I can't pull off reliably, you'll pop the offending zombie's head like a grape. If you can master this trick, go for it; zhichao says that he managed to get a finishing time of 8:23 with it. The Ingrams are probably the second most fun weapon in the Battle Game, second only to Chris's Magnum. The best way to use them is to pick a place to stand and take aim. As the zombies shamble towards you, open fire. As they drop, hit L-Trigger to change targets, or focus fire on zombies that get too close. Using this, you can mow down entire hordes of zombies without moving from where you're standing. As noted above, Steve has his family photo with him in the Battle Game. This makes me wonder if there might not be somewhere where you can use it, perhaps to access a secret. Alt. Claire: Both the AK47 and the grenade launcher are relatively slow and cumbersome weapons, so which one you use is generally an issue of personal preference. I usually use the grenade launcher, loaded with flame rounds, since it can be used for BLAMskritch (see above). However, if you use the grenade launcher, make very, very sure that you're going to hit what you're shooting at the first time. The grenade launcher is slow enough that having to shoot anything more than once will eat up valuable seconds as Claire reloads. Also, note that grenade rounds travel more slowly than any other projectile, and unless a zombie is walking straight towards or away from you, they will tend to miss at range. Sunbunny Claire is the only character who can take advantage of creature vulnerabilities. To wit, flame rounds kill Bandersnatches dead, and acid rounds usually kill Hunters dead with a direct hit (although nothing that has to do with Hunters is ever an ironclad guarantee). Burst rounds are best used against crowds of incoming zombies, but have no range to speak of; against zombies at a distance, use flame rounds. Do not try to use acid rounds on zombies, as it takes at least two hits. The AK47 is best used for single long-range zombies, for pure strange primal assault rifle firepower satisfaction, and for really gratuitous Quentin Tarantino/Elmore Leonard references ("The AK47. When you absolutely, positively must kill every zombie in the *room*..."). The farther a flame round has to travel, the less force it'll have when it hits its target. Against enemies at a considerable distance, like the Tyrant should be, use the AK47 instead. Wesker: Wesker requires the most explanation, obviously. The biggest problem he faces isn't that he's only got a knife. It's that he's dumb as a stump. You down? I'll expound. Problem One: Auto-Aiming In CV, you can't turn it off, and the characters prioritize targets in the following manner: 1) Explosive barrels. 2) Everything else. They will continue to hold these priorities regardless of whether it's a good idea or not. Wesker, for example, cannot detonate the barrels, since the dumb bastard doesn't have a gun; nevertheless, he will blithely turn his back on a horde of advancing zombies to threaten the nearest barrel with his knife. (The barrels, it should be noted, do not look impressed.) This can get you really, really killed, especially in the second room. As a general rule, if you want to do any serious knife-fighting, get the hell away from the barrels, or put them between you and the zombies so Wesker will at least be facing in the right general direction. Otherwise, Wesker will calmly sit there with his knife up and his back exposed, just waiting for a zombie to gnaw on him. Hence, my characterization of him as dumb as a stump. ("WESKER! You CANNOT blow up those BARRELS! Turn towards the ZOMBIES! You MORON!") Problem Two: Knife Drift Wesker tends to move around a lot while he's swinging the knife. He will move about a half-step forward when you first ready it, and will move about a half-step forward every time he swings it. This isn't a problem in wide-open spaces, but in narrow corridors like the first room, he can wind up slamming his knife into the wall at really bad times. This also means that when you swing your knife, you're moving towards whatever you're knifing (and when you knife someone, you're knifing everyone that person has knifed... or am I thinking of something else?). That frequently gets you bitten, which brings me to the third problem... Problem Three: Ninja Zombies Ninja Zombies (tm) are a problem that affects all of us. A Ninja Zombie is a zombie that apparently knew truly powerful ninja magic before his death, and now, as a zombie, can: 1) ...turn around faster than you can. You cannot sneak up on Ninja Zombies. They will turn around with Ninja Speed (tm) and bite you. 2) ...abruptly dash forward with amazing speed, about as fast as Wesker can run. 3) ...telekinetically pull you closer to them so they can bite down. 4) ...pull you out of a slash to take a bite. 5) ...somehow avoid injury from knife slashes. A good Ninja Zombie can wade right in through your knife and sink its teeth in. This may also have something to do with Wesker being an idiot, as above. 6) ...take wildly inconsistent amounts of punishment. If you've been routinely knocking zombies down with three horizontal slashes, the game may decide to get saucy and have the next few zombies require four slashes before they fall. Or five. Or six. Or a friggin' air strike. 7) Ninja Zombies take two or more slashes to effectively kneecap. It is Ninja Zombies that make me leery of using the kneecap as a consistent tactic. These Ninja Zombies can disguise themselves as ordinary zombies, and tend to appear at random, scattered throughout the zombie population in the Battle Game. There's nothing you can do about Ninja Zombies except hope they don't show up too often. They add an annoying element of luck to Wesker's scenario. The most frequently appearing Ninja Zombie is, by far, the Explosion Boy (see below) in the fourth room. Judging by how fast he is when he's dead, he must've been the freakin' Flash when he was alive. Problem Four: Wesker's Eye Problem Due to the visual problems inherent in literally having eyes like an alley cat, Wesker finds it near-impossible to slash at prone zombies, or at anything on the ground, without turning to the left. This can result in such golden comedy moments as him turning his back on the two Hunters who are carving him into scrimshaw. This appears to be due to some kind of oversensitivity on the Dreamcast control pad, but on the other hand, he seems to do it when I sit there and practice holding the control pad down, too. YMMV. As a matter of fact, let me rescind the limitation here. *Any* character finds it difficult to attack prone enemies without turning, but Wesker is the only character who is actually in real danger of getting killed because of it. Problem Five: Wesker's Pain Tolerance Wesker can't seem to decide