GetRide AM Driver: Senkou no Hero Tanjou GetRide AM Driver: The Birth of a Lightning Hero Written by x_comp Version 1.10 July 2004 ========= Contents ======== 1. Introduction 2. Version History 3. Controls 4. Main Menu 5. Equiping Before Missions 6. Fighting in Battles 7. Results & After Missions 8. Walkthrough 9. Credits, Conclusion & Contact Info =============== 1. Introduction =============== It is the Earth of the future... Humans have been under the attack of mysterious weapons known as "Bugcine" which appeared a few years ago. Faced with the Bugcine, the weapons that humans possessed could not stand a chance and so, Earth became afraid of these enemy who's goals were unknown. It was then that their messiah, warriors known as "AM Drivers" were born from the latest engineering technology. Boasting overwhelming power, the AM Drivers destroyed the Bugcine one after the other. The world suddenly had heroes. They had now found hope which will take away their fears as the people elect their best AM Drivers... Developer: Konami Release Date: 22nd July 2004 Price: 4980 Yen ================== 2. Version History ================== 24/7 - v1.01 ------------ - Removed end dialogue for Stage 1 in Walkthrough. - Added note at start of Walkthrough about how dialogue changes. - A bit more about passwords and their function. - Up to Stage 13 of Walkthrough. 25/7 - v1.10 ------------ - Completed Walkthrough. =========== 3. Controls =========== D-Pad Moving about game. Start Pause menu. Select View Character Stats such as what weapon they're using. A Executing commands, attack. B Cancel, change weapon. L ? R Speed up dialogue. ============ 4. Main Menu ============ Most of the options on the main menu are self-explanatory. They're all in English except they're written in Japanese Katakana. You have New Game, Load Data and Options. In options, you can configure how fast the battles run. By default, it's at normal. If you move the cursor to the left then it'll be faster. If you move it to the right, it'll be slower. =========================== 5. Equiping Before Missions =========================== Before starting a mission, you will have the chance to equip your characters with Gear and have the following options: Equip Gear Buy Gear Weapon Inventory Save Data Mission Start To the right, you will have 2 numbers. The top one is your Maintenance Budget which is how much you're paying to use the Gear you equip. The bottom one if your Overall Budget which is how much money you have. Your Maintenance Budget must ALWAYS be lower than your Total Budget. Otherwise, you can't start the mission because you don't have enough money to use your Gear. EQUIP GEAR ---------- At the top you will see some upright rectangles. These are your equip points (EP) for your characters. To use a certain Gear Weapon, you need a certain number of EP. The weapons you currently have available are listed under the orange arrow. Notice that there are 2 numbers next to some yellow characters at the bottom. These are once again your Maintenance Budget (bottom) and your Total Budget (top). Notice that as you equip and unequip weapons, the numbers change. Use the L and R buttons to switch between Jenus, Ragna and Sela. While you have a weapon selected, you may press the Right button to view stats on that weapon. The stats will look like this: +-----------------------------------+ | Weapon Type | | | | Attack Power Defence Power | | xxxx xxxx | | | | No. of Shots Speed | | xx/xx xx | | | | Required AE x | | | | Impact Moves x/x | | | | Rapid Fire One Shot | | | | Budget Cost xxxx | +-----------------------------------+ On the next screen you will find a diagram that will show you the area of effect a Gear Weapon has. The blue represents the AM Driver, red is the Bugcine, green is the range and yellow is the impact area. BUY GEAR -------- To the top of the screen will be how many of the current Gear you have. There is a maximum limit of 3. To the bottom of the screen where the two lines of yellow Japanese characters are is your Total Budget (top line) and your Maintenance Budget. The Gear you can buy is as follows: NAME TYPE COST Survival Knife Sword 500 Hand Gun Range 850 Arm Sword Sword 2450 Pistol Range 1500 Long Rifle Range 2900 Boomerang Sword 2500 D Hand Hand-to-Hand 3000 7 Pronged Blade Sword 4850 Missle Pod Missile 3600 Floater Cannon Range 9800 Double Blaster Range 7500 Bold Vizar Hand-to-Hand 75000 Moto Vizar Hand-to-Hand 81000 Air Vizar Hand-to-Hand 79000 DX Gear Set J Hand-to-Hand 5000 DX Gear Set R Hand-to-Hand 6000 DX Gear Set S Hand-to-Hand 5500 Repair Kit N/A 1000 AE Tank N/A 1000 Gunpowder N/A 1000 As suggested, the Repair Kit replenishes all HP for a chosen character, AE Tank replenishes AE and Gunpowder replenishes shots. WEAPON INVENTORY ---------------- This is where you can re-organise the order of your weapons for each of your characters. Just select a weapon and place it where you want. The stats at the side are just the same as what you saw in the Equip Gear menu. SAVE DATA --------- Here you have 3 slots to save in. Once you've saved, press B to exit the menu. MISSION START ------------- The game will always confirm with you if you're ready to start the mission [Yes/No]. ====================== 6. Fighting in Battles ====================== Fighting is pretty straight forward in this game. First of all, after the first match you will be able to select which character you want to control. This can be Jenus, Ragna or Sela. Afterwards, you will arrive at the battle map and will be given objectives. This usually means destroying all Bugcines that appear. As you move your character around, you will see a blue zone. This is called a Search Zone. When an enemy Bugcine comes within this zone, its attack range will be outlined in red. Obviously once you get in range, it means they can attack you. There will also be a yellow zone which is the attack range of you and your team. Once you're in range, a crosshair will appear meaning you can attack. There are different types of attacks. When attacking on your own, you can raise the power of your attacks by going within range of the Impact Zone of your weapon (see your weapon stats). This usually results in a critical hit and you'll see the crosshair come up yellow. If one of your team is nearby and they can attack the same enemy as you, they may ask you to help them to create a team attack. In this case, the crosshair will be a be a blue diamond shape. If you then go near the target for a team attack, it will change to blue and yellow. Any successful team attacks or impact attacks