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Sonic Adventure 2 (e)

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=------------------------Sonic Adventure 2:- The Syrup FAQ ^-^ ---------------=
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=----------------------------------V2.0 10/07/01------------------------------=
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Notice:- This FAQ contains spoilers for Sonic Adventure 2 (duh, really!?), yes,
really! (Note; I have had complaints about this!)

It also contains moderate spoilers for Final Fantasy 6j (check the references
section to see why. Or, rather don't, as it may spoil to FF6 plot).

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Contact:- CaptainSyrup@ignmail.com

IMPORTANT! If you e-mail me a question and you don't want to be mentioned in 
the FAQ, tell me in the e-mail!

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Most updated version available at:- 
http://www.geocities.com/captainsyrup/satwo.txt or www.gamefaqs.com about a day
or two after I upload it onto mt site.

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Text Viewing Test One:- Are the two lines below the same length? If they are, 
fine! If they aren't, try viewing this document with a font in which each 
character is the same length, such as courier, or you may have difficulty 
viewing any ACSII diagrams.

123456789/*-+/WWWW@@@iii
abcdefghiJKLMNO)(*&#$%!~

Text Viewing Test Two:- Is there a single line of numbers and full stops below?
If so fine! If the line has been broken into two or more lines, this document 
may be difficult to read. Copy it, and paste it into a word processer, like
Microsoft Word.

.........1.........2.........3.........4.........5.........6.........7.........

Thanks to Steve Towle and Dustin Cushman. I copied this text viewing test from
their NiGHTS FAQ, which can be found at www.gamefaqs.com, in the Sega Saturn 
section.

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Solving problems:-

1. Save the guide and open it up with WordPad (recommended).

2. Open the File menu, then choose Page Setup. At the section where they put 
Margins (inches), look for Right and type 0.8" in it.

If you still have problems, well, I don't know what to do!

Thanks to Clement Chan Zhi Li on these text viewing tips. Check out his Sonic
Adventure Lyrics Guide at www.gamefaqs.com, under Dreamcast.

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=--------=
=Updates!=
=--------=

V1.0 29/06/01 (18,511 words, 72 pages, 121KB):- (Hope your printer has plenty
of ink:)

All new, the walkthrough to the entire Hero game, with bosses, power-ups, etc.
Just check it out!

Expect the next walkthough in about a week (or a bit longer), with Dark, and 
maybe Last walkthoughs...

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V1.0 10/07/01 (43,101 words, 168 pages, 286KB):- (This guide is now officially
BIG (even fatter than the cat!:)

The walkthrough for the ENTIRE story mode is complete, with every power-up, 
every boss, references, lyrics, a little on Chaos, and much more!

In a week or two, hopefully a truly complete version with every objective 
covered in A grade detail. Maybe a bit longer actually, depending on my 
progress in the game... 

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=----------------------=
=Legal Stuff/Disclaimer=
=----------------------=

"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow Rosenberg:) So true, so true..
unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that due to certain legal issues, I can't beat
you to death with a shovel if you plagiarise this document. I may, however, 
take legal action. See you in court:)

This document is Copyright Captain Syrup 2001. All rights reserved. Use it at 
your own risk:)

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=Webmastas:)=
=-----------=

There are no restrictions on the placement of this document, as long as it is
distributed free of charge, and not altered in any way.

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=-------------------=
=Table o' Contents:)=
=-------------------=

   I. Introduction:- Enter Sonic Adventure 2!:)
  II. Controls/Character Guide
 III. 3rd rate story:)
  IV. Hero Walkthrough
   V. Dark Walkthrough
  VI. Last Walkthrough
 VII. FAQs
VIII. Chao World!
  IX. Sub-games, bosses and references
   X. Credits
  XI. Contact
 XII. Closing:- Exit Sonic Adventure 2:(

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=---------------=
=I. Introduction=
=---------------=

Ah, Sonic the "Da Man", isn't he? Over the last ten years, he's starred in 
literally dozens of titles (SA2 is the 97th Sonic related game by my count), 
begining with Sonic the Hedgehog, the game which smashed Nintendo's monopoly,
then ranging from cynical cash-ins during the Mega Drive boom to bona-fide AAA 
titles. Titles like Sonic Adventure 2. 

The first SA, released just a few months after the launch of Sega's ill-fated 
Dreamcast as a flagship title was a strange mixture of genres, from traditional 
high speed platforming, albeit in a 3D form playing as Sonic and Tails, to more 
considered action with Knuckles and Amy Rose, a shoot 'em up with E-102 and even 
Big the Cat's fishing game. Mixed in were story-lead RPG sections, a virtual pet 
in the form of Chao Adventure, and mini-games ranging from a bumper car race to 
StarFox-like shooting in Tail's biplane, the Tornado.

So, what changed in SA2? The entire game is based around the classic theme of
good vs. evil in the form of "Hero Vs. Dark". However, as a twist, you can 
choose to play as the bad guys, including a rare playable appearance from 
"Eggman" himself, Dr. Ivo Robotnik! The three least popular good guys from SA 
have been dropped in favour of three playable bad guys; Robotnik, who along
with a re-designed Tails plays much like E-102 did in Sonic Adventure; a 
platform orientated shooter character; Rouge, a brand new Sonic character who
plays a "collection" platform game like Knuckles; and the main bad guy Shadow,
a new character who is a dark clone of Sonic himself, and plays as such, in the
classic style of the fastest platform character in the business.

Those cute virtual pets, the Chaos (pronounced "Ciao"), have returned, and 
fitting with the style of the game can be raised into good and evil creatures 
depending onthe type and quality of your care for them. Of course they can be 
downloaded onto a VMS to play Chao Adventure 2!

Probably the biggest change is the drop of the contravertial RPG-style sections
which made up the bulk of SA 1. Although I enjoyed such sections, as interludes
from the action, I do admit that they were poorly implemented compared with the 
likes of Zelda, braking the action up for a little too long, and didn't seem 
too appropriate in a Sonic game. Hopefully most people won't be too upset with
their disappearance, and for those who disliked them, a welcome change.

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=II. Controls/Character Guide=
=----------------------------=

Unlike in most games, the choice of character in SA2 completely alters the 
game's genre. It's best to think of the characters in three classes, each with 
two characters, one from the good guys (Hero) and one baddie (Dark).

 _____________ _____________ _____________
|             |             |             |
|   Class:-   |    Hero     |    Dark     |
|_____________|_____________|_____________|
|             |             |             |
|   Racing    |    Sonic    |   Shadow    |
|_____________|_____________|_____________|
|             |             |             |
|  Shooting   |    Tails    |   Eggman    |
|_____________|_____________|_____________|
|             |             |             |
| Exploration |  Knuckles   |   Rouge     |
|_____________|_____________|_____________|

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=-----------------=
=Common controls:-=
=-----------------=

These commands are common between the six characters and are basically the same
as SA 1. If you aren't familiar with them though, learn them, especially if 
you're used to a PS or N64 control and are new to the DC.

Analogue Pad:- Move your chosen character. Remember analogue control is pressure
sensitive, so the harder you push the stick, the faster your character will 
move.

D-Pad:- Changes the camera angle to give you an almost first person view. Press
the directional buttons to move your field of vision. Due to the high speed of
SA 2 compared to other platform games, this feature is semi-useless, but if 
you're playing as Knuckles or Rouge it may of some use in situations where you 
need to take a close look at your surroundings.

B:- Every character has a different use for this button, but they can all use 
it to pick up Chaos and the like (bar Eggman and Tails while in armour). In 
addition, if you hold this button down after you pick a Chao up, moving the 
analogue stick while pressing the button will cause you to cuddle the Chao, 
making it happier. Finally, press this button while still or moving slowly to 
set a Chao down gently, without hurting it. If you set it down while running, 
you will throw to Chao, which may make it unhappy.

This button is also used to Whistle, which causes animals to appear out of 
pipes, or play the mystic melody, once the correct power-up is located (each
character needs to find it themselves).

X:- Every character has a different use for this button, but they can all use 
it to pick up Chaos and the like (bar Eggman and Tails while in armour). In 
addition, if you hold this button down after you pick a Chao up, moving the 
analogue stick while pressing the button will cause you to cuddle the Chao, 
making it happier. Finally, press this button while still or moving slowly to 
set a Chao down gently, without hurting it. If you set it down while running, 
you will throw to Chao, which may make it unhappy.

This button is also used to Whistle, which causes animals to appear out of 
pipes, or play the mystic melody, once the correct power-up is located (each
character needs to find it themselves).

Y:- This button can be used to cycle through the various functions which the
X and B buttons can be used for, but since they are context sensitive, they 
will normally perform the most appropriate action anyway.

A:- Jump. This varies a lot between characters.

L-Trigger:- Rotate the camera to the left in a locus around your character 
while in the usaual third-person view.

R-Trigger:- Rotate the camera to the right in a locus around your character 
while in the usual third-person view. I wish they used a self centering camera
like Banjo in SA2... 

Start:- As usual pause, access menu.

Grinding!:- In SA 2, the main characters wear shoes designed by world famous
brand, Soap. These shoes allow some of the characters to grind on certain 
surfaces to build up speed, since the shoes have a piece of plastic allowing 
them to slide. This feature is only used by Sonic and Shadow. While grinding, 
press B to crouch, which speeds you up, but accentuates the problem of slowing 
down on curved rails. To avoid this problem, press the analogue stick in the 
opposite direction to the curve of the rail, just gently. If you curve too 
much, your speed will be reduced, and you may fall off the rail!

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=-----------------------=
=Individual Characters:-=
=-----------------------=

I've taken the liberty of listing each characters' special moves so you don't 
have to go through the hell of listening to Omochao's tutorials. Since Sonic is 
ten years old, there's a little bit of history on each character and an 
intoduction to Rouge and Shadow, the newbies.

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=Sonic the Hedgehog=
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First Appearance:- Sonic The Hedgehog, 1991 (Written by Sonic Team, appeared on
Mega Drive/Genesis and converted by Sega to Master System and Game Gear)

Side:- Hero

Attacks:- 

Spin Attack; Press A and Sonic uses one of his trademark attacks, the Spin
Attack, allowing him to smash most of his enemies with ease. Use your discresion
for when this attack should be used; obviously it will harm Sonic if used 
against an enemy covered in spikes or temporarily on fire, for example.

Homing Attack; Replaced Sonic 3's Insta-Shield in SA 1 by Sonic Team to 
overcome the problems caused by 3D combat. Tap A while in mid-air to perform a 
Spin Attack which homes in on enemies, with the both the Spin Attacks 
advantages and disadvantages.

Spin Dash; Sonic's other trademark move, perfected in Sonic 2. Hold down X or B
to charge up, and release for an instant speed boost. Use the analogue stick 
to steer. When you pick up the Green Forest Zone's , Sonic can
automatically home-on to any nearby enemies with this move. Takes a little time 
to charge up, mind.

Somersault; A new move for SA2. Tap B or X, and Sonic will perform a short 
roll, which will take out most enemies, and destroy wooden crates. Later in the 
game Sonic can find a  which changes this move in the Crazy Gadget
Zone, perminantly, into a fire somersault, allowing him to break metal crates. 
You can also fake a Somersault by tapping A to cancel just after inputting the 
move.

Bounce Attack; This move, found in the Pyramid Cave Zone works just like the
water shield in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. While in mid-air, press B or X to slam down
quickly in a spin, smashing Badniks. When you hit the ground, you will bounce
a little higher, and if you perform the move twice in succession, you will be
able to bounce significantly higher than a normal jump, allowing you access to 
areas you wouldn't normally be able to reach. The power-up collected is called
the 

Light Dash; You need the  to perform this move, found in the Metal 
Harbor Zone. When you tap B or X near a trail of rings, Sonic will run along
the path they create, even in mid-air! This is essential for most levels.

Grab; After you find the  in the City Escape Zone, Sonic can grab 
his enemies and chuck 'em around by X or B while close to them.

Bio:- (Courtesy of Sonic HQ; www.sonichq.org, a top site!)

Name: Sonic The Hedgehog

Species: Hedgehog

Colour: Blue

Eyes: Green

Age: 16

Home: South Island (Mobius)

Likes: Freedom

Dislikes: Oppression

Ability: Speed, Sonic Spin, Insta-Shield, Homing Spin

Weakness: Can't swim

Appearances in Games: All Sonic games (CaptainSyrup's note; There are some 
spin-off games which Sonic hasn't appeared in, Knuckles' Chaotix and Tails And 
The Musicmaker, for example.)

First Appearance In Games: Sonic The Hedgehog 1

Quote: "I'll never look back, I've got no regrets. 'Cause time doesn't wait for 
me...I choose to go my own way."

Faster than a speeding bullet - it's "Sonic the Hedgehog" and when he isn't 
rearranging the landscape with "little brother" Tails, he can probably be found 
on his hideaway base of South Island. An excellent athlete, Sonic has been 
known to clock speeds faster than Mach 1 - not only that, but he's a highly 
skilled acrobat as well....His arsenal of moves include the Sonic Spin which 
can buzz through the thickest underground passageways, and his Double Jump in 
which he goes SO FAST he can literally "jump on air itself". The Spin Dash, 
Super Peel Out, and Strike Dash are three different ways of utilizing his 
techniques - not only that but he has learned to completely manipulate such 
items as flame shields - in a fireball dash attack, excel even higher on a 
"Super Double Jump" with an energy shield, and do a "Super sonic leap" with a 
Bubble Shield.

Although racing isn't particularly Sonic's interest, he does have a sleek red 
racecar he calls the Cyclone which he has used in two of the Chaos Grand Prix 
tournaments.  

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=------=
=Shadow=
=------=

First Appearance:- Sonic Adventure 2, 2001 (Written by Sonic Team, appeared on
Dreamcast, Gamecube conversion/sequel rumoured)

Side:- Dark

Attacks:- 

Spin Attack; Press A and Shadow, like Sonic, uses  the Spin Attack, allowing 
him to smash most of his enemies with ease. Use your discresion for when this 
attack should be used; obviously it will harm Shadow if used against an enemy 
covered in spikes or temporarily on fire, for example.

Homing Attack; Replaced Sonic 3's Insta-Shield in SA 1 by Sonic Team to 
overcome the problems caused by 3D combat. Tap A while in mid-air to perform a 
Spin Attack which homes in on enemies, with the both the Spin Attacks 
advantages and disadvantages.

Spin Dash; Again, like Sonic, hold down X or B to charge up, and release for 
an instant speed boost. Use the analogue stick to steer. When you pick up the 
Sky Rail Zone's , Shadow can automatically home-on to any nearby 
enemies with this move. Takes a little time to charge up, mind.

Somersault; A new move for SA2. Tap B or X, and Shadow will perform a short 
roll, which will take out most enemies, and destroy wooden crates. Shadow can 
find a  which changes this move in the Radical Highway Zone, 
perminantly, into a fire somersault, allowing him to break metal crates. 
You can also fake a Somersault by tapping A to cancel just after inputting the 
move.

Light Dash; You need the  to perform this move, found in the White 
Jungle Zone. When you tap B or X near a trail of rings, Shadow will run along
the path they create, even in mid-air! This is essential for most levels.

Bio:- 

Name: Shadow

Species: Hedgehog

Colour: Black/Red

Eyes: Red

Age: At least 50

Home: The ARK?

Likes: Destruction, Maria Robotnik

Dislikes: Heros

Ability: Speed, Sonic Spin, Insta-Shield, Homing Spin

Weakness: Can't swim

Appearances in Games: As a new character, Shadow is only featured in Sonic 
Adventure 2.

Quote: "I am the ultimate life-form!"

There have been pretenders to Sonic's throne before (the Metallix series of
badniks, Knuckles in his days of working for Robotnik), but none so deadly as
Shadow, a mysterious character rumoured to be a clone of Sonic himself! 
Shadow's back story is very shady, but he appears to be a creation of 
Robotnik's gradfather, and has the sinister objective of destroying the 
world... is he too powerful even for Sonic!?!

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=---------------------=
=Miles "Tails" Prowler=
=---------------------=

First Appearance:- Sonic The Hedgehog 2, 1992 (Written by Sonic Team,
appeared on Mega Drive/Genesis and converted by Sega to Master System and Game 
Gear)

Side:- Hero

Attacks:- 

* In SA 2, unlike other Sonic games, Tails is riding in a mecha style robotic 
suit. This makes him play like E-102, rather than his normal Sonic-like 
fighting style.

Jump:- Press A to jump. Unlike with Sonic, this attack will not harm enemies. 
For self-defense and evation only. When powered-up in the Mission Street Zone,
Tails can glide through the air by holding A, using the .

Volkan Cannon:- Tap B or X rapidly to fire a stream of weak laser beams. 
Hardly useful against enemies, but this can destroy wooden crates. After you
get the  in the Eternal Engine Zone, the lasers will be powerful 
enough to destroy metal crates.

Laser Gun:- Press and hold down B or X to bring out a targeting laser. Using 
the analogue stick, aim this laser at as many enemies as possible to lock-on 
to them, before the laser fades to blue after about five seconds and fails. 
When you release to button, Tails will fire missiles at every enemy or object 
which was locked onto with the laser. The more locked on enemies, the better 
the points bonus! Pick up the  in the Prison Lane Zone to 
change these missiles in cluster bombs, causing even more damage!

Propeller Punch:- Press B or X when right next to an enemy to unleash this
barely useful attack.

Bio:- (Courtesy of Sonic HQ; www.sonichq.org, a top site!)

Name: Miles "Tails" Prower (get it?) The Two-Tailed Fox

Species: Fox/Kitsune (A many tailed fox-like beast from oriental mythology.
The Pokemon Vulpix and Ninetails, and Keaton from the Zelda games are also
based on this legend).

Colour: Golden Orange

Eyes: Blue

Age: 8

Home: South Island

Likes: Sonic, inventing machines

Dislikes: Robotnik and his Badniks

Ability: Flying And Swimming

Weakness: Lacks Sonic and Knuckles' self-confidence

Appearances in Games: Most Sonic games after Sonic 2
 
Quote: "I wanna fly high so I can reach the highest of the heavens. Somebody 
will be waiting for me, so I have gotta fly higher!" 

Miles Prower has never been just an ordinary kid...He was born with 2 tails, 
and for most of his life he had been made fun of and teased by the other kids 
about it. Not only that but he's an orphan as well - abandoned by his parents
there was no one he felt he could turn to with his problems. That is - UNTIL 
Sonic showed up. Sonic helped Tails turn his "burden" into his greatest asset 
by teaching him to use his twin tails in flight. Propelling him to speeds 
ALMOST as fast as Sonic. By whirling his tails together like a helicopter, he 
can fly for short periods of time, as well as propel himself along the 
ground...fast enough to keep up with his spiny blue hero! Aside from his 
standard flying maneuver, Tails is also an expert swimmer, and has learned how 
to use his tails to attack with a special Propeller Dash move. Tails' goal in 
life is to be just like his hero and best friend, Sonic the Hedgehog...living 
the life of an adventurer. What became of his parents is unknown, but he and 
Sonic bonded like glue from the moment they first met....

Tails is very wise for his age and its shown in his hobbies - as he owns a red 
bi-plane, known as the "Tornado", which comes complete with attached rocket 
boosters and jet flight skill! With Tails piloting and Sonic riding on the 
wings, they can clear oceans and mountain ranges in half the time it would take 
them on foot. Tails also has a small racecar called the Whirlwind S7, which he 
used for both Chaos Grand Prix tournaments. It's max speed isn't very high, but 
it's light enough to "jump" into the air without much force. 

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=----------------------------=
=Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik=
=----------------------------=

First Appearance:- Sonic The Hedgehog, 1991 (Written by Sonic Team, appeared on
Mega Drive/Genesis and converted by Sega to Master System and Game Gear)

Side:- Dark

Attacks:- 

Jump:- Press A to jump. Unlike with Sonic, this attack will not harm enemies. 
For self-defense and evasion only. When powered-up in the Lost Colony Zone,
Robotnik can glide through the air by holding A, using the .

Volkan Cannon:- Tap B or X rapidly to fire a stream of weak laser beams. 
Hardly useful against enemies, but this can destroy wooden crates. After you
get the  in the Weapons Bed Zone, the lasers will be powerful 
enough to destroy metal crates.

Laser Gun:- Press and hold down B or X to bring out a targeting laser. Using 
the analogue stick, aim this laser at as many enemies as possible to lock-on 
to them, before the laser fades to blue after about five seconds and fails. 
When you release to button, Robotnik will fire missiles at every enemy or 
object which was locked onto with the laser. The more locked on enemies, the 
better the points bonus! Pick up the  in the Iron Gate Zone to 
change these missiles in cluster bombs, causing even more damage!

Propeller Punch:- Press B or X when right next to an enemy to unleash this
barely useful attack.

Extra Protection:- Not really a special move as such, but worth mentioning
anyway. Picking up the  in the Cosmic Wall Zone adds a
significant chunk to the good Doctor's Max HP.

Bio:- (Courtesy of Sonic HQ; www.sonichq.org, a top site!)

Name: Doctor Ivo Robotnik (Doctor Eggman - Japanese)

Species: Human

Sex: Male

Eyes: Jet Black With Red Pupils

Age: Unknown

Ability: Super Genius I.Q Almost To The Point Of Insanity

Weakness: Completely Mad

Appearances in Games: Practically all Sonic games

Quote: "Am I crazy, or am I a genius? I've got all the technology in my hands. 
It's time for me to take over the world!" 

Every Good Guy must have a villian - and Robotnik is NO EXCEPTION. He's the 
core villian of ALL Sonic universes - Archie, Anime, and Sega - and everywhere 
he's recognised as the ultimate evil against Sonic! Also known as Eggman, 
Robotnik is the official villian of the ENTIRE planet! Dr. Robotnik, putting 
his genious I.Q. to work, devised a machine that turns innocent animals into 
robot slaves - the roboticiser!!! Sonic usually trashes his plans, but the 
Eggman's never without a new evil scheme up his sleeve, and he's persistent 
enough to try them all. He's even gone as far as roboticising ebntire zones! 
(Sonic Chaos)...Another frequent target of Robotnik are the Chaos Emeralds. 
With one of these all-powerful jewels, not even Sonic could stand in the way of 
the Doc's takeover plans. He hasn't managed to keep any yet, but his technology 
is only getting better, and from so many mistakes he could only have learned...
Although his size keeps his pace down on foot, Robotnik gets around using a 
speedy hovercraft known as the Egg Typhoon. He used it in both Chaos Grand Prix 
tournaments, the World Grand Prix, and just about everywhere else. His main 
device however is the Egg-O-Matic which can "attach" itself to various weapons 
of destruction....Robotnik's home city is the Metropolis Zone, but he has a 
huge mini-planet known as the Death Egg as well as a super airship called the 
Egg Carrier, that could destroy Mobius in a second. Luckily, Sonic's frequently 
kept it out of space long enough to do any damage, but the Eggman never gives 
up... 

SA 2 update; in SA 2, Robotnik is not the major villain, although he is "Dark".
He appears to be searching for Shadow for his grandfather's sake...

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=--------------------=
=Knuckles The Echidna=
=--------------------=

First Appearance:- Sonic The Hedgehog 3, 1994 (Written by Sonic Team, appeared 
on Mega Drive/Genesis)

Side:- Hero

Attacks:- 

Spin Attack; Press A and Knuckles uses this Sonic style attack, the Spin 
Attack, allowing him to smash most of his enemies with ease. Use your discresion
for when this attack should be used; obviously it will harm Knuckles if used 
against an enemy covered in spikes or temporarily on fire, for example.

Gliding Jump:- Knuckles' family amulete allows him to glide by pressing and
holding A. Control his glide with the analogue stick, or release A to stop 
gliding. Press A again to start another glide.

Climbing:- If Knuckles comes into contact with a climbable surface (like most
walls) during a glide, his knuckles will dig into the surface, holding him, and
allowing him to climb the surface with the analogue stick. Press A to jump off 
the surface.

Punch Attack:- Press X or B to make Knuckles punch his enemies. You may also 
execute a three hit combo by tapping the button rapidly. If you find the  in the Death Chamber Zone, your punches will become strong enough to break 
metal crates! Also, a Dragon Punch can be performed by spinning the analogue
stick in a circle before you press the button.

Drill Dive:- Press X or B while in Mid-air, and Knuckles will dive to the 
ground killing enemies. With a  from the Pumpkin Hill Zone, Knuckles 
can dig into the ground after the dive. This will also allow him to dig walls 
with X or B. 

Swimming:- Knux is the only Hero character who can swim. When paddling at the 
water's surface, press and hold X or B to dive to the bottom of the water. 
Knuckles will rise slowly if no button is pressed, but to make him rise faster,
press A repeatedly. Of course, if Knuckles remains underwater for too long, he
will drown. A timer, with the classic sound effects will warn you though. When
you pick up the  in the Aquatic Mine Zone, Knux can breathe 
underwater, though.

