=========================================================================== ____ ___ ______________ _______________ _ ___ __ / __ )/ |/_ __/_ __/ / / ____/_ __/ | / | / / |/ / / __ / /| | / / / / / / / __/ / / / /| | / |/ /| / / /_/ / ___ |/ / / / / /___/ /___ / / / ___ |/ /| // | /_____/_/ |_/_/ /_/ /_____/_____/ /_/ /_/ |_/_/ |_//_/|_| for the Nintendo 64 Final by glass_soul (C) 2005 =========================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS 1) Introduction 2) Power-Ups and Weapons 3) Enemies and Obstacles 4) The Walk-Through 5) Multi-player 6) Level Codes 7) Secrets 8) In My Opinion... 9) Acknowledgements and Legal Stuff =========================================================================== 1)INTRODUCTION Battletanx is the story of Griffin Spade and his lost wife, Madison. It is the year 2000, and a super virus is sweeping the world. Not only is this plague lethal to anyone it infects, it is also highly selective. It only afflicts women. With the female population on the decline, the human race starts worrying about its ability to survive. All of this is very nice, but newly-weds Griffin and Madison Spade could care less about global affairs. The happy couple lives in America's New York City in a state of marital bliss usually found only on Hallmark cards. But the real world is about to shatter their wonderful lives. Governments begin to quarantine their females, not to mention squabble amongst themselves. Madison is ordered to leave her husband and join the remaining American women heading for the Quarantine Zone in San Francisco. Griffin is warned not to interfere, on penalty of death. Griffin thinks that's just fine by him, as long as he has Madison. Madison, on the other hand, can't bear the thought of being the cause of Griffin's demise. Knowing that staying in NYC is a death sentence for her beloved husband, Madison writes Griffin a farewell letter and quietly slips away during the night. Griffin wakes up alone that morning, and finds the letter left by his wife. Back on the international scene, Russia and China are at each other's throats, vying for each other's supply of women. Things rapidly get out of hand, and climax in the two countries launching their nuclear arsenals at each other. The rest of the world cheerfully joins in and the apocalypse begins... ...by amazing coincidence at the exact same time Griffin finishes Madison's letter. Somehow spared from the mutating effects of the radiation (not to mention miraculously avoiding being incinerated by the shockwave) Griffin finds himself alone in the blackened ruins of what used to be one of the largest cities on earth. He discovers an M1-A1 Abrams tank in the wreckage. And he begins his trek westward, to be reunited with the one he loves... 2)POWER-UPS AND WEAPONS All item pick-ups are worth 100 points, except Queen Lords (1000 points) and Bonus Points (1000 points). ITEMS Ammo - replenishes your tank's primary weapon Bonus Points - adds 1000 extra points to your overall score (CAMPAIGN ONLY) Cloaking - renders your tank invisible for a brief period of time Extra Tank - adds an extra tank to your reserve army (CAMPAIGN ONLY) Health - restores your tank's energy bar, if grabbed when at maximum energy they are stockpiled in your special weapons Queen Lord - women that the various gangs have sequestered away in their fortresses, think of them as the flag in a game of capture the flag Radar - allows you to see enemy tanks on your map Shields - blocks incoming fire from damaging your tank, making the shots bounce off, shields can only take so much damage before they collapse Star - dropped by enemy tanks after you've blown them to bits, they give you a small ammo boost as well as heal some of the damage you may have taken WEAPONS Most of these secondary weapons also have a "super" fire mode, which can only be activated after you've collected a certain amount of an individual weapon. To fire the super shot, you press the secondary fire button and the weapon-cycle button (A+B in the default setting) at the same time. Grenades - lobs a single explosive out of your tank that will bounce a short distance and then detonate, no super shot available Guided Missiles - hold the firing button down when using one of these and you'll go into a chase missile camera, then use the joystick to control the flight of the missile, super shot requires at least 15 Guided Missiles to use and fires out a larger, slower moving missile that fires lasers from its nose when you press the primary fire button, each laser shot takes one remaining missile from your inventory Gun Buddies - automated turrets which lock onto and fire at any enemy that comes within their field of vision, super shot requires 6 Gun Buddies and sets up a small field of turrets which fire tank-caliber cannon shots rather than the typical machine guns Lasers - fires a beam of energy for moderate damage, super shot requires at least 15 Lasers to use and shoots out a thicker beam that splits apart when it hits anything, sending lasers bouncing all over the place, injuring friend and foe alike Mines - small explosive which blows up when anyone rolls over it, super shot requires 15 mines to use and places all of the mines at once in a large