------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cccccc cccccc ccccccc cccccccccc ccccccc cccccc ccc ccc c c c cc c cc cc cccc cccc cc cc c c c c c c c c cccc c c c c c c cc c c c cccc c c c c c c c c c cc c c c cc c c c c c ccccc c c c c cccc c cc c c c cc c c c cccc c ccccccc c c c c c c c c c cc cc cc cc cc c c c c c c c ccccccc ccccc ccc ccc ccccccc cc ccccccc cccccc ccc ccc ccccccccc ddddd dddddddd dddddddd dddddddddd ddd ddd d dd d d dddddd d dd d dddd dddd d d d d d d d d d d d d d d dd d dddddd d d d d d d dd d dd d dd d d d d d d d d d ddddd dd d dddddd d d dd d d dddddd d d dd d d d d ddddd dddddddd ddd dd ddd ddd Story & Ending Script V 1.0 (17/11/2004) by Ace Whatever (jj_alkaline@hotmail.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. In short, currently ONLY GameFAQs can host this guide. If you want to put this on your website, simply e-mail me and ask. I check my inbox regularly and I don't get a lot of mail anyway, so don't worry about not getting a reply unless it's summer vacation time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: -Intro -Story -Characters -Endings -To be added -Notes -Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction: A few months after I bought my Playstation, I had heard quite a bit about the Twisted Metal franchise and its deep sea counterpart Critical Depth. I was better intrigued by the concept of exploring the depths of the ocean than car combat, so I bought CD. I'm quite thankful I did. Critical Depth is an excellent game. Full of diverse characters, well balanced weapons, and harder gameplay (since you can be attacked from any direction as opposed to Twisted Metal's single axis). Too bad it didn't get the respect it deserves. Having finished the game with all the characters, I thought it would be nice to show what happens to all the characters in the end. If you recall SingleTrac's (the developer) excellent job with Twisted Metal 2's cool (or hilarious) endings, you'll like Critical Depth's endings even more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Intro script: *We are shown the bottom of the sea. A shark and some fish swim by. In the distance, we see the lights of a small one-man submarine* The Red Sea Depth: 1100 feet Submersible Research Vessel Medusa 7 *Radio crackles* Female voice: "Anything yet?" Submarine pilot: "Not sure. Looks like more debris ahead." Female voice: "You should be within visual range now." Submarine pilot: "Something on the scanner. It's big." *Cut to a sonar showing a mass at the top. The sub gets closer and we see a recording camera view of statues of alien heads* Submarine pilot: "Are you picking this up, Kinsmen?" Kinsmen: "Yeah, I copy. Looks like some kind of *word made unclear by static* structure." Submarine pilot: "Say again, Kinsmen. You're breaking up. Something must be... Whoa!" *Large green orb appears (The pods). Pilot swerves right* Kinsmen: "What the hell is that?" Submarine pilot: "You tell me." *Camera pans around the sub to show a giant arched structure in front of it (The threshold). Pods keep appearing* Kinsmen: "Can you back up a little, McKragen? Let's get a better look." McKragen: "Yeah, hold on...wait! Something..." *The edges of the threshold light up.* Kinsmen: "What's going on down there?!" *The sub is shot by a green light. McKragen's skin and flesh dissolve off his skull as he screams in pain* Kinsmen: "McKragen! McKragen!" *A warp portal appears in the middle of the threshold and the sub is sucked in* The basic story of the game revolves around the discovery of these mysterious green pods. Twelve different factions, each with their own purpose, have set out to claim these pods for their own. Unlike Twisted Metal, where you know nothing about the character besides their basic intentions until you finish the game and view their ending, the factions in Critical Depth chronicle their adventures after each level, reflecting their opinion on what happened and the discoveries they've made. This makes for a more interseting build-up towards the ending and helps flesh out the characters quite a bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- LEGEND: [Character/faction name] ([Submarine name]): [Exrept from the in-game info screen (found in the character select screen)] CIA (The Manta): It is speculated that the mysterious pods and thresholds signal an alien visitation. We must capture the pods and hide the truth from the world. If the alien beings return, we will deal with them, personally. Soviet Die-hards (Stalingard): The KGB say Americans discover powerful energy pods for new atomic weapon. We must capture energy pods and create super weapon to destroy west before they launch attack. A new Soviet Union will dominate the world. French Oceanographers (Le Griffe): Too long have lived, unappreciated, in the shadows of the world's great oceanographers! A mysterious creature known only as 'The Pod' has been sighted. To our credit will be its discovery! No more will the scientific community laugh at us! Oui oui! Dr. A. Pocalypse (Armageddon): With the pods' power I'll loose the fury of my Strato-Kraker device upon the world. Finally cleansing it of human vermin. Evelyn and I will then beget a genetically superior race with my premium intellect and her physical