_____________________________________
Michigan (Japanese)
Michigan: Report from Hell (European)
PS2
Guide & Walkthrough
-------------------------------------
Guide by: R Fred W (rfredw@argonet.co.uk)
Creation: 24 Aug 2005
This Version: 1.2 (1 Feb 2006)
____________
Versions
------------
1.0 Complete walkthrough
1.1 Typo corrections.
Dance show unlockable errors corrected.
Ann's level 3 survival clarified.
Carly & the level 13 locker-room clarified.
European version documented.
1.2 Level names & plot progression taken from European release.
"Dear D, from M" taggables listed, & given their own section.
Non-point-giving taggables listed.
____________
Basics
------------
Plot:-
Chicago has been filled with sinister mist, and people are transforming
into hideous creatures. Time for Zaka TV - or, more specifically, you (on
camera), Brisco (sound) and Pamela (reporter) - to investigate.
You're the cameraman. You film a (usually female) reporter, and
occasionally use your camera to direct her attention to ingame objects in
order to uncover what's going on.
Michigan has a severe content rating in Japan (18-rated, with an extra
warning triangle). I'd expect any Western release to be similarly
restricted.
____________________
European Release
--------------------
After originally being scheduled for release in November 2004, the
European version, entitled "Michigan: Report From Hell", was finally
released in October 2005. It did indeed get an 18 rating, despite a
number of features being cut. It also suffers from a couple of bugs.
The European version features speech (English only), with subtitles in
French, English, Italian & Spanish.
All content related to YinLing (the game's promotional, real-life, starlet,
who features in several parts of the Japanese release) has been removed.
There's a major bug regarding the "Movie theater" unlockable, in that
you can't replay videos you've seen ingame, and never get to see the
videotape unlockables at all.
On the bright side, the "dance show" unlockable has actually been
enhanced. Also, of course, for those without Japanese knowledge, the plot
becomes follow-able!
_______________________
Walkthrough notes
-----------------------
Michigan is a simple game to get to the end of, even for non-Japanese
speakers playing through the Japanese version. If you're reading this in
order to find out what the game's like, then stop now, and go instead to a
review. I can recommend the video review at consolevania.com. Note that,
like the game, Consolevania is 18+.
Even if you've bought the game, this guide should only really be read
if you're stuck, or if you've played it through once, and now want to clear
out the extras.
______________
Contents
--------------
Preamble (Above):-
Basics
European release
Walkthrough notes
Contents:-
Right here.
Game Guide:-
Frontend
Controls
Screen Display
Level Progression
Scoring Points
Other Collectables
End of game rewards
Walkthrough:-
Pamela's Level:
Tutorial
Ann's Levels:
Level 1: International Hotel
Level 2: Office
Level 3: Center Building
Carly's Levels:
Level 4: Zaka TV
Level 5: Brody Nursing Home
Level 6: Miller Mansion
Level 7: St Matthew's Church
Nina's Level:
Level 8: Campground Lodge
Justine's Levels:
Level 9: Zaka TV Head Office
Level 10: Von Erich Library
Level 11: "Shakedown" Junk shop
Level 12: Club "Gotchi"
Level 13: Forest building
Paula's Levels:
Level 14: Grant Park Station
Level 15: "24 Station" store
Level 16: Motel
Mark's Levels:
Level 17: Great Thesz Airport
Level 18: Lighthouse
Extras:-
YinLing's Levels:
Special Stage
Dance Show
YinLing Album
Movie Present
"Dear D, From M" messages
Web Pointers
______________
Frontend
--------------
On the European release, things open with a langauge-select
English/French/Italian/Spanish (no German)
(The voices are in English, regardless of what language you've chosen)
Next: a 50/60Hz switch, plus a "test NTSC(60Hz)" option
Then, in both versions...
Push Start->
New Game (You keep any unlockables you've unlocked)
Load Game (Continue from where you last saved)
Configuration
Throughout the menus, the Japanese standard is:-
O: Select
X: Cancel
European is:-
X: Select
Triangle: Cancel
When loading/saving on the Japanese version, get to recognise a Japanese
Yes/No menu: Yes is the top, two letter word (hai), No (default) is the
bottom three-letter word (iie). Are you sure? 'Course you are.
Loading is a simple "yes". Between levels, saving is "yes, yes",
continuing without saving is "no, yes" (you might like to remove your
memory card for safety).
Configuration->
Camera control: Reverse / Normal
Vibration: On/Off
Sound: Stereo / Mono
(Special: Available after one playthrough)
Save/Load -> Data Save / Data Load
Default
Exit
Special-> (Once you've finished the game & unlocked stuff)
The contents of the "Special" menu vary according to which version
you're playing, partly due to the removal of anything relating to
YinLing in the European version, and partly to a glitch in the
unlockables which means they're mis-labelled.
Japanese version "Special" menu:-
Ann: Default / Costume / Swimsuit (Costume selection)
Carly: Default / Costume / Swimsuit
Justine: Default / Costume / Swimsuit
Paula: Default / Costume / Swimsuit
Mark: Default / Swimsuit
Brisco: Default / HopperMan
YinLing: Default / Swimsuit
Special Stage: ENTER (Play the special stage)
YinLing Show: ENTER (View/play the dance show)
YinLing Album: ENTER (View any postcards you've collected)
Movie Present: ENTER (View any movies you've seen)
European version "Special" menu:-
Ann: Default / Costume / Swimsuit (Costume selection)
Carly: Default / Costume / Swimsuit
Justine: Default / Costume / Swimsuit
Paula: Default / Costume / Swimsuit
Mark: Default / Swimsuit
Brisco: Default / HopperMan
Secret: ?????(Ann) / Carly / ... (Reporter selection)
Movie Theater: ENTER
There's a pretty bad glitch in the European version in that the
Movie theatre isn't available. Instead, it takes you to the dance
show "secret", which is unlocked for high-E completion. So once
you've opened up both "Secret" and "Movie Theater" on the menu,
they both do the same thing, except that "Secret" has the reporter-
selection.
______________
Controls
--------------
Japanese Version:-
Circle: Camera Lock-on: Focusses the camera onto objects marked
with a lock-on dot.
Press a second time to examine the tagged object.
Cross: "Help" on "Press X to help" scenes.
Cancels lock-on without examining the tagged object.
Triangle: /
Square: /
European Version:-
Cross: Camera Lock-on: Focusses the camera onto objects marked
with a lock-on dot.
Press a second time to examine the tagged object.
Triangle: "Help" on "Press Triangle to help" scenes.
Cancels lock-on without examining the tagged object.
Circle: /
Square: /
Both Versions:-
Left stick: Move.
Right stick: Aim camera.
L3: (L-stick click) Film behind you
R3: (R-stick click) Auto-centre
L1/R1: Zoom in/out.
L2: "Ram" (Charge up by holding L2 down, then release to let
rip. This is used to knock over your companions, and to
open crates. I'd originally thought of this as "kick"
when I was playing in Japanese, so if you see any kicking
mentioned in the guide, I mean "ram", okay?
R2: /
D-pad: Two levels of crouch/get up.
Start: Skip dialogue. Pause if no dialogue.
"Start" also skips the lengthy text level intros, but only
once the speech & music have started.
____________________
Screen Display
--------------------
Top bar:
"S" points - Green, move the marker to the right of centre.
"E" points - Red, move the marker to the left of centre.
"I" points - Red break-line, outwards from the centre.
Getting the meter all the way to the end (which represents around 5000
points) doesn't prevent you from earning more points. Also, despite the
appearance of the meter, "S" and "E" do not cancel each other out - You
want to collect one or the other, not a balance.
Arrows at side of screen:
Indicate where the reporter is, if she's off-screen
Slider at bottom of screen:
Zoom setting for your camera (L1/R1).
Controls at bottom of screen:
Give an indication of whether you can move around or not, and whether
pressing start will skip the current action.
Tape timer at top-right.
Counts down, indicating the amount of videotape remaining.
(When it runs out, you'll still be able to progress, but won't be
able to gain any "S"/"E"/"I" points by filming stuff).
Battery meter at bottom-left
The tutorial level describes this as measuring your "total progress".
Camera lock-on dots:
Red targetting square - Something that's too far off.
Green dot - Reporter
Red dot - Target point on an enemy or other shootable object.
Orange dot - Doorknob or item.
Reporter floor-rings:
Red ring - Waiting to report - Walk up to the reporter, & film.
Green ring - Waiting to be filmed, but optionally: The reporter may walk
on if you delay. There may be a taggable nearby that will
only generate conversation if the reporter's in the ring.
White ring - Door/Item: The reporter is waiting for you to tag a specific
item, usually a doorknob.
Blue ring - Route: The reporter may pause for a while, near an optional
side-quest.
_______________________
Level Progression
-----------------------
The levels are arranged in groups. If your reporter is killed, then you
skip to the next batch of levels, and start them with a new reporter. If
she survives, then you keep the same reporter for the next batch. If, on
the other hand, you die, then you restart the level you're on.
