-------------------------------                   
                 |Skate or Die 2: Halfpipe FAQ |
                 |  By Gondee, Version 1.0     |
                 |        10.16.02             |
                 -------------------------------

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 

I. Why this guide? 

II. Halfpipe Particulars

III. Trick System and Trick Listing 

IV. Highlights and Tips

V. Credits & Legal

 
Part I. Why this guide? 
----------------------- 
Well, because there wasn't one, what other reason would you need?. :)
Skate or Die 2 was always one of my favorite games growing up, and
I was shocked to discover that the halfpipe feature didn't have a guide
to it on Gamefaqs. 

While I've heard a few people slam Skate or Die 2 for whatever reason
(probably the unorthodox main "quest" mission of the game), I've always
held the halfpipe portion of the game in high regard for its variety of
tricks, cool features and hidden little secrets in one of the "bonus" 
features for a NES game. In short, it blows the Skate or Die halfpipe 
out of the water. Plus, you don't get blisters on your thumb from doing 
360's on the control pad, heheh. ;) 

I'm writing this guide out of my own experience, so although I think 
I'm pretty knowledgeable about the halfpipe, it's entirely possible
that I could be wrong about something. If you think so, feel free to 
write and tell me:gondee5@yahoo.com. Be sure to make the subject 
something like "Skate or Die 2" or some such thing. 

Part II. Halfpipe Particulars
-----------------------------
You reach the halfpipe in Skate or Die 2 by pressing the SELECT button
at the title screen. Once you are there, you'll see the awesome 
construction before you, the Skate or Die 2 halfpipe. I'll diagram all
the things I will be referencing in the following section. (Bear with me, 
you try drawing a halfpipe in ASCII and if you can do better, send it to me!)


YOUR SHOWOFF ARENA: THE SKATE OR DIE 2 HALFPIPE

     Top Edge
    --------  <-Left Side                         Right Side ->  -------\
   /      / |                                                   | \      \  
  / Lip->/  |                                                   |  \      \
 /      /   |                                                   |   \      \ 
--------     \                                                 /     -------
| Lower|      -\            Middle                          /-       |      |
| Edge |        -\           Ramp ->/|\_                  /-         |      | 
|      |          -\              /- |  \_              /-           |      |  
|       \           `___________/-   |    \____________'            /       |
|        -\                     \   / \_   /                      /-        |
|          -\      Left Middle-> \/-    \_/<-Right Middle       /-          |
|            -\                                               /-            |
|              \_____________________________________________/              |
|                                Bottom Ramp                                |
|                                                                           |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 


As you can see, there are two major parts to the pipe: the main "long" pipe
and the smaller "Middle Ramp" in the middle of the larger pipe. I think it's this
smaller Middle Ramp that makes the halfpipe for the game so much cooler than 
just a regular old halfpipe. 


GET IN THE "ZONE": TRICK AND SPEED ZONES

There are two "zones" on each side of the halfpipe that are important to 
spot and know what they do. Each has it's role in getting your boarder 
to be the best he can be. 

 X = Speed Zone     O = Trick Zone    
    --------                                                     -------\
   /      / |                                                   | \      \  
  /      /  |                                                   |  \      \
 /      /   |                                                   |   \      \ 
--------   /O \                                                /O\   -------
|      |  /OOO-\                                             / OOO\  |      |
|      | /OOOOO -\                  /|\_                  /- OOOOOO\ |      | 
|      |/OOOOOOO/X-\              /- |  \_              /-XX\OOOOOOO\|      |  
|       \OOOOOO/XXXX`___________/-   |    \____________'\XXXX\OOOOOO/       |
|        -\OOO/XXXX/X|          \   / \_   /          |XX\XXXX\OOO/-        |
|          -\/XXXX/XX|           \/-    \_/           |XXX\XXXX\/-          |
|            -\XX/XXX|                                |XXXX\XX/-            |
|              \/____|________________________________|_____\/              |
|                                                                           |
|                                                                           |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

SPEED ZONE: Pushing a button in the speed zone will cause your speed meter to 
raise one. The higher your speed meter, the better tricks you can do. If you
do not push a button while in the speed zone, you will lose 1 on your speed meter.
This is the way you control which tricks you can do. 

TRICK ZONE: The command you input here is what trick you will do once you hit
the air. It's not always exact, but the basic difference between tricks is 
whether you HOLD or TAP the A or B Button. Read the tricks section for in-depth
explanation.

