___________________
/ Guide Information \__________________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Fox 64
Medals Guide
Written By John Edwards (KyoraStryker) [Contact info provided at bottom]
Original Guide Written by YuriaTayde (Final Update on 20 June 2005)
Version 3.02 [Final]
Original File Date: 16 November 2008
Last Updated: 25 January 2010
______________
/ Introduction \_______________________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The content within this guide is nothing more than a revision of another guide.
After speaking with the creator of that guide, she agreed to allow me to fix
her guide and repost it in my name, so long as she gets credit where it's due.
Not to worry, she'll definitely get it.
If you're like the vast majority of gamers in the world, once you beat the
game, you know you're not done with it, right? Right. Well, this game is no
exception. Once you beat it once, you have to go through and beat it again.
Once that's taken care of, you have to continue to beat it until you know
absolutely everything about the game. Star Fox is unique in a sense that
instead of finding absolutely everything, you're not satisfied with beating the
game until you get medals on every planet. This guide was written to help
achieve that end. Inside, you'll find all the information you need to know in
order to grab the medals for each level.
So what are you waiting for? Wipe the dust from your N64, blow into your Star
Fox 64 cartridge, and fire it up!
___________________
/ Table of Contents \__________________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a breakdown of everything you'll find in the guide. Next to the content
listing, you'll find a seach string. Press Ctrl+F to open your browser's search
box, type your desired search string, and it will whisk you away to where you
want to go.
Search String
1.         Update History                              0001
2.         Tips and Tricks                             0002
3.         The Guide
3.1.        Mission One: Corneria                    0003
3.2.        Mission Two
3.2.1.       Meteo                                 0004
3.2.3.       Sector Y                              0005
3.3.        Mission Three
3.3.1.       Fortuna                               0006
3.3.2.       Katina                                0007
3.3.3.       Aquas                                 0008
3.4         Mission Four
3.4.1.       Sector X                              0009
3.4.2.       Solar                                 0010
3.4.3.       Zoness                                0011
3.5.        Mission Five
3.5.1.       Titania                               0012
3.5.2.       Macbeth                               0013
3.5.3.       Sector Z                              0014
3.6         Mission Six
3.6.1.       Bolse                                 0015
3.6.2.       Area 6                                0016
3.7         Mission Seven: Venom                       0017
4.         Frequently Asked Questions                  0018
5.         Contact Information                         0019
6.         Legal Information                           0020
7.         Credits                                     0021
________________                                                       ______
/ Update History \_____________________________________________________/ 0001 \
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre Upload: 16 Nov 2008 [Version 2.0]
The creator of the original guide allowed me to retype and repost the guide.
Complete rectification of the guide structure has been made. Don't know when
I'm going to tackle going through and doing a spell check though.
Pre Upload: 17 Nov 2008 [Version 2.1]
Work on correcting a major error in the formatting has begun, and as of
current, it's complete. I'm almost 100% sure the guide is ready for upload.
Update: 19 Nov 2008 [Version 2.2]
The original creator contacted me with a slew of things to be changed and
mentioned. All of these changes are throughout the entire guide.
Update: 20 Nov 2008 [Version 2.3]
Several sites contacted me asking for permission to host this guide on their
site. The sites that have been allowed to host the guide has been updated.
Update: 29 Nov 2008 [Version 2.4]
Updated the outlook of the Update history, and modified the Legal section just
a little. Other than that, no major content updates have been made.
Update: 05 Dec 2008 [Version 2.5]
Took out some unnecessary eye candy and reduced the file size.
Update: 08 Dec 2008 [Version 2.51]
Got an email from a reader, which contained helpful information regarding the
medal for Sector Z. Such content has been added, and the contribution noted in
the Credits section.
Update: 16 Dec 2008 [Version 2.52]
Another email from a reader came in, giving a valuable tip in order to grab
the medal for Venom. Added this tip to the guide and gave appropriate praise
in the credits section.
Update: 23 Jan 2009 [Version 2.62]
Woo-hoo! First update of the new year! Got an email from a reader, containing
valuable advice regarding one of the tips and tricks that's posted, as well as
some strategies for various levels. Also got an IM from a reader regarding
issues as to why they didn't get a medal. For this reason, I've created an FAQ
section for the guide. I never thought I'd have to create one for such a
simple guide, but hey, it happens.
Update: 27 Jan 2009 [Version 2.64]
Few more emails containing corrections. Content modified, praise given.
