=============================================================================== Digimon Battle Chronicle/Digimon Rumble Arena 2 2004 Bandai, Black Ship/Amaze Gomamon Character FAQ v.1.00 Copyright 2004 Bronze Patamon =============================================================================== \\---------------------------- \Contents -I. Introduction -II. System -III. Items -IV. Stages -V. Gomamon's Stats and Evolutions -VI. Goma's Movelist and Descriptions -VII. Diving Deeper -VIII. Conclusion Legal ----------- This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. History ----------- v.0.95-What you see now! I'll probably get better translations on things in later versions. Maybe some more info as well... v.1.00-New and improved with more correct info! \\---------------------------- Part I - Introduction This is my first FAQ, so don't mind the shoddy appearance of things! I could give a brief review of the game here like some FAQs do, but I feel that's best left to the individual GameFAQs Review section. I decided to make a character specific FAQ for Gomamon after playing DBC for some time. I felt that he would and will most likely be shunned aside in favour of the likes of Agumon, Guilmon, Patamon, etc. due to how he plays in comparison. I feel quite strongly that Gomamon is quite deadly in the right hands, he just needs the right "grasp". Emulate me or not, this FAQ is focused primarily on how I believe Gomamon is great and how to achieve such. This FAQs secondary purpose is for explaining the game's system, items and stages. Well I guess that's all an intro needs... \\---------------------------- Part II - System Digimon Battle Chronicle's battle system is a little different then you may expect. It's nothing innovative but it's not immediately comfortable either. One reason this FAQ lacks a combo sheet for any one of the characters is that the game lends itself to a very combo friendly atmosphere. While this makes combos easy to perform, it also means that combined with the varied stages, not all combos are consistent. Therefore it's best left to the individual to create their own combos in the moment. While some combos may seem to be a consistent thing at first, other stages will rend them either useless or limited in use. In its basic play-format, the goal is to be the last opponent alive. The basic system of a vitality bar is used. On default settings, all opponents have three lives to eat through before being defeated. Unlike some games, if you fall down a pit, you will instantly be KOed one life down, and not simply become injured and respawn. Juggling and OTGs are common combo formats in DBC. Almost every true combo is made up of either one or both of those elements. This also means that aside from near-infinite juggles, combos are generally capped at around 9-12 hits, with maybe a few more tacked on if an enviromental hazard is present. So combo fiends need not apply for study! Also, like all fighting games, the longer a combo is, the weaker each individual hit is. However, this can in part be bypassed by purposely breaking a combo and then attacking the opponent when they hit the ground (since when an opponent hits the ground after being air-bourne, the combo is counted as completed). Walls are something else that should be counted in. If an opponent is sent flying by an attack, smacking into a wall will cause additional damage to them. Walls can also be used to pin an oppenent against for the purpose of juggles. Something rarely done in a fighting game is DBC's evolution system. When you or someone else attacks an opponent, they release Evo-Spheres. Collected, these spheres add evo energy to your storage guage. This energy can be used to manually recharge health. Or, when the meter is full, a press of the Evo button will cause you to evolve to a stronger stage. Your attacks and stats change along with your shape, so be cautious. If you need speed at the moment, evolving to a beefy tank build may not be your best option. Plus, if you evolve too often you may be sacrificing your ability to heal. If you are defeated when evolved, and you are not out of lives, you will spawn back into play one stage lower than you were, but you will keep intact all evo energy you had in your guage. All Digimon except the bosses have three evolutionary stages in game. Below are shared or universal abilities of all characters: -Normal Attack A simple hit that upon connection makes an instant combo if tapped. You can also target your attack upwards or downwards by pressing in the desired direction. Attack upwards will juggle or knock air-bourne foes down. Attack downwards will usually sweep an opponent of their feet or hit a grounded opponent. Note that any special move will link after a Normal Attack combo, but that