field (which you, unfortunately, will be in the middle of) Nuke - damages everything on the battlefield, buildings and all, no super shot (do you really *need* one?) Swarmers - fires a pack of three rockets at your intended target, super shot requires at least 15 Swarmers and fires out all of them one after another 3) ENEMIES AND OBSTACLES Bunkers - rectangular structure with red lights on top of it, produces an endless stream of enemy tanks, can be destroyed by shooting them Explosive Stuff - blue oil drums that blow up when shot or blundered into damaging everything around them, less common but more powerful are gas station pumps which will seriously ruin your day if you're too close when they go off Fortified Bunkers - looks and acts like a regular bunker, but without the red lights on top, can't be destroyed Goliath - slow but powerful, heaviest armor and most damaging cannon in the game, horribly dangerous when rail-mounted, as their firing rate doubles (5000 points) Gun Turrets - there are three kinds of these in Campaign (light, medium and heavy) and each takes damage accordingly, some heavy turrets fire lasers, (100, 500, and 1500 points) M1-A1 Abrams - the medium tank in all aspects of speed, armor, and firepower, this is what you will be using for most of Campaign (1000 points) Moto-Tank - speedy little tanks that have extremely light armor and attack with machine guns (500 points) 4) THE WALK-THROUGH This is the Campaign mode strategy guide. This guide is written as if you are playing through the game on the default difficulty setting (Easy) and with the default gang (Griffin's Army). Extra notes for particularly troubling areas on the harder difficulty levels are added when necessary. You begin Campaign with an army of one tank (i.e. life). In order to keep your army going, you will encounter extra tank icons, bonus stages where you can win extra tanks, as well as earn an extra tank for every 50000 points you earn. Each level also has a par time to beat. If you complete an area in under the par time, you are granted a fairly large point bonus. MISSION 1 - GROUND ZERO Objective - Destroy 5 Enemy Tanks Par Time - 3:00 A very easy stage, no matter which difficulty level you're playing on. You actually don't even need to move from the starting point; the enemy tanks will all come to you, one at a time even. Blast them to pieces as they approach. There is a nuke hidden in the northeastern area of the city, but it's completely unnecessary to find or use. MISSION 2 - THE TUNNEL Objective - Cross the Tunnel Par Time - 3:00 This is the first of the many "get-from-here-to-there-without-dying" missions, a warm up for things to come. It will allow you to practice the chief skill you'll need to master in order to get past this kind of level later in the game - GOING SLOWLY. Rushing on the bridge-type missions almost always results in your tank being destroyed. Take your time, grab all the power-ups you can, and let the enemies come to you. There are 7 M1-A1s guarding the tunnel, as well as a host of machine gun turrets. Make sure that when you reach the exit you're on the left hand side; there's an extra tank. MISSION 3 - TIMES SQUARE Objective - Destroy 15 Enemy Tanks Par Time - 5:00 This area is ringed by nasty things like mines, turrets, and explosive barrels. Luckily, you don't have to move all that much. Just like in Ground Zero if you stay put, the enemy tanks will come to you, though this time in pairs rather than singularly. There are 4 tanks at the very northern end of the battlefield that typically won't come out and play until you get much closer to them (typically, but not always). If they do decide to stay put, you can explore around, collecting power-ups and bonus points. There's another extra tank in the northeastern area of the city, as well as another nuke if you're feeling really destructive (TASTE MY WRATH!!). The big boomer is in a small courtyard not far from the extra tank, though it is usually guarded by two of the tanks that sometimes won't move. MISSION 4 - STRANGLEHOLD BRIDGE Objective - Cross the Bridge Par Time - 8:00 The Tunnel was training wheels for this kind of stage. Gun turrets are going to be a major nuisance from here on in, and this will also be your first encounter with a Goliath. Fight your way slowly up the bridge, wasting tanks and turrets as you go (grenades may stink as a weapon but they're primo for removing mine fields). There are two regular bunkers on this level, one very early on the left side, and one towards the end on the right. Make getting rid of these priority number 1, so you can stop the endless flow of M1-A1s. There are two extra tanks located in two separate mine fields along the bridge as well. And now it's Goliath time. Going toe to toe with a Goliath is ill-advisable under normal circumstances, but complete suicide when one is railed (and this one is). Riding a rail makes the Goliath fire about twice as fast as normal and allows it to soak up roughly a third more damage before going down. Fortunately you have a way to hit the big boy without him even seeing you. I speak, of course, of Guided Missiles, and the several packs of which you picked up along your battle up the bridge. Get close to the Goliath's position (but not so close that he can shoot at you) and guide your missiles into his face. Once the Goliath is out of the picture, the way to the exit is clear. (HARD NOTES: You really, REALLY need to be careful on this level when playing the Hard difficulty. Pushing too fast can wind up getting you shredded on Easy; on Hard it's a virtual death sentence. Railed Goliaths on the Hard difficulty can take 5 Guided Missile hits before being destroyed, and you will only find a maximum of 10 on the bridge, so you need to make your shots count. If, by some chance you don't finish the Goliath with the missiles, then make a kamikaze-charge at him with your main cannon and your Swarmers and hope for the best.) MISSION 5 - BONUS LEVEL 1 Objective - Destroy as Many Tanks as Possible Par Time - NA Bonus levels in Battletanx involve you in control of a railed Goliath fighting off wave after wave of enemy tanks until you are overwhelmed. Points and extra tanks for your army are the prizes you compete for here. The first bonus level consists of three streets down which M1-A1s roll in increasingly larger numbers. Swarmers, health, and radar power-ups are all on the rail to help you stay alive for as long as possible. That's all there is to it. (One side note: watch for enemies that cross your rail and attack you from behind; the computer is particularly fond of that tactic.) MISSION 6 - THE HEARTLAND Objective - Rescue 1 Queen Lord Par Time - 12:00 The Heartland can be tricky if you're not careful; there are lots of mines about and plenty of turrets as well. Most of these gun emplacements are of the lighter, machine gun-carrying variety, but there are so many of they can chew you to pieces in a matter of moments. Like with Stranglehold Bridge, go slowly. There are two bunkers on this level, and they should be your primary targets. The first one is a bit up the street from your starting point on the right side. The second is across from the first, hidden in a small, fenced off area that is infested with turrets. Dart in quickly and get rid of the bunker, then back out and heal your tank. Head south from here to claim another extra tank, then make your way carefully back into the area that had the second bunker, smashing the turrets one by one until they're all gone. Use your grenades on the mine field there and swipe those Guided Missiles, then head back to the main road. Wipe out turrets and tanks until there's nothing left to oppose you in the main area of the map. That just leaves the Goliath and the fortress he's guarding. The narrow pathway to the big tank is partially blocked by some cars and a couple of toll booths. From afar (so the Goliath won't be able to shoot at you) use either your cannon or your other special weapons or both to clear the obstacles out of the way. Once the opening is cleared, fly your missiles in to demolish the Goliath. Then roll in and destroy the fortress and claim the Queen Lord as your own (mindful, of course, of the two medium turrets that are on either side of the fort). MISSION 7 - LAKE SHORE DRIVE Objective - Rescue 1 Queen Lord Par Time - 12:00 This mission is the first where you'll actually have some support from the rest of your army. Not that this means much, as your soldiers aren't any more intelligent than the computer's (it is nice that the enemies have something else to shoot at, however). Also, you get your own fortress and your own shiny, new Goliath to play with if you so desire. Tempting as that prospect may be, using the Goliath doesn't accomplish much. It can't be de-railed, which means you will be stuck guarding your fort while the boys go off to play. Furthermore, you can count on your CPU-controlled Goliath to adequately defend your fortress on its own. You CANNOT count on your M1-A1 buddies to do much other than die. So you're going to have to complete this level's objectives yourself. Also, now that you have a fortress and a queen of your own, it's important to understand that the woman-snatching works both ways. That is, enemy tanks are going to be trying to bust down YOUR fortress and steal YOUR Queen Lord. If that happens and they manage to make it back to one of their fortresses, it's game over. As the carnage starts, grab the radar and Guided Missiles next to your fort, and head down the right side of the battlefield until you come to the beach. Smash up the turrets, tanks and the bunker here and grab all of the goodies. Now, the beach area is separated by a wall and some dragon's teeth, so you won't be able to actually get to the enemy fortress, which is on the other side of the wall, this way. But you will be able to fire your missiles through the gaps created by the dragon's teeth. Dispose of the Goliath in this fashion, as well as the other bunker, then backtrack to your fortress. This time, head down the left side of the battlefield. There will be a large open lot with some turrets and mines in it. Mop them up and grab all of the power-ups. In the northeastern corner of this lot, there is a brown building that looks to be just another part of the wall graphics. Blast it open for an extra tank, then proceed to the beach's western side. The minute you grab the Queen Lord from the fortress here, all those inactive fortified