Update: 24 Sep 2009 [Version 2.7]
Been a long while since the guide has seen updates. Over the course of the past
eight months, there have been numerous emails from readers telling me that the
guide has been instrumental in the success of their medal quests, so that at
least lets me know that the guide is beneficial. In addition, some readers have
contributed more tips to grabbing certain medals, so their information has been
placed in the guide and their praise has been given. ALSO! Coming soon, I'll be
adding a new section to the guide, listing helpful information regarding the
medal hunt on Expert mode, for the bold few who seek new challenges. Keep your
eyes out for that. (On the note of the new section, if you want to contribute
a tip for one of the levels, shoot me an email. Check the Contact section for
email information.)
Update: 25 Sept 2009 [Version 2.72]
Small fixes in formatting, list of authorized sites updated. Also, since the
guide is getting a little lengthy, I have implemented a simply search string to
make searching for specific items within the guide easier. Search strings can
be found in the table of contents.
Update: 01 Dec 2009 [Version 3.0]
Woo, it's been a while since I found time to update the guide. Had a reader go
through and compile a list of strategies for each level on Expert mode. The
info for Expert mode can be found in each level's main walkthrough. Also, in a
not-so-distant update, there'll be a little bonus section. I'm not going into
detail about what it'll be about, and if it doesn't make sense to you now,
you'll just have to wait and see.
Update: 09 Jan 2010 [Version 3.01]
Legal info updated.
Update: 24 Jan 2010 [Version 3.02]
List containing permitted sites to use this guide updated.
Update: 25 Jan 2010 [Version 3.1]
Minor changes in guide design to allow for easier reading.
_________________                                                      ______
/ Tips and Tricks \____________________________________________________/ 0002 \
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a compilation of some tips and tricks that you may or may not know. If
you can master the skills contained in this section, it'll make your medal hunt
so much easier.
____________
/ Rapid Fire \__________
------------------------
Pressing A just once will actually shoot the lasers three times. Take advantage
of this feature by finding the right time to press A again, and you'll unleash
a barrage of rapid fire lasers shots, maximizing your laser output. This will
allow you to drop enemies that can take more hits much quicker and allow you to
focus on another target, all the while saving your thumb a little stress.
_______________
/ Multiple Kill \__________
---------------------------
Holding A will cause your laser to charge and can be fired at one or multiple
enemies that has a little extra power than a single shot from the lasers. In
addition, once the shot is charged, you can lock on to enemies and the charged
shot will fire towards it when the A button is quickly tapped. Utilize this
feature by locking on to the center-most enemy of a formation and firing on it.
The end result? If the shot hits and is strong enough to kill them all, you'll
be awarded one point for every enemy killed, as well as a bonus point for each
enemy hit by the blast area.
Let's assume you have a formation of five. You shoot your charged shot at the
center-most enemy and take all five out. Because the four surrounding enemies
were taken out by the splash damage and NOT the shot itself, you're awarded
four bonus points, in addition to the five points for taking out the five
enemies, thus totalling nine points for the single formation of five.
The drawback? Charging the laser takes some time, which could be costly if you
noticed them too late and don't have enough to charge. Also, you have to make
sure you lock on to the correct enemy, or you won't take a whole formation out.
You can always negate a lock-on by simply releasing the A button (read:
RELEASING - Don't tap the button again until the charge disappears, or you'll
shoot the charge), but you'll waste another three seconds to charge and acquire
a lock-on.
If you feel you're pretty proficient at charged shots, take it a step further.
Hold down R and Z while you have a charge and you won't lock on to an enemy.
It's terribly inaccurate though, rather than the charge following your lock-on,
it will go in the direction your Arwing is pointing. It can be useful however,
if you do run into a situation where you want to attempt to take a formation
out in little time in order to focus on another target. Also, if you manage to
take out enemies using this feature, you'll get bonus points. That being said,
it IS possible to take out a single enemy and get bonus points. Try firing a
charged shot at a single enemy, but don't shoot the shot directly at it. If you
kill the enemy with the splash damage and don't hit it with the shot itself,
you'll be awarded the point for killing it, plus a bonus point for the splash
damage.
Kudos to Mike for clarifying this tactic.
______________
/ Bombs Galore \__________
--------------------------
Peppy said it best: "Use bombs wisely." These things are extremely lethal and
can allow for complete desecration of formations and even large targets with
ease, all the while focusing on another target. Simply put, find a large
formation, drop a bomb, and forget about them. However, resist the temptation
to go ballistic and bomb the hell out of anything that moves - You'll be out
of bombs pretty damn fast.
Save your bombs for large targets (these will get mentioned in the guide) and
for formations of six or more ships that are fairly spaced apart - anything
less is just overkill and could be used for something bigger. When you get into
the higher quantity of bombs (around six or so) occasionally dropping one is
acceptable, but start to limit use of them when you drop below five.
__________
/ Accuracy \__________
----------------------
Just because you have Hyper Lasers that are fast, lethal, and can be thrown out
at the speed of light doesn't mean you can get away with sweeping a general
area. Where circumstances arise where this is acceptable, more often than not,
it's best to try to accurately aim. Practice your accuracy on the Training Mode
feature, or on a level that you already have a medal for.
