__________ __________ __________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __________ __________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __________ __________ _ __________ __________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___________ __________ _ _ ___________ ___________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___________ ___________ by Neil Roesler (A.K.A. "TecmoVols") E-mail: Neil.Roesler@sendit.nodak.edu Rad Racer II Guide Version 1.0 Date: 3-10-01 ________________________________________ Rad Racer 2 Developed in 1990 by Square Licensed by Nintendo ________________________________________ CONTENTS -------- A. Introduction- Game Overview I. Personal Opinion and Review of Rad Racer II B. The Controls C. Terms D. The Car E. The Music F. The Tracks I. Key West II. Big Apple III. Gettysburg IV. Monument Valley V. Las Vegas Boulevard VI. Rocky Mountains VII. Twilight California VIII. Bay Bridge G. Rad Racer II Code H. Closing Thoughts ________________________________________ A. AN INTRODUCTION TO RAD RACER II Rad Racer II is the sequel to a highly popular and successful NES game which is of course, "Rad Racer". Your only weapon/object is the car. This is a racing game in which you are NOT racing against competitors, but are however racing to get to a series of checkpoints in an allotted amount of time (there are three checkpoints per track). There are 8 tracks which you must conquer in order without continues. If you lose, you go back to the beginning. If you make it to all of the checkpoints in the game (24 in all, 3 on each of 8 tracks) then you are victorious. I. MY OPINION OF THE GAME I find Rad Racer II to be a fun and challenging game. Square did a good job of keeping it very similar to the original. I had the game for about five years, but never seriously played it. I would pop it in the Nintendo, play it until I failed, and that it would gather dust for a few months. When I actually sat down to beat the game, playing it once each day, it took me about four weeks to complete. If you are sitting down to play Rad Racer II with the objective of conquering the game, get ready for MANY MANY frustrating times, but also get ready for a huge feeling of excitement after you complete the game. RATING- 8 on a scale of 1-10 ________________________________________ B. The Controls ____________________________________________________________ UP ___ _ _ Select ____ ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ LEFT ____ ____ RIGHT _____ _____ _ B _ _ A _ _ _ Start _____ _____ ___ DOWN ____________________________________________________________ Quick Summary: The D-Pad (Up, Left, Down, Right Arrows) controls the direction the car is traveling Select chooses the music on the track preview screen Start pauses the game B is the brake A is the accelerator Every function for each button: Left (D-Pad): The Left arrow on the D-Pad turns the car left while racing Right (D-Pad): The Right arrow on the D-Pad turns the car right while racing Up (D-Pad): The Up Arrow can be held in conjuction with the A Button (Up + A) to cause the car to turbo accelerate. Down (D-Pad): The Down Arrow is held in conjunction with the B Button (Down + B) to cause the car to power charge. Select: Chooses the music on the track preview screen Start: Pauses the game while racing Sends you to the track from the track preview screen A: Causes the car to accelerate Is held in conjunction with the Up Arrow to turbo accelerate the car Detonates a power blast out of a power charge by being pressed WHILE HOLDING the Down Arrow and B B: Acts as the car's brake, slowing the car Is held in conjunction with the Down arrow to cause the car to Power Charge ________________________________________ C. TERMS Accelerate- Cause the car to go faster. Bay Bridge- The 8th and final track. Big Apple- The 2nd track. Brake- Cause the car to slow down. Gettysburg- The third track. Key West- The 1st track. Las Vegas Boulevard- Also known as Las Vegas Blvd., this is the 5th track. Monument Valley- The 4th Track. Power Charge- Holding the Down Arrow + the B button (Down + B), this causes the cars power meter to go up. Power Blast- Pressing A WHILE STILL Holding the Down Arrow and the B button. This causes the car to rocket from a stand still to at or near near top speed. Rad Racer- The predecessor to this game. Rocky Mountains- The 6th Track. Square- The game's developer. Twilight California- Also known as Twilight Calif., this is the 7th track. ________________________________________ D. The Car Unlike Rad Racer, Rad Racer II only has one car to choose from. It is a red sports car of some sort and is a pretty nifty looking machine. The top speed of the car is a whopping 255 MILES per hour. Here is the basic info on the car: Gear Shifting: Automatic Top Speed: 255 M P/H Crash Life: Infinite The dash console and meters: Lap Speed: The time for each lap, 1-3. Speedometer: Measures the speed of the car in Miles Per Hour. Track Chart: Breaks the track into sections, highlighted sections indicate that you have passed or are currently in that section. Power Meter: Measures the intensity of your power charge. Turn Indicator: Shows what course the track will take next. The Rad Racer Car has a few features that set it WAY apart from your family sedan. The most important aspect of your car is the Power Charge/Power Blast. