============================================ DICK TRACY: GENERAL FAQ AND WALKTHROUGH v1.2 ============================================ for the Sega Genesis (U.S.) by Bill Wood (billwood661@ca.rr.com) Originally created: 09/29/08 Last modified: 10/07/08 Dick Tracy: The Game (c) 1990 Sega of America, Inc. NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ======================= == TABLE OF CONTENTS == ======================= SECTION 1: VERSION HISTORY SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION SECTION 3: ABOUT THIS GUIDE - Tips and Factoids SECTION 4: GAME CONTROLS AND CONVENTIONS - Controls - Game Progress - Damage Ratios - Scene Completion Bonuses - Bonus Rounds - Options - Long-Distance and Close-Range - Before You Start: The Concept of Shootwalking SECTION 5: WALKTHROUGH SECTION 6: CLOSING ================================ == SECTION 1: VERSION HISTORY == ================================ 1.2 - Minor revisions. Things left to do: - Confirm target numbers for Bonus Round 4 1.1 - What started off as a minor tweak turned out to be a fairly major overhaul for this guide. There are many minor additions and revisions throughout (mostly grammatical errors), and several cosmetic changes as well. Things left to do: - Confirm target numbers for Bonus Round 4 1.0 - The walkthrough portion of the guide is completed, so for all intents and purposes this guide is finished. However, I may still go back and add more detail wherever possible. Things left to do: - Confirm target numbers for Bonus Rounds 0.8a- Minor additions and corrections. I've started detailing the Bonus Rounds, and played a bit of Hard Mode just to get a feel for it. I also added the "Scene Completion Bonuses" section. Things left to do: - Complete the walkthrough (v0.8a covers up to Stage 6-A) - Detail level checkpoints wherever possible - Remaining Bonus Stage info - More Factoids 0.8 - Initial release of the guide. Things left to do: - Complete the walkthrough (v0.8 covers up to Stage 6-A) - Detail level checkpoints wherever possible - More Bonus Stage info (number of targets, bad/good ratios) - More Factoids ============================= == SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION == ============================= "Calling Dick Tracy! Calling Dick Tracy! "We've got a situation! Every hood, thug, and gangster is on the street. Guns, dynamite, knives... you name it, they've got it!" "Tracy here. I'm armed and ready. Just tell me where the crooks are, Chief." "Everywhere! They're hiding out in the alleys and on the pier! Something's up at the train yard. Itchy's gunning for you, and The Brow's been seen cruising the streets. "We think Big Boy Caprice is putting the heat on. Make those stool pigeons sing, Tracy. Get some leads. Check out the warehouse and sewers. Shake down Lips Manlis at the Club Ritz. Then go after Flattop, Big Boy's hitman. Be careful. He won't be taken alive! "You'll have to get a fix on Big Boy's whereabouts and go after him. It'll be a tough fight... the biggest rat is always in the deepest hole. But if he's still at large by morning, this whole city will be putty in his slimy hands!" "OK, Chief. Sit tight and wait for my call. I've got a city to save! Over and out!" - taken from the Dick Tracy Sega Genesis instruction manual Welcome to the big city of the 1930's, where rampant gangster activity has forced a certain hard-boiled detective to jump over and duck under slow moving bullets in order to wipe crime off the city streets for good... Based on the 1990 movie starring Warren Beatty and not the Chester Gould comic strip, Dick Tracy takes you on a one-man mission to wipe out a host of gruesome villains and organized crime in general, working your way up to the main mob boss himself, Big Boy Caprice (portrayed by Al Pacino in the movie). While the story within the game -- which revolves a series of highly suspect nitro shipments -- doesn't exactly adhere to the film plot (the game plays out more like a prequel than anything else), the bright palette of primary colors definitely does. Overall, Dick Tracy does a decent job of recapturing the unique visual flair of the movie, especially for a 16-bit game. The game employs a unique "pseudo-3D" perspective which is quite original and works well, with Tracy wielding a pistol (as well as his fists) for traditional 2D side-scrolling fighting, and a machine gun against the enemies that appear from a distance, such as across the street or at the other end of a wide room (in fact they are usually above him from the screen perspective). As far as I am aware, this technique has not been duplicated in any game before or since, which is a shame as it really does work for a trigger-happy shoot-'em-up such as this. ================================= == SECTION 3: ABOUT THIS GUIDE == ================================= This is by far the oldest game I've ever authored a guide for. Having owned and played through the Dick Tracy Genesis game way back when it was originally released, I thought I might give it a second chance and see how it held up. I was surprised to find it was still a lot of fun, therefore the inspiration to create the guide you're reading now. ^_^ I figured this was an ancient game that nobody ever played, so I'd write this guide for my own amusement and be done with it. But much to my