Unison Playstation2 FAQ December 24th 2000, Revision 0.9 Written By : Crono E-mail : crono@animeondvd.com Real Name : Justin Strauss Home Page : www.tows.org This document is the intellectual property of the author. It is intended to provide help, to fellow gamers, on a title that is both entertaining and difficult at various times. Please do not copy or distribute this file in any format without consent of the author. This means: on other web pages, as part of another FAQ, in any written or electronic publication, etc. And, to be crystal clear, this document is legally copyrighted through two or more means. This is including a publishing firm clause, as well as various websites' legal setups (such as the one found on GameFAQs). If you have any new tips or info you want us to hear, just drop an e-mail. And, just in case this comes up, neither Game Cave nor anyone else may not distribute this to those who purchase this title or who are somehow bringing profit to said party. Unison is a trademark of Tecmo, Inc. Copyright 2000 by Tecmo. All related names fall under the same applicable laws. All rights reserved. You can find the newest version of this FAQ only at the following sites. If you find it anywhere else, please let me know as soon as possible. It should not be posted anywhere else but at the following sites: Game FAQs Videogame Strategies http://www.gamefaqs.com/ http://vgstrategies.about.com/ Table of Contents: -------------------------------------- 0.0 Revision History 1.0 Game Mechanics 2.0 Options Menu 3.0 Story Mode 4.0 Characters 5.0 Song List and Info 6.0 Club Afro 7.0 Replay Mode 8.0 Game Secrets and Hidden Options 9.0 Contributions and Thank-You's 0.0 Revision History -------------------------------------- V0.8 - 12/16/00 - Initial Release! Expect typos or grammar problems from it. V0.9 - 12/24/00 - Added settings to song information. - Added costumes to song information. - Added first step numbers to song info, some approximated. - More detail in game mechanics' lesson section. - Fixed and perfected names of songs. - Updated the options, character, and secrets sections. V1.0 - 01/??/01 - Coming Soon. See what's expected, below. Coming Soon: -more detailed song info, number of steps for other gals. -hopefully more secrets to be found. -whatever might be left out. 1.0 Game Mechanics -------------------------------------- This is the first music and rhythm game of its type. For the first time in history, this game requires you to memorize the dance steps for the "live performances" which make up the core of the game. There is no display of which buttons to press while playing a stage. There is only a dance meter (which indicates how well you're doing) along with an indication of how precisely you hit each step. You dance as a team of three, each character having her own difficulty of dance steps. The difficulty for each character is as follows: -Normal : Trill -Hard : Cela -Very Hard : Chilly -Controls. Gameplays requires you to use both of the analog sticks that are found on the DualShock controller. These sticks basically represent your left and right hands, or the two sides of your body. Dancing requires you to move the sticks in the right direction (or motion) for each step of the song. This system works very nicely, as the steps you perform move perfectly in sync with the movement of the analog sticks. The songs work very much like dancing in real life, where each "step" comes at a certain beat of the song (and must be memorized while listening to the beat). For the simpler steps, you only need to push one of the sticks in a particular direction (such as "down") at the right beat. You can count in your head "one, two, three, step" or such. Some steps require more complex movements, though, such as waving your right stick in the air back and forth... or rotating it in circles. -Lesson. This is where you learn exactly what those steps need to be. "Dance Sensei" is your teacher, and he instructs you on the steps in the lesson mode before each live performance. His assistance is very helpful, as he does many things to help you memorize the steps more easily. He will count out loud to the beat if needed, or sing along to important key phrases of the song which indicate when to do a step (just like a real dance teacher or music video choreographer would do, trust me). You do not have to learn the full song right away, either. In lesson mode, you perform short segments in order before moving on to the full song. There is an average of four segments to each song. You learn and prove your competence in each segment (in order) before moving onto the lesson for the entire song. Basically all the songs have an intro segment, three body segments, and an outro. They may also have a bridge. The section types are as follows, along with their japanese name as it appears on screen (english on left, japanese on right): -Intro | -Intoro -Melody A | -Mero A -Melody B | -Mero B -Melody C | -Mero C -Bridge | -Sapi -Outro | -Autoro In each segment, the teacher will show the steps for you on the "stick displays" at the bottom of the screen. These show you when and how to move the analog sticks during the song. He will also count, speak, or sing along with key points of the song to assist you in memorizing when to perform steps. When you think you're ready, you can then play this segment to see if you can move onward. The lesson segments are then freely switched (at any time) between the following two choices, by pressing "square" or "circle": -View: Watch sensei, constantly looping the segment. -Constantly loops. -Sensei & Player stick displays on. -Voice assist from sensei. -L1: Rewind -R1: Fast Forward -R2: Slow motion (hold) -Play: Perform the steps properly. -Max dance bar to proceed. -Sensei stick display on. -Voice assist from sensei. -L1: Zoom Change -R1: Angle Change When you complete the segments of the dance, you will then be given the "full lesson" display. In this, Dance Sensei will perform the entire dance while showing you how to move the sticks for each step. When you switch to "play" mode at this point, however, the stick displays at the bottom will be gone and you must play from memory (just like in the live performances). You will also not be able to hear his counting and singing like you could previously in play mode. However, it will still show a small window of sensei in the lower corner, performing the steps themselves (in case you need a little reminder). Once you feel confident enough, you can press the "X" button to move on to the on-air live performance (in story mode) where memorization is the key. -View: Watch sensei, full dance. -Constantly loops. -Sensei & Player stick displays on. -Voice assist from sensei. -L1: Rewind -R1: Fast Forward -R2: Slow motion (hold) -Play: Perform full song. -Graded at end of song. -Current letter grade shown throughout. -No stick displays on. -No voice assist from sensei. -Dance view in lower corner. -L1: Zoom Change -R1: Angle Change -On-Air: Select to end lesson. -Live performance is next. -Failing live performance gets game over. -Grading. For each step you perform in a song, a word will appear telling you how well you performed the step (on time and for the right duration). These range from "perfect" to "miss." After a stage is completed, you will receive a letter grade for your performance. You will also get a score, as well as a list of how many steps fell into each rank. In story mode, this determines if you will pass on to the next stage, and what the "viewing audience" percentage will be in that area. In Club Afro, the top grades and scores will be kept as records. You will get a "max combo" as well, and combos are formed by getting a certain amount in a row without missing or hitting them badly. The combo does not effect progress, though, it just helps toward a good score. The ranks that a step can receive are as follows: -Perfect : Yellow -Cool : Blue -Good : Red -Bad : Purple -Miss : Violet -Live Performance. These are the stages of the game, and the main play mode. The song begins, and you must them go and perform the steps from memory. There is a small dance meter which fills up as you perform well. This lets you know whether or not you are passing the level and will proceed onward. Each time a step comes up, a small circle in the lower left corner tells you which rank you received for that step (with a "P" for perfect, "C" for cool, "M" for miss, etc). Along with the dance meter, this small corner display is all you will see aside from the dancers and the setting around them. (unless you play multiplayer, of course, in which case there will be three meters along the bottom). Good luck in the world of Unison. 2.0 Options Menu -------------------------------------- The Options Menu in Unison is mostly in English, and therefore it should be self-explanatory in most any case. However, some option choices are in Japanese; and these have been fully translated (such as the names of the levels' "arrange" songs and sound effects). The arrange songs are made available once you have completed those stages in story mode (or gained access to them in Club Afro). The full translated set of menu options is as follows: -Sound Mode -Sound: Stereo/Monaural -Sound Test -BGM Test: 1-19 01. M.T.F.U. (Ultimate Unity Mix) 02. Theme From Unison 03. Unison Living Stereo 04. Unison Orchestrated 05. Love Is the Message 06. Theme For Ducker 07. Civilian Y: Level 1 08. Civilian Y: Level 2 09. Civilian Y: Level 3 10. Civilian Y: Level 4 11. Potti and Guno 12. Enter the Drogue 13. Shopping Train 2173 14. "T" Stands For Title 15. Guno Plays It Cool 16. On Air Good 17. On Air Bad 18. Fire Fire 19. M.T.F.U. (Voltage Unlimited Mix) -SE Test: 1-21 01. Dance Sensei 1 02. Dance Sensei 2 03. Dance Sensei 3 04. Trill 1 05. Trill 2 