bunkers you've been seeing will begin pouring out Moto-Tanks. High-tail it back to your fortress and you've won this round. (Normal/Hard Notes: I suppose this is as good a time as any to say that at about this point, if you're playing the two harder difficulty levels, things are going to start getting very, very rough. Part of the key to your survival is going to be knowing when to pick-up certain items. You will want to nab shields one at a time, and radars only one per life. Be especially careful when grabbing Guided Missiles; if you let yourself die before bringing these into play, you'll lose them permanently, and find yourself smiling down a Goliath's gun barrel with no recourse.) MISSION 8 - STATE ST. Objective - Rescue 2 Queen Lords Par Time - 20:00 Just like the last mission, but with two queens to save this time. Also, like the last mission, the second you touch a queen, all the bunkers will spring to life and start kicking out tanks. Grab the Swarmers and the radar by your fort, then head down the right side of the map. You'll pass a couple of fortified bunkers on your left, then a regular one. Blast it to chunks, then turn to the buildings directly across from it and destroy those too. This will reveal some Guided Missiles for your viewing enjoyment. Swipe them and continue down the street. Coming up on your left is a sizable courtyard filled with medium turrets. Destroy those, and in the corner of the area are some more missiles for your collection. Now turn left. From here, you should be able to see one of the Goliath areas. Use your missiles to destroy it, then head back to your own fort. You can demolish the fortress that the Goliath was guarding if you feel like it, but I certainly don't recommend taking the queen just yet. Go down the street leading to the left from your base now. This level's other regular bunker is just a bit down this street; renovate it with your guns. Get into a good position for blasting the other Goliath, and give him the same treatment you dealt out to the first one. Now is the time for speed. You need to basically make a circuit as you scoop up the Queen Lords. Head straight for the bunker in front of you, grab the queen there, and skedaddle over to the next fortress as all hell breaks loose. Nab that queen, and run back to your base, zigzagging to avoid enemy fire. MISSION 9 - BONUS LEVEL 2 Objective - Destroy as Many Tanks as Possible Par Time - NA Same scenario as the first bonus level. Your enemies will still show up on your radar screen, but without an actual radar power-up, you won't be able to see the little HUD indicators (those red triangles) that show where the bad guys are coming. You're still dealing exclusively with M1-A1s this round, and they've still got three avenues to roll down to attack you. Though this time, there are alleys between the streets, allowing the enemies to cross from one street to the next. A single health and three packs of Swarmers will aid in your survival. MISSION 10 - ARMAGEDDON HIGHWAY Objective - Cross the Highway Par Time - 12:00 As the firefight begins, grab the Guided Missiles from behind the gas station then return to the starting point. Position yourself so that you can see between the two dividers blocking the rest of that side of the highway from view. Fire your missiles, maneuvering them around obstacles, and take out the three bunkers on that side of the battlefield (the one at the very northern end of this stretch of road makes Goliaths, so you might want to get rid of that one as quickly as possible). Kick off your remaining missiles at the railed Goliaths; this place is too dangerous to risk being killed and losing the ability to put those into play (also, don't pick up any more for now). Now sweep left, blasting turrets as you go, to the side of the highway where the bunkers once stood. Fight your way up this stretch of road, eliminating any and all threats to your tank. Once this area is cleared, double back and pick up the missiles you left behind. From the side of the cleared highway then, fire your missiles at the railed Goliaths taking them out, and use any leftovers to destroy any remaining turrets. You're home free (there's an extra tank to nab by the exit, so keep your eyes peeled). MISSION 11 - AREA 51 Objective - Rescue 3 Queen Lords Par Time - 20:00 As you may have guessed by the huge par time, there's a lot of resistance on this stage. Plus this is the area where enemy tanks will randomly start to be shielded, so you'll have to move quickly. Again, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all the bunkers. Head due left from your starting point, go through a couple of hangers and there's your first bunker. After destroying it, continue east until you about reach the boarder of the map. Then charge south. Roughly midway down the battlefield, you'll come upon a courtyard filled with trucks, turrets and your second bunker. After wasting it, check the hanger to the north of your current location. It contains bunker number 3. Dispose of it, and then continue south. When you hit the road at the bottom of the map, head west. The next bunker is snuggled near the hanger with the UFO in it, and the final two are at the far end of this road. One will be immediately