astonishment, it seems as though a few people actually read this thing, in which case I hope it will help some of you get through the game, and maybe even learn more about the history of the Dick Tracy character. Please note that the walkthrough section of the guide is not a step-by- step walkthrough (a game such as this hardly needs one), but rather a listing of enemy detail and general strategy for each level (or "scene," as they are referred to in the game). The walkthrough portion of the guide is complete as of version 1.0, but I may still take on Hard Mode and add some pointers there. ----------------- TIPS AND FACTOIDS ----------------- As you work your way through this guide, you will see several special sections noted as "TIP" or "FACTOID". A tip is a game hint that will help you through the game, such as... ++ TIP: Shoot if you want to live. A factoid is a piece of info that is not pertinent to the game itself, but helps to shed some light on the various characters as they appear in both the film and the long-running comic strip, created by Chester Gould. For example... ++ FACTOID: Madonna does not appear in this game. Hooray!!! Study the Tips and Factoids intently and you can consider yourself an educated person on all things Dick Tracy Sega Genesis. ============================================== == SECTION 4: GAME CONTROLS AND CONVENTIONS == ============================================== -------- CONTROLS -------- The default button layout is as follows: (A) = Pistol (B) = Jump (C) = Machine Gun ++ TIP: If you are playing this game via emulation, you will want to ++ refer to your software's Genesis controller mapping. ------------- GAME PROGRESS ------------- Dick Tracy is broken down into a series of stages, with Tracy moving from left to right in order to reach his objective. Each stage is broken into three scenes, as follows: STAGE - Scene A - Scene B - Scene C (boss battle) - Bonus Round Scene C is always a boss battle, and Scenes A and B always consist of one of the following types: TRADITIONAL: Dick has his guns at his disposal, moving from left to right to reach the stage end. This is the most common type of level. UNARMED: Same as Traditional, only Dick has no guns and must fight his way through the level using only his fists. CAR CHASE: Dick trades gunfire while hanging out of the passenger side door of a moving police car. Each scene has a continue marker at the halfway point of the level, so if Tracy is killed after he reaches this checkpoint, his progress will continue from there. That is unless you are spending a credit to continue, in which case Tracy is placed all the way back at the start of the level. The only scenes without checkpoints are the boss battles. If you perish anywhere in these scenes, it's back to the beginning for Tracy! Each scene is also placed on a timer, so you can't spend all day enjoying the scenery. Clear the level within 4:00 or it will cost Tracy his life! Boss stages are timed at 3:00 with the exception of the final boss, which is detailed in that section of the walkthrough. ------------- DAMAGE RATIOS ------------- Needless to say, Dick Tracy takes damage from successful enemy attacks. The damage ratios are as follows: Punch................1 lifebar Knife attack.........1 lifebar Gunshot.............2 lifebars TNT stick...........2 lifebars Falling beam........2 lifebars Flying gear.........2 lifebars Molotov cocktail....2 lifebars Tossed tire.........2 lifebars Grenade.............2 lifebars Depending on the difficulty setting, Tracy will have either 8 (Easy), 6 (Normal) or 4 (Hard) lifebars. Once all of his lifebars are exhausted, Dick loses one life. After three lives are lost, you will need one credit to continue gameplay. You begin the game with 3, 4 or 5 credits depending on the game settings, and you can earn more credits within the game (more on that in a bit). ++ TIP: After playing through the earlier levels on Easy, you might ++ convince yourself you're ready for Normal or even Hard Mode. Be ++ warned though, the first several levels are NOTHING compared to the ++ endless onslaught of gangsters you'll face at the end of the game! ------------------------ SCENE COMPLETION BONUSES ------------------------ After you have completed a scene, you are rewarded with a score bonus in three areas: TIME.......Time remaining on the stage timer. (+50 points for each second remaining) PUNCH......Punching close-range enemies instead of shooting them. (+100 points for each enemy punched) NO BREAK...Avoid damage to long-range objects (windows, cars, etc.). (10,000 points for no objects broken) All of these factors can greatly increase your overall score, but unless you're aiming for a high score you can pretty much forget about it, as higher score totals do not reward you with extra credits, lives, etc. And besides, shooting up cars and store windows is good, honest fun! ^_^ Note that the car chase levels -- which have no objects to break, no enemies to punch and operate on a fixed timer -- do not reward you with bonus points. Also, the unarmed levels do not have No Break bonuses (but plenty of Punch bonuses since your fists are the only weapon at your disposal on these levels). ------------ BONUS ROUNDS ------------ The bonus round is a shooting gallery reminiscent of the classic NES game Hogan's Alley. The