perfection. The Order of Nishroch (Ohm): The book of forbidden wisdom says a sign will herald Zornad's return. That sign is the threshold. We will gather the sacred 'Pods', activate the thresholds, assemble the believers, and invoke a new age of Zornadian communion. Team Earth Hope (Siren's Song): Big business gets rich at nature's expense! Titan World Wide Inc.'s exploitation of the energy pods is evil! Mother Earth created the pods. They gotta stay in their natural habitat! We'll collect the pods to protect 'em and destroy the exploiters! Captain Cutlass (The Sea Dog): Aye matey. Landlubbers keelhauled me. I'll swab the deck with their blood! ARGHH! From the crow's nest they best be watchin'. I'm takin' me wrath to the world in ways that'll make the damsels sigh and grown men cry! Mordrid Corporation (Bottom Liner): An alternate energy source is rumored to have been discovered off Venganza's coast. The Mordrid Corp.'s profits cannot be jeopardized. We must learn this discovery's secrets and exploit them however possible. The V.L.O (The Anarchy): The industrialized world ravages our beloved Venganza! Plutonium pods pollute our waters! We, the Venganzan Liberation Organization, shall seize these pods, build a mighty weapon, liberate Venganza, and destroy our oppressors! Joe Skullion (Death Sled): Dude, I skanked a shark! Awesome place the ocean, the big blue. Trippin' stuff down there man, like those groovy pod things. They're the bomb! I gotta get me some of those. Yep, gonna dive deep. Gonna bag some pods, man. Professor Armstrong (Archimedes): Ancients erected the thresholds; its utility is unknown. The 'Pods' hold the secret. I must retrieve these artifacts, properly place them in a museum, and solve the puzzle. Other, more self-serving, parties cannot hide the truth. Jack "Lock Jaw" Keon (Lock Jaw): Bored with expensive toys and endless leisure, I search the world over for artifacts outshining the findings of my former mentor, Professor Armstrong. The threshold's the thing! I'll do to his reputation what he did to mine. Secret Characters: Crirical Depth has four secret characters to unlock, each with his own story and even his own ending! Refer to the Notes section to find out how to unlock them. Agent 326 (The Barracuda): Her Majesty's government asked me to stop Dr. A. Pocalypse from seizing the pods. Their energy will allow him to deploy the 'Strato-Kraker', a technological terror, against the world. I'll end his villainy and return in time for tea. Mr. Phatt (The Kronos): Kneel before Phatt! The energy pods I've discovered off Venganza's coast will make my dream of world domination a reality. I must have more pods! Those who stand in my way will pay their price for their lack of vision! Abaddon (Razor Fin): All humans must die. I am a drone. Programmed to aid my master, Dr. Adam Pocalypse, with pod retrieval. My assistance will insure that his plot to genetically cleanse the earth will be executed. I will complete my objectives at all costs. Overseer (The Hydro-Spydor): Thousands of years ago, my kind on this primitive planet left me. To oversee the rise of life my duty was. But now, the primates to sentience have risen! Even seeking the pods they are! Find them and call the masters first I must! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- After finishing the final level (The Transmitter), you'll be treated with a CG cut-scene before viewing your character's ending: *The transmitters fire a green laser that pierces the dome and reaches far into outer space. An alien appears in a video transmission and speaks* "People of Earth, you have summoned us from across space and time, and we have heard your call. By activating our threshold devices, you have demonstrated that you possess a reasonable degree of intelligence, and thus have proven yourselves worthy of our presence. We have perceived your intentions and desires from across the void, and we shall reward you accordingly. Prepare for our arrival." *A fleet of saucers approaches the Earth* Throughout all the character endings, only the aliens do all the talking. The words group or members refer to whoever was in the submarine: CIA *Camera pans from bottom to top showing the CIA agents* "We understand that you have dealt with other space-faring races before us, you have traded some of the undesirables of your own race as objects of scientific scrutiny in exchange for certain knowledge and technologies. We perceive that you wish to do so again, with us." *Agents are sucked into the saucer by a tractor beam* "Hmmm...your suggestion intrigues us; we invite you aboard our vessel so that we may better understand your intentions." *Cut to inside the ship where the agents are being viciously dissected* "We find it incomprehensible that your race should betray its own members. We must study you more carefully to better understand this strange behavior." Soviet Die-hards *The three members are standing & facing the right* "You are the last champions of a once powerful government which you wish to see restored. In your quest for world domination, you have sought to unite all the peoples of your planet together in total equality. In answer to your desires, we have unified your world. Now, each human is truly an equal part of a greater whole." *Camera pans