*************************************************** * Whacked! FAQ (FINAL) * * by Professer Revolution * * This document is copyright(c)2003 by the author * * The game is (c)2003 by Microsoft * *************************************************** WARNING! This document is intended for private and personal use only, and is made soley for www.gamefaqs.com and it's readers. I used to let other sites use my FAQs, but they don't keep them updated or show ads around them or something else. It's too big of a hassle, so: 1. This document may ONLY be shown on GameFAQs, if it's on any other site it is unauthorized. Sorry guys, there's some nice webmasters out there, but a majority of you are backstabbing, greasy slimeball idiots who don't keep up with the latest version, or change the text to promote your own site, show the FAQs with ads around them, and so on. So from now on, this and any future guides I write are GameFAQs ONLY. 2. You can not reprint this document with intent to sell it or use it as incentive to sell a product...Sadly, it's been done before. So this little warning has to be here, people are scum. 3. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES can this document be printed in a gaming magazine, e-zine, whatever, or ANY for-profit publication without the author's consent. Consent only given upon receipt of large amounts of money and prizes. =============== VERSION HISTORY =============== (2/12/03) FINAL-Map List done -Battle Mode section done -Added Exclamation Point info to POWERUP section (2/8/03) v1.0--Started this document -Layout done -Gameshow Mode section done -Weapons, Powerups, Big Red Buttons Lists done ======================================================================== CONTENTS ======================================================================== 1. INTRODUCTION 2. BASIC CONTROLS 3. BASIC GAMEPLAY TIPS 3A. BONUS TIPS 4. GAME MODES 4A. GAMESHOW MODE 4B. BATTLE MODE 4C. OTHERS 5. IN DEPTH LISTS 5A. MAPS 5B. WEAPONS 5C. POWERUPS 5D. BIG RED BUTTONS 6. NEXT REVISION 7. ABOUT THE AUTHOR ======================================================================== 1. INTRODUCTION ======================================================================== Welcome to my FAQ for the XBox game Whacked! Like alot of people I got my first taste of the game through the demos that came with the XBox Live Starter Kit, and I liked it enough to plunk down the cash for the full version. After playing through the single player a few times and getting in some fun multiplayer action, I decided to write this guide for a couple reasons. First, not many people know about this game, or they just don't know enough about it. Hopefully by writing this guide I'll spur a few more folks into purchasing it, especially XBox Live(XBL for short) users. And second, I enjoy writing these things for games that I like, and feel I'm pretty decent at, and Whacked fits that criteria nicely. If you've played the demo and are wondering what the hell is going on, or just need a couple tips for playing online then this guide is for you. What's going on is this: Whacked is a stylized combat game under the guise of a gameshow, you basically just run around and try to kill the other players, up to 4 including you, for different reasons and in different ways. Some games you have to beat stars out of people and be the first to collect a certain number, sometimes you have to just get the most kills, or hold a giant trophy the longest, etc. There's just enough different play types and maps and goofy weapons to keep the game funny and, hell, just plain fun. Since it's not MechAssault it's online community is rather small, which is a shame since Whacked is more fun and polished than alot of the other XBL games. You don't even need XBL for some multiplayer goodness though, 4 people can play on a single machine making Whacked a great party game. The only area of the game that's lacking, really, is the single player, but it's main use is just to unlock stuff for the multiplayer anyway. That would by my only warning against buying this game, don't get it if you're only going to play it by yourself. It's definitely NOT a good single player game. Let's get Whacked! ======================================================================== 2. BASIC CONTROLS ======================================================================== Left Stick/Dpad Move forward/back and turn A/Y Button Jump B/X Button Attack L Trigger Strafe left R Trigger Strafe right ======================================================================== 3. BASIC GAMEPLAY TIPS ======================================================================== In this section I'll go over what each gametype is, and give some basic tips on playing them. These aren't concrete strategies that you should always follow, and I'm not guaranteeing you'll constantly win if you use them. They're just some tips to help you get better at the game and feel more confident while playing, and naturally to help you have FUN! If you feel you have any good tips or anything to add, then bu all means drop me a line. My contact info is in the last section, just be sure to read everything there. Also, these tips pertain to both the single and multiplayer sections but I plan on having some more in-depth info for the online games in the Battle Mode section, so these are mainly single player tips. ------- GENERAL ------- LEARN THE CONTROLS Yeah it seems like such a simple thing, but being able to nimbly move your character is a big advantage in this game. It's control setup is part platformer, part FPS so getting the hang of it will take a little play time. Be sure to go through the Reheasal Mode tutorial as well. LEARN THE MAPS Another fundamental in most games, learning your surroundings will give you another advantage over those who don't. Learn the tight spots and high traffic areas where alot of deaths(err, Whacking) occur. Learn the special features of each map and what weapons you prefer in each one and so on. LEARN THE WEAPONS Keeping it fundamental here, learn when to use what weapon, but more importantly learn to use ALL the weapons. Knowing how to use each weapon to the best of you ability as soon as you pick it up will only help you win. KEEP MOVING! Always be moving, even when you're on the Hill in a King of the Hill game, move around the little hill area. Moving and not dieing go hand in hand. It's harder for opponents to line up a shot on you, and it's harder for them to keep track of where you are on the map. HAVE FUN While I like to break down the stats and stuff of the game in this guide and give tips on winning and stuff, remember that this is a goofy party game and the goal is to have fun. Laugh at the funny stuff the characters say, and the whacky weapons, etc. Don't get upset that you died because the game all of a sudden flipped upside down. Laugh with everyone else and play again. ------- CHICKEN ------- Chicken starts out being the easiest gametype and ends up being the most frustrating near the end. In this mode a bunch of chickens come at you and you have to kill them to make them drop their stars. The goal is to collect 50-200 stars(depending on the stage). This can be quite a task on some of the later stages, and you only have 3 lives to do it. First of all, try to get the chickens in a group and use splash damage weapons on them like the Missle and Plunger. They can only be hurt by weapons, not your hand to hand attack. If you get stuck using a close range weapon, use the Stapler it's the only one that you can get multiple chickens with. If the map you're on has a special feature that can be fatal(like the fan in La Banno) be sure to use it as much as possible. This will kill a bunch of chickens at once and give you a breather, as well as a bunch of stars to collect. Back away and fire at the chickens, and try to stay near the walls so they don't appear behind you. This isn;t possible in some maps, but it helps alot in the ones where you can use it. When you get in a bind, jump away. The chickens aren't that fast and you can usually get away to a weapon. The last Chicken level is so frustrating I gave it it's own section. ------ COMBAT ------ Combat is the most common gametype you'll find in Gameshow Mode and is a distant second to Fragfest online. In Combat mode the object is to collect a certain number of stars(50-200) by collecting the loose stars on the map and knocking them out of your opponents. WHen you hit an opponent, they'll lose some stars(how much depends on the weapon used), likewise, when you get hit you'll lose stars. The stars you