CRISIS BEAT
System: Sony PlayStation
Developer/Publisher: Bandai (1998)
FAQ
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Game Modes
3. How to Play
4. Characters & Moves
5. Secrets
6. General Tips
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1. INTRODUCTION
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Crisis Beat is a new 3D side-scrolling fighting action game that was
just released not long ago (on the 18th of July).
It has been a long time since I've played a game of this genre, and
I was pleasantly surprised by Crisis Beat. ^_^
Crisis Beat is your typical 3D side-scrolling game, but with more
features. It has a cool story, with nice-looking in-game graphics,
rendered cinemas and real-time 3D scenes. The characters even have
their own voices, and their designs gives them a nice anime look. Also,
you get to choose your character from 2 pairs, so their story begins
differently.
The story takes place aboard a ship called the "Princess of the
Fearless", which gets sea-jacked by a group of Terrorists, led by
Colonel Whigen. Your character will then have to fight through the
different areas aboard the ship in an attempt to stop the Terrorists.
The fighting emphasizes heavily on combos and air juggles, and the
use of background objects to attack your opponents (albeit in a totally
different way). Also, the new Lock-On Counter system makes the game
more interesting, and separates it from the normal beat'em ups.
However, the game's major flaw is that (aside from the first stage)
the course you take through the game is totally linear, as there are no
alternative routes to pick from. Some may get sick of the game after
playing it through a few times. Also, some may find the fighting
repetitious and may get bored with it soon. Anyway, this game is best
enjoyed by 2 players, and can be pretty fun once you obtain the Free
Mode.
I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of side-scrolling
fighting games (like Final Fight & Bare Knuckle). It's a good way to
pass the time, and besides, you don't see many games of this genre
anymore nowadays.
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2. GAME MODES EXPLANATION
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[SINGLE MODE] (For 1 Player only)
Choose 1 character out of 4, and fight your way through the enemies
aboard the Princess of the Fearless.
The characters are Eiji, Julia, Keneth, and Feisu.
Also, the character that you choose will determine the first stage
and boss of the game. Other than that, the rest of the stages,
beginning from the second stage, remain unchanged.
[PAIR MODE] (For 2 Players)
Choose 1 team from the 2 available, and play through the game.
The 2 Teams are: Eiji-Julia, and Keneth-Feisu.
Also, the team that you choose will determine the first stage and
boss of the game. Other than that, the rest of the stages, beginning
from the second stage, remain unchanged.
[FREE MODE] (For 1 or 2 Players)
Choose any character you like, and play through the game.
However, they will not be any in-game cinemas.
When playing with 2 players, you may even mix & match your
characters now, instead of having to select them from the default
teams.
Note that you will have to play through both versions of the first
stage before you reach the second stage.
*This mode is only accessible after satisfying certain conditions.
See the "Secrets" section.
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3. HOW TO PLAY
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BASIC CONTROLS
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[D-PAD]- Moves Character (Double-tap to dash/for quick step)
[SQUARE BUTTON]- Attack 1 (usually a Punch/High Attack)
[X BUTTON]- Attack 2 (usually a Kick/Low Attack)
[CIRCLE BUTTON]- Jump
[TRIANGLE BUTTON]- All-Range Burst (ARB) Attack
[R1 BUTTON]- Dash/Quick Step
{LEGEND}
To make things convenient, I will refer to the attack buttons as P
(Punch) and K (Kick), instead of Attack 1 and Attack 2 for simplicity's
sake.
[P]- Attack 1 (SQUARE BUTTON)
[K]- Attack 2 (X BUTTON)
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BASIC TECHNIQUES
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<<< 1. COMBINATION ATTACKS >>>
Each character can perform various combos by chaining both Attack
buttons together. This is shown in the "Characters" section.
<<< 2. DASHING ATTACKS >>>
To perform a Dashing Attack, simply hold the R1 BUTTON (or double
tap the D-PAD) to dash, then press either P for a High Dashing Attack,
or K for a Low Dashing Attack.