doesn't mean EVERY last interrupt will create an inescapable combo. If you press down+normal while in air, you will cause yourself to slam downwards and flatten foes. They will also be dizzed by this if you land directy on top of them. Certain characters will either perform a diagonal air-dive by pressing normal attack while air-bourne or an air-dash attack. -Special Attack Varies from character to character, but in many instances the same result. By itself it usually performs a projectile. Combined by pressing up will usually result in an anti-air/uppercut attack. Lastly, combined by pressing down will usually perform the Digimon's most unique ability. Some special attacks can be charged or delayed by holding this button down. -Jump Makes you jump quite obviously, but every single character can perform a double jump by pressing this twice, even tin cans and pinatas. One character can even triple jump and another can high jump. -Gaurd You can gaurd while on the ground when either standing or crouching. This is interchangeable while holding the gaurd button down. You CANNOT air gaurd. -Evo If your evolution meter is full and you are a first or second stage Digimon, you will evolve to your next stage. While evolving, you are invincible, including about three seconds after you finish evolving. Additionally, while evolving, your blue aura acts as a shield that will nullify projectiles and beams. If your Digimon is at its final stage, this button will activate its Ultra attack, which generally is the most powerful attack available to them. Also, during an Ultra attack, you are invulnerable. -Healing If you have any evo energy in your meter, you can heal yourself gradually by holding down gaurd+normal attack. This will quickly drain your guage, but the small amount of vitality you gain could very well be worth it. -Charge Blast If you press gaurd+special attack when your Digimon is in its final stage, it will perform a powerful attack. If you hold the two buttons down, you will charge the attack, making it more powerful or/and adding more shots or/and longer range. This attack always has a bit of start-up delay, so don't abuse it too often. -Walk/Creep You can augment your movement speed by slightly leaning your joystick left or right. This, of course, is only possible through an analog control method (i.e. the GameCube's joystick) and not the cross pad. -Grab Pressing the grab button will cause your Digimon to reach forward. If an opponent should be within reach, you will pick them up and be able to carry them. It is at this point that you can then throw them. It is espcially a good idea to toss them off into a pit or into a wall. -Rapid Recover Rapidly mash directions to speed up your recovery rate getting up from the ground, air-recovery, dizziness or to escape a throw. You can also use this to escape from combos, if you're quick enough. \\---------------------------- Part III - Items Appearing on every stage but the final are special items. When touched they each activate a different affect. My name for them is first with their appearance description in paranthesis. Health (Small Red Cross) --- This will restore your vitality by a small amount, and I do mean SMALL. While the gain may not be very significant, it saves you a few Evo-Spheres worth of healing. This item can also be knocked out of foes on occasion. Large Health (Large Red Cross with Word Band) --- Restores vitality completely. Obviously a great pick-up when in desperate need of health. EVO (Small Blue Orb with the word Evolution on it) --- Completely fills evolution meter. Great for instant EVOing or for manual healing purposes, or even for double Ultra attacks... 1-UP (Purple Glowing Object) --- These appear only in match types where KOs have a determining factor. As is expected, this item's effect gives you one additional life. Bomb Curse (Spherical Metal Bomb) --- Whoever grabs the item will constantly have a bomb appear above them and drop down. If you don't move around wisely enough, you'll eventually be killed by all the bomb damage. The bombs can damage others though. Its affect ends only when you obtain another item or get KOed. Fire Up! (A Flaming Chili-Pepper) --- You will be covered in flame. While active any Digimon near you will suffer constant damage. It causes no injury to the user. Invincibilty (A Golden Shield) --- Covered in a purple aura, you cannot be injured or knock away. Digital Nuke (Orange-Outlined Hazard Symbol) --- A large explosion occurs, blinding everyone and possibly damaging them. Iron Fist (A Metal Fist) --- All of your normal attacks and your air-smash move gain additional punch, sending opponents further back when hit. Random Digivice (Dark-Yellow Digivice with a Green Question mark on its screen) --- Activates a random