This section contains some basic information about the Playstation version of the Beast Wars game now available. I will also include some tips and strategies for you.
This game followls the continutiy set forth in the Beast Wars TV show rather closely. BW fans will feel right at home as their favorite first season Beast Wars characters battle it out in order to achieve their goal.
This game has a total of 26 missions, 13 Maximal, 13 Predacon. These are split into 4 groups of 3 standard missions and the rescue mission. The player has to overcome 4 zones, city, desert, polluted, and volcanic. Once the game starts, the player can select from either the desert or city regions. Completing either one opens up the Polluted Zone to the player, and upon completion of another zone, the Volcanic Zone becomes available.
As for the challenge factor, the City Zone is the easiest in the game. LEAVE IT FOR LAST! Trust me on this one. Select the Desert Region first, then, move to the Polluted Zone, and then, the Volcanic Area. There's a very good reason for this: The City Zones will provide you with a relatively low risk way to secure the Rescue Icons you need in order to play the Rescue Mission if you lose a Transformer completing the tougher areas. This is especially true of the Volcanic Zone. And in this game, choosing the right character for each mission can mean the difference between success and failure.. Also, you will need practice leaping to and from platforms, avoiding energon traps, and so forth, all of which will be put to the test while playing the Polluted and Volcanic zones. The Desert is a good chance to practice and learn, polishing your skills for the trials that lay ahead of you.
As far as skill levels are concerned, the game has 3 skill levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy mode has a moderate mix of relatively weak enemies, mostly flying drones, gun turrets, and snake-spitting pods. Your Energon Meter slowly refills to maximum at this level. At higher skill levels, though, your Energon Meter fills to only half maximum. This in not a problem in Normal mode, which is essentially the same as Easy mode. Here, the enemies put a little more resistance, but not by much. By contrast, Hard Mode lives up to its' label. Here, you'll face large numbers of extremely resilient enemies. Even the lowliest drones pose a problem here, so you can imagine what the bosses can do!
Power-Up locations are an area in which I have mixed opinions. They are placed within easy reach, enabling you to clear an area, then return and pick up any Energy or Energon Power-Ups you need. Sometimes, however, they're located in spots where you can't help but pick them up even if you don't want to, such as bottlenecks and tight passages. Very often, when this happens, there are enemies waiting just beyond that spot... and the ensuing battle wil make you say very colorful words, given that the Power-Up you need is the one you could not avoid a few seconds ago.
There are 8 types of Power-Ups available to you during the game. These are placed around the playfield and can also be obtained by defeating certain enemies:
Small Health Refill. (small green cross)
Large Health Refill. (large green cross)
Small Energon Refill. (small pink crystal)
Large Energon Refill. (large pink crystal)
Weapons Upgrade. (red chip)
Targeting Enhancement. (blue chip)
Cluster Bomb. (silver bomb)
Rescue Mission Icon. (winged yellow chip)
The Predacon Missions include a ninth Power-Up, a time-delayed explosive charge. This is available only once during Desert 2. Use it to blow up Cheetor's mining station located at the end of the stage.
Something you will definitely notice is that the game uses the same basic layout for the first two playfields for each Zone, with minor to moderate cosmetic changes in terrain layout and relocated Power-Ups and bonuses. However, the Boss section is completely different for each group and allegiance. Also, the first Mission for the Polluted Zone is a Stasis Pod retrieval mission that will add another character to your lineup.
Speaking of which: here's the roster for this adventure:
Maximal
Cheetor, Dinobot, Optimus Primal, Rhinox. (standard)
Airazor. (rescue mission)
Rattrap. (retrieved from stasis pod)
Predacon.
Inferno, Megatron, Scorpinok, Tarantulas. (standard)
Terrorsaur. (rescue mission)
Blackaracknia. (retrieved from stasis pod)
Each character has its strenghs and weaknesses. Optimus Primal and Megatron are by far the strongest, but their Energon Resistance is low. Rhinox, and Inferno, while almost as strong, are even less Energon-tolerant. Rattrap and Tarantulas, by comparison, have little strengh, but very high Energon tolerance. Dinobot and Scorpinok are the best overall characters, with good strengh and Energon levels. This makes them good choices for most of the game. Firepower and agility must also be taken into account. For instance, even though Scorpinok is indeed a well-rounded character, he lacks the punch necessary to successfully nab on-screen enemies in time - a critical factor in the Volcanic Zone. Blackaracknia's Strengh and Energon levels are as good as Scorpinok's, plus she can deliver a devastating attack instantaneously. Rattrap has little strengh, but his agility and small size makes him a hard target for opponents to hit, plus he has the firepower to hold his own in a firefight. Besides that, he has a major asset: his rat mode is indeed small - perfect for City 3. Here, you must make a series of running jumps (in Beast Mode) to reach several platforms. You have to wait untill the last possible moment to leap and then, you must make sure you don't overshoot your landing. Rattrap's small size lets you see exactly where you're landing as well as giving you room to postion yourself for the next jump. Try this with any other character and you run the risk of falling off the platform due to inertia.
Here's my picks on who to use for each mission. Remember, the game itself gives you the stats on each character and you are free to explore on your own, but these have given me very good results.