to the right showing a chain of people linked by hands leading to a mass of disfigured body parts stitched together* French Oceanographers *Camera starts on the member on the right then zooms out to show the other two. All three are holding wine glasses* "We congratulate you on your success in correctly solving our little puzzle. You have clearly demonstrated the level of your intelligence. We have watched with fascination as you activated our thresholds, and have found it to be modestly entertaining." *Cut to a field view of what appears to be a stadium of sorts. The oceanographers are fleeing in terror from a group of large barbaric blue-skinned monkey-like creatures wielding axes and swords* "We are so pleased with your capacities that we have chosen to take you with us, so that you may continue to amuse us with your hilarious antics." *Creatures grunt while the death theme plays in the background* Dr. A. Pocalypse *Camera starts on the doctor then zooms out showing Evelyn with him* "We see that you believe yourself to be the only perfect human specimen. You wish to purge your planet of its loathsome human pestilence so that you may repopulate it with your own genetically superior offspring. In accordance with your desire, we will eliminate all humans from the earth so that you may renew it with your own children." *Camera zooms in on Evelyn* "We note, however, that your choice of a mate is imperfect. May we suggest a new one?" *Evelyn is zapped with a green beam and replaced with a seven-foot tall green skinned monster with large pointy teeth, four tentacles for arms (with which she holds the doctor) and six eyes* The Order of Nishroch *Camera starts on four of the monks then pans to the right to show the fifth up close looking upwards* "We know that you are the faithful worshippers of the great god known to you as Zornad." *Rising bubbles in the sea are followed down to an underwater fortress. A large eye appears in the front archway* "For centuries, you have awaited the opportunity to commune with him. Zornad has been with you all along, sleeping in the depths of your oceans." *The monks are standing on their sub. Something rises from the sea in front of them* "We have awakened him so that you may be united with him at last." *Zornad (a cycloptic octopus-like creature with a large toothy mouth), picks up the sub with one of his tentacles, flips it over his head and swallows the monks* Team Earth Hope *Camera starts on the members* "What is this? We established the thresholds so that our chosen ones could summon us when they were ready. But you are not the chosen ones." *Camera pans down, showing a city with skyscrapers submerged in water. Then it zooms in on some dolphins* "When we left this planet millions of years ago, the apes were still on the trees. But now you have come down and spoiled the earth. This is not acceptable. We will wipe you from the face of the earth, and return possession of it to its rightful owners." *Dolphins squeal. Camera pans down showing two skeletons on the floor* Captain Cutlass *Close up of Cutlass's face, then zooms out* "You have shown your true colors, captain. And we find you to be one of our own kind. Someone with such a thirst for blood is a rare find indeed." *Switch to shot of the Captain cackling. A strange creature replacing the tin parakeet on his shoulder* "We extend to you an invitation to join our ranks in the plundering of the cosmos. We reward you with your own ship and crew." *Switch to a shot in outer space where a battle is being fought between a fleet of spaceships and the aliens' saucers led by a ship that looks like Cutlass's sub but with a skull and crossbones symbol on its top* "Join our fleet, and share in the great bounty that the galaxy has to offer." Mordrid Corporation *Camera starts on the members* "We know the desires of your heart. You seek nothing less than supreme wealth. All the riches of the earth. You believe certain minerals to have great value, and dream of being showered with them. We will see that will get your wish." *Cut to a scene of the saucers herding a shower of meteors made out of pure gold towards the earth, where they fall right on top of the members* The V.L.O *Camera starts on the members* "We know that you are freedom fighters. Your people have been exploited for generations by the governments and corporations of your planet. They have plundered your tiny island of its precious resources, and you have been left with nothing. We will rectify the situation. No one will harm you or your homeland again." *Camera continues to zoom out showing that Venganza is the only land mass left on earth, it continues until we reach space and the earth can longer be seen* Joe Skullion *Shot of Joe standing on the beach with a towel around his neck* "You are our chosen one. Only you, who wear the sacred Tai-dai, have passed our test." *Joe is sitting on a throne. The aliens are bowing to him. One of them has the same towel as Joe's wrapped around his body* "We have found our king and leader at last." *Cut to outer space where a giant water wave is raging across it. Joe and several aliens are surfing on the wave* "The cosmos is yours to do with as you please." Professor Armstrong *Armstrong is sitting on a chair, his pick in his hand* "We