Let's suppose you don't get a medal for a particular level. What happens when
you restart? You go to your basic laser with three bombs. Accuracy in this
situation is critical, because you simply just can't get away with sweeping an
area with that pitiful excuse for weaponry. It just doesn't cut it.
________
/ Allies \__________
--------------------
The trio that makes up the rest of Star Fox can be your best friends and worst
enemies. They're obnoxious comments get dry and lame really fast, but in
reality, they're the best way to take advantage of a formation of enemies,
especially when you're flying in all-range mode. When they sit there and cry
for help, don't sweat it unless their shield gauge is low. Continue on with
what you're doing until they naturally come into view. Then lock on, fire a
charged shot, and move to the next target.
Your allies play a critical role in your quest for medals, however. You cannot
earn a medal for a particular level if all three of your allies do not finish
with you. Read: Keep your allies alive! Chances are you'll get angrier if you
don't medal a level because you let Slippy die (although he deserves it) rather
than you not meeting the kill quota.
_________________
/ Fire and Forget \__________
-----------------------------
An easy tactic to learn, and even easier to master; simply lock on to an enemy,
fire your charge shot, then immediate charge and lock on to another enemy. Take
care to monitor the shot if the formation you're shooting at is going off
screen, however, as the kills will not count if the enemy is not on screen.
_______________
/ The Dead Zone \__________
---------------------------
On the topic of monitoring shots towards enemies going off screen, take
particular note that if an enemy goes off screen and somehow it dies afterward,
the kill does not go toward your count. The N64 just doesn't put out enough to
power what's off screen, let alone what's in front of you.
__________________________
/ Collecting Extra Arwings \__________
--------------------------------------
Never miss an opportunity to pick up a 1-up. These things are essentially
helpful, especially if you're flying the hard route. Also, you never know when
you're going to want to restart the level, and by doing so, you lose an Arwing,
not to mention your cache of bombs and your Hyper lasers.
_______________________
/ Monitoring Your Score \__________
-----------------------------------
Keep a partially watchful eye on your score. If you've obtained enough kills to
earn a medal for a level, your score will quickly flash and turn red. Once this
happens, you can ease off on your killing spree, unless you're also trying to
earn extra Arwings.
It also helps to monitor your score just before you fight a boss. All of the
bosses offer a bonus to your kill count, so don't sweat it if you're two kills
away from a medal and about to fight a boss. The bonuses work just like any
kill bonus for dropping a formation, but typically worth a lot more points.
_________
/ Suicide \__________
---------------------
There's points in time throughout your play-through that you're not going to
achieve a medal. It doesn't mean you suck (well, it may for some people), it
just means you need to try harder. If you're not satisfied with how things are
going, play the level out and complete it, however, don't proceed to the next
level. Simply retry your previous level. It tells you that you will lose an
Arwing, but in reality, you lose an Arwing in addition to whatever lasers you
have and extra bombs, and thus start with the crappy lasers and three bombs.
However, if you're on Bolse or Area 6 and you don't like what's going on, you
might want to kill yourself while you're playing, as there's not an option to
retry those levels once you progress to Venom.
The reason for this is simple. If you obtain 100 kills in the level you want to
try again and complete it, you're awarded the extra Arwing, thereby
esssentially removing the Arwing cost to retry. Of course, the cumulative count
drops, but the Arwing cost does not. For example, you start Meteo with three
Arwings. You complete the level with 186 kills and receive the extra Arwing for
killing over 100. Since you didn't get the medal for it, you figure it'd be
safe to restart, so you do. It puts you right back to square one: entering
Meteo with three Arwings. The only difference is your weaponry.
Whatever your reasons for restarting a level, don't restart while you're
playing the level (except for Bolse and Area 6), as the kills you had prior to
restarting will not add up to another Arwing.
*Note: Since I know some idiot is going to use this against me, I'm going to
save myself now. Whatever you do, don't use this guide as an excuse to commit
actual suicide. I know there's going to be times where you can't beat a level
and get a medal, and you're going to feel like life's not living, but remember
that it's just a game and not worth a human life. Let the pixels do the dying.
(I figured I'd throw that in there just in case someone wanted to try and frame
me.)
___________
/ The Guide \__________________________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here it is, the meat and potatoes of the guide. This section will cover the
tactics and strategies you can use to get a medal for each level. It's broken
down into seven sub-sections, based on how far you are into the game, and some
are then further broken down into the different levels you can play.
And take note that these tips are only one way of doing it. With a vast
majority of games, there's multiple ways of doing things, and this game is no
exception.