lose will be your color, and you can't collect stars of your color. If no one gets them after some seconds then they'll turn silver and you'll be able to pick them up again. The key to combat is to split your time between attacking other people and collecting the lose stars on the map. You should always focus your attacks on those with more stars than you, it's much more helpful. If you're in the lead or close, then go after those who are close to you. Naturally you want to limit your star loss so watch out for everyone, but there's no way to NEVER lose a star. Don't get frustrated if you suddenly lose 20 stars and are in second place. You can just as easily turn the tide again. --------- DODGEBALL --------- No weapons except the dodgeball, and you have a limited number of hits you can take(usually 4). If you hit someone you'll gain a hit back. Always be on the look out from every side in this mode. It's fun and hectic and tense, one of my favorite. Sadly it's not prominent in on or offline play. Don't carelessly throw your dodgeball at an opponent, take time to follow them a little bit, the closer you are the better your chance of hitting them. When someone is chasing you, back away from them so you'll have a shot at catching the ball, or if you can run away with enough then turn around and lose them. Either way, you should still be watching out for shots from all sides. One thing you have to be careful about is ricochets, if you're near a wall an opponent might throw and miss you but the ball will hit you on the rebound from the wall. The opponent will still get credit for the hit. -------- FRAGFEST -------- Kill kill kill! The goal here is to frag as many opponents as you can in a certain amount of time(2:00-5:00). This is the most popular online gametype, and is in the single player a few times as well. As with most other online games knowing the maps and weapons will give you the big advantage. Instead of bleeding your opponents for stars, you just want to kill them as quickly as possible. Knocking or throwing them off the map(where possible) will credit you with the frag so be sure to try and knock people off as much as possible. It's the quickest way to get a Frag. And while it seems dumd to say, taking as little damage as possible will help you win as well. In Whacked you regain health pretty steadily, so if you survive an onslaught and are low, try to get away from the action while you refill. You'll keep someone from scoring an easy frag. ---------- GRAB N RUN ---------- There's a trophy on the map and you have to hold it for a certain amount of time to win. Kill the person holding the trophy to make them drop it. When you have the trophy you move much slower and can barely jump, making it tough to avoid weapons. When you don't have the trophy, you should go after the person with it, of course, but you should also inflict some damage on anyone near the trophy carrier as well, in case they get it they'll be easier to kill. When you do have the trophy, to try have a good close range weapon on hand, and get to some out of the way place on the map. This rarely happens, but ideally it's what you want. More realistically, try to stay near cliffs or fatal map features so maybe your opponents will fall off or die on accident or with a little help from you. If none of this is possible, then just run around willy nilly and hold onto the thing for as long as you can! ---------------- KING OF THE HILL ---------------- My favorite mode, there's a small patch of green swirly light that appears on the map, and the first contestant to stand in in for a certain amount of time wins. The key is, obviously, to stay in the Hill as long as possible while keeping everyone else out. Close range and area weapons like the Stick of Reason and Urp! work well in this situation. If you're away from the Hill and everyone is fighting in it, then grab some Plunger Missles or something with good splash damage to fire as you run to it. Your goal is to stay in the Hill as long as possible, killing the other players is just a step in accomplishing this. Don't get engaged in a fight away from the hill, always be IN it or GOING to it. If you're in the hill without a weapon you can either try to knock people out with your hand to hand move or squash them with your jump attack. You don't build up time when you're flat, frozen or being shocked in the hill. ============== 3A. BONUS TIPS ============== These two levels are the last two of the game, and also the most frustrating. So to stem a big flow of E-Mail I'd probably get about them I'll just discuss them in depth here. ---------------------- THE LAST CHICKEN STAGE ---------------------- Stage 4, Studio 3, Battle 3 You play this chicken level on Space Walk, and have to get 200 stars to win. This can be a VERY annoying level, but you can abuse a couple things to help you win. First, the Thruster switch inside the main area spacewalk, with the spiraling ramp, use it often, especially when there's TONS of chickens on the map. The thrusters will knock most of them off the map, resulting in a rain of stars for you to grab. Secondly, the cannon will appear at the tip of the TV satellite orb( with all the tv screens and stuff) alot. Use this rain down death on the chickens below as much as possible. The cannon and the Yolk-O-Matic should be your two main weapons in this level. They let you take out a bunch of chickens quickly. You should also use the spring jumps pretty regularly to get away from the chickens. Kill a bunch near the spring, then jump away and come back for the stars later, they're not going anywhere. ---- HELL ---- The Hell level can be really easy or really annoying, it all depends on how well you are at avoiding taking damage. Van's minions die easily and leave a ton of stars, Van himself is like a regular contestant only a bit better at hitting you with EVERYTHING. You should avoid Van as much as possible, only go after him with a good weapon, and kill his minions as much as possible, and ALWAYS be collecting loose stars. The key is keeping your star count way up by collecting the tons of loose stars that appear, and not losing them by getting whacked over and over. Running around the circle that surrounds the lava falls is a good way to get some stars and avoid most of the trouble, then venture over near the devil face only when there's a ton of stars there. And kill the minions as much as possible and get their stars, they leave ALOT and don't bother trying to get them back. Kill a couple without going to get the stars, then dash in and collect them all and run away. It's okay, and preferable, to not be collecting stars over LOSING them. ======================================================================== 4. GAME MODES ======================================================================== These are the different game modes on the Main Menu. The only one I didn't include is the Game Demos one, since that takes you to other games and they're pretty self explanatory. ================= 4A. GAMESHOW MODE ================= Gameshow Mode is the single player portion of Whacked. It really only exists to unlock stuff for the multiplayer games, but it's pretty fun to run through once or twice. Some of the 4th Level stages are just tedious though. Make a profile and choose a character(you can't change once you've picked). You'll unlock the shaded contestants by beating the levels, so after going through once, you'll be able to select them all the next time. There's 4 Stages, with 9 battles on each stage. These are broken up into 3 Studios with 3 battles each. You can go into any studio at any time, but you have to beat battle 1 to unlock battle 2, and then battle 3 in each studio. Beat all the battles and you'll advance to the next stage. After each battle you'll unlock a new weapon or powerup or button effect, and get a short commercial and/or character movie. All the commercials and movies can be watched(once unlocked) in the Theater Mode. Beating all 4 Stages will unlock the Hell level, and beating Hell will give you an ending for your character. After you beat hell you can play ONLY hell with that Profile, but all the characters will be available for your next one. The limits for each gametype are as follows: STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 STAGE 4 CHICKEN(Stars) 50 100 150 200 COMBAT(Stars) 50 100 150 200 DODGEBALL(Hits) 4 4 4 4 FRAGFEST(Time) 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 GRAB N RUN(Time) 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 KING OF THE HILL(time) 2:00 2:00 2:00 2:00 GAMETYPE / MAP / UNLOCKED ITEM ------- STAGE 1 ------- STUDIO A 1. Chicken / Can Can / Cluster Duck 2. King of the Hill / Car Crash / Stick of Reason 3. Combat / No Trespassing / The Shocker STUDIO B 1. Combat / Car Crash / Missle 2. King of the Hill / La Banno / Double Up 3. Chicken / Death Wall / Star Mines STUDIO C 1. Grab N Run / No Trespassing / Dodgeball 2. Combat / Christmas Tree / On Fire! 3. Dodgeball / Can Can / Vacuum ------- STAGE 2 ------- STUDIO A 1. Chicken / Car Crash / Invisibility 2. Fragfest / Joyride / You're It! 3. Combat / La Banno / Mallet STUDIO B 1. King of the Hill / Christmas Tree / Cactus 2. Fragfest / Arctic Pipeline / El Vampiro 3. Combat / Can Can / Screwed STUDIO C 1. Combat / Jeffry's Kitchen / Play Ball 2. King of the Hill / No Trespassing / Freeze Gun 3. Grab n Run / Death Wall / Freeding Fenzy ------- STAGE 3 ------- STUDIO A 1. Grab n Run / Spacewalk / Pitchfork 2. Fragfest / Christmas Tree / Magnet 3. Combat / Arctic Pipeline / Minefield STUDIO B 1. Combat / Highrise / Yolk-o-Matic 2. Dodgeball / La Banno / Urp! 3. Chicken / Joyride / Da Bomb STUDIO C 1. King of the Hill / Pirate Ship / Goodbye Doggie 2. Grab n Run / Jeffry's Kitchen / Shish-Ka-Bob 3. Combat / Death Wall / Death ------- STAGE 4 ------- STUDIO A 1. King of the Hill / Arctic Pipeline / Cannon 2. Fragfest / Highrise / Sticky Bombs 3. Combat / Pirate Ship / Zombie Stars STUDIO B 1. Combat / Space Walk / Bee Hive 2. Dodgeball / Jeffry's Kitchen / Simmer Down 3. King of the Hill / Highrise / Swap STUDIO C 1. Fragfest / Pirate Ship / The Plague 2. Combat / Joyride / Fisheye Lens 3. Chicken / Spacewalk / Upside Down ---- HELL ---- 1. Combat / Hell / Van Tastic =============== 4B. BATTLE MODE =============== This is the multiplayer mode of WHacked, which is the main part of the game. You can play up to four players on any mode, and pick what map and gamestyle you want to play and all the corresponding limits and goals for that gamestyle. ----------- SINGLE XBOX ----------- This is for playing splitscreen on a single XBox and TV. Select it, then press A on every controller that's going to be a human contestant and select your character. The compute automatically fills in any open slot. You're then taken to the setup screen: The first option lets you pick what map to play on The second option is for the difficulty level of the CPU opponents The third lets you choose the gametype The fourth option lets you choose the time/number of stars you need The fifth lets you choose what type of weapons you'll use When you have everything picked out, hit Start and start Whacking! ----------- SYSTEM LINK ----------- The system Link option is like a mix between the Single Box and XBL options. When you select System Link you'll then have to choose a profile to use, after that you'll be taken to a screen that shows you the available games, like the XBL one. If you're going to host, then pick and set everything up in the same manner as a single Xbox game, then wait for everyone else to join your session. You'll see the player names and what character they're using in the PLAYERS box on the right side of the screen. --------- XBOX LIVE --------- When you pick XBOX LIVE you'll be prompted to select an XBL account from your system, then the box will connect. You'll be taken to a screen with several options: QUICK MATCH Select this if you just want to jump right in on any open game, regardless of gametype or length, etc. OPTIMATCH Choose this when you want play a specific kind of match, you'll be shown a series of options you can set to find a game of that type, to see all the available games going on just choose ANY for all of them. You can't take part in a game that's already started, but if there's an open space you can claim it to be in the next match. CREATE SESSION Pick this when you want to host a certain kind of match. You'll set up the match just like the Single and System Link matches, then wait for people to join your game. FRIENDS LIST Here you can manage your friends list just like any other XBL game. At the top you'll see the friend's name, and if they're currently online, and if they are what game they're playing. Your list shows gamertags you've sent Friend requests too first, then any friends that are online, then finally your other offline friends. If you pick a gamertag that's online, you can invite them to join your game of Whacked. If you pick someone offline you can take them off your friends list, and if you pick someone with a friend invite they haven't answered, you can cancel the invite. ONLINE OPTIONS This lets you choose if you want to appear as Online or Offline in your Friends' friend lists, and you can also choose a voice mask. ========== 4C. OTHERS ========== These are the other game modes, I just lumped them all in here since they aren't big enough to deserve a whole section each. Note that I didn't bother with the Game Demos thing, since they're different games and all that. --------- REHEARSAL --------- Rehearsal Mode lets you get used to the controls and game mechanics of Whacked! I definitely recommend going through it if you're just starting to play. It can definitely help you get the hang of the controls. ------- THEATER ------- The Theater lets you view the commercials and character movies you've unlocked so far. The list: CINEMATICS How to unlock ---------- ------------- Whacked Intro Let play at startup Today's Contestants Begin a new game Lucy's Interview Let game idle at Main Menu Toof's Interview Let game idle at Main Menu Otto's Interview Let game idle at Main Menu Eugene's Interview Let game idle at Main Menu Lance's Interview Let game idle at Main Menu Charity's Interview Let game idle at Main Menu Lucky's Interview Let game idle at Main Menu Intro to Stage 1 Play game Intro to Stage 2 Finish Stage 1 Intro to Stage 3 Finish Stage 2 Intro to Stage 4 Finish Stage 3 Lucy wins... Finish Stage 4 with Lucy Toof wins... Finish Stage 4 with Toof Otto wins... Finish Stage 4 with Otto Eugene wins... Finish Stage 4 with Eugene Lance wins... Finish Stage 4 with Lance Charity wins... Finish Stage 4 with Charity Lucky wins... Finish Stage 4 with Lucky You Lose... Lose Hell level with anybody Lucy's Prize Beat Hell with Lucy Toof's Prize Beat Hell with Toof Otto's Prize Beat Hell with Otto Eugene's Prize Beat Hell with Eugene Lance's Prize Beat Hell with Lance Charity's Prize Beat Hell with Charity Lucky's Prize Beat Hell with Lucky Epilogue Beat Hell with anybody Charity and Toof Play as Toof or Charity through Stage 2 Otto and Toof Play as Toof or Otto through Stage 1 Lucy and Otto Play as Lucy or Otto through Stage 2 Lance and Lucy Play as Lance through Stage 2 Lance and Eugene Play as Lance through Stage 1 Lucky and Eugene Play as Lucky or Eugene through stage 2 Lucky and Charity Play as Lucky through Stage 3 COMMERCIALS ----------- Earthday Goodbye Doggie Bad Books Freeze Gun How to Walk with a Rock Smiley Happy Filthies Special Report Asson Oil Getaway My First Chainsaw Nateos Scrapple Spank Tank Yolk-O-Matic I've been through the game a few times and honestly can't remember in what order you unlock the commercials. Suffice to say, go through it once and you'll see and unlock them all. CREDITS ------- View the credits -------- SETTINGS -------- Spilt Screen: Horizontal or Vertical (2P mode) SFX Volume: 0-100% Music Volume: 0-100% Voice Volume: 0-100% ======================================================================== 5. IN DEPTH LISTS ======================================================================== ======== 5A. MAPS ======== Here's where I'll give you some playing tips for each map in the game and also tell you about each one's special features. They're in alphabetical order. --------------- ARCTIC PIPELINE --------------- This is a fun map that has both a wide open area on one side, and a smaller, tighter section on the other. The two sides are divided by a big pool of oil, and if you fall into the oil you'll catch on fire. You can close off the "control room" on the smaller side by hitting a switch on top of the pipe on the bigger, open side. If you're on the open side looking over at the smaller side, then the pipe is on your right(The Exclamation Point for this level usually appears up by this switch). When the room is closed off, it catches on fire and usually takes out everyone inside. When playing this map, it's best to stay out of the control room area since people will be quick to close it off and set you on fire, if you are inside it when it closes, try to make it out the little side exit before the flames start, this tunnel leads to an opening