affect. It could be any of the below... -Summon Phantomon Phantomon is summoned to a random spot in the arena. He moves and teleports around seeking Digimon. Should he come in contact with one, he will swing his schyte and instantly KO whoever it hits. -Sleepy time All Digimon except the one who obtained the item fall asleep. Sleep victims wake up automatically if damaged or after some time passes. -Digivolve Everyone All Digimon evolve one level up. -De-Digivolve Everyone All Digimon devolve one level down. No action is taken on first stage Digimon. -Digivolution Convolution All Digimon that aren't at their final stage evolve to it. All Digimon at final stage are devolved back to their first stage. -Sympathy Pains When activated, the user will sacrifice a HUGE portion of their life and give it to a random foe. -Pinata Turns the unlucky item holder into a Pinata! While in this status, all you can do is move and jump. In addition to this handicap, your speed and jump height will also be decreased. The only cure is to let enough time pass. -Lightining Strikes Lightining will strike down from the heavens at random spots around the stage. Don't get caught by one, or you'll be facing huge damage. -Body Snatchers All opponents will randomly switch "souls". That is, take for example that you are playing Palmon against Neemon. If this effect is activated, you will gain control of Neemon whilst your foe will switch to playing as you. While in effect, the damage and combos done will still affect your own life. In other words, in the example above you would control Neemon, but damage would still be done to your Palmon life meter and not to your enemy's (Neemon in this case). So don't purposely harm yourself thinking it will damage the foe. This particular effect seems to be extremely rare. \\---------------------------- Part IV - Stages 10 stages exist. Below is their title and description. Note that I could not translate all titles, so my custom stage titles are in brackets, like so "[]". Also, I only describe stage hazards as describing EVERYTHING in the stage would quickly grow tedious... Jungle Ruins --- The tamest stage. On the left are two trees with three branches. Should one of those branches be destroyed, it will down the tree, causing it to sink down and dropping all tree-dwellers to the floor. Also on the left is the stone ground. While it may appear hard, if someone should air-drop onto it, it will cause a wave-like effect on its surface, disrupting the movements of anyone on it and bouncing the air-dropper into the sky. On the right is the wooden bridge. After enough damage is inflicted upon it, it will break, allowing players to fight in the stream below it. Note that a full-evo bar item will always appear under this bridge at the beginning of the fight, so try to be the first one to break through! [Great Waterfall] --- Fighting in front of a titanic tropical waterfall. This stage is a mostly vertical one. On the left and right ends of the stage are two large leafs. Touching one will catapult you into the sky. There's also a smaller leaf in the middle of the stage, but it will bounce you lower than the other two. In the middle of the stage at the top is a wooden swing bridge. It will slowly rock back and forth and commonly have special items appear on it. It can only be reached by utilising the stage's two large leafs. Danger Town --- A battle through an old west town. Sprinkled throughout the stage are TNT barrels, which can be picked up and tossed. Obviously these things explode, so throw 'em at foes! Careful, they may get in the way of your combos, damaging you in the process. Also note that if you are carrying one and you drop off a ledge, it will explode in your hands. Mine carts will periodically dash accross the bottom-middle of the stage, replenishing the supply of used TNT barrels. If one of these carts should touch you, you'll be KOed on the spot. On the left of the stage is a building which can only be entered by either breaking through its side window (which will be fixed shortly after being broken) or by busting through the bottom portion of its wall. Inside is a floor dividing top from bottom. This can be busted through conventional means. On the left of the stage are two more things. One is a sign at the top of a building, which will fall down if the roof is shaken violently, smashing anyone in its way. It will remain felled until someone walks on it again, which will cause it to spring back up, rocketing the Digimon into the sky, usually into a special item. The second thing is a pair of doors. The top one is off limits, but the bottom one can be accessed. Passing through it will momentarilly take you off-screen, only to come shooting out of the top door moments later. This is a good function to use