how badly he's been injured. Five zombie bites may barely reduce him to yellow Caution on one occasion, whereas on another, he can't wait to get to Caution and will be there after two good bites. Therefore, it's a little difficult to play health games with him as you could with Nicholai. As a general rule, you want to keep Wesker mobile, but not necessarily healthy. Only use healing items when he drops into Danger status, and unless you're fighting Hunters, use as little as you can get away with, like a single green herb. You want Wesker to be on both feet and not in any immediate danger of dying. Anything else is secondary. However, Wesker does have two big advantages, the simp: Advantage One: Poor Time Sense Hey, do you want it done on time, or do you want it done right? Just winning Wesker's scenario is enough for the game to give you an A, no matter how long it takes. This may be a reward for your amazing ninjatei skills, or it may be because of all the knifing to death you've done. I haven't been quite crazy enough to try knifing my way through anyone else's game yet. Advantage Two: Knife Skills When wielding a knife, Wesker has the best range and speed of any of the characters. Part of it is just because he's the tallest of the lot. Granted, it's sort of pathetic that he's the best knife-fighter, especially when you're in the middle of a brawl with Hunters and he starts slashing the ground to the Hunters' left, but the guy gets so little. At least give him this. ============== KNIFE TACTICS: ============== Wesker's reliance upon the knife has also given rise to a certain battery of unique techniques which I shall now document for you, as I refer to them in the walkthrough below. -- the kneecap. This is the process of cutting an incoming zombie across the knees. This will usually knock them flat on their faces, with the occasional exception for the odd Ninja Zombie (see above). While this does get a zombie on the floor in a hurry, it also requires very precise timing. If you miss a kneecap slash, you'll get bitten, guaranteed. Alert reader Christopher Bird writes, on kneecapping: "...I have found with Wesker that it is (relatively) easy to beat his game in first person. All you need to do is wait [until] the zombie's hands disappear off the bottom of the screen [and then] you kneecap them. With your Ninja Zombies, you hit down and X as soon as they speed to the top off your screen and keep coming." I've tried this, and I'd have to agree with him. -- the multihit slash. With a good, well-aimed swing, the knife can hit multiple times. This happy event is accompanied by a bright ribbon of blood and an enormously satisfying tearing sound. This multi-hit slash is important to Wesker's survival, as a single knife hit is no more powerful than it ever was in any other game, but *five* knife slashes at once will hurt. To get a good multi-hit slash in, orient Wesker so he is actually facing slightly to the left of an incoming zombie. You want him to start and end his slash in the zombie's hit zone, so he rakes the knife fully across the zombie's torso. Ground-based targets are particularly vulnerable to multihit slashes. When you attack a crouching Hunter or prone zombie, it's not unusual to hit nine times or so. Three decent low multihit slashes will drop a Hunter like a bad habit in about five seconds. -- the slashdown. This is simply slashing a zombie 'til he falls down. It is not without its own risks -- i.e. the zombie withstanding your attack and biting you -- but is fairly reliable and requires less precise timing than a kneecap. Basically, you wait until the zombie is just inside your range and start hacking like a butcher on ephedrine. Three successful slashes in this fashion, assuming at least one is multihit, will knock down anything but a Ninja Zombie. Ideally, you want at least two multihit slashes in this, to guarantee a knockdown, as well as a weak and easily killed zombie when (if) he gets back up again. Of course, if you have the means, make damned sure that he doesn't get back up again. Be sure to yell things like, "DIE, damn you!" as you attack him. It helps! -- the Nicholai-slash. This is the process, pioneered by Nicholai masters (such as myself) in RE3's Mercenaries game, of poking a zombie with your knife, quick-turning, running a few steps, quick-turning again, poking the zombie again, quick-turning, and repeating the process until the zombie falls down. Then, while it's prone, you stab it frantically 'til it dies. Nicholai-slashes are difficult in CV, mostly because the knife has less range; where Nicholai stabbed zombies, Wesker and the others slash at them. The technique is still occasionally useful, however, especially in wide-open areas where you can run to your heart's content. -- the breakwall. This is a technique that takes advantage of a very simple fact: zombies cannot walk through other living zombies. Therefore, while standing with your back to a corner, you knock down one zombie to serve as a breakwall, and from behind him, you stab the hell out of other zombies as they try to get around him. He'll get up eventually, but usually, the breakwall will catch one of your slashes as he gets up and get killed. In the meantime, you've gotten yourself another breakwall by stabbing one of his packmates. This is most useful when zombies come at you three or more at a time, and you need *something* to get you some breathing space. Note that this only works when the zombies can only approach you from one direction, such as in a narrow hallway. -- the smack match. This is simply trading hits with a Hunter 'til one of you dies. It's important to remember in a smack match that Hunters still have a 100% damage attack, but instead of their crowd-pleaser flying decapitation, it's a simple high claw attack that they only use if you're at low health. If you've ever died at the claws of a Hunter and bled more than it looks like you should've, or gotten killed by a Hunter right after you used a first aid spray, that's why. So, in short, stay as healthy as you can while knife-fighting Hunters, and if at all possible, keep it one-on-one. -- safety tip: when stabbing prone zombies, do it from their side or behind them, so it looks like you're stabbing them at the base of their spine. Otherwise, the zombie may lurch forward and grab your foot. They won't do much damage while they're gnawing on you, but if you're playing as Wesker, you should be avoiding damage whenever you can. =============== UNIQUE ZOMBIES: =============== These zombies are special, and they'll make your day that much brighter. -- Explosion Boy. This guy was apparently turned into a zombie in the middle of a terrorist standoff, because there's a brick of explosive strapped to his back. If shot, he does not fall down; he usually explodes like the