at the edge of the smaller side. In King of the Hill(KOH for short) games, the hill will appear in the control room, and in a little section inside the side tunnel, so if you don't see the hill right away when you're outside, it's one of these two spots. I generally stay on the open side and fire weapons across at people on the other side, or try to knock them into the oil when they're crossing to my side. Lobbing splash damage weapons over at the small side has great results. If everyone is on the big, open side then try to stay towards the edges and not run in the middle where everyone can take a shot at you. You can even jump up onto the pipe and rain down some shots from there, alot of people seem to forget about that spot when they're fighting. Of course, to get some more weapons or get to the hill, you'll have to go over to the control room side sometimes. When jumping across be sure to jump right at the edge of the pool, otherwise you might fall in and waste time AND health getting out. There's a pipe on each side of the pool that leads out of the oil if you fall in. When you're fighting in the small open section in front of the control room, you should try to knock people into the oil, especially if you have a good close range weapon. ------- CAN CAN ------- Can Can is the most basic level, and seems to be the most popular online. It's probably my favorite map as well, since it mainly wide open and there's no big map feature that will instantly kill everyone around it. The map is two big open areas divided by a small stream, with a bridge going over the water in the middle of the map. One side is just grass and a small pool at the very back, and the other has some building fronts as a wall, and a small room in the middle with a Can Can dancer sign's legs kicking in front of it. If you get hit by the legs going into/out of the room then you instantly die. Of course, the best weapons and powerups are usually found in that small room, so check in it often, just strafe by and look in, if it's something you want then run in and get it, but by all means don't stay in that room for long. You're a sitting duck in there, and people can just toss in some clusterducks or something to take you out. On the other hand, if you're just running by the room, throw a weapon in there for good measure. Also, avoid using the full length of the bridge, you're an easy target for everyone while you're on it. Go halfway then jump off to one side, or avoid it all together, but just don't stay on it for long. Running under the bridge is a good way to lose Missles and Plungers. Overall this level is pretty basic, it'll be up to you and what weapons you grab to win. Stay on the outer edges when you can, and don't let anyone sneak attack you from under the bridge. If anyone is in the water then let'em have it as they come at you, or run the other way. It's best to strafe across the water, keeping everyone else in your sight as much as possible. --------- CAR CRASH --------- Another basic level, it's comepletely flat and round, except for the big tire in the center and a couple small platforms around the outer edge. This is a great stage for long range weapons since there's hardly any cover to be found. There's also no deadly map feature at all, so it's up to you to take everybody out. Ranged weapons are great in this level, as I said, so stick to the out edges and fire them in at people near the middle. If you get an close range weapon, then by all means rush into the middle and try whack some people, or if everyone is staying near the perimeter, run around it and whack at them there. But you mainly want to stick with the ranged weapons here. This is probably the best level for the Plungers. If you're playing chicken on this level, then try to crowd all the chickens near the tire and shoot at them in groups, or just staple them as they make their way up the ramp to the top of the tire. -------------- CHRISTMAS TREE -------------- This is a small, tight map with alot of small ramps and platforms to jump onto for weapons and stars. In the center is a tree, and constantly turning around that tree is a toy train, if you get hit by the front of the toy train you'll die instantly. Any other part is okay to touch, and it can be used to jump up to platforms as it goes by them. The other feature of this map is the Spank Tank. You have to grab the battery that appear on the other end of the map, on top of a present, then make your way to the tank and stand on top of the tank, in the small "cockpit" area, and hit Attack to use the tank. The tank fires shells that explode from a first person prospective. If someone attacks you while you're controlling the tank, you'll be knocked away. Once the battery is in the tank, anyone can use it, but it runs out after a short time and you have to wait for the battery to re-appear before you can use the tank again. The major question for this map is, "should I go for the tank?" and for the most part I'd say no. You'll do much better just trying to kill people with the normal weapons, but you SHOULD keep and eye out for the battery. If someone has it then they can't pick up anything else, so go after them. You could also grab the battery, then stand over a different weapon to make the battery disappear for a short while so NO ONE can use the tank. If someone is using the tank, you can use the tree in the center, or one of the little side ramps for cover, of if you're close by the tank nail them with whatever weapon you have, or just flatten them with a jumping attack. If you take out someone using the tank, then by all means take over it and fire some shots off, but otherwise let someone else do the dirty work of bringing the battery all the way over to it. Splash damage weapons work well on this map, since it's so small, as well as close range weapons. It's easy to lose Missles, and to a lesser extent, Plungers on this maps because of the little side ramps. Use the train to jump on some of the higher platforms instead of the "step" platforms leading up to them since you're an easy target on those smaller ones. Also, if you're fighting someone up close and the train is coming, try to knock them into the path for a quick kill. You won't get the credit, but you'll take a kill away from them which is just as good. ---------- DEATH WALL ---------- Deathwall is probably the smallest map in the game, and playing here is pure chaos most of the time. It's just a small rectangle of open space surrounded by walls with spikes that stick out of them when someone gets near them. The Shish-Ka-Bob can be lethal on this map, since you can stick someone to a wall and have the spikes take care of them, and any exploding weapon that knocks opponents back can be deadly, not to mention close range weapons that can send them flying. So pretty much any weapon that throws the opponent around is good here, but you should avoid ones like the Shocker that leave you with no control of yourself. Try to stay on one of the long sides of the map, and avoid going into the very middle. Fire your long range weapons at opponents on the other side of the map or in the middle, and try to knock the one's on the same side as you into the walls. ---- HELL ---- Hell is a fairly complex map, but it's centered around a big, open space at the center. On one side of this open space is a big demon statue with some platforms and a chicken cage in front of it. If you land on the chicken cage the two demon hands will grab the cage, and anyone in their way will be killed. On the other side is a pait of lava falls, with a narrow ramp behind them that leads to another chicken cage handing over a lava pool. If you jump on this cage it will sink into the lava, and if you touch the lava falls you'll catch on fire. The key to this map is to stay out of the big center area and punish those who run around it, and to try and knock everyone else into the lava all around you. Pitchforks are great for this, as well as Sticks of Reason. I usually stay on the side with the lava falls, and quickly cross over to the other side if I need weapons or stars. Staying in the big center area is a bad idea. -------- HIGHRISE -------- This is a fairly small map divided into a few platforms with nothing but air between them. Needless to say, falling between the rooftops results in death. The main section of this map is the long, narrow rooftop in the center, there's a billboard with a small ledge on one side of it, and a couple more rooftops on the other. You can use the fans on the corner of the narrow rooftop to reach another, smaller one