If you're aiming to get to the end of the game, with a specific reporter,
as quickly as possible, then it helps to know the points at which you can
bump off the ones you're not interested in :)
Killing yourself is surprisingly difficult, but it's as well to be aware
of where it can happen.
____________________
Scoring Points
--------------------
There are three types of points in Michigan: The game rewards you for
concentrating on a single point type. At the end of the game, you get one
of three endings, depending which point type you have most of. There are
also unlockable extras for completing with a huge amount of one point type,
and very little of the other two.
"Suspense" (S) points
Gained by good camerawork. Get a head-and-shoulders shot of whoever's
talking (The "S" flashes if you're on-target). Extra "S" is available by
tagging important plot-revealing items for your reporter to report on.
Since the "S" available for good camera-work is limited, knowing where
to get extra "S" is essential for the "high S" unlockable, and this makes
up the bulk of this guide.
Most parts of the game that are "optional" in terms of level progression
include conversations, and hence extra "S", regardless of any taggable
objects.
"Erotic" (E) points
Mostly gained by crouching, and filming up the skirt of the reporter.
Also gainable by finding pornography. You can win the "high E" unlockable
easily during the reporters' long talks-to-camera: It's pretty much an
infinite resource.
"Immoral" (I) points
Gained by filming tragedies rather than preventing them. Also by ramming
your companions, and by unneccessary filming of corpses. "I" is an
infinite (if slow to accumulate) resource if you repeatedly kick Brisco
and your reporter around. Or just kicking walls, in fact.
There're loads of things to examine in the game, many of which bag you
extra "S", "E", or "I" points when tagged.
________________________
Other collectables
------------------------
Other taggable objects:
Some of the objects which don't garner any kind of point in their own
right can lead to "S" from filming any conversation which is triggered by
tagging them. Other taggables are completely inert, beyond some
descriptive text.
YinLing cards: (Japanese version only)
Every level's got one. A couple of levels have two. They are not present
on your first run through the game (So don't waste time looking!). They're
stills and behind-the-scenes photos from the live-action promo video for
the game. As far as I can tell, the video itself is not available ingame,
however.
In the European version, pretty much everything YinLing-related has been
removed from the game, right down to the posters on the walls, images on
computer screens, and magazine covers, in some levels.
Video tapes:
Every video cutscene you see whilst playing the game is viewable from
the frontend once you've finished the game. However, there are also four
videos which take the form of video cassette tapes hidden in the levels.
Sadly, in the European version, there's a bug in the frontend which
prevents them from being viewable.
_________________________
End of game rewards
-------------------------
This, basically, covers the "extras" section of the options menu, and how
to unlock stuff therein.
Complete the game:
------------------
Japanese version:
Three options are opened up after the first playthrough:
The YinLing album: On subsequent playthroughs, there are 1 or 2 hidden
postcards on each level, which unlock still photos from the shooting of
the live-action promo video for the game. The cards are not present on
your first playthrough.
The YinLing special level: It's the hotel from the first level of the
main game, but with YinLing as your reporter, and five tokens to collect.
Movie theatre: Retains all the video clips that you've seen or picked
up whilst playing.
European version:
Movie theatre: Bizarrely, this takes you to what, on the Japanese
version, has the more appropriate title of "dance show". Except that
- until you've done the High "E" unlockable - it's Ann in her swimming
costume doing the dancing, instead of YinLing.
I suspect that this is down to a bug in the game. Not only can you not
replay the videos you've already seen in-game, this means that the four
videotape collectables aren't viewable at all.
Both versions:
Costumes: Whichever reporter you have with you at the end of the game
gets a new costume: There are two costumes each available for Ann, Carly,
Justine, and Paula - "costume" and "mizugi" (swimming costume) - and one
costume for Mark.
So, that's a minimum of nine runthroughs required for 100%, but some
of them can be very quick runthroughs indeed, skipping half of the
levels and all of the chatter (45 minutes is enough to get you to the
end of the game with Mark, if you're in a hurry).
High "S" game completion:
-------------------------
Brisco, the cameraman, has an unlockable "HopperMan" costume, awarded for
completion with "S" over 75,000. This can take a bit of effort, and is the
main purpose of all the "S"/"E"/"I" annotations in the levels.
High "E" game completion:
-------------------------
Japanese version:
YinLing, the unlockable starlet, has an unlockable costume, awarded for
a completion with "E" over 75,000.
European version:
The dance-stage is unlocked "properly", and the reporter you have with
you becomes selectable for the dance-stage filming. On subsequent runs,
regardless of ending type, the reporter you have with you will become added
to the list of reporters selectable for the dance stage.
This is easily obtainable just by leaving the camera pointed up your
reporter's skirt for a while on each level, either during dialogue, or when
they're waiting by a door (Just leave the game to clock up points for ten
minutes or so while you have a cuppa).
High "I" game completion:
-------------------------
The final video is unlocked.
To achieve this, you need "I" above 75,000, and "S"&"E" both below 500.
Clocking up a full meter of 5000 "I" points, by kicking a convenient wall
before speed-running the level, takes around five minutes. Always skip, or
face away from, any dialogue. Be careful which objects you tag.
Clearing the YinLing stage:
---------------------------
(Japanese version only)
Merely getting to the end of the stage gets you naught.
Getting YinLing to the end of her special stage, collecting all five
tokens along the way, takes you directly to a "Dance Show", which you can
film. It's also unlocked in the "Extras" menu.
_________________
Walkthrough
-----------------
And now for the bulk of the guide.
Spoilers ahoy! If you're playing for the first time, now would be a good
point to stop reading.
__________________
Pamela's Level
Tutorial
------------------
Tutorial, Part 1: Tagging objects
The tutorial has you filming Brisco (the sound guy), and running errands.
When Brisco's shut up, have a play with the camera controls, then run up
to him again, because he's got more to say before you can progress.
(If you're after the "E" or "I" bonuses, in situations like this it's
worth aiming your camera at the floor, or even backing up to people, to keep
the "S" low)
When he's done, look for the nearby box to the left: If there's no orange
dot in the box, then you probably need to chatter to Brisco some more.
Lock onto the box interior (O on the Japanese version, X on the European),
then either press it again to get some information, or cancel the lock
(X in Japan, Triangle in Europe). For the tutorial to progress, you need
to get the info. Wait until the info has finished displaying before the
next bit.
Next, head back to Brisco for more directions.
Your next target (according to the manual, at least) is a file on the
floor by the TV van. Pretty much any "interesting" item is acceptable.
Once the description of those is finished, head back to Brisco. Wait for
him to finish talking, or skip.
Tutorial, Part 2: Around the level
Now would be a good time to wander round the level looking for stuff to
film:-
"S": there's a corpse in a box, past the van, in an alcove to the right.
"E": there's a magazine in the bushes in the same alcove.
"E": Filming up Pamela's skirt. I'll only list this once, because it's
available on every level, pretty much all the time.
"I": The same comment applies to the "I" available for kicking Pamela
over, although for this level only, it's an extra "I" bonus.
/ : File by the van's rear wheel (instructions about reporter)
/ : File by the van's front wheel (instrucions about floor-rings)
/ : File on the opposite side of the road from the box (describes focus
points)
/ : Message board by the caravan (hint on zooming in)
/ : Graffiti on the caravan (example of the above)
/ : Message board behind the caravan (hint on looking under things)
/ : Behind & under the caravan (example of the above)
/ : File on the path beyond the caravan ("press X to help" scenes)
/ : Videotape at the far side of the block (descibes the battery meter)
/ : Videotape by 2nd house steps on the far side of the block
(describes the tape counter)
/ : Notepad on 1st house steps on the far side of the block (hint about
focussing on doorknobs)
/ : Doorknob of the 1st house on the far side of the block (descibes
doors that you can open, and which ones you need help with)
/ : Note on the box containing the corpse, describing "S"-gaining
focus points ("Scoop points")
/ : Gun on the floor, in the alcove across the street, before the van.
(Descibes tagging monsters to persuade your reporter to shoot them)
Tutorial, Part 3: Kicking & Filming
Go back to Brisco, charge up with L2, and kick him.
"I": Charge up too much (ie, more than a tiny bit), so he falls over.
Once he's recovered, go up to him again, and Pamela should walk to you.
"S": (as usual) Film the conversation and the following walking piece-to-
camera.
(I'll stop listing conversations as "S" from here on: If you don't want
"S", either keep the camera pointing away from the reporter, or skip the
scene by hitting "start")
Tutorial, Part 4: Press X to Help
Finally, there's a "Press X to help" sequence with Pamela.
(I'll keep calling them "Press X...", even though on the Euro release,
they're "Press Triangle..." - The instruction's always right there
on-screen in any case!)
"I": (Lots of it - 1000ish - for all these things) is available by not
helping her.
Then there's a long black-screen-with-text sequence (skippable with Start).
The level wraps up with a video, and the end-of-level save opportunity.
