The Red Star Xbox Demo FAQ/Walkthrough Author: Phillip Meris (Ulala Rocks) Version 1.0 Copyright 2004 Phillip Meris. All rights reserved. =============================================================================== Version History =============================================================================== Version 1.0 - (October 16, 2004) This is officially my second FAQ for Gamefaqs, but it's my first walkthrough. Hopefully I did everything right. Version 1.2 - (December 14, 2004) Grammar changes =============================================================================== Table of Contents =============================================================================== Ctrl+F for easy navigation Red1 Introduction Red2 Controls Red3 Characters Maya Makita Kyuzo Red4 Arsenal List Weapons Protocol Red5 Special Moves and Combos Red6 Enemies Regular Enemies Bosses Red7 Level Evaluation Red8 Walkthrough Red9 Tips Red0 The Ending Sources Special Thanks Legal Stuff Contact Info. =============================================================================== Red1 Introduction =============================================================================== The Red Star has been a very popular comic winning awards and capturing the hearts of several comic book readers. As of right now, the full game is in limbo thanks to Acclaim no longer in the video game business, but luckily for people that were fortunate enough to pick up the September 2004 issue of Official Xbox Magazine and Official Playstation Magazine Vol. 83 can experience a piece of what could have been a very excellent game. The game takes place after the first and second story arcs and if I'm not mistaken, the game introduces the third story arc. I could be wrong, since the game's story might be completely different from that of the third arc, but if there are other mistakes I've made then contact me ASAP. You will be credited. The game is basically a side-scroller set on a 3D plane. If you're confused as to what I'm talking about, then think Contra except you can move up and down the field. If you're still confused then you must play the game to understand. The demo is made for two players, although it's still enjoyable and fairly easy the third time around, but with two players, it's probably a lot more enjoyable and no doubt definitely a lot easier. The controls are the same for both controllers. The only hard part is deciding who wants to be Makita and who wants to be Kyuzo. =============================================================================== Red2 Controls =============================================================================== The right thumbstick, white button, and black button are not used throughout the entire demo. Menu Direction Pad - Navigate A - Select B - Cancel Y - Help/Hide Start - Select Back - Cancel Gameplay Menu Direction Pad - Navigate Left Trigger - Move to next submenu towards the left RIght Trigger - Move to next submenu towards the right A - Select Back - Exit Gameplay Left Trigger - Pivot Right Trigger - Strafe/Lock-on Left Thumbstick - Move A - Guard B - Gun Attack X - Melee Y - Protocol Back - Subscreen Start - Pause =============================================================================== Red3 Characters =============================================================================== Name: Maya Antares Occupation: Sorceress Lieutenant Commentary: She's the main character of the comic book series and Sorceress Lieutenant of The United Republics of the Red Star. Name: Kyuzo Occupation: Bodyguard to Maya Antares Commentary: He is the toughest of all hailers and is the guardsman for Maya. Name: Makita Occupation: Nokgorkan Rebel Commentary: She is a war orphan of Nokgorka. She is introduced into the series during the second story arc. If you have anymore info then don't hesistate to send them in. You will be given the proper credit for any helpful information submitted. =============================================================================== Red4 Aresenal List =============================================================================== Each character has two sets of weapons: their long-range weapons and their melee weapons. They also have their own unique set of combos and protocols. Incase you're wondering, a protocol is a special attack that is activated when you press Y. Protocols can only be activated when your protocol meter is filled completely. To fill it up simply attack enemies. Using the Protocol is powerful and will completely drain the meter. Don't waste a protocol on enemies.Use the protocol only when you need to. It's an attack that must used only when you feel you're being overwhelmed or need some breathing room since you're left invulnerable throughout the duration of the attack. Weapons Maya Unavailable in demo version. Kyuzo Melee Weapon: Koroviev Class Basic Red Army Hook. Description: Moderate Strike Radius. Curved, pointed blade. Long-Range Weapon: Base Class Hailer Description: Focused, precise shot. Prone to overheat. Enables Enhance Protocol. Commentary: The hailer is reminiscent to an SMG and fires at an incredibly fast rate and even cools down instantly. His Hook is double-sided and resembles more of a double-sided bastard sword than