Dashing Attacks can knock down your enemies with one hit.
Note that this only applies to characters who can dash.
(i.e. Eiji & Feisu)
<<< 3. JUMPING ATTACKS >>>
To perform a Jumping Attack, simply press the CIRCLE BUTTON to jump,
then press either P or K for different jumping attacks.
Most Jumping Attacks can knock down your enemies with one hit,
though some may momentarily stun your enemy, leaving them open for your
attacks when you land (e.g. Keneth & Feisu)
<<< 4. THROWING >>>
Your character will automatically grab an enemy when you move close
to him. After grabbing an enemy, you may:
- Press either P or K several times to attack the enemy.
- Hold a direction on the D-PAD + P or K to perform a THROW.
- Move around while still holding onto the enemy using the D-PAD.
- Let go of the enemy by pressing the Jump button (CIRCLE).
<<< 5. ARB ATTACKS >>>
The TRIANGLE BUTTON performs your character's All-Range Burst (ARB)
Attack. As the name suggests, it hits nearby enemies all around you,
but uses a bit of your Health.
However, the damage inflicted on your enemies is very little. Hence,
this move is used mainly for getting out of tight situations (such as
when you are stuck and being attacked in a corner).
This move is also very useful when it comes to fighting Bosses. The
Bosses in this game have some combos of their own which deal a lot of
damage. Should you get caught in a punishing combo, use the ARB Attack
to break out of it ; it will be worth that little bit of Health lost.
The ARB Attack differs with each character.
<<< 5. ITEMS >>>
There are several items in the game that can be picked up (press any
attack button). All of them can be found in the background objects, so
break everything!
Items include:
[Health Crates]- Recovers Health ; there are 3 types of crates, each
with different degrees of recovery.
[Extra Life]- This pyramid-shaped item adds one extra life to your
character.
[Knife]- Some enemies leave knives behind after being defeated. You can
use it to stab (press P) your enemies, or throw it (press K) at them.
[Gun Box]- Pick this up, and your character will be armed with a
machine gun. He will then fire the gun in all directions, causing great
damage to all the on-screen enemies.
<<< 6. ATTACKING USING OBJECTS >>>
There are some objects (such as furniture, pots, etc) in the
fighting area that you can use to your advantage.
Walk up to an object, and press either P or K, and your character
will use it to attack your enemy. The kind of attack depends on:
- The type/size of the object.
- The location of your character and the enemy.
The kinds of attacks are:
[Type 1]: Flipping over the object
or Picking it up and throwing
Examples: generally large objects, such as Tables, Park Benches,
Huge Metal Containers, etc.
Description of attack: Your character will overturn/throw the
object, and it will fall in the direction he is facing.
[Type 2]: Picking up and swinging the object, before releasing it
Examples: generally smaller objects, such as Rubbish Bins, Pots,
Small Chairs, etc.
Description of attack: Your character will pick up the object, then
spin around with it, hitting away any nearby enemies, then throw it a
the direction he was facing when he first picked it up.
Note: However, if you try to attack with a small object, and your
enemies are either off-screen or too far away, your character may
merely turn the object over (Type 1), instead of swinging it (Type 2).
<<< 7. LOCK-ON COUNTER >>>
Despite its name, the Lock-On Counter is not a counter move at all.
When performed, your character will do a combo on your enemy, then
finish it off with a powerful blow that sends them flying into an
object for 5,000 points. This does a lot of damage on your enemies,
sometimes killing them at once.
To perform a Lock-On Counter, firstly, you have to find an object to
smash your enemy into.
Next, position your enemy such that the object is directly behind
him. (You may want to do so by grabbing him, moving him to where you
want him to be, then pressing CIRCLE to release him there.)
Now that you and your enemy are both facing each other, and the
object is directly behind him, press any attack button (P or K).
If it works, there will be a flash, and a message will appear to
tell you that the Lock-On Combo has been activated. Your character will
then automatically perform a combo, and ends by sending your enemy
flying at the object, and smashing through it.