_________________________________
Ann's Levels: 1
Level 1: International Hotel
---------------------------------
** New Reporter **
Ann is your new reporter.
Level 1, Part 1: Hotel room
Leave the starting room, meet up with Ann.
The phone rings (There's a survivor in the Center Building). After which
Ann does a piece-to-camera.
Then Ann walks to the hotel-room door, pausing at two blue waypoints -
When she's standing at the waypoints, she can be diverted into two ensuite
bathrooms for extra taggable objects.
Finally, leave by the door.
"S": At the start, duck down, & look under the table - At the end nearest
the window is a scrawled message - "Wash the body".
"S": Ghost in the first bathroom. This is only available if you tagged
the under-the-table text.
"S": Tag the corpse in the second bathroom. Be quick about it.
"S": UFO - Very briefly, just after Ann gets to the door, there's an
orange dot to be tagged through the (curtained) window opposite.
"S": Hopperman Volume 1: In a desk drawer in the second bedroom.
"S": Hopperman Volume 2: On the bed in the first bedroom.
"S": Hopperman Volume 3: In the fireplace.
(Tagging all three Hopperman books, in order, gets you a lot of "S".
Note that the titles in the tagging-description bear no resemblance
to the Tolkien-inspired titles on the books themselves)
/ : Fruit on the table in your initial room.
/ : Blood on the floor of your initial room or the main room.
/ : The telephone
/ : Blood on the floor of the 2nd bedroom.
/ : Blood on the floor of the main room by the TV.
/ : The TV.
/ : Each of two newspapers on the main room's table.
Level 1, Part 2: Corridor
Out into the corridor, a brief piece to camera.
Down the corridor, left, then right to the lifts.
"S": There's a doll in the blocked-off corridor ahead, where you turn off
to the left towards the lifts. There're four of these in the level,
and unless you tag them promptly, they vanish with a giggle. Getting
the full set is a big "S" boost.
YinLing card: #01: End of upstairs corridor, past the elevators
(Reminder: YinLing cards are only available from your 2nd runthrough
& onwards, and only on the Japanese version)
/ : Blood on the wall opposite your room's door.
/ : Two more bloodstains on the floor.
/ : Corridor-blocking furniture.
/ : Lots of doorknobs.
/ : Elevator call buttons.
(Mid-Level Load)
Level 1, Part 3: Downstairs
Ann has a long chat with Brisco, who is drunk, mourning for Pamela. Time
to seek out some water.
Returning to the lobby, there's a waypoint that allows an optional tour
of the balcony (tag the blood to go upstairs).
Then it's down the passageway to the hotel's convenience shop, and an
encounter with a spider hiding on the ceiling. Tag it for Ann to survive -
The alternatives here are covered in the manual. Ramming (with L2) also
works, apparently, but since the same technique doesn't always work -
notably at the end of level 3 - I'd stick with the tagging method.
You find some water to sober Brisco up with. Tag that to continue.
"S": Doll on the reception counter, before talking to Brisco.
"S": Upstairs in the foyer: Corpse
YinLing card #13: Upstairs in the foyer, on the floor, behind the corpse
"S": Doll: Far right corridor, on the way to the shop. Be ahead of Ann.
"S": Doll: Near left corridor (You pass it on the way to the previous
doll, but the doll's not there, then)
"I": Filming Ann's corpse after she's been spidered (Which, sadly, means
skipping the next few levels, which could net more "I" than this)
"Dear D, from M" message: PC in the corner of the computer room.
(There're several of these through the game, and they're high on
the "background plot" stuff. It's surprising they're not all
"S"-point taggables, really)
/ : Elevator call-buttons.
/ : Drinks machine in the shop.
/ : Computers in the computer room.
Level 1, Part 4: Boss
There's a video of the boss's entry, a load, and then the boss sequence.
To beat the boss, just tag the critters (when your camera's showing a red
spot), and Ann'll shoot them. Repeat until they stop coming. No need to get
out of the line of fire. You may need to wait till some chatter's finished
before she's prepared to shoot again.
A bit of loading, and you're out onto the misty streets.
One more bit of video: Pamela's back, and not looking healthy.
Level 1: Killing the reporter
If you're not interested in keeping Ann alive, you can either let her be
spidered, or let the boss kill her. Either way will fast-forward the action
to level 4 (Zaka TV) with Carly.
____________________
Ann's Levels: 2
Level 2: Office
--------------------
Quite a short level, this one...
Level 2, Part 1: Corridor
Go through the right-hand door. Mist appears - which can't be good.
At this point, you can do an immediate about turn, tag the door again, &
go straight to the boss sequence.
/ : Door you came in through.
/ : Collapsed stairway in the lobby.
/ : Broken "exit" door.
Level 2, Part 2: Office
Alternatively, let Ann walk into the office & look around. Direct her to
grab the key from under the 2nd computer desk, which allows you to unlock
the door in the far corner of the office & thus investigate the locker room.
Now return to the starting area, and back through the door to the first
corridor.
"S": Corpse in the locker room which falls out if you examine the first
open locker.
YinLing card #15: Behind the reception desk.
"Dear D, From M" message: On the laptop on the main oval desk.
/ : Memo (about the key) on the first table in the office.
/ : Coffee machine.
/ : Foreboding note on the first computer desk.
/ : Newspaper on the main oval desk.
/ : Comic books on the desk by the key.
/ : Photocopier.
Level 2, Part 3: Boss
Boss: ...The Pamela-beast is incoming.
Don't waste time trying to target her: Point out the shutter-closing
mechanism to your right.
Level 2: Killing the reporter
Ann is killable here by ignoring the shutter, thus letting the Pamela-
beast kill her, taking you to level 4 (Zaka TV) with Carly.
_____________________________
Ann's Levels: 3
Level 3: Center Building
-----------------------------
Level 3, Part 1: Downstairs
We've arrived at "Centre Building", source of Level 1's phone call.
Much of this level (like most of the game, in fact) is a matter of
following Ann round, & highlighting the occasional object to move things on.
Walk in. Run round the central block to find a corpse.
Ann runs away, so (After filming Brisco, if you're after "S"), follow her.
Second time round, take the lift up to the top floor.
"S": Ghost 1 - After Ann's initial piece-to-camera, against the first
column you come to.
"S": Ghost 2 - After viewing the corpse, against the first column on the
way back, by a potted plant.
/ : The destroyed column straight ahead from the start.
/ : Vending machines right of the start.
/ : Knocked-over plant by the vending machines.
/ : More collapsed columns on the way to the elevator & corpse.
/ : The corpse.
/ : Floor plan by the elevator.
/ : Elevator call button.
Level 3, Part 2: Upstairs, on the observation deck.
Out of the lift, and time for a piece-to-camera.
A quick look at some binoculars, and then a cry for help from "Becky
Wanz", who's in trouble the other side of the rubble.
Film a long discussion, then a dash round the building, pausing only to
look at a corpse. Soon, it's clear that we've got a tightrope-walking
session to deal with.
"S": Ghost 3 - After leaving the lift, double round left, and it's behind
the yellow barrier. I think this one only appears if you tagged the
first two, and it's worth a lot of "S".
/ : The binoculars.
/ : Souvenirs in the gift shop area.
/ : Magazine rack in the gift shop area
/ : Cash registter in the gift shop area
/ : Vending machines near the conversation with Becky.
/ : More fallen rubble, near the conversation with Becky.
Level 3, Part 3: Tightrope & beyond
Follow Ann across the girders in the slowest sequence in the game.
Half way across, she falls, & needs you to rescue her by tagging her
in the usual fashion. Once on the other side, wait for Brisco, and then
there're a few corpses to look at,
Finally, peek round the corner to see Becky's fate, in the form of a
"Press X to stop filming" scene.
"I": Let the "Press X to stop filming" sequence run to completion.
YinLing card #26: Down the steps, before the "X to help" section
/ : 1st corpse
/ : "Exit" sign above the 1st corpse
/ : 2nd corpse
Level 3, Boss:
After a conversation to film, you're teleported back round to the lift-
side of the building, but there's a surprise in the liftshaft.
Ann's fallen down. The monster doesn't respond to being tagged.
Remember the corpse from earlier? Tag the corpse to lure the monster
over to it.
A couple of notes: First, even if you kick Ann out of the way, she'll
walk back to her doom. Second, if you wait for Brisco to explain the
solution to the problem (he goes over to the corpse & suggests using it
as bait), then Ann's probably toast. Get to the corpse as soon as the lift
doors open, and tag it as soon as possible (In the Euro version, Brisco
has a line about there being plenty of other food around, at which point
the corpse becomes taggable again)
Leave by the lift. Tag the elevator's button for the ground floor.
Save.
"I": Filming Ann getting eaten.
(This is the last level of a set, so you won't miss any other "I" points
by doing this)
Level 3: Killing the reporter
Let her fall during the tightrope-walking sequence (Incidentally, if you
run ahead of her at this point, there's a glitch where the game can get
stuck. Stay behind)
Let the beast kill her at the end of the level, then leave with Brisco.