Fourth of July (or another holiday appropriate to your nationality that involves bright, cheerful explosions). You will encounter three Explosion Boys in your tenure as a Battle Game player (whereas you encountered only two in the main game, both of whom were lurking on Rockfort Island in Chris's game), and should exploit them if at all possible. Explosion Boy is sometimes inconsistent. He will always explode if hit with a one-shot-one-kill attack like a Magnum bullet or explosive bolt, but if he's dropped with Ingram or AK47 fire, he may either wait to explode 'til he drops or not explode at all. I don't know if this has to do with hit location or just plain zombie orneriness. He will typically *not* explode if he is kneecapped. Finally, Explosion Boy has a habit of screwing up BLAMskritch/thump. You may actually have to release R-Trigger and hit it again, or else your character may keep aiming at him even while he's dead. -- Fatboy. Fatboy is bigger than your average zombie, and, as such, tends to be able to take more punishment. This isn't a universal constant; sometimes Fatboy is a huge wuss. Still, you won't go wrong if you assume that it'll take a little bit extra to make him stay down. Fatboy is more likely to live through barrel detonations and splash damage from grenades, and may require a little more knifework than the average skinnier zombie. -- Night-Vision. Former members of Wesker's special forces team, they're wearing goggles that make their eyes glow. They aren't really anything special, although they seem to be a little faster than the rest. They are also creepy as hell, especially in the dark. In third person, the presence of a night-vision zombie will usually slow things down a bit, so enjoy the slow-motion while it lasts. ==================== A NOTE ON THE CLOCK: ==================== Please note that the clock does not stop when you pull up the Option screen or the inventory screen. Even if you unplug your controller to pause the game, the clock will not stop. Use the bathroom before you start playing. ====================== A NOTE ON PERSPECTIVE: ====================== I usually play in third person, and the walkthrough is written using that mode. In my opinion, first person is fun, but the altered perspective makes it difficult to get decent times with. Claire is the exception here, as it's often easier to aim her crossbow in first-person. Another note: don't use first person with Sunbunny Claire. She's all right until you reach the Tyrant, but then, it always looks like the Tyrant's right on top of you. It is easier to dodge the Tyrant's lunges in first person, but then again, if the Tyrant is lunging at you, you have done something very wrong. ============ WALKTHROUGH: ============ =============================== First Room: Underground Hallway This is the tunnel that led to the torture chamber. Enemies: 4 Zombies (three normal, one fat) Items: None Claire: Equip the crossbow and waste the first zombie. Run up to the corner and fire two bolts blindly down the hallway, killing two more advancing zombies that you can't see yet. Advance, take care of the last zombie, and get up the stairs. Chris: As Claire, with Magnum. Remember your BLAMthump lessons, grasshopper. Due to the weird angle of the corner, the last zombie, who's usually walking towards the stairs, is probably safe until you're actually in the same screen as him. (Of course, in first person, he's as good as dead.) Steve: As Claire, with Ingrams. While firing blind, tap L-Trigger to reorient your aim. Alt. Claire: As Claire, with AK47 or flame rounds. Wesker: Kneecap or slashdown the first zombie and kill him. Advance slowly, until Fatboy comes to get some. The moment you see him, Nicholai-stab him and retreat to the middle of the hallway you started in. Give him a slashdown, and while he's prone, finish the job. Lure the remaining two zombies into this hall in the same way, finish them, and leave. You don't want to take more than one zombie bite in this room if at all possible. ================================= Second Room: Outside Medical Room You're just outside the facility morgue. Enemies: 6 Zombies (5 normal, 1 prone) Items: Green Herb (on barrel by medical room door) Claire: Depending on your preference, either explode the barrel right at the start and mow the oncoming mob of zombies down with crossbow bolts, or use the barrel to take them out. Shoot the prone zombie to death and leave. Chris: Dodge to the side and blow up the barrel. Three well-aimed Magnum shots will usually kill off all of the oncoming zombies. Whack the prone zombie execution-style and leave. Steve: Run forward to get the zombies' attention, then quick-turn and run back to the door. Let the zombies get close and knock them all down with the barrel. Use the Ingrams to finish off any stragglers and the prone zombie. Leave. Alt. Claire: Blow up the barrel and blast the oncoming mob with burst or flame rounds. A final burst round should kill the prone zombie. Leave. Wesker: Hide behind the barrel and wait for the zombies to come to you around it. Hopefully, they'll trickle in one and two at a time, rather than coming in a huge five-man lynch mob. Anyway, from behind the barrel, stab the lead zombie for a breakwall, and from behind that zombie, throw chest-level slashes at all of his friends. As the first zombie gets up, slash low to kill or maim him, and make sure he dies. As he drops, throw some more slashes in the general direction of his buddies. Repeat this process 'til all the zombies are down. Bend down and finish them off with low multihit slashes. Advance, stab any stragglers and the prone zombie to death, and get the green herb. Leave. Ideally, you're either in Fine or yellow Caution status, without using the herb. ====================== Third Room: Front Hall The front hall of the military training facility. Enemies: 3 Bandersnatches (two in the hallway, one in the back corridor by the exit door) Items: First Aid Spray (underneath the first pay 'phone) Claire: Take aim the instant you walk in. Fire four crossbow bolts at the nearest Bandersnatch 'til you hear a deathcry. L-Trigger aim and repeat. Run forward 'til you're at an angle to the exit hall where you can shoot into it, but the Bandersnatch in it can't reach out and slap you. Fire bolts into the exit hall 'til you hear him die, then leave. Chris: See Chris aim. See Chris fire. Aim, Chris. Fire. Run forward as Claire did, aim, and fire. Leave. Steve: Dodge all three Bandersnatches and get to the exit door. With your back to the door, hose the hallway with Ingram fire 'til you hear three screams. Try to leave; if you can, good. If you can't, creep forward 'til the screen changes, then finish the job. Alt. Claire: Arm flame rounds and imitate Chris. Occasionally, a Bandersnatch may not die after