will increase your popularity with the people. Also note that you can only do so many team attacks with each character (check their stats). Just because a crosshair comes up doesn't mean you can attack. To attack, you'll need to have enough AE. The amount of AE you need will depend on what weapon you're using. Once you have enough AE, the Japanese characters above your green bar will go white. You can between the weapons you equipped before the battle by pressing the B button. AE is slowly regenerated during the battle or you could buy an AE Tank to replenish it. What do you do when you're attacked? On the screen, you will have 4 options arranged in the shape of a cross. They are: [Evade] [Board] [Special] [Block] Needless to say, to use Board, you will have to have a Ride Board equipped before battle. For each option you pick, you will see numbers on the screen changing. To the top right of the screen is the estimated damage for picking an option. Likewise, at the bottom there is a percentage that shows the possibility of a hit from the enemy. When this is near 40%, it usually means the Bugcine will miss. To the right of the percentage is how many more times you can use Board or Special along with the AE you'll need. Both Special and Board usually means you'll receive 0 damage. However, Special requires a certain amount of AE. Avoid is kind of a gamble. You can either get hit or you don't. Block lowers the amount of damage of a full blow. Make your choice quick though because there's a timer ticking. If you press Start during battles, a menu will appear with the following options: Item Command Info Options End Everything's pretty self-explanatory here. Items, you can use the Gear items you bought before you went on the mission. Information will allow you to view your goals (top) and character status. If you go to Command then you can choose what your 2 other teammates do in battle. The first list to the left is the Action Type. You can have them doing the following: General - Attack nearby enemies. Fierce Attack - Attack nearby enemies (using Gear with highest damage). Evade and Block - Don't attack (evading is top priority). Block Only - Don't attack (block only). To the right, we have movement types. Formation - In formation, within range of player. General - Move according to action type. Designated - Stay in designated spot. Note that when you are left with the last Bugcine, it will go into a rage which means its speed and power is raised. So, you might want to decide the order you defeat the Bugcines in, leaving the weakest til last instead of vice-versa. =========================== 7. Results & After Missions =========================== At the end of each mission, you will have a results (evaluation) screen. At the top is your overall rating while beneath that will be what areas you scored in. Your grade can be Bad, Good or Best. The factors varies depending on your mission. The common ones are: PLUS POINTS MINUS POINTS No. of Bugcines defeated Failed Rescues Impact Moves Rescue Targets Taking Damage Finishing Impact Moves Team Attacks Time to Clear Towards the bottom left will be the total points you scored. After this screen will be the Bonus Budget Screen. At the top, you have the formulae for working out your bonus budget: Evaluation Score x Bonus Budget. Once it's worked out, it will be displayed below with a plus sign followed by your Total Budget. Once that's over, the story will progress a little longer before you reach another menu screen. It's similar to the one that appears just before you start a mission. At first, the only options are: Save Data Items Info Options Next Mission From Stage 8 onwards, you will get an extended version which looks like: Save Data Items Info Password Options Next Mission All the options are for reviewing. For Password, you can use this to enter any password you come across during the game to gain access to new Gear. If you go to Status, you can view your character status (top) and your team's popularity with the people. In the status view you will have the following layout: +--------------------------+ Level (Lv) x | | | | Experience xxx | | Next Level xxx | | HP xxxx/xxxx +--------------------------+ Hand-to-Hand Combat Range Total Budget xxx xxx xxxxxx Hit Ratio Evade Special Defence xx xx * ???? Speed Armour * ???? xx xxx Special Defence No. Reaction Judgement x/x xx xx Search Area Teamwork AE Regen xx x/x xx ============== 8. Walkthrough ============== Before we start the walkthrough, note that a lot of the dialogue that takes place after and just before a mission changes depending on your performance. Basically, there's 3 paths the dialogue can follow in between missions and they depend on whether your grade was a Bad, Good or Best. Since I can't cover all of them, I have decided not to translate the main game dialogue from Stage 2 onwards. I decided to include the dialogue for the first 2 stages because I know where the changes take place and you can follow them in the game. You will also get a feeling of what the 3 main characters are like and how the story goes. After Stage 2, it will only include the dialogue that takes place on the map after the stage title screen. So, without further ado, lets play! "Around 10 years ago from now..." "A large number of mysterious mechas suddenly appeared in the world... They were known as Bugcines." "There were no weapons that could fight against them." "People could only watch as they destroyed the towns." "Was this going to continue and will Earth be destroyed by the Bugcines?" "Everyone was starting to think that but then..." "New heroes that destroys the darkness appeared!" "That's right. They were AM Drivers!" "They will fight as long as the Bugcine were here!" "They will fight to protect the people!" "Come, let us fight! Let us watch their unique fighting styles!!" "AM Driver News 24!" Mary: Hello, people! Sorry to keep you waiting. This is the AM Driver News Corner. Today I will be bringing you news of the AM Divers' activities that you all love. First of all... We have those who repelled a group of Bugcines yesterday... An interview with Jean Pias! Thanks for the good work, Jean. As usual, another big event. What is the motivation behind your power? Jean: Hmm, well... "I want to protect all the people." That is what I wish from my heart. Ragna: Man~! I'd really like to say a line like that! Jenus: Rag, quiet! Turn off the TV! Ragna: What are you saying! Look, Jenus! Jean Pias is on TV! Jenus: I know that! That's why I said turn it off! Oh, are we jealous? Jean's a nice guy. Since we're