Either way takes you level 4 (Zaka TV) with Carly, so you don't actually
miss that much.
_____________________
Carly's Levels: 1
Level 4: Zaka TV
---------------------
** New Reporter **
If you killed Ann in levels 1...3, you arrive here with Carly.
Level 4, Part 1: Corridor & Archives
You & the crew return to your office...
If you're with Ann, there's an optional "Press X to help" sequence if you
follow her to the end of the corridor & tag the door there. This allows you
to either kill Ann off or gain some extra "S" from conversation-filming. If
you're with Carly, the door'll be shut, and the sequence won't be available)
Grab the Zaka-TV staff list from the archives room - It's the book on the
right side of the shelves to the right as you enter (There are two other
documents to look at, but they aren't necessary to progress, and they don't
net you any points).
Head back past the starting point, to the door to the offices: At this
point your reporter will helpfully turn up.
"S": There's a tricky-to-tag rat at the start of the level - Tag it from
a distance before it vanishes into the archives room.
"I": If you're with Ann, the "Press X to help" scene yields "I" if you
let it run, but it also kills her & skips several levels' worth of
other "I" gains.
/ : Document on the shelves past the staff list.
/ : Memo on the next shelf to the left of the staff list.
Level 4, Part 2: Offices & Boardroom.
Walk round the office, then through the door to the boardroom.
Then there's another phone call to listen to (Another person wants
rescuing - this time from a nearby nursing institution). After that, a long
discussion before leaving the level.
"S": Far end of the desk-filled office, there's a ghost peeks through the
roof as your reporter walks by. Easiest to see/tag if you don't pass
the last row of desks.
"E": Magazine under the boardroom table.
YinLing card #14: On one of the desks at the far end of the desk filled
room.
/ : The two bookshelves at the far end of the office.
/ : Note on the far desk.
/ : Notes on the desk nearest the door to the boardroom.
(Notes from another news team)
/ : 'Phone on the near desk.
/ : Note in the boardroom, on top of some shelves to the left
(Hint regarding crouching)
/ : Note on the boardroom table by the PC
(Plot-relevant stuff about Adonis & the Forest building)
Level 4: Killing the reporter:
If you're with Ann, letting the "X to help" scene play through will take
you straight to level 8 (County House, with Nina), with Justine being your
level-9 reporter.
________________________________
Carly's Levels: 2
Level 5: Brody Nursing Home
--------------------------------
Level 5, Part 1: Downstairs
After the intro, follow the leader through to the pooltable, and take in
the scene. You need to tag the poolball rack to continue. (Fastened to the
door behind you, incidentally, is the layout for the balls, which you'll
need to match to release Justine - How these strange keys work in survival-
horror games, I have no idea). You're a few balls missing, though.
Go through the door with the layout on it, and collect the first ("9")
pool ball. Nothing more to do in here. Your reporter now runs off upstairs.
"E": Justine! (Incidentally, even if you've unlocked her costumes, she's
always in her normal gear here)
"E": Magazine in the room underneath the staircase.
"S": Paper on the kitchen worksurface (boss hint)
/ : The door you came in through.
/ : Pool-ball arrangement poster on the door.
Level 5, Part 2: Upstairs rooms & side-quests
Go upstairs, find your reporter. It's the room back towards the stairs
that opens, where you'll find a grizzly scene including the 7-ball. Collect
that.
"S": Under the far side of the coffee table, Hopperman volume 1.
(Although, as before, the name in the description text differs)
Back out, and the next room is, as usual, a case of opening doors for
your reporter. You end up at a bathtub. Tag it, and it empties... revealing
the 1-ball. Then you return to the main corridor.
"S": Under the bed, Hopperman volume 2 (as before, tag all of them for
lots of "S")
"S": Diary standing like a tent on the window-side table.
Videotape: When leaving the main room, your reporter will pause at a
suspicious-looking bit of wall. Tag it, and you'll have the
opportunity to return here later.
Cutscene: The chandelier above the pooltable's swinging... Better hurry.
You've a choice of three doors here, the left & middle ones being optional.
YinLing card #5: Left-hand door, to the left.
"S": Middle door, on the bed. Hopperman volume 3. Lots of "S" if you got
1 & 2.
"S": Middle door, a knocked-over chair.
"S": Middle door, the pillow on the bed.
/ : Left-hand door, bathtub.
Through the right-hand door, and time for another odd survival-horror-
game switch. Turning on the lamp unlocks the closet. This allows you
entrance to a somewhat strange room where you collect the 4-ball. Leave via
the one-way door, taking you back to the top of the stairs.
"S": Clock on the desk
"S": Box under the desk
"S": Ghost in the strange room.
Level 5, Part 3: Rescue
An easy puzzle - Tag the rack, and arrange the balls as shown on the
nearby diagram.
1
2 4
6 9 8
7 3
5
...watch the cutscene, and collect the key that's now at the girls' feet.
"I": Don't bother with the rescue, and hang around till Justine gets
killed by the falling chandelier. Like many of the high-I gains,
this involves skipping other I-gaining levels.
Level 5, Part 4: Bossfight
Follow the leader, & open the door through to the garage, and then it's a
bossfight:- Tagging the boss reveals it to be bulletproof: Tag the gasoline
behind the boss before tagging the boss itself again. Then leave by tagging
the garage door - A lengthy conversation sets up your next destination: To
meet up with Christian's news team, investigating a nonster at the Miller
mansion.
"S"/Videotape: Whilst upstairs, there was an opportunity to tag a
suspicious bit of wall. After beating the boss, before you leave,
there's a taggable pickaxe in the garage (If you didn't tag the wall,
the pickaxe isn't taggable).
This takes the action back upstairs to the suspicious bit of wall,
where some more conversation (& hence "S") occurs. The videotape's
behind it.
Level 5: Killing the reporter
As far as I can tell, the reporter is invincible during the bossfight. You
can, however, kill Justine, by dallying too long after spotting the wobbly
chandelier. This takes you direct to level 8 (Campground Lodge, with Nina).
____________________________
Carly's Levels: 3
Level 6: Miller Mansion
----------------------------
Level 6, Part 1: Running around downstairs.
Follow-the-leader time. If your're quick, while your reporter's standing
in a blue ring by the piano, you can take an optional early visit to the
gun room (to the right of the piano), otherwise she'll head left to the
dining room.
"S": Note on the gun-room table
"S": Table in the piano room
"S": Picture above the fireplace in the piano room
"S": Each of 2 columns of pictures in the sitting room (The open door
straight through the piano room from the centre)
"S": Picture: Dining room, above the door you enter through.
"S": Picture: Dining room, over the fireplace
"S": Picture: Dining room, above the far door
"S": Kitchen: Poltergeist activity with a pot on the cooker.
"Dear D, From M" note, on the sitting room table.
/ : Note on the dining room table.
/ : Refridgerator (Lots of Brisco-conversation "S")
/ : Wall behind the cooking pot, it's a note.
/ : Door you came in through.
Level 6, Part 2: Cellar and Key-obtaining.
After running round the house the long way, you're now by the stairs down
to the cellar. That's an optional side-quest.
Going through the door at the far end of this area takes to a large
bookcase, with a key hidden on top of it, plus a ladder. There's also
another optional area behind you in the bedroom. Anyway, for plot
advancement, tag the key, then the ladder, and your reporter'll go get it.
From there, the key opens the gun-cabinet, so it's chase-the-reporter
time again, to the gun cabinet, and then out to the monster: Tag the insect
thing for the reporter to kill it off. Three shots. Upstairs, and open the
door for a mid-level load.
"S": Corpse of a Zaka TV cameraman, downstairs in the cellar.
YinLing card #4: In the cellar
"S": Newspaper on the table in the key-room
"E": Film the reporter getting the key, and you'll get a comment from
Brisco.
"S": Diary on the bedside table.
"S": Toilet, through the bedroom.
"S": Pictures on the wall behind the insect thing. Lots of them.
/ : Newspaper on the table in the room opposite the cellar staircase.
Level 6, Part 3: Upstairs.
The door at the far end of the corridor'll open, the one to the side
won't: Go through a bedroom, into a bathroom, and operate the (strange, but
by now standard-issue) bathtub-operated switch. This unlocks the other door
back in the corridor.
That takes you to the master bedroom. There's an optional side-quest into
the bathroom to the right of this room, otherwise your reporter will have
a long talk with Christian, setting up your next destination (To St
Matthew's church in search of Jeff), and end the level.
YinLing card #12: Under the bed in the first bedroom.
"S": (Conversational "S") from the note on the cabinet that the reporter
stops next to.
"S": Pictures: Each of three paintings on the wall of the final room.
"S": Picture(s) above the sink in the bathroom of the final room.
/ : Memo on the cupboards in the first bedroom.
/ : Memo by the sink in the batrhroom of the final room.