06. Trill 3 07. Cela 1 08. Cela 2 09. Cela 3 10. Chilly 1 11. Chilly 2 12. Chilly 3 13. Ducker 1 14. Ducker 2 15. Ducker 3 16. Potti and Guno 1 17. Potti and Guno 2 18. Potti and Guno 3 19. Manajun 1 20. Manajun 2 21. Manajun 3 -Arrange: 1-12 01. Y.M.C.A. 02. Neraiuchi 03. First Love 04. Love Machine 05. Seeraa fuku o nu ga sanaide 06. Yosaku 07. UFO 08. Boys & Girls 09. Night of Fire 10. Genghis Khan 11. Hajimete no chuu 12. Synchronized Love Millenium 3.0 Story Mode -------------------------------------- This is the primary mode of the game, and is chosen at the title screen by selecting "new game." You will begin by choosing your character, to determine the difficulty of the dance steps (and also some minor plot points). This mode is filled with real-time three-dimensional graphics which are composed in the anime style. Each stage is composed of the song section, as well as story and dialogue before and after each stage: -Prologue -Stage Title -Story -Lesson -Story -Live Performance -Save Replay? -Story -Save Data? Also, you will be required to undergo the "lesson" for each stage before you can pass to the "On-Air" performance. You must complete the full lesson with competence before moving on. Before you switch from the lesson to the live performance, you will be presented with the following option and warning: -Wish to Proceed: Yes/No ~If you fail in live performance, you will get "game over" and have to load last data. After each live performance, you will be asked if you wish to save the "dance replay." Then, after the story section finishes, you will be asked if you wish to "save data." You must be sure to do this before each new stage starts, because failing in the live performances will end the game (and you must load from that last saved point, or start over). -Save Dance Replay: Yes/No -Memory Card: Slot1/Slot2 -Select Data: 1-12 -Save Data: Yes/No -Memory Card: Slot1/Slot2 -Select Data: 1-6 4.0 Characters -------------------------------------- Unison is placed in the future, in the space age. The towns are ruled by the evil "Ducker" who is the undisputed tyrant of the land (Futagobune). Along with his disciple named "Manajun," he brainwashes the citizens with the power of his singing voice. Citizens must join his "Garrison" of soldiers, and follow strict ruling. Ducker is jealous that he is not a skilled dancer, and people will be banished from town if they decide to freely indulge in the lost style of "dance." What a cruel world, eh? The game's heroines, and the ones which you play as, are the trio of ladies which forms the dance team called "Unison." They are brought together by the mysterious "Dance Sensei" to start a pirated televison show. Through their television show, they fight to gain a substantial viewing audience in this game's bleak future setting... and to bring back dancing and soul to this world. However, they can't do it without the help of their master, or without the antagony of the villains that exist in this game. And, in thus, we meet the cast of Unison: -Trill -Role: Team Unison, Lead Vocals -Favorite Color: Blue What would a trio of anime heroines be, without an overly-adorable and loving member keep them sane? Trill is the first part of team Unison; with blond hair, a high-pitched voice, and a love for blue outfits. One can not help but adore her, and you can bet that she will be the first to scream "kawaii!"(quite loudly) at the site of something that she finds to be as adorable as she is. She may be childish, and overly optimistic, but that only helps to be a nice contrast to the other two dancers. Despite her innocent and sometimes overly- exhaustive personality, her team mates never doubt her ability to pull off a great show. In fact, it turns out that Trill's body is really just a "housing" for the angelic voice of another soul who did not fit such a perfect physique. -Cela -Role: Team Unison, Background Vocals -Favorite Color: Green Every team needs a middleman (or middle-woman, in this case). Cela is the intelligent, level-headed, and more sensical member of team Unison. She has a short green haircut, a mature and calmer voice, and adores wearing green. She also has a love for plants and gardening. Just as Trill can keep things warm and happy, Cela can be the voice of reason when they need it. She is always reliable, and ready to think deeply about a situation if need be. There is a lot of negativity hidden within her soul, from past encounters with Ducker. However, she is a perfect mediator for the other two, as she always keeps her cool. -Chilly -Role: Team Unison, Lead Dancer -Favorite Color: Red The final member of a good trio would have to be someone like Chilly. She's tough, proud, and not afraid to get into a fight if she needs to. She has red hair, a tomboyish voice, and a love for the color red in her clothing. However, despite her sometimes tough exterior, she holds a heart of