_ ___ __ ______ | | / (_)____/ /___ ______ _ / \ | | / / / ___/ __/ / / / __ `/ /____ \ | |/ / / / / /_/ /_/ / /_/ / / / |___/_/_/ \__/\__,_/\__,_/ ____/ / / ___// /______(_) /_____ ____ / / \__ \/ __/ ___/ / //_/ _ \/ ___/ ____/_ ___/ / /_/ / / / ,< / __/ / / / /____/\__/_/ /_/_/|_|\___/_/ /_________/ ___ ___ ___ ___ _ _____ ____ |_ / _ \/ _ \/ _ \ | |/ / -_) __/ / __/ // / // / // / |___/\__/_/ (_)____|___/\___/\___/ FAQ Version 1.0 28-01-10 by Jamie Wilks aka Spectre Spectre_0wns@hotmail.com Standard ASCII, 79 characters per line ############################################################################## Index [0-0]################################################################### Section Code ======= ==== Introduction [1-0] Credits [2-0] Revision History [3-0] What is VS2 v2000 [4-0] Controls [5-0] -Attacking Controls [5-1] -Defensive Controls [5-2] -Formation Controls [5-3] Gameplay Tips [6-0] -Attacking [6-1] -Shooting [6-2] -Crosses [6-3] -Scoring Free Kicks [6-4] -Scoring Penalties [6-5] -Defending [6-6] -Saving Free Kicks [6-7] -Saving Penalties [6-8] -Changing Formation [6-9] Secrets [7-0] The Test Menu [8-0] -Game Assignments [8-1] ############################################################################## Introduction [1-0]############################################################ This is an FAQ for the Sega Naomi game "Virtua Striker 2 ver.2000". It is very much a work in progress and, barring the stuff mentioned in the Credits section, I've worked all this out by myself by tinkering with the game (I own the ROM board). Please feel free to contribute by contacting me at the email address at top of the FAQ and I will of course credit you for anything submitted. This FAQ is intended for distribution through any means you feel like. Put it up on your website, e-mail it to your mates, whatever. If you want to email me and tell me what you're doing with it then great, but I don't ask people to get permission first. However, it must distributed in its original form. Don't rip my hard work off by redistributing this FAQ with your name on it or anything lame like that and don't make money out of it. That includes publication in a magazine or pay-to-access website. If anybody should wish to publish this FAQ in a format not explicitly permitted here, please e-mail me at the address above. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. A quick hello to everyone at www.arcadeotaku.com and www.neo-geo.com! ############################################################################## Credits [2-0]################################################################# RGP - Help with the Secrets section. ASCII art created with the help of FIGWin BETA version #2 by Paul Burton ############################################################################## Revision History [3-0]######################################################## v1.0 - After a 3 year gap, I own the game again and have also managed to find a pdf of the operators manual! This means I can finally fill in the remaining gaps and this is likely to be the final version. v0.4 - Another minor update, corrected some spelling errors. implemented a new index system and made sub-headings a little clearer. v0.3 - A small tweak, corrected a few mistakes. v0.2 - New ASCII art title, updates to most sections and the addition of a fairly massive Gameplay Tips section and The Test Menu section. v0.1 - First version of the FAQ, just the basics and some secrets. ############################################################################## What is VS2 v2000 [4-0]####################################################### Virtua Striker 2 ver.2000 is an arcade game which runs on Sega's Naomi hardware platform. Choose from one of 32 international football teams (or soccer teams for all you for American readers) and take on the CPU opponent as you work your way through the tournament to prove your nation is the worlds greatest. Or take on a friend, enemy or passing stranger for bragging rights! ############################################################################## Controls [5-0]################################################################ VS2 v2000 has a simple control system which is easy to learn, but takes some time to master and has a few unobvious subtleties. [5-1] Attacking Controls ======================== Attacking controls are used when your player (indicated by the arrow above his head) has possession of the ball. Joystick -------- Dribble the ball in any of the eight joystick directions. Also used to direct a pass or shot. Short Pass/Slide Tackle ----------------------- Tap this button to pass the ball, along the floor, to another player on your team. If there is a suitable team mate in the direction you pass the ball, the ball will snap to his feet (presuming the pass isn't intercepted). Long Pass --------- Tap this button to attempt a high pass. Unlike the Short Pass, this pass will not snap to a team mate. However, get the ball out on the wing and parallel to your opponent's box and the function of this pass changes somewhat. Push the joystick towards the box and push this button to cross the ball into the box for one of your attackers to head or volley home. This kind of cross (called Centering by the game) will snap to an attacker if there is one available in