(If you want to tag everything here, divert the reporter to the bathroom
door as soon as she's in her blue waypoint ring. While she's waiting by the
door, tag the paintings in the bedroom, then go through the door. There's an
extra "S" boost for getting the full set of pictures in the level)
Killing yourself
Try to get upstairs while the insect's still alive
_________________________________
Carly's Levels: 4
Level 7: St Matthew's Church
---------------------------------
Level 7, Part 1: Downstairs.
After the intro speech, you venture into a church, with a fair few corpses
lying around. Walking past the front row of pews triggers a bossfight. Tag
the boss to persuade your reporter to try shooting it, otherwise she'll die.
Her handgun doesn't do the job (Amd the previous level's shotgun ran out
of bullets, it seems). Chase your reporter upstairs to the balcony...
"S": Each of the eight corpses lying around (three on the pews, and five
around the boss - Note that the boss doesn't hurt you).
"I": Film all eight of them. Sadly, this big "I" hit also involves a lot
of "S", so don't bother.
"I": Killing the reporter, then filming her corpse. (This is the last
level of a set, so you won't miss any other "I" points by doing this)
YinLing card #07, first pew to the right.
Level 7, Part 2: Bossfight.
There's a statue hanging out there, above the boss. One problem: The boss
is spitting critters at you. While they don't hurt you, they will kill your
reporter.
Critters land near you, two at a time, then head for the reporter. Stand
sufficiently far away from her to give enough time to call the shots. Tag
them so the reporter shoots them, and then look up & out from the balcony
to tag the hanging statue - While it's quite a way above you, its targetting
area extends down well below it. Repeat until filmable post-boss
conversation (next stop, Zaka TV Head Office), and outro video.
Level 7: Killing the reporter
Ignore the boss when it wakes up.
Let any of the boss-spat critters reach the reporter.
Either way takes you to the next level (Campground Lodge, with Nina).
______________________________
Nina's Level
Level 8: Campground Lodge
-----------------------------
** New Reporter **
If you killed Ann, Carly, or Justine in levels 4...7, then you skip to
here. Even if you kept your reporter alive, they're absent from this level,
though: Your reporter, for this level only, is always Nina.
Level 8, Part 1: Outside & Introductions
You & Brisco start off on your own, out of town. There's nothing to see
out here, so head straight for the big wooden house at the far end of the
clearing to meet Nina, girlfriend of your fellow Zaka cameraman Dwight.
One long cutscene and a load later, and you're indoors filming a second
long conversation.
Level 8, Part 2: Overnight
You wake up, and have some choices. No Brisco, no reporter. Fortunately
you can open part-open doors yourself, just by hitting Circle. So what
next....?
The door to your left is your ensuite bathroom. Entering it ends the
overnight sequence.
The door straight ahead takes you out to a corridor. Once outside, the
door to your right doesn't open. Going left, through, into the main room,
ends the overnight sequence.
The remaining two doors in the corridor are Brisco's & Nina's rooms, both
of which are explorable. Brisco to the left, Nina to the right.
"I": Go into Brisco's room, and from there into Brisco's bathroom. Film
Brisco in the shower.
"I": Go into Nina's room, and from there into Nina's bathroom. Film Nina
in the shower.
/ : Urn outside your room
/ : Photo of Pamela on Brisco's bed
/ : Staff yearbook on Brisco's bed
/ : Brisco's notebook on Brisco's bed. Poetry.
/ : Photo of Dwight on Nina's bed.
/ : Nina's notebook on Nina's bed.
Level 8, Part 3: Corpse
A filmable discussion of the night's events takes place, followed by the
discovery of something nasty upstairs. Film the corpse to progress to a
lengthy text-over-audio sequence.
/ : Fast-food bags on the table.
/ : The big radio by the phone.
/ : Refridgerator in the kitchen.
/ : Food on the kitchen surface.
"S": "Dear D, From M" memo on the kitchen surface.
"I": Tag the rearmost right-hand packing case, upstairs.
YinLing card #03: Kick open the rear left-most packing case, from behind.
Level 8, Part 4: Bossfight
You return (with Nina, a car, and a shotgun) to the house. Before filming
Nina & Brisco, if you've not looked at the taggables, this is your last
chance. Then head over to Nina & Brisco to trigger a conversation and a
bossfight.
Target the boss a few times, then leave with Brisco. Nina's not coming
with you. If you fail the boss, you'll miss out on a video, but still
progress to the next level.
Level 8: Killing the reporter
Let the boss have her, or go for the video route. Either way: No more
Nina after this.
_________________________________
Justine's Levels: 1
Level 9: Zaka TV Head Office
---------------------------------
** New Reporter **
If you kept Ann or Carly alive past the church, then they return here.
Otherwise, you get Justine at this point. If you killed Justine on level 5,
then the reporter you had with you at that point (Ann or Carly, again)
returns.
A short level, this one: Follow your reporter up the stairs & along the
corridor. When the mist & music kicks in, you've got two critters to tag,
one from in front, one from behind.
At the far end of the corridor, you've got one choice of door to open,
leading to a small office reception room full of stuff to look at. The door
the far side of that takes you to a lengthy conversation featuring Deborah,
Zaka TV chief, who's got more than a passing resemblance to Pamela.
Plot-wise here, (a) Deborah's arranged a military evacuation at the
airport with pal General Sanders, and (b) There's a Zaka TV crewmember,
Glen, being held in detention in a research room in the Von Erich Library.
At the end of that, you're forcibly evicted back to reception, have a
chat, and the level is complete.
"S": Wreckage at the top of the stairs.
YinLing card #06: On a window outside the outer office door.
"S": Coffee mug on desk in reception room.
"S": Mouse next to the computer in reception room.
"S": "Dear D, From M" memo, on the computer screen in reception room
"I": Litter bin by the photocopier in the reception room.
"E": YinLing website (Japanese version), or generic "sexy beam" website
(European version), on the laptop screen in the reception room.
(The "S" & "E" computer screens are mutually exclusive - tagging one
disables the other)
/ : Phone on the reception room table.
(Message from Robbie Adonis)
/ : Three pictures on the wall in reception.
level 9: Killing the reporter
Let the critters near the start of the level have her.
________________________________
Justine's Levels: 2
Level 10: Von Erich Library
--------------------------------
The sequence of events for this level varies slightly depending on
whether you keep up with the reporter or not, but essentially runs as
follows.
Incidentally, this guide was written using the Japanese version: In
Japan, as in the US, "1st floor" is what would be termed "ground floor" in
the UK. Similarly, "2nd floor" here describes a UK "1st floor".
Level 10, Part 1: 1st Floor
Multiple pieces-to-camera to cover here. Some whilst on the move: Firstly
right at the start. Then standing by the counter, and finally over by the
stairs.
Here, there's a plot-split that I've not fully figured out:
(a) If you do the diligent cameraman thing & film her speeches, she skips
the next section and goes straight down to the basement.
(b) If you don't keep up with her when she moves to the stairs (let her
stand there for 10 seconds or so before approaching & filming), then her
piece-to-camera is different, and she heads upstairs.
"S": Hopperman books on the counter.
"I": Nearest magazine rack to the left.
"S": Furthest magazine rack to the left.
/ : Door you came in through
/ : Calendar behind the counter (8th Aug is circled)
Level 10, Part 2: 2nd Floor
If you lagged behind earlier, then your reporter heads upstairs, round
the back of a bookshelf. She stops here, and there are three books you can
look at for "S"/"E"/"I" (If you come here without the reporter, the books
give no points). From there, she goes to a locked door (Which is a good
time to collect the rest of the taggables on this floor).
From there, it's back to the first floor, a brief piece-to-camera there
(In fact, it's the same piece that you miss by ignoring her during part 1,
so you've not missed anything by not filming it then), & then down to the
basement, with the plot-threads re-joined.
"S": Between the bookshelves, 1st bookcase on the left if you followed
the reporter.
"E": Between the bookshelves, to the right if you followed the reporter.
"I": Between the bookshelves, 2nd bookcase on the left if you followed
the reporter.
"S": Poltergeist activity at the far alcove of the E-shape of bookshelves.
"S": On the bookshelf behind the floating books.
YinLing card #02: Bookshelf, far right corner from the stairs. (entrance
to the E-shape)
Videotape: Near alcove of the E-shape
/ : Books to the left of the near alcove.
/ : Books outside the locked door.
Level 10, Part 3: Basement
A piece-to-camera with the reporter standing in a red ring (I really must
figure out what the difference is!), and then while she goes over to the
computer on the desk, it's time for you to collect some serious "S" or "E"
points.
There are three locked doors down here that you can't do anything with
yet: Looking from the stairs, straight ahead is the key-code door, to the
left is the clock-room, and to the right is the message-room.
When you're done, investigate the computer screen, and film the resulting
conversation. Then play with the security cameras:-
L-stick up/down = choose camera
R-stick = rotate left/right
L1/R1 = zoom
Cross = exit (Japanese version)
Triangle = exit (European version)
The camera views being:-
1F: Zoom in on a key on top of some shelves.