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU LEARN TO DO THIS OR YOU CANNOT BEAT THE GAME. The Power Charge and Power Blast are separate entities, but they are used in conjunction with each other. Power Charge: You will power charge whenever you start a race or whenever you spin out. To power charge, you hold the down arrow and the B button at the same time. The Power Meter on your console will show you how much power you have built up. Power Blast: Once the Power Meter reaches the top (full power), press the A button WHILE still holding the Down Arrow and B Buttons. This causes the car to blast from a stand still to at or near top speed. It is imperative that you learn to do this. There are times when you will spin out just a few hundred feet from the checkpoint with a few seconds left. Without the Power Blast, you'd be doomed. With it, however, you will live to race another day. It is also important to two more things about the car: A) The car cannot crash, it will only spin out and put you back at 0 MPH, costing precious time. B) On TURNS: I. If you TURBO into a turn, your car will shift almost sideways and will be nearly impossible to control. Avoid TURBOING into turns unless necessary. II. You can go into gradual turns without breaking, but the sharp turns will almost always require at least a tap of the brakes. ________________________________________ E. The Music I could not create a complete guide to Rad Racer II without including a section on the soundtrack of the game. There are three musical options for your enjoyment: A) "Coast to Coast"-- An easy listening, laid back tune. B) "Gum Ball Crash"-- A tune with bit more of an "edge". This one gets the blood going on the tougher tracks. C) "Sing Yourself"-- If you don't like either of the other options, turn this one on and listen to the hum of the engines. You can choose to change your music before any race. I prefer to use all of them at least once. I don't know why I do this, but I use songs that I feel relate to the environment of the track (Pathetic, I know). It serves no purpose, but it gives me something to do. Here's my choices: Key West- Coast to Coast Big Apple- Gum Ball Crash Gettysburg- Sing Yourself Monument Valley- Gum Ball Crash Las Vegas Blvd.- Gum Ball Crash Rocky Mountains- Coast to Coast Twilight Calif.- Coast to Coast Bay Bridge- Gum Ball Crash ________________________________________ F. THE TRACKS This is the most important aspect (I feel) of the guide. I will give you my take on each of the tracks and what strategies I used to defeat each of them. I will rank them each on difficulty (8 being the easiest, 1 the hardest). I will also explain the visual aspects of the track, etc. Just read on, you'll get the picture. I. Key West Difficulty: 8 Toughest Stretch: Between the 1st and 2nd Checkpoints Enemies: Keep your eye on the Red car that resembles yours, he's the only one who'll aim for you. Backdrop: The Gulf of Mexico Track Color: Gray Roadside: Tan Music: Coast to Coast As you view the map on the track preview screen, you'll notice the "S" turn in section 2. This is the only part that can present any forseeable problems. Section 1: Before you start the game, I would recommend practicing the Power Charge and Power Blast features. Once you have learned these techniques, hit reset and start the game over. Section 1 is a very simple section. There are no sharp turns, only gradual ones. Take this time to get used to the feel of the car and how to avoid other cars. Section 2: This is the most difficult part of the course, this will present the first real test. Be sure to tap your brakes going through the "S" turn in the heart of Section 2. Section 3: Very simple. There is only one (I believe) gradual turn in this section and that is it. The only problem, albeit very minor, is the red car who will aim for you. If you passed Section 2, you'll have no problem here. It is common to reach the end with 15-20 seconds to spare. ---------- II. Big Apple Difficulty: 6 Toughest Stretch: Between the 1st and 2nd Checkpoints Enemies: Keep your eye out of a tan bug in the first section. He will almost always ram you into the lightpole. Backdrop: New York City Track Color: Black Music: Gum Ball Crash This is a fairly difficult course that you will need to be ready to drive well for. The map overview shows you the wavy third section. It looks intimidating but don't be fooled. The 2nd Section is much more difficult than that. This course takes place at night, which gives you good practice for the difficult "Las Vegas Blvd." Section 1: Not as easy as Section 1 of Key West. The tan bug takes you out nearly every time. The brake will be needed on this section. Section 2: A pretty challenging section. You will often coast past the flags on this one. A few sharp turns make this section a mess. Get ready to use the brake. Section 3: Much easier than Section 2. A series of gradual turns is all it is. Even if you coasted through the 2nd set of flags, don't worry. You should easily make it to the finish on this one. ---------- III. Gettysburg Difficulty: 7 Toughest Stretch: Between the 1st and 2nd Checkpoints Enemies: None of Real Concern Backdrop: Hazy hills (The Round Tops???) Track Color: Gray Music: Sing Yourself This is a very simple track that I believe belongs before the Big Apple. Never mind the obvious question "Why are we racing across a National Landmark?" Just go out and race. I honestly don't remember ever not passing this track. The Map Overview shows that it's a long, spread out course. Naturally, that means that there are plenty of gradual turns. Section 1: A couple of sharp turns may get you worried about this track, but if you use the brake, you'll be fine. Just like on the rest of the track. Section 2: It's forseeable that you may crash on one of the sharp turns in here, but you'll have plenty of time to get to the checkpoint. Section 3: Coast home. This section's a breeze. ---------- IV. Monument Valley Difficulty: 5 Toughest Stretch: Between the 2nd Checkpoint and the end Enemies: A big series of red hunters at the beginning will give you a big test Backdrop: Desert, Mountains Track Color: Gray Music: Gum Ball Crash Snap out of it. The easy tracks are over. Monument Valley is a very good course that you will frustrate you a couple of times. It starts out nasty with a bunch of those dreaded red cars and gets worse. The map overview makes it look difficult and it doesn't lie. There are no EASY sections here. Section 1: The obvious challenge here is to pass the series of red cars. Once you do that, the rest of the section isn't too bad. Section 2: Challenging. A series of sharp turns with traffic. Be prepared to crash. Section 3: A big loop brings you back to the end, so there is some hard turning involved. I ranked this the toughest section because you are trying so hard to get out of this tough track. ---------- V. Las Vegas Blvd. Difficulty: 3 Toughest Stretch: Between the 2nd Checkpoint and the end Enemies: The Red Car and the Space Age Tan Car which hunts you more agressively than the red car Backdrop: Las Vegas Track Color: Black Music: Gum Ball Crash Again, this is a track that I feel is out of place. This is tougher then its successor, so get ready for a tough time. You'll have two car models going after you in this one, so get ready to fake them out. The map overview shows that this track is a giant spiral into the direct center of the track. What does that mean???? TURNING- Lots of it. This is also the second night track. Section 1: Immediately into the start of this section, there is a VERY sharp turn. I still recommend Power Blasting, but be ready to brake hard to well under 200 MPH. There is a lot of turning in this section, just like the rest of the track. Section 2: A LOT of turning here. Avoid the Space Age Tan Car (You'll recognize it when it's running you into a lightpole) and use your brakes. This is a very difficult section. Section 3: I consider this is the toughest section because you are completing the most compact and sharpest turns towards the center of the track. Use the same strategy of braking in the sharp turns. ---------- VI. Rocky Mountains Difficulty: 4 Toughest Stretch: Between the 2nd checkpoint and the end Enemies: None especially come to my mind, just the usual Backdrop: The Rocky Mountains Track Color: Gray Music: Coast to Coast This track looks a lot similar to Gettysburg and it's similar in that it's very easy for its position in the game. The important thing to note is that earlier in the game, the roadside obstacles (trees, poles, etc.) would disappear a little bit into the sharp turns. Not anymore. The trees here keep going forever through the turns, so the brake becomes especially important. Do not worry about braking too much, in fact, be very conservative. The programmers give you ample time to complete the course. The Map Overview shows it all. The last section winds the most and is pretty challenging. Section 1: This section is used