it does a hook. Although his melee attacks are slow, they are incredibly strong. The fire rate of his hailer also makes up for his slow movement and attack. Makita Melee Weapon: Koroviev Class Basic Red Army Hook. Description: Moderate Strike Radius. Curved, pointed blade. Long-Range Weapon: Base Class Hailer Description: Focused, precise shot. Prone to overheat. Enables Enhance Protocol. Commentary: Unlike Kyuzo, Makita wields two hailers that look like pistols. The slow rate of fire balance out the dual-wielding, not to mention that the cool down rate is a lot slower. Thee hook is actually a scythe and she carries a hammer along with her as a finisher to each combo. Her melee attacks are definitely a lot faster than Kyuzo, but the slow fire and cool down rate of her hailers evens things out and her melee isn't as powerful. Protocols Maya Unavailable in demo version. Kyuzo Rating: 3 Description: Kyuzo hailer starts charging up as all action stops for a brief moment.Then a burst of energy comes flows out of the hailer severely damaging anyone caught in its line of fire. Commentary: It's an extremely powerful protocol, but the downside is how linear the shot is. Your aim must be flush at whoever you're hitting in order to get the maximum output of this protocol. You may go ahead and point the beam in different directions, but not only will you be forced to waste precious time turning to the next enemy you will also not be using a blast that's not as powerful. Makita Rating: 5 Description: Makita curls her upperbody and begins emanating energy and all action stops for a brief moment. Suddenly she disposes of all the energy she was building up and severely damages all surrounding enemies. Commentary: Of the two available characters, Makita has the best protocol. It is the perfect crowd controller, the splash damage is excellent, it also has the possibility of tossing an enemy over the edge and damage is fairly decent. =============================================================================== Red5 Special Moves and Combos =============================================================================== Legend: -> = Press the left thumbstick towards the direction your character is facing. <- = Press the left thumbstick away from the direction your character is facing. <-> - Press Left thumbstick in any direction. R = Right trigger button. L = Left trigger button. + = press at the same time with coinciding button. X = Perform Melee Attack. B = Perform Long Range Attack. Maya Unavailable in demo version. Kyuzo Note: Some of Kyuzo's attacks can be charged up holding the X button, thus adding more damage and altered attacks. I'll note which ones have this bonus. Special Melee Charge Attack: Hold X then release after two seconds. This is one of the special charges I mentioned earlier. Three Hit String: X, X, X Thrust/Impale: -> + R + X If Kyuzo is close enough, he will impale the enemy. This move is also the starting base for other special moves. Note: If you charge up the thrust/impale, Kyuzo will make a gigantic leap halfway across the screen while his weapon will reach almost the entire length of the screen! Impale Slam: Press X while your enemy is impaled. This can be done three times in a row and even has splash damage. OUCH! Impale Throw: while your enemy is impaled press -> + X Giant Swing: after a Thrust or an Air Thrust HOLD X + <-> Uppercut: R + <- + X This is also the starting base for other special moves. Note: If you charge up the Uppercut, Kyuzo will do two powerful uppercuts and you'll still be able to link up other moves. Batter Up: After the uppercut hold R and <- + X Downward Stab: After an uppercut continue holding R, <- + X Upward Thrust: After uppercut hold press <- and then simultaneously press X Makita Four Hit String: X, X, X, X Four Hit Shot String: X, X, X, B Note: This combo will consume a huge chunk of your firing rate with the hailer. Make the shot count. Forward Dash: R, -> + X Note: Depending on how much distance is between Makita and the enemy, Makita will either slash the enemy or appear right behind him and slit him. Upward Dash: R, <- + X Air Combo: After Upward Dash press X, X, X, X, X Downward Dash: After an Upward Dash press R, <- + X =============================================================================== Red6 Enemies =============================================================================== There aren't very many enemies in this level and seeing how it's a demo it's excusable, but there is one habit all enemies follow. They always charge up an attack and purposely leave themselves vulnerable during charge times and cool down periods after their attacks. For the most part, all regular enemies can be thrown over the edge even if they still have health so use that to your advantage if you're having trouble in certain areas where they can sometimes be overwhelming. Regular Enemies Name: Red Trooper Description: The Red Fleet is built on the backs of these grunts. Commentary: These guys are your basic cannon fodder. They have hooks that look similar to that of Kyuzo's. They mostly come in groups and with different units. Although they are relatively weak, they don't flinch when you're shooting them with hailers. Name: Fireteam Trooper