2F: The big "E"-shape of shelves
B1a: Keycode room: Stranded employee
B1b: Message room: Zoom in on the secret code on the wall.
Nice simple letter-subsitution code. "E=?":- E=5.
B1c: Clock room: Zoom in on the clock
After looking at all that, then on exitting the computer, your reporter
immediately dashes over the the keycode door, has a chat, and then runs
upstairs... Quick! Film & follow!
"S": Both sides of each of the bookshelves *except* the one against the
wall to the left of the clock door.
"E": (And lots of it) The bookshelf against the wall to the left of the
clock door.
/ : The locked doors.
Level 10, Part 4: 1st Floor
It might be worth looking at the books (there's one that spells out the
"secret code" very bluntly). The vital point being to tag the key, tag the
stairs. Then play follow-the reporter, with three stopping points before
heading upstairs.
"E": When the reporter's climbing the stairs (as on level 6).
"S": Your reporter'll have a talk about the calendar behind the desk if
you tag it.
"S": Similarly, when she pauses by a bookshelf, she'll talk about it when
its tagged.
/ : "a=1...z=26" hint book, left hand wall looking from the stairs.
/ : Books near the stairs, opposite the ladder.
/ : Books 1 shelf back from the ladder.
/ : Books on the wall near the doorway (Your reporter has a green pause
ring here after grabbing the key)
Level 10, Part 5: 2nd Floor
Open the previously locked door, examine the paper on the desk (it's the
paper that advances the plot: the computer's there for "S"), and head back
out: Dramatic music, mist, critters. You know the score by now: Tag 'em &
bag 'em. Three in number.
"S": "Dear D, From M" message: Computer in the locked office.
/ : The note, which explains the keycode sequence.
Level 10, Part 6: Basement
Ahhh, the keycode door.
Controls: Left stick=move, Circle=select. Cross=delete.
(Circle & Cross may well be reversed in any Western release).
If you can figure out the code from the clues within the level, then
either (a) You're better at Japanese than I am, or (b) You're playing the
European release... The easy route:- Try anything, then don't skip any
speech, listen to Brisco's suggestions and he'll give you the right
combination on his second attempt. (1236 is his first, wrong, suggestion.
5839 his second, right, one)
Once you're in, film the conversation if you're "S"-ing, then take a peek
at the piece of paper on the floor to trigger a bit of plot-reveal (Off we
go to Club Gotchi to see Dr O'Conner then), and also triggers the end of
the level.
"S": Ventilation shaft, in the keycode room, up and to the right.
"S": The corpse.
"I": Attempt to leave the keycode room via the door.
Level 10: Killing the reporter
Let the mid-level critters have her.
Takes you to Level 14 (Grant Park Station) with Paula.
____________________________________
Justine's Levels: 3
Level 11: "Shakedown" Junk shop
------------------------------------
Before heading in to Club Gotchi... you need some IR equipment for the
camera.
This is a small, dense level, with practically everything giving "S"
points as a result of conversation, rather than directly off tagging, and
only if tagged when the reporter's near them. It's also a level where you
open up a lot of things using the "kick" (L2) action. It also has a long
(three presses of "start" to skip!) text intro.
Level 11, Part 1: In the shop.
So after an inital conversation, your reporter will make her way via a
couple of waypoints, to pause (white ringed) at the end of an aisle with
blue plastic boxes on the floor, and a packing case at the end of it.
Meanwhile, if you're after "S", be prompt...
1st (blue) waypoint, before the counter:-
/ : ("S" conversation) - Batteries to the right as you enter.
/ : ("S" conversation) - Gun rack behind the counter. If you've tagged
it in time, your reporter'll walk behind the counter for the
conversation.
2nd (green) waypoint, after the counter:-
"S": (Lots of it) A ghost on the top shelf to the left of your start
point, by some walkie-talkies... Available for a limited amount of time
after the reporter's stopped at the far end of the counter.
/ : ("S" conversation) - Radios on shelves just past the counter.
/ : ("S" conversation) - you can take your time on this one - PCs to the
right of the aisle the reporter went down.
The essential point in the level is to highlight the TVs to the left of
the aisle your reporter went down, dislodging a key on the other side of
the shelves (at the near end of the corridor).
"S": Shelves to the right of the aisle leading to the crate.
/ : ("S" conversation) - Neon clock on the far wall.
/ : ("S" conversation) - Speakers on the bottom shelf, where the key is.
/ : ("S" conversation) - Clock on the far wall.
There's an optional sidequest through the door on the left side of the
corridor, which is more than a little tricky to unlock... Make sure you
chase your reporter the first time she goes down the corridor, without
trying to pick up the key. Ask her to open the left-hand door, and it won't
open. It is possible to kick it with L2 (which, if you've got things right,
will be greeted with a metallic sound effect) - Your reporter'll probably
be heading back to the main room by this point, but you can ask her to open
the door again after getting the key.
Level 11, Part 2: Down the corridor.
Collect the key, and open the left-hand door if you want to...
YinLing card #10: Kick open the locker at the end of the corridor.
"I": Corpse in the toilets (left-hand door side-quest).
/ : Toilet
The key opens the door at the far right of the corridor, leading to a
small storeroom: In the storeroom, tag the note on the crates at the far
end, and return to the main shop.
"S": (Lots) - Ghost hiding in the storeroom.
/ : ("S" conversation) - Satellite dish in the storeroom near the door.
/ : Crate near the door. Once you've read the note, this crate (and
two others in the main room) become taggable, kickable, and look
-inside-able.
Level 11, Part 3: Back in the shop.
The crate closest to where the reporter's standing releases a critter if
you tag it, kick it, then tag its contents.
More importantly, the packing case between the shelves can also be tagged
& kicked open (from the side, rather than from the aisle where the key was
released from): Tag the object inside it to complete the level (It's the
infra-red camera attachment you came here for)
/ : Door you came in through
/ : Wires next to the door
____________________________
Justine's Levels: 4
Level 12: Club "Gotchi"
----------------------------
Nothing in the way of "S"/"E"/"I" taggables, this is a conversational
level (I've got more "S" on this level than any of the others so far!)
Level 12, Part 1: Getting the lights on.
After the usual filming intro, this time in the dark, it's your job to
turn the lights on by finding a circuit breaker. Head upstairs... Since you
can't open the gate, follow the path round to the right, and find a gap in
the railings. Tightrope-walk across the girders (You can't fall, it's just
a matter of following the zigzag path) to the far side, then head left. At
the end of the route, to your right, you'll find the breaker with a red
light on it. Use it. Now head all the way back the way you came to your
reporter.
YinLing card #20: Near the start, on the back of the lockers to the right
of the stairs.
Videotape: After the tightrope-walk across the girders, go right rather
than left, and open the gate: There's a videotape on some crates to
your right.
/ : Gate to the main floor, before you've done the breaker.
/ : Closed gate at the staircase top, to where the videotape is.
Level 12, Part 2: Exploring the stage.
Follow-the-reporter time: First stop is to open the gate to the stage.
Once inside, follow her round to (eventually) the bar (tag it), and then
the sound booth. Then back, via the bar, to the VIP room: Tag the door to
enter, & then Dr O'Conner himself for a lengthy interview...
(Specifics involving a virus, a vaccine which is currently in the hands
of the military, being transported by train. The knowledge that monsters
can't handle alcohol, and are attracted to noise. Also conspiracy stuff
about Zaka group, and a recent nearby "plane crash")
...Next up, the appearance of a boss monster, which (conveniently) you've
just been told how to kill.
Level 12, Part 3: Boss fight.
Your companions are standing behind the bar. You & the monster are out in
the open. Dash up to the bar, and point out the contents to the reporter.
Then run away.
The next portion of the bossfight is "matador" style. Get close to the
monster and stare down its gullet. The moment a red targetting dot appears,
tag it and back off (Actually, I'd recommend a quick hammering of the
lock-on button to be sure of a hit). If successful, you'll see your
reporter throwing things at the monster. Five good hits does the job.
The second stage is easy - The monster's distracted by Brisco & the
reporter: Head into the sound booth and turn the music on. Go back outside
to see the monster being lured to its doom.
Level 12: Killing yourself
This boss can kill you. Be careful, or you'll have to play the level
again.
______________________________
Justine's Levels: 5
Level 13: Forest Building
------------------------------
A level with several tricky-to-trigger "S" bonuses.
Level 13, Part 1: 1F, Entrance hall.
While the plot requires us to head over to the railway station, we're
stopping off here because (as we may have seen back on level 9), Adonis,
another news reporter, may be here.
To begin, there's an incredibly small opening area, where you film the
opening piece-to-camera, and then go upstairs in the elevator.
"S": Ghost: Activated if you go behind the reception desk, hiding behind
the pot plant by the elevator.
/ : Elevator call button.
Level 13, Part 2: 2F, Getting an office key.
Upstairs, the first door to the right is locked. This is the room you
need to get into later, but we ignore it, continue along the corridor,
and...
