Gundam Side Story 0079 Tips by vac999 9/24/2000 Finally, a Mobile Suit Gundam game that doesn't suck! The numerous NES, SNES, SEGA Saturn and PlayStation Gundam games over the years have mostly been exercises in excellent graphics but sluggish or awkward game-play. Side Story 0079 finally has game. Not to mention the some of the most detailed graphics on the Dreamcast to date. This section gives tips for unlocking the games' secrets and making the game a little easier to beat. It is divided into these sections. 1. General combat tactics. 2. Uncovering additional mobile suits and weapons. 3. How to make the last stage the easiest stage in the game. 4. Tips for each stage 5. Secret Mission? General Combat Tactics Initiating combat: Press Y to use the sniper scope. Look for enemies in the distance. If you do not see one, then press Y to exit sniper scope and keep looking. When you find an enemy, press B to lock onto it. Fire once (or a few rounds) and then exit the sniper scope. Do not stay in sniper scope, as you can not move while in sniper scope. Distance combat: Press Right-Right or Left-Left to do a booster jump right or left, respectively. This is used to dodge enemy shots. After the enemy shoots, then you shoot before the enemy gets off another shot. When the enemy is ready to shoot, then do another booster jump. Repeat this cycle until the enemy falls and explodes. Also, back up if the enemy tries to rush you. This way you can avoid close combat. If your boosters are over-heated, then press the right-trigger to raise your shield for protection. Playing cat and mouse games like hiding behind a building and popping out only to shoot helps too. Close Combat: Press Up-Up for a forward booster jump. Use this to ram the enemy and knock them down (only if you have a small or medium shield). Press Up-A for a strike from above or just A for a side-to-side slash. The enemy can block slashes (as can you with right-trigger) so do not always use the same attack. Right or left booster jumps and jumping up and flying overhead (hold left-trigger, hold up) are used to catch the enemy off guard. Your opponent likes to use these tactics too. To escape close combat, jump up and fly backwards (hold left-trigger, hold down) until your sword is down. Note: Fighting Zakus in close combat is easy. They are slow. Fighting Goufs and Geloogs in close combat is difficult, but possible. Please do not fight DOMs in close combat. They are very fast, very slippery, and they like to work in pairs. Try to avoid fighting two enemies in close combat also. One usually shoots from a distance to stun you while the other slashes you while you are down. Also have your wingmen avoid close combat so they last longer. Uncovering Additional Mobile Suits and Weapons Additional Weapons: Prototype Particle Beam rifle: You always get one for mission 3. After you beat the game once at any difficulty, you can enable this weapon in any stage of the game. Regular Particle Beam rifle, Spray Gun, Lunar Titanium (more armor), and quick recharge: After you beat the game once at any difficulty, you can enable one of these two weapons in any stage of the game. Cockpit Photos!: Also available after you beat the game once. RX-77D: If you project the Medea transport from the two Goufs in mission 4, you will have the option of using the RX-77D Gun-Cannon for missions 5, 6, 7 and 8. I only recommend it for missions 7 and 8. Your wingmen should have them for missions 5, 6, 7 and 8 so they last longer. It has NO hand-to-hand combat ability. Save the dual shoulder cannon shots since they have limited ammo. Despite the limited maneuverability, the RX-77D is the best suit for fighting DOMs. Use booster jumps to dodge their shots while you hit them with dual machine guns. If they try to initiate close combat, switch to the shoulder cannons and pound them. The DOMs stagger back after every hit. Also, they can not survive 3 or 4 shoulder cannon shots at close range. The added armor (1500, almost double the RGM-79) really helps too. RGM-79SP: The 'sniper' version of the RGM-79 is only available for mission 9. It is also required that you use it for mission 9. It has 200 more armor and 100 more shield points than the RGM-79. It's the one of the suits from Gundam 0080 'War in the Pocket'. The verniers are nearly inexhaustible in this suit. You can fly back to avoid close combat or stay in the air to pound enemies hiding behind buildings. Suit