It's important to remember that there are NO speed zones on the Middle Ramp, 
so the more you go over it, the harder time you will have maintaining your 
top speed. 

There are also several "crash" areas that I will note on the halfpipe for you 
to lookout for: 

CRASH AREAS: 
------------
Crash Areas are places where your skater can skate off the halfpipe, so it's
important that you don't skate in those areas or you will crash and see some
rather amusing crash animations. 

    --------  <-Upper Left                        Upper Right -> -------\
   /      / |                                                   | \      \  
  /      /  |                    Middle Ramp                    |  \      \
 /      /   |                       Edge                        |   \      \ 
-------- <-- Lower Left                              Lower Right-->  -------
|      |      -\         Left Ramp      Right Ramp          /-       |      |
|      |        -\     Crash Area   /|\_ Crash Area       /-         |      | 
|      |          -\              /- |  \_              /-           |      |  
|       \           `___________/-   |    \____________'            /       |
|        -\                     \   / \_   /                      /-        |
|          -\                    \/-    \_/                     /-          |
|            -\             Ramp Collision Area               /-            |
|              \_____________________________________________/              |
|                                                                           |
|                                                                           |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The UPPER LEFT and UPPER RIGHT Crash Areas are places where your boarder will 
fall off if you skate UP to the top without coming back down. When you try to go
too far north during a jump, you will fall off the halfpipe and crash into the
area above the screen. 

Crash Animations: 
UPPER RIGHT: Boarder falls off top, body parts and gear fly onto ground by 
halfpipe. 

The LOWER LEFT and LOWER RIGHT crash areas are places where you will fall off 
the halfpipe if you push DOWN for too long. Falling off here will cause you 
to crash below the screen.

Crash Animations: 
Lower Left/Lower Right: Boarder falls off bottom, falls past screen, body parts and gear 
erupt and fall in a pile. 

Lower Lef/Lower Right at Speed Level 5: Boarder falls off bottom, bowling pins
fly up. STRIKE! :)

LEFT RAMP/RIGHT RAMP: These are areas like the upper left crash area where you can fall
off the Middle Ramp if you push UP for too long. It is not possible to fall off 
the "lower left" or "lower right" section of the Middle Ramp. 

Crash Animations: 
Left Ramp/Right Ramp: Boarder flies off Middle Ramp and body parts/gear go flying. Cranky old
man sticks his head out of the window above and cusses them young'uns for skatin'
in his backyard! NOTE: This is probably the worst place to crash, as it will not 
only cost you a life, but several seconds as the old man goes on and on about them
"crazy kids". Try to avoid crashing here if you can. 

RAMP COLLISION AREA: This is a real easy place to crash, so avoid it if you can. By 
skating UP into the middle part of the Middle Ramp, your skater will wipe out. You 
will eventually learn to avoid these areas but look out for the first couple times
you play. 

MIDDLE RAMP EDGE: This is probably the area that has the funniest crash animations. 
You can only crash here if you land wipe out while doing a Same Side or Second Side
Ollie Flip on the Middle Ramp. 

Crash Animation: 

The crash animations change depending on which position your board is at the time of 
the crash: 


     ____   <Board
     @  @   <Wheels
                      
____
@  @ - Landing like this from a trick on the middle ramp causes your boarder to be 
       split in half, with one side of his body going to the right, one side 
       going to the left, and your head still sitting on the Middle Ramp Edge! :D

@  @
---- - Landing upside down will cause you to crash right into the Middle Ramp, with
       your board still attached to you. Good thing you wore a helmet. :) 

@\      /@
 @\ or /@  - Landing at any incline will just cause your boarder to wipe out. Not 
             good, but at least he's still in one piece. 

Of course, if you hold a grab for too long on any section of the halfpipe, you will
wipe out. Other board position information can be found in the TRICKS section of this
guide. 


III. TRICK SYSTEM and TRICK LISTING: 
------------------------------------

Before we start listing individual tricks, it is important to recognize the different
landing positions that are required for each trick, because it is different. 

Mid-Air Board Positions
-----------------------

         ____
         @  @ 
Board is perfectly flat, like on flat ground. 

         @\       /@
          @\ or  /@   
Board is at an incline to the right or left. 
This position is ideal for landing some tricks. 

         @  @
         ----
Board is completely upside down in mid-air. 

         @|
         @|
                                     
Board is perpedicular to the ground. This is another 
critical position for landing tricks.