visible to your right, the other is hidden behind some buildings on your left. I fear I've made all this sound too easy. It's not; you are going to be under fire from just about every direction during this entire run. Be sure to demolish as many turrets as possible along your way and don't be afraid to use your special weapons. There is a simpler way to deal with this level rather than all this frantic running hither and yon: find the nuke. It's in the courtyard with the second bunker. Take it to the middle of the map and use it there for maximum effectiveness. Once the bunkers are gone, Area 51 is merely a matter of mopping up the Goliaths with missiles, as has become standard. There are two extra tanks on this level, both of them in the area of the second and third bunkers. One is in a guard tower, the other tucked into a corner by the hanger. Also, as a final note of interest, blowing up the two flying saucers will create a pair of weird colored vortexes. Driving into these will warp you from one to the other. (Normal/Hard Notes: Don't screw around with trying to take out the bunkers one by one; go straight for the nuke. Otherwise, your buddies will be overwhelmed and you'll have to spend half of your time scurrying back to your base to protect your Goliath from damage. The nuke will wipe out all of the hangers, but it will only damage the Goliaths.) MISSION 12 - FREMONT ST. Objective - Rescue 3 Queen Lords Par Time - 18:00 Fremont is just like the previous level, except much, much harder. You'll need to take down the bunkers first like in the last level, but things are complicated here by a pair of fortified bunkers near the southern fortress. These will be active the moment you set foot in Fremont Street, and they spit out a continual stream of M1-A1s, many of whom are shielded. You need to get right to the point in this level: go for the nuke. Head out of your hanger and go right. Pass by the first blue fence on your left, but smash through the second one; this alley way will take you directly to a courtyard guarded by several laser turrets. The nuke is in this area. Grab it, haul it back to the center of the battlefield, and set it off. Now double back to your fortress, grab the Gun Buddies, and set them up for a little extra protection for your Goliath. That done, it's time to get to work. There are Guided Missiles in the parking lot near the southern-most fortress, as well as two more in the hanger that houses that fortress itself. Rid yourself of the Goliaths, liberated the queens, and run back to your own base. There is also an extra tank next to the fort on the west end of the battlefield. MISSION 13 - BONUS LEVEL 3 Objective - Destroy as Many Tanks as Possible Par Time - NA Health and three packs of lasers will help you out here. This bonus round is complicated by placing a bunch of buildings directly in your way. Plus there are hangers on either side of your rail that the sneaky little jerks like to pop through for some cheap shots. MISSION 14 - THE CRIMSON GATE Objective - Cross the Bridge Par Time - 25:00 This is the last of the bridge levels, and it is easily the most difficult of the lot. The end of the bridge is guarded by 3 railed Goliaths and a veritable gauntlet of heavy gun turrets. Let me say it again, GO SLOW. I would avoid picking up the Guided Missiles immediately; clear a path so you won't be killed while carrying these all-important weapons. There's a fortified bunker close to the beginning of this level that produces an endless supply of Moto-Tanks. Use this as a healing station if you get too beat up as you progress up the bridge. Moto-Tanks aren't that big of a threat and none of them will be shielded, so you can easily just sit there and blast the little guys, swiping the stars they drop, until you're back to full power (it's also a good idea to ring this bunker with your gun buddies; this will prevent a Moto-Tank from sneaking up behind you while you're busy taking down the Goliaths). Once the bridge is cleared of all tanks and obstacles, head back, grab all of the missiles you passed by, and then set about removing the Goliaths from the universe. Now the fun part. The exit gate is guarded by seven heavy turrets. Do the math; 7 turrets times 6 hits apiece equals 42 direct hits to clear these guys out. Instead of brute force, opt for stealth. Cloak and sneak by, avoiding the numerous mine fields in the process. Make a side trip for that extra tank if you're feeling adventurous. MISSION 15 - THE WHARF Objective - Rescue 3 Queen Lords Par Time - 15:00 Start by grabbing the Gun Buddies and setting them up on either side of the hanger. This will allow them to concentrate fire on any enemy that approaches as well as remove them from your Goliath's line of fire so they won't get accidentally destroyed. If you're still feeling insecure about leaving your fortress, snag the mines and lay out a mine field for some extra security. As with Fremont Street, the first thing to do here is head for the nuke. Go down the avenue to the right of your starting point, blast some kiosks to bits and run along the fenced wharf. Along the left side of this area there will be two fenced places that you can either drive through or blow apart. The first one holds