gold deep inside. In fact, one of her ambitions in this quest is to carry on the lost legacy of her late father... who was a famous dancer that once worked with Ducker. If she is lucky, she might one day find his secret and brilliant dance steps that were confescated by Ducker. Chilly is the most intense dancer of the trio, with the toughest steps of all. -Dance Sensei -Role: Dance Teacher -Favorite Color: Purple The girls of Unison could never get to where they are without the masterful help of a dance instructor. Dance Sensei is their saving grace in this game. His look is quite similar to that of a 1970's Disco Dancer; with the afro, sideburns, and funky style. However, his abilities as a dance teacher are far more than just disco techniques. He also has a strange and cautious love for his Afro itself (which puzzles everyone else). He performs each of the team's songs with style and grace, and is an invaluable aid to learning the proper techniques. In fact, he is so weird and yet perfect in his dance skills... that you would think he's from another planet or something ^_~ -Ducker -Role: Evil Leader -Favorite Color: Orange Every good anime adventure needs a crazed and yet likeable villain. Ducker is just this. He can't be found without wearing his blue glasses and orange suit; and his love for ducks is quite obvious from the decor of his palace. His goal is to stop the team Unison from saving the future world from his evil reign. Through the power of singing voice, he keeps his citizens under control and away from free dancing. He watches over their dance performances, and constantly tries to cease their efforts. Because, if they succeed in uniting the world as one happy and strong audience, Ducker's reign would end. -Potti and Guno -Role: Ducker's Henchmen -Favorite Color: Yellow These two bafflers are Ducker's prime henchmen, and the leaders of his Garrison of soldiers. He assigns them with the duty of helping him stop the Unison girls in their quest. Potti is the slim and crafty looking one, and the Captin of the Garrison. He is unhappy because of Ducker's fearful ways, because of the selfishness of Manajun, and because he has to follow with Guno's actions all the time. Guno is the large and tough Vice-Captain of the Garrison. He's always happy to do evil, he says. But despite their collective efforts, it is hard to have much faith in their success. Still, though, ruthless villainy and brute strength are always essential tools when you want to be a successful henchman. -Manajun -Role: Ducker's Disciple; Singer -Favorite Color: Pink She is the stunning and beautiful female who rules under Ducker's command. With her long pink hair and sexy strut, it is hard for most guys not to fall for her. She is an up-and-coming singer, as well as Ducker's disciple. Her dream is to become the top Idol Singer in all the land. She might get yelled at now and then, but her wild temper and strong will can sometimes prove to make her the true leader. And despite her association with evil, she's really more of a simple and loving person at heart. It is only her selfishness and temper that drive her to work with Ducker. In fact, one of the other prime characters in this game holds a strong connection to her, one that trancends time. But you'll have to play to find out why. ^_^; -Ducker's Garrison -Role: Soldiers of Ducker -Favorite Color: White, None The Garrison is made up of citizens from the cities. They are the soldiers who serve Ducker's evil needs, and who enforce his strict outlaw on dancing. They wear orange suits with a helmet in the basic shape of an underwater shell. Through their brainwashing, they are forced into their boring lifestyle. However, deep inside, they crave individuality and soulful dancing as much as all humans do. All they need is a chance to shine, or for someone to remind them of what the world used to be. This is what Unison must do. -Yamashita Family -Role: Ducker's Garrison; Citizens -Favorite Color: White, All This family consists of your average father, mother, and daughter. However, all three of them are employed in the Garrison that Ducker has assembled from the populace. They are not bad or evil people, though. In fact, they don't even like wearing their silly masks all day, or owing loyalty to someone for no reason. Their father was banished because he was foolish enough to freely dance one day. They are also big fans of the dance team Unison, and their daughter never misses their performances on television (from the start). And through their time with the team, they eventually all grow to all become the biggest Unison fans... as well as lending valuable assistance to their cause. -Friday -Pet Robot of Team Unison -Favorite Color: Brown??? Friday is the robotic pet that lives with Team Unison. He is yellow colored and has floppy ears. Everyone who sees him comments on how cute he is. Dance Sensei also likes him deep down, though he can't help but get mad when Friday is always messing with his perfect Afro. And worse yet, Friday likes to creep up in his hair when he's not looking. But after all this, he should be proud of his pets, as they will one day prove to help the team in a way that can never be fully repayed. 