Trick System: 
------------
The Trick System for Skate or Die 2 is amazingly complex for having
such a simple control scheme that is limited to just two buttons and 
four directions. 

Basically there are two ways to control your skater. 

UP/DOWN - This moves your skater UP or DOWN on the halfpipe. Up and 
          down are only used for moving your skater. It is not ever
          used for tricks. 

LEFT/RIGHT - Either direction, in correspondence with a button, is used
to do different tricks. 

A Button: Used to do different tricks. 
B Button: Used to do different tricks. 

Select: No in-game uses.
Start: Pauses game. 

Trick Listing: 
--------------
There are 17 tricks you can do, a surprising number for an 8-bit Nintendo game.
Getting this degree of variety is probably the strongest suit of the game. Unfortunately,
it also leads to some degree of confusion on just how exactly to do some tricks. Well, 
that's what this guide is for, isn't it? :)

EXACT METHODOLOGY FOR TRICKS:
-----------------------------
It took me a while to discern exactly what the method was for doing different tricks.
While it's actually quite simple, getting used to doing particular tricks when you can
do really well by just mashing buttons takes some practice. 

The factor for doing tricks is reliant on whether you HOLD or TAP the A/B button while
in the Trick Zone. In general, most grabs are done by tapping the button, and most 
longer, higher scoring tricks are done by HOLDING the button in the trick zone until
you are airborne. 

For example, to do the Rocket Air, which is a very common trick, get up to speed 4-5 and 
TAP A while holding left on the control pad. If get up to speed 4-5 and HOLD the A Button
while pushing left, you will do the Airwalk Grab. 

While this seems really simple, it can take practice to be able to maintain your speed
while busting out awesome tricks. Since you have to HOLD the button going into the 
jump, you may lose speed since you have to TAP the button through the speed zone to gain
speed. Practice on tapping the button until you reach the trick zone and then holding 
down the button; it can be done and can lead to some awesome runs.

I've tried my hardest to discern the correct method for doing most of the tricks
in the game. However, please note that there are some tricks I could be wrong about.
Also, I got the names of the tricks from the instruction booklet from a very cool guy
online named mamafreak. However, I don't think the booklet describes each of the tricks,
so I might have labeled the wrong trick with the wrong name. If you think I've mislabeled
one of them, please let me know: gondee5@yahoo.com. 
 
A few things to remember: All grabs increase in score depending on how long you hold 
them. Hold them as long as possible to rack up the most points.  

I will categorize all tricks by the speed rating required to do them. I will also list
in a separate section tricks that can only be done on the Middle Ramp. Most regular tricks 
can be done on the Middle Ramp, but there are a handful that can only be done there and 
NOT on the regular ramp.

SPEED 1 TRICKS
--------------
These are the only tricks that can be done at measly speed level 1. Do these once or twice
to boost up your Trick Score Bonus at the end of the run. 

KICK TURN
Command: Right + HOLD A
Points: 100
Difficulty: 1/5
Notes: A simple little kick turn off the lip. 

OLLIE AIR (SMALL)
Command: Right + HOLD B
Points: 100
Difficulty: 1/5
Notes: A quick little 180 off the lip, belying the fancy name it's not much of a trick.


SPEED 2-3 TRICKS
--------------
These are the tricks done at speed level 2-3. They typically are lower scoring, but 
doing several of these tricks in a run can really boost your Trick Score Bonus at
the end of the run. 

HAND PLANT INVERT
Command: Right + HOLD A; A/B button to end grab
Points: 200-600
Difficulty: 2/5
Notes: A very cool little handstand. If you hold it too long, you will wipe out. 
       When you do this trick, your speed meter will reset to 1. 

50/50 AXLE GRIND
Command: Right + HOLD B; B Button to end grind
Points: 64-125
Difficulty: 3/5
Notes: This is a neat little grind along the edge of the regular halfpipe, with 
your board perpendicular to the lip. Be careful that you do not hold it too long
as it is very easy to fall off the side.

RAIL SLIDE
Command: Right + HOLD A; A Button to end grind
Points: 64-125
Difficulty: 3/5
Notes: This is another grind with your board parallel to the lip. Again, be sure
to end the grind before you fall off the side.

FOOT PLANT
Command: Left + HOLD B
Points: 300
Difficulty 1/5
Notes: This is a lame little 1-legged hop that the guy does at low speeds. Do it 
once to expand your trick bonus and then forget about it, heheh. 