where a yellow button weapon usually spawns. If you grab the button and hit Attack, a girder swings down across the main rooftop and knocks anybody standing on it off the side. There's also a a couple wooden platforms, if you fall to the lower one the only way up is the two elevator things on the side that bring you to the upper platform. I'm not a big fan of this map, this and spacewalk are probably my two least favorite in the game. It's actually TOO EASY to knock other people off into the abyss, and this map centers around that. Grab a Stick of Reason and go to town. Long range weapons are a good choice as well, since there's no real cover on the map. I usually stay around the center rooftop, away from the billboard side so I can get away from the girder if I hear it coming, and also so I can use the fans to jump away from homing weapons or someone coming at me with a Pitchfork or bat. Avoid the wooden platforms like the plague, unless you can save yourself from falling by landing on the lower one. Otherwise, they're death traps. ---------------- JEFFRY'S KITCHEN ---------------- Another small map, with a total drop off on one whole side and a sink in the middle. The sink has a drain that come suck people down if you hit the switch on the faucet. There's cans and books scattered about that make for some different level platforms. Trying to knock people off the map and avoiding getting knocked off is the name of the game here. Pitchforks and bats are your best friends on this map, and you should always turn the drain on when you're running by just for the hell of it. The small cluster of books on the one end is useful for cover against missles and plungers, the cans on the other end leave you wide open though. The small pathway between the sink and edge of the counter is dangerous to use, if you see anyone on it be sure to send some shots their way. ------- JOYRIDE ------- A very fun map, it consists of two wide open parts, and there's a torch on the raised part of the pick up truck you can use to set everyone on the bed of the truck on fire. To use it you have to jump across to the roof of the cop car and grab the matches, then bring them back and stand near the torch and hit attack. Hold down attack and spray around to get everyone. The pick up will also swerve from time to time, sending you flying to one side or the other, make sure you're down in the bed of the truck when you hear the swerving noise, or you'll be thrown off. For the most part, I don't go after the matches for the torch, usually I let someone else get them then kill'em when they bring them back over to the pick up truck side. If you're holding the matches then you can't use any weapons. Everything goes for this map. Close range weapons can knock enemies off the map, and there's little cover from long range ones. If something IS homing in you, try to run behind the toolbox on the truck side to lose it, it works most of the time. -------- LA BANNO -------- La Banno is an okay map, it's centered around a big, spinning fan and has some different level platforms around the outer edges. You can make the fan spin fast and throw everyone off it by jump attacking the white timer on one of the platforms at the edge. If anyone gets caught in the spining blades they'll die. I stay on the outer parts of this map and fire splash and homing weapons at the other contestants, only going on the fan to get stars or a good weapon. If you're on the fan when it starts blowing you off, try to make it to the closest outside edge, or to the very center of the fan, whichever is closer. --------------- NO TRESSPASSING --------------- This is a fairly open map that's divided into three sections by fences. The center section is a flat road where most of the action takes place, on one side of this road is a flat yard with a couple of swinging scythes going across it's entry gate. If you get hit by them, you die. The other side is a smaller yard with a broken down car at it's entrance, the roof of the car collapses every few seconds and open up a spike pit inside. If you fall into the spikes, suprise, you die. Despite the two lethal features, this map plays fairly straightforward. Long and mid range weapons are your best bet, as close range weapons like the bat will just knock them away from you. Clusterducks and Cleavers are great on this level. Again, try to stay out of the center as much as possible, and always jump over the top of the car. Unless you really need to get into the yard(everyone else is there, or the person with the trophy is hiding out there) with the swinging sickles at the gate, avoid it. It's kinda hard to time the swings, and they come down FAST. ----------- PIRATE SHIP ----------- The ship is a fun map with probably the most lethal stage features. It's a long and narrow map with some high up platforms, on each end is a cannon which will send you flying up to the sails if you jump on them, and at the center are two tank on each side which fire can fly across the boat if you hit the button at the very middle of the boat. Anyone caught in their path will instantly die. The last, and most deadly, feature is the treasue chest in the small map room on the one end of the ship. If you jump attack the chest it will cause the whole ground level of the map to flood, killing anyone who gets caught or falls in the water. The only way to avoid this is to jump in one of the cannons and get shot up to the sail level. On the ground level of this map, long range weapons work well, but once you get up on the sails then it's all about the close range ones and trying to knock everyone else off into the water. Flood the boat as much as you can and try to catch people off guard so they'll drown, you'll pick up one or two quick frags each time you flood, usually. If you ever hear that water gurgling sound though, get to a cannon ASAP. ---------- SPACE WALK ---------- My least favorite map in the game, it's made up of a bunch of small platforms connected by some narrow walkways. At the center of the map is a large, round platform with a ramp leading into an "inside" area, in this area is a switch that will engage the thrusters of the space station. Once they fire everyone will get thrown aroun, and usually off, the map. There's also a couple jump pads to let you jump across to the opposite side of the map quickly. I generally stay in the center section of this map, straying away only to grab a really good weapon like the Cannon. Long range weapons work really well here, but everything pales in comparison to the thrusters. So you'll usually find a lot of the fighting taking place in the center portion of the map because everyone wants to be the one that hits the switch and sends people flying. If you're ever outside and hear the "engage thrusters" sound, then start running in the opposite direction of the way the thrusters push you, you should run towards the side of the map with the big Van Tastic head on it. =========== 5B. WEAPONS =========== This is the list of the Weapons in the game with their stats and a short description of how to use them well. You unlock the weapons by playing through Gameshow Mode. Once they're unlocked, you have them to play with in Battle Mode as well as long as you use the Profile that you used to unlock them. There's three categories of stats in all: DAMAGE: How much energy it takes away from opponents STAR LOSS: The rate which it knocks stars out of enemies FIRE RATE: How fast the weapon fires Each weapon is ranked 1-5 in each stat, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Some weapons are better at damaging your opponent while some are mainly for knocking stars out of 'em. Some weapons fire fairly fast, and some are slow and powerful. -------------- PLUNGER MISSLE -------------- DAMAGE: 3 STAR LOSS: 2 FIRE RATE: 3 The Plunger Missle is a good all around weapon. It's kinda slow and you only get 3 each time you pick'em up, but they pack a punch and cause decent star loss. Whenever I see the Plunger Missles I grab em, fire all 3 at the same opponent and they have little chanve to survive if they can't dodge them well. The splash damage on the plungers is a nice bonus, sometimes you'll take out a couple opponents at once. Overall, the plungers are one of the better weapons in the game, single or multiplayer. The little target on your opponent is a nice way to get them to freak out, hah! Plungers are also very effective in Chicken, and you should grab them whenever you see them. If someone is using the plungers against you, your best bet is to duck into a smaller area of the map and hope that