5.0 Song List and Info -------------------------------------- list format: Song Title, Japanese spelling Song Title, English spelling -Information -Information -Information 01. "Y.M.C.A." "Y.M.C.A." (Young Man) -Setting: Disco House -Costume: American flag shirts, white bellbottoms -Steps: 059 (Trill) 02. "Neraiuchi" "Take Aim and Shoot" -Setting: Winter Iceland -Costume: Siberian snow suits -Steps: 087 (Trill) 03. "First Love" "First Love" -Setting: Futagobune Main Stage -Costume: Heart-trimmed dresses -Steps: 066 (Trill) 04. "Love Mashiin" "Love Machine" -Setting: Astro-train of Love -Costume: Female train conductors -Steps: 075 (Trill) 05. "Seeraa fuku o nu ga sanaide" "Don't Make It Take Off Sailors" -Setting: Candy Planet, Giant Cake Stage -Costume: Alien suits -Steps: 083 (Trill) 06. "Yosaku" "Honour and Virtue" -Setting: Imperial Pagoda In the Desert -Costume: Traditional dress -Steps: 066 (Trill) 07. "Boys & Girls" "Boys & Girls" -Setting: The Afro Room -Costume: White suit jacket, black bellbottoms -Steps: 086 (Trill) 08. "Night of Fire" "Night of Fire" -Setting: Club Afro Stage -Costume: White suit jacket, black bellbottoms -Steps: 073 (Trill) 09. "Jingisukan" "Genghis Khan" -Setting: Club Afro Stage -Costume: White suit jacket, black bellbottoms -Steps: 102 (Trill) 10. "Hajimete no chuu" "First Kiss" -Setting: The Afro Room -Costume: White suit jacket, black bellbottoms -Steps: 065 (Trill) 11. "UFO" "UFO" (Unidentified Flying Object) -Setting: Futagobune Core Stage -Costume: Space Suits -Steps: 097 (Trill) 12. "Shinkuronaizudo Rabu Mireniamu" "Synchronized Love Millenium" -Setting: Darkened Dance Studio -Costume: Silver metallic Flashdance costumes -Steps: 015 (Trill) 6.0 Club Afro -------------------------------------- Club Afro is the place to sharpen your skills on any level that you have accessed, at any time you wish. You can practice any of the game's songs in here, and you can choose either the "lesson" or the normal "play" mode. This is also the only way to access the game's five secret songs. You can set up to five high scores for each level as well. One to three human players can go at one time, on any of the game's twelve stages (which means that it can be seen as a "versus" mode or "free" mode as well). Even better, all three players can be any character they wish (rather than requiring the full trio to be present). And, after each level you play, you get a choice of: "replay save," "data save," "retry," or "exit." After the stage has ended, it will show your scores for each dancer. When you begin Club Afro, the choices are as follows: -Play -Choose Song -Human Players: 1P/2P/3P -1P Character: Trill/Cela/Chilly -2P Character: Trill/Cela/Chilly -3P Character: Trill/Cela/Chilly -Lesson -Choose Song -Choose Character: Trill/Cela/Chilly 7.0 Replay Mode -------------------------------------- This mode lets you view replays of performances from the arcade mode or from Club Afro. In either of those modes, you are given a choice of "replay save" after a stage ends. These replays get saved to your memory card, and you can save up to twelve of them on the data file. Once you have saved a replay of some sort, you can view them in this mode on the title screen. When you select this choice, you are presented with the following options: -Replay: Yes/No -Memory Card: Slot1/Slot2 -Data Select: 1-12 8.0 Game Secrets and Hidden Options -------------------------------------- -Club Afro. When you begin the game, you will not have access to any songs in Club Afro. Once you have completed any of the seven songs "on the air" in story mode, they will then appear in the Club Afro mode. There are also five secret songs which are accessed through completing the game, and these can only be played inside Club Afro (see below for more information). -Final Stage. The seventh song "UFO" is listed as a secret song in some ways, but it actually becomes available as the ninth and final stage of the story mode. Once the first ending credits roll by, the ninth stage will begin as usual (with story, lesson, stage, and such). In the epilogue which follows this stage, you will see the true and even happier ending as well. -Secret Stages. When you first play the game, you will not have access to the secret songs. Each of these must be earned by fulfilling a certain requirement while in story mode. Some requirements are as simple as completing stages, while some require you to play perfectly or something tougher. Also, these songs can only be played in Club Afro, and do not appear in the story mode. The secret songs, along with requirements, are