the box. Shoot ----- Hold down this button and a blue power meter will appear, indicating the strength of the shot. The longer you hold the button the more powerful the shot will be. Release the button at the required power to shoot. [5-2] Defensive Controls ======================== Defensive controls are used when your player (indicated by the arrow above his head) does not have possession of the ball. Joystick -------- Move your player (indicated by the arrow above his head). Short Pass/Slide Tackle ----------------------- Tap this button to make your player perform a sliding tackle. Long Pass --------- Nothing! Shoot ----- Nothing! [5-3] Formation Controls ======================== Formation controls can be used at any time. Start ----- Cycle through the three formation options offered at the bottom of the screen, Offence, Normal and Defence. ############################################################################## Gameplay Tips [6-0]########################################################### The gameplay tips in this section are generally aimed at the single player game. Of course much of this info will stand you in good stead against human opposition, but some of these tactics have to go out the window when playing someone who will slide tackle more often or won't necessarily fall for the same penalty kick tactics every time. [6-1] Attacking --------------- The question on the lips of most gamers who are new to VS2 v2000 is "How the hell do I score?". There is no easy answer to this question, but practice makes perfect and there are a few control system subtleties which can help. Most importantly, possession is everything. With this in mind, be aware that the direction of a shot or pass is not dependant on the direction your player is facing, but on the direction you push the joystick in combination with the relevant button. Thus it is possible to back-heel the ball, play a sideways pass or shoot across the keeper. Experiment with this to learn what kind of passes can be played in what situations and use to your advantage. The Long Pass doesn't always snap to a team mate so is more likely to lose you possession. Pay attention to the radar when choosing to play a Long Pass or you will find the opposition regularly coming up with the ball. There are few attacking situations in which I recommend using the Long Pass, except to perform a cross, as it is difficult to guarantee you will retain possession. You may occasionally be able to play a ball over the top to a man in space, but most of the time you are better off sticking to the Short Pass button. Don't be afraid to run with the ball. It is often difficult to find any space, but even in situations where you have none, it can take the CPU team quite a while to actually make a tackle. A weaving run can help to shake off defenders and buy you enough space to then make a pass. [6-2] Shooting -------------- Be aware that shooting is a fairly slow process, as even once you have released the Shoot button the player will not actually shoot until the ball is on his right foot. This gives the opposition an annoyingly large window of opportunity to block your shot or steal the ball. You will rarely get a good shot away if there are defenders close by. Use intelligent passes and dribbling runs to cut out defenders and create space for your attackers. You can then give them the ball in enough space to wind up a good shot and test the keeper. The power of a shot not only dictates how far and fast the ball will travel, but also the height of the shot. A low powered shot will be hit along the ground, while a high powered shot will arc into the air and even over the bar if you are to close to the goal. Learn how hard and high you can hit a shot from within the box and bear in mind that the more powerful the shot the longer it takes to perform and the more space you will need to avoid being tackled before you get the shot away. As I've said before, shooting is all about being in enough space, so don't be afraid to shoot from distance if you suddenly find yourself in the clear. [6-3] Crosses ------------- Crosses are a great way to score and often far easier to score from than other methods in open play. If you are really struggling to score with a normal shot then stick to getting the ball wide. Use short passing and dribbling tactics to get out on the wing, then check the radar to see if you have players in the box. A cross can often be converted even under pressure, unlike a normal shot, negating the need to find time and space in the box. If you don't have players in the box, cut back and forth or even play the ball back to another midfield player to retain possession, then try again. Once the ball is in the air, simply push the shoot button and try and direct the ball across the keeper into one of the corners of the net to score. Even if your shot hits another player or is blocked by the keeper, the ensuring melee can often give you a chance to stab the ball home with a low powered shot or even a pass before the defence can get the ball clear. [6-4] Scoring Free Kicks ------------------------ Scoring from free kicks is all about the right amount of power. You need to hit the shot hard enough to get it over the wall and preferably into one of the top corners of the net, but not so hard that it