know that you are an archeologist, and a student of human history. We will satisfy your wildest dreams by using our technology to send you back into time, where you can experience the events of past eons...personally." *Cut to an Egyptian temple, then pan to the right to show a mummy wearing a hat, a red scarf, and holding a pick axe in its crossed hands (That's the professor, BTW :P)* Jack "Lock Jaw" Keon *Jack is sitting in the pilot seat of his sub* "You are an ambitious one. A ferocious collector who thirsts for fame and recognition." *Cut to an alien museum, then pan to the right to show some aliens crowded around a display case with Jack's head in it* "With our help, you will be known not only on this world, but throughout the galaxy. You will be the objects of admiration for millions." Although the secret characters have their own endings as well, they aren't in cut-scene form, they are just a picture of the character with text over them. As of this writing, the excerpt wasn't available so I'm writing the endings out of memory. The actual ending may differ a bit, if you have the excerpts or know where to find them online, please inform me and you will be credited: Agent 326 The agent decides to ignore his duties and wishes for what every Bond wannabe dreams of: Living on a tropical island surrounded by beautiful women. The aliens send him to one of their tropical resorts on some far off planet, but he never survived because the atmosphere there caused his skin to change color and his hair spontaneously combusted. Mr. Phatt Mr. Phatt wished for something (I forgot what it was) that would require his head to become so large that his frail human neck could no longer support the weight and snapped. Abaddon All I remember is that the aliens took Abaddon with them or sumthin' 'cause he might be useful. Overseer Because he let the humans discover the pods and the thresholds, the Overseer was punished by being sent off to another planet for some watching duty. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To be added: -Excerpts of the between-level logs for each character, including the hidden ones -Excerpts for the endings of the secret characters Again, if you have any of the above or could show me where I might find them online, you'll be credited, save me a lot of typing, and have my long lasting gratitude. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- 1. This FAQ was made possible with the help of PSX Multi-Converter, a great (and free) software that allows you to extract .str (video) and .xa (audio) files from your PSX disc onto your PC, even from encrypted ones like Squaresoft games! Find it at www.ngemu.com 2. You could also view the movies if you have an old model PSX with a parallel I/O port and a Gameshark/Pro Action Replay with a 'View CD-Rom' option. Just select it and look for files ending with .STR. Sometimes you might find them in folders marked or . This won't work for all games, though. 3. To unlock the secret characters, do the following: -Complete the game on the medium (Midshipman) difficulty setting, then defeat Mr. Phatt with a combo attack of at least 48 points of damage to unlock Mr. Phatt. -Complete the game with each of the original characters on the hard (Captain) difficulty setting (save each game after it is completed) to unlock Overseer. -Complete the game as Mr. Phatt on the Captain difficulty setting, then defeat the Cephalopods with a final score of at least 1,000,000 points to unlock Agent 326. -Complete the game as Agent 326 on the Captain difficulty setting to unlock Abaddon. Note: You must fulfill these requirements without using button codes or the game will know that you cheated (and call you as such). Alternatively, you could use a Gameshark to unlock them: Agent 326: 801D0094-000C Mr. Phatt: 801D0094-000D Abaddon: 801D0094-000E Overseer: 801D0094-000F Keep in mind, though, that you can only have one character code active at any one time and I don't know if you can save them to your memory card once you've unlocked them with this method. These codes were taken from the August 1998 issue of Tips & Tricks magazine. If these codes don't work, I can't help you 'cause they worked fine for me. 4. Comments, suggestions, and contributions can be sent to the address mentioned at the top as long as they follow these guidelines: -Don't use the all caps/l33t language combo or you're just begging to be ignored. -Include "Critical Depth Ending FAQ" in the title or you will be ignored as well. -Never send me gameplay-related questions. -I would really rather you send me the excerpt of the secret character endings instead of your own recalling of them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- -Sony: For creating the Playstation and generally restoring my social life. -SingleTrac: For inventing the vehicular combat genre. -You: For reading this FAQ. -GameFAQs.com: For always being there when I needed it. -CJayC: For having such a great site. -Me: For taking the time to type up all this stuff as well as creating the crappy ASCII art text title! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide is Copyright 2004 Ace Whatever Critical Depth is Copyright GT Interactive This guide was brought to you by the letters Sigma, Omega and the number infinity + 1.