timing window becomes increasingly shorter with every bonus round and the numbers of targets increase. The objective is to shoot all the bad guys and avoid the good ones to get the best score! Good Guys --------- Police Chief Mailman Newsboy Butcher Repair Man (doesn't appear until Round 3) Bad Guys -------- Itchy Flattop Big Boy Caprice Lips Manlis Prunceface Shoulders (doesn't appear until Round 3) The controls for the bonus round are as follows; Button (A) hits the left target, Button (B) the center, and Button (C) the right. The directional pad is not used in this mode. The bonus rounds are NOT a complete waste of time, and can actually be very crucial to your completion of the game! A good result will increase your number of credits (continues), up to a total of three (plus 20,000 points) for a perfect score. For this reason alone, it is essential that you excel at these bonus rounds, especially early in the game when they are relatively easy. They may just make the difference between one final chance at victory and a premature "Game Over" screen. Finally, note that the good/bad target ratio changes every time you play the game. For instance, on Bonus Stage 1 -- with 30 targets total -- you might have 21 bad and 9 good targets one time you play, and an even 15/15 split the next. The only constant is that there are never more good targets than bad. I presume this is to prevent you from counting your way through the stage, although you would have to be pretty hardcore to do that anyway. =P ------- OPTIONS ------- These are the five settings available within the Options Menu: Difficulty (Easy = 8 lifebars, Normal = 6 lifebars, Hard = 4 lifebars) ++ TIP: The difficulty setting also increases the number of enemies that ++ appear on each stage. It seems as though the enemies on Hard can aim ++ their fire at you faster, but I've yet to confirm this. It also seems ++ as though the bosses' window of invincibility (which happens right ++ they're shot) lasts a bit longer in Hard Mode. Controls (Default: A = Pistol, B = Jump, C = Machine Gun) Credits (3, 4, 5) Music (Music Test) Sound (Sound Test) ----------------------------- LONG-DISTANCE AND CLOSE-RANGE ----------------------------- You'll see these two terms used often throughout the walkthrough portion of this guide. "Long-distance" refers to those enemies that appear from a distance (thugs across the street, most bosses) and are taken down solely with the machine gun, while "close-range" refers to those enemies that appear to the left and right (i.e. the traditional side-scrolling perspective) and are taken down solely with the pistol. --------------------------------------------- BEFORE YOU START: THE CONCEPT OF SHOOTWALKING --------------------------------------------- "Shootwalking" is a little term I came up with (lame, I know) that I use to describe... well... shooting and walking. Sounds simple, and it is. But best thing is this tactic can be used to take out enemies that haven't even appeared onscreen yet, and it works like a charm in Dick Tracy. Basically what you do is fire a shot or two in the direction you're facing, take several steps forward, then stop. As you walk forward, the bullet moves along in front of you (albeit at a faster pace), then finally disappears offscreen. Since many enemies also like to confront you from this direction, your bullet can actually nail them before they even have a chance to react! Shootwalking becomes especially useful in later levels, where the bad guys love to gang up on you from all sides and angles. ============================ == SECTION 5: WALKTHROUGH == ============================ "EXTRA! EXTRA!" Tracy Declares War on Big Boy! A Dynamite Case Begins... ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 1, SCENE A +*+ Stage Type: Traditional TRACY GETS A LEAD *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Catchem: "Big Boy's men seen down at the train yard!" Dick Tracy: "I'm on my way!" Tracy starts off outside the local precinct, ready to take down a few lawbreakers and bust a few heads. Several close-range thugs in blue suits approach from the right, unarmed but ready for a scrap (going after a detective in broad daylight in front of a police station, what nerve!). Use the (A) button to wield your pistol and snuff 'em out, or if you're feeling particularly merciful, walk right up to them and sock 'em in the jaw using the same button. It's a bit of a risk, but you are rewarded for using your fists in battle. A thug in a purple suit soon emerges, only this one's packing heat! Better not risk the fisticuffs here, a quick flash of lead will be necessary to put this man down. Shortly thereafter, a few long-ranged hoods in green suits materialize from across the street. Wield your machine gun with the (C) button and mow 'em down with one sweeping motion. Got the hang of it? Good, because you'll be doing a lot of this. ^_^ ++ TIP: All of the long-distance gunmen on this level are wearing green, ++ and will give away their firing positions by either ducking (low) or ++ remaining upright (high). Not that it matters much here, in these ++ beginning stages you should be able to get the drop on them before ++ they even settle into their firing positions. The checkpoint for this level is the movie theatre just after the parked car in the alley (the one car that looks as though it's ready to run you down!). If Tracy is killed after he has passed this checkpoint, this is where he will respawn. ++ TIP: ALL enemies with guns fire in a straight line, either high or ++ low. This includes those that fire from long-distance. Learn to ++ recognize this and it will make evading enemy fire much easier. ++ TIP: Although you do receive a bonus score for not shooting out ++ windows, this is practically impossible until you've gotten really ++ good at the game and memorized most of the level layouts and enemy ++ locations. Best to forget it for now and take out everything in sight, ++ including phone booths and fire hydrants! ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 1, SCENE B +*+ Stage Type: Unarmed STEVE'S TRAIN YARD *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "I'm out of bullets!" This is your first unarmed level, leaving Tracy with only his fists and his wits to protect him. As a result, you'll be doing a lot of ducking and waiting for enemy fire to pass overhead. Proceed cautiously at first, stopping to take out any mobsters that cross your path. Soon you'll come across a gentleman in a green suit who is rather fond of throwing sticks of TNT at you. Walk straight at him without stopping and give him the old KO punch. Do NOT stop to punch out other thugs, otherwise you might end up eating one of those TNT sticks! Be warned that the TNT tosser will start punching you if you walk inside his throwing range and do nothing. Also note that since Tracy does not have a means of long-range attack, there are no long-distance enemies to worry about on the unarmed levels. ++ TIP: In addition to a "No Break" bonus, you are also given a "Punch" ++ bonus for using your fists instead of your guns. And seeing that you ++ have no guns on this level, looks like you'll be getting a bonus, no? ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 1, SCENE C +*+ Stage Type: Boss THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS *+* Timer: 3:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Itchy: "Big Boy sent me to meet this train, Tracy! Now you're going to meet a bullet!" This is your first boss stage, squaring off against the low-life henchman commonly known as Itchy. Why 'Itchy'? Because he scratches himself just before he starts shooting at you. Unfortunately for Itchy, his unsightly habit gives Tracy plenty of time to get the drop on him. This level is basically like any other walking level, except for the fact that Itchy has a lifebar and you'll need to hit him several times to take him out. Itchy himself -- being the first boss -- is definitely the weakest of the crew, so you shouldn't have too much trouble wiping him off the map. Just make sure to get your shot off before he stops itching, and even if you don't you still have a decent window of opportunity. The other thing you need to watch out for are the purple suits from close-range, as they can now roll onto the screen from up close and start firing away (as opposed to entering from the left or right of the screen). They usually fire high, which you can easily avoid by locking into the crouch position with the machine gun. But don't get too comfortable in this position, stay there long enough and they'll get wise and start aiming low! ++ TIP: By ducking before you use your machine gun, Tracy will lock into ++ a crouching position while firing. This makes him a much smaller ++ target, and enemy gunfire aimed high will automatically pass overhead. ++ Use this tactic to your advantage whenever possible! After Itchy's defeat... Dick Tracy: "It's from the roundhouse to the big house for you, Itchy!" Itchy: "This case is gonna blow up in your face, copper!" ++ FACTOID: Itchy is the first of several classic Dick Tracy villains to ++ appear throughout the game. Other personae missing in action in this ++ game include Littleface, The Mole, The Blank, Mumbles, and B.B. Eyes. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 1 +*+ Stage Type: Bonus BONUS ROUND *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 rounds x 3 targets per round = 30 targets total Clear the level in the manner previously described to increase your number of credits, and therefore your chances of completing the game. As this first bonus round is rather slow moving, you should have little trouble nailing a perfect and extending your number of credits by three. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 2, SCENE A +*+ Stage Type: Traditional DESTINATION - 7TH ST. WAREHOUSE *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Catchem: "The lab boys say that the train was carrying nitroglycerin!" Dick Tracy: "I'm checking out its destination." This level places Tracy inside a warehouse, doing pretty much the same thing he was before; shooting first and asking questions later. However, a new type of close-range enemy is introduced in this scene; little knife wielding punks in grey suits, and they have the ability to run at you! Take them out from a distance so that you don't have to deal with the pointy ends of those blades. ++ TIP: From the other side of the warehouse, the blue suits fire high, ++ while the purple suits fire low. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 2, SCENE B +*+ Stage Type: Car Chase THE CHASE! *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "That was The Brow! He's getting away!" This is the first of several very cool car chase levels, with Tracy gunning it out with the bad guys from the side of a moving police car! These levels provide some of the best fun in the game in my opinion. For all intents and purposes, the car chase scenes are similar to the walking scenes, only the method of travel is obviously different. Don't forget that Tracy can still jump and duck, using the side of the car to navigate. However, he cannot use his machine gun while ducking (as his view from the side the car is obstructed). The checkpoint for this level -- as well as subsequent car chase levels -- is the halfway point on the progress bar at the top of the screen. If you've made it past the halfway point, you can continue your progress from there, provided you have the lives to spare. ++ TIP: As far as I can tell, gunmen in the rear seat always fire low, ++ and gunmen in the front seat always fire high. This goes for both ++ close-range and long-distance enemies. ++ TIP: If you stop firing, you can ram the gangster vehicles in front ++ and in back of you with your police car. However, there seems to be ++ no distinct benefit to doing this. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 2, SCENE C +*+ Stage Type: Boss A BROWBEATING UNDER THE EL *+* Timer: 3:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Brow: "I represent another party that's interested in the nitro! Too bad you won't be here to find out who!" The Brow will be attacking with TNT from one of three positions: (a) Throwing a TNT stick at you from across the street. He is vulnerable here, so fire away! (b) Planting a TNT stick from a nearby hiding spot. You will hear a distinctive "clink" sound as The Brow plants the TNT in Tracy's walking path. Don't walk into it! The Brow is invulnerable from this position, so hold your fire. (c) Throwing a TNT stick to loosen a steel girder above Tracy's head. Make sure to walk or jump away from the falling girder. The Brow is vulnerable here, so plug him when you can! Be cautious at all times, sometimes The Brow will completely leave the screen and still manage to throw a stick or two your way! On a side note, you lose the No Break bonus by riddling the cars with bullet holes, but who cares? It's fun and it looks cool! After The Brow's defeat... Dick Tracy: "Okay, Brow! Talk!" The Brow: "It's Lips Manlis! He sent me after Big Boy's nitro!" ++ FACTOID: Although tame by today's standards, The Brow's original ++ demise in the 1944 comic strip is one of the more gruesome moments ++ in a series filled with gruesome moments. I won't spoil it for you ++ here, but it was actually censored in some collected editions. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 2 +*+ Stage Type: Bonus BONUS ROUND *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 rounds x 3 targets per round = 36 targets total A bit harder than the previous, but still completely doable. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 3, SCENE A +*+ Stage Type: Traditional HITTING THE STREETS *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "Lips is across town! I have to get to my car... alive!" Another walking stage, with several new close-range enemies introduced: * Brown suits who roll onscreen at close range and start firing away * Blue suits who duck and fire low * Red suits who quickly jump in from off-screen and fire a machine gun You'll have to get used to dealing with close-range low fire in a hurry. Shootwalking can take care of many of these enemies before they can even fire at you, it takes a bit longer to clear the level this way, but it's worth it if low fire is becoming a nuisance for you. The checkpoint for this level is the large alleyway. ++ TIP: From across the street, the blue suits usually fire high, while ++ the brown suits fire low. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 3, SCENE B +*+ Stage Type: Car Chase RACING DOWN FIRST STREET *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "Sam, I'm headed over to the Club Ritz!" Sam Catchem: "Lips Manlis? What's he got to do with this case?" Yes, another chase scene! Slightly tougher than the last, but not too difficult. Be sure to take out the close-range blue suits as soon as possible, as avoiding those low shots can give Tracy headaches. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 3, SCENE C +*+ Stage Type: Boss DRINKS ARE ON THE HOUSE *+* Timer: 3:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lips Manlis: "How nice of you to drop by, Tracy! Care for a molotov cocktail?" Tracy storms Lips' Club Ritz and finds Lips not unprepared. Get ready to mow down a host of thugs while Lips tosses molotovs at you from a distance. After a bit of this, there comes a scene where Lips tosses molotovs at you while emerging from behind walls and offscreen. It's fairly easy to hit him while jumping over the molotovs here, but then the scene switches over to the bar area, where Lips chucks molotovs at you while hiding behind a long cocktail bar. These molotovs are slightly more dangerous, producing a higher flame that cannot easily be avoided. This battle might be somewhat tricky, if not for one fairly dependable trick. Proceed directly to the farthest right corner of the stage and stay there for the duration