ends up in the stand or clatters the bar. Use your own judgement depending on how far out you are, but less than two thirds power will rarely clear the wall. Also try using the joystick to shoot in a direction other than the one you are facing. This can often fox the keeper and I've scored quite a few goals by facing one post but directing my shot into the opposite corner. [6-5] Scoring Penalties ----------------------- Penalties are thankfully very easy to score and if you're new to VS2 v2000 (and the machine is set up for penalty shootouts) you might feel they are the only way you're going to win a match! To score a penalty you need to decide where you want to put the ball horizontally (to the left, straight down the middle or to the right) and where you want to put it vertically (along the ground, medium height, or in the top of the net). This makes for nine possible combinations and the keeper must correctly guess which of the nine you're going to put the ball in order to save it. Much like a free kick, where you put the ball horizontally is dictated either by your facing or the direction you push the joystick as you shoot. Avoid putting the ball down the middle as if the keeper doesn't move he'll save the kick easily, regardless of it's height. Also much like a free kick, a good way to fool the CPU keeper is to face one direction, but use the joystick to kick the ball in another. The power of the kick dictates its height. A low powered kick will go along the ground while a high powered kick will be hit into the roof of the net. Make sure you don't hit the ball too hard or you will sky it! A medium powered shot will obviously go somewhere in between but, similar to real football, is easier to save than any other height as either a medium or high dive in the correct direction will keep the ball out. With all this in mind, aim for the four corners of the net and mix up how you choose the direction (facing or joystick) to make things as hard for the keeper as possible. [6-6] Defending --------------- Possibly the most lack-lustre part of the game due to a ridiculous level of CPU autonomy, defending simply comes down to stealing the ball by just chasing down the attacker or by correctly timing a slide tackle. The CPU automatically puts you in control of the player nearest the ball, but doesn't give you full control until you are practically on top of the ball. Also, as soon as there is a player nearer the ball than the one you are controlling, the CPU will switch control to that player without warning. This makes it impossible to cut out a pass, get between the attacker and the goal or do anything else that might reliably help prevent the opposition from scoring and makes it reasonably tough just to perform a decent sliding tackle because everything switches around so fast. Remember that a sliding tackle from behind will very likely to give away a free kick and you need to be fairly close (but not too close or you'll slide right past) to the man in possession before sliding to have a good chance of winning the ball. Of course the lack of a decent defensive game makes it even truer that the best form of defence is attack, so make sure you keep hold of the ball as much as possible, as outlined in the Attacking section above! [6-7] Saving Free Kicks ----------------------- Theres not much to say here really, simply push the joystick in the direction you want to dive and hit the Shoot button. Thankfully you've got a second or so before the ball gets over the wall so can see where the ball is headed before you need to dive. [6-8] Saving Penalties ---------------------- To save a penalty you must use the exact same understanding of the control system to save the shot rather than score it (see Scoring Penalties above). Push the joystick in the direction you wish to dive and press the Shoot button as the ball is kicked. Alternatively do nothing at all and if the penalty taker puts the ball anywhere down the middle you'll save it automatically! When saving a penalty you get a rather big helping hand thanks to the on-screen power indicator. By knowing how high a kick of a certain power will go (and having some quick reactions), it's possible to narrow down your dive to a simple choice of horizontal direction. With a little practice it should be fairly easy to save at least one or two CPU penalties in a shoot out, making it much easier to get through to the next round! [6-9] Changing Formation ------------------------ Depending on which nation you play as, hitting the Start button during the game will toggle through up to three formations, labelled as Offence, Normal and Defence. I say up to three, as some sides only have two possible formations and subsequently two of the three playing styles share the same formation. Its unclear whether being in Offence/Defence mode actually changes the mentality or playing style of your team other than that which is inherent in the actual formation, but I suspect not. In general, the more strikers in the formation you use the easier it is going to be to score, while the more defenders in the formation the easier it is to retrieve the ball inside your own half. Personally I will always use the formation with the most attackers, or if no formation offers any more attackers than any other available, then the formation