Note that the objects here refer to those found in the fighting
area, as mentioned in the section on "Attacking Using Objects"
(furniture, pots, bins, metal crates, etc).
However, certain parts of the background can actually be used to
perform your Lock-On Counters with. Some examples include: railings,
shop displays, etc.
The more interesting ones are:
- The 2 control panels on the outside deck of the ship (right at the
beginning of the game when you are playing with Eiji/Julia). This
will release 2 boats which will fall and damage all the onscreen enemies.
- The model display of the Princess of the Fearless.
There are many more 'smash-able' backgrounds in the game other than
the ones mentioned here. Some may even yield items (such as the shop
displays on the mall stage)! Try experimenting to discover more! ^_^
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4. CHARACTERS & MOVES
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EIJI GARLAND
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Country: America
Age: 24
Occupation: New York Police Officer
Fighting Style: Shoot-Boxing
[COMBO LIST]
Rising Combination: P-P-P-P
Double Low Kick: K-K-K
Hybrid Rush: P-K-P-P
Cyclone Rush: P-P-K-P-K
[CHARACTER GUIDE]
Eiji is your typical main character. He is an all-rounded fighter
with very balanced attributes. There is nothing bad about him, but
then, there is also nothing good to say about him either.
His Hybrid Rush is short & easy to perform, and he even ends with a
cool-looking rising uppercut that does quite a lot of damage.
His Cyclone Rush is quite a good combo, but it's long and can be
quite hard to pull off in sticky situations.
Try this combo for some nice damage. (It looks nice, too!)
-> Grab enemy, P repeatedly, (enemy is in the air), juggle with P
repeatedly.
(Best used in corners)
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JULIA JEFFERSON
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Country: Belgium
Age: 23
Occupation: Super-Model
Fighting Style: Wrestling
[COMBO LIST]
Siren Palm: P-P-P
Air Sobat: K-K-K
Hanging Junon: K-K-P-P
J. Swing: P-P-K-K-P (press repeatedly)
Sky-High J.: Jump & press P when opponent is in the air (Air Throw)
[CHARACTER GUIDE]
Julia is a character with some rather weak combos, and relies more
on her throws.
Her Hanging Junon combo ends with a Frankensteiner, and is quite
damaging.
The way to perform her J. Swing is quite tricky. After inputting the
fourth attack (K), you will have to immediately press P repeatedly (and
very rapidly, too!). Only then she will pick up the guy, and start
swinging him. (Remember to keep pressing P repeatedly for more swings
and more damage!)
Julia's most damaging move has to be her Sky-High J.! (It looks
impressive, too!) One way of chaining it into your combo is as follows:
-> Grab enemy, P repeatedly, (enemy is in the air), perform Sky-High J.
(jump forward and press P to grab enemy out of the air)
When playing a 2-Player game, another cool way to utilize her Sky
High J. is by waiting for your partner to perform a combo that launches
the enemy into the air, then jumping towards the enemy (while he is
still in mid-air), and performing the move. (Works pretty well on
Bosses, too).
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KENETH KIROVA
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Country: Russia
Age: 27
Occupation: Secret Agent/Spy
Fighting Style: Sou-Sou-Ken-Kyaku (Twin Spears KickBoxing)
[COMBO LIST]
KouRaiJin: P-P-P
RaiRenJin: K-K-K
RenSouTenShoKyaku: K-K-P-P
TenFuHouKouKyaku: P-K-K
[CHARACTER GUIDE]
Keneth does not only look cool; the way he fights is very cool, too!
(He actually fights with both hands in his pockets!) Therefore, both
his attack buttons perform kicks, but with different heights.
Keneth has a very long reach (due to his rather long legs). All his
combos are short & simple to perform, but do quite a lot of damage.
Both the RenSouTenShoKyaku and TenFuHouKouKyaku are very useful, and
should be used often.
However, Keneth's main flaw is that he is quite a slow character.
His throws are pretty weak, too (except for the one where he breaks the
guy's neck).
