~B
TWISTED METAL 2 - CHARACTER FAQ v2.0 - (1-31-97)
by Graham Fredrick fredga01@holmes.ipfw.indiana.edu
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This FAQ is actually intended to be a strategy guide for each of the
different vehicles in TM2. I won't talk about any secret stuff other
than the codes for Minion and Sweet Tooth (i.e. no extra tracks)
If you would like to discuss strategies or add something to this FAQ,
please contact me at "fredga01@holmes.ipfw.indiana.edu"
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I'm really sorry if I missed someone in the credits section (I'm sure
I'm missing at least one); it seems like sometimes when I tried to
edit the file, it would act like it saved changes but in actuality
did nothing. As a result, some strategies (one using Grasshopper)
are lost in limbo.
FAQ CONTRIBUTORS:
Michael R. Baraniecki
Getting rid of fire, Grasshopper strategies
Jio
Crash and Bash strategy
Charles Raimond
Moscow and Spectre strategies, debunking a hoax
Joel L. Hoffa
Minion special attack
Sean Sullivan
Amazonia ambush points
XvVWVvX@aol.com
Health code
Todd Bangerter
Grasshopper strategies, Roadkill strategies
Jason M Haugh
New York strategies, Hong Kong strategies (?)
Jordan Galloway
Hammerhead strategies
Rverwnd@aol.com
Grasshopper strategies
And thanks go to the following for posting the FAQ on their pages:
Lawerence F. Mize, Jr.
"http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~lmize1/tm2/"
Also thanks for putting the FAQ into HTML format
Mark Tseytlin
"http://pw1.netcom.com/~mzt/cheats.shtmll"
Brian L.
"http://members.aol.com/blandel/psx/"
Joel L. Hoffa
"http://www.mindspring.com/~hospcom/PSX/FAQs/"
Jeff Veasey
"http://www.gamefaqs.com/"
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General Strategies:
Numbers after the Advance Attack show how much energy is used in
pixels. Your energy bar holds about 47 points, and its color is very
helpful: Green means 19-47 points, Yellow means 6-18 points, and Red
means 0-5 points.
Attacks are arranged in a general order of usefulness.
Ice (L,R,U, 19) can be used to stop your opponent and set them up for
another attack. They are completely vulnerable and can't break out
of the ice, unlike TM1. It also causes slight damage. A basic combo
is to ice someone and follow up with your special. Ice will melt
after about 4 seconds.
Napalm (R,L,U, 19) is helpful if you don't have any Napalm weapons.
It explodes on impact for some good damage and also sets the enemy
car on fire, draining even more energy. A Napalm blast will stay
burning for about 5 seconds.
Shield (U,U,R, 19) is very useful since it prevents any damage
against you. It only lasts three seconds and uses a lot of energy,
but vehicles with little armor can use this to be even stronger.
Even though the Shield stops actual damage, you still get knocked
away from bombs and specials. Don't assume you're safe in New York
if you put up a Shield.
Rear Attack (L,R,D) sends your highlighted weapon shooting out behind
you. Unless you have a good homing weapon, you could easily miss.
One benefit is that it doesn't use ANY advance attack energy.
Minion's Special (U,D,U,U,R2 42) is somewhat useful in 2P mode, and
a little more dangerous in a tournament since it drains most of your
Advance Attack energy. This attack gives cars with weak specials an
extra gun for thier arsenal. Use it carefully.
The Mine (R,L,D, 6) can be useful in tunnels or narrow spaces
(Amazon, Hong Kong) or in places where you know enemy cars will go
(landing places from warps in Paris and Antarctica). They are also
good for enemies on your tail. You can try to drop them near the
edges of cliffs, but enemies probably won't hit them since they
disappear after 15 seconds.
Jump (U,U,L, 6) is more of a utility than a weapon, although you
can get out of some bad situations with Jump and turbo, since it
doesn't cost as much as Shield.
Invisibility (R,D,L,U, 19) is utterly useless. It lasts for 4
seconds, but anyone with a radar, including the CPU, still knows
where you are.