of the battle, the only way Lips can hit you from there is if he himself is positioned close to the right, which isn't very often. With any luck, you should be able to plug away at him safely without taking damage yourself. Again, you have to make sure Tracy is ALL THE WAY to the right, hugging the right side of the screen. And if you do get hit, MOVE. The flame will last long enough to hit Tracy several times. After Lips' defeat... Dick Tracy: "What's your interest in nitro, Lips?" Lips Manlis: "Trying to stop Big Boy from taking out the competition... like me!" ++ FACTOID: While the city Tracy inhabits is fictional and never named ++ in the comic, movie or game, it is based on 1930's era Chicago, where ++ organized crime ran rampant. Likewise, several of the classic Tracy ++ villains are based on notorious real-life crime figures (Big Boy ++ Caprice = Al Capone, Flattop = Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd). ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 3 +*+ Stage Type: Bonus BONUS ROUND *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 rounds x 3 targets per round = 42 targets total Now things are getting tough! Do your best and try to come away with as many credits as you can here. Two new targets -- the Repair Man (good) and Shoulders (bad) make their first appearances in this round. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 4, SCENE A +*+ Stage Type: Unarmed A HOLD UP IN THE BACK ALLEY *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Catchem: "That alley's too small for guns, Tracy! Watch out!" Dick Tracy: "Shoulders may know something Sam! I'm going in!" What? 'Too small for guns'?!? Isn't it exactly like every other alley in the game? Oh well, might as well stop complaining and get ready to use those hardened knuckles... The problem here is that your enemies have no concerns when it comes to avoiding firearms, and will not hesitate to shoot. Not only that, but the running knifers have returned, their deadly blades yielding a longer range than your bare fists. As a result, you will need to proceed cautiously throughout this stage. If an enemy appears onscreen, do NOT keep walking forward, which only invites more trouble. Instead deal with the enemy at hand, then move on. The knifers can get quite annoying as they love to stay just out of your punching range and stab away at you. The easiest way to dispose of them is to walk away from them until they chase and hop over you, then keep walking in their direction and punch them. This strategy works great provided that there are no other onscreen enemies to deal with. At one point in the stage you'll come across a blue suit who is lying flat on a girder. And as he is lying flat, Tracy's punches cannot reach him (apparently Dick's police training consisted solely of punching on a horizontal plane). You can either avoid this blue suit entirely by jumping over his gunfire and dropping down to deal with the enemies underneath, or you can walk up to him and jump at him. Once Tracy makes contact with the blue suit, he'll rise briefly, this is his vulnerable point. It may seem a bit awkward at first, but this is a skill that will come in handy later in the game, so you may want to perfect it here. You're confronted by a mini-boss at the end of this scene in Shoulders, a burly goon who enjoys lobbing tires at you. Lord knows how a piece of toughened rubber can inflict more damage than a knife wound, but that's what you're up against here. In any case, duck quickly under the tire, give Shoulders one easy love tap, and he'll turn into a stool pigeon in no time flat. Just make sure to hit him quick once you've hopped onto his tire stack as he'll start punching once you're within range. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 4, SCENE B +*+ Stage Type: Traditional BACK TO THE WAREHOUSE! *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- After Shoulders' defeat... Dick Tracy: "Tell me where Big Boy's explosives factory is, Shoulders!" Shoulders: "At the 7th Street warehouse, Tracy!" Now you've got brown suits chucking close-range dynamite your way, and they love to duck behind crates to avoid your gunfire. Other than that, it's your typical walking level. The checkpoint is the alleyway with the large girder in front. ++ TIP: By now you've probably noticed that long-distance enemy color ++ usually reveals their line of fire (high or low). The color patterns ++ vary from level to level. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 4, SCENE C +*+ Stage Type: Boss AN EXPLOSIVE CONFRONTATION *+* Timer: 3:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pruneface: "I'm blowing you out of the headlines, Tracy!" An incredibly easy boss for this stage in the game, Pruneface appears from behind girders and walls, lobbing grenades at a distance, always from left to right across the screen. Simply jump over the grenades that head your way, keep the machine gun aimed at Pruneface, and an easy victory will be yours. Also keep your eyes peeled for close-range and long-distance enemies that appear in the peripheral. After Pruneface's defeat... Dick Tracy: "Where's Big Boy, Pruneface?" Pruneface: "Why don't you go in and look for yourself, Tracy?" ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 4 +*+ Stage Type: Bonus BONUS ROUND *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 rounds x 3 targets per round = 48 targets total ***need to confirm*** Just like the previous bonus round, only faster and with more targets. If you can still ace these stages, hats off to you I say. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 5, SCENE A +*+ Stage Type: Traditional SEARCHING THE WAREHOUSE *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "I'm heading back to look for clues to Big Boy's whereabouts!" Sam Catchem: "Be careful, Tracy! Big Boy has put a contract out on you!" Surprise, another warehouse level! Only this time the perspective has changed a bit, Tracy looks down on long-distance enemies as he crosses a girder along the roof. This is somewhat disorientating at first, but it shouldn't take too long to get the hang of things. Note that there are several areas where you will need to jump from one girder to the next. Do not mis-time these jumps or it will cost you a life! Some of the close-range thugs are lying flat now, you'll have to do some backtracking to trick them into areas where you can hit them. You can also the jumping trick (see Stage 4-A), it's a bit tricky but it can be done! The checkpoint for this level is the first section where you have to jump from a higher girder to the lower one. ++ TIP: There is nothing more frustrating than nearly clearing a tough ++ level, only to fall to your doom from an ill-timed jump. To help you ++ gauge jumping distance in this game, note that Tracy's sprite (his ++ onscreen character) can walk almost a full step OVER the edge of the ++ girder before jumping. Therefore it's better to get accustomed to ++ jumping late as opposed to early. Wait until you see Tracy's feet ++ over the girder, then jump! ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 5, SCENE B +*+ Stage Type: Car Chase A NEW LEAD? *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "That was one of Big Boy's men! He'll take me right to the hideout!" This is one tough car chase! You're going to need to be quick on both the pistol and machine gun triggers if you want to survive this bout. The close-range assailants fire so quickly that it is virtually impossible to hit them before they get a shot off, so you'll have to do a bit of dodging as well as firing. Try to memorize and anticipate as many enemy patterns as possible, it's the only thing that will help you here! For instance, there's a moment at around the 3/4 mark where you'll have to sweep the machine gun back and forth horizontally across the screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 5, SCENE C +*+ Stage Type: Boss TRACY FALLS INTO A TRAP! *+* Timer: 3:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Flattop: "Eat lead, copper!" This is Big Boy's hideout? Looks like the Club Ritz with a minor overhaul. At the beginning of the stage, Flattop fights very much like Lips Manlis, except that his return gunfire lasts quite a bit longer and he is invincible throughout his return fire phase. As a result, you'll be doing a lot more ducking and jumping than you did in the Lips battle. Proceed to the right as quickly as possible, since you're on a timer and Flattop isn't going to do you any favors by speeding things up. After a short trip, you'll end up in an open area where Flattop will emerge from either side of the screen and open fire. Try to be patient and let him get off a shot or two before hitting him, this way you can see if his fire is coming high or low. After Flattop is knocked down, be prepared to duck or jump depending on his line of fire. Just when you think you have Flattop dead to rights (or more specifically, at approximately 1:30 on the stage timer...) ***BAM!!!*** Out go the lights! The screen goes pitch black with the exception of Tracy. The ghoulish visage of Flattop soon appears under the glare of machine gun fire from one of several locations on the ground and in a balcony above. You only have a second or two to nail him before the lights go out again, so you're going to have to be extremely quick on the trigger! My suggestion here is to lock into a crouching position and keep your machine gun fire targeted on the middle of the screen, this way you can easily transition your bullet spray to wherever Flattop happens to appear. Yes, you may get hit by Flattop's low fire this way, but you will also automatically avoid all high fire, making it at least a 50-50 proposition. And besides, playing a dodging game with Flattop is next-to-impossible anyway. Hopefully you have a few lifebars to spare by the time you reach the "lights out" scene, it will definitely help your chances of survival! After Flattop's defeat... Dick Tracy: "Where's Big Boy, Flattop?" Flattop: "Down where you'll never find him, flatfoot!" ++ FACTOID: Despite his diminished role in the movie, Flattop is widely ++ considered to be the most notorious and dangerous villain in the Dick ++ Tracy Rogue's Gallery, The Joker to Tracy's Batman. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 5 +*+ Stage Type: Bonus BONUS ROUND *+* Timer: N/A -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 rounds x 3 targets per round = 60 targets total Best of luck to you my friend. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 6, SCENE A +*+ Stage Type: Unarmed AFTER A RAT! *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "I'm following Big Boy into the sewer!" Sam Catchem: "Be careful! No bullets, and your wrist radio won't work!" No bullets huh? Guess we know what that means. =P The good news is that the sewers provide a refreshing change of scenery. The bad news is that the scenery is accompanied by more thuggery than you can shake a stick at; firing high, firing low, machine gunning, punching, throwing dynamite... you name it. The fact is that with no firearms, you're going to have to be extremely methodical about enemy set-ups -- tricking them into disadvantageous positions on ledges, steps, etc. -- if you want to survive this level. Proceed with reckless abandon and you'll soon be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. One EXTREMELY necessary strategy in this level is to move forward in order to draw out enemies, then backtrack to get them to follow you to a more advantageous position. It's pretty much the only way to isolate certain foes and prevent a total gang-up, but don't forget you have to manage the level timer at the same time! And to top it all off, there is no checkpoint on this level. You die, you start over. Have fun! ++ TIP: Careful where you jump, one step into the sewer drains and it's ++ bye-bye Tracy! Remember to always jump late instead of early. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 6, SCENE B +*+ Stage Type: Traditional HARBORING A FUGITIVE *+* Timer: 4:00 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Tracy: "Walnuts! Big Boy must be hiding somewhere nearby!" Another change of scenery, with Tracy stocking the harbor in search of Big Boy. This is one of the best-looking levels in the game, with Tracy moving from the docks to the beach and back to the docks again. Be prepared for an all-out assault from Big Boy's crew. You have your firearms back, but it's little consolation as you'll have more enemies to deal with than any other level. Kneeling close-range gunmen assail you from both sides simultaneously, knifers gang up on you four at a time, long-distance thugs quickly appear in groups out of nowhere, and lying down shooters have to be tricked into backtracking to even hit them (you can also jump on them to make them stand, but this requires more skill). ++ TIP: You did read the section on shootwalking, didn't you? If not, be ++ sure to look it over, it just might save your life on this level! ------------------------------------------------------------------- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- STAGE 6, SCENE C +*+ Stage Type: Boss SHOWDOWN AT THE GEARHOUSE! *+* Timer: 3:15 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Boy: "No more running! You're a dead man Tracy!" It's a scene straight out of the movie, with Tracy trailing Big Boy Caprice through a darkened gearhouse. As with the other bosses, Big Boy keeps his distance from you, preferring to shoot it out from long distance. He'll quickly emerge from doorways and shadowy areas, so you'll have to have your gunfire trained to respond quickly. And of course Big Boy isn't alone, you'll have the usual assortment of close-range and long-distance henchmen to deal with as well. If you've reached this stage in the game, I'm sure you know what you need to do here. Just watch out when Big Boy starts sending gears your way, they can be tough to avoid. Take note that unlike the other boss levels, the timer for this final scene is 3:15. ++ FACTOID: Al Pacino, who portrayed Big Boy Caprice in the movie, was ++ the only actor to create his own make-up design. As a result, he is ++ the only villain in the film that looks drastically different than his ++ comic strip counterpart. After Big Boy's defeat... Dick Tracy: "I'm glad you like water, Big Boy. 'Cause I'm sending you up the river!" Big Boy: "I'll be back for you, Tracy! I swear it!" And as the case reaches its dramatic conclusion... "Tracy Nabs Big Boy!" Tracy wins another case! Yep, that's it. What did you expect, a tickertape parade? ======================== == SECTION 6: CLOSING == ======================== I should mention that there is a Level Select code (Up, Down, A, A, B, C, Start) that I can't get to work on the hardware I'm using. I actually owned the Dick Tracy Sega Genesis cartridge back in the day and I'm fairly certain this code is legit, but either it's incorrect or it doesn't work via my emulation source. If anyone can confirm this code, feel free to send me an email along with the software you're using (assuming it's not a Sega Genesis). If you enjoyed the game and want to learn more about the legendary comic strip detective that is Dick Tracy, many of his original adventures have been collected in various hardcover and paperback editions. The best place to start is the "Chester Gould's Complete Dick Tracy" series from IDW Publishing, which covers the comic strip from its inception in 1931 and spans multiple volumes (up to Volume 5 as of this writing). These books are pricey and there are cheaper alternatives, but they are by far the best-produced Dick Tracy volumes on the market today. Well, that's about it. Hope this guide helped you find your way through this under-appreciated gem of old-school video gaming. If you have any questions, comments or corrections, send 'em in and you will be credited! Dick Tracy General FAQ and Walkthrough v1.2 (c) 2008 Bill Wood