all AM Drivers, you should get along with him more! Jenus: "Nice guy"? Rag, did you forget? Did you forget the time they fooled us and put us in danger?! Even so, you're watching the TV like nothing happened! Ragna: I- I know that but... But you know, our Vizars got broken so we don't have a budget now. We're in a real pinch. And our popularity votes are any good either... Just forget about the bad things and lets ask Jean for help! Jenus: Popularity votes? What's that? ???: You don't know something like that? Jenus: Woah! Pa... Paf?! Ragna: When did you get here? Paf: I called out to you lots of times but you couldn't hear me for some reason~ ???: Due to your bad sense of awareness, both of your Vizars collided and broke... How can such a thing happen... Ragna: Woah! Even you're here, Sela? What's up! Sela: It seems that there's more and more talk about... How people get to vote which AM Driver unit is the best... So this time, they're running the "AM Driver Unit Popularity Votes" at the TV Studio"... Jenus: Unit Popularity? Isn't that referring to individual AM Drivers? Paf: All AM Drivers want to stand out so they all fight they own ways even when they're teamed out don't they? But, I think the best should be those that act as one whole unit. It seems that's what the attention has been gathering on. Well, that's the "trend". Jenus: Aah, so that's how it is... Paf: So, that's how is so... Why don't you guys let this girl here, Sela join your team? Jenus: Does that mean Sela's quitting the your unit?! Ragna: Why? What's this about? Paf: For some reason, she hasn't been very well lately... She even broke her Vizar not long ago... Ragna: You serious? So she's one of us! Sela: ...Don't put me together with you guys. I just broke it by mistake. Ragna: (Touchy...) Sela: At this rate, I'll be dragging down Paf-san and the others in the Unit Voting so... Paf: It's nothing to worry about I said... Didn't you hear me say that we'll get through? So, I've thought it through... How about if I let her team up with you guys? Jenus: So you're saying it's OK to leave her with us because we're not nominated in the voting anyway? Paf: Well, just think about it carefully. A new unit that is made up of newcomers. You'll get quite some attention, don't you think~? The TV lot will catch onto you and if you make it pretty far in the voting then your budget might grow too. Ragna: Grow?! Th- Then we'll be able to get another Vizar! Jenus: ...Sela, you OK with that? Sela: I'm interested in the way you fight so if I can watch you in close range then it'll be good study material. Besides... Ragna: Besides? Sela: If you guys are my oppenents then there's nothing to worry about dragging people down... Jenus: You're the one to talk... (Unit Popularity Voting huh... To be honest, I don't care about that but...) (If we team up with Sela then we can fight more Bugcines than we do now and we might be able to help more people too.) Mary: By the way, Jean. About the Popularity Votes... What do you think? Are you confident that you can gain 1st place? Jean: What I have is "confidence". Everyone's saying they'll pick us... Jenus: (Yes... I can't lose to that guy...) OK. We'll do as Paf says. Paf: Thanks, Jenus. Well, go as far as you can you three. Sela: .... Alarm sounds... Warning: Bugcines are approaching Area J10. Bugcines are approaching Area J10. Ragna: Uh-oh. Jenus: They're here huh... Lets go, Rag, Sela! Sela: Understood. Ragna: Ye- Yeah. (I wonder why he settled with this...) Paf: Heehee... I don't know~ (Sela... That girl is still to pure.) I hope something changes her while she's fights together with Jenus and Ragna... Well, I'm sure it'll go fine. I'm counting on you, Jenus. Joy: Sela, Welcome to the Fifth Depo. I'm Joy. Sela: ...Hi... Joy: You broke your Vizar when you were saving a kid from a building that was collapsing, weren't you? And to make things worst, you didn't defeat any Bugcines because of that... So you guys don't have a budget at all huh? Sela: ...! Joy: Alright, I'll give everyone a special present for today! Borrowed weapons form Joy. Jenus: Th- This is...? Joy: It's a prototype weapon I got... I'll lend it to you guys during this mission only. Ragna: You serious? You're being generous. What's up? Joy: With this, you guys will have the budget to use your gears. I'd like you guys to make it quick. Otherwise I won't be able to move on with my job. Jenus: I see. Thanks. We'll borrow it for a while. Jenus and the others equipped their Gear. Ragna: Everyone ready to go out? Jenus: Of course. Sela: ...Always. Ragna: Alright, launch away! Joy: OK, I'm moving the catapult. Jenus: Sortie! +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 1 | | Fast Try | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcine: Rooooooooooooar!! Jenus: So you came out, Bugcines!! Ragna: They're going to be tough. The weapons we have now are weak... Rather than splitting up, we should move together. Mary: Jenuuus! Jenus: Hmmm? Mary-san? You got here fast. Mary: Why are you with Sela? Is she workin with you? What about Paf and the others? Sela: We'll talk later... Get back please. Mary: (...The same old Sela.) O- OK. Later then. Let me take some cool photos. Ragna: Let us go on with our work please! Mary: Bye! Jenus: Sela, Ragna, I'll go in front. Back me up. Ragna: Gotcha! Sela: Roger. Jenus: Alright! Lets go, Bugcine! At this point, you will be asked if you want the battle system to be explained to you. Choose the bottom option "no" and refer to the fighting section in this guide instead. Your goal in this mission to defeat all Bugcines. After you defeat them all... Jenus: Alright, that's all of them right? (The last Bugcine we defeated... It was tougher than the usual So that means they go into a rage when their friends are gone huh... Then we'll have to be careful.) Ragna: Operation Complete! Sela: ...Bugcine signs negative. Mission over. Ragna: It's over~ It's over! Come on, lets get back! Mary: Wait! Jenus: Mary-san? Mary: Have you forgotten? You promised you'll have a chat with me! Jenus: Oh yeah... Ragna: I'll talk to you! Mary: Sela, you talk. Sela: ...OK. Ragna: (Wh- Why is she ignoring me!) Mary: Oh, so that's what happened. It's true that the rookie trio will get attention... Alright, I've decided! I'll make you guys big! Ragna: You serious?! Lucky! Then we can look forward to the popularity votes! Jenus: Hey, Rag! Defeating the Bugcine is our job! Forget about such pointless things! Ragna: Wh- Why! Mary: Jenus, if your popularity goes up then you will gain a bigger budget. That means you can use better Gear right? That also means you can defeat more Bugcines. Show us some cool scenes. What the people pay attention to is the amazing work that AM Drivers do. Jenus: Well... You maybe right but... Ragna: It's OK if you lose to Jean? Wouldn't you regret something like that? Jenus: ! (Jean huh... He's right...) O- OK... Ragna: That's how it should be! Then we'll talk about things that'll capture the people's heart in the interview shall we? Jenus: Guess it can't be helped. We'll join you for a while. Sela: .... Mary: Alright! Lets get on with the interview right away. Nick, over here please. Nick: Yeah. On the count of 3! 