Night-Sight?:- After finding the  in the Meteor Herd Zone, choosing
them with Y and pressing B will put them on, making the screen a little darker.
According to the game you can see hidden items with them, but I have finished 
the game with no use for them at all. Jump to take them off.

Bio:- (Courtesy of Sonic HQ; www.sonichq.org, a top site!)

Name: Knuckles The Echidna 

Species: Echidna (an echidna is an Australasian marsupial, similar to
an anteater)

Colour: Red

Eyes: Violet

Age: 15

Home: Floating Island

Likes: Fruit, especially grapes (!), solitude

Dislikes: Evil, interference with his home or way of life

Ability: Gliding, Digging, Climbing

Weakness: Hates Heavy Sunlight, naive

Quote: "Born on an island in the heavens, the blood of my ancestors flows 
inside me. My duty is to guard the Master Emerald." 

Knuckles the Echidna is the last of a lost civilization of echidnas that 
flourished a over a century ago. This society mysteriously disappeared, and 
left many secrets and mystical powers in its wake - including that of: The 
Master Emerald - The LARGEST Chaos Emerald in existence. As the last living 
descendant of the civilization, it is Knuckles' sworn duty to protect Floating 
Island, all animals on it and the Master Emerald which keeps it afloat. When 
someone or something threatens the island, this feisty echidna's on the case! 
When the land is peaceful, however, Knuckles enjoys lounging around as much as 
Sonic does. He also knows all of the Floating Island's secret passageways and 
shortcuts, though, so even a little slacking off won't reduce his reaction 
time. Knuckles receives aid in his duty as guardian from the Chaotix: Mighty 
the Armadillo, Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy Bee. It 
was with their help that Knuckles was able to stop Dr. Robotnik's plan to steal 
the Power Emerald (which fuels Carnival Island) and save the six Chaos Rings 
that serve as its power source. 

Occasionally - if time permits, he'll go down to the surface for a SMALL amount 
of fun. Knuckles has his own speedy little racecar known as the Tempest. This 
orange, jeep-like vehicle helped the echidna through the second Chaos Grand 
Prix tournament, and (like Tails' Whirlwind S7) is light enough to "jump" into 
the air with little force. 

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=-------------=
=Rouge The Bat=
=-------------=

First Appearance:- Sonic Adventure 2, 2001 (Written by Sonic Team, appeared on
Dreamcast, Gamecube conversion/sequel rumoured)

Side:- Dark

Attacks:- 

Spin Attack; Press A and Rouge uses this Sonic style attack, the Spin
Attack, allowing him to smash most of her enemies with ease. Use your disresion
for when this attack should be used; obviously it will harm Rouge if used 
against an enemy covered in spikes or temporarily on fire, for example.

Gliding Jump:- Rouge can use her wings to glide by pressing and holding A. 
Control her glide with the analogue stick, or release A to stop gliding. Press 
A again to start another glide.

Climbing:- If Rouge comes into contact with a climbable surface (like most
walls) during a glide, she will grab the surface, allowing her to climb the 
surface with the analogue stick. Press A to jump off the surface.

Drill Dive:- Press X or B while in Mid-air, and Rouge will dive to the 
ground killing enemies. With the  from the Egg Quarters Zone, Rouge 
can dig into the ground after the dive. This will also allow her to dig walls 
with X or B. Oddly, Rouge digs with her feet, rather than her hands.

Kick Attack:- Press X or B to make Rouge kick her enemies. You may also 
execute a three hit combo by tapping the button rapidly. If you find the  in the Mad Space Zone, your kicks will become strong enough to break 
metal crates! 

Whirlwind Kick:- Spin the analogue stick around quickly and press X or B to
perform a cool special move with Rouge.

Swimming:- Rouge is the only Dark character who can swim. When paddling at the 
water's surface, press and hold X or B to dive to the bottom of the water. 
Rouge will rise slowly if no button is pressed, but to make her rise faster,
press A repeatedly. Of course, if Rouge remains underwater for too long, she
will drown. A timer, with the classic sound effects will warn you though. 
Sadly, unlike Knuckles, Rouge doesn't have have a power-up allowing her to
breathe underwater. On the upside, she has fewer, easier swimming sequences
than Knux.

Scope?:- The  from the Security Hall Zone seems to be every
bit as useless as Knuckles' . Choosing it with Y and pressing B 
will put it on, making the screen a little darker. According to the game you 
can see hidden items with them, but I have finished the game with no use for 
it at all. Jump to take it off.

Bio:-

Name: Rouge

Species: Bat

Colour: Predominately white (odd, considering that "rouge" is French for red)

Eyes: Red

Age: ???

Home: ???

Likes: Gems

Dislikes: Anything which she can't own

Ability: Speed, flight

Weakness: Greedy, self-centered

Appearances in Games: As a new character, Rouge is only featured in Sonic 
Adventure 2.

Quote: "All the world's jewels belong to me!"

Rouge is a brand new character, who appears to be somewhat like a female 
version of the thief, Nack The Weasel, in both play style and motive. However,
very little else is known about her, save her Knuckles-like play skills. Her
storyline explores her love/hate relationship with Knuckles.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------=
=Super Sonic=
=-----------=

First Appearance:- Sonic The Hedgehog 2, 1992 (Written by Sonic Team,
appeared on Mega Drive/Genesis and converted by Sega to Master System and Game 
Gear)

Side:- Last

Attacks:- 

Analogue Stick:- Move forwards (into the screen), backwards (out of the screen), 
left and right.

A:- Move upwards.

X:- Move downwards.

B:- Move downwards.

Super Sonic only needs to touch his enemies to defeat them.

Bio:-

Name: Super Sonic

Species: Chaos Enhanced Hedgehog

Colour: Golden/Yellow

Eyes: Red

Age: 16 years, but only a fraction of this has been spent in super form

Home: The power of Super Sonic rests inside Sonic and the Chaos Emeralds...

Likes: Justice

Dislikes: Big bad guys like Perfect Chaos and FinalHazard

Ability: Invincible, so long as he has a constant supply of rings (one per 
second, starts fifty or fourty) to maintain super form, flight 

Weakness: Will revert to regular hedgehog if ring supply runs out, causing
death in some situations

Appearances in Games: Sonic 2, 3, Knuckles, Adventure 1 and 2, maybe in some
others like Sonic R

Quote: "You can save your sorrow...we'll put you right back where you came!"

When Sonic is in an extreme situation, he can temporarily take on the positive
power of the Chaos Emeralds until a balance between Hero and Dark has been 
achieved. Fifty rings are also needed to initiate the process, and one is used
for every second Sonic remains in super form.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=------------=
=Super Shadow=
=------------=

First Appearance:- Sonic Adventure 2, 2001 (Written by Sonic Team, appeared on
Dreamcast, Gamecube conversion/sequel rumoured)

Side:- Last

Attacks:- 

Analogue Stick:- Move forwards (into the screen), backwards (out of the screen), 
left and right.

A:- Move upwards.

X:- Move downwards.

B:- Move downwards.

Super Sonic only needs to touch his enemies to defeat them.

Bio:-

Name: Super Shadow

Species: Chaos Enhanced Hedgehog

Colour: Silver and Red

Eyes: Red

Age: 50+ years, but less than five minutes of this was spent in super form

Home: -

Likes: Maria, saving the Earth and fulfilling her wish

Dislikes: Anybody who tries to prevent Maria's will from being carried out

Ability: Invincible, so long as he has a constant supply of rings (one per 
second, starts fifty or fourty) to maintain super form, flight 

Weakness: Will revert to regular hedgehog if ring supply runs out, causing
death in some situations

Appearances in Games: Only during the last boss of Sonic Adventure 2

Quote: "Maria, watch me, I will fulfil your wish!"

When Shadow understood Maria's true intent, and became a real Hero, he became
able to understand the true power of the Chaos Emeralds. Using their positive
power, along with fifty golden rings he became Super Shadow, the heroic being
that could fulfil the wish of the innocent girl Maria for a peaceful and happy 
world of Earth.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Kart Racing Controls (all characters):-

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

A; Accelerate (why they didn't use the analogue acceleration provided by L or R
is beyond me). Also, when turning, tap A then hold it down to start a 
powerslide, useful on corners. You can stop sliding by releasing the analogue
stick for a second.

Analogue Stick; Steer.

Y; Boost. Your character recieves one boost for every twenty rings collected.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=---------------------=
=III. 3rd rate story:)=
=---------------------=

IMO this game's story is a lot weaker that SA 1's, until you play the Last 
story, and Shadow's flasnacks. Well, anyway, it doesn't really matter too much 
either way in a Sonic game. Here's the prologue, right out of the 
instructions:-

Hero;

It was just another ordinary day...until Sonic, hero of justice, is accosted by 
a secret military force code-named G.U.N.

Escaping the confines of a high-security helicopter, Sonic leaps down into the
city in an effort to flee from his captors. Suddenly a mysterious black 
hedgehog appears in front of him, grasping a Chaos Emerald in his hands. 
Meanwhile, accross the globe, unexplained incidents occur following the 
declaration of world conquest by eggman himself.

Once aware of the connection between Shadow and Dr. Eggman, Sonic begins his 
quest to stop their evil plan, helped along the way by his old friends: Tails 
and Knuckles.

Dark;

While searching for a top secret weapon known only as "Shadow", the evil genius, 
Dr. Robotnik, penetrates the security of a high-level military base. Deep inside 
the compound, Dr. Eggman discovers that the weapon is actually a black hedgehog 
claiming to be the "ultimate life form", a creature known as "Shadow".

Shadow invites Dr. Eggman to Space Colony ARK and reveals the Eclipse Cannon--an 
enormous weapon capable of destroying the world, more than enough to entice the 
evil genius to help out Shadow in his quest to conquer the world.

Just as they begin to revel in their plan for destruction, the villains are 
startled by a menacing bat named Rouge who offers her help as well. 

Thus, the plot to conquer the world begins...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=--------------------=
=IV. Hero Walkthrough=
=--------------------=

Before I begin, I'd better describe the basic structure of the game. The first
time you take on a level, you will tackle the first objective, of which there 
are five, to be completed in this order;

Objective One - Clear the level by reaching the exit goal. Typically, though
not always, this will be the easiest objective. On a few levels (Green Forest
Zone and White Jungle Zone, there are time linits placed on this objective, 
but they are not tight at all).

Objective Two - Collect 100 rings (the stage will continue, in a loop, until
you either complete the objective, or fail by losing all of your lives). In 
some situations, this is actually easier than Objective One.

Objective Three - Find the lost Chao somewhere in the stage. Possesion of the 
power-up item "Mystic Melody" is required to complete this objective. On 
racing levels, like Route 101 or Route 280, this objective changes to finishing
the level without hitting any other cars.

Objective Four - Complete Objective One within a tight time limit. On 
racing levels, like Route 101 or Route 280, this objective changes to finishing
the level without even scraping the walls. Harsh.

Objective Five - Complete Objective One with the difficulty ramped up.

When you complete a stage, you are given clear rating between A and E, with E
being the worst and A the best. As far as I can tell, the rating is directly 
connected to score, which is mainly determined by the speed in which you finish 
the level, and the number of rings you carry to the end. Total rings collected,
technique points from stunts and Badniks defeated also make small impacts.

However, getting good grades is very tough. For example, after one day's play,
though I finished the Hero game, I had mostly E grades, a few Ds, maybe a C and
one B on the the level I had practiced the most, City Escape (no, I hadn't 
played the PSO demo). Mostly, I can say that stunts are by far the most 
important factor in grades, along with finding the correct path.

The guides at the moment are only C standard, for beginners, but hopefully soon 
I will update with tips on picking up those all important A grades...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Updated:- Making the grade; how to pick up those oh-so-tricky A grades:-

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly note that score is the single criteria for your grade in objectives 
one, four (as long as you make the set time, your finishing speed won't affect 
your grade except for the points awarded in Time Bonus), and five. The grade
you get for objective two or three depends only on the amount of time you take
to complete the objective.

After extended play I'm now certain about to pick up major points. This differs
a long way between characters, but I am certain that performing stunts, or 
"Action Links" as the game calls them, is the most important way to pick those 
points. Here's a run-down of the Action Links and what they're worth, also,
for Sonic, Shadow, Tails and Eggman, the number of enemies you have to defeat
at once to recieve those points (homing jumps or lock-ons), for Links where 
you have to defeat x number of enemies in a row:-

 ____________________________________________________________________
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Action Link | Points Recieved | Number of Enemies | Colour of Link |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Good!       | 100             | Two               | Light Blue     |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Nice!       | 200             | Three             | Green          |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Great!      | 300             | Four              | Dark Blue      |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Jammin'!    | 400             | Five              | Light Yellow   |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Cool!       | 500             | Six               | Dark Yellow    |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Radical!    | 600             | Seven             | Light Orange   |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Tight!      | 800             | Eight             | Orange         |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Awesome!    | 1000            | Nine              | Dark Orange    |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Extreme!    | 1500            | Ten               | Purple         |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Perfect!    | 2000            | Eleven +          | Pretty Rainbow!|
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|

General Tips on making points:-

General:-

All characters get points for the following;

* Finishing the level quickly. The amount of points awarded varies immensly 
between stages, but generally, the faster the better. In some cases, it may be
better to go a little slower to pick up more rings, though. This is of major
importance to Knuckles/Rouge, pretty important to Sonic/Shadow and less 
important (in some situations literally worthless) to Tails/Eggman.

* Number of rings you have when you finish the level (ten points per ring, I 
think). This can make a major impact to Sonic/Shadow levels, but is less 
important for Tails/Eggman, and Knuckles/Rouge can usually ignore this as 
speed is much more important to them. Rings you drop are worth NOTHING, so
don't get hit either!

* Number of GUN Robots/Badniks killed in a row, either with homing jumps from
Sonic/Shadow or number of enemies in the same lock-on for Tails/Eggman. 
Knuckles/Rouge CANNOT link enemies, (even if they do bounce or glide between
them without hitting the ground), so killing enemies is a waste of time for 
them. Also note that unlike in previous Sonic games, killing individual enemies
is worth NOTHING, you only get points for linking. This is mostly important to
Tails/Eggman, (you can often get an A grade using only this technoque on their
levels), but is worth considering for Sonic/Shadow.

Sonic/Shadow:- 

You can get points in these ways;

* Homing jumping between enemies without touching the ground inbetween (see 
table for points awarded).

* Grinding on any rails, points are awarded depending on the length, speed and
style (how steady, you were, use the analogue stick to steady yourself) of the
grind. Also, if combo several grinds together with other grinds, or jumps from
spinning poles, you will increase your score.

* Light Dashing along rings will often give you a small bonus, if the rings are
in mid-air, and the path is quite long. Sometimes the bonus is significant 
though, and the rings will give your score an added boost.

* Sonic/Shadow levels often have a major "event" which will reward you with a
large amount of points (the missile launch sequence in Metal Harbour is a good
example). These can quite often be worth 10% or more of the A grade score on 
the level, so learn them and practice!

Tails/Eggman:-

Pointers for the shooters;

* Lock-on is by far the over-riding concern for Tails/Eggman's scores. Remember
that single enemies are worth nothing, and larger the group, the better...up to
a point. Confused? Don't be. Imagine that Eggman has twenty enemies in range, 
begging to be shot. Your first thought might be to lock-on to all twenty, 
killing all of them and netting a 2000 point "Perfect!" bonus. However, the 
smart player would lock-on to just ten of the twenty at once, killing that 
group, then lock-on to the remaining ten seperately. Killing two groups of ten 
gets you two "Extreme!" bonuses, each worth 1500 points, getting you a total of
3000 points, a significantly larger amount than if you'd taken just the one 
"Perfect!" This tactic is essential on stages like Weapons Bed. Also note that
sometimes background scenery like signs count as enemies (if they do, a number
will appear next to the target when you lock-on to them), thus boosing your 
combos.

* Tails/Eggman cannot perform Sonic-like stunts, and time bonuses are near 
useless to them, often excepting the earlier, shorter stages.

* Rings are worth picking up, but only bother if you think you can finish the
level with at least 100-200, otherwise they'll only make a minimal difference
to your score.

* Killing enemies with your Volkan Cannon is worth nothing, even if you take 
out several at once. Don't bother.

Knuckles/Rouge:-

Hunting tips;

* Your score for each item is determined by the number of tips (from monitors)
you use, the fewer tips, the higher the score, and the speed it takes you to 
find the item, the faster, the better. The maximum score for each item is a
"Perfect" 2000 points, achieved by a very fast collection time, which varies, 
depending on the size of the level, and by using no tips at all.

* Don't bother with rings, you'll never get enough to make up the time you 
waste searching for them, especially since unlike most non-Knuckles/Rouge 
levels they aren't just layed out along the main path of the level for you to
collect.

* Speed is so important to Knuckles/Rouge. This cannot be underestimated, since
unlike with other characters, speed not only counts towards the Time Bonus you 
recieve after finishing the level, it also counts towards the score you get 
when you find each item.

Final word:-

If you want to know what a "good" score for each character in each level is 
(e.g. good enough for an A grade), I would say 17,000-21,000 for Sonic/Shadow,
15,000-18,000 for Knuckles/Rouge and 25,000-50,000 for Tails/Eggman, though
this varies massively, particularly on Tails/Eggman (for example I can quite
easily get almost 75,000 points [!] on Cosmic Wall). 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Hero game begins...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player begins as Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

The game starts showing a helicopter, with people inside shouting
in confusion things like "the hedgehog is escaping!" After a few seconds, Sonic
breaks out of the 'copter, makes few wisecracks about the lack of in-flight
entertainment, and procedes to fall towards Station Square on a street board 
which he conveniantly happens to have...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level One: City Escape Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Oh, yes this level rocks! Sing, sing to the music my friends! Ahem.

This is an easy level, which should be no problem to most competant gamers, or
those who have already played through SA 1. However, I'll cover it in some
depth for any Sonic Newbies out there.

At the begining, pick up the ling of rings, then move right for another row. A 
third row is on the left, along with a ledge. If you jump off this ledge, you
will perform a stunt which will earn you between 100 points ("Good") and 1000
("Awesome!"), depending on your speed. In theory, you may be able to earn 2000
points for a "Perfect!" stunt, but I don't think this is actually possible. 
Anyway, since you're going pretty fast, it shouldn't be a problem to get an 
"Awesome!". Also, the better the stunt, the higher you'll jump, which is useful 
later on, as monitors overhang the ledges, and can only be collected with a 
decent stunt.

Keep going, and if you want a decent grade, avoid cars; they slow you down a 
little, harming stunt potential. Take all the corners early, they're all very 
easy, and try to get an "Awesome!" stunt off the third lege; if you pull it 
off, you'll earn a shield.

When you lose the 'board, run forwards and homing jump onto the rail to start 
a grind worth a "Nice" 200 points. Run along the half-pipe, picking up rings,
then scale the wall as you run to pick up a Super Ring monitor worth 20 rings.
Smash the crates ahead of you with a couple of somersaults, then jump onto the
next rail to start another grind. Jump the gap between rails, then crouch down 
straight away for "Great" stunt. Hit the zipper and land on a high platform,
then jump off it, and home in onto the Super Ring monitor. Be careful, there is
a pit underneath, and you need to be very close to the monitor to home to it.
Climb the platforms you land on, hit the Continue Post, and get ready for 
another fast section!

(Continue Post One)

Hit the zippers and run at top speed, doing as many stunts as possible off the
ledges. A decent stunt off the second ledge will net you a Magnet Shield, and
the third has plenty of rings, and will save you a short climb. Climb the 
stairs, keeping your eye out for a Chao Key in one of the groups of crates if
you want a visit to Chao World, and at the top, watch out for a GUN Robot which 
drops from nowhere! Attack it's head, anywhere else will hurt you.

Another speed section! A reasonable stunt off the first ledge will earn 
Speed-up Shoes. However, if you're going really fast, an awesome stunt off the 
ledge will yield an Extra Life! Try to get them both, it's difficult but 
possible. Just keep running, and slow down when you enter an underpass, so that
you can hit the spring above you, allowing you to start a grind.

Crouch on this grind to speed up, and steady yourself with the analogue stick.
At the end, you can use this speed to climb an arch, or Spin Dash, if you
weren't quite fast enough. Up on this ledge is another chance at a Chao Key, 
and a spring, taking you to the second Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Now comes a very impressive high speed section. Just run forwards through the 
park, it should be pretty obvious what to do! 

The next coming section brings some new features which require good reflexes.
When you land on the pole, Sonic will begin spinning around it. If you press A, 
normally he will just fall off the pole, but if you time your button press to
the period of the swing where his shoes make a red arc, he will fly high into 
the air. Master this, it will be used throughout the game. The best way to time 
it is to feel a rhythm with the spins. If you make both jumps, you can pick up
an Invincibility monitor and the final Chao Key. You can also use the homing 
attack on the enemies to cross the pit ahead, which is easy, and earns stunt
points. If you fail the poles, just use the platforms to cross the pit. Either
way, activate the Continue Post.

(Continue Post Three)

KO another hidden GUN Robot, and start a grind down the rail. Crouch, and when 
you reach a gap in the rail, don't move the analogue stick, just tap A, and 
your momentum will carry you forwards to land on the next rail. When you 
finish, you'll be spinning around another pole. Time your jump, or climb the 
stairs to reach another Continue Post.

(Continue Post Four)

This part is easy. Just Somersault under the wall, the run away from the
18 Wheeler-style truck. The rows of rings in this section are placed in the 
right, then left, then centre-left, centre-right, centre-left and centre. Oh, 
and watch out for the first of Big The Cat's cameo appearances; he almost gets 
run over by the truck on one of the final corners! Keep your eyes out for his
appearances throughout the game, if I've seen him, I'll point him out for you.

Anyway, hit the zippers and the Goal Ring, and away you go!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective Two:-

This is a very easy objective, and if you finished the last one, you should 
have no problems with this. Basically, just follow objective one and slow down 
a little if you need to, to pick up rings. A cool place to pick up a few rings 
is on a ledge with a GUN Robot just after the boarding section, underneath a 
metal crate is a switch which makes a long row of rings appear. You need the 
Fire Somersault and Light Dash, though.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

You must have the  (from Pyramid Cave Zone) and  
(from the Crazy Gadget Zone) to find this barely useful power-up. Remember the
swinging poles section, just after you run down the side of the skyscraper? 
Well, on the lower part of ground you end up on after failing that section, 
bounce down on the metal crates which make up part of the ground to reveal a 
hidden room. At the bottom of this room is the  power-up which
allows Sonic to grab enemies to throw them at obstacles.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Suddenly, it's night(?) A large mecha robot appears, presumably sent by GUN to 
hunt down Sonic...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- F-6t BIG FOOT (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a major tip for almost every boss stage. Only ever pick up one ring at
a time. If you pick up several, then get hit, the chances are that you'll lose
them all and have no protection. If you only picked up one, then there are 
plenty left to offer protection to you if you get hit, as in boss stages it can
be very difficult to recollect rings you dropped after a hit. This tip 
obviously doesn't apply to Tails/Eggman bosses, as collecting rings hardly 
increases their health at all.

Okay, on with the Big Foot battle. This is so easy, there should be no problems 
at all, unless you don't act fast to hit him at vunerable points.

Begin by picking up a ring, for protection, then run away from the Big Foot as 
it will move around the arena, firing lasers directly underneath it. It's 
pretty slow, so make sure you don't overtake it, and run into the fire! Note 
that during this time, Big Foot is invunerable from Sonic's attacks.

After it performs this pathetic manoever twice, it will slow down and prepare 
to land. This is your chance! As soon as it lands, hit the underneath of the
cockpit, and it will lose a third of it's health and take off again. However,
if you leave it too late, Big Foot will have the chance to fire off several 
difficult to avoid homing missiles. If they hit you, not only will you lose
your rings, but the impact will mean that you almost certainly lose your chance
to attack. Hit it before it can let the missiles loose!

Either if you hit it or not, Big Foot will now take off, and start it's attack
pattern all over again. Three hits will see it off. Easy.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow appears with a Chaos Emerald, and Sonic realises that GUN was after 
Shadow, not him! Sonic tries to take Shadow's Emerald, but Shadow uses Chaos
Control to teleport away, and a massive GUN unit surrounds Sonic...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles and Rouge are stand in a desert, with the Master Emerald between them
Rouge claims the Emerald to be hers, and is about to steal it from Knuckles, 
when Robotnik appears and gyps it himself! To prevent the Eggman escaping with
it, Knux smashes the Emerald into fragments. Knuckles and Rouge both resolve to
find all the fragments of the Master Emerald before the other does...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Two: Wild Canyon Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

First, a quick word about Knuckles stages. In these stages, you have to locate
three items which could be hidden anywhere on the stage. Because of the highly
random factor to these levels, I can't give you direct walkthrough for Knux.
However, I can offer some tips for each level.