_______________________                                      ______
__________/ Mission One: Corneria \____________________________________/ 0003 \
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 150
Difficulty: Hard
Definitely not the best level to start your medal quest, but there's nothing
you can do about it. The enemies here are widely spread out and move at a
pretty fast pace. Some also like to hug the sides of buildings, as well as the
ground. Keep watchful eyes out around these spots, because that's where a
majority of the formations are.
Charge shots are a must here. They'll let you lock-on to the formations so that
you can focus on other enemies. Do your absolute best to take out the bots that
cause some of the buildings to fall, as they're worth six kills each.
The following tip has been provided by Snow, posted verbatim from the email:
At the point where Falco gets chased by the enemies, it's tempting to boost
straight after him, but there's a metal "arch" right there. If you fly under
that, 4 enemies appear that you can used a charged shot on, adding 7 points,
which may not seem like much, but every point counts.
When you get to the stone arches, take out all of the water gliding bots, as
they're worth four points. Make sure to fly under all the arches so that Falco
leads you to the real boss. By the time you see Falco headed into the
waterfall, there's a couple enemies facing dead ahead, do what you can to take
them out before going under the waterfall. By this time, you should have around
120-130 kills, so things should be smooth sailing for the medal. Take out as
many of the remaining enemies as you can, and make sure to wait until the
fighters just before the boss get into their formation to score the most
points.
The boss here will give 11 points, so if you reach him with 139 kills or more,
you're made in the shade.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
No real differences. Just bear in mind your wings can break much easier than
before.
_____________
__________/ Mission Two \______________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's two routes within Mission Two that you can take: easy or hard. The easy
route is Meteo, the hard is Sector Y.
_____________                           ______
/ Easy: Meteo \_________________________/ 0004 \
------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 200
Difficulty: Easy
Not exactly the best level to attempt to medal right after Corneria, as you're
going to want bombs in this level, but it still is possible. In the beginning
take out as many of the asteroids you can. Drop a bomb, detonate it, and watch
your score skyrocket into the next millennium.
Throughout the level, use charge shots extensively and bombs minimally. But
this goes without saying.
Do absolutely everything you can to hit all seven warp points, as it's near
impossible to medal this level without it. Lock on to the star formations of
enemies as you get close to the warp points and fire your charge shots. You're
going to lose focus on them after you hit the second or third warp, as your
speed is going to increase greatly, but continue to attempt your lock-on shots
at the formations that pass by.
If you don't make the warp, I strongly suggest restarting. The boss gives 11
points, so unless you have 189 kills when you get to him (which is damn near
impossible - I don't know of anyone who has done it), you won't make it.
UPDATE: It truly IS possible to get the 200 kill count WITHOUT hitting the
warp! Yes, you read that right! I still feel it's quite hard, but it's
definitely more feasible than I originally made it seem. Rather than focusing
on hitting the warps, focus on the clusters of enemies that hang around them.
There are five clusers of eight enemies each. Targeting one and taking it out
with a charged shot will generate enough splash damage to kill the remaining
seven, which will give you bonus points. Do this for all five clusters and
your kill count should have increased by at least 75 points. (Credit goes to
Chris for this contribution)
If you manage to hit the warp you're most likely going to medal this level.
It's a little more difficult if you don't have a good supply of bombs, but
it's still possible. Even if your going through a bomb drought, don't sweat it.
There's a formation that spells out 64 that will explode, giving a mass
multitude of arsenal. Navigate your Arwing to line up with the bombs and do a
somersault to grab the bombs. Lock on to the few enemies that are in the
level, as all of them are in some type of formation (except the swinging ones.
I hate those things). When you get to the plethora of asteriods, pull the same
trick you did when you started the level. Drop bombs and see the points
increase greatly.
Done right, you should be able to complete this level with over 250 kills.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
Meteo Differences on Expert:
(1.) There are enemies at the end of the tunnels that shoot at you. This
can really hurt you 'cause there are 4 guys & this is expert.
(2.) The 3 enemies right before the point where Peppy calls for help break
a wing 2/3rds of the time. Flip to avoid it.
(3.) At the end of the warp, the asteroids DON'T GIVE POWERUPS. Only the
"64" blast gives anything (and the enemy swarms).
________________                           ______
/ Hard: Sector Y \_________________________/ 0005 \
---------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 150
Difficulty: Easy
Things are going to be pretty fast paced in the beginning, with no apparent
signs of relent. Keep your cool and you should be able to pull this level off
fairly easy.
The flying bots may look intimidating, but they're a joke. Lock on and shoot a
charged shot at them, then forget about them. There's no need to try and take
him out before the shot hits him. They die in one hit from charged shots.