2... 1... Jenus: We... We started? Ragna: Woah! Nick: Queue! Mary: Hello people! Today, we are here with the new unit who repelled the Bugcine attack on the town. I bring you the activities of Jenus, Ragna and Sela. Goodwork, Jenus. Jenus: Ye- Yeah. And from here, the dialogue will change depending on your grade. Pick the last option to move onto the next mission when you're ready. Once again, the dialogue will start out different depending how you done in your last mission. After the alarm sounds. Sela: ?! Ragna: Bugcines! Sela: I'm going on ahead. Ragna: Woah, that's some bad reaction! Jenus: Quit admiring her! Lets get our jackets and get to Joy's place. Ragna: O- OK! Don't order me around! At Joy's place... Jenus: Situation? Joy: The Bugs are attacking the old town in the R19 area. Those that managed to escape are in danger. Sela: There's people there. Jenus: Alright, lets prepare our equipment and go. Ragna: Joy, until then prepare the catapult. Th-a-nks! Joy: Got it~! +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 2 | | Crying People | +-----------------------------------------------+ Nick: Mary, there's signs of what appears to be AM Drivers heading this way. Mary: Really? It's probably Jenus and the others. Well, now for the real show. Hello people! We are broadcasting live here. There are Bugcines that are drawing near to the people who are escaping! What will happen to them? Jenus: Hold it, Bugcines! Mary: Ah, look. It's the AM Drivers! Our AM Drivers came here for us! Ragna: Mary-san! Get away from there please! Mary: They're waving their hands over here. It seems they're saying, "It's all right now. We're here."! Sela: .... Jenus: Sela, this mission... How are we going go about this? Sela: We can save the people right away after we go next to them. That's how we're going to do it... Look. The Bugcine aren't attacking the people directly... They're moving to destroy the town that's ahead of here. If we lower the Bugcine's HP to a certain level, they will target us. That way, we'll draw their attention so that they don't get near the people. Jenus Save the people by getting near them... Draw their attention... Is that it? Alright, lets give it a go! Sela: The buildings and cars are firm structures so they can't break them but... If the people were to be attacked, they would die. We have to deal with that somehow... Mary: Looks like they've started their operation. We'll watch them from a distance. Ragna: Aaah... They've gone... Jenus: Lets go, Rag! Ragna: Yeah yeah. Work, work! Sela: .... For this match, you will want to rush to save the man first. Then you want to make your way left to save the girl. You could attack the Bugcines along the way but don't kill them all yet. Otherwise, 2 will appear right next to the girl and you'll be in trouble. After you defeat all Bugcine... Jenus: That's all the Bugcine. Lets get back. Mary: Hey, wait. Wait! You can't just go back. Jenus: Mary-san! Mary: Won't you give us an interview? Jenus: Su- Sure... Once again, the events will change depending on your performance in the mission. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 3 | | Little Believer | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcines are destroying the buildings in the D15 Area and it's up to Jenus and his team to stop them. Jenus: Most of them have been destoryed. Sela: Look, Jenus. There's still a building that's safe. Looks like that's the building the Bugcine are aiming for right now. Ragna: Well, we can conclude that they're taking refuge in there. Lets make use of that to lure the Bugcine then ambush them... ???: *Cries* Someone~! Ragna: What? Sela: A signal coming from the building? No way... ???: Where is... everyone? Jenus: Looks like she got away... Can you hear us? ???: *Sniff* Onii-chan... Who are you? Jenus: I'm Jenus. ???: Jenus?! You're Jenus from the AM Drivers?! Jenus: You are? Mariel: Mariel! Jenus: Alright, Mariel! Be a good girl and don't move from there. We'll protect you! Mariel: OK, I understand. Mariel won't move! Jenus: Everyone, there's a little girl inside. We must protect the building at all costs. Ragna: What an important responsibility! Sela: We can't be careless now... Lets go! Jenus: Alright! Mission start! Most of the monsters will appear on the same side of the building in this mission so, all you have to do is cover the east side. After you beat all Bugcine... Mary: Goodwork, everyone! Come on, it's time for a good interview! Jenus: Mary-san! Mary: Heehee... Looks like we're going to have a good story today. Well, lets go. If you manage to save the girl (which you should), you will be asked what her name is during the interview. You will have 3 options which are starting from the top: Mary, Marie and Mariel. If you done well (probably a grade of Good or Best), you should see Jenus getting a kiss on the cheek from Mariel as thanks. She does the same to Ragna and Sela too. Letting the Bugcine destroy the building won't make you lose the game but it means the little girl will be gone. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 4 | | Cargo in Hope | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcines have appeared in a forest not far from the E5 Area. A truck driver went into a Bugcine area by mistake and is now sending out SOS signals as he is trying to escape. To get a Best grade here, I suggest buying at least one 7 Pronged Blade for your team and equipping your character with it. Also have 3 AE Tanks ready because it uses up a lot of AE. Jenus: That's the truck that needs help huh... Driver: Ah, AM Drivers!! You guys came! Ragna: Heh, we will appear wherever there are people in need! Sela: Ragna... The TV crew isn't here yet. Ragna: What?! You serious?! Sela: .... Jenus: In any case, head on over here! We'll protect you! If you follow the path out of the forest, you'll get out of here! Driver: I understand. Thanks for the help! Sela: Mission... start. Protecting the truck driver so that he can leave safely is just a bonus. The main goal is still to defeat all Bugcine. Losing the driver won't mean you lose the mission. Start out by taking out one of the Bugcine nearest to the driver to the right. Then go onto the ones to the left and distract them with weaker attacks while your AE regenerates. When the next wave appears towards the east side, finish them quick with the 7 Pronged Blade and use AE tanks to refill. Use the same tactic to regenerate when you run out of AE. Try to use Impact attacks so that you can finish them in one blow (not to mention that it'll rack up your popularity points). +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 5 | | | | Winner's Bet (Repel) | | OR | | Call of the People (Rescue) | +-----------------------------------------------+ A large number of Bugcine has appeared in the I21 and T11 areas. 