Desert 1 - Dinobot.
Desert 2 - Dinobot.
Desert 3 - Dinobot.
Polluted 1 - Dinobot.
Polluted 2 - Dinobot.
Polluted 3 - Optimus Primal.
City 1 - Rhinox.
City 2 - Rhinox.
City 3 - Rattrap.
Volcanic 1- Optimus Primal.
Volcanic 2 - Optimus Primal.
Volcanic 3 - Optimus Primal.
Desert 1 - Scorpinok.
Desert 2 - Scorpinok.
Desert 3 - Scorpinok.
Polluted 1 - Scorpinok.
Polluted 2 - Scorpinok.
Polluted 3 - Scorpinok.
City 1 - Inferno.
City 2 - Inferno.
City 3 - Inferno.
Volcanic 1 - Blackaracknia.
Volcanic 2 - Blackaracknia.
Volcanic 3 - Megatron.
Here's how to deal with the Bosses at the end of each Zone group:
City 3: Tarantulas's Lair.
Select Rattrap, transform to Beast Mode, and leap from a series of spiderweb platforms, then to a small ledge, an elevator, and another ledge. You should be at the bottom of the pit. Transform to Robot Mode and start firing as soon as your target lock tells you Tarantulas is there. Strafe to avoid his shots and keep firing away. Pretty soon, Tarantulas will lie face down and you will emerge victorious.
Desert 3: Scorpinok.
Make your way towards Scorpinok's base. Once there, a landslide will block the way you came from, so make sure you grab any Power-Ups you need before you cross over. The base is protected by a forcefield bubble and a gun turret high above. Fire at the power couplings at the top to disable the forcefield bubble and energy barrier, then hop onto the elevator when it comes up your way. Once you reach the bottom of the pit, you will find Scorpinok, apparently damaged. Don't fall for it: he's just playing possum. He will get to his feet and run in circles around you, firing all the while. Run and jump to avoid his shots, Chase or lead his running pattern and nail him. He will lie down once more... this time, permanently.
Polluted 3: Inferno.
Inferno's Tower lies at the center of a large crater. Make your way carefully down the side of the crater to reach an elevator. This will take you to the top of the Tower. Once there, Inferno flies in and starts firihg. Run and jump to avoid his attacks, but be careful not to fall off the Tower. Pay attention to the pattern in whih he flies and nail him hard. He will fall to pieces once you beat him.
Volcanic 2: Terrorsaur
This guy's waiting for you outside Predacon Headquarters. Strafe and jump to avoid his attack, mindful not to walk into any of the lava pits that line the floor. Mix up your gun attacks by hitting at normal and powered-up levels. (Remember you can build up your gun attack by holding down the fire button) Cluster Bombs help here.
Volcanic 3: Megatron.
Once you reach Megatron's platform, make sure you nail him whenever you see him. Be careful of the crates: they can shield you from attack and contain Health Power-Ups, but will cause damage when they explode. Nail Megatron with your gun at normal and powered-up levels, mixing your attack. Once Megatron falls, you might think you're done, right? No such luck. He's rigged every crate on the platform to explode! Transform inmediately, look for a safe place to land, and leap off the platform. Or try finding a clear spot on the platform itself, usually near the edges.
City 3: Rhinox.
Make your way to Rhinox's lair. Once there, you will find crates and a teleporter that will lead you to a Health Power-Up. Nail Rhinox with all you've got. Strafe and use the entire playfield to get into firing position.
Desert 3: Cheetor.
Once inside Cheetor's fortress, you will confront him inside a room with several crates. Use the crates to shueld yourself and nail him whenever you have a clear shot. There's a Health Power-Up in the room that will help you out if you get in a bind.
Polluted 3: Dinobot.
Be careful of this one: Dinobot's lair is laden with radioactive steam jets that will send your Health Meter plummeting! Find a safe spot among the jets and nail Dinobot, miximg your attacks between normal and powered-up gun mode. Stafe and use the Sideways Roll, but be careful not to walk into a steam jet.
Volcanic 2: Airazor.
She hovers above you, firing as she goes. Use all the area in the plateau to avoid her aerial attack, picking up Health and Energon refills when absolutely necessary. Again, mix up your gun attacks. If you're persistend and patient, she will be history.
Volcanic 3: Optimus Primal.
Defeating Optimus isn't that hard, but getting to him is. You must first destroy the grenade launcher and forcefield that protects him. Once you destroy them, Optimus will show up. The room will have crates. Be careful when dealing with them, there are gun turrets hidden in some of them. Nail Otpimus as soon as he appears. Grab the Power-Ups as you need them and stay on guard.
WARNING: Do not read the following if you'd rather find out for yourself.
Maximal End Sequence.
You will see a short movie sequence starring the Maximals. Each makes an appearance, ending in a group shot. Then, the game credits roll.
Predacon End Sequence.
The Maximal base explodes, taking every Maximal inside with it. Megatron repairs his ship and returns to rain devastation on Cybertron. The carnage is so great that a whole chunck blows off Cybertron as Megatron laughs in triumph!
Links to other sites on the Web
Official Beast Wars Website.
Beast Wars Extreme.
Beast Wars Anonymous.
Beast Wars Unofficial FAQ