as follows: -Boys & Girls -complete stage 1 of story mode -Night of Fire -complete stage 1 of story mode -Genghis Khan -complete stage 4 of story mode -Hajimete no chuu -complete any song with all perfects -Synchronized Love Millenium -complete stage 8 of story mode 9.0 Contributions and Thank-You's -------------------------------------- I've worked hard as hell on this file, so please please do not steal any of the information from it. I know that FAQ writers are always willing to help each other out, and that part is always true. However, I have spent countless hours with the game powered on, running between rooms to type up all of the specific info straight from the game. I would be mortified if anyone were to simply cut and paste my information (or even "slightly paraphrase it") instead of working hard to find their own info. I know we all agree on this. However, if you have anything to contribute or such, please send me an Email, and i will give you credit in this FAQ. Note, however, if it is just a small change or new option in the game... i have likely discovered it by the next update. Corrections to wrong information are even more appreciated ^_^; Anyhow, on with the thanks... GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) for hosting this FAQ, along with more great gaming info than most any site out there. Keep up the good work, man. Without GameFAQs... where would we all go for detailed game help? Sure, lotsa places have great code archives, and some TRY to keep all the best FAQs. But who succeeds? Only one, my friend ^_^ Jeff "CJayC" Veasey does an astounding, daily job of organizing these entries (and he writes his own wonderful FAQs). I must also give a hearty thanks to Al Amaloo, the maintainer of Videogame Strategies (vgstrategies.about.com). He has completed perhaps the best and most extensive archive of codes and tricks (www.gamewinners.com) and written extensive guides for games that would go otherwise un-covered. And what makes these two men (Jeff Veasey and Al Amaloo) so special... is that they provide an invaluable service to the gaming community out of the goodness of their heart. They work hard, every day, without the help of any major affiliate. Bravo to both of you! The patrons of my own message board, the OtherWorlds Shrine (www.tows.org) which is sometimes the only refuge for the true gamer. Along with my friend SineSwiper, we keep the shrine alive as a place for gamers to respectfully speak and get together while online. The friends that I have made there have meant the world to me, despite how my "real life" sometimes drags me offline for days at a time. Either way, here's to ya'll... and I won't mention any names (as there are too many of you to possibly remember them all now. And you'll kill me if I miss any, hehe). The place has been around for years, and I guarantee that it will always exist as long as there is an Internet. The select few of my OFF-line friends who love gaming almost as much as myself, and keep me inspired to keep on playing. Tacchi, you're as obsessed over games as me. We've been gaming for well near two decades. We're getting old, dude. And Crystal, well you can kick most of our sorry arses ^_^ Steffannee... you introduced me to Will in Rival Schools! Scott, you've been a pal through it all, despite how you suck at games ^_^ Kathryn, your love and understanding will always be cherished (yes, call me sappy). And Alex, you've been there since we were infants, when the NES was only a dream in the semi-near future. Chris, you're one of my dearest friends (as well as one of the most eerily unique). Your love for the Butterfly song and the goofy dance you do... will always bring a smile to my face. And of course, thanks go out to Lynn and Donna! You two are a few of the only people who love Pop 'n Music (and Bust a Move of course) as much as I do. Every time we meet is a cherished moment. And, speaking of music games, I owe a world of thanks to Malcolm. His friendship has meant a ton to me, and he's one of those few folks who plays and works hard at ALL the music game series just like I do (Beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution, Pop 'n Music, Bust a Move, and the countless other Bemani titles as well). And to the fans of music games, worldwide, i offer the greatest thanks of all. Our demand is what keeps this amazing genre of games coming back to us every month. Konami, Sony, Sega, and all the great companies and people who made the game possible. Without them, we'd never have been introduced to this wonderous world, beautiful characters, and a style of gaming that changed our lives. These musical rhythm games, like Unison, are perhaps my favorite genre out there right now. It gives those folks with a "rhythmical sense" a way to convey that sense through gaming. And besides, it beats having another cookie-cutter RPG or fighter to deal with. ~End of File~