2 operations are taking place and that's rescue the people or repel the Bugcine. This one can go 2 ways. When you talk with Alan, you will come to 2 choices. Either repel (top) or rescue. Either way, you will meet a rival team who will try to contend with you. So, those AM Drivers that appear aren't really there to help you. They're there to hinder your score. Any Bugcine they defeat obviously won't be credited to you. If you decide to go repel Bugcines, you will meet with Jean's team. For the other choice, you will meet Paf's team. Once again, the main goal to destroy all Bugcine in both missions. Where there's rivals, there's competition and Mary isn't going to miss out good material for her show. So, depending on who gives the better performance in this mission, they will be the center of attention. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 6 | | Tenderness Whisper | +-----------------------------------------------+ Just before the mission, Sela is having doubts about herself. She doesn't know where she should be or if she's being a bother to people. She starts to wonder if she should just leave Jenus' team too because she feels that she's stopping them from being popular. Anyway, Bugcines are heading for the Q23 Area and at the same time, a truck driver in the vicinity is being attacked by them. Sela is the first to set off. Bugcine: Rooooooooooooar!! Driver: Aaaaah! Do- Don't come near me! Sela: Are you all right?! Come over here quick! Driver: Wh-Wh-Wh... What?! Wh- Who are you? Wh- Where should I go! Sela: (It's no good... He's confused and can't act calmly...) I'm here. Driver: Aaaaah... An AM Driver?! I... I... I... Help me pleeeeeeeeease!! Sela: ...Take a deep breathe. Driver: Huh? Sela: Hurry up! Driver: O- OK... Huuuuuuuuuu... Haaaaaaaaaa... Sela: Calmed down now? Driver: ....Yeah. Sela: I'll protect you now. Just keep driving the way you are and you'll get out of here! Driver: Ye- Yes, maam! Jenus: We've finally caught up with her. That Sela... Ragna: Heh, and she said I was bad... She's flirting with the people! What a personality she has... Sela: (I don't care what you think... I... I can only fight my way.) (I will talk to Jenus about leaving this unit once this mission is over.) (I'm sure... that it's the best for everyone.) Jenus: In any case, we'll talk later. We'll protect the truck until it gets out...! Alright, lets go! After the mission, Jenus decides to talk to Sela too about how well she performed. Calming the truck driver before going off to fight the Bugcine and such. Afterwards, Mary will come for her interview again. During the interview you will get 3 options starting from the top: Jenus, Ragna and Sela. She's asking who achieved the most in the mission this time round. There's really no correct answer here. If you pick Ragna or Jenus as your answer, Mary will correct you anyway and the conversation will turn out the same way. How Sela reacts to the praise will depend on how well you done during the mission. Either way she will be happy and decides to stay in the unit for a little longer. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 7 | | Triangle Pain | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcines appear in the C17 Area and are destroying buildings again. Ragna isn't happy that Sela took all the praise and plans to make a show this time. Bugcine: Forforfor~~~! Sela: They've caused a lot of damage... Jenus: They turned the place into hell... Sela, are there still any buildings that are safe? Sela: ...There's 2. That one and... This one here. Person: You freaking Bugcines! Do- Don't come over here! Lady: Go- God... Pl- Please protect this building! Sela: Signs of life confirmed... There are still people inside both buildings...! Jenus: Really? This is bad... Alright, we must protect the building at all cost! Ragna: (There's people inside the buildings?! My chance!) I'll go save them! Jenus: Hey, where are you going! Ragna: Obvious isn't it? I'm going to be cool and save the people! Sela: If we don't stop him, it's going to be dangerous... Ragna: Heh, no worries! These guys are no prob! Woah! Wh- What the hell! Jenus: Wh- What the! Sela: There is are underground streets in this vicinity. The ground can collapse easily right now... Jenus: Which means we can get trapped huh... If we're careless, we won't be able to move for a while. Ragna: Why did it turn out this way~! Jenus: Rag, you'll be able to move soon. Just bear with it until then. Alright... Mission start! For this mission, I used the same tactics as before. Equipped my character with the 7 Prong Blade and used it to take out the one in range of attacking the buildings. Then I used the AE Tanks quick whenever a lot of them come in range. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 8 | | Get in Straight | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcines appear in the F22 Area and they're destroying buildings again. Just before sortie, Jenus tells Ragna not to do one of his stunts again. Jenus: Woah, they've destroyed most of them already! Ragna: Look, Gena... That building over there is still safe! Jenus: Alright, that's it. Lets protect that building... Sela: Wait, that truck over there... Driver: Aah! At this rate, I'm going to get killed! But... Wh- Where can I run to! Bugcine: Foooooooooooooor~! Jenus: Oh no! Ragna: Quit getting the Bugcines all excited! Sela: He's confused... At this rate he might end up heading in the direction of the Bugcines... Jenus: Alright, the same as the last mission. One of us will go talk to the truck driver and calm him down. Then we lead him to a safe place. We'll have to make sure the building's safe at the same time! We're going to be busy! Sela: Understood. Ragna: (Ha, I don't