the first shot, so wait until you hear the Bandersnatch scream before hitting L-Trigger. You can usually count on at least one Bandersnatch in this room requiring two hits; this is frequently the one that's closest to you when you enter. Wesker: The moment the screen fades in, run to your left to dodge the first Bandersnatch's attack. As he retracts his arm, get in at least two good, multi-hit knife swings. Try to stay behind him or on his left side, where he doesn't have an arm, and deliver two more slashes to finish him. It's vitally important that you kill the first 'Snatch quickly, because you simply can't win a fight against two Bandersnatches at once. Repeat the process on the next two, ideally landing the first slash from their side or from behind them. If you drop to Danger, heal with the green herb from the last room; if you drop to Danger again, use the first aid spray. If you drop to Danger even after using the first aid spray, reset and try it again. When all three Bandersnatches are dead, leave. ================================== Fourth Room: Mansion Foyer The good old RE mansion's statue room, sans statue. Enemies: 5 Zombies (one explosive, one night-vision, three normal) Items: None Special: As Chris, once all the zombies are dead, examine the tiger statue. Claire: The first zombie you see will be your first meeting with Explosion Boy. Dispatch him and his nearest friend and run towards the red hallway for a camera angle change. Inside, you'll be able to cut down at least two zombies in the foreground. The third may be with them, or he may be hiding in the shadows around the exit door. Either way, take him out and leave. Chris: As Claire. Steve: Walk slightly forward, then back, and Explosion Boy will walk forward. At the same time, the other zombie in the room with you will move towards you and bounce off of Explosion Boy. Fire. The resulting detonation should kill Explosion Boy and either kill or maim his friend. Run forward, kill the burned zombie if necessary, knock off the night-vision zombie who should be entering the room right about now, and kill the last two zombies. Leave. Alt. Claire: As Steve, with flame rounds. Wait to open fire on the zombies in the hallway until you're actually standing in the doorway. Wesker: Carefully sneak up on Explosion Boy and wait for him to move. When he does, land a slash on his offside, continuing this harrassment technique 'til he falls. Repeat the process on the other zombie in the room, and hopefully on the night-vision zombie when he sees you and comes in. You'll be spending a lot of time running in circles here. Lure the other two zombies into the room from the red hallway and finish them off. Leave. ============================ Fifth Room: Ventilation Room The room with the huge engine in the military training facility. Enemies: 6 Zombies Items: None Claire: Instantly explosive-bolt the zombie near the door. Run down the stairs and L-Trigger aim/kill the remaining zombies; this is BLAMskritch at its best. Exit. Chris: As Claire, with Magnum. Chris's BLAMthump is still superior. Steve: Kneecap the first zombie with the Ingrams; otherwise, you'll get bitten. Finish him. If any zombies are blocking the stairs, knock 'em down with Ingram fire; you'll probably wind up double-shooting at least one zombie in the room below while you're at it. Proceed to the bottom and sweep the room with gunfire. Leave. Alt. Claire: As Claire, with flame rounds. Wesker: Instantly press down, R, and X when you enter, and you'll kneecap-slash the first zombie. Finish him quickly, then wait at the top of the stairs. As zombies come up to get you, greet them with chest-level multihit slashes. These should knock the zombie down the stairs. If that doesn't kill it, it'll just get up and try again, in which case you should repeat the process. Under no circumstances allow a zombie to get behind you. Any zombies that don't come to get you immediately should be trying to gnaw through the wall next to the engine; lure them back over to the staircase and climb it, trying to get them to follow you. It's entirely possible to whack all of the zombies in this room without taking a hit by using the stairs; just don't try to use the stairs leading to the exit door, since you can't see their bottom if you're at their top. When you're the last thing standing, leave. ========================== Sixth Room: Turntable Room Where Chris had his first encounter with the Hunters. Enemies: 2 Hunters Items: Green Herb (on gray crate near exit door) Cameo Appearance: Rodrigo, on the other side of the turntable. You can barely see him in third-person, but he's clear as day in first-person. He's visible through the right-hand gap between the crates on the turntable, and doesn't do anything besides stand there and look vaguely spooky. Shooting him does nothing. I really have no idea why he's there. Claire: Knock down the first Hunter, turn Claire to her right, and knock the second down with a flurry of explosive bolts. Finish them both off and leave. Chris: Shoot the first Hunter the moment the screen fades in. With your finger on the R-trigger, turn Chris to his right as much as you can, aim down, and fire. This will kill the second Hunter as it runs up to you. You should literally hear "BLAMskreethump, BLAMskreethump". Chris is the man. Leave. Steve: Instantly open fire with the Ingrams. You'll take aim on the Hunter directly in front of you. Slowly turn Steve to his right, so he faces the screen, and start shooting down; by now, both Hunters have charged you, and as a result, have charged right into your field of fire. Both should fall down, one right after the other. Finish them while they're prone and leave. Alt. Claire: Arm acid rounds immediately after or immediately before entering. Run slightly forward and juke to Claire's right, around the second Hunter and out of the way of the first. Odds are pretty good that the first Hunter will go for the Patented Hunter Flying Slash (tm) and miss you, while the second will try to slash at Claire's knees and will, likewise, miss. Hit R-Trigger and give 'em both facefuls of acid; be sure to drop another couple of rounds on their faces, just to make sure they won't get back up. Leave. Wesker: If you don't have at least your initial three mixed herbs, reset. Run like a little girl, trying to avoid the first inevitable slash and get your back to a corner. Once you're in melee range, throw as many downward slashes as you can, and hope like hell the slashes multi-hit. After surprisingly little damage, the Hunters will scream and fall down. Take the green herb and leave, but make damned sure you're in either Fine or yellow Caution. =============================== Seventh Room: Antarctic Factory Where Claire reactivated the conveyor belts and sorter. Enemies: 1 Poison Hunter, 