General tips:-

Firstly, and unlike SA 1, only one item will flash on the hot/cold detector at
once. This means that even if you are right next to an item, the meter won't 
flash unless the game decides that this item is the one you are meant to 
collect first. However, you can collect them in any order, though it will make
them difficult to locate, though you will get "Perfect!" for that gem. Because 
of this, the best technique is to scan the entire level three times, once for 
each item.

Remember, items may be hidden inside GUN Robots, Badniks, or later on, 
underground. Just because you can't see them, it doesn't mean they aren't 
there.

Your score for each item is determined by the number of tips (from monitors)
you use, the fewer tips, the higher the score, and the speed it takes you to 
find the item, the faster, the better. The maximum score for each item is a
"Perfect" 2000 points, achieved by a very fast collection time, which varies, 
depending on the size of the level, and by using no tips at all.

Level specific tips:-

Move upwards and downwards in this level by using the vacuum at the centre of
the level. Fragments may be on either the upper, lower, or middle section of 
the stage.

Fragments may be hidden in treasure chests; punch 'em out!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

You need the  to find this essential power-up. From the begining
of the level, glide straight forwards into the wind at the centre of the level.
When you get blown outside, glide the end of the "Lonely Statue area" as 
Omochao calls, it with an Egyptian statue. Climb above the statue's head, up to
a painting, then dig into the middle of the painting, taking you to a secret 
room. In here is a Dragon Animal, along with the . Use the 
'melody on the Chao Temple to create a warp back to the start of the level.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Tails is flying along in his biplane, The Tornado 2, towards the Prison Island,
in search of Sonic. It appears that Sonic has been recaptured by GUN, and has
been falsly accused of robbing a bank! He sees Amy Rose, the cute pink hedgehog
who has a crush on Sonic, in danger of being attacked by Dr. Robotnik, and 
decides to make a short detour to help her out. He transforms The Tornado 2 
into a mecha suit, The Cyclone, and takes the Eggman on!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- DR. EGGMAN [I] (HP not enough!)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Collect a ring, and basically keep shooting away at Robotnik with the Volkan 
Cannon (He moves too fast for lock-on shots to be effective). If you keep 
shooting away, he won't have a chance to do a single thing! This is easily the
simplest boss in the game, and you should have absolutely no trouble at all.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Amy Rose explains that she wants to help Sonic too, but Tails knows that she 
won't be able to fight the GUN Robots, so decides to clear a path for her by
using The Cyclone to storm the prison complex...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Three: Prison Lane Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Okay, an easy introduction to the shooting levels. If you already have your
Volkan Cannon upgraded, shoot out the crates on your right for a Chao Key. 
Otherwise, don't worry about it and just head forwards. Lock-on to the three
robots ahead of you, and destroy them to open the door. Repeat this simple 
problem until you ride rising platforms twice, then kill all of the enemies to
open another prison door. Follow this pattern for a while, killing every enemy.
Remember to collect the Chao Drives left behind by enemies if you get hurt, as
they slightly boost your HP. If there are any crates in your way, smash them
with the Volkan Cannon. This level is all very east and repetitive, so 
hopefully, you won't run into any trouble before the first Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

After activating the Continue Post, go through more prisons, and pick up a 
Chao Key, to your right, before the first rising platform. Nothing major really
occurs in this section until you need to rise a massive rising platform. On 
this platform it is possible to lock-on to many different enemies at once, as 
it rises. If your timing is good, and you catch them all before your laser 
fades to blue, you can get up to 8+ at once, for a massive score bonus! When
the platform reaches the top, hop off and activate the Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

After you've passed the Continue Post, and shot some more crates, you get to...
open more prison doors! Just follow the path, and keep doing these simple 
actions. There really is nothing taxing until the next Continue Post...

(Continue Post Three)

Or indeed until the Goal Ring. The only slight problem you might have is that
when you try to open prison doors, sometimes enemies are behind you, making it 
difficult to shoot them all. Always move the laser to focus on every area of 
the room. BTW, watch out for Big, who's being held in a cell on one of the 
final corridors!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

If you are replaying the level, and already have the Bazooka power-up (the
upgraded Volkan Cannon), in the room with the Goal Ring, open another prison
door by shooting all the enemies in the room (yes, including the one behind 
you:), and shoot out the metal crates blocking the open doorway on the left of 
the room. Follow the short corridor to find the , which turns
lock-on missiles into cluster bombs! Quite useful in later levels!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic has been captured by GUN, and is being held on a cell on the Prison Lane 
Zone. Amy Rose appears, and tells him how Tails got her through the prisons to
rescue him. Sonic explains about Shadow and why GUN are after him, and Amy 
makes a marriage proposal! After letting Sonic out of his cell, Amy wonders 
what all the writing on the wall of the cell is, but the she realises... Sonic 
is already gone!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Four: Metal Harbor Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Another cool, fast Sonic stage! The first section of the level is a piece of 
cake. Just run forwards, and when you need to, use the homing jump on enemies 
to cross the ocean (if you already have the Light Dash, you can use it to take 
a pretty obvious shortcut here, and pick up a Chao Key along the way). Soon you
will reach the first Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

After activating the Continue Post, hit the springs and bounce to the next 
section. Use the homing jump to hit enemies, allowing you to cross a stretch of
water, picking up the Extra Life on the left, if you can. Remember, the more of
these enemies you hit, the better the stunt bonus. On the other side you can 
finally pick up the  by jumping on the the crane hook in front of 
you, to the left. When the hook takes you up, jump backwards to a platform, 
where you should find the , which allow you to run at high speed 
across paths of rings, even in mid-air, by tapping X or B near the rings. Jump 
back down to where the hook picked you up, and test out the Light Dash on the
path of rings in front of you.

On the runway you end up on, speed along, hitting the zippers to the left, or
check the buildings to the left for another Chao Key. Either way, run to the 
end of the runway, and use the Light Dash again to reach the level's second
Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Run or Light Dash along the next few straights, Somersaulting under walls and 
grabbing crane hooks to make it to the next Continue Point with ease.

(Continue Post Three)

On the right of this Continue Post is the final Chao Key. Grab it, then use the
rocket to reach a platform which surrounds a GUN missile. Straight away, a ten
second coundown to the launch of the missile begins! Make your way around the
edge of the missile on the platform using the zippers boost yourself along. You
will recieve a stunt rating depending on the amount of time left until the 
missile launches when you hit the spring which propels you onto the missile. I 
think it's possible to make it with seven seconds remaining, if you're fast.

Anyway, enjoy the cut-scene as the missile launches (you lose a life if you 
don't make it in time, by the way), andget ready for a quick boarding section.
Aim for the Super Ring monitors, and especially the Extra Life, but don't worry 
if you weren't successful, you've almost finished the level. Run along the 
final straight, and when you fly into the air, land on the Goal Ring to finish 
the level.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective Two:-

Not much to say here, if you can finish the level, getting 100 rings should be
no problem. The only slight tip I can give is to use the Light Dash shortcut 
near the begining of the level, it will add 20 or so rings to your total almost
instantly, making your task that bit easier.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic falls from the sky after escaping from the Metal Harbor Zone, and lands
in a lush tropical rainforest. He spots Shadow, who accuses Sonic of being a
fake, and both decide to engage in battle...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SHADOW [I] (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

As usual, pick up a ring for protection, to start this battle. Shadow is 
easiest to hit with homing Spin Attacks, but he often sees you attack him, and
has time to launch a Spin Attack of his own, making the attack end in deadlock,
with neither of you getting a hit in. The way to avoid this is to attack Shadow
from behind. It may be dishonourable, but it's the way to go, since it 
practically guarantees a successful attack, unless Shadow unexpectedly runs out
of your way. Three easy hits and Shadow is down, but not out...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic and Shadow are taking a quick time out, but both want to continue the 
duel, until Dr. Robotnik calls Shadow on his Fisher-Price Walkie Talkie (hey, I
don't know how they communicate!) to tell him that the island has been rigged
with explosives, and is going to explode in eight minutes! Shadow escapes, and
Sonic realises he has to get to Amy and Tails before they get blown up! You can
do it Sonic! Go, go, go!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Five: Green Forest Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

* You only have eight minutes to complete Objective One on this level. Don't
worry, it's not as tough as it sounds. Eight minutes is plenty for this level.

Objective One:-

There's not much that can be said for the first section of this level; 
basically, ignore all enemies, and keep running forwards to the Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

Again, the second section is very straightforwards, literally. However, when
Sonic swings, Tarzan-style, on vines, don't worry about timing his landing; 
he'll come off at exactly the right place automatically. Also, constantly be
aware that those annoying GUN Robots could appear out of nowhere at any moment.
Activate the Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Nothing even remotely new or difficult in this section. Just use the same 
tactics you've been using for the rest of the level up until now.

(Continue Post Three)

When you reach the section with the springs, slow down a little to pick up a
Chao Key on one of the lower platforms, it's easy to see if you're not moving
too fast. Off the top of the last spring, there is also a Magnet Shield, and
when you land in front of the Continue Post, check behind you for a few rings
and an Extra Life.

(Continue Post Four)

Again, this section has nothing new and is no problem.

(Continue Post Five)

Nothing else worth mentioning until the end of the level, except for the very 
final section; when the ground starts to fall away, move forwards as quickly as
possible. Not only will you die if you move too slowly, but you will earn a 
stunt bonus depending on how fast you complete the section. Also note that, 
just for fun, you can grind on the edges of the tree-trunk half-pipes and earn
some stunt points. Finally, I think I saw Big at the top of one of loops, but I
can't be certain. Confirmations?

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective Two:- Very easy, as always. A tip of note though; it's not always 
best to tear through the level in search of rings. In this level it's better to 
slow down and pick up the juicy Super Ring monitors.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

In the run up to the second continue post, look behind you, to see several 
monitors and GUN robots. Homing jump on all of them to make a path reaching to
a platform with an Extra Life and the power-up , which allows 
Sonic to lock-on and defeat all enemies his the nearby area, by charging up a
spin dash until he announces that he's "ready!"

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV/Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

A very pretty FMV shows the island explode, with Sonic, Tails and Amy escaping
at the last minute aboard the Tornado 2. IMO, the FMV integrates much better
with the action than in SA 1, don't you agree?

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles arrives in a mysterious looking mountain range (somewhat like SA 1's
Red Mountain, both in design and playing style). He decides that, even though
things look a little unsettling, he has to explore the mountains, in order to
find the Master Emerald shards...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Six: Pumpkin Mountain Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

As before, since these levels are so random, you're pretty much on your own.
Sorry:)

Level specific tips:-

A good start to this level is to glide forwards, picking a Super Ring monitor
with 20 rings inside a balloon, and grabbing the  power-up, which 
is right in front of you. The  allows you to dig, which you should
do as often as you can be bothered, as you can find all kinds of cool things,
from Magnet Shields to Super Rings, even Emerald shards! Test it in the circle
where you found the , to find an Extra Life!

Just for fun:) Big The Cat is found behind on of the doors surrounding the 
ghost train turntable, low down on the level. Wonder how he got in there?

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Dr. Robotnik takes over the media to announce that he is taking over the world,
creating an "Eggman Empire" with the power of the ARK, which is basically an
Independance Day-style Death Egg III. Robotnik demostrates it's power by 
destroying half of the Moon!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic, Tails and Amy Rose see the explosion, and try to formulate a plan. 
However, GUN are still after Sonic, and also want to capture Tails for some 
reason (maybe they think he and Sonic are responsible for the destruction of
Prison Island?) Sonic and Tails split up, with Tails deciding to take an urban
route to freedom...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Seven: Mission Street Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

This stage begins with the classic Tails style shooting. Take out all of the
enemies, and head forwards. When you enter the tunnel, you can use invincible
black metal crates as cover from enemy fire if you need to. Shoot the wooden
crates out of your way to progress.

After exiting the tunnel, an earthquake occurs! Fall down to the new area, and 
use the dropping platform to tral upwards again. When at the top, check the 
surroundings to find the power-up item . It allows you to hover, like
Knuckles, over gaps by pressing and holding A while in mid-air. Use it to get 
behind you and find a Chao Key.

Now, head forwards. When you see packs of dynamite attached to pillars, lock-on 
and shoot them out, to clear a path. There's another Chao Key in this area, 
behind some wooden crates. Use the crane hook, and climb the platforms to reach 
the top of the scaffolding, and the Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

Continue forwards (although you might want to shoot out the sign above you;),
and avoid the explosions caused by the bomber squadrons. There are also some
earthquakes in this area, so be careful. When you reach a dead end, activate 
a missile to your left, which should destroy a wall to your right, opening up a
new path to continue through. The next bridge should be pretty easy, just shoot
everything! Use one of the fallen pillars to climb onto the roadblock on the
bridge. Hover off the end of it to reach the other side. (By the way, Big is 
fishing on the left of the bridge supports in front of you).

On the other side of the gap, there is the final Chao Key, a shadow. Don't walk
underneath the shadow, or a block will fall on you, cripling your HP! Instead, 
use to platforms to your right to go around it. Continue along, shooting and
climbing platforms to the next Continue Post. If you have the  
upgrade, you can shoot out the metal crates to your right and free an animal, 
if can be bothered.

(Continue Post Two)

The final section of the level is very easy, and similar to the begining. Just
walk along, and if it moves, shoot it! As always, hit the goal ring to finish 
the level.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles is suprised by how tough the mines look, but he strengthens his 
resolve and goes in search of the Master Emerald fragments.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Eight: Aquatic Mine Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Another fairly random level. A few tips, though.

Level specific tips:-

At the begining of this level, there's way too much water. You don't want to 
run the risk of drowning, so here's how to drain it all. Firstly, make sure the
water level is set to "1" (the highest level, and default for the stage). If it
isn't, check behind where you started the level, and throw to switch marked 
"1". When the water level is this high, you can climb the pole in the centre of
the level, and use one of the crane hooks to take you up to a hidden area. Up
here is a Chao Key, and a switch marked "3". Throw it to drain the water out of
the level completely, allowing you to reach everywhere in the level without the
risk of drowning. However, once you leave the secret area, you cannot return
unless you throw the switch "1" and climb the pole again. 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

To pick this VERY useful power-up, follow the steps above to drain all of the
water in the mine. Then, where the pit in the middle of the mine is, check all
four corners. One has a wall around it. Drop down the inside of this wall, and 
you'll find an area which still has water in it! Dive down, and swiw through 
the two rooms as quickly as possible, ignoring the Super Rings in the second
room for the time being, and surface in a third room, as time is tight. Up in 
the third room is the  power-up, which allows Knuckles to breathe
underwater forever! This makes the last level SO much easier...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Back in Station Square, Amy and Tails are on the 'phone to Sonic. Tails reckons
that the stolen Chaos Emeralds have been taken into space for use on the ARK by
Robotnik and Shadow. Suddenly, Knuckles climbs out of a manhole right next to 
them, saying he must have gotten lost in the mines. Tails then tells Sonic he
wants to catch up with the President's limo, and in order to do so, he 
transforms The Cyclone into a racing car, The Whirlwind S7, to do so! The
Transformers have nothing on this guy!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Nine: Route 101 Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

This is actually nothing like Tails' normal shooting levels, and is instead a 
racer, with music straight out of Diddy Kong Racing!

Controls:-

A; Accelerate (why they didn't use the analogue acceleration provided by L or R
is beyond me). Also, when turning, tap A then hold it down to start a 
powerslide, useful on corners. You can stop sliding by releasing the analogue
stick for a second.

Analogue Stick; Steer.

Y; Boost. Tails recieves one boost for every twenty rings collected.

This is a fun, if easy sub-game. It's nice to see the developers put so much 
effort in though!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Tips:-

Don't use boosts as soon as you get them, as you might be wasting them in the
wrong area. Instead, use boosts on long straights. That said, since you can 
only carry one boost at a time, it's best to use them as soon as possible.

Don't bother to slow down for corners, instead, just powerslide. Even if you
do hit a wall, unless it's a head-on collision (which causes you to spin out),
it hardly slows you down.

If you want more rings, break the balloons in any pits you pass. They contain
Super Rings, with 5, 10 or 20 rings.

When you see the limo, you just need to accelerate and boost to catch up and
finish the level.

* The first time you complete this level, you will earn one of two bonuses:-

Either you will unlock the kart racing sub-game in one-player mode (if you 
complete this level before Rouge's Route 280 on the Dark side),

Or, you will unlock a two-player version of the kart racing sub-game, (if you 
complete this level after Rouge's Route 280 on the Dark side).

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

The President is getting a briefing from one of his aides about Robotnik's
latest scheme. When he talks to Robotnik on a videophone, the Doctor tells him
he has 24 hours to surrender, or his country will cease to exist! However, 
Sonic appears, and begins insulting Robotnik, and Tails learns of Robotnik's
position on the ARK, much to the President's bemusement.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are standing near a pyramid in a desert. Knuckles 
says that he thinks that Robotnik and Rouge entered it, so Tails volenteers to
explore the desert in order to find the entrance...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Ten: Hidden Base Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

This is a pretty straightforward level for Tails, with basically nothing you
haven't seen before...

There's nothing you should be worrying about up until the first Continue Post.
Don't fall in the sand though; unlike with Sonic, sand spells instant death for
Tails! However, there is a Chao Key behind you in the run up to the 'Post.

(Continue Post One)

Again, nothing interesting, until you find a temple with metal crates obscuring
the entrance. You'll want to return here later with the  power-up to
find the  for Tails, and another Chao Key. Either way, continue
forwards to the Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Another all clear for this section, with no new items, puzzles or enemies. Just
shoot, and jump!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

After the first Continue Post, continue along the "normal" route, until you 
reach a kind of temple. There are metal crates blocking the doorway, but if you
have the , you should have no trouble in smashing them out of your 
way. Enter to find the  which lets Tails open up hidden paths 
when used next to small "Chao Temples". Test it out on one right near you, for
a Chao Key!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Eleven: Pyramid Cave Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

In this level, you get stunt points for jumping through hoops, circus 
doggy-style, so get a great start to the level, getting all of them down the
first corridor. You will need to run up the walls in order to reach some of the
higher scoring hoops. After this corridor is the first Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

This area introduces another of the level's recurring themes; hourglasses used
to open doors. Hit the hourglass then run through the door before it closes. If
you don't think you can make it, try somersaulting under the doors just before 
they close. 

After the door, jump onto the spinning poles, and jump forwards, although if 
you drop off the poles, there are a couple of Super Rings below the first, and
and Chao Key under the second. Do another hourglass door and light dash through 
some rings.

After another speed section, take out a few E-100 series robot (remember these
guys from SA 1?) and pick up the  power-up, which lets you 
bounce on the ground allowing you to go higher than you can normally jump, then
there's another hourglass door. When you reach a metal door, place the nearby
skull-like item on the corresponding platform to open the door to the second
Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Grind through the first section to skip a small area. Soon, you'll reach 
another metal door and platform, but with no item, grind to your right, and
keep going until you reach a dead end, you'll find it, guarded by a couple of
E-100 series robots. Take the skull back along the path you came, and place it
on the metal platform to open the door forwards.

Hit the hourglass, and race through a long corridor to the next Continue Post.
Don't worry, because this hourglass has a very long time limit.

(Continue Post Three)

Hit the hourglass, and speed forwards through three closing doors. If you can't
get back, grind along the side of the corridor, around the doors. Somersault 
under the next wall, and complete another high speed section. After that, 
there's nothing really tricky left in the level, except for the final hourglass
section, which barely gives you any time; homing jump up the slope constantly,
and somersault under the door before it closes, then finish with the Goal Ring!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic and company have managed to reach the entrance to the pyramid, thanks to
Tails' efforts, but unfortunately, it appears to be locked. The task of finding
them falls to Knuckles, despite his complaints...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Twelve: Death Chamber Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Again with Knux, it's mostly up to you...

Level specific tips:-

Just one small tip for this level. When you reach an area where you can 
progress no further, when your path is blocked by metal crates, the , which allow you to break them with your punches are somewhere nearby, 
they are placed fairly obviously.

Another tip; sometimes, when there is a sandy patch on the wall, you can dig 
through to reach another area on the other side. Good luck!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles knows there's something creepy going on... especially when he's 
attacked by a ghost king!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- KING BOOM BOO (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Maybe the toughest boss in the game, but still not too worrying. IMO, this boss
reminds me of Pac Man quite a lot, in the chasing aspect.

Firstly, pick up a ring, then run in a circular fashion away from Boo. Keep at
a fair distance, but you get too far ahead of him, he'll turn around and attack
you from the other direction! When you've run a complete "lap" without any 
interuptions, Boo will start chucking big blue energy balls at you. These are
very easy to dodge, and should prove no problem. At the end of the "lap", you 
will find a smaller ghost with some kind of hourglass/switch. Hit it, and a 
cut-scene will show a ceiling panel open to turn the tables on Boo. Looks like
he forgot the sun block:)

When he becomes a shadow, he will move around randomly on the ground. Dig where
the shadow is to pull him out of the ground. Chase after him, and give him a 
punch. I think it is possible to hit him more than once, but he speeds up 
massively after the first hit. Anyway, after a few seconds, the ceiling panel
will close (this whole section is under a time limit) and things wil start 
again.

On subsequent hits, the battle will change a little. Boo becomes more fond of 
switching directions, and his movements as a shadow will change, moving to the
wall after being hit once, then moving between the wall and floor, and finally,
still alternating, but moving faster. When you learn how to hit him though, 
this boss becomes very easy.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles is just recovering from fighting Boo, when Robotnik appears and 
launches another ill-fated attack. This time, he has an Egg Golem, ready, and 
to protect the weakened Knuckles, Sonic takes up the challenge...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- EGG GOLEM - THE GOLEM (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly, remember that falling off the platform is not the end of the world, 
nor Sonic. Constantly jump to pull Sonic out of the sand. Also note that there
are many Super Ring monitors scattered around the area down here. Useful for
protection. If you want to get back up, use the crane hooks.

When you start the battle, the Golem will punch one of the platforms near you,
but it won't actually hit you, so don't move. Then, after it hits a platform, 
move to that platform. It will never hit the same platform twice in a row, so
you'll be safe. Then, run around the platforms until you're behind the Golem.
Climb up the first three platforms on it's back (they move in slowly, pushing
you off, so do it quickly and carefully) then Homing Jump onto the final three,
giving you enough height to home onto it's head. Repeat this.

After you've hit him twice, he will spin his arms around, trying to hurt you
and knock you off the platform. Either jump his arms, or stand on a platform 
which the Golem has already knocked downwards, which is too low for his reach.
He will stand still for a little after this attack, so run behind him and hit 
him.

After he's taken three hits, the Golem will use a massive headbutt attack,
constantly. When he's about to use it, just start running around the arena, and
climb his back to hit him the final two times.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

The top of the pyramid opens up, and a NASA-style space shuttle takes off, with
Sonic just making it into the rocket in time for take off. The shuttle flies 
into space, towards the ARK, but thanks to Knuckles' (rather poor IMO) piloting
skills, the crew skim an asteroid, causing all the recovered pieces of the 
Master Emerald to fly out.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic and company (including, strangely the useless Amy Rose) realise that 
Knuckles has bailed, presumably to search for the lost Emerald shards. The gang
decide to board the ARK, and Tails shows them a fake version of the Yellow 
Chaos Emerald he made to trick Robotnik. He explains that since it has the same
wavelength and properties as the real Emerald, even a machine can't tell the
difference. Leaving Amy behind, Sonic and Tails set out, to find the control
room and power source of the ARK, respectively...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Thirteen: Eternal Engine Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

The first few rooms in Tails' final level are just a light warm-up. Take out 
the enemies and continue. When you need to reach a spring, shoot out a wooden 
crate next to it to create steps leading up to it. After a few more simple 
rooms you will reach the first Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

The ideas presented in the next section can be quite difficult, and are, IMO, 
rather clever on the part of the developers, Sonic Team. There are those 
normally useful packs of dynamite strapped to the walls, ceiling and floor, but
if you shoot them here, they will create a vacuum which will most likely suck
Tails into space! For this reason, in any room with dynamite, it's best to 
shoot only when you must, and even then, aim very carefully.

After finishing a couple of rooms, go forwards into a room where you must shoot
out the crates to find a switch opening the way forwards, a door to the right. 
There is also a Chao Key in here, but watch the dynamite!

Keep heading forwards, until you have to fall downwards to continue. At the 
bottom, check behind you for the rocket needed to blow open the gate ahead.

In the next room, watch out, because a platform will fall from the ceiling with
no warning unless you blow up the trigger between the two springs before you 
enter the room. (Stupid Omachao's warnings come way too late!) Hit the right
spring for a 5 ring Super Ring monitor, and the left one to end up on the 
falling platform to reach a crane hook forwards, to the second Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

In this next area, to add to your troubles, there are very annoying "organic
weapon" enemies which look a lot like Chaos from SA 1. You can only hit them
when their "head" comes out of their "body".