if you need a few seconds of invincibility. Magma Hell --- Warring inside a massive magma cavern. Below the entire stage is scorching lava, which will damage thou and cause thee to spring up into the air in pain. Don't be a fool and juggle yourself this way! :P The bottom portion rock structures are highly unstable and eager to break apart, which will send you below... That giant skull in the backround isn't just for show. Every now and then it will poor a great deal of lava out of its mouth, raising the lava's height level. Only the top four platforms are safe during this time. After a while, the lava level will settle back down. Bay 47 --- Moonlit fight in a cargo bay. This stage is in constant movement, with platforms moving here and there. Sometimes these can crush you, so beware. At times brown crates will be seen, which can be shattered to reveal an item. Be aware that the bottom "floor" of the stage will sometimes open, revealing a pit. Only suspended platforms are safe at this time. Steam Town --- A factory stage with pipes and water. The water at the bottom of the stage is actually a pitfall, so don't get any ideas of swimming in it. Though you may have no choice... Occaisonally the pipes around the stage will blast steam out of them, pushing you away in the direction they are flowing. This can either be an aid in reaching higher ground or a ticket to the sea-floor. In one situation, the steam blast will corner you, leaving yourself pinned for eager opponents to combo you. Sometimes the steam blasts are replaced with fire blasts. While these won't push you in a direction, they WILL cause gradual damage upon your Digimon. The steam blasts and fire blasts will ALWAYS fire in the same patterns, so learn them and behave accordingly. [Tin Factory] --- Conveyer-belts and pipes in a very active factory. The conveyer-belts in this stage a very annoying and will constantly force you to work against them in order to keep your footing. Why keep that? Not only is there a pit waiting for you below, but there a few large golden pipes on the sides waiting eagerly to suck you in. If you are sucked into a pipe, you will be transported to the mechanical apparatus above the stage. Trapped in here, you will be detained for a few seconds before coming out of it as a tin can with your likeness drawn upon it! Like the Pinata, there is little you can do in this status. However, you CAN attack still and collect Evo-Spheres. The way you attack is to perform your air-drop slam attack. After a bit, the can will get a dent in it and you will be unable to move for a second, then you will break out automatically. If you, as a can, become sucked into a pipe, instead of transporting to the device above, you will be shot out of a random pipe. Be aware that the can transformation process taxes your HP. Also, while a tin-can, you can still heal yourself with G+N. At Toy Town --- Massive Digimon ballons fly in the backround, whilst you and your foes traverse a large lego-like obstacle course where you will meet with a fire spitting duck and an explosive fish. This stage is in constant movement, it will scroll in various directions forcing you to keep pace or be eliminated. This stage is very complex, so I can't describe it in full, but I can point out the hazards present. -Cookies make up a few of the platforms. These treats will break apart if stood on for too long. -A small amount of the platforms are purple and will shrink when stepped upon until they are no more. -Boxes here and there will have mechanical teeth things that will spring out of them and damage you. -The mechanical fire-breathing duck damages you obviously, but its movements are always in the same pattern, so after learning that, you will know how to avoid it and when to lure foes into its flames. -The mechanical fish at the end will launch small explosive fish at the stage floor. When fish meets floor block, it will explode leaving a hole where once there was land. One of the fish it launches will be aimed at a Digimon and not the floor, so beware of this threat. Far Alone (locked at first) --- An ice fortress sitting in solitude, with many sharp icicles for good measure. At the topmost right and left corners are two whirlwind things. If you enter one, you will be teleported to the opposite one. The afforementioned iciles are indeed very prevalent. Sitting on the bottoms of the middle platforms, these will cause minor damage to you. There is also a set of sharp icicles on both ends of the stage. These will cause a bit more damage and throw you back a bit, great for nasty combos! At the very top-middle of the stage is a sort of ice chandelier thing. Performing an air-drop on it will cause it to violently crash down, breaking through the thin sheet of ice at the stage bottom. The