Description: Use standard-issue rifles- once commited to a target their firing trajectoryis locked and straight. Commentary: They're just like the Red Trooper except with hailers. They shoot three bursts at a time once they're finished charging and are just as weak. Although they don't flinch when shot, they're still a lot more susceptible to it. Name: Red Sergeant Description: More Developed telekinetic abilities give Sergeants greater range on their hook attacks. Commentary: These guys are a lot more agressive and unlike Red Troopers, their charge attack has their hooks revolving infront of them creating a damaging barrier between your character and him. Remedy this by moving to his side while he charges and either kill him with a string combo or hit him hard enough to send him flying over the edge. Name: Striker Description: Their shields block gunfire completely. Commentary: These guys might make Kyuzo look like a dwarf and Makita look like a mouse, but these guys are overgrown sissies. You can take these guys on without even breaking their shields. At the moments of their charge, move to the side and attack them. With enough hits, they'll go flying over the edge. Bosses Name: Kiselev Aggressor Description: The first boss you run into in the game. Appears 1/3 of the way. Commentary: I don't want to call this boss mini because that is a gross understatement. Attacks in a pattern. Easy to defeat. Name: Kiselev Aggressor v2.0 Description: The second boss you run into. Appears about 3/4 of the way. A lot more trickier compared to the first Kiselev Aggressor with much more fire power, but leaves its weakness showing constantly. Commentary: This boss is essentially like the first one, except it's got more fire power to back it up and some ground troops to make this battle very active on the screen. Name: 15-7 Heavy Guardsman Description: The final boss in the demo. Has a medieval look and has a buzz saw in one hand and a chainsaw in the other. Commentary: This guy is all talk and no action. He'll be the easiest of the three bosses offering little to no challenge. =============================================================================== Red7 Level Evaluation =============================================================================== At the end of the demo you'll be evaluated on how well you did in five categories. Depending on how well you did you'll earn points which add up to your balance which in turn is used to purchase upgrades. Although the upgrades are completely usless it at least covered the final aspect of how each level will end. I'll make a really crude chart of how the table looks like including what sections you were being graded on. _______________________ | | |Balance: 0pts | |_______________________| _______________________ |Performance Totals | |Technique A | |Speed B | |Power C | |Survival F | |Secrets A | |Overall B | |_______________________| A = 20pts B = 10pts C = 5pts F = 0pts As you can see you're graded on Technique, Speed, Power, Survival, and secrets. I'm going to assume they find the overall score as you would by finding your GPA based on your report card. If someone has anything insightful then please contact me and you'll be given proper credit. =============================================================================== Red8 Walkthrough =============================================================================== Word of advice before the game begins: Makita is the recommended character for people that want an easy first time playthrough since she is fast and has a protocol that covers crowd control. More advanced players should use Kyuzo since he is incredibly slow and even though he's strong, it doesn't take many hits for either Makita of Kyuzo to defeat an enemy or throw them over the edge and not to mention the fact that his protocol must be dead center on the target in order to achieve its maximum output potential. CHAPTER.01 OUR FINAL DEFENSE The R.S.S. Konstantinov Mission: ::Urik Get Troika's men off the ship, or we are finished! After the initial scene and your character poses, walk straight and destroy the two giant pieces of debris blocking the way with your melee attack. As soon as it's destroyed proceed and you will be introduced to the very first enemy of the game, the Red Trooper. Kill him and continue to proceed. As you continue to venture forth, six Red Troopers should now be charging at you and attacking you. Kill them and go to the end of the hallway. From there you will see the Red Star Flag Ship shooting at your position. From that point the floorwill break and you will freefall to another hallway. From there you will engage combat with five Fireteam troopers and one red trooper. The Fireteam Troopers use only hailers to attack so make sure to take them out or else the battlecan get very intense very fast. Once you've disposed of all opposition you will be instructed to use your lock-on button to destroy a wall blocking your way with your hailers. Do so and you will meet a Red Trooper and be introduced to his upgraded counterpart, the Red Sergeant. Take on the Red Sergeant first since he actually has a very annoying ranged-attack that can hurt you if you're careless and then continue to helplessly decimate