1 Hunter Items: Green Herb (on conveyor belt near pile of rubble), Blue Herb (on conveyor belt near sorter switch) Oddity: There are two explosive barrels on the other side of the fallen walkway. I suppose you could use them against the Hunters, but there's no good reason to do so, as you'd have to somehow get them all the way across the room. Is there a secret here? Claire: The Poison Hunter is to your immediate right when you enter. Greet him with an explosive bolt. This should knock him on his back. Run up to him while he's lying on the ground and kill him. The Hunter should come a'runnin', so greet him with a bolt of his very own and finish the job. Leave through the door to the mining room. Chris: Blow the Poison Hunter's brains out with the Magnum. Run around the side to the area near the sorter switch, where the Hunter should still be on the prowl, none the wiser. Aim and fire, killing him, and leave. Steve: Dual-Ingram the Poison Hunter to the floor, then repeat the process when the second Hunter comes running. As both Hunters are lying prone, finish them off. Leave. Alt. Claire: As Claire, with acid rounds. Depending on how long it takes you to finish off the Poison Hunter, you may be able to sneak up on the Hunter Chris-style and backshoot him. Wesker: Run slightly forward and then to YOUR right, dodging the Poison Hunter's first initial slash and getting to his offside. Lay in a good low slash while he's turning, then trade shots with him 'til he dies. It's possible, if unlikely, to kill him without taking a hit. Use a mixed herb if you're poisoned or in orange Caution, then smack match the incoming Hunter. Grab both herbs and leave. You may actually still be in Fine status, but just being alive after pulling a stunt like that is fully acceptable. You should have at least one mixed herb left, plus the herbs from this room. Otherwise, reset. ========================== Eighth Room: Elevator Hall The first floor of the military training facility. Enemies: 4 Zombies (1 fat, 3 normal) Items: None Claire: The first zombie has his back to you when you enter. Back off and explode the barrel with a bolt, killing the first zombie. Move forward cautiously and fire two more bolts for two more zombies. The last zombie is hanging out by the exit door, so get a little closer to him, kill him, and leave. Chris: Back towards the corner behind the barrel and shoot at it. I have actually cleared this entire room with this one shot; the barrel kills the first two zombies, and the bullet kills the second two. If you aren't as lucky, shoot a couple of more times to finish the job. Steve: The first zombie has his back to you when you enter. Back off to the far corner and wait for the fat zombie to advance a bit. When he gets close to the barrel, explode it, hopefully killing both him and the first zombie. Rake the hallway with Ingram fire to finish off whatever's left. Leave. Alt. Claire: o/~ Burn, baby, burn... zombie inferno... o/~ Leave. Wesker: Kneecap the first zombie from behind if you can. Finish him off, then stand behind the barrel. It acts as a bottleneck, forcing the zombies to go through a relatively narrow area and get the hell stabbed out of them. Once they're dead, leave. ======================== Ninth Room: Monitor Hall Where Claire found the Army Proof, Alfred released the Tyrant, and Chris first saw Alexia. Enemies: 5 Zombies (1 explosive, 1 prone, 3 normal) Items: None Claire: The explosive zombie will be coming right for you when you enter. Hold the R-Trigger as you fade in and blow him away. Whip around and finish the night-vision zombie coming for you. Now, the problem is the zombie who's waiting on the raised dias with the monitor screen. As you enter the monitor room, try hitting R-Trigger and firing; if he falls down the stairs, you're good to go. Otherwise, you'll waste valuable time either trying to shoot him from the floor or going up after him. Once he's dealt with, kill the last two zombies and leave. Chris: Magnum, Magnum, Magnum, look for the zombie on the dias and Magnum him wherever he is, Magnum the prone zombie, you're gone. Steve: Kneecap or Luger-headshot the first incoming zombie, because otherwise, he's going to explode and catch you in the blast. Once he's dead, whack his friends and leave. Alt. Claire: Arm flame rounds and toss 'em around playfully. Just imagine how that must smell. Leave. Wesker: Kneecap/slashdown Explosive Boy and finish him off while you're waiting for night-vision to catch up. Deal with night-vision in whatever manner you see fit; by the time he's done, the last two standing zombies will come out to play. Kneecap or standing-slash them both down if you can, or take a hit and do as much damage to them as you can while they're on the floor. Run up and gut the prone zombie like a trout. Leave. =========================== Tenth Room: Ashford Hallway The picture-lined hallway in Antarctica where Claire gets ambushed by Alexia's tentacles. Enemies: 6 Zombies Items: None Claire: The zombies come in two three-man waves. The first is waiting for you, and the second is coming around the corner as you enter. Explosive bolts could drop more than one zombie here, as they're bunched up. Kill the first three, then wait 'til you see the next two or three come into your current screen. Kill them, advance to the next screen, kill the straggler if there is one, and leave. Chris: You can get out of here with exactly three Magnum shots. Fire once when you enter, move forward, fire once at the first zombie you see, change screens, and kill the rest. Leave. Steve: Hose 'em with Ingram fire and leave. Alt. Claire: Arm burst rounds and blow 'em all to hell. Leave. Wesker: Second verse, same as the first; kill the first zombie to reach you with standing slashes to form a breakwall, then use that distraction to knife the next couple of 'em down. Finish the first; by now, the next three zombies are probably coming for you. Using the survivors of the first wave as your breakwall, stab the rest down and finish them while they're on the ground. If you get bitten, knock the lot of them down and do as much damage as you can while they're prone. Leave. =========================== Eleventh Room: Medical Room The prison morgue/doctor's office. Enemies: 5 Zombies (1 fat, 4 normal) Items: First Aid Spray (on the pile of body bags next to the exit door) Special: As Wesker, when all the zombies are dead, examine the anatomical dummy. Claire: Run forward around the fence in front of the door and kill the nearest zombie. BLAMskritch three more times to kill the next three. The last zombie is standing by the exit door; run forward and shoot him point-blank before he's all the way around the glass partition. Leave. Chris: As Claire. Steve: The twin Ingrams were made for this room. Drop the first four zombies