Do your absolute best at taking out EVERY SINGLE COMPONENT of the flying ships
towards the end. Each ship is easily worth 8-10 points if you take everything
out. Easy pointage right here. Unfortunately, it may seem impossible to do,
since the ships fly in and off screen quickly. It is for this reason that the
bombs you should be saving are beneficial. Drop a bomb just in front of the
ship, and the blast will take out the ship's components, even as it flies by.
When your allies jump into formation toward the end, they'll reward you with an
extra Arwing. Stay in this formation to receive it.  However, don't take it
unless you feel you're going to need it. Instead, get out of the way of
potentially shooting them and continue to aim at enemies all around the screen.
The boss comes in two parts, two bots worth four points each, and the main boss
worth 11, which gives a grand total of 19. That being said, make sure you reach
them with at least 131 points.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
The only real problem in this level is the multiple points you can break a
wing. "Use the brake!"
_______________
__________/ Mission Three \____________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the next three missions (including this one), there's three routes you can
take, depending on how confident you feel, as well as your performance in the
previous level.
_______________                           ______
/ Easy: Fortuna \_________________________/ 0006 \
--------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 50
Difficulty: Very Easy
This medal is so easy to obtain, you'll probably be a little confused if you
get it by accident. The only real advice you need for Fortuna is to kill Star
Wolf's collection of misfits as quickly as possible. If you can drop all four
of them in a timely manner (which is quite easy), you'll pretty much have all
the points you need. Simply kill six enemies while you're waiting for Star Wolf
to appear, drop the four losers, and you'll nab this medal.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
You didn't say anything, so why should I?
________________                           ______
/ Medium: Katina \_________________________/ 0007 \
---------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 150
Difficulty: Hard
Katina is a pretty difficult level to medal. The enemies come here a dime a
dozen, so you would think it's easy, right?
Wrong! Your allies are able to steal kills from you much easier than Fortuna
is, primarily because there's so many of them. And I'm not talking just
enemies. Bill, who is apart of the Cornerian Army has a friggin' squadron of
his own units there to help. Remember how I said that your allies could be your
worst enemy at times? Katina is one of those times. All of Bill's pilots fly
around killing enemies and it's incredibly hard to distinguish who is friend
and who is foe.
There's two ways of doing this. One way is significantly easier than the other,
but for the sake of being able to, both are listed.
The first, and (in my opinion) the harder of the two, is to focus on lock-on
shots for the formations. Don't be intimidated by your trio's cries for help -
They'll be fine unless their shield gauges are critically low, but follow them
and take out the formations that amass behind them. Lock-on shots are almost
always the keys to medalling a level, however Katina seems to be the only
exception. For this reason, I recommend the better (and more sadistic) method
of approach.
Whoa, pump the brakes a little bit. Did you just say that charge shots are NOT
recommended in this level?!Yes. Yes I did. So what's the key to obtaining this
medal? Be ruthless. Be twisted. Be sadistic! Who gives a damn if Bill tells
you that you shot down one of his pilots? They don't affect your kill count,
so kill them. Just say they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The sadistical, maniacal, downright sick and demented approach is to literally
sweep the map. Seriously. Tilt your ship to one side, follow the direction of
the tilt, and pull a spray-and-pray maneuver. The drawback is that you're only
racking up single kills, not bonus points for taking out the multitudes of
formations that persist in this level. Also, you run the risk of hurting your
allies (Not Bill's units - They don't care about you, so you should feel the
same), decreasing their shield gauge and putting them in potential danger. If
you've got impervious accuracy, this may be a good idea to try, otherwise, use
the better of the two options.
When the mothership comes in and centers itself over the pyramid-like building
thing, don't panic. When the hatches open, resist all urges to take them out.
Sure, they're worth six points each, but their existence is crucial to getting
the medal. Each time they open, they let out around six enemies. Per hatch.
That's around 24 enemies released each time they open! Press those hatches to
the fullest advantage.
The mothership itself is the boss, obviously. Dropping the core of it will
award you with 11 points. You get one minute to take out the core when it
appears, but it doesn't take half that. Ignore the timer until you get to
about 20 seconds, then unleash a barrage of Hyper laser fury toward it. It
shouldn't take more than about 10 seconds to take out, allowing for one or two
passes before the timer runs out.
So what's a sufficient kill count prior to completion? If you plan on taking
out the hatches, you should make sure you have 115 points within the time you
take out the hatches (giving 24 points for all four), so that when the core
appears, you have at least 139. Of course, the more sensible option would be to
ignore the hatches and let the enemies multiply like two rabbits in mating
season. Regardless of your methods, make sure you have at least 139 prior to
dropping the core.