You can shoot Ice or Napalm backwards by using the Rear Attack
followed by Ice or Napalm. This only works if no weapons are
highlighted. This includes when you run out of weapons *AND* after
you run out of one type of weapon. There is a small window where no
weapon is selected. You can enter the code in there and it will
still work. A good idea is to keep only 1 fire missle so you can
access the rear-ice in an emergency.
Large characters can be easily punished by Napalm shots. Just stand
right next to them, release the Napalm, and it will hit them on the
way up.
The most effective way to get rid of flames on your car is to use a
quick burst of turbo. Activating your Shield and driving into water
also puts out the flames. On the other hand, Ice doesn't put out
flames (???). After you use Napalm try to Ice the person again and
wait for the flames to die out on thier own befor attacking.
To turn around on a slope without moving or getting your directions
messed up, press brake while you turn. This comes in handy in the
Hong Kong subway.
Some CPU cars just love to ram you. Axel, Grasshopper (with her
special), and Mr. Slam are just a few. You can use this behavior
to your advantage in cliff levels. Just wait near an edge, jump
and turbo away, and the other car will often go plummeting over the
edge. This can be simpler or faster than using weapons or mines.
Also, in Amazonia, you can bait the ramming cars so that they drive
on the lava over the tunnel instead of going in after you. The lava
gradually drains their energy; just make sure you grab the health
before you try it.
CRASH AND BASH
All you have to do is just aim for any opponent vehicle's side and
keep pressing the turbo button to crash the vehicle. The opponent's
vehicle will then keep flipping sideways if your crash is successful.
Meanwhile in your crash, keep shooting and using all of your specials
and weapons. The opponent will die in no time.
This is easier to do after you ice someone, but not necessary. It
seems that the lower your armor is, the harder it is to do without
taking a lot of damage yourself. Placement is somewhat tricky
when you use smaller cars because sometimes you will end up being
flipped instead. This is really helpful if you run out of weapons
and you can't ice the other car. Nothing's more fun than a kamikaze
attack!
RUNNING CIRCLES
If you are low on life and you're fighting a CPU car, try setting
the view to Helicopter mode and drive backwards in circles. If you
judge correctly when to turn, the car will almost always miss you.
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AMBUSH POINTS
There are certain areas where any car can effectively destroy most
opponents with little risk to themselves. These are ambush points.
Always destroy Spectre first to avoid getting knocked out of
place, and also watch for Warthog and his long range missiles.
Generally, cliffs, tunnels, and teleporters are the ideal places.
Specifically:
LOS ANGELES
Useless against the CPU but helpful in 2P battles, you can hide in
smoking buildings and attack while your enemy is puzzled as to where
you are. If you are desperate, you can use the cage, tunnels, or
roofs of tunnels. However, these places offer little protection.
MOSCOW
Although it's not a perfect ambush point, there are some good spots
for picking off other drivers. In L.A. stock up on Homing missiles
and save at least one remote bomb. When you get to Moscow, set the
remote bomb off on the purple pad to destroy all of the bridges.
Then wait on the edge of one of the destroyed bridges and use the
homers to destroy the other cars.
PARIS
There are three good areas in Paris, in order of decreasing help.
First there is the Louvre (the building at the end of the street
facing the Eiffel tower). Enemies will teleport up and drive right
off the edge, making easy targets. Also, you can do it in the
Eiffel Tower before it gets blown to smithereens. Lastly, use the
very narrow diagonal side streets as perfect ambush points.
AMAZONIA
Get some remote bombs and power missiles and hide in the tunnel or
a temple with a small opening. In the tunnel you can drop the
remote at the opening or use mines, and then follow up with
missiles or Napalm since the path is sloped upward. In the
temples, set the remote in front of the entrance and maneuver to
the side so that the polygons disappear and you can see outside.
A third great spot is the temple with the ramp leading to the
top. From there, you can slam anyone coming up the ramps with
ice, homing missiles, or remote bombs. Helicopter view helps
you keep track of who is coming up the ramp. These strategies
are perfect against Minion.
These tactics are perfect against Minion.