You may want to try this juggling combo for him:
-> Perform the RaiRenJin (K-K-K), enemy is launched into the air,
juggle with the KouRaiJin (P-P-P).
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YAN HAINT FEISU
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Country: England
Age: 18
Occupation: University Student
Fighting Style: Bou-Jutsu (The Art of Staff Fighting)
[COMBO LIST]
GouJinTotsu: P-P-P-P-P
KuJinKyaku: K-K-K
ShoTenTotsu: P-P-K-K
TenFuJin: K-K-P-P
[CHARACTER GUIDE]
Feisu seems to be the opposite of Keneth. She is very quick, but her
reach (even with the broomstick) is very short, and all her moves do
very little damage. However, if you like characters with multi-hitting
combos, then she is the one for you.
Her ShoTenTotsu ends with her stunning her opponent, and can be
followed up with more attacks. You may want to try:
-> ShoTenTotsu (P-P-K-K), opponents is stunned, grab, then P-P,
followed by a throw (D-PAD + P or K).
Her TenFuJin ends with a spinning attack with the broom that hits in
all directions, and a final blow that sends enemies flying, but this
takes time to pull off.
However, Feisu has some jumping air combos that the other characters
do not possess. Try jumping straight up, and then pressing P-K-P for a
short air-combo. Other simpler ones include pressing K-P or K-K or P-P
P. You may want to experiment to find more.
Another thing to note about Feisu is that when she picks up a knife,
pressing the P button will make her perform a 2-hit attack with both
her broomstick and her knife. This is unlike the other characters who
only stabs once with the knife.
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5. SECRETS
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[EXPERT DIFFICULTY SETTING]
Simply finish the game once on Normal and you will obtain a fourth
difficulty setting (Expert) on the Option menu.
[FREE MODE]
Free Mode is just like the normal Single and Pair Modes. The only
difference is that you are now able to select any 2 characters when
playing a 2-player game.
However, because of this, there will not be any in-game cinemas,
because the game no longer follows the original story.
To gain access to Free Mode, you have to finish the game with both
the Eiji-Julia Team and Keneth-Feisu Team. You may do this either in
Single Mode or Pair Mode. Either way, you'll still have to finish
the game twice with a different team.
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6. GENERAL TIPS
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1. When playing with a friend, try cooperating with each other to
perform some long air juggle combos on your enemies.
(For example, after Keneth's RaiRenJin (K-K-K) to KouRaiJin (P-P-P)
combo, your partner can further juggle the enemy in the air
repeatedly with P for more damage.)
2. Try to stick to the combos given in each character's Combo List.
Even though you may derive some 'new' combos from them (by
interchanging P with K, and vice versa), you will find that these
so-called 'new' combos do not do as much damage as the orginal ones,
and they also cause the combo to end the moment you change it.
3. When fighting Bosses, never hesitate to use the ARB Attack, as it
is definitely a lifesaver when you get trapped in one of their
punishing combos.
4. Learn the Bosses' patterns. Some of them perform a move as they
get up, so stay away from them when they do.
Some Bosses may also have charging/diving/projectile attacks, which
may be hard to dodge. Try dashing non-stop around the screen, and
jumping away when they attack.
Be careful when trying to grab certain Bosses, as they
may grab you instead, and throw you for lots of damage. (Keep this
in mind when fighting Whigen. He has one mean slam that does lots
of damage!)
5. Although the game does not replenish your health at the end of
every stage, there is always a Health Item (or two) found in the
background objects at the beginning of every new stage. Just break
everything.
6. Though is always tempting to use the background objects to take
out a group of enemies, you should always save some to perform
your Lock-On Counters with. Your Lock-On Counter is capable of taking
away up to 70% of one full life bar off an enemy, so use this on those
baddies with lots of life.
You rarely get a chance to perform a Lock-On Counter on any of the
Bosses, as the areas where you face them usually do not have any
breakable objects. (One exception is Hammer, who's got 3 background
objects for you to perform your Counters on. That is, if
you have the chance to use them before he destroys them.)
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^_^ THE END ^_^
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