the nuke, which happens to be nestled in a mine field. You can either try to maneuver around the mines or you can simply sacrifice your current tank by rolling over them and sending the whole field up in an explosion. Whatever you decide, set off the nuke as soon as you grab it. Now it's just a matter of cleaning up the Goliaths and collecting the queens. There's an extra tank sort of in the area that you found the nuke; check the right side of the map. (Normal/Hard Notes: The Wharf is notable for its lack of power-ups and while it does have one pack of Guided Missiles, at best you're only going to be able to take out one of the Goliaths with those. You may need to make a few suicidal charges at the big tanks in order to wear them down, but by now you should have enough tanks in reserve to afford a few sacrifices.) MISSION 16 - BONUS LEVEL 4 Objective - Destroy as Many Tanks as Possible Par Time - NA The final bonus level is, obviously, the toughest one to survive in. You've got a laser and three sets of Gun Buddies to help you out, as well as some health. But the bad guys come from both sides in this one, which can lead to some serious confusion as well as a speedy death. MISSION 17 - Q-ZONE Objective - Find Madison Par Time - 30:00 Don't be too alarmed by the ridiculously high par time for this level, it's actually much easier than some of the ones you've already passed. Start by grabbing the three Gun Buddies and setting them up via super shot at the end of the road. This will form a rather nasty wall of cannon fire for any enemies that try to come at your fortress (and they all do). Travel down the street, wasting turrets and tanks as you go. About halfway down the road, there's a section of wall that can be destroyed. This is an alternate route to the final fortress, and taking it has several advantages. First, there is a fortified bunker deeper in enemy territory that produces Goliaths non-stop. Those Goliaths won't take the back way, just the main road, so you'll avoid some nasty fights. Two, there are a pair of extra tanks hidden in this side street that will help to buffer your losses if you suffer any. And, of course, there's the nuke. Use the nuke to wipe out and damage as many turrets as you can, then keep going. From this point, it's just a rehash of what you've been doing for the last five levels. Take out the Goliath and as many turrets as you can with Guided Missiles, bust open the fortress and grab Madison, then scurry back to your base. Just to let you know, there are two more extra tanks along the main road, if you feel like making a side trip to get them or something. 5)MULTI-PLAYER Multi-player games in Battletanx can be between 2 to 4 teams, human or CPU controlled. MODES OF PLAY Annihilation - all five of each teams' tanks are active from the start and it's a brawl with no re-spawning of tanks on any side, the winner is the last one with part of their team alive Battlelord - it's basically capture the flag with Queen Lords for flags Deathmatch - an every-man-for-himself free-for-all with one tank from each team randomly chosen to do battle, the game ends with the first person to make 7 kills Family Mode - a variation of Deathmatch, under this setting, there are no gangs to choose from and secondary weapons fire in place of your main cannon until they are used up, players start with Swarmers and the first to 7 kills wins GANG ANALYSIS After Shocks Tanks - 1 M1-A1, 1 Goliath, 3 Moto-Tanks Starting Weapon - Grenades, Mines The Shocks have a bit of an edge, being one of only two teams that start with two secondary weapons. But that's about all you can say in the positive department for these guys. Their two weapons are grenades, which are about worthless in heavy combat, and mines, which though powerful are not direct fire weapons. To add injury to insult, the Shocks also have mostly Moto-Tanks, meaning their staying power in a prolonged fight isn't that good. Charlie Company Tanks - 2 M1-A1s, 2 Goliaths, 1 Moto-Tank Starting Weapon - Lasers Charlie Company has a well-balanced group of tanks at its disposal. The lone Moto-Tank adds a slight edge of speed to the gang without disrupting its overall heavy-hitting and punishment-taking composition. And lasers are a good, solid weapon to start with. Dark Angels Tanks - 2 M1-A1s, 1 Goliath, 2 Moto-Tanks Starting Weapon - Cloaking These religious zealots are sort of a distorted mirror image of Charlie Company, with more emphasis on speed than raw power. The Angels are an ideal team to take advantage of the Moto-Tank's unsurpassed speed and maneuverability, since they start with Cloaking. A fairly good team, all and all. Griffin's Army Tanks - 4 M1-A1s, 1 Goliath Starting weapon - Random Griffin's got a good, solid team (and no wonder since he's the hero of the game). There's nothing really bad that you can say about the M1-A1, and throwing in a Goliath just adds to your power. The largest drawback here is that the random selection of a starting secondary weapon can sometimes screw you with grenades or something else that you may not want. All and all, however, this is an excellent choice for beginners. Mech Maniax Tanks - 2 M1-A1s, 1 Goliath, 2 Moto-Tanks Starting Weapon - Gun Buddies Gun Buddies are a great