NEW YORK
The teleporter that ends up on top of the green glass building is
perfect. Park yourself so that your back is to a barricade and ice
and ram/ricochet anyone who goes up. A more risky spot is the
swimming pool. Drop a remote bomb (from the locker room) right
where the cars fall and blast them with your special.
If you're playing 2P, these areas won't be accessible. Instead
you should collect the ricochet bombs (grey parking deck, brown
ramp, building with signs). Take the teleporter back to the grey
deck and go to the lower level. From there, you can aim your car
at the ramp and use the ricochet bombs to knock off any cars that
drive down the ramp. If you're lucky, some cars will even fall
off of nearby buildings trying to get to you. This strategy is
great even in 1P mode.
ANTARCTICA
The epitome of the perfect ambush is the teleport to the small
island. There you can find ricochet bombs that can be fired on
cars exiting the warp. One well-positioned bomb will put any car
into the icy ocean. Plus, the rest of the level will disintegrate
while you wait patiently on the solid island. (Note: Only CPU
cars will appear on the actual teleporter. The second player will
end up nearby, but not close to the edge.)
HOLLAND
Holland has few places to hide. You can use the windmills as
bases, but they are quickly demolished by the enemy cars. You can
use the tall crops if you are using a small vehicle, playing 2P,
and the radars are turned off.
HONG KONG
This level is like a cross between Amazonia and New York. The
subway tunnels act like the Amazon tunnels, the teleporter in the
temple is like the glass building in NY, and the small sidestreet
next to the harbor can be used as a cliff if you have a pop-up
weapon. Sometimes you can use the subway trains to your advantage
if any enemies try to chase you down the track. Just use a Ricochet
to knock the car into the path of an oncoming train. They'll roll
long enough for you to freeze them. Just make sure this doesn't
happen to you.
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DAMAGE APPROXIMATIONS
Fire Missile less than 2
Homing Missile less than 2
Remote Bomb starts greater than 5, decreases with distance
Power Missile less than 4
Napalm initial blast about 4, fire damage adds up to 8
Lightning two blasts of about 2 each, total around 4
Ricochet Bomb starts near 2, increases with time
Ice Blast less than 2
Land Mine greater than 3
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AXEL
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: ***
Special: *** - 3 points, decreases with distance
Speed: ** - 101 top, 138 turbo
One of the new characters, Axel is the large guy stuck between the
two huge wheels. He is a good all-around large character. His
special damages everyone around him plus makes them jump into the
air, somewhat incapacitating them. Unfortunately his low speed and
large size makes him an easy target.
Strategies as:
1) If there is a group of cars smashing each other, turbo past them
and release your special attack to damage most of the enemies. Also
try ramming the center of the pack and then using the special
repeatedly. The cars won't be able to escape fast enough to avoid
all of the attacks.
2) When you freeze someone, drive up and stop right next to them.
Use your special to pop them up and strike them with Napalm or press
(R,L,U) if you don't have any. This can be followed up with a
ricochet bomb, ram, and another freeze for a very damaging push-back
combo. If you use this on a human, they will probably have enough
time to shield themselves.
3) Use your special as a substitute for mines. Wait on an edge in
New York for an enemy to come screaming towards you, activate your
Shield to prevent icing, and use you special as the come towards you.
Try to park in front of a barricade in case the other car uses bombs.
In a tunnel, the bouncing effect causes even more damage.
Strategy against:
In case you didn't notice, every CPU controlled character does
something you would never be able to do. Axel uses his special
attack multiple times, sometimes 3 or 4. Keep your distance and use
anything you can that doesn't require you to get close (Ice, Napalm,
Homing Missiles). If you do get trapped, immediately use Shield and
turbo away.
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GRASSHOPPER
Handling: Tight
Armor: *
Special: ** - greater than 4
Speed: *** - 119 top, 157 turbo
Probably the hardest vehicle to use against the CPU, Grasshopper
looks suspiciously like Pit Viper from TM1, but the special is quite
different. This is Grasshopper's only strong point: her weak armor
and mediocre speed make her hard to use well.
Strategy as:
1) Simply activate your Shield when you use your special attack to
avoid taking any damage. This leaves you some time to retreat or
attack some more.