Armor RGM-79 800 RGC-80 900 RX-77D 1500 RGM-79SP 1000 Zaku II 400 Zaku II-S 600 Zaku II-Cannon 600 Gouf 600 Goog 600 Rhinoceros 1200 Geloog 1200 How to make the last stage the easiest stage in the game. Stage 9: The Geloog is difficult to defeat, but not unreasonably so. The Rhinoceros (made just for this game) is unreasonably difficult to defeat unless you use some trickery. When the mission starts send Fang2 and Fang3 to attack the Geloog. You then go up (north) until you see the Rhinoceros. It's a Zaku head and body inside an elongated tank. First, face the tank. Then hold your shield up and walk towards it. Your shield may be destroyed before you get there, but it protects you from most of the damage. Stand right in front of the tank. Now you are under the main cannon and missile launchers. You can not be hurt (badly)! Also, the tank is immobilized! Now shoot the Zaku head until the tank explodes! Fang2 and Fang3 should defeat the Geloog before you get back from defeating the Rhinoceros. Then destroy the two HLVs and end the mission! If you want to be a glory hog and defeat the Geloog and the Rhinoceros single handedly (a difficult task), send Fang2 and Fang3 to fight the Rhinoceros while you finish of the Geloog. You must finish of the Geloog quickly though. Then finish of the Rhinoceros as stated above. Fang2 and Fang3 will be destroyed though. A better way to beat the Rhinoceros is to get a lock on it and jump into an HLV trench. Then use a booster jump to pop out and shoot it. Fall back down before it can fire back. Repeat until it is destroyed. This way you can pick it off and take little damage. Stage Tips and Secrets Stage 1: This is an even stage. There is an open plain with few hills for hiding. There are three Zakus to challenge your three mobile suits. It's best to pick them off one at a time if possible. Once you lock onto one, you and one wingman attack it while the other wingman guards against other enemies. If you use the RGM-79, practice throwing grenades here. Shoot the anti-air guns after the Zakus are beaten. Stage 2: Avoid going into the city! Walk around the city and take out the gun turrets in the north, then in the south-east of the city. Fang2 and Fang3 can just guard the hover-truck. Once the turrets are gone, hit the train as it enters the south of the battlefield. Do not try to hit the Gouf before the train is stopped. Your shots will not damage it. It's you choice whether or not to fight the Gouf. If you do fight, jump back into the city where the Gouf will have difficulty maneuvering. Then slice it to ribbons in close combat. BTW... Destroying the water tanks lowers control over the central area and destroying buildings lowers public opinion. Just be wary of that. Stage 3: The particle beam rifle will take out any Zaku in 2 to 3 shots. Find the three Zakus and destroy them quickly. After the Zakus are down, climb the strip of mountain in the center of the field. Stop when you get to the north edge. Have Fang2 and Fang3 get ahead of you to guard you from additional enemy suits. When the Gaw appears, hit the bomb bay first. Then, go for the four engines. One direct shot should destroy each part. The target may aim a little low because the Gaw is moving. Nudge the target up just a little to ensure a direct hit. You can use a booster jump to get closer if you want. Once the Gaw starts going down, escape. Stage 4: Listen to the entire initial briefing and call to see a newscast of the Federal forces take California base before the mission. The three Zakus hiding in the mine are easy to beat. They have cannons on their backs, so you may want to put your shield up as you approach them. The Goufs that follow the transports are far more difficult, especially if you've been heavily damaged. The number of Goufs that chase the Medea varies from 2 to 3. If you leave one of the Zakus alive, there are only two Goufs. Three Goufs may appear if all Zakus are destroyed, or if one Gouf is defeated quickly. Have your player attack the Gouf that goes straight for the Medea. Goufs can dodge rockets and grenades, but not machine guns. Avoid close combat if possible. The RGC-80's shoulder cannon can be a great asset in this fight. Stage 5: Have your wingmen use the RX-77D, but keep a RGM-79 for yourself. The Googs that show up later are good at hand-to-hand combat. The first two Zakus are easy to find and defeat. Then find the submarine (southeast of the map). You