the Red Trooper. Destroy the panal and cross the newly generated bridge. You'll find yourself on a square platform. From here you'll tackle your first boss of the level: The Kiselev Aggressor. BOSS: Kiselev Aggressor This boss is shielded behind a magical window-like barrier that protects it against all attacks. It's attack pattern consists of it first shooting out the left arm and attacking you with spread shot bullets. After sometime it will go back into the shield and the right arm will shoot out. From there it will slowly disperse depth charge-looking mines that lock onto you. Once that is over with It will make 180 spin and show you its thrusters. From that point all exhaust vents will charge up except one and will fire a very damaging ray. When it has completed that task, it will then face foward again releasing it's port and showing you its weakness. From here, just like the left arm, it will be shooting spread shot bullets at you. The strategy for this boss is simple. Once it shoots out its left arm shoot at it until it retracts back in or is destroyed. Repeat the same process for the right arm, but this time turn around and shoot the mines around you if they get too close. Next is the tricky part. When it turns around and starts charging look for the exhaust pipe that isn't. That's your only save zone. If you can't find it or are too late then just use your block to at least decrease the damage. From there it will finally reveal its weakness. This is your time to go nuts on it. Let out your hailers and keep shooting away at the weak point while dodging the bullets. If you're fast enough you can knock out the aircraft in this turn. If you happen to just miss it by a mark, you'll have to redo the entire process over unless you were quick enough to destroy each arm. If you managed one or both arms then the waiting time for the weakness to appear will be shortened. Either way you're going to destroy the arms on this turn considering the fact that you weakened them severely on the last round. The key to making this battle end soon is to use your hailers. It damages the parts of the ship quicker than your melee damage. END BOSS: Kiselev Aggressor Once all that is over with, cross the newly materialized bridge and collect the health item in the middle of the walkway. A Red Sergeant will appear. Make short work of him and proceed to the elevator. From there you will be brought down one level. You'll run into one Striker. They look scary at first, but once you know their pattern they'll be just as easy as the Red Troopers. Once you begin attacking him a second one will appear. Take care of them the easy way by hitting them on the sides after their attack and hopefully throwing them over the edge or if you must insist on doing things the hard way then strike at their shields while their charging then block when they're about to attack. Rinse and repeat. Once you get rid of them a third will appear escorted by a single Fireteam Trooper. Once you eliminate the Fireteam Trooper a second will appear. Make quick work of the Striker and him. Go to the elevator to go deeper down the ship. Once you reach the bottom, you'll be greeted with a warm reception from a Red Sergeant and a Fireteam Trooper. Finish them quick, destroy the panel and cross the materialized bridge. If this seems familiar to you then it should. Prepare for your second boss fight. BOSS: Kiselev Aggressor v2.0 This time around there's no protective window barrier and this ship is packing lots of firepower. Right at the start, two laser beams will shoot a steady and linear flow of energy slowly making its way to the middle while the weakpoint charges up. The moment the laser beams stop the weakpoint fires a gigantic linear cannon. After that the weakpoint will enter into the ship and two guns will appear from the side. It will outline its attacks with mini lasers and once it has completely outlined its course, it will fire the actual projectile. Moments later the weakpoint will appear for a moment. From that point four guns appear from the ship, two on the side and two in the middle. You'll notice that they also outline their attack beforehand, but only if you come in contact with them. The two on the side shoot spread-shot bullets while the two in the middle fire a linear cannon type attack. Soon the weakpoint will appear once more and the pattern starting from the two guns on the side will repeatm but this time there will be a pair of Red Troopers spawning occasionally making for one very action-packed battle. This battle is a bit more difficult, but still managable. Just like the past aircraft, this one is weak to hailer fire, but if you attack the weakpoint you will be damaged. At the start immediately start shooting at the weakpoint. When the guns on the side appear you can choose to destroy one, both, or none. It's all up to you. I personally destroy just one since most of the time when I destroy it, my hailers cool down and the weakpoint pops out. When the four guns appear immediately move to the top part of the square. Once you've come in contact with the outlining laser move back and begin firing on the outer guns. You can choose to leave the inner guns alone or blast them all together, but it's a wiser