2) To avoid getting hit out of your special, Jump and then use your
special attack. Drop a mine as you retreat and the car will usually
hit it.
3) For some extra damage, use your special far enough from your
enemy so that you land and are turboing towards them. Now that
you're rocketing straight for them, you can use lots of missiles
before you even hit them.
4) Since the special plants you right next to your target, release
some napalm after you ram for some good damage.
5) Similar to one of Thumper's strategies (explained below), you
can repeatedly use your special and re-freeze your opponents.
Although Grasshopper's special isn't as strong as Thumper's,
the faster recharge plus extra weapons can even up the score.
Strategy against:
Grasshopper can be a nightmare if she's right next to you, so keep a
little distance. If she does her special, drive backwards and hit
her with anything. Homers or napalm usually works well. Avoid her
rear ice and pummel her whenever she's on the ground. Some
characters' specials are very effective at taking her out of the air.
Twister, Axel, and Outlaw-2 can knock her right out of the Leap 'n'
Slam.
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HAMMERHEAD
Handling: Sluggish
Armor: ***
Special: *** - greater than 4
Speed: * - 94 top, 138 turbo
This rather large monster truck has not changed from TM1. He's still
a great up-close fighter, good for ramming and driving over opponents
with his special. Since it is automatic, you can't miss, letting you
concentrate on other attacks. For such a large vehicle, Hammerhead
has light armor.
Strategies as:
1) Whenever you drive over an enemy, drop a mine for extra damage.
2) Try to stay under 75 MPH if you want the special to activate.
Otherwise, you might end up ramming the car. If you go slow enough,
you can stay perched on top of the car; the longer you stay on, the
more specials will be used.
3) With some practice, you can actually turn Hammerhead into
Grasshopper. It takes some practice to do, but you can do the Jump,
use turbo's to navigate to your enemy's position, and hopefully you
can hit them. This can also be applied to any car, similar to the
Crash 'n Bash tecnique.
Strategy against:
Hammerhead is fairly easy to beat. He seems to have plenty of Power
missiles, but is otherwise slow and simple to destroy. No real
strategies are really needed, just avoid the ice that he uses when
he is far away.
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MINION - (L1, U, D, L)
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: *****
Special: ***** - greater than 8
Speed: **** - 126 top, 168 turbo
Definitely the strongest contender that can be played without a Game
Shark, Minion is a wonderful vehicle. He is somewhat different from
other vehicles, but plays like a cross between Warthog and Hammerhead
with some speed added in. His special is like Warthog's with an ice
attack added on, and he is so large that he can roll over any enemy
with ease. Plus his special builds up quickly. You won't be able
to continue with him, and you'll have trouble convincing your friends
to let you play as him, but he is obviously the most powerful car
in the game.
Strategies as:
1) A simple special combined with a ram should take any car to at
least 50% health or less. Just don't go after too many cars at once
and you'll be fine.
Strategy against:
Since you face Minion on the Amazonia course, use the ambush points
and remote bombs to their fullest. Often, if you hide in a temple
with a narrow opening, Minion will just drive back and forth
mindlessly, leving you some free shots.
Note: Hammerhead can't usually drive over Minion. Try Jumping to get
on top.
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MR. GRIMM
Handling: Tight
Armor: *
Special: ***** - greater than 8
Speed: **** - 124 top, 166 turbo
Mr. Grimm is the small ghoul riding the fast motorcycle. His special
weapon is probably the most powerful in the game. It is quite large,
moves fast, and can take off nearly 40-50% of a life bar. Another
good thing is that it won't remove the ice from a trapped car.
It doesn't home in on enemies, so make sure you have a clean shot.
Mr. Grimm's downfall is his lack of armor, but a Shield is all you
need. If you want to beat the game quickly, Mr. Grimm is probably
your best choice.
Strategies as:
1) Since the special doesn't free frozen opponents, use it often to
destroy your opponents. Run away and wait until you get another
special and hunt down your next victim. He can be very powerful in
Paris and Hong Kong where you can lose your opponents in the winding
streets.