to get acclamated to all the braking you'll need to do on this track. This is a simple section. Section 2: Not very tough. Again, just brake a lot and you should have very little trouble. Section 3: You're going to crash. It's as simple as that. There is a big series of sharp turns at the end and you'll probably crash 2-3 times. Don't worry, you'll have enough time. How winding is this section? You ALWAYS spin out when you cross the finish line because you run right into one of the flags. ---------- VII. Twilight Calif. Difficulty: 1 Toughest Stretch: From the beginning to the 1st checkpoint Enemies: Red Cars and camouflaged traffic Backdrop: A brilliant sunset Track Color: Blue Music: Coast to Coast This track is a monster. If you beat this track, you'll have no problem beating the game. Why is this track so tough? Here are the main reasons: 1: The Sky is blue, the track is blue, and most of the cars are blue. If you have glasses, wear them. It's very tough to spot the cars on this track. 2: Much of the track is spent driving uphill, meaning that you can't see what's in front of you. 3: The amount of time you get on Section 2 depends on how well you do on Section 1 I cannot stress how tough this track is. You just have to keep racing it to get a feel for it, and you have to get lucky. The Map Overview is the most misleading thing I have ever seen. It depicts the 2nd section as basically a long straightaway, which it is. What you don't know is that you are given very little time, you spend much time going up and down hills, the cars are impossible to see, and the amount of time you get depends on how fast you completed the last section. Whew. Section 1: This is the toughest section because you have to do well on it to pass the next section. There are some tough turns going uphill, and you have red cars on it. From my experience, you can only spin out ONCE and still hope to pass Section 2. Section 2: A long straightaway that goes up and down hills. You'll have two red cars to dodge out. To do so, get right up on their tail and then quickly turn hard to either side. You can usually spin out once and just barely make it to the checkpoint. Be on the lookout for the blue cars. There are lots of them. Section 3: Congratulations! You made it to the easiest section. Lightpoles line both sides, so be careful. The biggest challenge becomes the large hill at the end which obstructs your view for a long time. ---------- VIII. Bay Bridge Difficulty: 2 Toughest Stretch: From the 2nd Checkpoint to the end Enemies: The Red Cars Backdrop: A city, most likely San Francisco or Oakland Track Color: Gray Music: Gum Ball Crash This track would seem a lot tougher if it didn't follow the beast before it. Just be smart with your driving and you'll be okay. The map overview shows that it's a lot like Twilight Calif. in that the 2nd Section is a long straightaway. Again, do well on Section 1 to give yourself more time on the second section. The overview makes Section 3 look impossible, but it's really easier than it looks. Section 1: The important thing to note is that when you Power Blast, IMMEDIATELY get to the right lane. A slow car will come up in the middle lane that will spin you out followed by a pair of slow cars that occupy the left and middle lanes. Complete this fast to make the next section easier. Section 2: A long straightaway that is easier than its Twilight Calif. counterpart. The only concern is the "S" turn in the middle that isn't too difficult as long as you brake. Section 3: It looks tough and it is if you go too fast, but use a lesson that you learned on an earlier track. Rocky Mountains taught you to take your time. Do the same here. Be generous with the brake and you'll be okay. At the end, a straightaway leads you to Rad Racer II glory. ---------- G. Rad Racer II Codes I'm not a fan of codes for this game because I think they are cheating, but they are fun to play around with once you beat the game. CONTINUE: If you lose a race, when you return to the title screen, hold A and START and you will return to the last track you were on. TRACK SELECT: At the title screen, hold UP and LEFT and press B once for each level you wish to advance. Play at Night: At the title screen, hold UP and press the B button 8 times. <<<<<<< Very cool, give this a try for the ultimate challenge ---------- H. Closing Thoughts I just beat Rad Racer II tonight and was inspired to help others do the same. I don't have the manual for this, so I did my best to explain just from my gaming experience. There may be a Version 2.0, there may not be, but at least Rad Racer II gets the recognition it deserves for being a very fun and challenging game. If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this guide, e-mail me at Neil.Roesler@sendit.nodak.edu