In the next few rooms, cross the laser using the floating platforms (don't jump
on them when the lasers are up!), then break the balloon for a Medikit which
fully restores your HP!

(Continue Post Three)

Really easy; continue through the obvious outdoor route shooting everthing. It
doesn't matter if you shoot out dynamite here, as long as you aren't standing 
on it, as the gap it creates won't suck you off the platforms like it will 
indoors.

(Continue Post Four)

In the section where you fall downwards, when you land, you'll notice that the
path forwards is blocked by metal crates which your normal laser can't take
out. Chck behind you however, and you'll find the  power-up, which 
lets you break them with ease. Oh, and the two enemies here are invincible, so
just ignore them.

(Continue Post Five)

This section is VERY arcady and IMO, lots of fun! Firstly, as Tails floats 
through space, shoot everything, trying to get as big combos as possible. Then
as you fall through the lasers, you can get MASSIVE combos from all the 
enemies, just use your boost to dodge the laser beams. Finally, you get to 
fight a "mini-boss". Shoot all the blue panels and any incomming lasers to beat
this easy challenge revealing the Goal Ring!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic is just placing the fake Chaos Emerald, when he gets a call from Tails,
telling him that Amy Rose has been kidnapped by Robotnik!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Fourteen: Meteor Herd Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

A massive Knux level. You see that space station up in the sky? You can, and 
probably have to, make it up there! 

Level specific tips:-

You can reach the upper space station quickly, by firstly climbing up the walls
of the space base in the middle of the lower levels, falling into it, and 
picking up a rocket. From where you land, explore the higher platforms around
you to find another rocket which will take you all the way to the top of the 
stage!

To get the  power-up, find a lone meteor on a column near the space
base at the bottom of the level. Punch it into the door of the space base to 
reveal a metal crate. Punch out this crate, throw the switch underneath it, and
climb one of the wall of the space base (watch out for an Extra Life up here).
Fall into the middle of the base, through the now opened roof of the base, and 
on one of the platforms are the . Hardly useful, but hey, they look 
cool:)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rouge appears and faces off against Knuckles in the middle of the space base. 
As always, they are arguing about who has the rights to the Master Emerald. 
This time, without Robotnik's interuptions, they begin a fight!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- ROUGE (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Obviously, pick up a ring. At the begining of this battle, punching Rouge 
allows you to get easy hits, and you should be able to at least get a couple of
HP off her gadge.

Soon, the roof of the space base will open, blowing you both into the air. You
can't attack or defend very well while floating, so land on a ledge as soon as 
you can. If you're on a ledge while Rouge is floating, she can't defend, so do
so. If you're both on a ledge, then fight normally. If you're a long way away 
from Rouge (too far for her normal attacks to have a chance of hitting you), 
then she may summon some kind of magic to hit you, which she will announce in a
voice sample. Glide in a straight direction to avoid this attack.

When the space base roof closes again, go back to punching and diving to beat
her. No problem.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Both Knuckles and Rouge are exausted, but neither will give in and hand over 
their parts of the Master Emerald. Rouge attempts to launch another attack, but
in her fatigue, she falls from to thin bridge they are standing on, to her 
death... almost. Knuckles grabs her hand and pulls her up. However, rather than
thanking him, she practically accuses him of being a perve for touching her! 
However, she grudgingly hands over her Emerald shards, claiming that "they 
stink like echidnas"! He apoligises to her, but they have to part before any
further developments occur. Rouge can't resist stealing a last glance at Knux,
though...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Fifteen: Crazy Gadget Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Considering this is the penultimate level, it's not very tough! There's nothing
worth covering until you reach a green acid pool. Here, press the switch with 
the arrow on it (press B or X), to reverse gravity! (This level is just like 
Death Egg in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, with loads of gravity swapping and warp 
tubes). Gring along the ceiling, over the acid.

(Continue Post One)

Smash the glass and jump into the warp tube ahead of you. Also, in the next
upside-down section, you'll need to Somersault under wall to reach the next
Continue Post, which isn't immediately obvious.

(Continue Post Two)

Grind, and when you get a choice of switch, choose the one on the right to 
continue forwards. Keep going through this very short section.

(Continue Post Three)

Gah. Nothing worth mentioning here. IMO, they threw in a few too many Continue
Posts in this level...

(Continue Post Four)

After you complete another upside-down section, and go the right way up again,
Head back a little to find the  power-up. Now, when you reach a
dead end, smash a metal crate with your shiny new bracelet, to find a spring 
taking you to the next section, then do a massive light dash. After a few more
easy rooms, you will find a Chao Key, and the next Continue Post.

(Continue Post Five)

One of the coolest sections of the entire game, but complex, so listen up. 
Activate the switch to reach a PURPLE section of ground. From here, activate a
switch going left to a GREEN section. Bounce fromhere, to another switch,
taking you to a YELLOW section. Jump to a BLUE section then use a switch to get
to another YELLOW. Get the Shield here, then throw the switch to reach a 
spring, letting you continue. Grind to a GREEN section, use a spring from there
to reach a PURPLE section then Light Dash to a BLUE section with a Super Ring
containing 5 rings. Use the switch to go to another PURPLE section, then hit
both switches to reach a RED section. Don't use the nearest switch, use the
further one, taking out the Organic Robot on the way, pick up the rocket and 
finally reach the Goal Ring!

Note: I've had quite a lot of questions about this section. Probably a badly 
written walkthough:) Anyway, here are a few more FAQ tips;

MakoRevised:-

"I've reached level 15 on the hero stage  (without using your FAQ..heh).  Yet, 
I've come upon a problem.  On the 5th checkpoint, right when you do the 
colored, space platform jumping with Sonic, I flip the switch getting to the 
pruple platform, run to the next switch to get on the green platform, and run 
left.  Here, I see a bouncing spring, to jump on.  So, I manage to maneuver 
towards the spring, and I bounce, but to no avail  It just sends me out into 
space.  Am I doing someting wrong?  help would be appreciated."

I'm not sure exactly what you're doing wrong here, but either try to 
bounce straight up or forwards rather than at some weird angle, which 
can send you into space. If it's not the only way forwards, also try 
another route as the gravity might not be going in the right 
direction at this point. Hope this helps you and anybody else who is having a
similar problem.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic makes it to where Tails and Amy are being held, before Amy's body gets 
filled with hot lead. Damn shame. Anyway, after Robotnik prompts him, he places
the fake Emerald on the ground, but as an insurance policy, Robotnik traps 
Sonic in a glass case, which tricks Tails into admitting that the Emerald was 
fake. Robotnik sends Sonic into space, then demands the real Emerald from 
Tails. Sonic has a trick up his sleeve, but Tails, believing Sonic to be dead, 
takes on Robotnik to avenge his friend...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- DR. EGGMAN [II] (HP 7)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I hate this battle, not because it's particularly difficult, but because it's 
near impossible for either of you to dodge each others' attacks, making the 
winner almost randomly determined. However, if you stay well away from 
Robotnik, and keep shooting, you'll have a much better chance. His best attack,
(exactly the same as Vargas' Power Drive in Powerstone) can take about 50% of
your HP off, and is near impossible to dodge, so pray he doesn't use it. You 
can dodge it if you're far away from him though. Otherwise, just keep blasting,
and hope for the best.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles senses some strange energy, but he is suprises when Sonic teleports 
next to him, with a Chaos Control powered by the fake Emerald! Asks Knux to go
and help Tails and Amy, as he attempts to take out the ARK's main cannon!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Sixteen: Final Rush Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Very straightforward level, but I hope you can grind by now:)

Before the first Continue Post, all you need to do is grind along the obvious
route.

(Continue Post One)

Pick up the Chao Key just ahead of you. Run forwards, and again grind the 
obvious route. Pick up a Super Ring with 10 rings and an Extra Life after the
first rail, then hit the springs and break the Bomb monitor after the second 
rail to take out a couple of Organic Weapons.

(Continue Post Two)

Don't hit the obvious rail in the middle of the road, instead, use the rocket
under it to save yourself a lttle time and bother.

When you reach the sections where you need to start grinding uphill, use the 
homing jump to hit the rail, it will give you the momentum needed to climb it.

(Continue Post Three)

First Bounce on the crate on the left, to pick up and Magnet Shield, then 
continue through either of the others. All there is until the next Continue
Post are a lot of uphill grinds.

(Continue Post Four)

Just loads more uphill grinds, nothing difficult.

(Continue Post Five)

When you do a really high uphill grind (after picking up the Extra Life behind
it), you must crouch to get enough speed to climb it. After you fly off the 
spring, you will reach another Continue Post.

(Continue Post Six)

Too many Continue Posts on this level!

Anyway, jump off the first grind near the begining onto a black platform 
containing a rocket. Use it to reach another platform, with an Extra Life, then
jump fromj this platform onto a similar platform to the left, with a spring on
it. Use the spring to reach a platform with (at last!) Sonic's 
power-up. Use the 'Melody next to the Chao Temple on the platform, to make a 
path of rings perfect for a Light Dash. Land grinding, and continue forwards.

When you reach three crates, choose any one, they all lead to a chase section
like with the truck at the begining of the game, with rusty metal falling after 
Sonic. Just hold forwards to reach the Goal Ring, you'll be fine!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow appears at the Final Rush Zone and begins racing with Sonic. They start
a conversation, but Shadow tells Sonic that he has to kill him...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SHADOW [II] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

You might expect the last boss to be tough? He's not.

Firstly, although rings aren't a problem here, you must keep running, as the 
platform behind you are falling. 

At the begining of the battle, hitting Shadow with Spin Attacks and Spin Dashes
is very effective, but as the fight continues, Shadow can dodge them more 
easily. His own Spin Attacks are easy to dodge, but he has two other attacks; 
Chaos Spear, which is a rarely used lightning attack, with a cut-scene to warn 
you, can be dodged by just running forwards at top speed. Chaos Control is used
often by Shadow, if you overtake him or knock him off the edge of the arena. 
He says "this is the ultimate!" and teleports some distance in front of you.
If he teleports into a row of rings, you can Light Dash into him, getting a 
sure hit, and this is probably the only thing that will work late in the battle
when he dodges any other attacks.

HERO GAME COMPLETE!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Tails has Robotnik beaten, but as he grieves for Sonic, he doesn't notice that
the Eggman has stolen his Yellow Chaos Emerald. However, Sonic calls him and
Tails realises that he still lives!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic is talking to Tails on the 'phone as he attacks and damages the ARK's 
cannon, preventing it from firing, even if Robotnik does have the last Emerald.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Credits

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic's Theme plays as the Hero credits roll, showing screen-shots of important
events in the Hero story.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

A short FMV shows some highlights from the Dark story to get you in the mood to
play as the bad guys:)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Completing Hero unlocks:-

* Scene Select in Hero mode.

* Boss fights in Hero mode.

* Along with beating the Dark story, it unlocks the Last story.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-------------------=
=V. Dark Walkthrough=
=-------------------=

Guess I've got to say this again for those of you who are playing Dark before
Hero. Here's how the game is played;

Objective One - Clear the level by reaching the exit goal. Typically, though
not always, this will be the easiest objective. On a few levels (Green Forest
Zone and White Jungle Zone, there are time linits placed on this objective, 
but they are not tight at all).

Objective Two - Collect 100 rings (the stage will continue, in a loop, until
you either complete the objective, or fail by losing all of your lives). In 
some situations, this is actually easier than Objective One.

Objective Three - Find the lost Chao somewhere in the stage. Possesion of the 
power-up item "Mystic Melody" is required to complete this objective. On 
racing levels, like Route 101 or Route 280, this objective changes to finishing
the level without hitting any other cars.

Objective Four - Complete Objective One within a tight time limit. On 
racing levels, like Route 101 or Route 280, this objective changes to finishing
the level without even scraping the walls. Harsh.

Objective Five - Complete Objective One with the difficulty ramped up.

When you complete a stage, you are given clear rating between A and E, with E
being the worst and A the best. As far as I can tell, the rating is directly 
connected to score, which is mainly determined by the speed in which you finish 
the level, and the number of rings you carry to the end. Total rings collected,
technique points from stunts and Badniks defeated also make small impacts.

However, getting good grades is very tough. For example, after one day's play,
though I finished the Hero game, I had mostly E grades, a few Ds, maybe a C and
one B on the the level I had practiced the most, City Escape (no, I hadn't 
played the PSO demo). Mostly, I can say that stunts are by far the most 
important factor in grades, along with finding the correct path.

The guides at the moment are only C standard, for beginners, but hopefully soon 
I will update with tips on picking up those all important A grades...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Updated:- Making the grade; how to pick up those oh-so-tricky A grades:-

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly note that score is the single criteria for your grade in objectives 
one, four (as long as you make the set time, your finishing speed won't affect 
your grade except for the points awarded in Time Bonus), and five. The grade
you get for objective two or three depends only on the amount of time you take
to complete the objective.

After extended play I'm now certain about to pick up major points. This differs
a long way between characters, but I am certain that performing stunts, or 
"Action Links" as the game calls them, is the most important way to pick those 
points. Here's a run-down of the Action Links and what they're worth, also,
for Sonic, Shadow, Tails and Eggman, the number of enemies you have to defeat
at once to recieve those points (homing jumps or lock-ons), for Links where 
you have to defeat x number of enemies in a row:-

 ____________________________________________________________________
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Action Link | Points Recieved | Number of Enemies | Colour of Link |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Good!       | 100             | Two               | Light Blue     |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Nice!       | 200             | Three             | Green          |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Great!      | 300             | Four              | Dark Blue      |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Jammin'!    | 400             | Five              | Light Yellow   |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Cool!       | 500             | Six               | Dark Yellow    |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Radical!    | 600             | Seven             | Light Orange   |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Tight!      | 800             | Eight             | Orange         |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Awesome!    | 1000            | Nine              | Dark Orange    |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Extreme!    | 1500            | Ten               | Purple         |
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|
|             |                 |                   |                |
| Perfect!    | 2000            | Eleven +          | Pretty Rainbow!|
|_____________|_________________|___________________|________________|

General Tips on making points:-

General:-

All characters get points for the following;

* Finishing the level quickly. The amount of points awarded varies immensly 
between stages, but generally, the faster the better. In some cases, it may be
better to go a little slower to pick up more rings, though. This is of major
importance to Knuckles/Rouge, pretty important to Sonic/Shadow and less 
important (in some situations literally worthless) to Tails/Eggman.

* Number of rings you have when you finish the level (ten points per ring, I 
think). This can make a major impact to Sonic/Shadow levels, but is less 
important for Tails/Eggman, and Knuckles/Rouge can usually ignore this as 
speed is much more important to them. Rings you drop are worth NOTHING, so
don't get hit either!

* Number of GUN Robots/Badniks killed in a row, either with homing jumps from
Sonic/Shadow or number of enemies in the same lock-on for Tails/Eggman. 
Knuckles/Rouge CANNOT link enemies, (even if they do bounce or glide between
them without hitting the ground), so killing enemies is a waste of time for 
them. Also note that unlike in previous Sonic games, killing individual enemies
is worth NOTHING, you only get points for linking. This is mostly important to
Tails/Eggman, (you can often get an A grade using only this technoque on their
levels), but is worth considering for Sonic/Shadow.

Sonic/Shadow:- 

You can get points in these ways;

* Homing jumping between enemies without touching the ground inbetween (see 
table for points awarded).

* Grinding on any rails, points are awarded depending on the length, speed and
style (how steady, you were, use the analogue stick to steady yourself) of the
grind. Also, if combo several grinds together with other grinds, or jumps from
spinning poles, you will increase your score.

* Light Dashing along rings will often give you a small bonus, if the rings are
in mid-air, and the path is quite long. Sometimes the bonus is significant 
though, and the rings will give your score an added boost.

* Sonic/Shadow levels often have a major "event" which will reward you with a
large amount of points (the missile launch sequence in Metal Harbour is a good
example). These can quite often be worth 10% or more of the A grade score on 
the level, so learn them and practice!

Tails/Eggman:-

Pointers for the shooters;

* Lock-on is by far the over-riding concern for Tails/Eggman's scores. Remember
that single enemies are worth nothing, and larger the group, the better...up to
a point. Confused? Don't be. Imagine that Eggman has twenty enemies in range, 
begging to be shot. Your first thought might be to lock-on to all twenty, 
killing all of them and netting a 2000 point "Perfect!" bonus. However, the 
smart player would lock-on to just ten of the twenty at once, killing that 
group, then lock-on to the remaining ten seperately. Killing two groups of ten 
gets you two "Extreme!" bonuses, each worth 1500 points, getting you a total of
3000 points, a significantly larger amount than if you'd taken just the one 
"Perfect!" This tactic is essential on stages like Weapons Bed. Also note that
sometimes background scenery like signs count as enemies (if they do, a number
will appear next to the target when you lock-on to them), thus boosing your 
combos.

* Tails/Eggman cannot perform Sonic-like stunts, and time bonuses are near 
useless to them, often excepting the earlier, shorter stages.

* Rings are worth picking up, but only bother if you think you can finish the
level with at least 100-200, otherwise they'll only make a minimal difference
to your score.

* Killing enemies with your Volkan Cannon is worth nothing, even if you take 
out several at once. Don't bother.

Knuckles/Rouge:-

Hunting tips;

* Your score for each item is determined by the number of tips (from monitors)
you use, the fewer tips, the higher the score, and the speed it takes you to 
find the item, the faster, the better. The maximum score for each item is a
"Perfect" 2000 points, achieved by a very fast collection time, which varies, 
depending on the size of the level, and by using no tips at all.

* Don't bother with rings, you'll never get enough to make up the time you 
waste searching for them, especially since unlike most non-Knuckles/Rouge 
levels they aren't just layed out along the main path of the level for you to
collect.

* Speed is so important to Knuckles/Rouge. This cannot be underestimated, since
unlike with other characters, speed not only counts towards the Time Bonus you 
recieve after finishing the level, it also counts towards the score you get 
when you find each item.

Final word:-

If you want to know what a "good" score for each character in each level is 
(e.g. good enough for an A grade), I would say 17,000-21,000 for Sonic/Shadow,
15,000-18,000 for Knuckles/Rouge and 25,000-50,000 for Tails/Eggman, though
this varies massively, particularly on Tails/Eggman (for example I can quite
easily get almost 75,000 points [!] on Cosmic Wall). 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Dark game begins...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player starts as Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

At the base of Prison Island, an intruder has been located; Dr. Ivo Robotnik, 
searching GUN HQ for a top secret weapon created by his grandfather, Professor
Gerald Robotnik. Let's go fund that weapon!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level One: Iron Gate Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

The first section is very easy. I recommend playing the Dark game after the 
Hero game, but this level is very easy to get used to the controls either way.

Objective One:-

Lock-on to all the enemies in two groups for a good score. When you reach the 
locked door, you can destroy it by firing four lock-on missiles at the locks on
each corner of the door. Through the first locked door is the first Continue 
Post.

(Continue Post One)

Enter the next room and take out the enemies. Break thr crates to your right 
using the Volkan Cannon, and stand on the right platform to reach a Chao Key, 
behind you. Use the left platform to progress, smashing any wooden crates in 
your way with the Volkan Cannon.

Take out more enemies, and a security door, then move onto the falling 
platform. Kill the enemies and smash the door to reach the second Continue 
Post. Note than Big is underneath where the falling platform stops, but you
hace to die if you want to see him:(

(Continue Post Two)

Go right, forwards is blocked (well, until you get the  much later
in the game, anyway). Run along the obvious path, then pick up all of the Super
Ring monitors before you enter a tunnel. After exiting, you'll find the next 
Continue Post, and to it's right, another Chao Key.

(Continue Post Three)

Another falling platform lies ahead of you, and yet more security doors. Take 
on everything in the usual manner, and when you see a cut-scene showing several 
doors locking in front of you, go back a little, climb onto a platform with a 
rocket mounted on it, and shoot the radar display computer next to the rocket 
to fire it at the doors, demolishing them. Through these doors lies a final 
Chao Key, and just after, the Goal Ring!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

Straight after the second continue post, go straight forwards, instead of 
right. Use the  to blast the cannisters and crates out of your way
to find the , which changes Robotnik's homing lasers into 
cluster bombs!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Robotnik breaks through a Level 7 security door and a hacks into a console (not
a Dreamcast, the other kind:), which opens a cold storage capsule, 
containing... Sonic the Hedgehog? No, a new hedgehog, called Shadow! Shadow 
tells Robotnik that for freeing him, he will grant "his master" a wish... 
Shadow displays his power by taking on a mech...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- B-3x HOT SHOT - Heavy Armed combat walkers (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a major tip for almost every boss stage. Only ever pick up one ring at
a time. If you pick up several, then get hit, the chances are that you'll lose
them all and have no protection. If you only picked up one, then there are 
plenty left to offer protection to you if you get hit, as in boss stages it can
be very difficult to recollect rings you dropped after a hit. This tip 
obviously doesn't apply to Tails/Eggman bosses, as collecting rings hardly 
increases their health at all.

This is almost exactly like Big Foot, but with one extra attack, though I'll
repeat the strategies for those who haven't yet played Hero.

Begin by picking up a ring, for protection, then run away from the Hot Shot as 
it will move around the arena, firing lasers directly underneath it. It's 
pretty slow, so make sure you don't overtake it, and run into the fire! Note 
that during this time, Hot Shot is invunerable from Shadow's attacks.

After it performs this pathetic manoever twice, it will slow down and prepare 
to land. This is your chance! As soon as it lands, hit the underneath of the
cockpit, and it will lose a third of it's health and take off again. However,
if you leave it too late, Hot Shot will have the chance to fire off several 
difficult to avoid homing missiles. If they hit you, not only will you lose
your rings, but the impact will mean that you almost certainly lose your chance
to attack. Hit it before it can let the missiles loose! After you hit it, it 
will try to lock-on to you with a homing laser. Just race around the arena, 
away from the red targeting sensor to avoid the laser.

Either if you hit it or not, Hot Shot will now take off, and start it's attack
pattern all over again. Three hits will see it off. Easy. However, be warned 
that when it drops to one HP, it will use the homing laser attack three times 
in a row.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Robotnik is very impressed with the way Shadow handled himself during the 
fight, and agrees that with Shadow that he must be the secret weapon. Shadow
then tells Robotnik that to grant his wish, he should find more Chaos Emeralds,
and meet him on the ARK, an abandoned space station. Robotnik decides to go in
search of the biggest Emerald of all, the Master Emerald!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles and Rouge are stand in a desert, with the Master Emerald between them
Rouge claims the Emerald to be hers, and is about to steal it from Knuckles, 
when Robotnik appears and gyps it himself! To prevent the Eggman escaping with
it, Knux smashes the Emerald into fragments. Knuckles and Rouge both resolve to
find all the fragments of the Master Emerald before the other does...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Two:- Dry Lagoon Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

First, a quick word about Rouge stages. In these stages, you have to locate
three items which could be hidden anywhere on the stage. Because of the highly
random factor to these levels, I can't give you direct walkthrough for Rouge.
However, I can offer some tips for each level.

General tips:-

Firstly, and unlike SA 1, only one item will flash on the hot/cold detector at
once. This means that even if you are right next to an item, the meter won't 
flash unless the game decides that this item is the one you are meant to 
collect first. However, you can collect them in any order, though it will make
them difficult to locate, though you will get "Perfect!" for that gem. Because 
of this, the best technique is to scan the entire level three times, once for 
each item.

Remember, items may be hidden inside GUN Robots, Badniks, or later on, 
underground. Just because you can't see them, it doesn't mean they aren't 
there.

Your score for each item is determined by the number of tips (from monitors)
you use, the fewer tips, the higher the score, and the speed it takes you to 
find the item, the faster, the better. The maximum score for each item is a
"Perfect" 2000 points, achieved by a very fast collection time, which varies, 
depending on the size of the level, and by using no tips at all.

Level Specific Tips:-

On the right of the oasis in front of you, there is a turtle held by two GUN
robots. Take them out, and the freed turtle will move into the oasis. Stand on
it's shell, and press X or B, and the turtle will transport you to another
section of the level, with a larger lagoon.

In the larger lagoon, swim onto the smaller turtle's back underwater, to reach
another secret area.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

From the ledge you start the level on, glide to the left ledge, left of the
oasis. On the ledge is a painting, so use your  to dig into it's
centre, taking you to a secret room. Inside is the , collect it,
and play it next to the Chao Temple in the room to create a warp back to the
start of the level.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

In the outskirts of a desert east of the oasis, Robotnik boasts that the 
"idiot" Sonic will never find his Hidden Base. Deciding to return to it, he has 
to clear a few GUN troops out of the way...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Three:- Sand Ocean Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

This is basically the same as Hidden Base, but a bit easier and set at night.
Don't fall into the sand or you will die.