decision to leave them alone and aim for the weakpoint when it appears. If you don't manage to destroy the aircraft by this point then you'll have to go through a round of outer guns shooting spread-shot bullets and Reds spawning. It's better to avoid everything and wait for the weakpoint to pop out again. When it does, unload fury upon it and by then it should be dead. END BOSS: Kiselev Aggressor v2.0 Proceed across the bridge, collect your health item, and make your way down the corridor. From here you'll run into the final boss of the demo. BOSS: 15-7 Heavy Guardsman Pathetic. This boss is nothing compared to the previous two you engaged combat with. He has a buzzsaw and a chainsaw for weapons, is very slow, and he can be defeated faster than both of the previous bosses. He'll make a crashing entry into the battle circle and you'll engage him in combat. His main attacks are his chainsaw three hit combo and the devestating, but extremely slow buzzsaw attack. Most of the time he'll attack you with the weapon you're closer to. The chainsaw combo is a very quick attack and can catch you off guard at times, but it's still nothing difficult. The buzzsaw is almost impossible to get struck with. He will hold his buzzsaw over his head until he knows you're a safe distance away from him and finally crash down to the ground leaving him stuck there as he pulls it out. After you're done pounding him because of his own stupidity, he will become invulnerable and charge up to do an energy burst release similar to Makita's protocol. This is almost too easy. Begin the fight by either blocking or running around him. If you're Kyuzo, his protocol will give some major damage giving you a nice head start. Also if you play as Kyuzo keep in mind that he is very slow since he's a tank so dodging his attacks and running around him isn't an option for him. Once you've blocked his two hits from the chainsaw, quickly give him a combo. If you're Kyuzo, only give him two hits. If he attacks with the buzzsaw then quickly dodge it and attack him. Once you're done attacking him, he will charge up. This is your cue to get as far away as possible because this attack has some serious range. See why I told you to give Kyuzo only two hits? Anyway the pattern will repeat and it should be no problem, but remember that this boss is easier if you use melee attacks. Shooting him will make him charge up and do the energy burst and you'll only slightly damage him. If you use Makita's protocol on him, he will fly back and become stunned for a couple of seconds thus giving you some combo time. After the battle is done enjoy a nice pose from the characters and also enjoy playing the demo. This is the end of it. You'll be brought to the evaluation screen to evaluate your handling of the level. From that point you'll be brought to a pointless upgrade screen and from there it's the end of the demo. Enjoy! END DEMO =============================================================================== Red9 Tips =============================================================================== These are some basic tips and strategies that I thought are worth mentioning. - Always save up protocols only when you're in deep trouble. Other than that save them for the final boss. - If you're playing 2-players, then have Kyuzo attack the important parts of the Kiselev Aggressor v2.0 while Makita makes sure it's all smooth sailing. - Your melee attack might be stronger, but your hailers are what keep you out of trouble. - The easiest way to kill a regular enemy is to throw them off the edge with an attack. - Understand this: ALL regular enemies charge up their attacks. Use that to your advantage. If you happen to know anymore that aren't included here then don't hesistate to contact me. You will receive proper credit. =============================================================================== Red0 The Ending =============================================================================== Sources: -www.theredstar.com for all things Red Star related. Not to mention all other projects that Archangel Studios is involved in. Anymore related sources? Email me to them and you'll receive proper credit. :) Special Thanks: Sophia Vo - I love you more than anything else. You're the best girlfriend any guy can have and I'm lucky I have you. Thanks for all the motivation baby. Jo Olson - For answering all my emails that were Red Star related. Archangel Studios - For making such an awesome comic book! Microsoft: - For including this game in their demo. Gamefaqs - For publishing all my work over the past couple of years. Legal Stuff 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 part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Authorized Sites: www.gamefaqs.com www.gamespot.com www.neoseeker.com If you see any other site hosting this FAQ/Walkthrough then contact me as soon as possible. This FAQ/Walkthrough is only available through GameFAQs, Gamespot, and newly added Neoseeker. Contributor Info: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/36562.html Contact Info: Email Address: Phillip_Meris@yahoo.com AIM: Carnival_Nights@mac.com GameFAQs Username: Lostboi xD and Ulala Rules Contributor Name: Ulala Rocks Copyright 2004 Phillip Meris