feel too right about this but... I'll be good and do as says for today.) Al- Alright, understood. Mission start! Again, I kept to the AE Tanks and 7 Pronged Blade tactic. After the mission, Sela will tell you that a certain company has transported new AM Gear over. However, without the right password, you can't use them. The next day Mary is doing her usual interviews... Mary: Hi, everyone! This is the popular "AM Driver's Holiday" corner! Today I am at the number 5 depot, Jenus' team trailer. Excuse me! Jenus: This is my room. Please, make yourselves at home. Mary: We've got some mail from everyone with questions for you. We'll read a few shall we. First, a 4 year old boy! "To Jenus. Once I'm older, I also want to be an AM Driver." "How long do I have to train to become one?" he asks! Jenus: Well... You have the option of answering 5 or 10 years. Pick either one and Jenus will say he became one at the age of 14. Pick 5 and Jenus will say he's the youngest around. He started at the age of 4 (same as the boy) and took 10 years. But, looking at how the boy can write the later, he tells him that the boy seems to have talent. So it'll probably take him half that instead. Then Mary will tell the boy to do his best and move on. Pick 10 and Jenus won't say as much. He'll just say it takes 10 years before Mary moves on. Then another kid asks what does the AM in AM Drivers mean. You will have the option of saying you know (top) or you don't. Either way, Jenus will say he's forgotten and Mary will explain it stands for Affect Matter. Finally, the last question is out of Ragna and Sela, who's the easiest to work with? You can choose from Sela (top) and Ragna. Tough one for Jenus to answer on TV but he get saved by the bell. and runs off. Mary and Nick follows as usual. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 9 | | Screen Heart | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcines have appeared in the Chemical Plant in the X18 Area. If the place was to blow up then the surrounding area will be in deep trouble. Just before they sortie, Jenus hints about something to Joy. Ragna: Those freaking Bugcines... They're inside a chemical plant this time! Jenus: There's a lot of smoke coming out... I wonder if there's some chemicals burning already...? Ragna: Well, we're fine since we have these Jackets. Jenus: According to the data that Joy sent over... If this gas catches fire, it'll turn into a toxic substance. Sela: If anymore of it gathers then we'll be in a situation where an explosions will be easy... Until then, we'll have to stop the chemicals from burning... Look! There's 2 switches. Either of them will activate the safety system and stop the chemicals from burning... Jenus Alright, we must get to those switches before the explosion at all costs! Sela: Yes. Ragna: Got it! Stop giving orders! Sela: It's... hard to see around here so we must increase the power of our sensors. Jenus: Alright, lets go! The one to the northwest is the correct one that'll activate the safety system. Afterwards, you just have to deal with the Bugcine. Once the mission is over, Sela and Ragna will have their little argument as usual. Just then, Jenus doesn't look too good and faints. It turns out there was crack in his helmet and some of the gas got in it. Jenus would have noticed it if he wasn't busy taking care of Sela and Ragna. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 10 | | Lie to Reborn (S7) | | OR | | Invicible Link (W9) | +-----------------------------------------------+ Alan calls and it seems Bugcines are appearing in two places again. You have a choice of going to the underground streets of the S7 Area or the old town of the W9 Area. Either way, you will meet rival teams once again just like before. Ragna and Sela will learn to work together to contend against them while Jenus will make an appearance half way through... With some powerful Gear. In the S7 mission, you'll come across Jean's team again and all you have to do is defeat all Bugcines. As for the other, you meet Dark and have a bonus of saving people who are trapped under the rubble. Once the mission is over, Jenus will explain it was all an act so that Ragna and Sela could learn to get along with one another. He also got hold of the Vizar suit Joy who transported it over from a company. Since he was just testing it for him, he returns it back. Now apart from Jenus' Bold Vizar, you can also purchase Ragna's Moto Vizar and Sela's Air Vizar... If you have the budget of course. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 11 | | Miss Mistecable | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcines have appeared in the factory block of the Y24 Area. Before you start this mission, don't forget to re-equip Jenus. After testing that Vizar, he's been un-equipped. Jenus: They got into a place like this... Bugcine: Foooooooooooooor! Ragna: Woah! They really feel like fight huh! Person: Hey, is someone there? Help us! Ragna: Yes, who is it? (What a beautiful voice) Jenus: A signal? From where! Sela: From there... Person: We got locked in by the barriers so we can't get away. The barriers can be opened using those 2 switches. Jenus: Alright, we'll use the switches to open the barriers. After that, we move the truck out. Person: We're counting on you. Ragna: (The communicator must be bad. We can only hear her voice... There's no doubt about it that it's a cute girl!) Leave it to us! So how about dinner after we save you? Sela: He- Ragna?! Person: Huhu... What a funny boy. OK. Afterwards... Ragna: I done it! Jenus: My my. Picking up girls at a time like this... Anyway, lets go! Sela: Yes, mission... start! There's 2 ways you can go about this one to save the truck. But once again, the focus is to destroy all Bugcine. First take out the Bugcine near the switch to the right and press it. Next you go for the second switch. You can either choose to send someone to stay near the barrier before you kill the last monster here or, you can do it the other way. Knock the monster away, press the switch and leave it alive while the truck drives out of the passageway first. Then you can kill the last monster. Otherwise you won't make it in time to go kill the monster that appears in the second wave. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 12 | | United Evil | +-----------------------------------------------+ An emergency call comes from Paf and it seems she's having trouble with Bugcines that have fused together. Jenus: What is that?! Bugcine: Rooooooooooooooooar! Ragna: It's huge... Looks real tough! Sela: Not "looks real tough". That thing really IS tough. Take care in fighting it! Jenus: Yeah, lets go! Half way through the fight, another truck driver will appear. His truck gets stuck so you have to go over and help him. After the mission, Jenus and the others are talking about the new giant Bugcines that have been appearing. With Vizars, they can take them out more easily but they cost a lot of money to run and buy. Just then, another call comes in. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 13 | | Primer on Life | +-----------------------------------------------+ Bugcines have appeared in a factory in the Z6 Area and they seem to be gathering around the site. There are dangerous tanks full chemicals that can cause a huge explosion. Ragna: There's still tanks that haven't exploded yet! Person: You- You people are... AM Drivers?! Jenus: Yeah. It's all right now! Sela: What about the personnel that got away? Where are they now? Person: They're inside the tank facilities. Come help us please! Jenus: Of all places, what are they doing there! Person: Well... Since the Bugcines were on a rage, it looked like they were going to blow up the tanks. My coworkers and I are using machinery to suppress them. Jenus: I see... That's what happened huh. So which tanks are you and your coworkers in? The person will then point you to the tanks they're in. Ragna: So the tanks are all right now? Person: Well... The internal facility systems have reached their threshold... They may blow up in another 10 minutes... Sela: That's bad news! Jenus: I- I see... Alright! We'll save you. Don't move from where you are! Sela! Rag! We have to save everyone before the facilities blow up! Sela: Understood. Ragna: Alright, lets go... Launch away! After you defeat all Bugcine... Sela: Looks like they're not going to explode now. Person: AM Driver-san. The- The truth is... I just found out that I've a number of other coworkers that are still inside the factory! Ragna: Why?! You serious?! Jenus: We have to help them! Sela: But there's no time... The factory's going to explode! Jenus: So what if it's going to explode... I'm an AM Driver! Ragna: Woah! That... idiot! Sela: I'm... I'm going to! Ragna: Wait! Sela: Don't stop me! Jenus is- Ragna: Wait, I'm going too! Sela: What?! Back outside... Nick: Alright. We're at the scene, Mary. Mary: We're late this time... Nick, start recording. Kya! Nick: The factory... exploded! Person: Are you two... from the TV studio? Mary: You're one of the personnel tha got out form the factory? Thank goodness... Everyone's safe. Person: We- Well... My coworkers and the AM Drivers are still inside... Mary: What?! (In any case, we have to report!) He- Hello people! We are currently in the Z6 area where a factory is under attack from the Bugcine! Intense flames are burning... Are the AM Drivers that are inside safe? Even the personnel that got rescued is watching at the factory without twitching! Person: ?! Someone's coming! Mary: Oh?! Someone is walking this way! Ah, that's... The AM Drivers!! It seems they managed to rescue the personnel in the nick of time! Ragna: Phew! That was close! Jenus: We just made it. Sela: Jenus, you should learn how to make decisions more calmly... But... Jenus: But...? Sela: Just there... Even though it wasn't a calm decision, I think... it was right. Jenus: I- I... I just done what I should. Sela: Hahaha... Ragna: (Ergh! She's laughing again... That's not like... her cold self!) Mary: TV viewers, our Rookie Unit have just achieved something wonderful today. This... This is the AM Drivers... The heroes that protect the people! This is Mary Fastia reporting. See you! After the summary screen and back at base... Jenus: The Bugcines are gathering in the forest?! Is it true?! Alan: It seems so. They're gathering together one after the other in the forest of the P1 Area while they're hiding themselves. Sela: What for... Alan: There's a large town nearby. They're probably planning to attack it. If that's the case, we must stop them before it takes place. I want you all to search the forest and exterminate any Bugcine you find. Whether you go or not I leave it up to you... Jenus: Of course we going! Alan: Very well. I will be contacting the other units about this matter. I'll be sending the details to Joy-kun. All of you should sortie right away. Sela: Search... and destroy... huh. Ragna: Alright, lets get ready right away and go! Jenus: Yeah. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 14 | | Shine & Darkness | +-----------------------------------------------+ Arriving at the scene, Jenus and the others find nothing. Just then, a mysterious voice greets them. It turns out to be Paf's unit. This time she's with her 2 teammates Julie and June too. Dark's unit also makes an appearance here. Both units decide to spread split up their members to search the east and west side of the forest. Jenus decides they should too so you can pick from Jenus, Ragna or Sela. Anyone you pick will be unavailable for this mission. Afterwards, Dark makes a mighty roar which lures the Bugcines out with his power. Now it's a contest between the 3 units to see who defeats the most Bugcines. After the battle, the members come back to report how many Bugcines they defeated and Mary will go on with her usual show. Afterwards, Dark will have a little talk with Jenus saying that it feels as if the Bugcines are being controlled lately. Then he goes onto ask Sela what she's planning after the popularity voting is over. She hesitates... Without giving an answer, they go back to Depot 5. The next day, Ragna comes back with some new burger and offers Sela a taste but, something seems to be up with her again. Just then, Jean phones and starts taunting Jenus again now that the Popularity Votes was about to come to a conclusion tomorrow. He also advices him not to sortie for the next Bugcine attack that was about to happen if he doesn't want to lower his popularity. As if on cue, an alarm sounds. Joy reports that Bugcines are attacking the Gear factory area. Some children are there on an expedition there. Worried that Jean maybe right, Ragna and Sela decides to tell Jenus to remain behind. Thinking it's her fault again that the unit is being dragged down, Sela says she'll quit the team and decides to go off on her own. Ragna and Jenus follows in pursuit. +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 15 | | Important You | +-----------------------------------------------+ Sela arrives at the scene and finds a man trapped underneath the debris but she can't get him out by herself. Suddenly, Jenus and Ragna