*Note: After a recent play-through, I noticed that the mothership's bonus value
will drop after a certain time. I don't know how long it takes for the drop,
but if you wait until around the 20-second mark, it's only going to be worth
three. That being said, ignore the first 40 seconds of the core's visibility
to press your kill count even further. If you can take it out within those last
20 seconds, you'll get three points, therefore you should aim to have at least
147 before you start attacking the core. Of course, since you have only three
more kills to obtain, you may as well guarantee your medal and shoot the
remaining three enemies. Seriously, it takes maybe ten seconds tops to drop the
core.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
I thought that this one was tip-worthy for one reason only. The enemy
ships seem to have gone Kamikaze on you. The first 5 lives I played (yes,
5) all resulted in no medal because of (A.) These guys will rip your wing
off, (B.) They are near impossible to avoid, and (C.) 4 hits normal bar
results in death. The best way to medal is to take the suicide tactic to
the next level.
Let the mothership kill the base.
This results in WAY more points because... (A.) Provided they are still
alive, the hatches still release enemies, (B.) When they open after 30
seconds, destroy them, you should still get full points, (C.) After you
kill them you still can kill more ships. Of course, if you want to get to
Solar you should go to Fortuna. And don't forget to watch for Slippy.
_____________                           ______
/ Hard: Aquas \_________________________/ 0008 \
------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 150
Difficulty: Easy
This level doesn't make sense to me. It seems that Nintendo threw it in here
just for filler, but whatever. It's another medal, right?
Being in the Blue Marine is no different than being in an Arwing. Except for
being in a submarine rather than a fighter jet/space ship thingy. The
advantage: Unlimited torpedos. Yes, that's right. You get unlimited bombing
ability that doesn't affect your bomb count when you get back in an Arwing. If
you don't take advantage of this, you're a fool. By bombing the hell out of
anything that moves, you'll rack up some serious bonus pointage from the splash
damage of the torpedoes, as they act more like a charged shot than a bomb
itself (Maybe that's why you don't lose your stockpile of bombs). (Thanks again
to Mike for this contribution.)
A helpful tactic, and probably the only one you should do, is to simultaneously
press A and B indefinitely throughout the level. The drawback is that your
thumb will be occupied with both buttons, thus causing you to lose control of
your speed should you need to speed up or slow down. I doubt you'll have much
need for them in this level though.
Something I learned from the original guide that may work is to obliterate
everything while dodging as little as possible. If you feel the need to dodge
something, simply spin and deflect it. (This next statement comes straight from
the original guide) In fact, add the R button to the list; pound all three
buttons endlessly. If you feel your poor thumb suffering, pause to take a break,
then get back in the action.
The boss can be worth either 11 points or 23. If you fail to notice the
parasites that are on top of him, you'll be awarded with 11 points. Take those
out however, and you'll get four points for each, in addition to the 11 for the
boss. Take note that it's strongly recommended that you take out the boss in a
timely manner. Take toop much time killing him, and you'll lose five points,
giving your total six or 18, depending on what you do with the parasites.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
This level was so hard for me, I suspect everyone knows the tricks for it.
The rock fish, boulders after the jellies, and the exploding starfish are
your threats. Stay out of the way, use the brake, and torpedo them when
they get close for each issue, respectively.
______________
__________/ Mission Four \_____________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three more choices await you in the fourth mission. Starting to get tired yet?
I hope not - You're only halfway home.
________________                           ______
/ Easy: Sector X \_________________________/ 0009 \
---------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 150
Difficulty: Moderate
Just like Sector Y, you're going to feel overwhelmed by enemies in the
beginning. But if you went to Sector Y, why the hell are you looking at Sector
X?
Firing and forgetting is essential in this level. Lock on, fire a charged shot,
then aim for the other screen. Do this relentlessly throughout the level. When
you get to the mine field, drop a bomb or two while passing through. Easy
points right here, and it may possibly save your life.
When you get to what appears to be a weakly defended and destroyed area of the
base, zig-zag around the screen and take out all the little drone bots you see,
while dodging flying parts of the base. When you get to the fork in the road,
fly to the right, unless you want to attempt the warp (which is pretty
difficult and unrewarding whatsoever). Kill the three drones at the base of the
fork, and reward yourself with a laser upgrade that drops from the last one to
die. After you veer to the right, brace yourself for a shooting frenzy. Use
charge shots to the fullest, and drop a bomb here and there if it becomes
necessary.
The boss rewards you with 11 points, so again, 139 is the magic number to have
prior to starting the battle. Take out the boss as quickly as possible, as
taking too long will cause the boss to take Slippy out and force you to a
dreaded level, in addition to causing you to lose the medal for Sector X.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
Absolutely nothing. Just whatever you do, don't take the warp. If I can't
beat Sector Z on Star Fox 1, there ain't no way I'm doing that.