Mist and critters. You know the deal. Persuading Brisco to get out of the
way can be troublesome. Then continue to the end of the corridor, and open
the door there when your reporter's caught up.
This opens up a room with a few un-openable doors at the far end (with
wierd music behind them), plus a cupboard by the entrance. Kick it open
with L2, and there's the key you're looking for. Take the key, and...
Mist and critter time! Kill it off, unless you want your reporter dead.
From there, it's back out, back down the corridor, and open up the locked
office.
/ : Unopenable doors
/ : Locker-hinting memo on the desk
"S": If you accompany the reporter on the way back, just before the locked
office door she'll stop, and you'll hear a squeak. Too bad, you missed a
big "S" hit. The way to get this one is to lag behind, and let her go round
the corner, out of sight. She'll scream. Now go bag your "S" points by
tagging the rat.
Level 13, Part 3: 2F, The locked office.
Right away, there's an optional sidequest through the door to the left.
Then, it's into the office proper, and yet another locked door. The key's
under the large central table. This lets you open up the locker room.
"S": This one's sneaky. If you run through the side-quest, then after
leaving it you'll hear the giggling sound of a missed ghost. In order
to avoid missing it... Don't leave the side-quest room: Instead, open
the door to leave, but then cancel the action. Oldest trick in the
book - it now thinks you've left: The ghost's in the far corner of
the room from the door.
"E": Under the desk, whilst getting the office key: Bonus "E" the longer
you film.
YinLing card #8: Underneath the computer desk, in the corner of the
office.
Level 13, Part 4: 2F, Locker room.
Two choices here: Open the locker and trigger... Almost a boss fight, or
turn around & go straight back out through the door you just came in
through. Exactly what happens varies according to who you've got with you:-
Ann/Justine, turn around and leave by tagging the door:
A piece-to-camera downstairs in reception, and the level ends.
Ann/Justine, open the locker:
Video of the boss falling out of the locker.
Ignore the boss, and your reporter dies.
Tag the boss, and Brisco'll point out that the pistol's useless. You
leave, and the level ends.
Carly, turn around and leave by tagging the door:
A piece-to-camera downstairs in reception, and the level ends.
If you want Carly to survive this level, take this route: Do not tag the
locker. On entering the locker room, turn straight round, and leave by
the same door you came in through.
Carly, open the locker:
Video of the boss falling out of the locker.
Ignore the boss, or tag it... Makes no difference:-
This route triggers a video, and Carly dies.
If you want a full video collection, you need to kill Carly here on one
of your run-throughs.
"I": Film your reporter's corpse. Since this is the end of the last level
of a batch, you're not missing any future "I" by doing this. Not
available with Carly.
Level 13: Killing the reporter:
Let any of the critters have her.
(Carly): Open the locker.
(Other reporters): Open the locker & then ignore the boss.
In either case, you'll go the the very next level (14, Station), with
Paula.
_________________________________
Paula's Levels: 1
Level 14: Grant Park Station
---------------------------------
** New Reporter **
If you kill Ann/Carly/Justine on levels 9...13, then you'll skip to here,
and be with Paula.
Very much another "follow the reporter" level. In most cases, when she
stops, you're looking to tag small "clue" objects on the floor, rather than
the more obvious corpses. Let's hunt down that vaccine that the military
are apparently transporting from here.
Level 14, Part 1: Cutscene.
One conversation to film. Then you're back into black screen with text.
Level 14, Part 2: First platform.
From the ticket barrier, film the piece-to-camera if you're after "S",
then head down the stairs. Another piece, then run along to the end of the
bridge. Point out the book amidst the bloodstains (oooh, vaccine
ingredients!), then you're running down onto the platform to admire the
somewhat broken cages... Piece-to-camera here, then a bit further along,
there's another book to tag (symptoms).
/ : Lockers
/ : Turnstiles
YinLing card #04: On the back of the ticket barrier at the start.
/ : Fence blocking half of the first platform off.
"I": First bin, first platform.
"E": Second bin, first platform.
"S": Each of the two bins (one of which is knocked over) at the far end
of the first platform.
Level 14, Part 3: Middle platform.
Everybody run! A quick dash... Leave the first platform, up to the bridge,
along to the middle platform, down again, and have a peek at a corpse... But
what actually advances the plot is the document folder on the floor (how
to administer the vaccine: Hypodermic or bullet!)
Then it's back to running... Upstairs, along the bridge to the third &
final platform, all the way along it, and for once it's the corpse you need
to tag, before you get to see the documents. Tag those too (Effects of the
vaccine & more notes on alcohol). Next stop: Convenience store for some
ingredients. Cue the appearance of a boss.
/ : Wreckage blocking off one end of the middle platform.
/ : Middle platform, corpse.
"S": Third platform, far bin, on the run-up to the corpse.
/ : Other bins, third platform.
Level 14, Part 4: Boss fight.
It's a boss creature, and it's spitting at you and your reporter! What do
you do? Well, unless you want your reporter dead, tag it. Bells ring... Now
continue down the platform, and focus on the signal light ahead. Tag that
to trigger an incoming train. Impressive camerawork, that. End of boss.
Level 14, Part 4: After the boss.
And now it's time for a "Press X to help" sequence (We've not had one in
a while!) - There's a guy on the tracks, and there's a train coming...
If you help him out, then there's an interview coming. Then there're some
objects to collect: The plot-advancing, but non-"S"-gaining (except via the
resulting conversation), one being on the floor where your reporter's
waiting, on the way back to the bridge: Handy hollow bullets.
Head back to the centre of the bridge & then up to where you started to
complete the level.
"I": (and lots of it) Don't help.
"S": Middle platform, if you pressed X, next to the bottom of the stairs.
CIA ID card.
Level 14: Killing the reporter:
Ignore the boss, run away, leave the reporter to deal with it. This takes
you to level 17 (Security & Airport) with Mark.
_________________________________
Paula's Levels: 2
Level 15: "24 Station" store
---------------------------------
This is a level where your reporter walks through, & you need to be quick
on your toes to get conversational "S" for nearby objects. There're not many
points available on this level, in any case. What you're after is specific
vaccine ingredients.
Level 15, Part 1: Tour of the store.
Follow the reporter. Tag stuff if you fancy it - Mostly it gives
conversational "S" from Brisco. There's all sorts of stuff to look at,
including a corpse in a changing room. Eventually, at the far side of the
store, to the right of the changing rooms, there's a door to the back room.
Tag it to open it.
/ : Till
"S": YinLing Poster, behind the counter. This is, to my knowledge, the
only YinLing-related item that managed to get through to the European
release of the game.
YinLing card #11: on the magazine rack near the start.
/ : Magazines opposite the magazine rack.
"Dear D, From M" note: On the curved counter in the corner.
/ : Something a few shelves in.
/ : More miscellaneous stuff on the far side of the room from where you
came in.
/ : A pair of mannequins. If you can tag 'em when your reporter pauses
whilst walking round the back of them, it's worth the effort.
/ : Critter attack: Baked pruduce on the quare table at the end of the
shop tour. Tag 'em to kill 'em, as usual.
/ : Various drinks in the cool cabinets at the end of the level, if you
let your reporter go past the door to the back-room. All with the
wrong ingredients.
/ : Fruit next to the cold cabinets.
/ : Right-most changing-room door by the door to the back room. Another
way to give your reporter a shock.
Videotape: Far corner of the room, to the left of the changing rooms.
"E": Posters, just past the back-room door.
Level 15, Part 2: Back room.
Your reporter is wandering round in a loop, looking at stuff. The vital
thing to spot is the bottle of sports-drink on the desk, which triggers the
end of the level. Hurrah, vaccine ingredients! Let's go to the airport &
get evacuated.
/ : Drinks with the wrong ingredients in the cold cabinets.
Level 15: Killing the reporter:
If you let the reporter go past the door when she first arrives at it,
she pauses by the posters. At this point, if you tag the nearby loaves of
bread, then you'll trigger a critter attack. Let 'em have her to skip to
level 17 (Great Thesz Airport) with Mark.
_____________________
Paula's Levels: 3
Level 16: Motel
---------------------
A level with genuine alternative paths, who'd have thought it?
Level 16, Part 1: Arrival at the motel
The first section's a straightforward bit of chatter-filming, and finally
you head up the corridor, at which point Brisco & your reporter vanish.
You can get some fun responses by tagging Brisco's door (108, at the end
of the corridor) or your reporter's (107) - the response varies depending
on which reporter you've got with you. You've got a choice of three
slightly-open doors: What happens next depends on which room you decide to
sleep in... Essentially, if you're after "S" you want room 102. For "E" or
"I" you want room 104.
YinLing card #19: Up the stairs, on the wall to your left.
/ : The fireplace
/ : Souvenir on the cashier's desk.
/ : Other room doors.
Level 16, Part 2a: Room 105 route.
Go to sleep. Get woken up by a ghost.
"S": The ghost.
Level 16, Part 2b: Room 102 route.