appears to help saying they're a team. Now it's up to you to destroy all the Bugcine. There are also a woman and children trapped in between 2 barriers so you'll have to protect them while you use the switches and free them. Soon after the battle, Joy calls in to check on Sela. He said was worried about her and she thanks him. Joy then reminds them that some children are in the central block so it's time to make your way there. Just then, Sela's sensors pickup some other AM Drivers around the place... +-----------------------------------------------+ | STAGE 16 | | Answers With Battle | +-----------------------------------------------+ Jenus: This is the central block but... Sela: Odd. The Bugcines aren't... here? Ragna: Aren't they hiding somewhere ready to attack us? Sela: ?! Jenus, I can see something big over there. Jenus: What... is that? ???: Yo, new face! Jenus: Th- That voice is! Jean: My my, you just didn't listen to my warning... Rosette: Well, thanks to them it made things easier. Jenus: Jean's Unit... how did you get in here! Jean: While you guys were attracting those Bugcines at the entrance, we made a hole inthe roof and got it. That big thing there is a tank of AM energy. I know that's what they're after thanks to our data. Jenus: And to protect that, you don't care if you put the people at the entrance in danger?! Jean: You guys should be thankful. We gave you a chance. Jenus: What did you say~?! Rosette: If this thing was destroyed, the factory would blow up. You OK with that? Ragna: You serious?! Sela: I see... So that means... You were the ones who defeated the Bugcines here? Ragna: That's our Jean! Jenus: (....I don't like him at all.) Sela: By the way, there should have been some children who passed by here... Caycay: Well... They're over there. Boy: Ah! New AM Drivers! Girl: Help, AM Drivers~! Jenus: Of all places, what are they doing there... Jean: I don't know where they got in from but... We save them after we defeat the Bugcine. It'll be dangerous after all. Jenus: It's going to be dangerous so hide! Girl: Haaai! Jean: Rose, Caycay, I'll be fine here. You two hold back the Bugcine from getting in the building. I'll fight the remaining ones that are inside with these guys. Caycay: Understood. Rosette: Well, see you later! Ummm, Lotus boy... I mean... Aubergine boy was it...? Jenus: It's Je-nu-s! Rosette: Oh! Was it? Anyway, see you~! Caycay and Rosette disappear then Bugcines arrive. Ragna: They're here! Jean: Just one blow from these guys and the tank is gone... Be careful. Jenus: Yeah. Jean: And... We don't need 2 groups as hero units. You understand what I mean, don't you? Jenus: From this point onwards, it's who defeats the most Bugcines... A contest right? Jean: The ones who win saves the children and becomes the true heroes. Jenus: Just what I was thinking! So, this is the last battle of game. Try to kill more Bugcines than Jean and while doing that, prevent the tank from being hit. After defeating all Bugcines... Jenus: That's them all. Jean: You fought well, rookies. I'll give you some praise at least. Jenus: Alright, lets get the children down... Girl: Waaai~! The AM Drivers won! Boy: Of course... They're AM Drivers! Ragna: Alright guys. Lets get you down from there! Boy: I want that Onee-chan over there to do it! Sela: O- OK... It's fine with me. Lets go. Ragna: (Wh- Why?! Why does this always happen to me!) Rosette: Jean! We fought back the Bugcines near the building! Caycay: I'm done too. Jean: And the results? Rosette: The 2 of us beat 4. Jean: So adding on the ones I defeated here... So Jenus, you know who won right? Jenus: Yeah. Jean: It's nearly time for the TV crew to be here. Jenus: Only the ones who won get to bathe in the spotlight... That was the promise right? Jean: That's right. The ones who lost will leave this place. Jenus: Then... Lets go... Jean: Huhu... Yeah... And with that, the dialogue with move on depending on your grade. Choosing the last option to move on will continue with Mary announcing the winners. After the credits, some mysterious people will appear... ???: Data gathering complete. ???: Nilgees, why wasn't there much action from you...? Nilgees: So that we can bring down the prize, Shasha. (Soon the party will start... Until then, continue to dance for us...) (Be ready, AM Drivers!) Shasha: Heehee, Nilgees. You really won't take action will you... Now you will get the option to save (top) or not from Mary. Saving and loading the file will give you access to all Gear right from the start of the game. So, hope you have enjoyed the game! Try replaying it now with all the new Gear unlocked to see if you can come out No. 1 in the votes! ===================================== 9. Credits, Conclusion & Contact Info ===================================== Another great game from Konami although it was kind of short. The artwork was good and the short animations it had of the AM Drivers doing their moves were done well. They need to work on the NPCs and face expressions more, though. There's not a lot of choices for expressing their lines and you end up seeing the same NPCs ("The People") repeatedly. As for the actual gameplay, I like what it allows you to equip and the budget balance. You don't earn too little or too much after each mission. You can spend all the money on small Gear Weapons or you can save it up for some mega ones later towards the end of the game. In terms of gameplay, the game truly offers players an unique experience because of the way the dialogue changes. Get a "bad" grade just when the new member Sela joins and you'll end up with an argument in your hands. Or on the other hand, get "best" and you'll have your team catching the spotlight from the TV crew. This offers the player a great deal of re- playability as you work to get a better grade and beat the rival groups. What I did find missing surprisingly is an unlockable CG gallery or something similar. It's very common with Japanese GBA games that have a story system smiliar to this. With all those different pictures that appear, it would have been a great bonus. Especially for any fans of AM Driver. Without a gallery, it just seems a waste. Overall, if you're into Mecha and RPGs then this one would be interesting. http://jpn00.konami.co.jp/products/amdriver/senko/ http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/amdriver/ If anyone wants to use this FAQ on their own site or for any other purposes, please leave everything in this guide intact. And if anyone wants to contact me, feel free to do so by sending an e-mail to kaworu_sangaku(at)lineone.net.