the missles can't follow you in. GO into some twists and turns and try to lose them, otherwise make the best of it and jump away at the last second to avoid the full effect of the missle and only take some splash damage. ------- CLEAVER ------- DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 1 FIRE RATE: 3 While it's stats aren't that hot, I like the Cleaver. You get an unlimited amount of cleavers to throw in 10 seconds or so. If you throw them slowly, one at a time, they have a little bit of tracking ability, but if you throw them quickly they only track a tiny bit. Think of the Cleaver as the basic machinegun in an FPS, not too damaging but you can fire it fast and do okay damage. It actually only takes 5 or 6 cleavers to kill somebody, but getting into the right spot to use them is tricky. They're okay as a close range weapon, and okay at long range, but they're really made for mid range fighting. Get somebody in your sights as they're running away from you or fighting someone else and fire a couple off as you close in. You'll usually get a couple shots in before they realize where the damage is coming from, then you can close in an fire away as they spin to look for you. They're pretty good for Chicken as well, you can rapid fire through a group of the cluckers pretty quickly. Against someone with Cleavers you're best bet is side-stepping and jumping while firing back whatever weapon you have(or running away if you don't have one). The trick is to move side to side to keep the cleavers from homing in on you. ------- STAPLER ------- DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 3 FIRE RATE: 2 A good close range weapon, with decent damage and good star loss, I only use it in Combat, or if there's nothing else around, otherwise I try to get a better up close weapon if I can. Not that I don't like the Stapler, I just like the other weapons better. The slow rate of fire is what kills it for me. Plus it flattens the opponent so you can't inflict any more damage for a short time. While this is useful in King of the Hill games, since you can't gain time while flat, it's it's a con in most other game types. If there's a Stapler right by another, better, weapon, grab the Stapler first then get the other one, the less weapons for your enemies the better. The Stapler is okay in Chicken, but again, there's better weapons to use. Only get it as a last resort. If someone is coming at you with a Stapler and you have no weapon of your own, the jump attack is about your only solution. If you DO have a weapon, then just back up as you wail away at them while they try to get close. ----------- THE SHOCKER ----------- DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 2 FIRE RATE: 5 Another weapon I usually only use as a last resort. You have to get up close to an opponent and you'll connect to them with a bolt of electricity, as long as you don't bump into a wall you'll stay attached to them and constantly make them lose stars and health. You can't control your character while you're attached, you just swing around the person you're connected two. There are a couple reasons I don't like the Shocker, it's range sucks, even when you're close enough to have aim the thing pretty accurately, and when you do connect to someone with it, the low damage and star loss don't really seem worth all the trouble. One cool thing about the shocker, is if two people start shocking each other, they'll circle around each other and kinda float, until one dies or disconnects. If someone is shocking you, run to the nearest wall and bang them into it, then hammer them with some superior weapon. ------------ CLUSTER DUCK ------------ DAMAGE: 3 STAR LOSS: 2 FIRE RATE: 2 Now THIS I like. The cluster duck is basically a bouncing bomb shaped like a little rubber ducky. While 1 duck by itself does pretty good damage, you can hold down the attack button and load up more, up to the whole 5 you pick up. If anyone actually gets caught between three or more ducks, they're usually Whacked. Never throw out just one duck if you can help it, sometime you need to when someone's getting right on you, but most of the time you should be loading up as many as possible. This works great against two opponents fighting each other in close quarters, or to just spam a high traffic area. In King of the Hill games you can do some serious damage with these, heheh. They're also a great weapon for Chicken, as in screen-clearingly great. If you even HEAR a clusterduck nearby, jump and run the hell outta there. The explosion is bigger than a Plunger Missle and does the same amount of damage. If you get stuck in a wave of ducks you have about two seconds to try and minimize the damage, but if you touch one then it automatically goes off. Jump to higher ground or away from walls, or anywhere else except where the pack of ducks are. Most of the time you see them though, it's already too late. ---------- STAR MINES ---------- DAMAGE: 3 STAR LOSS: 2 FIRE RATE: 4 Star Mines, to me, are an okay weapon. Naturally their only good use is in Combat games, but you can place them in some key spots in the other game types to cause some trouble. You just have to decide if it's worth spending the time holding this weapon to do it when you could be grabbing a better one. In Combat games, spread the mines near where stars always pop up on the map, or if you're near where someone got whacked and there's stars everywhere, place 'em in there and watch the others blow up as they run for the stars. Place 'em all in a row by a group of Chickens to take them out when playing that mode. In Combat there's not much to help you in figuring out if a star is a mine or not. If there's too many stars in a spawn spot then that's a clue, or if they're placed around a weapon or something. If you start grabbing stars in a group of them and one blows up, just leave the rest alone if you're still alive. And if you're not playing Combat, then certainly NEVER grab any stars. If you die via Star Mines in Fragfest then you should expect some ragging. --------------- STICK OF REASON --------------- DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 4 FIRE RATE: 2 I love the Stick of Reason(which I'll just call a bat for brevity), it's my favorite close range weapon in Combat, or any other gametype for that matter. The Star Loss is high, especially on the higher levels, and while the damage is just okay, you have a good chance of knocking the opponent off of the map(if it's that type of map) or away from the hill/trophy. About 4 whacks from the bat will kill somebody, if you can keep track of them. Needless to say, I love it when the big red button is Play Ball. The only time I don't use a bat is in Chicken, it's just not good for that gametype. If someone is coming at you with a bat, GET AWAY! Especially if you're on Joyride or Jeffry's Kitchen where it's easy to get sent off the map. Keep a bat-wielding opponent away with long range weapons or just run until they try to whack somebody else. ---------- DODGE BALL ---------- DAMAGE: 0 STAR LOSS: 5 FIRE RATE: 1 In Combat, the Dodgeball is a nice weapon to use when you can, but don't go out of your way to get it. It causes the most star loss, but no damage whatsoever. Press the attack button when you're near a ball to grab it, then attack to throw it. If a ball is being thrown at you, and you don't have a weapon, then hitting attack right before it hits you will let you catch the ball, a very useful skill. You have to be fairly close to someone to guarantee a hit, but as you play more and more it'll be easier to hit people from further and further back. Another tactic is too throw it at a group of people and hope it bounces off a wall and hits someone, or distracts them enough for you to grab another weapon and deal some damage. While catching the ball is always good, if you're not comfortable doing that, just back away from the opponent and jump or sidestep when they throw it. The only time a dodgeball can really get you is if you don't see it coming, which happens alot in the Dodgeball gametype. ------ MISSLE ------ DAMAGE: 5 STAR LOSS: 4 FIRE RATE: 1 The major problem with the missle is how slow it is, which makes it pretty easy to ditch for anyone who's played alot. The missle is a nice choice for those wide open maps though. While slow, the missle has great tracking and can follow better than the Plungers. The damage and star loss are great as well. If you're targeted by a missle and can't see or lose it, then try to get near some other people(or the person who shot it at you) so they can go down with you. ------ CACTUS ------ DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 1 FIRE RATE: 3 I like the Cactus more than the Stapler, even though the Stapler does more star loss. You can stab quicker with the cactus, which helps it's low star loss and okay damage. 