can sneak up on it by walking in the canals. Destroy the missile launching pods on the south end first. Grenades or rocket launchers are good for this. Then destroy the rest of the sub. Do not forget to shoot the parked helicopter too. Few people hit the second helicopter in the air though. An alternative way of destroying the sub is to go underwater and hit it's belly with grenades or the rocket launcher. This also protects you from the missiles. The hard part is defeating the Googs. Their chest cannon does heavy damage and they are pretty good and hand-to-hand combat. To dodge the chest cannon, wait for their chest to glow. Then jump to avoid the blast. Once you get the timing right, they should be easy to defeat. Pound them between shots. Your shield can only take 3 or 4 of those blasts though. In hand-to-hand combat, ram them to stun them. Then slice them. They have trouble blocking the beam saber. Stage 6: Get behind one of the two hills in the crater. Then pick off the DOMs as they find you. Use the RX-77D Gun-Cannon against the DOMs. When the Gallop appears, hit the front-center cannon first. Then hit the top-center tower to take it out. If you are partially behind a hill or the crater's rim, then the Gallop may not be able to hit you. However, you should still have a clear shot at it. Two Zakus appear after the Gallop is destroyed, so be prepared. Stage 7: Before the mission, read mail from Anita to see a newscast of the Feddies taking Solomon base. No RX-78 Gundam shots though... This is the same scenario as stage 1, but with three DOMs instead of Zakus. Use RX-77D Gun-Cannons and try to pick them off one by one. Taking out the DOMs just takes practice. If you're fast you can get to the DOM near the nuclear weapons storage dome before it moves. Two Zakus may be sent in later as reinforcements. Do not shoot the dome with the nukes! It will go off and end the mission (not to mention you). Nukes are not detonated by pressure so damaging them should not do that... Stage 8: The RX-77D is best here because of its heavy armor. It is very easy to be destroyed if you try to enter from the front. So enter the fortification from the side. Take out the big guns (MEGA) at the corners of the inner fortification first. Their shooting pattern is the same as the Googs in stage 5, so you should be able to dodge them. Once the long-range guns are out, jump to the inner fortification and take out the little guns. Have Fang2 and Fang3 take out the two Zakus after you reach the inner fortification. Once the inner fortification targets are destroyed, destroy the turrets on the two mountains in the middle of the field. Then the four-headed craft (ADZAM) appears. Use the shoulder cannons to hit each of the four pods on the craft. With Fang2 and Fang3 assisting you, this should not be too hard. The RX-77D should have enough armor to withstand the missile attacks (it is common to loose the head of your mobile suit though). Use a booster jump to get closer if desired. Best time record: Fang1 MS destroyed 10 Zaku II, 3 Zaku II-S, 4 Zaku II-Cannon, 2 Gouf, 2 Goog, 4 DOM, 1 Geloog, 1 Rhinoceros, 1 Gaw, 1 Jukon, 1 Adzam, 1 Gallop, 2 HLV. MS lost: 2. Fang 2 MS destroyed 3. Fang 3 MS destroyed 4. Control: Northern Area 100%, Central Area 95%, Southern Area 95%. Total Control 96%. Technique 69. Command ability 81. Public opinion 100%. Time 00:38:50. Typical Record (no VMU): Fang1 MS destroyed 6 Zaku II, 4 Zaku II-S, 4 Zaku II-Cannon, 2 Gouf, 2 Goog, 2 DOM, 1 Geloog, 0 Rhinoceros, 1 Gaw, 1 Jukon, 1 Adzam, 1 Gallop, 2 HLV. MS lost: 2. Fang 2 MS destroyed 8. Fang 3 MS destroyed 3. Control: Northern Area 90%, Central Area 95%, Southern Area 95%. Total Control 94%. Technique 64. Command ability 89. Public opinion 100%. Time 00:54:41. Secret mission? In the Japanese version you get a code at the end of the game. Give the code to Bandai before 9/31/1999 and they send you a second disk with a single mission. The mission takes place on a simulator in White Base! You, with Fang2 and Fang3 use RGM-79SP s uits against the original RX-78 Gundam, RX-75 Gun-tank and RX-77 Gun-Cannon. I've heard the Gundam is nearly impossible to beat. It can be purchased at import game stores. You can only play it on a Japanese Dreamcast (or 'modified' American Dreamcast) with a saved Japanese game. I bought one. I've covered this game in another document. All pictures are copyrighted by BANDAI and SEGA of America, 4/27/2000.