with the most midfield players. This can mean playing in your 'Defensive' formation when you're actually looking to score. Once you're two or more goals up, or one goal up with not long to go, it's worth considering switching to a formation with more defenders if there is one available, but I tend to stick to the idea that the best form of defence is attack most of the time. I'd rather have a bigger lead than park the team bus infront of the goal. ############################################################################## Secrets [7-0]################################################################# Change BGM ---------- Insert a credit, then hold down the Short Pass/Slide Tackle and press Start. The in-game BGM will now be the BGM from the original Virtua Striker! Ranking Mode ------------ Insert a credit, then hold down on the joystick and press Start. Play as F.C Sega ---------------- On the team select screen, spell out FCSEGA using teams and the Start button. For example, highlight France and press Start, then highlight Croatia and press Start and so on. A box for F.C Sega will appear at the top of the screen. Play as MVP Yuki Chan --------------------- On the team select screen, spell out YUKI using teams and the Start button. For example, highlight Yugoslavia and press Start, then highlight Uruguay and press Start and so on. A box for MVP Yuki Chan will appear at the top of the screen. Play as MVP Royal Genki ----------------------- Use the code to reveal MVP Yuki Chan. Now highlight MVP Yuki Chan, hold down the start button and press any button to select MVP Royal Genki. ############################################################################## The Test Menu [8-0]########################################################### This section is for people who actually own the ROM board or arcade operators who want to make the game as fun as possible. Of course if your local arcade has the game and you spot an option they should really turn on you could always try asking nicely... I'm going to concentrate on the Game Assignments menu here, but for completeness the full test menu category list is as follows: Input Test Output Test Sound Test Game Assignments Bookkeeping Vs Team Data Backup Data Clear Exit Most of these are self explanatory, but the Game Assignments menu has a lot of interesting options that can drastically affect the gameplay experience. [8-1] Game Assignments ====================== Difficulty ---------- [Easy/Normal/Hard/Hardest] Self explanatory really. Easy doesn't seem much easier than Normal. Virtual Time ------------ [Real/2 hour/4 hour] VS2 v2000 has quite a nice virtual day and night system for games in glorious sunshine, night games under the floodlights and everything in between. Set this to Real and the time of day in-game will match the actual time of day (presuming the Naomi system clock is set correctly). 2 hour will see 24 in-game hours elapse every 2 real world hours, 4 hour will see 24 in-game hours elapse every 4 real world hours. I recommend setting this to 2 hour for maximum time of day variation. Billboard --------- [On/Off] This setting toggles between real world advertisments by the side of the pitch (for companies like addidas and coca-cola) if set to On and slightly less interesting SEGA themed billboards if set to Off. One Match Mode -------------- [On/Off] This toggles a single match exhibition mode on or off. Vaguely useful for arcade operators when used in combination with free play if you want to attract new gamers I guess? 1P Time Set ----------- [1'15"/1'30"/1'45"/2'00"/2'15"/2'30"/2'45"/3'00"] Dictates the length of single player matches. Given that its not particularly easy to score in VS2 v2000 I recommend setting this to 3'00". 1P G Goal System ---------------- [Off/0'15"/0'30"/0'45"/1'00"/Free] Toggles golden goal overtime off or on, dictates the length of the overtime period or makes it indefinite. In the event of a level score after normal time has elapsed, an extra period of play begins. The next team to score within the stated time wins, or if the time expires the game ends in a draw (or continues to penalties, see below). I recommend setting this to 1'00". 1P PK System ------------ [Off/Member 3/Member 4/Member 5/Real PK] Toggles penalty shoot-outs on or off and dictates the format. In the event of a draw after normal time (and overtime if turned on) a penalty shoot-out will decide the winner. If the number of kicks is specified (Member 3-5) the game will still end in a draw if the score is tied after all penalties have been taken. However, Real PK mode will allow 5 penalties to be taken by each side, then move onto to sudden death penalties if the score is still tied. I of course recommend setting this to Real PK mode! VS Time Set ----------- [1'15"/1'30"/1'45"/2'00"/2'15"/2'30"/2'45"/3'00"] See 1P Time Set. This setting is for 2 player games. VS G Goal System ---------------- [Off/0'15"/0'30"/0'45"/1'00"/Free] See 1P G Goal System. This setting is for 2 player games. VS PK System ------------ [Off/Member 3/Member 4/Member 5/Real PK] See 1P PK System. This setting is for 2 player games. ############################################################################## ############################################################################## Copyright 2007 Jamie Wilks END