ice spikes underneath are lethal and will KO instantly whoever falls into them. After crashing the chandelier will rise back up slowly. Also after some time, the broken sheet of ice will reappear. As if it needs mention, this stage is slippery throughout. Also, this stage's music is probably the best in the game... KO Surrender --- The final boss stage, filled with dark, floating castles and the occasional lightining flash in the backround. Only composed of a few linear platforms, this stage may appear basic in apperance at first, but just give it some time... Beside pitfall deaths being a common theme, there are NO power-up items to be found here. In addition to droning up and down, the following effects will occur randomly on each platform: -Fire Ignition, in which a column of fire will burst upwards, causing continual damage. -Ice Coating, in which the platform will become incased in ice. This makes it slippery. -Red Vent, in which a large column of "red air" will burst up, floating you upwards and leaving you vulnerable to attacks. -Sheer Drop, in which the platform will swiftly fall down, giving you access to the death below. After a bit of time, the platform will regenerate back into place. -Lightining Purge, in which the platform is charged with energy and then a swift blast of lightining blasts it, damaging anyone on it. The platform effects will, at times, occur simultainously on any set of platforms. \\---------------------------- Part V - Gomamon's Stats and Evolutions In-game is a menu displaying every Digimon's stats and move info. Here I have compiled the game's grading on Gomamon and his two evolutions. Ratings are on a scale between 1-5 with 5 being the best. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gomamon -- "I'm mad! Don't rub me the wrong way!" Speed- 5/5 Attack Strength- 1/5 Projectile- 1/5 Defence- 3/5 HP- 2/5 ---> From this you can see that Gomamon is all about speed and defence. His Attack and projectile power are a very low, making him a speed based character with a healthy dose of defence for good measure! Rush in like you don't care and make your opponents eat a combo! His high speed also ensures smooth evasive actions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ikkakumon -- "When he's not moving his giant body is like a white gun platform! He builds a line of defense with his barrage attacks!!" Speed- 3/5 Attack Strength- 3/5 Projectile- 3/5 Defence- 3/5 HP- 4/5 ---> After evolving to Ikkakumon, Goma gains quite a well-rounded persona. All of his stats are about average, making Ikkakumon a presence well felt in combat. As said in that quote by his name, he can simply laze back and keep a constant stream of missiles coming at your opponents, punishing their mistakes and keeping them back. His high HP rating also helps keep you alive longer than most. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zudomon -- "His Thor Hammer is invincible!" Speed- 1/5 Attack Strength- 5/5 Projectile- 4/5 Defence- 4/5 HP- 4/5 ---> And now Goma reaches the peak of RAW power! His speed rating may be low, but Zudomon is still quite fast. His excellence is obviously in his peerless physical strength. His special attacks are also some of the best in this game. Not to mention that with that solid defence and HP rating, Zudomon will likely last quite some time, while still being able to act aggressively. After Goma reaches this stage, you will be a land-stalking terror! \\---------------------------- Part VI - Goma's Movelist and Descriptions Bear with me on these attack names! I wasn't able to fully translate all of them due to the katakana being a bit blurry and small on my television display. All of the character's movelists have one example combo displayed, this will be simply labled as "combo" as that is what the Japanese characters name it. Rough or unsure translations will be surrounded by this: {example} Though it may be obvious, here is the abbreviation legend! U=Up D=Down L=Left R=Right N=Normal Attack Button S=Special Attack Button J=Jump Button G=Gaurd Button E=Evo Button OTG=On the Ground or Off the Ground -- Gomamon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tail Slap |Gomamon flips upwards, spinning twice. Quick move U+S |that releases a nice amount of evo-spheres. |Easy combo ender and aerial-punisher as well. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Marching Fishes |Gomamon spits a purple fish out of his mouth, which S |flys forwards in a small arc pattern. |Weak and usually releases only one evo-sphere from |from foes, but when used to set-up a defensive |"wall", it is quite effective at detering enemy |pursuit. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Bubble Soma |Gomamon flies off the ground a bit and encases D+S |himself with a water shield, which pops after a |second or so. This is Gomamon's absolute BEST move, |period. This technique will repel ANY projectiles |and send them back opposite the direction they |were traveling (yes, even Omegamon's Garuru Cannon)! |It's also a great "runner" move. If you perform it |whilst jumping forward, you will float forward and |damage all opponents in your way, while also |reflecting any projectiles! Used in this way, you |can potentially reap MANY Evo-Spheres from your |hapless victims! --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- {?????} |Gomamon crouches, then slides quickly forward like D+N |a seal on ice. The BEST ground move around. |Made for OTG combos and just generally disrupting |the peace! Fast, powerful and sometimes sneaky, you |will want to use it often. Careful though, |it can drive you off pitfalls if you are too |careless with it. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Combo |Slap, slap, slap then Tail Slap, and to finish it N,N,N,U+S,D+N |off, a well-timed ground slide! The timing with the |ground slide is delicate, if you don't time it |correctly, it will not combo. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- -- Ikkakumon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horn {????} |Ikkakumon lowers his head a bit, then thrusts U+S |upwards violently using his horn. Great anti-air |move for offence, defence and as a combo finisher. |Also removes quite a tasty amount of Evo-Spheres |from foes. Very quick and sudden technique... It's |also relativaly safe to pull out whenever the |desire strikes. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Harpoon Vulcan |Ikkaku's trademark move! He shoots the horn off from S |his head, which quickly breaks out into a missile. |Powerful and useful as a means to create a defensive |wall (much like Goma's Marching fishes, only more |powerful). Also, the longer you hold down B, the |further the missile will travel before descending |in an arc. The timing and distance judging on this |is quite tricky, so practice this move a lot and |obtain a solid feel for for how to accurately snipe |at your foes. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Icicle Coat |Ikkakumon shakes his fur around and releases some D+S |sharp little blasts of sheer coldness. While damage |is nonexistant, if this move connects with an |opponent, he will be frozen solid in a block if ice! |You can then administer combo-rich justice upon |your chosen foe. |Not only can this interrupt "party-fights" (where a |group of 2 or more Digimon are dukeing it out |fiercly), but you can drop down from the air, |freezing all who are on your descent path! Be |cautious though! If you whiff this move, you're |just asking for a painful combo to be released |upon thee... --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- {?Root Ton?} |Ikkakumon flies hastily downward, claws first, J+N |at a diagonal angle. This will sweep all |air-bourne Digimon off their feet and slam into the |ground whoever you should meet-up with on the |surface. Great wake-up aerial tech., just don't |become abusive with it, as a foe who catches on to |your pattern can easily gaurd the attack and counter |you. A bad taste about this move is that if you are |not cautious, you may end up shooting yourself down |an endless abyss and KO yourself, an embarresment |you definately want to avoid. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Combo |Claw, claw, claw, Icicle Coat. Nothing fancy, N,N,N,D+S |but fairly useful sprinkeled here and there... --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- -- Zudomon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hammer Hit |Zudomon tosses his hammer, now covered in thunder, U+S |upwards at a diagonal angle. This is an awesome |anti-air move! Not only can it pressure opponents |off of high ground, but it has near unmatched |priority when it comes to aerial projectiles. You |can also release them successively at a fairly good |rate. Strong and a high releaser of Evo-Spheres, |this is Zudo's second best technique and one all |opponents will learn to fear! --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Hammer Spark |Zudo slams his hammer onto the ground, creating an S |arrow-like stream of electricity that flies straight |forward until it collides with an object (preferably |a foe). Like Marching Fishes and Harpoon Vulcan, |Zudomon can use this power to keep opponents at bay |and discourage jump-ins. You can release each arrow |pretty quickly and they travel at a good clip. A |little slow compared to other projectiles, but at |the same time, stronger than most of the others. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Thor Freeze |Zudo takes his hammer and, pointing it outward, D+S |swings around rapidly, gaining electrical charge. |As long as you tap B, Zudo will continue to swing. |This is potentially Zudomon's mightiest move. Trap |an opponent in the corner and listen to their cries |of agony! XD You are VERY open to aerial moves |during this tech., so use it with discretion. You |may feel invincible during it, but as soon as you |recieve your first jump-in awakening, you'll think |twice about abusing its might. Keep this move up |long enough and it will literally rain Evo-Spheres! |This move has a VERY long recovery time, so keep |that in mind when and where you use it. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Anvil Smash |Zudo holds his hammer aside and charges it with G+S |thunder. As soon as you release the B button, he |will slam the hammer down with extreme force, |causing extensive damage and sending foes flying. |Slow, just like all final stage charge moves, but |also like all the rest, freakin' mighty! Don't |become predictable with it. The long start-up delay |present even when not charging can punish you |indirectly. You can OTG opponents with this move, |which makes foes who'd rather laze on the ground |instead of fight wish they never had met you. Also |available to use at the end of combos, as long as |you time it properly. --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Vulcan Revenge |Zudomon's Ultra Technique. He holds his hammer E |behind himself, focuses energy, and then slams his |hammer into the ground with godly force. This is |unblockable and immensely powerful, though slow to |execute. It should be noted that Zudomon is |invincible during the execution of this move, so |feel free to throw it out whenever foes are grouped |around you! --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- Combo |Smack, Thwack, Smash then hammer spin. Like Ikkaku's N,N,N,D+S |combo, this isn't anything special, but fun to use |on occaison, especailly in corners! --------------------------|---------------------------------------------------- \\---------------------------- Part VII - Diving Deeper What I just scribed about Gomamon above is basic stuff. This section delves deeper into Gomamon's style of play. First off, a simple list of Yeas and Nays... \Gomamon \\Yea -Fast -Best crouch move in game -Only character that can reflect projectiles \\Nay -Weak projectile -Bubble Soma's delays "can" be a bad thing -Weak normal attacks \Ikkakumon \\Yea -Sniperable projectile -A freeze attack that covers the area all around you -Solid air defence \\Nay -Icicle Coat does no damage and sometimes fails to freeze -Isn't exactly the best at keeping opponents away \Zudomon \\Yea -MASSIVE strength -Hammer Hit and Hammer Spark are great moves -Very Durable -Extremely damaging combos \\Nay -Very slow -Delay exists pretty much everywhere -His Ultra attack is longer to start up than any other Digimon except for ImperialDramon -------- If only you played Gomamon and remained un-evolved, you'd be pretty good off. With Bubble Soma, you've got a unique attack that can potentially halve the usefulness of certain Digimon. Zudomon's strength is VERY tempting however and if opponents are overwhelming, then he is definatly the better choice (though you'll have to endure Ikkaku's shortcomings first). Why is Gomamon, in my view, the best first stage Digimon? Besides Bubble Soma, his ground slide wasn't called the best by me for no reason. It is full of multiple uses. Not only as a combo ender and OTGer, but also to aggressively race ahead of the competition to grab Evo-Spheres. It is possible to dive through an entire group of three Digimon, tripping all of them. Tail Slap, like Ikkakumon's anti-air horn, is great for rise raids (situations in which an opponent is castled on a high ledge and using it to their advantage. So you find a way to break them down) and air-combos. A universal strategy is to remain in your first stage and never evolve, using Evo-Spheres only to manually heal. Though as is the case with every first stager, your defence is comprimised. Goma's best stage is probably KO Surrender. People are keen to use projectiles there due to its small size. Using Bubble Soma will defeat their cause as well as providing a "sweep" of the arena. In fact, it should not be lost knowledge that Bubble Soma should NEVER be used without movement unless you are alone. Otherwise you will be consumed in damage. Alone in this case means there is only one opponent near you, there are no opponents near you or a case in which moving forward would be a bad idea (such as into a group of evolved opponents). Goma's worst match-up (non-boss) is V-mon. V-mon and his evolutions don't even have projectiles (save for one of FlaDramon's moves). ImperialDramon (one the BEST final stages in this) has beams, something Bubble Soma will NOT reflect. V-mon's