2) Similar to mines, you can wait at a warp point (especially in
the Louvre at Paris) and ambush your enemies. If the Eiffel Tower
hasn't fallen, almost nobody can hurt you if you wait on the Louvre's
roof.
Strategy against:
Mr. Grimm is probably the least cheesy of all the CPU characters,
but that still doesn't say much. NEVER drive behind or head-on when
facing him, because he can only shoot it straight. He is so small
that any car can ram him and cause major damage. If you can ram his
side, he can get knocked over. Follow this with Ice and your choice
of attacks.
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MR. SLAM
Handling: Sluggish
Armor: ****
Special: ***** - slams add up to 9, less than 4 on largest vehicles
Speed: * - 91 top, 138 turbo
A new character, Mr. Slam is a huge bulldozer with an even larger
pair of chompers, used for slamming (what else?) your enemy multiple
times. He's quite powerful since he has a strong special attack and
thick armor. Unfortunately, he is extremely large and moves slowly,
making him a sitting duck. Watch out for Hammerhead, Minion, and
Dark Tooth; their vehicles are too large to be picked up with the
special.
Strategies as:
1) A great CPU killer is to load up on weapons and grab a car. Use
everything you have (Napalm,Power,Homers) and re-ice or ram and
repeat. Cars are somewhat vulnerable when you slam them since they
get turned sideways. Also try driving against a wall for more
damage. Watch out for human opponents: they CAN use a shield while
getting slammed.
2) Mr. Slam can be brutal on the cliff levels. Even if an enemy
puts up a Shield, you can turbo-ram them right off the edge. Just
be careful you don't drive off the edge, too.
3) Nothing is more fun than picking up a vehicle and using it as a
shield! This is EXTREMELY helpful in Holland. All you have to do
is pick someone up and the CPU characters will blast the car, trying
to get at you.
4) The Crash and Bash move works very well with his special, since
the enemy vehicle is already turned to the side.
Strategy against:
Mr. Slam is one of those characters that just loves to ice you to
death. Whenever his is far to mid range away, he will continually
shoot ice, missiles, and bullets. Either stay close or stay away.
He shouldn't be too hard to take down with Ice. Oddly, sometimes
he will ice you and move in for the kill but turn away at the last
moment. Capitalize on this.
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OUTLAW-2
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: **
Special: *** - two hits, add up to 4
Speed: **** - 126 top, 168 turbo
Outlaw-2 is slightly different from the TM1 incarnation. The taser
special now pops the enemy up in the air and can be used similar to
Axel's special, since it hits one person near the car. Remember that
it damages when you first hit and when it shuts off. Outlaw's speed
makes ramming a breeze, but the bad handling plus the speed make her
tricky to use on levels like New York.
Strategies as:
1) Outlaw plays very similar to Axel: you can drive by a group of
cars and use your special or pop someone up and Napalm them or set
them up for a combo. Similarly, you can wait by an edge, use the
taser, and the enemy will float right off the edge.
2) Position yourself next to a building or a wall in the course.
When an enemy comes at you, use the special and the enemy will bounce
along the wall, racking up damage.
Strategy against:
Outlaw tends to be the last person on the course because she is
difficult to approach. Treat her like Axel and you should be safe.
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ROADKILL
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: **
Special: *** - greater than 2, near 9 on return trip
Speed: *** - 117 top, 156 turbo
Roadkill has changed quite a bit from TM1. His special is now a
boomerang that becomes extremely powerful on it's return trip and can
take about 1/3 off a life bar. Another good plus is that if the
boomerang makes its way back to the car, it will go back into the
special move stockpile. They also seem to regenerate quickly.
Plus he's the only game character who KNOWS he is a game character!
Strategies as:
1) Above all else, practice using the special on a nice flat course
so you can find out it's range, like with Warthog. Since you can
fire the boomerangs quickly, you can kill opponents with a few well
timed blasts.
2) Like the above strategy, freeze someone and drive up right next
to them. Turn your car slightly and rapidly shoot your special.
This can take down nearly every car.
3) I haven't mastered this yet, but you can get the boomerang to
spin around you, making a powerful offensive Shield. It takes a lot
of practice, but is very useful.