two at a time, then run up to the last one and let him have it with both at once. Laugh maniacally. Leave. Alt. Claire: As Claire, with flame rounds. Wesker: Kneecap/slashdown the fat zombie to buy some time, then retreat to the fenced-off area by the door and let them come to you. The first zombie in gets to be your breakwall. From behind him, finish the rest. Get the first aid spray and leave. ============================== Twelfth Room: Military Hallway The room Alfred locked Claire in before ambushing her with Bandersnatches. Enemies: 4 Zombies Items: Green Herb, Blue Herb (on stacked boxes by vending machines) Special: As Steve, when all the zombies are dead, examine the left vending machine. Optional: Leave through the silver door. Claire: Fire an explosive bolt at the barrel. This should weaken or kill all three zombies in the hallway. Kill any survivors, then run forward in front of the vending machines and hit the R-Trigger. The last zombie is waiting to ambush you by the silver door, and you should now be pointing the crossbow at him. Kill him and leave. Chris: Use either the barrel or the Magnum to sweep out the hallway. Kill the ambush zombie. Leave. Steve: Wait a second or two for the zombies to get closer to the barrel, then blow it up. Kill any prone survivors, then walk forward and greet the ambush zombie with Ingram fire. Leave. Alt. Claire: As Claire, with flame rounds or the AK47. Wesker: Kneecap and kill the first zombie. Hide behind the barrel and kill the next three zombies with multi-hit slashes as they come around it. Grab both herbs and leave via the silver door. ======================= Thirteenth Room: Casino OPTIONAL (unless you're Wesker) Enemies: None Items: 2 Green Herbs, Blue Herb (on the bar) This room is an unnecessary side trip that'll only slow you down, but it does have herbs and an item for you. Claire and Chris usually can't afford to go here, and Steve *might* be able to take the extra time. Wesker, on the other hand, must go here if you're planning to finish his game. The lit-up slot machine has an item at random for you. Examine it to get a short animation (and to see Chris rip the lever off like the Hulk). The compartment at the bottom will open, revealing one of the following: -- first aid spray (only in emergencies) -- M-100 twin pistols, 100% (don't bother) -- Ingram submachine guns, infinite (Claire, Chris only) -- Diary of D.I.J. secret file (take it the first time, then never bother with it again) Wesker will almost always get a Magnum with six shots, which you'll want to use on Alexia at the end of his mission. Sometimes he may find the Diary of D.I.J. file instead; if you do, reset. You can beat Alexia with the knife, but it's a real bad idea. Many alert readers, the first of whom was "KnIcKS921", have written to tell me that it is possible for Sunbunny Claire to get the BOW gas rounds out of the slot machine, and, if they do show up, they kick the hell out of the Tyrant. I've never had this happen, but if you do, have fun with it. ============================ Fourteenth Room: Locker Room The locker room in the military training facility. Enemies: 1 Hunter, 1 Poison Hunter Items: First Aid Spray (in open locker) Special: As Chris, once both Hunters are dead, examine the mirror above the sink. Special: As Steve, once both Hunters are dead, examine the soda machine. Note: Just as in RE3's Mercenaries game, the Hunters are much less resilient if you can shoot them before they "activate". This comes into play here, as you'll have the opportunity to sneak up on a Hunter. Note: The Poison Hunter in this room appears to actually enter through the exit door, rather than waiting in ambush; no matter how hard you try, you can't shoot him before he comes a'runnin'. Claire: Slowly move forward until the screen changes and you can see the first Hunter, but he can't see you. He'll slowly turn around and start walking the other way. Plug him from behind with an explosive bolt. If that doesn't finish him, run up and fire another one into his back while he's down. Run around the corner, into the locker-room area, and as the Poison Hunter charges, bombard him with explosive bolts. Leave. Chris: Walk up to the Hunter and Magnum him execution-style. Run around the corner and stop the Poison Hunter's charge with another Magnum bullet. Leave. Steve: Shoot the Hunter in the back with the Ingrams. As he falls over, run up and drill him with constant gunfire 'til you see red spread. Run around the corner and repeat the process on the charging Poison Hunter. Leave. Alt. Claire: Sneak up on the Hunter and backshoot him with an acid round. Run around the corner and anticipate the Poison Hunter's charge. As he comes around the lockers, hit him with an acid round. If he screams, he's dead. If he just flops over quietly, he usually needs another acid round. If he keeps coming, well, shoot him again, dammit. I shouldn't have to tell you these things. Leave. Wesker: Wait for the Hunter's back to be towards you, then run up to him and lay in a good multi-hit slash. Keep stabbing 'til it screams and dies. If you play your cards just right here, it'll die without getting to counterattack. Around the corner, get in the first hit on the Poison Hunter, then smack match 'til it dies, healing with blue or mixed herbs as necessary. Get the first aid spray and leave. Ideally, you have at least one first aid spray, one mixed herb, three green herbs, and one blue herb. You need at least two full-health healing items as of right now; if you don't have them, reset. =================================== Fifteenth Room: Deep Freeze Hallway The hall outside the power room in the Antarctic base. Monsters: 7 Zombies Items: None Special: As either Claire, once all the zombies are dead, walk back towards the entrance door. Claire: Fire a single explosive bolt and run forward 'til the screen changes. You've just killed the first zombie. Kill the second as he shambles towards you, then move up and start BLAMskritching until you stop seeing blood splatter. Move up for another screen change and kill the remaining zombies as they shamble towards you out of the mist. Leave. Chris: As Claire, with Magnum. As usual, he'll clean out the room faster and better. Steve: Blast the hell out of the first two zombies, then move forward until you get a screen change. Standing at the corner, fire your Ingrams blind into the hallway in front of you. If you're doing this right, you should see zombie heads falling in front of you, one, two, three, four. Advance one screen change, kill the straggler, and leave. Alt. Claire: As Claire, with the AK47. Flame rounds seem to be less powerful in this hallway, and burst rounds have an unpleasant habit of creating crawler zombies. Wesker: No tricks this time; you're going to have to get lucky. Take up a