rush down style is also a detriment to Goma's style. Truth be told, Ikkakumon is probably Goma's worst stage. Though the ability to snipe with Harpoon Vulcan is very neat, it's almost his only merit. I've had Icicle Coat fail on me quite often, so I don't use it very much as the risk is too great. His anti-air U+S move is quick, but leaves him at bit open, great for aggressive rise raids though. Harpoon Vulcan is STILL Ikkaku best treasure though and the only Digimon with a manually guided projectile. You can still fire it off for mortar defence, but the rate will be less than other projectiles. Ikkakumon's best stage is Danger Town. With all the multi-tiered platforms, his air horn special attack really serves him. Plus Harpoon Vulcan will pass through the roofs of the buildings, potentially causing sneak attacks. His worst match-up is once again V-mon. Most of V-mon's (and his evos) will easily break your defences. Don't even mention ImperialDramon to Ikkakumon, it makes him shed. Zudomon is simply a fortress. Both his Hammer named attacks are massively useful. You can hang back smacking distant foes with Spark and destroy jump-ins with Hit. Know that his noraml attack in air is one of the best jump-in attacks around. It has no delay at the end if it hits, so it can be used for easy jump-in combos. Thor Freeze is monstrous in corners and in groups, but don't travel around with it. Anyone with half a brain (i.e. not the AI) will easily avoid and counter it. It's simply too slow to be an effective means of aggressive travel. Zudo doesn't have to create large combos for damage, the damage handed out from an air-rushdown ended with Thor Freeze is more than enough damage for him. He's a fortress, true, but fortresses are not known for mobility, which is a problem you'll run into (as with any "big guy"). Faster characters have an edge over you in speed, so if you find yourself crowded and Thor Freeze isn't working on them, try to lure them to jump and then use Hammer Hit to kill them. Luckily Zudo's high HP and defence protects him from suffering too much in gang-ups, but you have to find ways to avoid being cornered. Thor Freeze works fairly well to get yourself out of corners, but your foes may find ways around it again. Don't forget the suprising speed of Hammer Hit, it's your friend. Hammer Spark is mighty and although it won't eat through projectiles, it will stop them. Plus, if you "layer" enough Sparks one after the other, you can future counter in such circumstances. Hammer Spark is a projectile that flies pretty low to the ground, so make certain you're lined up well enough before firing it off. In air there's a slight delay between execution and release, so activate it a second before you actually want to use it to allow for the delay. Anvil Smash is a great punishment for grounded foes and can be used to parition combos as described elswhere in this FAQ. It sends opponents flying away even if it's not charged, so never charge it unless you have plenty of time. Zudomon's best stage is Tin Factory. Thor Freezeing your foes into the pipes almost feels evil. Plus the high-low game at that stage lends it to easy kills by Hammer Hit. Zudo's speed can get in the way there, but that shouldn't be much of a problem at the Tin Factory because it's the smallest stage. Zudomon's worst match-up is Palmon. She may be weak, but both her first and final stages have poisoning attacks, which can be used on you whilst in Thor Freeze recovery. Togemon is definatly not something Zudomon needs either, don't ever let her get close. Finally, being that Lillymon is insanely fast, Zudomon is naturally in fear. She has low HP and defence, but if Lilly finds a way into your fortress, it'll be difficult to react. In closing, remember that Ikkaumon is usually not the best thing to hold onto forever. He may not suck, but being that he's Gomamon's worst stage, you'll naturally want to limit Ikkaku's use. \\---------------------------- Part VIII - Conclusion The End! I've not spied any cheats or secrets that can't already be found out through GameFAQs codes section, so there's none of that to list. As for alternate colours, I don't think they exist. I've tried every button combo I can and I've not been able to select the same character, thus elminating a need for alternate colours (even though they are easy to make Amaze!). Sad, but at least this forces variation among Digimon selections! Credits & Thanks -Me, Bronze Patamon for writing this FAQ! -Akiyoshi Hongo, for starting Digimon itself! -Bandai, for keeping Digimon alive even still! -Toei, for animating the Digimon series! -Black Ship/Amaze, for without them, DBC wouldn't exist! -DKFlamey of the With the Will forums for some translation help! "Sliding absorbs shots!!" ~Bronze Patamon 2004