_______________                           ______
/ Medium: Solar \_________________________/ 0010 \
--------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 100
Difficulty: Easy
Solar shouldn't give you any problems. In fact, it's so easy, there aren't any
outside tips you need to know in order to receive the medal. Shoot absolutely
everything, including those lava rocks. Some of the rocks will break into four,
which will allow for four more points. There's even rocks in the distance, so
aim for those as well. If you don't, you're missing out on some points, as they
will be gone long before you get to where you think you saw it.
Make sure to have a couple bombs handy for a couple swarms of those lava birds.
The last swarm at the end is a bombing necessity. As soon as you see the birds
emerge from the lava, shoot a bomb and detonate as needed.
Go into the boss fight with 89 kills, and you'll medal the level, as the boss
is worth (you guessed it!) 11 points.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
First of all, always come here via Fortuna. Katina breaks wings, your
laser is important here, and Bill sometimes steals enough points to make a
difference. The beginning of the level is the perfect place to die, boost
through it avoiding fireballs as best as you can. Since you would
obviously be expert material, you ought to know what and when to shoot.
When Falco says "I ain't your buddy, go away!", fire a lock on bomb at his
"buddies", because Falco will lose life fast. Otherwise, pretty
straightforward.
______________                           ______
/ Hard: Zoness \_________________________/ 0011 \
-------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 250
Difficulty: Moderate
Zoness may seem pretty difficult to medal, but it's easier than you think. The
most handy thing to remember is to TAKE OUT THE SEARCHLIGHTS. Every single one.
They're worth three kills each, and there's around 30-40 of them. Don't miss
one and get spotted. More enemies will come if you do.
"But what if I want more enemies?" Granted, more enemies will come if you get
spotted, but the searchlights will drop from three points each down to just
one. Also, the extra enemies won't make up for the extra points you can get
if you took out all the searchlights, so taking them all out is paramount.
Lock-on charge shots are crucial here, just like any other level. Very rarely
will enemies fly or float in that are single units, meaning that they're
always in some type of formation. And formations mean extra points. The ships
that have cargo boxes are fair targets, since the cargo boxes can be destroyed,
and they will almost always award you with a gold or silver ring. Sometimes
you'll get lucky and get a bomb though. Remember to use your bombs wisely, even
though you're going to feel overwhelmed at times.
The boss will award you with another expected 11 points, so your magic number
here is 239. I won't go into detail about how to kill him (since that's not
pertinent to the content of this guide), but make sure to stock up on your bomb
supply here. It's easy to finish him off and have eight or nine bombs in
reserve.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
Love the music here. Anyway, this was the last level for me to medal on
normal. The beginning is filled with points and bombs. Those random thing
that pop out from the goo that fire plasma balls in a twist pattern are a
great way to stock on bombs. Charge shot them to kill them. Same thing for
the water spiders, one shot death. You can't kill either with normal
lasers.
Later, Katt will come in and "Help" take out the searchlights. Beat her to
them, otherwise you lose 12 points.
The sea monsters are annoying, charge shot the lights from afar to avoid
trouble. I've broken many a wing.
AFTER THE BARGES...
These things don't hold anything anymore, so focus on charge shotting
ships. Sometimes ships hide on the platforms, you can shoot them before
they even rise. ALWAYS STAY ABOVE THE PLATFORMS. You WILL break a wing
going under them. If you shoot everything right, you'll get the 250. If
you don't...
______________
__________/ Mission Five \_____________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the last mission where you have three level options to choose from. And
as always, your choices depend on your performance in the previous level, as
well as your physical location.
_______________                           ______
/ Easy: Titania \_________________________/ 0012 \
--------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 150
Difficulty: Moderate
I'm going to kick this one off by making a statement: If you're going to
Titania just because you want to, then you're a better man than I am. I mean
sure, you can go just to get a medal, but why would you want to? And if you're
going just because you want to, maybe you should reconsider your goals in the
game.
If you're flying this route because you need to save Slippy, it's going to be
a pretty daunting task to get accustomed to the Landmaster. I'll spare you the
details in the differences between it and an Arwing, but just know that you'll
have to get used to it.
There's really not a lot you don't already know for this level in order to
medal it. Simply use your charged shots against the enemies, as they're almost
always in a formation.
*Note: After some information, I found that bombs here are more helpful than
normal. Therefore, if you've got a couple bombs lying around collecting dust,
lob a couple out there to help rack out some points.
As expected, roll up to the boss fight with 139 kills and you'll medal this
one. Your score won't reflect that you received the medal until Slippy
rejoins you toward the end of the boss fight, so remember to keep an eye on
your score.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
There is no easily noticeable difference in this level EXCEPT for the fact
that you die here significantly more. Shoot what you can, including the
boulder-tossers, and charge shot the groups of mines. Pretty much the
same.