position in the corner next to the door and get ready. Wait for the first zombie to get to you and kneecap/slashdown him for a breakwall. From behind him, cut down the second zombie. Finish the first as he gets up and use the second to defend against the third. Unfortunately, the zombies will begin to swarm you at this point, so things will get chaotic. Keep slashing, and you should come out on top. You'll need at least one 100%-heal while you're in this room. If you can pass this, you're pretty much golden. ========================== Sixteenth Room: Motor Pool Where Steve killed his father and Chris found the elevator. Monsters: 4 Zombies Items: None Claire: At the entrance, immediately shoot the nearest barrel. This'll set off a chain reaction that should finish off all four zombies. If it doesn't, run around and kill them, or, if you're in first-person mode, snipe at them from across the room. Leave. Chris: As Claire. Steve: As Claire. Alt. Claire: As Claire. Wesker: Lure the zombies away from the barrels so Wesker doesn't get confused and stab them to death, one by one. You can frequently get in some good Nicholai-slashes near the support pillar along the way, and there's plenty of space to maneuver once they're on your side of the room. This is time-consuming, but if you've come this far, it's not terribly difficult as long as you keep the fight away from the barrels. As I like to say, it'd actually be very easy if Wesker wasn't stupid. =============================== Seventeenth Room: Gate Terminal Where Claire found the grenade launcher. Monsters: 5 zombies (one explosive, four normal) Items: None Claire: The zombies will begin to shamble towards you as you enter. Hit R-Trigger, then hit L-Trigger and fire. You'll pass up the lead zombie in favor of Explosion Boy, who's right behind him. The zombies will go flying in all directions. Usually, there'll be at least one survivor, and he'll end up against the same wall as the entrance door. Kill him if he needs to be killed and leave. Chris: Shoot the first zombie. Your bullet will pass through him and whack Explosion Boy, which might finish off the rest of the zombies. It's more likely that you'll have to deal with one to three of them as they get back up, usually the one mentioned above and the two nearest the exit door. Are they dead? Leave. Steve: As Claire, if possible; sometimes, Steve will have to drop the first zombie before he's willing to take aim on Explosion Boy. Either way, all the zombies wind up just as dead. Alt. Claire: As Claire, with flame rounds. Wesker: Dodge to the side, in front of the bookshelf. The camera will zoom in on your new location. From there, breakwall the first zombie to reach you and dispatch as many other zombies as you can from behind him. Once the zombies are down to a more manageable number, Nicholai-slash your way to daylight. Leave. ================================= Eighteenth Room: Airport Terminal The entrance to the airport. Monsters: 3 Bandersnatches Items: First Aid Spray (on desk in plain sight) Claire: >From the entrance, fire four bolts. You should hear four explosions and the scream of a dying Bandersnatch. Hit L-Trigger and repeat; hit L-Trigger and repeat. Good work, private; this room is clean. Chris: Magnum, L-Trigger, Magnum, L-Trigger, Magnum, and you're outta here. Steve: Standing at the entrance, start firing with your arms akimbo. The Bandersnatches start off all the way across the room, so you have all the time in the world to wear them down and kill them. When you hear two deathcries, hit the L-Trigger to focus fire on the survivor, then get out. Alt. Claire: Arm flame rounds and hand them out like Halloween candy. Leave. Wesker: This can get tricky. Run to Wesker's right, your left when you enter, and dispatch the lone Bandersnatch while he's still back by the door, dodging a slap as you run in. Run over to the other side of the room, dodging long-distance pimp slaps, and get in for at least one multi-hit slash. Things are gonna get desperate here, because as you try to slash one Bandersnatch, the second will slap or grab you. Heal as necessary 'til both are dead, and relax; as long as you get through the exit door in yellow Caution or better, you should be fine. Still, that first aid spray should help. =========================== Nineteenth Room: Final Bout Claire: Claire fights Alexander Ashford, on the snow-covered helipad in Antarctica. Depending on how you're fixed for time and health, either run around the platform 'til you're as far away from Alexander as you can get, or just open up on him from where you are. Either way, never stop shooting at him once you start, and he'll die after about thirty seconds without so much as getting close. (Incidentally, don't do what I did and try to use the Ingrams from the slot machine on him. All they do is annoy him enough that he'll knock you off the helipad.) Chris: You're in for another showdown with Alexia Ashford in her second and third forms. From the start, shoot her five or six times before her critters come out to chase you, then run to the other side of the platform. That's your basic attack routine: shoot from one side 'til her creatures catch up, run to other side, shoot 'til creatures catch up, heal when it becomes necessary, repeat. When she's had enough (somewhere between 21 and 24 Magnum rounds), she'll give birth to Dragonfly Alexia (tm), who's just the same as she was in the normal game. She's easier to beat here, since you don't have to use the sniper scope. Run to dodge her bursts of flame, then run right up to her and shoot her a couple of times. She'll drop after maybe six shots. This isn't so much difficult as it is time-consuming, but Chris saves so much time when dealing with ordinary enemies that you should have plenty of time left to deal with her. One warning, here: if Dragonfly Alexia plays hide-and-seek with you by hovering over the top of the control room, just reset. The game's being saucy again. Steve: Steve gets to fight the Glup Worm. This is fairly easy. Run around like a crack monkey, and when it rears up to shriek at you, open fire. Steve won't auto-aim at the Worm unless it's shrieking, so save your firepower for that happy occasion; you can frequently get in a good five seconds of constant fire while the thing's above ground. After about two minutes of cat and mouse, the Worm should drop dead. Alt. Claire: Arguably the toughest fight in the Battle Game, Sunbunny Claire fights the Tyrant on the Antarctica helipad. This isn't the mellow, shoot-me-if-you-gotta facility Tyrant, either; this is the mean clawed Tyrant from the cargo plane. If you get anywhere near him, he'll charge in and knock you off the helipad, so you're going to have to get a little tricky. Circle the edges of the helipad until you're as far away as possible