3 quick stabs and most players will be pretty low on health. The cactus is also useful in Chicken for smaller groups. As with most other close range weapons, try to get away from someone wielding a cactus or use a longer ranged weapon on them as they try to close in on you. ------ MALLET ------ DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 3 FIRE RATE: 3 I use the maller sometimes, but I don't like the loss of control. If you're on a tight map like highrise, then I wouldn't suggest using the mallet, but it's good for something like Christmas Tree and Joyride. When you grab the mallet you continuously run forward while swinging it. The damage is decent and the star loss is great, you just have to try and swing back around and pick those stars up before someone else can. The best way to avoid a maller is to side jump away from the person, since they can't move side to side all that well. Avoid them then pelt them with something as they run away or try to circle back at you. ---------- FREEZE GUN ---------- DAMAGE: 0 STAR LOSS: 0 FIRE RATE: 5 While it doesn't do any real damage, the harm you can cause with the freeze gun is nevertheless great. Hitting someone with the freeze gun will freeze(wow!) them in a block of ice for a few seconds. You can continue shooting them to blow the block of ice around, this is great on maps with drop offs and hazards. If an opponents dies while frozen from you, you get credit for the frag. Something else to try is to freeze someone then quickly grab a powerful, slow weapon like the missle and let'em have it. Naturally, try to stay away from someone with a freeze gun but if you do get frozen, well, just wait it out and be ready for when you bust out and can inflict pain again. --------- PITCHFORK --------- DAMAGE: 3 STAR LOSS: 3 FIRE RATE: 2 Another awesome close range weapon. Hit the attack button to jab someone, then hold it keep them on there for a few seconds. When you let go you fling the opponent behind you, this(like the Stick and Freeze Gun) is very useful on those maps where you can fall off. Stick someone, run around with them on your stick to drop stars and then fling'em off the map, nice! Again, try your best avoid someone wielding a pitchfork by backing away and shooting ranged weapons at them, jumping doesn't really work since you can get forked in the air, too. I fyou have no weapon, do your best to avoid them by zig zagging and jumping up on higher ground if there's any. If you do get stuck, then just hope that they don't keep you on there too long or throw you off the map... ---- URP! ---- DAMAGE: 0 STAR LOSS: 0 FIRE RATE: 2 The only time the Urp weapon can be effective is in King of the Hill games or on Spacewalk where you have a good chance of knocking someone off. Otherwise the Urp is pretty useless and can only annoy people rather than cause any real damage. If you hold down the attack button the can will shake more and more and the power of the Urp will grow, but even a fully charged urp isn't that great. If someone comes at you with the Urp and you aren't on Highrise or Spacewalk or that type of map, then laugh and kill them with any of the better weapons. Although I will admit that Urp "tug of wars" are pretty fun! -------------- GOODBYE DOGGIE -------------- DAMAGE: 5 STAR LOSS: 4 FIRE RATE: 1 The Goodbye Doggie is a fun weapon, but not one you should hold onto for long. If you grab one fire it off and look for something else. The dog hunts out the current leader and blows up near him, causing mucho damage and star loss. It's a little faster and better tracking than the missle, but it's in the same vein i.e. slow and powerful. If there's a doggie on your tail, KEEP MOVING. Try to get to higher ground and see where it's coming from. Letting the dog get kinda close and then jumping up to higher ground or running AT it and jumping over it are a couple ways to juke the doggie, going into twists and tight areas doesn't work as well as with a missle. ------------ SHISH-KA-BOB ------------ DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 4 FIRE RATE: 2 Delicious and deadly! I love the Shish-Ka-Bob weapon, even though it can be a pain to hit someone with. It's like the sniper rifle of the game. But one shot and your opponent will be sent flying through the air with the skewer in them, then get pinned against the wall. This has many fun uses. In maps like Pirate Ship and Jeffry's Kitchen you can send them clear off the map, while in Death Wall you can pin them and let the spikes get'em. Muhahahaha! Not to mention in combat mode they'll be pouring out stars while they're stuck there screaming. If someone is shooting Shish-Ka-Bobs at you, do your best to juke and jive outta their aim, you DON'T want to be stuck on a wall, where everyone can take some free shots at you. -------- BEE-HIVE -------- DAMAGE: 4 STAR LOSS: 3 FIRE RATE: 1 The Bee Hive is another one shot deal, it's another weapon you should just pick up and fire as soon as you can. You have much better odds when you're up close to someone(watch for the locked on target), but even then the bees can be dodged pretty easily. In the off chance you DO nail someone, chances are they'll freak out and keep moving and let themselves get killed and lose plenty of stars to boot. If you're subject to a bee attack, just stand still. I know it's hard in this game, and you open yourself up to follow up attacks, but if you DON'T stand still you're guaranteed to be dead, whereas if you stop, there's a chance you'll survive and get some payback. So remember, in case of bees STAND STILL! ------ CANNON ------ DAMAGE: 4 STAR LOSS: 4 FIRE RATE: 1 The Cannon is the best long range weapon, bar none. It has huge damage and star loss and an equally huge splash damage radius. The Cannon is great for when you're on higher ground or a little away from the action, you can rain down the destruction on your opponents. It's horrible when you're up close though, you usually end up taking as much damage as your opponent. If someone is shooting cannonballs at you, just get outta there. If they're far away, then take cover behind something, or if they're close try to close in on them to either nail'em with a close range weapon, or at least get a taste of some of the damage, too. ------------ YOLK-O-MATIC ------------ DAMAGE: 2 STAR LOSS: 2 FIRE RATE: 5 Possibly my favorite weapon in the game(this week anyway, heh). While damage and star loss seem low, once you draw a bead on someone and hammer them with the fully automatic egg gun, they're as good as dead. Becoming skilled with this gun will win you many a match, trust me. The key is to not continually fire, but to lay down some nice longish bursts against someone. This helps keep the recoil down as well, since if you just blast away you'll go flying back. If someone is raining eggs down on you, then take cover anywhere you can or try to get out of the way, ANYTHING just don't stand there and take the beating, you won't last long. ----------- STICKY BOMB ----------- DAMAGE: 3 STAR LOSS: 3 FIRE RATE: 3 I'm still not sure if I like the Sticky Bombs or not. You can stick them to opponents by hitting attack when they're near by, and then when they get hit next they'll get some extra damage. I usually grab something else, but I'll admit that Sticky Bombing someone only to have them get PItchforked or Stapled by someone, causing them to both die and giving me credit for 2 Frags is a nice feeling. I guess I'd lump them in the "get rid of ASAP" group. Feel free to pick them up but don't hold on to them for too long. If you get Stickied, then by god you should do your best to stay by the opponent who stuck ya and try to make them feel some of the damage. Or if you're almost dead, and feelin' cheap, just jump off the map and rob the bomber of their Frag. ============ 5C. POWERUPS ============ Powerups appear as Question Marks on the playing field. Generally you want to rush and grab a question mark as soon as you see it, UNLESS you're the leader, in which case it'll most likely be something negative for you. Rarely do you get Armor or Feeding Frenzies when you're up in a game. Powerups only last temporarily. ----- ARMOR ----- When you get armor you turn gold and don't take any damage for a short amount of time. Break out those close range weapons and go to town! -------------- FEEDING FRENZY -------------- A bunch of stars spring out around you, grab them quickly before the other contestants come try to take some. Frenzies can really turn the tide in a Combat game. Be sure to clearly hear if it's a Feeding Frenzy or fReeding fEnzy. --------- DOUBLE UP --------- The Double Up crown doubles every star you pick up, so 1=2. Again use this power up to it's full advantage when you get it, you can really rack up the stars. ------ VACUUM ------ WHen you get the Vacuum powerup you'll suck up all the stars that are near you. Needless to say this makes collecting them MUCH easier. Be careful around Star Mines though, you'll suck them up like normal stars and pay the price! ---------- EL VAMPIRO ---------- Wearing the El Vampiro sombrero will let you suck up your opponent's stars when you're near them, this is a great power up to get if you're stuck in second place in a close game. Just get near the leader and suck up his stars. ------- ON FIRE ------- On Fire means you're, well, on fire. You'll run straight ahead, like when you have the mallet and constantly lose health. The only way to get rid of the fire is to touch somebody else or jump in some water if the map has that. You can also catch on fire from the oil in Alaskan Pipeline and the lava falls in Hell. -------------- FREEDING FENZY -------------- Just like the Feeding Frenzy, except a bunch of Star Mines pop out. Pay attention to what the announcer says before you run to those mines and try to pick them up. I've been in a couple games where everyone flocked to the Fenzy area and died within seconds of each other, funny stuff. ------------ INVISIBILITY ------------ You become invisible, even you're weapon. Close range weapons are great to use while invisible. Run up to someone with a bat and they'll be flying across the screen while wondering what just happened, hah. Also, when you lay Star Mines while invisible the MINES will be invisible as well. Put a bunch near a good weapon or in a high traffic area and watch the carnage. ---------- THE PLAGUE ---------- Just like On Fire, except you keep the plague when you pass it on to someone. You'll gradually lose health and die, so make sure everyone else does too! If someone gives you the plague, then be sure to share it with anyone else not infected. ------- DA BOMB ------- A giant bomb appears over your head, when it goes off, you die. The only way to make this a good thing is to get near as many opponents as you can and take them out as well. ----------------- EXCLAMATION POINT ----------------- Later on in the single player game, and sometimes in online games, an Exclamation Point will appear on the level, the announcer will tell everyone when it happens. If you grab an Exclamation Point then your hand to hand attack will instantly kill anyone it hits. If you get the Exclamation Point, then run around and try to get as many people as you can. If you don't get the EP, then the announcer will say who did, AVOID THEM. Try to take them out with long/mid range weapons if they start coming at you. After 10 seconds or so, or if the person whi the EP dies, the effort wears off. =================== 5D. BIG RED BUTTONS =================== Big Red Buttons appear in Gameshow Mode starting at Stage 2, they change the play of the game temporarily, which can either be harmful or helpful for you, or everybody else. Big Red Buttons spawn in some of the more out of the way places usually, but they're likely to appear wherever weapons do as well. When someone hits the BRB the game stops for a moment while the announcer says what effect the button had. ---------- MISSLEFEST ---------- Everybody gets 3 Missles to fire. This is the most common, and one of the most fun button effects. Fire away and watch the purty explosions! ---------- YOU'RE IT! ---------- The leader gets a giant arrow over their head and everyone else gets unlimited Cleavers. All the stars are removed from the field, and the only way to get them is to hit the leader. If you're not leading, then to to surround and pound the leader and get close. If you ARE the leader, then run like hell. Stay in open areas where it's easier to dodge the cleavers, and try to get all the opponents chasing you from the same side. But basically, just RUN! ------- SCREWED ------- The WORST button effect ever, if you're the leader. All the stars on the map turn your color, and any other stars that anyone else drops turn your color as well. Until you die or the time runs out you can't pick up ANY stars. Yeah, I'd call that screwed. --------- PLAY BALL --------- My favorite button, everybody gets Sticks of Reason and proceed to beat each other silly. Especially fun on little maps with drop offs, and high level Combat games. Watch the stream of stars! ------ MAGNET ------ The leader becomes "magnetized," and everyone else is given 3 Plunger Missles that automatically track the leader. Run and hide in some small corner if you become magnetized, or try to get close to the all the other players so they take some damage as well. --------- MINEFIELD --------- A bunch of star mines fall down onto the map, easy to avoid in anything but Combat games. What can you do but keep grabbing stars and hoping for the best? ------------ ZOMBIE STARS ------------ The sky turns green and eerie music plays. Zombie stars appear all around the map try to suck out your energy. You can kill them with the weapons or jump attack them. Not that big of a deal in most games. ----------- SIMMER DOWN ----------- All weapons are taken away and you can only fight hand to hand, or better, just run around and grab stars. Not much to say except get ready to grab a weapon when they come back. ----- DEATH ----- The sky turns black and everything dims, a giant bone hand stalks the map and if it touches you, you die. Simple enough. In most cases you won't have to worry about the hand, it's pretty slow, but knocking people into it's path is fun. ----------- UPSIDE-DOWN ----------- The screen flips over and everything turns upside down. Not much to do but keep playing and try not to kill yourself too many times before the screen flips back. Definitely a funny effect. ----- SWAP! ----- One of my favorites. Everybody swaps control for a short time. Naturally you should try and kill yourself as soon as possible since you're controlling an opponent. Watching everyone try to die instead of trying to kill each other is a nice change of pace. ------------ FISHEYE LENS ------------ The most disorienting effect, the middle of the screen essentially stays the same but it warps around the edges. While you CAN get used to it after a little bit, it's still a pretty headache-inducing effect. Listen to everyone moan when it activates :) ======================================================================== 6. NEXT REVISION ======================================================================== If there is another update it will just be to expound upon some of the maps, or add any major omissions I might have missed. I hope this guide helps you enjoy the game a little more, and gives you a better grasp of the whacky world of Whacked. Thanks for reading. ======================================================================== 7. ABOUT THE AUTHOR ======================================================================== This is just one of a few FAQs I've written, all of which are available at GameFAQS. A few my FAQs are on various other websites (usually with proper creditO_o) as well. I hope this or any of the other FAQs I've written help you in some way, or allow you to enjoy a game more than before, or maybe just get a good read out of it. If you have any questions about this game, or any other I've written a FAQ for, feel free to drop me an E-Mail. BUT keep in mind a few things: 1. Please don't ask when the next revision will be out, or if I can send it to you, or if I can help you with a part not covered in the FAQ yet. I don't really have a set schedule for these things, and you can pick up the FAQ(s) at GameFAQs. 2. Please don't ask about something already covered in the FAQ. Usually once a FAQ comes out I'm swamped with E-Mails and skip ones that are covered in the FAQ. 3. Don't mail asking for codes, I don't have a Gameshark or keep track of cheat codes or anything. Other than that, I try to answer every single E-Mail I get and am usually pretty good at getting back to people quickly, but sometimes I lose letters in my computer or forget to keep them as new. If I don't answer in a week or so it's safe to say I won't be getting back to you, sorry. My E-Mail address: ProfRev@cox.net === END ===