Strategies against:
Roadkill can be the most devastating opponent because he has no
problems with repeatedly freezing you at point blank range. You
might get lucky and he might turn away like Mr. Slam,
but don't count on it. Hit and run tactics are very helpful.
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SHADOW
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: **
Special: **** - about 5, decreases with distance
Speed: *** - 112 top, 149 turbo
Another newbie, Shadow takes a little bit of practice to use
effectively. His special attack acts much like a cross between a
ricochet and and a remote bomb: it hugs the ground as it travels
and damages everyone around it when it explodes. Make sure you never
detonate it too close to yourself. It is very damaging and useful
for large groups of cars.
Strategies as:
1) Since the special can't be fired rapidly, you'll need some good
combos. Try freezing someone, shooting a special quickly followed by
a Napalm blast and some more ice. Or, begin by freezing and planting
a remote bomb, back off and do the special/Napalm attack.
2) Since it pops enemies in the air, use it like Axel's and
Outlaw's as a substitute for mine attacks (cliffs and tunnels).
Just remember to stay clear.
3) Always look for unusual shots, especially in 2P mode. Since the
attack is small and dark, it can be a deadly surprise in Holland or
dark colored rooftops.
4) Yes, Shadow has a magic distance like many other cars. In this
case, you can repeatedly use his special to keep your enemies in the
air. Since you can't fire as rapidly as most other weapons, yo'll
have to experiment to find a good place to be.
Strategy against:
Like Mr. Grimm, avoid trailing or facing Shadow head-on. He's too
eager to blast you away. Going for his side is easy because of his
average speed, handling, and the length of his frame.
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SPECTRE
Handling: Tight
Armor: *
Special: **** - less than 3
Speed: **** - 129 top, 171 turbo
I haven't used Spectre very much, but his special missiles are very
handy since they pass through obstacles. His armor is so weak that
you'll need them often to get out of jams. They also knock a person
slightly backwards, interrupting whatever they were doing.
Strategy as:
1) A great strategy is to hide behind buildings or other obstacles
and aim Spectre towards the dots on your radar. Once you're lined
up, use the special missles for a sure shot.
Strategy against:
Spectre is one of the most annoying CPU characters in the game, IMHO.
I ALWAYS take him out first to keep him from disrupting my attacks on
other people. Since his armor is so weak, any type of frontal
assault will demolish him quickly.
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SWEET TOOTH - (U, L1, Tri, R)
Handling: Sluggish
Armor: ****
Special: *** - greater than 3
Speed: * - 91 top, 138 turbo
Sweet Tooth is the semi-hidden ice-cream truck that sticks out like a
sore thumb. Anybody who can beat the game with this vehicle deserves
an award. He's slow, huge, has a weak special, plus you don't get
any passwords (you have to beat the game without continuing!), plus
he seems to roll over excessively when he gets hit. In addition,
his special wavers up and down, sometimes allowing small cars to
completely avoid damage. Only use him if you want a real challenge.
Strategy as:
1) The only good thing about him is that his special knocks enemies
back a little and it recharges quickly. Use it to pummel your
opponent repeatedly.
Strategy against:
Probably #2 in my book of difficult CPU characters, he uses his
special constantly, making him difficult to approach. Fortunately,
his big frame makes him an easy target from far away.
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THUMPER
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: **
Special: **** - total fire blast about 12, fire damage makes 18
Speed: *** - 110 top, 147 turbo
Thumper is a very strong contender: his speed and special are quite
good and don't seem to have changed from his TM1 version. If you can
ice an enemy, his special can take off even more energy than Mr.
Grimm's special! I believe this is caused by the car catching on
fire for extra damage. Thumper is an excellent CPU killer.
Strategy as:
1) Thumper's special is quite straight-forward :). Just ice an
enemy and use your special to eat away their energy bar.
2) If you have more than one Special stored up, you can really
destroy someone by freezing, using the flame thrower, and repeating
the freeze. You can time it so that the other car just cant escape.
Strategy against:
Whatever you do, do NOT get too close to him or you'll eat flames.