Go to sleep. Wake up... Yikes, it's all misty. Leave your room to get
chased by a monster. This is one of those rare moments when you can die &
have to retry the level. Also, note that the monster has a habit of getting
completely stuck on the scenery, forcing a retry anyway.
The key to this one is that you can kick the monster (charge up with L2,
let go when the monster's close). You want to kick it into the fireplace.
"S": The burnt corpse of the monster.
Level 16, Part 2c: Room 104 route.
This is the long, plot-related route...
Go to sleep, get woken up by your reporter at the door. Go out, tape
converation and listen to the wierd noises. Try the (locked) door to room
103, then follow the reporter down the corridor & through the side door to
find some big holes in the walls. Go through the destroyed rooms 101 and
103 to find a "press X to help" scene in room 103's bathroom.
"S" / "Dear D, From M" node: Toilet roll in room 101's bathroom.
"S": Room 103's sink mirror.
"I": In the "Press X to help" scene, Don't.
Level 16, Part 3: The morning after.
A brief bit of filming, and then on to the next level.
Level 16: Killing yourself
On the 102 route, you can get killed by the monster & have to replay the
level.
__________________________________
Mark's Levels: 1
Level 17: Great Thesz Airport
----------------------------------
** New Reporter **
If you killed Ann/Carly/Justine/Paula in the course of levels 14...16,
then you get Mark at this point.
Home straight... Just a couple of short levels to go...
Level 17, Part 1: Airport security.
A piece-to-camera to film, and that's all.
Level 17, Part 2: Control room
One radio conversation later, and you're rooted to the spot, with only a
couple of things to look at (be warned, you don't have to tag them to
trigger them, just looking is enough). To progress, focus on the big map
behind the control panel. Let's go to the lighthouse & get it lit.
Then there's a load, and you're out on the airport itself.
"E": There's a computer screen with YinLing on show here.
Level 17, Part 3: Airport
Deborah turns up, and there's a "Press X to help" sequence.
More conversation, and things get a little wierd. It looks like it ought
to be a bossfight, but your reporter's completely immune to the wierdo. Tag
him three times, and he dies.
Video time.
A conversation at the airport, then the scene cuts to outside the
lighthouse for more chatter.
"I": Don't help in the "X to help" scene.
YinLing card #18: Right at the far side of the stacks of wooden planks.
_________________________
Mark's Levels: 2
Level 18: Lighthouse
-------------------------
Well, I say "Mark's levels", but in practice it's just you and Brisco
here. You've got a lot of speech to film, a control panel to turn on (in
the second room you pass). When Brisco stops near the top, go past him to
trigger the ending vid and credits list.
"S" / "Dear D, from M" node: Pizza in the control room
YinLing card #17: under the table in the first room.
Fin: Hitting "Start" skips the credits, and you get your points totalled
for the whole game, and told what you've unlocked. Then there's an
opportunity to save, and a final video which depends on whether your path
through the game was "S","E","I", or "High I".
Killing the reporter:
You don't have a reporter. Brisco's fate is compulsory.
_______________________
YinLing's Levels: 1
Special Stage
-----------------------
(Japanese version only)
Keep YinLing alive, and collect the 5 tokens ("YIN LING OF TOY JOY")
whilst doing so. It's a copy of level 1, so you should know what's where.
The key to this is balancing monster-killing with token collection.
So, go see YinLing. Then run through & tag the monster in the bedroom.
Immediately after that, tag the bathroom door, and the "OF" token is in
the bath.
Then, head out into the corridor. Tag the monster before the lift, &
collect the "TOY" token at the far end of the corridor.
Load sequence...
Once out of the lift, there's another monster to deal with. Then a fourth
monster comes from the piano area. Once that's dealt with, grab the "JOY"
token from behind reception, and the "YIN" token from the computer room,
while YinLing investigates the store. No spider to worry about, but there
is a YinLing magazine where the water bottle used to be.
Race YinLing back upstairs:- The final "LING" token is to the left at the
top balcony, then to the left side. Rejoin YinLing where the corpse was in
in level 1.
_______________________
YinLing's Levels: 2
Dance Show
-----------------------
In the Japanese version, this is unlocked by clearing YinLing's
"special stage", and features YinLing performing pole-dances.
In the European version, this is unlocked by completing the game with
high "E": Since YinLing's absent from the Euro release, you get to choose
your reporter from those which you've got the high "E" ending with.
However, also on the European version, there's a bug: The "movie theater"
option ALSO takes you to the dance show, with Ann dancing in her swimsuit
(even if you've not unlocked the suit for in-game use).
There's nothing challenging to do here. Film that girl.
___________________
YinLing Album
-------------------
(Japanese version only)
The cards are available from your second playthrough of the game.
One or two are hidden on each level.
Here's the list: Levels 1 & 6 have two cards, the rest have one each.
#1 = Level 1 (International Hotel)
#2 = Level 10 (Von Erich Library)
#3 = Level 8 (Campground Lodge)
#4 = Level 6 (Miller Mansion)
#5 = Level 5 (Brody Nursing Home)
#6 = Level 9 (Zaka TV Head Office)
#7 = Level 7 (St Matthew's Church)
#8 = Level 13 (Forest Building)
#9 = Level 14 (Grant Park Station)
#10 = Level 11 ("Shakedown" Junk shop)
#11 = Level 15 (24 Station)
#12 = Level 6 (Miller Mansion)
#13 = Level 1 (International Hotel)
#14 = Level 4 (Zaka TV)
#15 = Level 2 (Office)
#16 = Level 3 (Center Building)
#17 = Level 18 (Lighthouse)
#18 = Level 17 (Great Thesz Airport)
#19 = Level 16 (Motel)
#20 = Level 12 (Club "Gotchi")
___________________
Movie Present
-------------------
This is unlocked after your first run through of the Japanese version.
While the European version claims to unlock it at the same time, it
doesn't: Thanks to some shoddy coding & testing, there's no way to view the
videos in the European version of the game.
A guide to the collectable videos in the game. Most of them "just happen"
as you play through the game. There are a couple that depend on having
specific reporters with you. There are four which are hidden collectables,
in video-cassette form.
0/00 00:00 (intro)
08/20 15:25 Tutorial ending: Pamela gets et.
08/23 12:14 Level 1: The boss breaking through the window
08/23 14:30 Level 1: Post-boss, and the intro to level 2: Pamela returns.
08/23 17:06 Level 5: Rescue of Justine from the pooltable.
08/23 18:54 Level 7: Boss wakes up in the church.
08/23 19:12 Level 7: Defeat of the church boss.
08/23 19:28 Level 7: In a car with Brisco, crashing.
08/23 21:15 Level 8: Boss intro with Nina.
08/23 21:36 Level 8: Nina's post-boss piece to camera.
08/24 12:23 Level 12: Club "Gotchi" boss introduction with Dr O'Conner.
08/24 00:35 Level 13: Locker "boss" introduction.
08/24 00:38 Level 13, Carly only: Locker boss "bad" ending.
08/25 05:49 Level 17: Airport boss ending.
08/25 06:32 Level 18: End of the game - Brisco in the lighthouse.
09/02 10:46 A: "S" ending.
09/02 10:46 B: "E" ending.
09/02 10:46 C: "I" ending.
09/02 10:52 High "I" bonus ending.
08/17 13:26 Level 12 (Club "Gotchi") Videotape: Meteor.
08/22 18:07 Level 5 (Brody Nursing Home) Videotape: Shooting.
08/22 19:45 Level 15 (24-Station) Videotape: Interrogation.
08/23 18:09 Level 10 (Von Erich Library) Videotape: Paula's rampage.
08/23 20:23 Level 9: Nina in the shower.
08/23 20:23 Level 9: Brisco in the shower.
______________________
"Dear D, From M"
----------------------
For plot-related background, there are a sequence of messages lying
around that can to be tagged. Not all of them are "S"-giving, hence this
section. Who's "D"? Who's "M"? Work it out for yourself.
Level 1: International Hotel.
PC in computer room.
Level 2: Office
PC on oval desk.
Level 6: Miller Mansion
Memo on the sitting room desk.
Level 8:Campground Lodge (also gives "S")
Kitchen worksurface.
Level 9: Zaka TV Head Office (also gives "S")
Computer screen in reception
Level 10: Von Erich Library
PC in locked room (also gives "S")
Level 15: 24 Grant Park Station
Memo on curved counter
Level 16: Motel
Memo on toilet paper (also gives "S")
Level 18: Lighthouse
Memo on the pizza (also gives "S")
_____________________
Acknowledgements
---------------------
Thanks to Jonathan Underwood for the floor ring clarifications.
__________________
Web Pointers
------------------
This guide:-
(c) 2005, R Fred Williams
(rfredw@argonet.co.uk)
Most recent version always at www.gamefaqs.com
...If you're not gamefaqs, & want to host it, then:-
(a) Let me know.
(b) Make no charges.
(c) Make no changes or deletions.
(d) I keep gamefaqs up to date. You're on your own.
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