Firstly, check behind you for an Animal and a few rings. Then head forwards, 
and after dropping off the ledge, check behind it for a 5 ring Super Ring 
monitor and an Extra Life. Then move onto the rotating platform. If you want 
to, go right of the platform, kill the enemies, and pick upo a few extra rings
and a Parrot Animal.

Going forwards from the rotating platform, shoot out the dynamite packs 
attached to the tower to make a bridge. The packs count as enemies, so try to
get some combos going. After crossing the bridge, shoot out the cannisters to
continue forwards. After you create another bridge going right, check forwards
for a Chao Key before continuing over the bridge taking you to the first 
Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

Another rotating platform here, with an obvious next Chao Key, just before 
another falling bridge. Another short trek later will get you to the second
Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

[An optional area first, for those with the  and . On the 
rotating platform, ride for another 90 degrees past the normal exit, and hover
to a far-off platform, (try again if you hit the spring, sending you back to 
the rotating platform). From the platform you reach, hover to another, moving,
platform as it moves towards you. Hover from the moving platform across to 
other platforms covered woth metal crates, blow them up with your .
Keep heading along this path to find two Extra Lives. Worth it? I think not.
Either way, return to the rootating platform to continue.]

Back on the normal path, jump off the normal exit from the rotating platform, 
then just continue forwards. Remember that the third Chao Key is on your right 
as you head down platforms inside the next temple section. 

(Continue Post Three)

Nothing new in this section, just continue as normal, to the Goal Ring.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

You have to be able to hover to get this. From the start, ride the first 
rotating platform for 270 degrees, until it takes you to the left. Hover from
the platform to a far away platform, to find the , then shoot
out the canister and use it to climb to a Chao Temple, then play the 'melody to
create a warp forwards.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Robotnik enters his Hidden Base as he wonders about the ARK. On a monitor, he's
just settling down to watch Buffy or Pokemon or whatever, when a news-flash 
comes on. A woman (with a weird, weird accent, sounds like the actor is trying
to be Australian, but can't manage it?), says that Sonic has been sighted 
stealing a Chaos Emerald, and is now trying to escape from GUN! However, Sonic
has once again been mistaken for Shadow, and Robotnik chuckles as he sees his
plan go into motion...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow is about to make is escape across a Golden Gate-style bridge with the
Chaos Emerald, commenting on how pathetic GUN are, when he suddenly suffers a
disturbing flashback. He remembers in his past life on the still-operational
ARK, fifty years ago how his only friend Maria asked him for a last favour 
before her death. Shadow decides whay Maria wants is revenge!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Four:- Radical Highway Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Grind along, and hit the first row of springs you see. Continue forwards, 
dodging the GUN air-raids (be warned that sometimes the 'raids will take out a
section of ground you'll have to jump). When you reach a pile of crates against
a wall, check the left of the wall for a Chao Key, then use the crane hook on 
the right of the wall to continue. Repeat this strategy, until you reach a 
rocket taking you to the first Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

Somersault under the turning platform. After you homing jump between several
floating enemies later, look for an obvious Chao Key just afterwards. Keep 
using springs, poles and crane hooks to go forwards. Catch another rocket to
the second Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Head forwards normally, floating under the bridge if neccessary. After you 
reach a roadblock section, the third Chao Key is in a pile of crates. After 
that, the rest of the level is just a cruise forwards to the Goal Ring.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

From the begining, after you use the second row of springs to reach a highway 
which is air-raided by GUN, look behind where you land. Somersault under the
turning platform, and Light Dash across the rings (the  are needed.
You'll hit a spring, taking you to the . Then, continue along the
highway, and destroy a metal crate to find a switch, activating a rocket which
returns you to the main path.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

When Shadow appears with a Chaos Emerald, and Sonic realises that GUN was after 
Shadow, not him! Sonic tries to take Shadow's Emerald, but Shadow uses Chaos
Control to teleport away, and a massive GUN unit surrounds Sonic...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Outside the Hidden Base, Rouge is reporting to somebody on her cool 
walkie-talkie. She then talks to herself, saying that she needs a key to 
enter...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Five:- Egg Quarters Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Again, a bit tough to offer tips for Rouge...

Level Specific Tips:-

This level is divided into several rooms in a circular network, the main 
largest rooms being the Egg Fish Chamber (blue, with water and a giant fish 
statue) and the Egg Snake Chamber.

Start by heading forwards a few rooms until you reach the Egg Fish Chamber. In
here, dive to the bottom of the pool in the centre of the room, and throw the
switch, then re-surface. Throwing the switch causes a missile to appear 
opposite a closed gate near the fish statue. Fire it to unlock a secret room.
In this room, you will find the  power-up, allowing you to dig as
Rouge. Test it out on the wooden crates on the floor to find items like 
Magnet Shields, Extra Lives and Super Rings.

Big is hiding in the Egg Snake Chamber, hanging off one of the feather 
displays, high on the wall.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rouge enters the Hidden Base, and finds a space transporter with the 
co-ordinates set to the ARK. She explains that her mission is to seek out 
unknown life and civilisatio... er, to find out whats going on up there, as she
"poses" and warps up to it, Star Trek-style...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Robotnik explains he has to make his way through the Lost Colony to meet Shadow
at the control room...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Six:- Lost Colony Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

IMO, a very atmospheric zone, what with the music and the darkness. If you want 
to see better, fire a lock-on shot at an enemy (Volkan Cannon shots won't 
help at all).

Objective One:-

Head forwards and shoot open the doors. Shoot the enemies to light your way and
rack-up points. Keep going normally until you reach a locked door. To open it, 
shoot open the wooden crates in the opposite corner, and throw the switch 
underneath. Use the left platform on the green slime to take you up to the 
first Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

The next room is basically a circle, it tries to trick you in the poor light 
that you are progressing, when actually you are walking around a maze. The way
out is to look for several black crates which you can use as steps to climb 
onto a second level of the room. Up here, you should see the  
power-up, which lets you glide, like Knuckles or Rouge by double jumping and
holding the button down. Useful. Test it, by hovering forwards, and left to 
another part of the higher floor, and firing the missile you find there. It 
will clear the path ahead, so hover forwards to a new room with a Chao Key, and 
further forwards, the second continue post.

(Continue Post Two)

Break any crates to find switches. You should go straight through a few easy
outdoor sections, then reach the third continue post after using a falling
platform.

(Continue Post Three)

After a little way forwards, there's an on-rails shooting section! Take out 
everything with massive lock-on combos by spinning the analogue stick as you
target your laser.

Later, after hovering downwards, use a missile to blow open the way ahead.

When you reach the Goal Ring, jump into it to finish.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow is standing in front of a large machine in the control room, when 
Robotnik arrives. Shadow explains that the ARK was used by Gerald Robotnik (the
"Eggman"'s grandfather), to create the "Eclipse Cannon", a weapon powerful
enough to an entire planet! However, the Chaos Emeralds are needed to activate
it. Rouge appears, tries to strike a deal with Robotnik, telling him that 
she'll find the Emeralds if he lends her his radar. She then seals the deal by
producing one of the Emeralds.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Returning to Prison Island, Rouge tells Robotnik that the Chaos Emeralds are in
a secure safe on the island. Robotnik tells her to find them, as he storms the
Weapons Bed and Shadow sets dynamite to blow up the island on a thirty minute
countdown...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Seven:- Weapons Bed Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Firstly get loads of points but locking-on to the inactive GUN Robots on 
runways throughout the stage in large combos (but no more than eleven at once,
see "Making the Grade" tips). Head forwards and blow open the dynamite rigged
warehouses on the left of the runway, to find the  power-up, and
further along, a Chao Key. Use the  to destroy metal crates with
the Volkan Cannon and allowing you forwards.

(Continue Post One)

Watch for air-raids during this section, and do some easy platforming. After 
another easy runway section, you'll find a second Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Just more easy platforming here.

(Continue Post Three)

At the end of the third runway, there is a Chao Key on the right. After 
collecting it, continue forwards to reach the Goal Ring.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

The Dark gang are at the end of the Weapons Bed runway, and ready to storm the
Security Hall, when Amy Rose appears, mistaking Shadow for Sonic! Robotnik 
decides to care her of her to give the others time to complete their tasks 
without interference (that Piko Piko Hammer can be deadly!), when Tails shows
up and in a bid to protect Amy, takes the Eggman on!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- TAILS [I] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Quite easy, though not as much of a walkover as EGGMAN [I]. Circle Tails, 
constantly firing the Volkan Cannon, keeping a long distance, and none of his
attacks will hit, provided you keep moving. However, you can quite easily shoot
him. After five hits, it's over.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rouge is informed on her walkie-talkie that she only has five minutes to 
recover the three Chaos Emeralds stored in the Security Hall before the 
security will be alerted. Literally diving into action, she decides this 
"plenty"...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Eight:- Security Hall Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Only five minutes to complete this objective. IMO, this level is very easy, as
the design makes gliding around, scanning for Emeralds simple, (I got an A on
my first go), but some people think the time limit is tight. I reckon it's 
"plenty", as long as you use the right technique...

Level Specific Tips:-

Firstly, watch the "diving" cut cut-scene. You can use the nearby crane hooks
to climb up to where Rouge dived from. Up here, there are three switches at the
ends of three "corridors". Each of them unlocks a different area of safes, Red,
Yellow and Blue. Throw all the switches, unlocking all the safes, then return 
to the lower floor.

After unlocking the safes, glide around the lower areas of the level, until you 
see an Emerald flash, them search the area in more detail. If the Emerald is
flashing red, yet you still can't find it, try opening a safe in the nearby 
area by digging into it's centre (this only works if you've unlocked the safes
of this colour).

Finally, don't take too long, otherwise you might get some "friendly 
encouagement" from Robotnik!:)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Power-up; :-

You need the  to get this. From the start of the level, choose the
right-hand path. Glide and climb up onto the wall, and look for a beam going
from the wall you're on to the wall behind you. Adjacent, at the same height as
that beam, you should see a section of the wall you're climbing made partially
out of two metal crates. Climb over to them, and try your best to Drill Dive 
into them (tricky but possible), revealing a secret room. In this room is the
, which works the same way as Knuckles' Sunglasses (in fact it
even says "Sunglasses" on the context-sensesitive button menu, lazy Sonic 
Team!). Use the 'scope in the secret room to reveal an Extra Life in the right
corner.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rouge managed to get all three Chaos Emeralds, but the security has arrived 
just in time to stop her...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- R-1/A FLYING DOG - Multirole Attacker (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Looks just like the Big Foot/Hot Shot, but you have to fight it completely
differently, because it never land! After the usual two rounds of laser fire, 
which you can avoid by running, like Sonic or Shadow, or more easily, just 
climb up onto a wall, where the lasers can't hit you, and you can collect 
rings, it will hover, and release it's homing missiles. This is how to hit it;

Glide off the wall, and Drill Dive when over the Flying Dog's cockpit to hit 
it. It's quite hard to aim at first, but practice and it's easy. Thankfully,
it's very unlikely that the missiles will hit you, as you're moving fast and in
the air.

After being hit, the Flying Dog will return to firing lasers as it swoops 
around the arena. (Actually, you can Drill Dive the cockpit as it flies, but
aiming at it is extremely difficult, so don't bother, just climb the wall). 
Hit it again when it stops to release homing missiles.

After it takes it's second hit, the Flying Dog's strategy will change 
completely; it will start charging up an easy to avoid homing laser, just like
the Hot Shot. You could dodgethe laser, but it's better to use this oppertunity
to Drill Dive the cockpit, since it has to stay still as it charges the laser.
It will constantly use this attack now, so keep Drill Diving and you will win
with ease!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow is traveling through the Green Forest, when he gets a call from Rouge,
telling him that she's trapped in a safe next to the dynamite, with the Chaos
Emerald. Shadow has another flashback of Maria, and knows that he can't let
another innocent girl die. Even though the island is going to explode in ten
minutes, Shadow cuts through the jungle to rescue Rouge!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Nine:- White Jungle Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Only ten minutes to finish this objective? Don't worry, it's probably the 
loosest time limit in the game!

Run along the half-pipe, and ride the vines. After you land, Somersault under a
wall to get a "Cool!" stunt and the chance to pick up an Extra Life. Another
vine here takes you to the first Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

This is an easy section. Again, run and ride vines. However, when you reach a
crushing platform, Somersault under it fast or you'll get crushed! Keep going,
to the second Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

Pah. Nothing to worry about here...

(Continue Post Three)

After a long vine ride, you might reach something of a dead end, with only a
trail of rings leading ahead over a bottomless pit. If only you had the 
... Here's how to get them; break all the nearby crates, and fall
down the hole revealed by one of them. Down here are the , but you
can't get back up. Instead, Somersault under the wall to the left, and Light 
Dash along the trails of rings on the other side. After this, the rest of the 
level is a breeze, just a few Light Dashes, Somersaults and a few vine rides
to the Goal Ring.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic falls from the sky after escaping from the Metal Harbor Zone, and lands
in a lush tropical rainforest. He spots Shadow, who accuses Sonic of being a
fake, and both decide to engage in battle...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SONIC [I] (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

As usual, pick up a ring for protection, to start this battle. Sonic is 
easiest to hit with homing Spin Attacks, but he often sees you attack him, and
has time to launch a Spin Attack of his own, making the attack end in deadlock,
with neither of you getting a hit in. The way to avoid this is to attack Sonic
from behind. It may be dishonourable, but it's the way to go, since it 
practically guarantees a successful attack, unless Sonic unexpectedly runs out
of your way. Three easy hits and Sonic is down, but not out...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic and Shadow are ready to continue the duel, when Robotnik 'phones to
remind him the island is going to blow in eight minutes (so Shadow beat White
Jungle and Sonic in two minutes flat? Yeah, right!) Both split paths, with 
Shadow diving into the Security Hall to save Rouge, using Chaos Control to 
teleport her, himself and the three Chaos Emeralds out, just before Prison
Island explodes...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Prison Island explodes, taking the Metal Harbour and Weapons Bed down with it.
Not much else to say, really.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

In a flashback, Shadow and Maria are on the ARK discussing what Earth must be
like. Shadow says that Gerald Robotnik was trying to make people on Earth 
happy. He then says that he doesn't understand his true purpose. Shadow snaps
out of the flashback when Rouge enters the room he's in, in the ARK overlooking 
Earth. Shadow explains that he only used Chaos Control to rescue the Chaos 
Emeralds, but Rouge reckons he fancies her!:) Robotnik arrives, and says that
the Eclipse Cannon "demo" is ready to begin, even though the team only have six
of the seven Chaos Emeralds, as they head off to the Eclipse Cannon together...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Dr. Robotnik takes over the media to announce that he is taking over the world,
creating an "Eggman Empire" with the power of the ARK, revealed to be an
Independance Day-style Death Egg III. Robotnik demostrates it's power by 
destroying half of the Moon!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Enough cut-scenes!? Anyway, in the Eclipse Cannon room, Shadow says that the
seventh and final Chaos Emerald will be needed to charge up the cannon again.
Rouge shows Robotnik a newspaper cutting she "found" ("yeah, it was just 
floating around space, mate"), explaining that Tails was awarded the Yellow
Chaos Emerald after he saved Station Square from Robotnik's missile attack (at
the end of Tail's game in Sonic Adventure 1). Rouge says she can get his 
Emerald by following the Tornado II...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Ten: Route 280 Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

This is actually nothing like Rouge's normal hunting levels, and is instead a 
racer. Wish I had a car like that...not!

Controls:-

A; Accelerate (why they didn't use the analogue acceleration provided by L or R
is beyond me). Also, when turning, tap A then hold it down to start a 
powerslide, useful on corners. You can stop sliding by releasing the analogue
stick for a second.

Analogue Stick; Steer.

Y; Boost. Rouge recieves one boost for every twenty rings collected.

This is a fun, if easy sub-game. It's nice to see the developers put so much 
effort in though!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Tips:-

This is a little bit harder than Route 101, because it's possible to fall off 
the track. Avoid this, as you have to start the level again from the begining,
NOT the last checkpoint you passed.

Don't use boosts as soon as you get them, as you might be wasting them in the
wrong area. Instead, use boosts on long straights. That said, since you can 
only carry one boost at a time, it's best to use them as soon as possible.

Don't bother to slow down for corners, instead, just powerslide. Even if you
do hit a wall, unless it's a head-on collision (which causes you to spin out),
it hardly slows you down.

If you want more rings, break the balloons in any pits you pass. They contain
Super Rings, with 5, 10 or 20 rings.

When you see the Tornado II, you just need to accelerate and boost to catch up 
and finish the level.

* The first time you complete this level, you will earn one of two bonuses:-

Either you will unlock the kart racing sub-game in one-player mode (if you 
complete this level before Tails' Route 101 on the Hero side),

Or, you will unlock a two-player version of the kart racing sub-game, (if you 
complete this level after Tails' Route 101 on the Hero side).

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Near the Pumpkin Hill Zone, Shadow gets a call from Rouge, telling him that 
after er, tailing Tails, the fox is heading his direction, towards the 
Sky Rail...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Eleven:- Sky Rail Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Very short level this (there's literally about ten second between most Continue
Posts) but it can be quite tough...

Objective One:-

Grind the first straight, using A and the analogue stick to jump between rails,
allowing you to pick up more bonuses. Follow the obvious path forwards, and 
when you reach a spring platform, homing jump on it constantly to make it rise
(although if you hit it too many times too fast, it won't rise as fast). When
you see a rocket, don't take it, instead, jump to a platform across, over a 
robot, with a Chao Key. Jump off the edge off the platform where the Chao Key
was (yes, I do know what I'm doing:), and several invisible robots will 
de-cloak, homing jump them, leading you to a spring to Shadow's 
power-up. Tough one, eh? Homing jump the enemies ahead to get to the first 
Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

After doing a couple of grinds, homing jump off the rails to a spring. Ride the
platforms to the second Continue Post.

(Continue Post Two)

After another long grind, go forwards and use spring platforms, getting the 
Chao Key right near Continue Post Three.

(Continue Post Three)

A lot more grinding action (easy) and not much else. Hit the Goal Ring...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow sees Tails fly past him in the Tornado II, and reports into Robotnik, 
telling him that they are heading towards his Hidden Base.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

In Hidden Base...

Knuckles is just recovering from fighting Boo, when Robotnik appears and 
launches another ill-fated attack. This time, he has an Egg Golem, ready, and 
to protect the weakened Knuckles, Sonic takes up the challenge...disabling the
Golem's AI and control systems with one clean blow! Looks like Robotnik has to
take care of the Golem himself...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- EGG GOLEM - THE GOLEM (HP Indeterminate)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Unlike with Sonic, if Eggman falls off the platform, he'll probably die, since
landing in quicksand spells instant death for him. If you do fall though, try
to hover and manouvoer your way on to a crane hook to take you back up.

When you start the battle, the Golem will punch one of the platforms near you,
but it won't actually hit you, so don't move. Then, after it hits a platform, 
move to that platform. It will never hit the same platform twice in a row, so
you'll be safe. During this time the Golem is spazzing around, constatly shoot
the Golem's body with the Volkan Cannon. After it takes a bit of damage, some
of the skin on his chest will peel off, revealing a metallic "nipple". Lock-on
to the nipple to cause severe damage to him. Like Scaramanga in The Man With
The Golden Gun, the Egg Golem has three nipples, revealed one by one as you
shoot the Volkan Cannon at him. After you've fired a lock-on missile at each
nipple twice, the Golem will collapse.

However, after taking significant damage, the Golem will use a massive headbutt 
attack, constantly. When he's about to use it, just start running around the 
arena, away from it, and keep shooting.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

The top of the pyramid opens up, and a NASA-style space shuttle takes off, with
Sonic just making it into the rocket in time for take off. Uh-oh, you can bet 
that shuttle is heading for the ARK... 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

In the ARK, Rouge is on the 'phone to Robotnik. Sha says she'll go after the 
Hero gang, tricking him into giving her the password for the ARK computer 
system; MA-RI-A (it's only three letters in the original Japanese Katakana, 
that's why they only tap three keys when logging on). After entering the REALLY
hard to guess password, she begins investigating Shadow, but then decides to 
head out into "Mad" Space to find a few more shards of the Master Emeralds...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Twelve:- Mad Space Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Last Rouge level!

Level Specific Tips:-

First you'd better get the  power-up, which is highly recommended,
if not essential to completing the level. From where you start, head straight
ahead, and throw the switch, making a rocket appear on the platform above you.
Climb the platform support to reach it, and when you use the rocket, you will 
end up quite high in the level. From where you float up to, glide in the 
direction of a circular, moon-like grey planet. When you land on it, travel to 
the top where you should find a tall blue cannister, with the  
inside it. The boots allow you to kick open metal crates, including those which
were blocking the other rocket-switches at the start of the level.

When you've activated all of the rockets at the level's start, you can use the
to fire a long way up, accessing the entire level.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rouge travels to the Meteor Herd space base, and faces off against Knuckles.
As always, they are arguing about who has the rights to the Master Emerald. 
This time, without Robotnik's interuptions, they begin a fight!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- KNUCKLES (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Obviously, pick up a ring. At the begining of this battle, kicking Knuckles
allows you to get easy hits, and you should be able to at least get a couple of
HP off his gadge.

Soon, the roof of the space base will open, blowing you both into the air. You
can't attack or defend very well while floating, so land on a ledge as soon as 
you can. If you're on a ledge while Knux is floating, he can't defend, so do
so. If you're both on a ledge, then fight normally. If you're a long way away 
from Knuckles (too far for his normal attacks to have a chance of hitting you), 
then he may summon some red lightning to hit you, which he will announce in a
voice sample. Glide in a straight direction to avoid this attack.

When the space base roof closes again, go back to kicking and diving to beat
him. No problem.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Both Knuckles and Rouge are exausted, but neither will give in and hand over 
their parts of the Master Emerald. Rouge attempts to launch another attack, but
in her fatigue, she falls from to thin bridge they are standing on, to her 
death... almost. Knuckles grabs her hand and pulls her up. However, rather than
thanking him, she practically accuses him of being a perve for touching her! 
However, she grudgingly hands over her Emerald shards, claiming that "they 
stink like echidnas"! He apoligises to her, but they have to part before any
further developments occur. Rouge can't resist stealing a last glance at Knux,
though...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

In the Hidden Base, Robotnik has realised that Tails has created a fake Chaos
Emerald in a bid to trick him. Deciding to leave Shadow running things from the
ground, the Eggman takes the fight into his own hands and storms the ARK to 
take Sonic once and for all...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Thirteen:- Cosmic Wall Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Strangely, this level is VERY easy (on my first go, I finished it without being
hit by the enemies, and getting a score of over 50,000 points, securing an A),
but it's also quite long. Lots of fun though. Note that in this level, due to
"weak gravity", you can hover upwards!

Objective One:-

Use your new upwards hovering abilities to get through this first section, 
whenever you reach a wall will arrows pointing upwards on it. Also, try to get
some major combos with the enemies. Later, you need to hover off the top of a
crushing platform when it's at it's highest point to continue.

(Continue Post One)

If there are any metal pyramids in your way, shoot them out with the Volkan 
Cannon.

(Continue Post Two)

First, hover and use springs to travel upwards. Then, when you fall, land on a 
platform with a missile. Press the green switch to fire the missile at a hidden
crate, then hover over to where the missile hit. On this platform is the
 power-up, which adds the equivalent of two HP to Robotnik's
health bar, quite useful, if not for Cosmic Wall, but for Cannon's Core and the
Hard Mode levels. Continue forwards.

(Continue Post Three)

The first on-rails section of the level. Shoot out everything, rack up some 
massive combos, and don't worry about wasting the time to shoot out meteors in
your path with the Volkan Cannon; they just bounce harmlessly off you if you
hit them. 

(Continue Post Four)

Another up and down section. Handle the upwards climb like you did the last, 
then fall down, performing combos to rack up the points.

(Continue Post Five)

Similar to the begining of the level, the first section is no problem. As, 
before, meteors won't hurt you as you float through space.

(Continue Post Six)

Up and down. Climb past the obstacles, shooting out the enemies in small 
combos. It's a big climb and an even bigger fall, with tons of enemies to combo
on.