from him, then arm the AK47 and open fire. The advantage to the AK47 over the grenade launcher is, in short, serious range; you can hose the Tyrant down from across the helipad with relative impunity. As a general rule, keep firing until you can see the Tyrant clearly, then run all the way across the helipad and start firing again. After about a minute of this, the Tyrant's toast. Of course, if you got the BOW gas rounds, all bets are off. As many readers have told me, it only takes five gas rounds to kill the Tyrant. Wesker: This is a faithful recreation of Chris's showdown with the first form of Alexia Ashford. When you emerge into the front hall of Alexander's recreation of the Spencer mansion, walk forward and examine the stairs; this will get you decked and start the fight. Immediately upon regaining control of Wesker, quick-turn and run for it, or Alexia will perform the instantly fatal Chokeslam of Fiery Doom (tm) upon you. If you got the Magnum out of the slot machine, this is a fairly easy fight; just dodge about merrily and shoot Alexia six times. Don't miss. Missing is bad. Don't miss. Like I said, as long as you get into this room in yellow Caution or better, you'll win this fight. ================= NOTES ON RANKING: ================= The key to getting "A" rankings with all characters isn't in this FAQ. It's mostly practice. You'll need a few "dry runs" with each character before you get that elusive A. That said, here are some ideas on how to raise your rank: Claire: Claire arguably has the easiest time getting an "A", since she has the easiest boss. As long as you get to her boss with 5:20 or so left on the clock, you've more or less got the "A" locked up. Therefore, you'll want to cut as much time off of your run as you possibly can. An ordinary encounter with a few zombies should only take about ten seconds, and you can't afford to hit up the inventory screen or pick anything up. You simply don't have the time. You should be able to clear any room with zombies or Bandersnatches without getting hurt, and usually, you should be able to skate through Hunters without any trouble. Chris: Leaving aside the issue of Wesker for a moment, Chris has the toughest time getting an "A". The problem isn't his run through the various rooms; Chris can clear a room faster than any other character, thanks to the Magnum. No, what's standing between you and your goal is a big brick wall called Alexia Ashford. Alexia's not any more powerful than she was in the story mode, but she's still just as durable. It can take more than twenty Magnum rounds to put her down the first time, and considering how much crap she flings at Chris, it can take just short of forever to shoot at her that much. Basically, in Chris's game, you have to save time whenever you can. With the Magnum, you can clear a room damned near instantly, and you should be striving for that kind of raw speed. You need to save every spare second for your fight with Alexia. When you *do* fight with Alexia, take advantage of the lull at the beginning of the fight. You've got a few seconds where you can put as many as eight rounds into her without any retaliation, and you should take advantage of that. Just keep running up and down the corners of the room, firing when you can. Ignore her little worker drones; your main concerns are her gouts of poison and her bigass not-even-vaguely-phallic-and-I'm-hurt-you'd-even- think-that tentacle. Alexia's cheap, and you'll need more than a little luck to take her down. If you just can't beat Alexia with the Magnum, try taking a few seconds to check the slot machine in the casino. If Chris gets the Ingrams, Alexia becomes a bit easier to fight; the Ingrams' rate of fire is much higher than the Magnum's. Once she's had enough, she'll take to the skies. In this form, she's actually easier to cack than she is in story mode, since you don't have to deal with the scope on the linear launcher. Just run in circles until she launches ichor, wait for her to stop, and open fire. Six shots will put the girl away. Just make sure to watch for the spray of blood that indicates that a shot's connected. Steve: The Ingrams are both a big advantage and a big problem. Where all the other gun-wielding characters are running around with one-shot-one-kill weapons, Steve has to gradually whittle enemies down with submachinegun fire. This is an advantage against the Hunters, but Steve has a bit of trouble with crowds of zombies. This isn't a big deal, actually, as Steve has the best time budget. As long as you can clear his game in under ten minutes, you'll be just fine. I'd actually go so far as to call Steve the easiest character to get an "A" with. If you can't get an "A" with the Ingrams, try using the Lugers against zombies. As mentioned above, a well-timed Luger shot will kill a zombie shotgun-style. This'll require a little bit of switching back and forth, but it may speed up your run. Alt. Claire: The grenade launcher is slow and cumbersome, and the AK47 is weaker than you'd expect an assault rifle to be. Of the two, you're better off using the grenade launcher and making every shot count. Also, try to avoid switching weapons whenever possible; one of Sunbunny's big time-wasters is her constant need to hit up the inventory screen and reload the grenade launcher. It is possible, regardless of what some of you may think, to get an A with Sunbunny without getting the gas rounds. After all, I did it. This guide was written before I knew you could obtain them. Wesker: Just finish the game and you're fine. When I got an "A" rank with all the characters, my times were: Chris: 6:37 Claire: 6:10 Steve: 9:09 Alt. Claire: 8:08 Wesker: 21:38 (Noted reader "Fox" claims to have achieved a finishing time of 9:48 with Wesker, which is the best I've heard of so far.) ==================== THE LINEAR LAUNCHER: ==================== When you get an "A" with all five characters, you'll get the linear launcher from the final showdown with Alexia. All characters will start off with it in their inventory. This weapon is nothing but fun, but it does make the battle game too easy. The only thing within the game that can take more than one hit from it is the second form of Alexia in Chris's game. (There is a certain sublime pleasure to using the launcher to blast your way through Wesker's mission, though. It makes you feel like you've earned something, especially when you use the launcher's scope to zoom in on Alexia just before you blast her. "Trick or treat!" *zap*) =========== CONCLUSION: =========== Good game, Capcom. Now get to work on RE4, put either Leon or Ada in it, and I want it yesterday, you hear me? Yesterday! Thomas Wilde a.k.a. Wanderer a.k.a. Storyteller on Evil-Online a.k.a. Riskbreaker on RE Extreme storyteller@msc.net http://www.dimfuture.net/elsewhere/