He also loves to use rear Napalm and rear special attacks. Ice will
stop his flames in no time.
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TWISTER
Handling: Ultra Tight
Armor: *
Special: **** - several hits adding up to 6 (without obstacles)
Speed: ***** - 140 top, 178 turbo
The last new challenger, F-1 type Twister has a *DEVASTATING* special
attack, but her armor is so weak that she often takes lots of damage
during it. This is her only downfall. That, and open spaces.
Strategies as:
1) Much like other area specials, (Axel, Outlaw) you can use your
special at ambush points for easy kills. Don't forget to use your
shield.
2) You might think that the enemies swirling above you are getting
plenty of damage, but to maximize this do the special near buildings
and add plenty of Napalm and missiles. Sometimes you can kill
enemies in one special combo!
Strategy against:
Like many opponents, keep your distance. If you feel lucky, use
some ice; unfortunately you'll miss often since she's so speedy.
The best times to hit her with ice are when she does her special
(the car gets flipped up and makes a bigger target) and after a
knock-back attack (mines, ricochet, remote).
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WARTHOG
Handling: Sluggish
Armor: ****
Special: *** - missiles about 4, fireballs about 5
Speed: ** - 100 top, 138 turbo
Warthog is slightly different from TM1: his triple-missile special
turns into fireballs if the missiles stay in the air long enough.
His Armor makes him somewhat difficult to destroy. His only real
problem is his turning ability.
Strategies as:
1) Practice using the special to find out the magic range when the
missiles turn into powerful fireballs. Then in battle, ice someone,
back up and shoot Napalm, back up some more and use the special.
Turbo helps in getting to the right distance quickly.
(Note: It seems like the fireballs are not significantly stronger
than the normal missiles. Therefore, you may want to use the
missiles at point-blank range instead of trying to get the perfect
distance.)
Strategy against:
Because of his good speed and armor, he is sometimes a tough customer
to beat. Like many other drivers, try not to tail him and especially
avoid head on confrontations. His speed and armor create the perfect
ramming machine. He doesn't ice excessively, so you won't need to
worry about that.
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GENERAL NOTES
Most of the High Speeds are not completely accurate. On occasion,
you can get a few extra miles per hour, although I'm not sure why.
The Advance Attack energy was estimated using pixels, and is for the
most part accurate. Damage, however, was calculated using
quarter-inch units on a light armor character, Mr. Grimm. The
numbers show more of a relative difference between attacks rather
than exact damage amounts. Of course, an attack on Mr. Grimm will
end up causing more energy loss than one on Minion. However, I
didn't want to loose my eye sight counting pixels of damage. Plus it
was really frustrating. Just for reference, Mr. Grimm can sustain
about 20 points of damage.
As many might have noticed, there is also a magic distance away from
you where CPU cars take no damage. I think this was an effort to
keep people from just letting the CPU cars kill each other. My
opinion on this is divided between that, and the strategic placing
of mines and remotes, or using lightning. Since you have to be close
to the actual weapon to give the enemy cars any damage, the
usefulness of these weapons decreases.
I'm no expert in Chinese, but I could swear that most of the signs
in Hong Kong are actually in Japanese.
For an interesting bug, try getting Mr. Slam to use his special on
your car as you teleport. This happened accidentally in New York
and created some wacky moving cameras, with me ending up nowhere
near the drop point for the teleporter and Mr. Slam also very far
away.
Sometimes in a 2P battle, my friends turbo meter showed 1 unit of
turbo but the car acted like it didn't have any turbo.
On the Los Angeles course, if you look at the grey ramp sections on
the outer edge of the arena, there is something looks like
"R1,squ,tri"
Maybe it's part of a code, maybe not.
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I probably won't make another version of this, as most vehicles have
enough strategies to be played effectively. If any of you want to
"carry the torch", go right ahead. I hope you find our strategies
helpful or interesting.
As for my future FAQ pursuits, I'm probably going to do one on Tetris
Attack and/or Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo. Yes, these games are
quite different from TM2; however, they are both extremely fun and
addicting games.
Graham Fredrick
fredga01@holmes.ipfw.indiana.edu
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