(Continue Post Seven)

Yes, on rails! This is a really excellent arcadey section like the end of 
Tails' Eternal Engine; during the outside section, get massive combos, and in
the tunnels you fight a Starfox-esque mini-boss, where you have to use the
Volkan Cannon to shoot off the panel rotating around it's man body to repel it
from ramming you. After the mini-boss, you hit the Goal Ring. 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Eggman finds Amy wandering around, using her as bait to catch Sonic and Tails.
Sonic makes it to where Tails and Amy are being held, before Amy's body gets 
filled with hot lead. Damn shame. Anyway, after Robotnik prompts him, he places
the fake Emerald on the ground, but as an insurance policy, Robotnik traps 
Sonic in a glass case, which tricks Tails into admitting that the Emerald was 
fake. Robotnik sends Sonic into space, then demands the real Emerald from 
Tails. Sonic has a trick up his sleeve, but Tails, believing Sonic to be dead, 
takes on Robotnik to avenge his friend...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- TAILS [II] (HP 7)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I hate this battle, not because it's particularly difficult, but because it's 
near impossible for either of you to dodge each others' attacks, making the 
winner almost randomly determined. However, if you stay well away from 
Tails, and keep shooting, you'll have a much better chance. His best attack,
(exactly the same as Vargas' Power Drive in Powerstone) can take about 50% of
your HP off, and is near impossible to dodge, so pray he doesn't use it. You 
can dodge it if you're far away from him though. Otherwise, just keep blasting,
and hope for the best.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

After seeing Sonic's capsule explode upon re-entry, Shadow dismisses as nothing
special. He then find Rouge, and reveals that he knows she's working as a 
Government Agent. However, Rouge is begining to discover the truth about the
ultimate lifeform, that perhaps it isn't Shadow the Hedgehog... Shadow ignores
her, and after Robotnik tells him that all seven Chaos Emerald have been 
recovered, he heads over to the Eclipse Cannon to join him...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Level Fourteen:- Final Chase Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Objective One:-

Grind over to the first Continue Post, simple as that...

(Continue Post One)

Dodge the red glowing meteors, they DO hurt Shadow. When you find a spinning 
green drum with it's own field of gravity (they're this level's "gimick"), use 
it to run upwards. Continue forwards using the drums to Continue Post Two.

(Continue Post Two)

On the next drum, don't hit the electrified barriers, they hurt. A very short
run to the next Continue Post.

(Continue Post Three)

When you reach three tubes, go down the right one first, for a 5 ring Super 
Ring, then use either of the others to continue. Grind along to another 
spinning drum section, and when you reach a tall drum with an electric barrier
all the way around it's middle, jump onto the drum above the barrier. Climb the
drum and jump to a platform to find Shadow's . Play the 'melody
next to the Chao Temple on the platform, to create a warp forwards to another
spinning drum section...

(Continue Post Four)

Keep grinding, then jump between the tops of spinning drums to Continue Post 
Five.

(Continue Post Five)

Run straight upwards, then use drums to cross empty space. Continue along, 
using the rails and drums, and pick up a few hidden monitors before the sixth
Continue Post.

(Continue Post Six)

Very easy, just use the drums to go forwards, picking up obvious Super Rings
along the way. After catching a rocket, just run down two long drums to reach a 
spring leading you to the Goal Ring!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow arrivese at the Eclipse Cannon and begins racing with Sonic. They start
a conversation, but Shadow tells Sonic that he has to kill him...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SONIC [II] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

You might expect the last boss to be tough? He's not.

Firstly, although rings aren't a problem here, you must keep running, as the 
platform behind you are falling. 

At the begining of the battle, hitting Sonic with Spin Attacks and Spin Dashes
is very effective, but as the fight continues, Sonic can dodge them more 
easily. His own Spin Attacks are easy to dodge, but he has two other attacks; 
Sonic Wind, which is a rarely used lightning attack, with a cut-scene to warn 
you, can be dodged by just running forwards at top speed. Chaos Control is used
often by Sonic, if you overtake him or knock him off the edge of the arena. 
He says "this is the ultimate!" and teleports some distance in front of you.
If he teleports into a row of rings, you can Light Dash into him, getting a 
sure hit, and this is probably the only thing that will work late in the battle
when he dodges any other attacks.

DARK GAME COMPLETE!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Robotnik is standing at the Eclipse Cannon with all seven Chaos Emeralds. His
dream of owning the world has finally come true, and he performs the standard
proccedure for such situation, The Mad Scientist's Evil Laugh (TM, Doctor
Frankenstein)...or has it? Drunk with success, Robotnik fails to notice that
the Eclipse Cannon is over-loading...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Credits

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow's Theme plays as the Dark credits roll, showing screen-shots of 
important events in the Dark story.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

A short FMV shows some highlights from the Last story. Hey, stop the 
advertising, we already bought your stupid game!:)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Completing Dark unlocks:-

* Scene Select in Dark mode.

* Boss fights in Dark mode.

* Along with beating the Hero story, it unlocks the Last story.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=--------------------=
=VI. Last Walkthrough=
=--------------------=

Right. Before you take on the last level, you should pick up all the power-ups
for each character. If you can't be bothered, here's a list of what you must 
have, and what is recommended for each character to finish Cannon's Core, 
Objective One:-

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic's power-ups in the easiest order to get them:-

      (Metal Harbor)    NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

    (Green Forest)    NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

  (Pyramid Cave)    ESSENTIAL for Cannon's Core

       (Crazy Gadget)    RECOMENDED for Cannon's Core

    (Final Rush)      NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

     (City Escape)     NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow's power-ups in the easiest order to get them:-

        (White Jungle)    NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

    (Sky Rail)        NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

    (Final Chase)     NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

       (Radical Highway) NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Tail's power-ups in the easiest order to get them:-

          (Mission Street)  ESSENTIAL for Cannon's Core

          (Eternal Engine)  ESSENTIAL for Cannon's Core

    (Prison Lane)     RECOMENDED for Cannon's Core

    (Hidden Base)     NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Eggman's power-ups in the easiest order to get them:-

       (Lost Colony)     ESSENTIAL for Cannon's Core

     (Weapons Bed)     ESSENTIAL for Cannon's Core

 (Cosmic Wall)     RECOMENDED for Cannon's Core

    (Iron Gate)       RECOMENDED for Cannon's Core

    (Sand Ocean)      NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles' power-ups in the easiest order to get them:-

      (Pumpkin Hill)    ESSENTIAL for Cannon's Core

       (Meteor Herd)     NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

     (Aquatic Mine)    HIGHLY RECOMENDED for Cannon's Core

    (Wild Canyon)     NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rouge's power-ups in the easiest order to get them:-

       (Egg Quarters)    NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

       (Mad Space)       NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

    (Dry Lagoon)      NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

   (Security Hall)   NOT NEEDED for Cannon's Core

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Important notice; you DON'T need top get A grades on Cannon's Core to finish 
the game (since CC isn't considered to "belong" to a single character, not even 
Sonic, you don't need it to get anybody's "All A Grades" emblem).

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

As the Eclipse Cannon overloads, Ivo Robotnik starts fiddling around with it, 
bringing up a movie of Gerald Robotnik. (Glad to see Apple Quicktime was in
business fifty years ago...)

Sonic and Knuckles enter the ARK when Ivo Robotnik appears, and tells them that
the ARK is on a collision course with Earth! The movie of Gerald Robotnik 
begins playing on a nearby monitor.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

The Robotnik movie is being broadcast to people all around Earth. Gerald 
explains that as he created the ultimate life-form, the ARK was abandoned after 
an accident. The professor's grandaughter, Maria was killed in the accident,
driving him insane, and causing him to create the ultimate life-form to destroy
the world.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Eggman explains that the core of the Eclipse Cannon has become unstable, but it
can be stablised with Knuckles' Master Emerald. Putting aside their 
differences, the Hero and Dark teams decide that they must work together to 
save the world...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Final Stage: Cannon's Core Zone

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

This stage revolves around touching or shooting (with a lock-on) Time Switches,
which freeze most movement in the action, excepting the movement of the player
character. However, it will cause GUN Robots to stop moving, lasers to stop 
firing, blocks moving, water flowing, etc. However, be careful with these 
switches; the effects only last for a few seconds after activation, and 
flipping the switch at the wrong time can be useless; for example, it might 
freeze a block into blocking your way. If this occurs, wait a few seconds for
time to begin again, then use the switch more carefully next time!

Objective One:-

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player starts as Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Tails' scenario is probably the hardest thing in the game so far, but pretty
easy compared to later areas of the Cannon's Core.

Blow open the dynamite sealed doors, and continue forwards. To defeat the 
shielded GUN Robots in the next rooms, stop shooting at them, instead move near 
them, wait for them to drop their guard, then let 'em have it!

After an on-rails section, use a Time Switch to disable laser walls, letting
you past without taking damage. Later, another use of the Time Switches is to
freeze crushing platforms in mid-air, allowing you to walk under them.

At the end of Tail's section of Cannon's Core, you will reach a rather large
room, with a security door at the end. Robotnik will announce that this is the
room with the security door, so you can be sure. To reach the door, shoot the
Time Switch to the lasers at the sides of the room, so walk past where they 
were (on either side; both are identical), and jump onto the frozen platforms
there. Jump again from these platforms onto a ledge with a crushing platform,
then again shoot the Time Switch when the crushing platform is close to, or on
the ground, allowing you to jump onto the frozen platform and climb up to the
ledge in the centre of the room, at the end of which you'll find the security 
door. Constantly shoot the door with the Volkan Cannon until it explodes, 
remaining aware that when time begins again, two GUN Robots will drop from the 
ceiling just in front of the security door. When you're done, enter the space
where the door was to finish Tail's section.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Continue Point; player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Quite difficult in comparason with Tails, Eggman's scenario is one of the 
game's tougher areas.

Start Eggman off by killing all the robots around to open locked doors, then
there's another on-rails section. Mostly everything should be pretty obvious,
including another typical use of the Time Switch to shut down laser walls.

When you reach a room filled with green slime, use the Time Switch just as the 
closest block on your right is just rising out of the slime. Hover to, and
stand on this block, and remain there until time starts up again. Then, when 
your block has risen quite a bit (not too high, or you'll be crushed into the
ceiling), then hover slowly forwards over the right-most of the three block 
spaces in front of you. When this block rises up, again stand on it for as long 
as you can, then hover forwards, over the edge of this section, onto another 
rising block across the other side of the room. Ride this block as high as you
can, until you can hover to reach the door forwards.

In the next corridor after the slime/block room, just stay out of the way of 
the blocks (they might crush you into the slime on the walls), until you can
use a Time Switch, to stop them moving, preventing the undesirable slime-Eggman
interface. Through the corridor is Cannon's Core's only Continue Post.

(Continue Post One)

First, just fall/hover down, avoiding the lasers. Certainly, hover before you
land, shooting a Time Switch to freeze the moving platforms. Try to hover 
forwards across the slime to land on the second platform before time begins
again. Also here is a balloon to burst, containing a Medipak.

After taking out two Organic Robots, Tails will call you, and tell you that you
have entered the next security door room. Use the Time Switch in here to freeze
one of the close blocks in the correct position to use as a stepping stone to
either the far left or right ledge. While on the ledge, wait for time to start 
again, (careful, when the blocks start moving again, there is a block which
moves in a way which can push you off the ledge), and shoot the Time Switch to
stop the two blocks in front of the top, centre ledge, so that they make 
climbable stepping stones, (remember that Eggman can only jump less than half
as high a the height of a block), then hover over to the lower block, and climb
them to the centre ledge before time starts again, causing the blocks to move
and a laser barrier to form around the ledge. On the ledge, use the Volkan
Cannon to shoot out the security door, then enter to finish with Eggman!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Continue Point; player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Quite an easy scenario next to Eggman's. Still pretty tough though.

From where you begin, look around the lower areas of the level and identify a
doorway with an orange waterfall flowing over the entrance, preventing you from
entering. (Don't start swimming around the orange pool, or you may be washed
away into a bottemless pit!)

Return to where you began the level, and take a look at the four brown towers.
You need to reach the top of the tallest tower, but you can't climb it from the
ground level since Rouge can't climb past the white lumps in the towers. The
only tower you can climb at first is the shortest one, so climb right onto the 
top. Standing on this tower, adjust the camera until you can see the three 
other towers. Glide to the next shortest tower, in the middle of the three, 
diagonally opposite you, but make sure you land above the white lump, or you
won't be able to climb to the top, which you should do. At the top of the 
second tower, adjust the camera to see both the remaining towers, in the same
style as last time, glide to and scale the shorter tower, on the right. From 
the top of this tower, glide to the final, tallest tower, avoiding to object
hanging from the ceiling during your glide.

Now, on the top of the tallest tower, throw the Time Switch and run back to the
doorway with the waterfall in front, as you can enter while time is frozen, and
take out the GUN Robot inside.

Through this doorway is another slime/block room! Glide down to near the bottom
of the room, where you'll see the entrance to a pipe, which you currently can't
enter since blocks are flowing out of it pushing you out. Climb under the pipe
to find a Time Switch, which you should throw just a moment after a block has 
left the pipe, so that you can climb and squeeze through the gap between the
block and the pipe and run through it quickly before time starts again and the
next block pushes you out of the pipe.

Through the pipe is Rouge's final room, in which you should defeat the three
Organic Robots. There is a Chao Key behind the left robot, but more 
importantly, the middle robot is standing on a normal (not timed) switch. When
you throw the switch, you will see a short cut-scene, showing the machine in 
the room you began open, revealing a switch. Return to the slime/block room 
through the pipe.

In the slime/block room, use the Time Switch under the pipe, then quickly glide
to the spring opposite it, and bounce then run out of the room as fast as 
possible to make it out before the waterfall begins flowing again. 

In the first room, return to the central machine and jump on the switch in it's
middle to finish Rouge's scenario. You will see a cut-scene explaining that
the orange liquid has been drained, but the ARK is starting to perform a 
self-repair...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Continue Point; player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

IMPORTANT WARNING! Even if you have the  from Aquatic Mine Zone,
this scenario is pretty tough, most players regarding it as the hardest section
in th game, but without it, this is well near impossible. If you don't have the
, go get it, now!

Firstly, swim to the land, and look around. On one side of the level is an
Organic Robot which you should take out now, and memorise the location of the
laser blocked doorway, which will help you later on.

Return to the pool, and dive to the bottom of the it. Where Rouge finished her
scenario is an Extra Life. Look around the bottom of the pool, and you should
be able to find the door which was covered by a waterfall in Rouge's scenario. 
DON'T enter it, (you can reach her final room, but all there is there is a 10
ring Super Ring, hardly worth it). Instead, swim up to the tallest tower Rouge
had to climb in her first room, where the Time Switch is still standing. Throw
it, and run quickly out of the pool to the corridor where the Organic Robot 
was, the lasers will have momentarily disappeared, so run past where they were
and take out a GUN Robot which drops from the ceiling.

At the centre of this small room, the floor is built from metal crates, so 
Drill Dive down on them, smashing them to reveal a spring, firing you to a 
crane hook leading to another floor. On this floor, throw a normal switch which 
in a short cut-scene unlocks a room underwater. Drill Dive another metal crate
to return to the main room.

Dive underwater, down through the door you unlocked, taking you to a new room.
Avoid the Organic Robots and throw another normal switch to unlock the path to 
a pipe where the water flows against you, preventing you from entering. 
Obviously, this won't do, so find a Time Switch high up, on the opposite side
of the room. Throw it to stop the water flow, then quickly swim though the pipe
to the next area.

This next room is filled with lasers, so you'll have to dive slowly and 
carefully to the bottom. The exit to this room is again a pipe with water 
flowing against you, and the Time Switch is in the centre of the bottom floor,
dangerously close to the green slime; be careful! Throw the switch, and swim
quickly through the pipe, over the crates in your way, to another Time Switch
you must activate to stop the current for enough time to reach the exit. Avoid
more crates, this time stacked vertically in the centre of the pipe, to reach
Knuckles' final room.

In this room, you can perminantly frain the core by swimming past an Organic 
Robot to reach a final switch, the throwing of which completes Knux's scenario.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Continue Point; player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Quite an easy scenario for Sonic, but not without it's problems. Watch out for
the cool classic Sonic flume riding sequence at the end though!

From where you land at the begining, check behind you to find a Parrot Animal
and Chao Key in crates. Then, head forwards; hit the Time Switch and homing
jump on the Organic Robots to cross the gap. 

On the other side, take out another Organic Robot, then head through the right
door, since the left one is locked. In the right room, take out two shielded
GUN Robots, then kill the tricky Organic Robot by homing jumping it, then 
homing jumping quickly back to the land before you fall down the pit. (You have
to kill these enemies to unlock the left door). Return back to the now unlocked
left door.

Continue through the corridor, killing any enemies and throwing a Time Switch
to stop a laser barrier, and before the time runs out, rush forwards to a wall
in shallow water, and Somersault under it. If you're too slow, the water will 
begin flowing against you, preventing you from Somersaulting forwards, so you
have to Bounce back up to the previous ledge, run though the laser wall 
(damaging yourself) to the Time Switch in order to try again.

After passing the wall, jump forwards against the tide of the water, and enter 
a pipe. Swing from a rail (like grinding, but upside-down), to the flume 
section. The rest of the level is just for fun, move Sonic left and right to
collect rings, but you can't get killed, and eventually, Sonic will be washed
into the Goal Ring!

* Whistles *

"That was cool!"

Well, maybe you didn't get an A, but you only need an E on Cannon's Core 
(thank heavens:) Now let's finish the game!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Amy Rose is, as usual, wandering around aimlessly, when she bumps into Shadow.
She asks him to prevent the destruction of Earth, but he ignores her, telling
Amy that there is no reason for him to interfere with the Professor's wishes.
However, as Amy pleads, something in Shadow's mind stirs causing another 
flashback in which remembers Maria's last wish; for all people on Earth to be
happy. Realising his mistake, he jets off at top speed to help the gang out.

At the core of the Eclipse Cannon, Sonic and Knuckles reach the main power 
source; the Chaos Emeralds. They comment that it looks like the shrine of the
Master Emerald since the design helps to harness the Emeralds' power. As they
approach, images of Gerald Robotnik appear as the ARK's final line of defense
is summoned, the prototype of the ultimate life-form, Biolizard! Shadow appears
and tells Sonic and Knuckles to head for the core as he takes on Biolizard...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- BIOLIZARD - The Prototype of the Ultimate Life (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a word of warning about the design of the arena. This fight is a little
like the battle against Boom Boo, in that you're running into the screen, away
from Biolizard most of the time. However, there are two gaps of orange liquid 
in the edge of the arena, which may wash you away, killing you if you fall in
them. The solution to this problem is to quite slowly (although fast enough to
keep ahead of Biolizard), so that you can see where the floor changes colour
to brown, allowing you to anticipate and jump the liquid. Running relatively
slowly also gives the advantage that Biolizard won't change the direction of
his attack as he will if you run too fast.

When you start, pick up a ring, and run away from Biolizard's head or tail. 
After it has chased you for a few seconds, it holds it's head still, and starts
breathing heavily; this is your chance to attack! Grind along the pipe on the 
left, outside of the 'lizard's neck (you hardly need any momentum), and when 
you get near the big flashing blob on it's back, homing jump it to damage him.
(As you fall after hitting him, move yourself out of the way of the orange 
liquid so you don't hit it when you land; use the other liquid pool on the 
other side of the arena, which is always opposite, to judge where it is, so you 
can land on the ground).

Again, run away from the 'lizard, but when it stops for the second time it will
begin shooting black balls of energy at you. Jump the low ones and Somersault
under the high ones; the low ones seem to have a very large detection area, so
give them a wide berth, but the high ones are very easy to avoid. If you get
him, Biolizard stops for a moment to give you time to collect your rings, so 
don't worry about that. After he stops firing energy balls, grind and hit him 
again.

After three hits, the Biolizard will chase you, and fire it's energy balls, 
but rather than holding it's head still to be hit again, it summons dozens of
floating pink eggs which it tries to fire at you. The way to hit it now is to
homing jump on the eggs, and use them as stepping stones to reach the weak 
point on it's back, to spin attack it.

Immediately after taking it's fourth hit, the Biolizard will cause you to rise
into the air with the eggs. While Shadow floats, bring him in towards 
Biolizard's weak point, without hitting the eggs, and land him on the metal
platform around the weak point. Homing jump onto his weak point from here to
take him down. "Get out of here, you ugly prototype!"

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic and Knuckles reach the core, thanks to Shadow's help, and as Knuckles
holds up the Master Emerald, he chants Tikal's incantation. However, Biolizard
isn't QUITE dead yet, in fact, as Robotnik says, he's become one with the ARK!
As all hope seems lost, Knuckles reminds Sonic what he has to do...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Super Sonic/Super Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Using the positive power of all seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic and Shadow prepare
to bolster the Hero forces by transforming into their super forms! Go for it!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FINAL BOSS:- THE FINALHAZARD - The Prototype of the Ultimate Life (HP 6)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Controls:-

Analogue Stick:- Move forwards (into the screen), backwards (out of the screen), 
left and right.

A:- Move upwards.

X:- Move downwards.

B:- Move downwards.

This is not very difficult (IMO Biolizard is much tougher), but it sure is fun,
especially with the rocking soundtrack!

Super Sonic and Super Shadow are in all gameplay purposes the same character.
The aim in this boss is to aim your character into the large red sore which 
appears on a random location of The FinalHazard's body. Use the controls to
make your character hit six sores to kill the boss. Each character has a time
limit of fifty seconds to perform their hit (denoted in rings), dropping to
forty for the final two hits. Every time you perform a successful him with one
character, you tag to the other, who will start with their maximum number of
rings. If you feel that you won't be able to hit the boss before you run out of 
rings, you can tag with you partner by flying past The FinalHazard, either 
above or below. However, the tagged in partner will begin with the number of
rings they had remaining when they performed their last successful hit; you can 
only recharge a character's rings when their partner performs a successful hit.
In addition to this, you have an overall time limit of five seconds until the 
ARK hits the Earth. 

While The FinalHazard cannot directly damage our heros, it has a number of 
attacks which slow then down or repel them, wasting time and rings, which vary,
depending on how much HP the boss has remaining:-

First round; A small barrier of homing eggs.

Second round; One short laser beam fired five times, then a medium barrier of
eggs.

Third round; One long laser, then a large barrier of eggs.

Fourth round; Two long lasers, then a large barrier of eggs.

Fifth and sixth rounds; Two long lasers and a large barrier of eggs at the same
time.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Super Sonic and Super Shadow charge towards the ARK. Shadow gets a final push
from his thoughts of Maria, as they both perform Chaos Control, halting the
ARK's decent. Shadow uses his last reserves of energy, and falls to Earth to
join his eternal friend Maria...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FMV Cut-Scene

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Unaware that Shadow has just made the ultimate sacrafice, people all around the
world cheer in ecstasy as the ARK is stablised. Maria would be proud...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Realtime Credits

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic returns to the ARK, with a concerned Rouge asking about Shadow. They talk
and discuss Shadow's life and achievement.

Eggman and Tails discuss the life of Gerald Robotnik, and the importance of 
teamwork.

Knuckles and Rouge talk about what is going to happen next in their lives and
relationship.

After Amy's prompts, Sonic and the team decide to return to Earth, united. 
Sonic is the last to leave, and gives a final goodbye...

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog..."

"Live and Learn" plays as the credits scroll past an image of the ARK in space.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow's Last Goodbye

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

A new day brings new adventure.

But for now...

Rest easy, heros.

(Shows an image of Shadow against the planet he died to protect)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=---------=
=VII. FAQs=
=---------=

CaptainSyrup@ignmail.com:-

If you have any questions about , they'll be answered here. IMPORTANT! If 
you e-mail me a question and you don't want to be mentioned in the FAQ, tell me 
in the e-mail! Some other FAQs are scattered around the walkthroughs in 
relevant areas.

Also, I'm quite often at the GameFAQs SA2 board.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

TeamParadox2k says:-

"You do realise to copyright something you need a attorney, and you cant do it 
with the name captainsyrup, unless its a legal campany that  you pay taxes 
on, im not gonna copy your faq, im just tellin you cause if anyone did, there 
really isnt anything you could do about it" 

Reply:- As far as I'm aware, all unpublished work is automatically covered by
Copyright. I put the warning there as a reminder. To quote from GameFAQs' 
CJayC (who knows what he's talking about); "(if you copy someone's FAQ) they 
can sue you and easily win".

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

"What happens when you get every Emblem?"

Good question. A playable 3D version of Green Hill Zone opens up for Sonic. It 
may not sound like much, but it's brilliant for hardcore Sonic fans!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------=
=VIII. Chao World!=
=-----------------=

I have spent very little time experimenting with Chaos, so don't expect very 
much here, even when I do update. I have found that the system is very similar
to SA 1's, however, now Chaos can be Hero or Dark!

To make them good, treat them well with a Hero character, or abuse them with a
Dark character. To make them evil, treat them well with a Dark character, or 
abuse them with a Hero. If you leave a Chao until it "evolves" (goes into an
egg and grows) it will become an Angel Chao if it was a Hero (white) or a 
Devil Chao if it was Dark (black). Neutral blue Chao just grow bigger.

If you raise an Angel Chao, you will unlock the Hero Race (race against Dark
Chaos, Devil Chao cannot enter) and the Hero Garden, which looks heavenly.

If you raise a Devil Chao, you will unlock the Dark Race (race against Hero
Chaos, Angel Chao cannot enter) and the Dark Garden, which looks, well, Dark.