secondary weapon, but apart from that, this team is identical to the Dark Angels. Nuclear Knights Tanks - 5 Goliaths Starting Weapon - Nuke The Knights are as close as you can get to cheating without actually putting in a cheat code. They only use the heaviest tanks and they get the most powerful secondary weapon to boot. In Deathmatches and Battlelord once you use your nuke, that's it; you don't get another one for the duration of the game. But the Nuclear Knights are hands down the most powerful team in the game. Psycho Brigade Tanks - 2 M1-A1s, 1 Goliath, 2 Moto-Tanks Starting Weapon - Shields Another Angels clone, the Brigade gets to start with shields. In Deathmatches and Battlelord you get a new set of shields every time one of your tanks gets whacked, although the shields do get progressively weaker. Skull Riderz Tanks - 1 Goliath, 4 Moto-Tanks Starting Weapon - Guided Missiles Though they get a fairly good weapon, the Riderz are obviously over-dependant on speed. This can definitely be a hindrance in a firefight. The missiles, while very effective during Campaign, lose a little of their edge in PVP, tending to move a tad too fast for accurate guidance. Storm Ravens (SECRET GANG) Tanks - 2 M1-A1s, 1 Goliath, 2 Moto Tanks Starting Weapon - Lasers, Cloaking The Ravens don't have a unique team make-up (if fact, theirs seems to be the most popular scheme), but what makes them stick out is the fact that, like the After Shocks, they have two weapons to start with. Unlike the Shocks, the Ravens' armaments are both very good items. The laser of course does major damage to anything, as you know if you've played through Campaign. Couple that with the maneuverability granted by Cloaking, and you have a team with some serious advantages in their corner. Urban Decay Tanks - 4 M1-A1s, 1 Goliath Starting Weapon - Swarmers The Decay is just as solid a choice for beginners as Griffin's Army, but without the guessing game where your secondary weapon is concerned. The Decay gets the Swarmers, not the strongest weapon in the book, but by no means a bad thing to start with. 6)LEVEL CODES EASY NORMAL HARD Mission 2 FRHBMCTNTK MLVGBGRTHP BJBCWRRGSH Mission 3 LHTSPMFRGS WPJKFFMJNF LMRHJPMRTS Mission 4 NGLFGFTTFP CTWRFBGGHH NWCNGMGTSP Mission 5 VKMFKRFJWF HPFLJCHCCY SMSJHCHWTB Mission 6 MRGLNPCTPK MNCWNFNGKH FNTJKFJLLM Mission 7 JBHNSMHWTB WSVNFPFRGS JSFGRFPWWB Mission 8 GLVPGFRNLK RNKBSBCLGM GRMTVMCNCK Mission 9 KMLGNRHRNS VVRPRNKJGF KSJWKCKRLS Mission 10 FLVVVFWNRK FTMLJFRLCM PWKBKFRNLK Mission 11 WSMWRNVRWS LFBJNRHJJF WBWPHRHRNS Mission 12 GCHSJBCLGM NTVWSPGGHH GJLTSNLLTM Mission 13 HSWKNCFWLB VBJJKGBRJS HMTGMMHWBT Mission 14 BGKRVMNTVP BCHGVMJGFH PCMLHGTLWM Mission 15 WPBVSCVWGB JKNRFCKCWV THLGJPKWRB Mission 16 VBCGJPLCPV KKTVVNJWMB SVKKGNWCFV Mission 17 CCBJMCKNBK CGFNBNPLKM NNRNJBSGWH 7)SECRETS All Weapons - At the input code screen, enter the code PLVRZM. You will now have a generous helping of every special weapon in the game (except for shields and cloaking). Sorry, you still only get 1 nuke! Campaign Gangs - Enter LSTLSTGNGS at the input code screen to activate this feature. This code allows you to use any of the multi-player gangs in Campaign mode. This is cool not only because your gang begins with the weapons it would normally get when playing a multi-player game, but on the levels where you have help from the rest of your army, you actually get to use your gang's entire team (i.e. the Knights will have nothing but Goliaths on the field, the Ravens will have a blend of all three tanks, etc). Cinema Play - Enter the code CDPLT to view all of the cut scenes and story elements in the game in their proper order. Once the story reaches its end, it loops back to the beginning in an endless cycle. Frogs - Enter the code FRGZ at the input code screen. Large frogs will now be hopping around the battlefield (oh goody). Hurl Mode - Activate by entering HVRL at the input code screen. Accurately named, this code causes the screen to spin counter-clockwise in a very disorienting way (try beating Campaign with this code activated if you have the guts... or the Dramamine). Invisibility - Enter the code CSTSLCLR at the input code screen to activate this cheat. Basically think of it as permanent cloaking. Invulnerable - At the input code screen, enter the code MSTSRVV. This Will render your tank immune to all weapons fire on any mode of play. A slight word of caution about this one: if you're playing Campaign with this code activated, you won't be able to get past the bonus levels. You can't die, you see. Storm Ravens - Enter the code WMNRSMRTR at the code entry screen to open the Storm Ravens gang for use in multi-player. Suicide - During game play, press all four of the C buttons, and your tank will explode. Why you'd want to do this is beyond me, but there you go. Toads - The code TDZ at the input code screen activates this one. It replaces all of the Queen Lords with large, spinning toads. Trippy Mode - Enter the code CNCTHRTM at the input code screen to activate this mode. This causes the fog on the levels to shift colors slowly. Unlimited Ammo - Enter LTSFBLLTS at the input code screen. This is the stupidest cheat in the game; all it does is give you an unlimited amount of your primary