_________________                           ______
/ Medium: Macbeth \_________________________/ 0013 \
----------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 150
Difficulty: Easy
Another simple level to get a medal in, as a majority of the points come from
taking out parts of the train. Even if this is the first time you're driving
the Landmaster, it's simple to score points, unlike Titania.
Start off the level by immediately braking and take out the cannon car of the
train. The next three cars of the train have boulders in them, so if you can
smash the A button fast enough, you'll take out the entire car (boulders
included), giving you seven points for each car. Also, remember to take out
the CAR ITSELF, not just the cargo it's on, as this is an easy point to miss.
If you've got a few spare bombs lying around, shoot one where two boulder cars
connect, and it'll greatly aid in your destruction of it.
When you get to where enemy ships fly overhead, don't waste time trying to drop
them with single shots. Lock on to them, fire a charged shot, then lock on to
another. You shouldn't miss any by doing this, but you'll be fine if you miss a
few. There's a couple formations immediately after this, so make sure to lock on
and fire a charged shot at the center-most ship. A bomb with these annoying
ships may come in handy as well.
The boulders that follow can be pretty easy to miss to someone who's untrained
with the Landmaster, so if it's necessary, one bomb to the middle of each wave
of bombs will be sufficient, provided you have a few spare ones.
By the time you get halfway, you should easily have over 100 points, so
medalling this level is in the bag - well, that's if you take out the supply
depot. There's only one or two more enemies after you hit the checkpoint, so if
you don't have at least 99, restart when you complete the level.
Shooting the eight switches and causing the train to collide with the supply
depot will award you with 51 points, which is pretty nice. Of course, if you
fail miserably and have to fight the boss, it's only 11 points, provided you
take it out in a timely manner. Take too much time, and the points will drop
from 11 to six, then to three.
_____________
__________/ Expert Mode \
-------------------------
Immediately hold Z and mash A as fast as you can to kill that last car;
this is your only chance to do it. Immediately after, fire a bomb at the
incoming formation of ships, and then continue working on the train.
After you are attacked by boulders and a golden ring appears, ignore the
ring, wait till you are at the edge of the cliff, and hoverboost onto the
train tracks. When a group of ships shows up, go as close to the edge as
you dare and fire a charge shot at them. Murder the train. At about the
time Falco calls for help, a gold ring will appear to the right. Fire a
charge at Falco's bogey, and grab the ring. The rest of the level is
basically the same as in normal mode.
________________                           ______
/ Hard: Sector Z \_________________________/ 0014 \
---------------------------------------------------
Kill Quota: 100
Difficulty: Very Hard
Up until this point, almost all of the levels are fairly easy to medal.
Unfortunately there's gotta be one level that's a royal pain in the ass to earn
a medal on, right?
Hello, Sector Z.
This level, unlike practically all the other levels, is probably single-
handedly the hardest level to earn a medal in, if not THE hardest. It's
imperative (read: really friggin' important) to kill virtually EVERY enemy
within this level. The enemies are so scarce, you're going to end up playing
this level several times through just to develop some kind of partial strategy
to medal it. You're most likely going to waste your stockpile of extra Arwings
here, which will make subsequent play-throughs more difficult (e.g. going back
to the basic Arwing).
The easiest way to obtain the medal for Sector Z is to reach this level from
Sector X. If you got here from Zoness, Katt will come in at a certain point in
the level and will almost always take out one of the missiles you must destroy,
robbing you of HIGHLY needed points. Therefore, do you absolute hardest to
warp from Sector X from this level; by doing so, Katt will not appear. (Thanks
to King Meteor for this contribution).
Apparently, if you break a wing while playing the level, the Great Fox will fix
it if you enter the port on the belly of the ship. Enter the port from the rear
of the ship and exit out the front. Great Fox will repair your wing(s), and ROB
64 will also reward you with a supply box containing a laser upgrade. Not bad,
eh? (Thanks to the Wise One for this contribution.)
The first thing I can help you with in getting this medal is the usefulness of
hitting the Start button during the cutscene. Doing this actually changes your
starting position of the level, and puts you almost directly in line with an
asteroid you can destroy (asteroid info provided below).
Your allies are going to call for help more often than not. Press this to the
fullest advantage! We all know that those three bumbling morons are just fine;
they just don't know how to do a somersault and rely on big brother Star Fox to
do the dirty work. Not like you should care, since their cries for help result
in your score going up for killing the formations that gather behind them.
Regardless, it's probably best to just ignore them altogether. They also tend
to get in the way, so keep an eye out for that.
The six missiles that are launched toward Great Fox are essentially the boss,
and each missile is the single-most valuable enemy, worth 11 points each.
Therefore, 66 of the 100 points you need lie within the six missiles.
Accuracy is critical in being accredited with the points from the missiles.