I've found a few more tips since last time I updated though:-

* Hatch your eggs in one of three ways; 

Leave it for a few minutes until it hatches on it's own (starts off neutral
towards you),

Pick up the egg and throw it against a wall (starts the Chao off hating you)

Or, pick it up, and holding the button down, move the analogue stick to nuzzle 
it, then set it down (starts off liking you)

* Your Chao can be raised to compete in races with other Chao! Initially, you 
can only enter the beginner races, but if you beat all of the tracks, you can
unlock the Jewel Race (against tougher Chaos on longer courses) and the 
challenge race, against difficult Gold and Silver Chaos! 

* Like SA 1, if you find animals or Chao Drives (those glowing tubes inside GUN
Robots), you can take them into a Chao Garden, pick them up with B or X and 
take them to the Chao, upgrading it's stats, making them happier, and maybe 
changing their appearance to look like the animals! Chao Drives won't affect a
Chao's appearance.

* In each level, opening the first Chao Key box will give you a Chao Key, 
allowing you to enter the Chao Garden after finishing the level. Opening a 
second 'Box will reward you with four of the animals found on that level.
Opening all three will get you a legendary animal, such as a Unicorn or Dragon,
which will give your Chao some major stat boosts.

* Chaos can be taken to Kindergarten, where they can learn various novelty 
amusements such as singing, and playing maracas (just for fun, I think) or they
can have a health check up, telling you their strengths and weaknesses.

* Adult Chao can breed (they have to be quite old) when flowers bloom around
them. I have only one in-season Chao at the moment though, and I haven't be
able to accomplish pregnancy.

Check out a great Chao guide at 
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/dreamcast/game/27222.html written by EDeckar,
which should help you out a lot more than me!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=------------------------------------=
=IX. Sub-games, bosses and references=
=------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Mini-game; Kart Racing:-

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Unlock by completing either Route 101 or Route 280. Then complete the other to
unlock a two-player version.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Controls:-

A; Accelerate (why they didn't use the analogue acceleration provided by L or R
is beyond me). Also, when turning, tap A then hold it down to start a 
powerslide, useful on corners. You can stop sliding by releasing the analogue
stick for a second.

Analogue Stick; Steer.

Y; Boost. Your character recieves one boost for every twenty rings collected.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Tips:-

Don't use boosts as soon as you get them, as you might be wasting them in the
wrong area. Instead, use boosts on long straights. That said, since you can 
only carry one boost at a time, it's best to use them as soon as possible.

Don't bother to slow down for corners, instead, just powerslide. Even if you
do hit a wall, unless it's a head-on collision (which causes you to spin out),
it hardly slows you down.

If you want more rings, break the balloons in any pits you pass. They contain
Super Rings, with 5, 10 or 20 rings.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Statistics:-

There are quite significant differences between characters, which I'll outline.
Each character is rated in four stats. I've interpreted this information as 
best I could with the following conclusions:-

Since all characters handle excellently, SPD (speed) should be the major 
consideration. This stat affects a characters top speed.

ACL (accelaration) is much less important, unless you're worried that you'll 
hit into walls constantly! It gives a great, but very much short term boost at
the begining of a race.

BRK (brakes?) seems to completely useless. I've been unable to even find any 
breaking button on the control, much less any need for one!

GAP (grip?) seems to be the most ambiguous stat at the moment. As far as I can
tell, it affects the degree of control you loose while powersliding.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Characters:-

Sonic The Hedgehog drives the Cyclone (not to be confused with Tails' mecha)

SPD |||||||||| (10/10)
ACL |||||      (5/10)
BRK |||        (3/10)
GAP ||||       (4/10)

IMO, Sonic, along with the near identical Shadow, is the best character. His
speed is just brilliant, and his cornering and acceleration are certainly not
bad. 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Miles "Tails" Prowler drives the Whirlwind S7

SPD ||||||     (6/10)
ACL ||||||||   (8/10)
BRK |||||      (5/10)
GAP ||||       (4/10)

Rubbish. Tails excels in all the wrong stats, and is mediocre in the useful 
ones. Maybe good for beginers, but otherwise useless.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Knuckles The Echidna drives the Tempest

SPD ||||||||   (8/10)
ACL ||||||     (6/10)
BRK ||||       (4/10)
GAP |||||      (5/10)

Quite a well-balanced character for the Knux fans. IMO, similar to, but a 
little worse, than Robotnik, so if you normally play the Eggman, but your 
friend already took him, try Knux out.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Shadow The Hedgehog drives, er, some black dragster

SPD |||||||||| (10/10)
ACL |||||      (5/10)
BRK |||        (3/10)
GAP ||||       (4/10)

Just like Sonic, top of the range. Use him if you prefer Shadow to Sonic in 
character design.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik drives a converted Egg-O-Matic

SPD ||||||||   (8/10)
ACL ||||       (4/10)
BRK |||||      (5/10)
GAP ||||||     (6/10)

A very fun and playable character, and a good second choice to Sonic and 
Shadow. In fact, some prefer him, as he's the only character with a good GAP.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rouge The Bat drives a weird pros-style kart (strangely not the same vehicle
she uses in Route 280?)

SPD ||||||     (6/10)
ACL ||||||||   (8/10)
BRK |||||      (5/10)
GAP ||||       (4/10)

Like Tails, stay well away. These two are easily the worst in the game. 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Mini-game:- Hero Boss Battle

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a major tip for almost every boss stage. Only ever pick up one ring at
a time. If you pick up several, then get hit, the chances are that you'll lose
them all and have no protection. If you only picked up one, then there are 
plenty left to offer protection to you if you get hit, as in boss stages it can
be very difficult to recollect rings you dropped after a hit. This tip 
obviously doesn't apply to Tails/Eggman bosses, as collecting rings hardly 
increases their health at all.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player begins as Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- F-6t BIG FOOT (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Okay, on with the Big Foot battle. This is so easy, there should be no problems 
at all, unless you don't act fast to hit him at vunerable points.

Begin by picking up a ring, for protection, then run away from the Big Foot as 
it will move around the arena, firing lasers directly underneath it. It's 
pretty slow, so make sure you don't overtake it, and run into the fire! Note 
that during this time, Big Foot is invunerable from Sonic's attacks.

After it performs this pathetic manoever twice, it will slow down and prepare 
to land. This is your chance! As soon as it lands, hit the underneath of the
cockpit, and it will lose a third of it's health and take off again. However,
if you leave it too late, Big Foot will have the chance to fire off several 
difficult to avoid homing missiles. If they hit you, not only will you lose
your rings, but the impact will mean that you almost certainly lose your chance
to attack. Hit it before it can let the missiles loose!

Either if you hit it or not, Big Foot will now take off, and start it's attack
pattern all over again. Three hits will see it off. Easy.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- DR. EGGMAN [I] (HP not enough!)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Collect a ring, and basically keep shooting away at Robotnik with the Volkan 
Cannon (He moves too fast for lock-on shots to be effective). If you keep 
shooting away, he won't have a chance to do a single thing! This is easily the
simplest boss in the game, and you should have absolutely no trouble at all.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SHADOW [I] (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

As usual, pick up a ring for protection, to start this battle. Shadow is 
easiest to hit with homing Spin Attacks, but he often sees you attack him, and
has time to launch a Spin Attack of his own, making the attack end in deadlock,
with neither of you getting a hit in. The way to avoid this is to attack Shadow
from behind. It may be dishonourable, but it's the way to go, since it 
practically guarantees a successful attack, unless Shadow unexpectedly runs out
of your way. Three easy hits and Shadow is down, but not out...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- KING BOOM BOO (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Maybe the toughest boss in the game, but still not too worrying. IMO, this boss
reminds me of Pac Man quite a lot, in the chasing aspect.

Firstly, pick up a ring, then run in a circular fashion away from Boo. Keep at
a fair distance, but you get too far ahead of him, he'll turn around and attack
you from the other direction! When you've run a complete "lap" without any 
interuptions, Boo will start chucking big blue energy balls at you. These are
very easy to dodge, and should prove no problem. At the end of the "lap", you 
will find a smaller ghost with some kind of hourglass/switch. Hit it, and a 
cut-scene will show a ceiling panel open to turn the tables on Boo. Looks like
he forgot the sun block:)

When he becomes a shadow, he will move around randomly on the ground. Dig where
the shadow is to pull him out of the ground. Chase after him, and give him a 
punch. I think it is possible to hit him more than once, but he speeds up 
massively after the first hit. Anyway, after a few seconds, the ceiling panel
will close (this whole section is under a time limit) and things wil start 
again.

On subsequent hits, the battle will change a little. Boo becomes more fond of 
switching directions, and his movements as a shadow will change, moving to the
wall after being hit once, then moving between the wall and floor, and finally,
still alternating, but moving faster. When you learn how to hit him though, 
this boss becomes very easy.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- EGG GOLEM - THE GOLEM (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly, remember that falling off the platform is not the end of the world, 
nor Sonic. Constantly jump to pull Sonic out of the sand. Also note that there
are many Super Ring monitors scattered around the area down here. Useful for
protection. If you want to get back up, use the crane hooks.

When you start the battle, the Golem will punch one of the platforms near you,
but it won't actually hit you, so don't move. Then, after it hits a platform, 
move to that platform. It will never hit the same platform twice in a row, so
you'll be safe. Then, run around the platforms until you're behind the Golem.
Climb up the first three platforms on it's back (they move in slowly, pushing
you off, so do it quickly and carefully) then Homing Jump onto the final three,
giving you enough height to home onto it's head. Repeat this.

After you've hit him twice, he will spin his arms around, trying to hurt you
and knock you off the platform. Either jump his arms, or stand on a platform 
which the Golem has already knocked downwards, which is too low for his reach.
He will stand still for a little after this attack, so run behind him and hit 
him.

After he's taken three hits, the Golem will use a massive headbutt attack,
constantly. When he's about to use it, just start running around the arena, and
climb his back to hit him the final two times.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- ROUGE (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Obviously, pick up a ring. At the begining of this battle, punching Rouge 
allows you to get easy hits, and you should be able to at least get a couple of
HP off her gadge.

Soon, the roof of the space base will open, blowing you both into the air. You
can't attack or defend very well while floating, so land on a ledge as soon as 
you can. If you're on a ledge while Rouge is floating, she can't defend, so do
so. If you're both on a ledge, then fight normally. If you're a long way away 
from Rouge (too far for her normal attacks to have a chance of hitting you), 
then she may summon some kind of magic to hit you, which she will announce in a
voice sample. Glide in a straight direction to avoid this attack.

When the space base roof closes again, go back to punching and diving to beat
her. No problem.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- DR. EGGMAN [II] (HP 7)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I hate this battle, not because it's particularly difficult, but because it's 
near impossible for either of you to dodge each others' attacks, making the 
winner almost randomly determined. However, if you stay well away from 
Robotnik, and keep shooting, you'll have a much better chance. His best attack,
(exactly the same as Vargas' Power Drive in Powerstone) can take about 50% of
your HP off, and is near impossible to dodge, so pray he doesn't use it. You 
can dodge it if you're far away from him though. Otherwise, just keep blasting,
and hope for the best.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SHADOW [II] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

You might expect the last boss to be tough? He's not.

Firstly, although rings aren't a problem here, you must keep running, as the 
platform behind you are falling. 

At the begining of the battle, hitting Shadow with Spin Attacks and Spin Dashes
is very effective, but as the fight continues, Shadow can dodge them more 
easily. His own Spin Attacks are easy to dodge, but he has two other attacks; 
Chaos Spear, which is a rarely used lightning attack, with a cut-scene to warn 
you, can be dodged by just running forwards at top speed. Chaos Control is used
often by Shadow, if you overtake him or knock him off the edge of the arena. 
He says "this is the ultimate!" and teleports some distance in front of you.
If he teleports into a row of rings, you can Light Dash into him, getting a 
sure hit, and this is probably the only thing that will work late in the battle
when he dodges any other attacks.

HERO BOSSES COMPLETE!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Mini-game:- Dark Boss Battle

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a major tip for almost every boss stage. Only ever pick up one ring at
a time. If you pick up several, then get hit, the chances are that you'll lose
them all and have no protection. If you only picked up one, then there are 
plenty left to offer protection to you if you get hit, as in boss stages it can
be very difficult to recollect rings you dropped after a hit. This tip 
obviously doesn't apply to Tails/Eggman bosses, as collecting rings hardly 
increases their health at all.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player begins as Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- B-3x HOT SHOT - Heavy Armed combat walkers (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a major tip for almost every boss stage. Only ever pick up one ring at
a time. If you pick up several, then get hit, the chances are that you'll lose
them all and have no protection. If you only picked up one, then there are 
plenty left to offer protection to you if you get hit, as in boss stages it can
be very difficult to recollect rings you dropped after a hit. This tip 
obviously doesn't apply to Tails/Eggman bosses, as collecting rings hardly 
increases their health at all.

This is almost exactly like Big Foot, but with one extra attack, though I'll
repeat the strategies for those who haven't yet played Hero.

Begin by picking up a ring, for protection, then run away from the Hot Shot as 
it will move around the arena, firing lasers directly underneath it. It's 
pretty slow, so make sure you don't overtake it, and run into the fire! Note 
that during this time, Hot Shot is invunerable from Shadow's attacks.

After it performs this pathetic manoever twice, it will slow down and prepare 
to land. This is your chance! As soon as it lands, hit the underneath of the
cockpit, and it will lose a third of it's health and take off again. However,
if you leave it too late, Hot Shot will have the chance to fire off several 
difficult to avoid homing missiles. If they hit you, not only will you lose
your rings, but the impact will mean that you almost certainly lose your chance
to attack. Hit it before it can let the missiles loose! After you hit it, it 
will try to lock-on to you with a homing laser. Just race around the arena, 
away from the red targeting sensor to avoid the laser.

Either if you hit it or not, Hot Shot will now take off, and start it's attack
pattern all over again. Three hits will see it off. Easy. However, be warned 
that when it drops to one HP, it will use the homing laser attack three times 
in a row.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- TAILS [I] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Quite easy, though not as much of a walkover as EGGMAN [I]. Circle Tails, 
constantly firing the Volkan Cannon, keeping a long distance, and none of his
attacks will hit, provided you keep moving. However, you can quite easily shoot
him. After five hits, it's over.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- R-1/A FLYING DOG - Multirole Attacker (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Looks just like the Big Foot/Hot Shot, but you have to fight it completely
differently, because it never land! After the usual two rounds of laser fire, 
which you can avoid by running, like Sonic or Shadow, or more easily, just 
climb up onto a wall, where the lasers can't hit you, and you can collect 
rings, it will hover, and release it's homing missiles. This is how to hit it;

Glide off the wall, and Drill Dive when over the Flying Dog's cockpit to hit 
it. It's quite hard to aim at first, but practice and it's easy. Thankfully,
it's very unlikely that the missiles will hit you, as you're moving fast and in
the air.

After being hit, the Flying Dog will return to firing lasers as it swoops 
around the arena. (Actually, you can Drill Dive the cockpit as it flies, but
aiming at it is extremely difficult, so don't bother, just climb the wall). 
Hit it again when it stops to release homing missiles.

After it takes it's second hit, the Flying Dog's strategy will change 
completely; it will start charging up an easy to avoid homing laser, just like
the Hot Shot. You could dodgethe laser, but it's better to use this oppertunity
to Drill Dive the cockpit, since it has to stay still as it charges the laser.
It will constantly use this attack now, so keep Drill Diving and you will win
with ease!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SONIC [I] (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

As usual, pick up a ring for protection, to start this battle. Sonic is 
easiest to hit with homing Spin Attacks, but he often sees you attack him, and
has time to launch a Spin Attack of his own, making the attack end in deadlock,
with neither of you getting a hit in. The way to avoid this is to attack Sonic
from behind. It may be dishonourable, but it's the way to go, since it 
practically guarantees a successful attack, unless Sonic unexpectedly runs out
of your way. Three easy hits and Sonic is down, but not out...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- EGG GOLEM - THE GOLEM (HP Indeterminate)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Unlike with Sonic, if Eggman falls off the platform, he'll probably die, since
landing in quicksand spells instant death for him. If you do fall though, try
to hover and manouvoer your way on to a crane hook to take you back up.

When you start the battle, the Golem will punch one of the platforms near you,
but it won't actually hit you, so don't move. Then, after it hits a platform, 
move to that platform. It will never hit the same platform twice in a row, so
you'll be safe. During this time the Golem is spazzing around, constatly shoot
the Golem's body with the Volkan Cannon. After it takes a bit of damage, some
of the skin on his chest will peel off, revealing a metallic "nipple". Lock-on
to the nipple to cause severe damage to him. Like Scaramanga in The Man With
The Golden Gun, the Egg Golem has three nipples, revealed one by one as you
shoot the Volkan Cannon at him. After you've fired a lock-on missile at each
nipple twice, the Golem will collapse.

However, after taking significant damage, the Golem will use a massive headbutt 
attack, constantly. When he's about to use it, just start running around the 
arena, away from it, and keep shooting.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- KNUCKLES (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Obviously, pick up a ring. At the begining of this battle, kicking Knuckles
allows you to get easy hits, and you should be able to at least get a couple of
HP off his gadge.

Soon, the roof of the space base will open, blowing you both into the air. You
can't attack or defend very well while floating, so land on a ledge as soon as 
you can. If you're on a ledge while Knux is floating, he can't defend, so do
so. If you're both on a ledge, then fight normally. If you're a long way away 
from Knuckles (too far for his normal attacks to have a chance of hitting you), 
then he may summon some red lightning to hit you, which he will announce in a
voice sample. Glide in a straight direction to avoid this attack.

When the space base roof closes again, go back to kicking and diving to beat
him. No problem.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- TAILS [II] (HP 7)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I hate this battle, not because it's particularly difficult, but because it's 
near impossible for either of you to dodge each others' attacks, making the 
winner almost randomly determined. However, if you stay well away from 
Tails, and keep shooting, you'll have a much better chance. His best attack,
(exactly the same as Vargas' Power Drive in Powerstone) can take about 50% of
your HP off, and is near impossible to dodge, so pray he doesn't use it. You 
can dodge it if you're far away from him though. Otherwise, just keep blasting,
and hope for the best.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SONIC [II] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

You might expect the last boss to be tough? He's not.

Firstly, although rings aren't a problem here, you must keep running, as the 
platform behind you are falling. 

At the begining of the battle, hitting Sonic with Spin Attacks and Spin Dashes
is very effective, but as the fight continues, Sonic can dodge them more 
easily. His own Spin Attacks are easy to dodge, but he has two other attacks; 
Sonic Wind, which is a rarely used lightning attack, with a cut-scene to warn 
you, can be dodged by just running forwards at top speed. Chaos Control is used
often by Sonic, if you overtake him or knock him off the edge of the arena. 
He says "this is the ultimate!" and teleports some distance in front of you.
If he teleports into a row of rings, you can Light Dash into him, getting a 
sure hit, and this is probably the only thing that will work late in the battle
when he dodges any other attacks.

DARK BOSSES COMPLETE!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Mini-game:- All Boss Battle

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a major tip for almost every boss stage. Only ever pick up one ring at
a time. If you pick up several, then get hit, the chances are that you'll lose
them all and have no protection. If you only picked up one, then there are 
plenty left to offer protection to you if you get hit, as in boss stages it can
be very difficult to recollect rings you dropped after a hit. This tip 
obviously doesn't apply to Tails/Eggman bosses, as collecting rings hardly 
increases their health at all.

A great tip for the all boss battle is to Light Dash/collect hundreds of rings
while fighting Sonic/Shadow [II], to stock up on extra lives for those tougher 
bosses like Biolizard.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player begins as Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- F-6t BIG FOOT (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Okay, on with the Big Foot battle. This is so easy, there should be no problems 
at all, unless you don't act fast to hit him at vunerable points.

Begin by picking up a ring, for protection, then run away from the Big Foot as 
it will move around the arena, firing lasers directly underneath it. It's 
pretty slow, so make sure you don't overtake it, and run into the fire! Note 
that during this time, Big Foot is invunerable from Sonic's attacks.

After it performs this pathetic manoever twice, it will slow down and prepare 
to land. This is your chance! As soon as it lands, hit the underneath of the
cockpit, and it will lose a third of it's health and take off again. However,
if you leave it too late, Big Foot will have the chance to fire off several 
difficult to avoid homing missiles. If they hit you, not only will you lose
your rings, but the impact will mean that you almost certainly lose your chance
to attack. Hit it before it can let the missiles loose!

Either if you hit it or not, Big Foot will now take off, and start it's attack
pattern all over again. Three hits will see it off. Easy.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- DR. EGGMAN [I] (HP not enough!)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Collect a ring, and basically keep shooting away at Robotnik with the Volkan 
Cannon (He moves too fast for lock-on shots to be effective). If you keep 
shooting away, he won't have a chance to do a single thing! This is easily the
simplest boss in the game, and you should have absolutely no trouble at all.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SHADOW [I] (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

As usual, pick up a ring for protection, to start this battle. Shadow is 
easiest to hit with homing Spin Attacks, but he often sees you attack him, and
has time to launch a Spin Attack of his own, making the attack end in deadlock,
with neither of you getting a hit in. The way to avoid this is to attack Shadow
from behind. It may be dishonourable, but it's the way to go, since it 
practically guarantees a successful attack, unless Shadow unexpectedly runs out
of your way. Three easy hits and Shadow is down, but not out...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- KING BOOM BOO (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Maybe the toughest boss in the game, but still not too worrying. IMO, this boss
reminds me of Pac Man quite a lot, in the chasing aspect.

Firstly, pick up a ring, then run in a circular fashion away from Boo. Keep at
a fair distance, but you get too far ahead of him, he'll turn around and attack
you from the other direction! When you've run a complete "lap" without any 
interuptions, Boo will start chucking big blue energy balls at you. These are
very easy to dodge, and should prove no problem. At the end of the "lap", you 
will find a smaller ghost with some kind of hourglass/switch. Hit it, and a 
cut-scene will show a ceiling panel open to turn the tables on Boo. Looks like
he forgot the sun block:)

When he becomes a shadow, he will move around randomly on the ground. Dig where
the shadow is to pull him out of the ground. Chase after him, and give him a 
punch. I think it is possible to hit him more than once, but he speeds up 
massively after the first hit. Anyway, after a few seconds, the ceiling panel
will close (this whole section is under a time limit) and things wil start 
again.

On subsequent hits, the battle will change a little. Boo becomes more fond of 
switching directions, and his movements as a shadow will change, moving to the
wall after being hit once, then moving between the wall and floor, and finally,
still alternating, but moving faster. When you learn how to hit him though, 
this boss becomes very easy.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- EGG GOLEM - THE GOLEM (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly, remember that falling off the platform is not the end of the world, 
nor Sonic. Constantly jump to pull Sonic out of the sand. Also note that there
are many Super Ring monitors scattered around the area down here. Useful for
protection. If you want to get back up, use the crane hooks.

When you start the battle, the Golem will punch one of the platforms near you,
but it won't actually hit you, so don't move. Then, after it hits a platform, 
move to that platform. It will never hit the same platform twice in a row, so
you'll be safe. Then, run around the platforms until you're behind the Golem.
Climb up the first three platforms on it's back (they move in slowly, pushing
you off, so do it quickly and carefully) then Homing Jump onto the final three,
giving you enough height to home onto it's head. Repeat this.

After you've hit him twice, he will spin his arms around, trying to hurt you
and knock you off the platform. Either jump his arms, or stand on a platform 
which the Golem has already knocked downwards, which is too low for his reach.
He will stand still for a little after this attack, so run behind him and hit 
him.

After he's taken three hits, the Golem will use a massive headbutt attack,
constantly. When he's about to use it, just start running around the arena, and
climb his back to hit him the final two times.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Knuckles)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- ROUGE (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Obviously, pick up a ring. At the begining of this battle, punching Rouge 
allows you to get easy hits, and you should be able to at least get a couple of
HP off her gadge.

Soon, the roof of the space base will open, blowing you both into the air. You
can't attack or defend very well while floating, so land on a ledge as soon as 
you can. If you're on a ledge while Rouge is floating, she can't defend, so do
so. If you're both on a ledge, then fight normally. If you're a long way away 
from Rouge (too far for her normal attacks to have a chance of hitting you), 
then she may summon some kind of magic to hit you, which she will announce in a
voice sample. Glide in a straight direction to avoid this attack.

When the space base roof closes again, go back to punching and diving to beat
her. No problem.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Tails)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- DR. EGGMAN [II] (HP 7)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I hate this battle, not because it's particularly difficult, but because it's 
near impossible for either of you to dodge each others' attacks, making the 
winner almost randomly determined. However, if you stay well away from 
Robotnik, and keep shooting, you'll have a much better chance. His best attack,
(exactly the same as Vargas' Power Drive in Powerstone) can take about 50% of
your HP off, and is near impossible to dodge, so pray he doesn't use it. You 
can dodge it if you're far away from him though. Otherwise, just keep blasting,
and hope for the best.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Sonic)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SHADOW [II] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

You might expect the last boss to be tough? He's not.