TAIL LEIN
Command: Right + TAP A, Tap A to end.
Points: 375-600
Difficulty: 1/5
Notes: This is the default grab that you do if you just tap A. The guy shifts his
board up a little bit.  Not very cool-looking so it gets my vote as the lamest trick.
 
ROCKET AIR
Command: Left + TAP A or TAP B, Tap A/B to end.
Points: 300-950
Difficulty: 2/5
Notes: This is a grab where you reach for the sky. The longer you hold it
the more it's worth. It's also excellent for getting the different bonuses
in the game. (More on that later.) You may get this trick quite a bit if you
are tapping buttons as it can be done with both A and B.

SPEED 4-5 TRICKS
----------------
A few of these might be able to be done at lower speeds, but they are always the 
tricks you should do at speed level 4-5. 

AERIAL AIR
Command: Left + HOLD B, Tap B to end. 
Point: 300-950
Difficulty: 2/5
Notes: This is a grab where you invert your body in the air so that the
board is above your body. Very cool looking if you use up or down to move while you 
are in the air. 

AIRWALK
Command: Left + HOLD A, Tap A to end
Point: 300-950
Difficulty: 3/5
Notes: Very cool grab where he takes the board out from underneath him while he 
is airborn. 

JUDO AIR
Command: Right + HOLD B, B to end
Point: 300 or 1000 
Difficulty 3/5
Notes: This is a very fancy trick where you spin the board on your foot while you are 
in mid-air (don't ask me how, heheh.) There are two versions, a short version worth 
500 and a longer one worth 1000 points. 
 
OLLIE AIR
Command: NO DIRECTION - JUST HOLD A, Then Tap Left or Right to Spin, A to end spin.
Points: 1250+ (depends on amount of spins)
Difficulty 5/5
Landing Position: @|
                  @|
Notes: This is a move where you do several aerial 360's while on the board.
This is distinctive because the skateboarder puts his arms out to the side while he 
spins and rotates very quickly. 

FINGER FLIP
Command: NO DIRECTION - JUST HOLD B. Then Tap Left or Right to Spin, B to end spin.
Points: 1250+ (depends on amount of spins) 
Difficulty: 5/5
Landing Position: @|
                  @|
Notes: This is a move similar to the Ollie Air, except you are holding onto your 
board while you spin. I could have the move name wrong, but I think it's right. It's 
a difficult trick to land correctly, the more air you get, the better. 

MCTWIST
Command: Right + HOLD A, Mash A to get out of it.
Points: 4500
Difficulty: 5/5
Notes: This is the highest scoring (and best) move in the entire game. It's not that 
hard to do, if you press right and HOLD A, you will do this trick every time. The 
real difficulty is spotting the move in time to get out of it. In order to pull out
of this trick, you must MASH A by the time you reach the height of your jump. This 
trick is the easiest way to bust all those high scores in the game, and is my 
personal favorite trick.


MIDDLE RAMP TRICKS: 
------------------
There are some tricks that can only be done while tricking off the Middle Ramp. 
Getting the hang of these can really throw some spice into your run. 

TIP OVER
Command: Left/Right + B.  Tap B again to stop on desired landing position.. 
Points: 600
Difficulty: 2/5
Landing Position: @\ starting from left side,   /@ from right side
                   @\                          /@
Notes: You will ride the board over top of the Middle Ramp, while tilting the
board to the other side. This trick isn't that hard once you get the hang of it
and it's a good way to throw in some points while going from one side to another.

LOOP - SAME SIDE
Command: Back + HOLD A, Tap A again to stop on desired landing position.
Points: Either 2250 or 3000 (second highest scoring trick in game.) 
Difficulty: 5/5
Landing Position:  |@                   @|
                   |@ from left side,   @| from right side
Notes: This is a very difficult trick that you will have to practice quite 
a bit to get down. To do this trick, you must push the opposite direction you 
are heading (ex. if heading right, push left.) Your boarder will do several flips
that spin very quickly while staying on the SAME SIDE of the Mini-Ramp. You have
to land perfectly perpendicular to the ramp in order to land this trick, which 
makes it very difficult. If  you can get this down you have a reliable trick
with which to get high scores. 