weapon, and there's an option to do that built right into the game already. Unlimited Lives - Enter LVFRVR at the input code screen for this option. With this code in place, you can die as many times as you'd like. Well, I guess under normal circumstances you can die as many times as you'd like too, but with this cheat activated, it won't deplete your back-up army. 8) IN MY OPINION... I first ran into Battletanx in 1998. At the time, my friend Diego and I were enamored with an arcade game called Tokyo Wars wherein two players could battle it out with a battalion of tanks on a couple of different stages. Strolling through Toys R' Us one night, I spied Battletanx, and thought to myself, "Here's a way to get the thrill of Tokyo Wars right in my own home without spending 75 cents a pop on the damn game at the arcade." So I picked it up. And Tokyo Wars it wasn't, which was both a good and a bad thing. Your storyline is your basic hero saves the damsel-in-distress, though I believe this is the first time it's been done with modern armor. Romeo and Juliet with tanks, I believe I've called it. Anyway, as a catalyst for a video game, it's probably the most-used plot device in the universe so no complaints there. I mean, it worked for Mario and it's worked for just about everyone else in the video game world too. As you progress through the levels, the cinematics actually hint at developments in the game's sequel, which is always a plus. And finally, the game has a concise ending, not leaving off with a cliff-hanger. I absolutely H*A*T*E it when games (movies/books/cartoons) end with a hint that there will be another chapter added to the saga, simply because it too frequently never happens (like Primal Rage, the Super Mario Bros. Movie, or, since we're talking about Battletanx, the sequel, Battletanx: Global Assault). Battletanx tells a full story; there's a beginning, middle and end, and the franchise could have ceased with just the first installment. I'll always give extra points for closure. However, once you've been through the initial Campaign Mode, there's really no reason to go back through it again. Battletanx isn't a tough pill to swallow; even when played on Hard it shouldn't take you more than a day to muscle through the whole thing. The cheat codes do add a little extra flavor to the game, but not much. The "Campaign Gangs" code seems like the biggest wasted opportunity to me. I think 3DO could have added quite a bit of replay value by incorporating gang-specific storylines or even gang-specific levels. Finally, the multiplayer aspects of the game lose their appeal pretty quickly. Though there are quite a few arenas to wage war upon, the small variety of tanks you get to pilot quickly cripple the P-V-P modes, making them boring and repetitive. The aesthetics of the game are a mixed bag. Graphically, I'd call Battletanx about average for the time. I believe that it came out before the N64's infamous upgrade cartridge, so it's visually more low-tech than later titles. Still, it's nice to look at; the arenas are pretty large and detailed, explosions are big and beautiful, and as was common for the 64, smoke effects are superb. Sound effects are somewhat limited, since all there really is are the noise of weapons fire, explosions, and tanks driving around. The female voice that says "Power-up" every time you pick up a damn power-up tends to get on your nerves at first, but you'll get so used to it you'll simply tune it out eventually. I'd have to say he best aspect of this game's audio/visual package is the music. Battletanx has a really, really good soundtrack for such a relatively unknown game. Area 51, Fremont St., The Heartland, and Q-Zone are just a few of the levels that might sick their tune in your brain. All and all, Battletanx isn't that bad of a game. It's no too long, and it has its flaws, but it's a fun, little romp through a post apocalyptic future and you get to drive tanks through the sides of buildings and shoot people. Who wouldn't like to do that for an hour or two? 6 out of 10. =========================================================================== 9) Acknowledgements and Legal Stuff For starters, let's thank 3DO for creating this game in the first place. The game play info of the walk through and the level codes was all acquired by me, through copious note taking and more than one wasted hour in front of my TV. Codes found in the secrets area were gleaned off of the Cheat Codes and Secrets page for this game on GameFAQS.com, and therefore I must commend KasketDarkfrye, matt91486, flowerpot, ElementalKnight, and ATadeo for their work in making these cheats available. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. This document is Copyright 2005 glass_soul (that's me). Only GameFaqs, Neoseeker, and 1-up have permission to post this walk-through on their site (if they feel like it). Nobody else, person, entity, or otherwise, may post this document in part or whole on their website without my express permission to do so. Comments, questions, corrections and other forms of feedback in general are all welcome. I may be reached at elfuego767@yahoo.com. Next time peeps! ===========================================================================