Firstly, although rings aren't a problem here, you must keep running, as the 
platform behind you are falling. 

At the begining of the battle, hitting Shadow with Spin Attacks and Spin Dashes
is very effective, but as the fight continues, Shadow can dodge them more 
easily. His own Spin Attacks are easy to dodge, but he has two other attacks; 
Chaos Spear, which is a rarely used lightning attack, with a cut-scene to warn 
you, can be dodged by just running forwards at top speed. Chaos Control is used
often by Shadow, if you overtake him or knock him off the edge of the arena. 
He says "this is the ultimate!" and teleports some distance in front of you.
If he teleports into a row of rings, you can Light Dash into him, getting a 
sure hit, and this is probably the only thing that will work late in the battle
when he dodges any other attacks.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- B-3x HOT SHOT - Heavy Armed combat walkers (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a major tip for almost every boss stage. Only ever pick up one ring at
a time. If you pick up several, then get hit, the chances are that you'll lose
them all and have no protection. If you only picked up one, then there are 
plenty left to offer protection to you if you get hit, as in boss stages it can
be very difficult to recollect rings you dropped after a hit. This tip 
obviously doesn't apply to Tails/Eggman bosses, as collecting rings hardly 
increases their health at all.

This is almost exactly like Big Foot, but with one extra attack, though I'll
repeat the strategies for those who haven't yet played Hero.

Begin by picking up a ring, for protection, then run away from the Hot Shot as 
it will move around the arena, firing lasers directly underneath it. It's 
pretty slow, so make sure you don't overtake it, and run into the fire! Note 
that during this time, Hot Shot is invunerable from Shadow's attacks.

After it performs this pathetic manoever twice, it will slow down and prepare 
to land. This is your chance! As soon as it lands, hit the underneath of the
cockpit, and it will lose a third of it's health and take off again. However,
if you leave it too late, Hot Shot will have the chance to fire off several 
difficult to avoid homing missiles. If they hit you, not only will you lose
your rings, but the impact will mean that you almost certainly lose your chance
to attack. Hit it before it can let the missiles loose! After you hit it, it 
will try to lock-on to you with a homing laser. Just race around the arena, 
away from the red targeting sensor to avoid the laser.

Either if you hit it or not, Hot Shot will now take off, and start it's attack
pattern all over again. Three hits will see it off. Easy. However, be warned 
that when it drops to one HP, it will use the homing laser attack three times 
in a row.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- TAILS [I] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Quite easy, though not as much of a walkover as EGGMAN [I]. Circle Tails, 
constantly firing the Volkan Cannon, keeping a long distance, and none of his
attacks will hit, provided you keep moving. However, you can quite easily shoot
him. After five hits, it's over.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- R-1/A FLYING DOG - Multirole Attacker (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Looks just like the Big Foot/Hot Shot, but you have to fight it completely
differently, because it never land! After the usual two rounds of laser fire, 
which you can avoid by running, like Sonic or Shadow, or more easily, just 
climb up onto a wall, where the lasers can't hit you, and you can collect 
rings, it will hover, and release it's homing missiles. This is how to hit it;

Glide off the wall, and Drill Dive when over the Flying Dog's cockpit to hit 
it. It's quite hard to aim at first, but practice and it's easy. Thankfully,
it's very unlikely that the missiles will hit you, as you're moving fast and in
the air.

After being hit, the Flying Dog will return to firing lasers as it swoops 
around the arena. (Actually, you can Drill Dive the cockpit as it flies, but
aiming at it is extremely difficult, so don't bother, just climb the wall). 
Hit it again when it stops to release homing missiles.

After it takes it's second hit, the Flying Dog's strategy will change 
completely; it will start charging up an easy to avoid homing laser, just like
the Hot Shot. You could dodgethe laser, but it's better to use this oppertunity
to Drill Dive the cockpit, since it has to stay still as it charges the laser.
It will constantly use this attack now, so keep Drill Diving and you will win
with ease!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SONIC [I] (HP 3)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

As usual, pick up a ring for protection, to start this battle. Sonic is 
easiest to hit with homing Spin Attacks, but he often sees you attack him, and
has time to launch a Spin Attack of his own, making the attack end in deadlock,
with neither of you getting a hit in. The way to avoid this is to attack Sonic
from behind. It may be dishonourable, but it's the way to go, since it 
practically guarantees a successful attack, unless Sonic unexpectedly runs out
of your way. Three easy hits and Sonic is down, but not out...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- EGG GOLEM - THE GOLEM (HP Indeterminate)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Unlike with Sonic, if Eggman falls off the platform, he'll probably die, since
landing in quicksand spells instant death for him. If you do fall though, try
to hover and manouvoer your way on to a crane hook to take you back up.

When you start the battle, the Golem will punch one of the platforms near you,
but it won't actually hit you, so don't move. Then, after it hits a platform, 
move to that platform. It will never hit the same platform twice in a row, so
you'll be safe. During this time the Golem is spazzing around, constatly shoot
the Golem's body with the Volkan Cannon. After it takes a bit of damage, some
of the skin on his chest will peel off, revealing a metallic "nipple". Lock-on
to the nipple to cause severe damage to him. Like Scaramanga in The Man With
The Golden Gun, the Egg Golem has three nipples, revealed one by one as you
shoot the Volkan Cannon at him. After you've fired a lock-on missile at each
nipple twice, the Golem will collapse.

However, after taking significant damage, the Golem will use a massive headbutt 
attack, constantly. When he's about to use it, just start running around the 
arena, away from it, and keep shooting.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Rouge)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- KNUCKLES (HP 4)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Obviously, pick up a ring. At the begining of this battle, kicking Knuckles
allows you to get easy hits, and you should be able to at least get a couple of
HP off his gadge.

Soon, the roof of the space base will open, blowing you both into the air. You
can't attack or defend very well while floating, so land on a ledge as soon as 
you can. If you're on a ledge while Knux is floating, he can't defend, so do
so. If you're both on a ledge, then fight normally. If you're a long way away 
from Knuckles (too far for his normal attacks to have a chance of hitting you), 
then he may summon some red lightning to hit you, which he will announce in a
voice sample. Glide in a straight direction to avoid this attack.

When the space base roof closes again, go back to kicking and diving to beat
him. No problem.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Eggman)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- TAILS [II] (HP 7)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I hate this battle, not because it's particularly difficult, but because it's 
near impossible for either of you to dodge each others' attacks, making the 
winner almost randomly determined. However, if you stay well away from 
Tails, and keep shooting, you'll have a much better chance. His best attack,
(exactly the same as Vargas' Power Drive in Powerstone) can take about 50% of
your HP off, and is near impossible to dodge, so pray he doesn't use it. You 
can dodge it if you're far away from him though. Otherwise, just keep blasting,
and hope for the best.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- SONIC [II] (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

You might expect the last boss to be tough? He's not.

Firstly, although rings aren't a problem here, you must keep running, as the 
platform behind you are falling. 

At the begining of the battle, hitting Sonic with Spin Attacks and Spin Dashes
is very effective, but as the fight continues, Sonic can dodge them more 
easily. His own Spin Attacks are easy to dodge, but he has two other attacks; 
Sonic Wind, which is a rarely used lightning attack, with a cut-scene to warn 
you, can be dodged by just running forwards at top speed. Chaos Control is used
often by Sonic, if you overtake him or knock him off the edge of the arena. 
He says "this is the ultimate!" and teleports some distance in front of you.
If he teleports into a row of rings, you can Light Dash into him, getting a 
sure hit, and this is probably the only thing that will work late in the battle
when he dodges any other attacks.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

BOSS:- BIOLIZARD - The Prototype of the Ultimate Life (HP 5)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Firstly a word of warning about the design of the arena. This fight is a little
like the battle against Boom Boo, in that you're running into the screen, away
from Biolizard most of the time. However, there are two gaps of orange liquid 
in the edge of the arena, which may wash you away, killing you if you fall in
them. The solution to this problem is to quite slowly (although fast enough to
keep ahead of Biolizard), so that you can see where the floor changes colour
to brown, allowing you to anticipate and jump the liquid. Running relatively
slowly also gives the advantage that Biolizard won't change the direction of
his attack as he will if you run too fast.

When you start, pick up a ring, and run away from Biolizard's head or tail. 
After it has chased you for a few seconds, it holds it's head still, and starts
breathing heavily; this is your chance to attack! Grind along the pipe on the 
left, outside of the 'lizard's neck (you hardly need any momentum), and when 
you get near the big flashing blob on it's back, homing jump it to damage him.
(As you fall after hitting him, move yourself out of the way of the orange 
liquid so you don't hit it when you land; use the other liquid pool on the 
other side of the arena, which is always opposite, to judge where it is, so you 
can land on the ground).

Again, run away from the 'lizard, but when it stops for the second time it will
begin shooting black balls of energy at you. Jump the low ones and Somersault
under the high ones; the low ones seem to have a very large detection area, so
give them a wide berth, but the high ones are very easy to avoid. If you get
him, Biolizard stops for a moment to give you time to collect your rings, so 
don't worry about that. After he stops firing energy balls, grind and hit him 
again.

After three hits, the Biolizard will chase you, and fire it's energy balls, 
but rather than holding it's head still to be hit again, it summons dozens of
floating pink eggs which it tries to fire at you. The way to hit it now is to
homing jump on the eggs, and use them as stepping stones to reach the weak 
point on it's back, to spin attack it.

Immediately after taking it's fourth hit, the Biolizard will cause you to rise
into the air with the eggs. While Shadow floats, bring him in towards 
Biolizard's weak point, without hitting the eggs, and land him on the metal
platform around the weak point. Homing jump onto his weak point from here to
take him down. "Get out of here, you ugly prototype!"

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Player control shifts to Super Sonic/Super Shadow)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

FINAL BOSS:- THE FINALHAZARD - The Prototype of the Ultimate Life (HP 6)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Controls:-

Analogue Stick:- Move forwards (into the screen), backwards (out of the screen), 
left and right.

A:- Move upwards.

X:- Move downwards.

B:- Move downwards.

This is not very difficult (IMO Biolizard is much tougher), but it sure is fun,
especially with the rocking soundtrack!

Super Sonic and Super Shadow are in all gameplay purposes the same character.
The aim in this boss is to aim your character into the large red sore which 
appears on a random location of The FinalHazard's body. Use the controls to
make your character hit six sores to kill the boss. Each character has a time
limit of fifty seconds to perform their hit (denoted in rings), dropping to
forty for the final two hits. Every time you perform a successful him with one
character, you tag to the other, who will start with their maximum number of
rings. If you feel that you won't be able to hit the boss before you run out of 
rings, you can tag with you partner by flying past The FinalHazard, either 
above or below. However, the tagged in partner will begin with the number of
rings they had remaining when they performed their last successful hit; you can 
only recharge a character's rings when their partner performs a successful hit.
In addition to this, you have an overall time limit of five seconds until the 
ARK hits the Earth. 

While The FinalHazard cannot directly damage our heros, it has a number of 
attacks which slow then down or repel them, wasting time and rings, which vary,
depending on how much HP the boss has remaining:-

First round; A small barrier of homing eggs.

Second round; One short laser beam fired five times, then a medium barrier of
eggs.

Third round; One long laser, then a large barrier of eggs.

Fourth round; Two long lasers, then a large barrier of eggs.

Fifth and sixth rounds; Two long lasers and a large barrier of eggs at the same
time.

ALL BOSSES COMPLETE!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Song Lyrics

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Very cool music in SA2, and I decided to put some lyric listings up, especially
since I often recieve loads of requests for lyrics lists in FAQs, sometimes 
more than requests for help in the game!? Anyway, be warned than since the 
lyrics are VERY unclear at some parts of the songs, this is very much my 
"interpretation". Also, for this reason, I've decided to leave out lyric lists 
for Knuckles and Shadow levels, which are near impossible to decipher. Finally,
though most of the song titles are official, a few of them I had to make up 
myself. Here we go!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Sonic Adventure 2 Main Theme - "Live and Learn" (Battle against FinalHazard)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Can you feel light?/
Running through your mind?/
Oh! Looks like it came back for more!/
Yeah!

Can you feel time?/
Slipping down your spine?/
Oh! You're trying hard to ignore?/
Yeah!

But you can hardly swallow/
Your fears and pain/
Well, you can help or follow!/
We'll put you right back where you came!

Live and Learn!/
Hanging on the edge of tommorow/
Live and Learn!/
From the worst whatever may/
Live and Learn!/
Well if you'll beg or if you'll borrow/
Live and Learn!/
You may never find your way

Woah!

Can you feel life?/
Tangle you up inside?/
Yeah! Now you're face down on the floor!/
Oh!

But you can save your sorrow/
Your pain is red/
Well, you can help or follow!/
We'll put you right back where you came!

Live and Learn!/
Hanging on the edge of tommorow/
Live and Learn!/
From the worst whatever may/
Live and Learn!/
Well if you'll beg or if you'll borrow/
Live and Learn!/
You may never find your way

(Middle 8)

Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah!

(Guitar Riff)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

(More Riff, Middle 8 ends)

There's a place worth searching far/
Far and wide/
There's a place where your dreams/
You'll never find/
Hold on until then!/
Hold on until then!

Live and Learn!/
Hanging on the edge of tommorow/
Live and Learn!/
From the worst whatever may/
Live and Learn!/
Well if you'll beg or if you'll borrow/
Live and Learn!/
You may never find your way

Live and Learn!/
Hanging on the edge of tommorow/
Live and Learn!/
From the worst whatever may/
Live and Learn!/
Well if you'll beg or if you'll borrow/
Live and Learn!/
You may never find your way

Way!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Theme of Sonic - "It Doesn't Matter"

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Oh yeah!

Alright!

Well I don't show off, don't criticize/
I'm just living by my own feelings/
And I won't give in, won't compromise/
'Cause I only have a steadfast heart of gold!

I don't know why, I can't leave, though it might be tough/
But I ain't out of control, just living by my word/
Don't ask me why, I don't need a reason/
I got my way, my own way!

It doesn't matter/
Now what happens/ 
I will never/ 
Give up the fight!

'Long as the voice inside me drives me to run and fight/
It doesn't matter who is wrong and who is right!

Well, I don't look back, I don't need to/
Time won't wait and I got so much to do!

Where do I stop now, it's all a blur and so unclear/
Well, I don't know, but I can't be wrong!

It doesn't matter/
Now what happens/ 
I will never/ 
Give up the fight!

Place all your bets on the one you think is right!

(Middle 8 - Guitar Riff)

It doesn't matter/
Now what happens/ 
I will never/ 
Give up the fight!

'Long as the voice inside me drives me to run and fight/
It doesn't matter who is wrong and who is right!

No, no, no, no/
It doesn't matter!

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Theme of Tails - "Believe in Myself"

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Note; this is actually sung by a woman, for reasons best know to Tails on his
weekends away...:)

When all alone in my chair, I just go about wishing/
Wanna be strong, I really wanna be trusted, aha/
When all alone in my bed, I just go about yearning/
I wanna be cool, I also wanna be like him/

But that's not something/ 
I can do so easily/
This is not simply my way, my own style/
Gotta get a hold of my life

I wanna fly high/
So I can reach the/ 
Highest of all the heavens!/
Somebody will be/ 
Waiting for me so/
I got to fly higher!

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Theme of Knuckles - "Unknown from M.E."

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Incoherent rapping backing)

(Main singer:-)

Born on an island, in the heavens/
The blood of my ancestors flows inside me/
My duty is to save the flower/
From evil deterioration!

I will be the one to set your heart free

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Theme of Shadow - "Open the Darkness" 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Techno)

(Rave-like shouting singer enters:-)

Everybody tries to be strict/
But things have somewhat changed/
It's useless, to reverse things/
Or everything will be wasted

I go straight for your goal to kill me/
The door to your goal is open/
But your dream will never fade/
No matter how long it takes

(New, camp[er], singer:-)

Open the darkness, the dark and the dusk/
Throw it all away/
Nobody can break you or tear you/
You live an endless life forever/

(Techno)

Open the darkness, the dark and the dusk/
Throw it all away/
You see a light, wherever you go/
You have to face that door again

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Theme of Eggman - "I am the Eggman (I've got the Master Plan)" 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Rock Beat)

Woah!

Oh yeah!

(Scat Singing)

The story begins/
But who's going to to win?/
You know when the dangers lie within

A boy beyond/
A genius at heart/
And wanting to, one time, listen to life

I am the Eggman!/
That's what I am/
I am the Eggman!/
I've got the Master Plan

I am the Eggman!/
That's what I am/
I am the Eggman!/
I've got the Master Plan!

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Theme of Rouge - "Mystery of the Night"

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Backing Singing)

(Main Singer Enters:-)

To the rhythm of love we go/
To look for another goal/
I am chained/
To the Mystery of the Night

When the rhythms are easy, yeah/
And I lose my short-sighted way/
Don't let me waste my time with you/
Thinking, anymore

He is/
Not to be tamed/
Watch me, I never will fall for you/
I can go/
By myself!

I am afraid of/
Time will slip away from me/
What I'm looking for will be lost/
What I'm looking for will be lost/
Flying free/
Yeah...

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Theme of Amy - "My Sweet Passion"

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(Backing Singers:-)

Heart's on fire, on fire/
Heart's on fire, on fire/
Ah, la la/
La la!

(Main Singer Enters:-)

Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/
There's no where to hide
Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/ 
Come on, settle our lives
Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/
I'll always be there for you
Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/
In the best and worst times

You can be my sweetest honey for eternity!

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/ 
So many things I want
Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/ 
I wanna be a wonderful girl
Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/ 
I'm not simple - minded
Sweet sweet you're so sweet!/ 
And I won't be a pearl

I honestly need you just as much as you need me!

(Jazz Instrumental Section)

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

City Escape '1 - "Escape from the City" (City Escape Zone)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Rolling around at the speed of sound/
Got places to go/
Got to follow my way, boy!

Can't stick around/
Have to keep moving on/
'Cause what lies ahead?/
Only one way to find out!

Must keep on moving ahead/
No time for guessing 'bout what happened instead/
Trust me with what you can't see/
Change my beat/
I'll set you free!

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Follow...

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Prove it to you!/
Follow me!

Oh yeah!

Danger is lurking around every turn/
Trust your feelings/
Got to live and learn!

I know it's certain that I'll make it through/
Got no interuptions/
Only one thing to do!

I don't care what lies ahead/
No time for guessing 'bout what happened instead/
But something's changed, no matter what that may be/
Change my beat/
I'll set you free!

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Follow...

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Prove it to you!/
Follow me!/
Follow me!

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

(City Escape '1) - "Escape from the City Remix" (City Escape Zone)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Woah!

Oh yeah!

Rolling around at the speed of sound/
Got places to go/
Got to follow my way, boy!

Can't stick around/
Have to keep moving on/
'Cause what lies ahead?/
Only one way to find out!

Must keep on moving ahead/
No time for guessing 'bout what happened instead/
Trust me with what you can't see/
Change my beat/
I'll set you free!

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Follow...

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Prove it to you!/
Follow me!

Oh yeah!

Danger is lurking around every turn/
Trust your feelings/
Got to live and learn!

I know it's certain that I'll make it through/
Got no interuptions/
Only one thing to do!

I don't care what lies ahead/
No time for guessing 'bout what happened instead/
But something's changed, no matter what that may be/
Change my beat/
I'll set you free!

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Follow...

Follow me!/
Set me free!/
Trust me, and we will Escape from the City!/
I'll make it through/
Prove it to you!/
Follow me!/
Follow me!

(Loop back to start)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

References

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

There a are a fair number of references to other games and films, etc in SA2,
though less than I'd hoped, perhaps. Certainly, some Chu Chu Rocket references
might have been nice:)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

NiGHTS into Dreams

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Yuji Naka's favourite Sonic Team franchise has a few references. A lot less 
than the pinball table in SA 1 though:-

* In Radical Highway, several of the skyscrapers in the close background have
a NiGHTS head on their top.

* In City Escape, the "Let's Fly!" posters scattered around the level have a
green image of NiGHTS on them.

* Chaos can be raised to look like NiGHTS. (Purple, with "horns"). At present,
I don't know how this is done though.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Dragon Ball (Z)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Many people think that the transformation from Sonic/Shadow to Super Sonic/
Super Shadow is a DBZ reference; though I'm no expert I'm aware that in the 
anime, in desperate situations, the main characters can become Super Saiyans,
multiplying their physical abilities and turning their hair blond, just like 
Super Sonic.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Final Fantasy 6j (3 in the US)

(This might contain FF6 SPOILERS)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

IMO, the entire Shadow character in SA 2 is obviously based around the infamous 
ninja from FF6, also named Shadow:-

* Both are called Shadow (yes I do have better evidence than this:)

* Both have twisted, ambiguous background stories...

* ...which are told part by part in flashbacks which often disturb the subject.

* Both are undoubtedly the coolest characters in their respective games.

* Both are considered to die after performing a heroic act, but both are still 
argued about.

* Both wear black. 

* Both only care for an old friend (Baram/G. Robotnik) and a young girl close 
to them (Relm/Maria).

* Both appear in their games after a long disappearance.

* Both have ultimately unknown identities (Who is Shadow? Clyde or Baram?/Is 
Shadow the ultimate lifeform?)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Samba de Amigo

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Another Sonic Team game, so you almost expect references:-

* In Radical Highway and Mission Street, some of the roads mentioned on signs
are called things like "38 Amigo Left Lane". Coincidence? I think not.

* Chao can learn to play the maracas, just like Samba! Coincidence? Er, maybe,
but probably a SdA reference.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Lost in Space

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Some cult American sci-fi series. Oh, and there was a film too. But anway, in
SA 1, there were posters around the outside of the Casinopolis Zone, 
advertising a film called "Chao in Space", in the same style as the LiS 
billboards. However, it appears that in SA 2, there is a sequel, appropriately
entitled "Chao in Space 2". Look out for ads for this year's hottest film (well
in Station Square, anyway!) around areas like City Escape Zone. 

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Soap

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Well, I'd be suprised if you haven't spotted these. Anyway, see;

* Billboards in City Escape, Route 101 and Route 280,

* A Soap blimp in Radical Highway.

That's off the top of my head, there are constant Soap references (read: ads:)
scattered all through the more industrial and residential zones.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

These are all the references I've yet found, but I don't doubt there are more
lurking...

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=----------=
=X. Credits=
=----------=

* Steve Towle and Dustin Cushman for the text viewing test.

* Clement Chan Zhi Li for his tips on how to view .txt (text) documents.

* TeamParadox2k for contributing.

* EDeckar, I linked to his excellent Chao guide.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------=
=XI. Contact=
=-----------=

Try CaptainSyrup@ignmail.com. You're not kiddies any more, so I won't run a 
list of unacceptable e-mail. If it's rubbish I'll just delete it, simple as 
that. I also have a website which may have more up to date information than
this FAQ; http://www.geocities.com/captainsyrup/satwo.txt

IMPORTANT! If you e-mail me a question and you don't want to be mentioned in 
the FAQ, tell me in the e-mail!

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=--------------=
=XII. Closing:(=
=--------------=

No point in writing closing yet, I've just begun! You can check my other FAQs 
in the meantime if you want though; I know Dreamcast owners might be interested
in my MSR guide...

Most recent list of FAQs;

Game;                   Format;               'Site;

Rakuga Kids             (N64)                 My Site/GameFAQs/FBgames/Neoseekr

Chrono Bike             (SNES)                My Site/Neoseeker

Jurassic Park           (NES)                 My Site/GameFAQs/Neoseeker

SimCity                 (SNES/PC/Mac/Amiga)   My Site/GameFAQs/Neoseeker

Majora's Mask Archery   (N64)                 My Site/GameFAQs/Neoseeker

Sonic; Ultimate FAQ     (Mega Drive/Sat/PC)   My Site/GameFAQs

Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast)           My Site/GameFAQs

(My Site = www.geocities.com/captainsyrup, GameFAQs = www.gamefaqs.com,
FBgames = www.fbgames.com, Neoseeker = www.neoseeker.com)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Just enough time to squeeze the legal information in again:)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=----------------------=
=Legal Stuff/Disclaimer=
=----------------------=

"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow Rosenberg:) So true, so true..
unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that due to certain legal issues, I can't beat
you to death with a shovel if you plagiarise this document. I may, however, 
take legal action. See you in court:)

This document is Copyright Captain Syrup 2001. All rights reserved. Use it at 
your own risk:)

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

=-----------=
=Webmastas:)=
=-----------=

There are no restrictions on the placement of this document, as long as it is
distributed free of charge, and not altered in any way.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I really would advise you stop reading at this point...:)