LOOP - SECOND SIDE
Command: Forward + HOLD A,  Tap A again to stop on desired landing position. 
Points : Either 2250 or 3000
Difficulty: 5/5
Landing Position:  @|                   |@
                   @| from left side,   |@ from right side
Notes: Please note that the landing positions are different on this trick because 
you actually go over the top of the mini-ramp doing Loops and land on the 
other side (or second side). This is a great trick to master while switching sides
of the ramp. Again, very, very difficult. 


BONUSES: 
--------
You get several bonuses at the end of your run depending on how well you did. 

1. Time Bonus: Worth more the longer your run is. 

2. Board Bonus: If you lose NO boards during your run, this bonus is worth 20,000 
   points or more. 

3. Trick Bonus: To make the most out of this bonus, do each of the Level 1-3 tricks
   in the start of your run and then max out with 4-5 level tricks later. 

To beat the high score you'll have to bust  99,999 points. While it might sound tough
at first, pretty soon the only person who can beat you will be yourself. :) 


IV. HIGHLIGHTS AND TIPS 
 
This game has several neat little features that you can take advantage of to get
really high scores. 

* Once or twice a run, your girlfriend will pop out of a window on the right side
of the Middle Ramp to encourage you on. (At least, I think it's your woman, cuz
there's a big red heart next to her big red hair.) When she appears on the screen,
all point totals for your tricks are DOUBLED. Take advantage of this and bust out
Second Side Loops, McTwists, and other long grabs. A good strategy here
is to just go crazy holding RIGHT and HOLDING the A button. You will eventually 
start busting out McTwists all over the place at a sweet score of 9000 a pop! :D 

The lady will eventually disappear, or she will disappear after you crash. Be sure
you can land the tricks you do or you will wipe out before you've gotten all out of 
this that you can. 

* There are a pair of bonuses that you can get if you get high enough in the air. Each 
one is located at the very TOP of the full-pipe on each side. To get them,get to full
speed (level 5) and do the SKY grab. If you are lucky, you will get an icon (either a 
star or an apple) and it will be worth over 4000 points a piece! The bonuses are worth 
more the more air you get. If you save these for  when your girlfriend is out, you will
double the value for almost 9000 points apiece! For some humor, try to get the bonuses
after you've gotten them once, and watch for some Hitchcock humor. ;)

         ***STAR***                                       ***APPLE***         


    --------                                                     -------\
   /      / |                                                   | \      \  
  /      /  |       Get to speed                                |  \      \
 /      /   |       level 5 and                                 |   \      \ 
--------     \      do a grab!                                 /     -------
|      |      -\                                            /-       |      |
|      |        -\                  /|\_                  /-         |      | 
|      |          -\              /- |  \_              /-           |      |  
|       \           `___________/-   |    \____________'            /       |
|        -\                     \   / \_   /                      /-        |
|          -\                    \/-    \_/                     /-          |
|            -\                                               /-            |
|              \_____________________________________________/              |
|                                                                           |
|                                                                           |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

*Cheats: There are a few cheats that can boost your score significantly. In 
my opinion though, they really take the fun out the game though, so use them 
at your own discretion. 

INFINITE BOARDS: To be able to crash all you want without fear of losing a life, 
move your boarder to the top of the screen before he starts his run. Begin 
pressing Start and Select repeatedly until you hear a weird siren sound. Now, 
you will constantly have unlimited boards. You will also get a large board 
bonus and time bonus at the end of the run without having to work for it. 

GAME GENIE CODES: You need the Game Genie for these to work, or at least an 
emulator with the Game Genie feature. :) 

For the Stunt Ramp Only: 
PAUYLLLA    Only 1 skateboard
TAUYLLLA    6 skateboards
PAUYLLLE    9 skateboards
SXKPVYVG+SXUZGAVG   Infinite skateboards
TAONILLA    More time
ZAONILLA    Less time
SZUAKZVG    Stop timer
TEKOKZIA    Super speed

Source: http://www.geocities.com/agatepickin/emulation/skateordie2.html


V: CREDITS AND LEGAL
---------------------
Thanks to my friend Danny for owning this game so that I could play it. I 
wish your brother hadn't sold all your Nintendo games so I could play 
SOD2 the way it was meant to be played, heheh.  

Big thanks to mamefreak for hooking me up with the names of the tricks. I 
wouldn't have been able to find them online, so much appreciation for the
info. 

Legal: This guide may be printed as long as it is for no profit, posted on
websites and linked to without my permission provided it remains in its 
ORIGINAL FORM. In other words, no altering of this FAQ is permitted, ever. 
Copyright gondee, 2002.