FAQ - Guide for Bust-A-Groove 2

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Bust-a-Move 2: Dance Heaven Mix FAQ v. 1.3

by: Fiefo! ([email protected])

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
A. Legal Stuff and Where to Find This FAQ
B. Revision History
C. The Game Itself 
D: How to Play   
E. The Characters 
F. Stages and Music 
G. Spoilers/Endings
H. Tips and Hints 
I. Help me!
J. Thanks and Credits

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A. Legal Stuff:

     All the information here is for public viewing and should not be used for profit and the 
expressed permission of the author. Please do not use the information in here for any personal 
gain. This FAQ, being published in the Internet is automatically is protected by international
copyright laws.
     In other words, this is mine! Don't remove my name and say, "This is my FAQ and I'm 
taking all of the credit for it!" Got it?

     This FAQ can only be found in these places for now...
       1) www.gamefaqs.com (Lots of faqs here. Duh!)
       2) www.allanime.com (Impressive page on Japanese anime and Video Games!)
       3) www.gamewinners.com (Well, it's in this page! Don't know how it got there, though!)
       4) www.cheatcc.com (Hey! They have cheats, too!)
       5) www.console-gamer.com (Nice page for FAQs as well!)
       6) www.consolecity.com (Last but definitely not least...)
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B. Revision History:

1.0 April 24, 1999 
     First draft. More to come?
1.1 May 9, 1999
     Added the correct names of the songs and the measuments and other data. 
     Released McLoad, finally! 
     Put up most of the game menus of the game. 
     Added the way to release the game's secret characters (or the way I think).
     Added a Dance Patterns section to explain how the difficulty of the dance moves 
          are determined.
     Added a stage map on the routes the player can go through in 1 PLAYER MODE.
     Made Corrections in Heat's costume description.
     Added the Lottery occurences for each character's stage.
     Added description of Pander's Ending.
     Added my e-mail so you can contact me!
1.2 May 17, 1999
     Fixed up a few things (How to Play, etc.) 
     Added a more concise way on how to release the hidden characters. Pretty sure of this.
     Separated the Characters and the Stages. Added a new area, the Stages and Music, and
          combined the normal and hidden characters.
     Added Robo-Z Gold's Ending. 
     Added Rest Patterns for each stage.
     Added the 4 Stage Paths in 1 Player Mode.
     Added a few more ramblings in the Hints and Tips section. Separated this section into
          smaller areas.  

1.3 May 18, 1999
     Fixed an error on how to reverse attacks. Thanks to Donnie Wells!

1.4 May 20, 1999
     Correction in how to release Pander. Credits to Mantis Knight and Justin Strauss.

2.0 May 23, 1999
     Why 2.0? I'm pretty sure that this is a very complete version of the FAQ now.
     Changed pre-requisites to get Columbo and ChiChi and Sally.
     Corrected the age of Shorty.
     Fixed a few odds and ends in the Stages and Music Section.
     Added a poll in the Help Me! section of the FAQ.
     Added a few sites where you can find this FAQ.

2.1 June 5, 1999
     General clean-up. Fixed a few errors, typos, etc. Addition of a few stuff...
     Added combo theory. Look for it just below the Dance Patterns Section. Kinda important
          if you want incredibly high scores!
     Changes to the Excites in Molten Metal Room (Heat's) Stage.
     Correction in Lottery of Jungle Tours Raft Ride (Shorty/Columbo's) Stage.
     Did not put up the poll results as promised... read about why in the Help Me! Section.
     NEW! LEVEL SKIP CODE ADDED to intro of Stages and Music and Hints and Tips Sections!
     
     Next update... who knows when? Sooner than you think? Keep sending me those corrections!

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C. The Game Itself:

     The sequel to Bust-a-Move (called Bust-a-Groove in the USA) continues on the dance games. 
The player must push the commands listed on the screen and push the final command on the fouth 
beat of the music. Doing this successfully will cause your character to dance. Eventually, the 
more completed dance moves done, the commands will become more complicated.
     You can also initiate attacks to knock the opponent down so the opponent will not be able 
to dance for a certain amount of time. The opponent can also do this to you. Each character can 
block, dodge or reverse these attacks. More information later in this FAQ.
     If you get a high enough score at the end of the music, the winning character will do a 
solo dance called "Fever Time".

     Below are the various menus and stuff in the game. The first part (attacking, dodging, 
paths to take, etc.) are rather important in the game play. The rest, well, not really. Even
though this is a Japanese import only, you don't need to know much Japanese to play this
game. I just put it up to be thorough.

     First, the important stuff...

------------
START SCREEN
------------

1P MODE  = Dance competition against the CPU. You battle for either 8 or 9 stages. The
           8 stage is always Robo-Z Gold. If you keep on getting "Fever Time" at the
           end of each dance, you will access a hidden opponent after Robo-Z Gold,
           Pander. Also, unlock hidden characters with each victory.
2P MODE  = Dance compete against another person! Probably the most fun mode there is
           if the two of you are really good, or really bad!
PRACTICE = Practice with any character. A small bar will show you when to press the 
           final command. Good for learning the basics of the game.
DANCE    = At the start, this option is not accessable. Each character will enable you
VIEW       to see the character dance by himself.
           The right part of the screen will change the dance movement. Change this 
           with the directional pad.
           The right side shows the dance "paths" you can go through in the game.
           Below that is the camera control. And the last option on the right is the
           option for manual camera. 
OPTIONS  = Sound will make you toggle from stereo or mono sound. You can also change the
           volume of the music and sound effects. Also, you can just play the music or
           the sound effects by themselves!
           In the memory option, you can save or load the data from the memory card. Save
           the instant you get a new character or finish someone! You can turn on the 
           Auto Save option if you're too lazy to do this manually. (Risky though. You
           might accidentally overwrite more useful game data)

------------------------------
CHARACTER SELECT AND GAME MODE
------------------------------

     First choose the character you want to play as. At the start, you only have acces to
     10 characters. As you play, the squares at the bottom will fill up with some more
     hidden characters. After you choose the character you want to play as, you'll have
     to choose which play mode you want

     EASY   = All you have are directional commands to enter. The Attack Button is the
              Circle button while the Block/Dodge button is the X button. Great for 
              equalizing the begginers and the Experts!
     NORMAL = Just like Bust-A-Move 1. Input direction commands first before the fourth
              beat, then enter either Circle or X as the final button, depending on the
              last command needed. Attack Button is the R1 shoulder button and the Block/
              Dodge Button is the R2 shoulder button.
     MIX    = Combination of all the face buttons and directions. This is hard mode. 
              Square, Circle, Triangle and X buttons can be part of the command before the
              final button press in the fourth beat. Attack Button is the R1 shoulder button 
              and the Block/ Dodge Button is the R2 shoulder button.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D. Game Play:

---------------------
BASICS ON HOW TO PLAY
---------------------

     The command line is separated into two boxes. The long box on the left side should
     be pressed before the fourth beat of the song. This box can hold up to 6 input commands,
      _________   _     which are directions only for EASY and NORMAL Mode or a mixture of
     [_________] [_]    the symbol buttons in MIX Mode. The smaller box on the right is the
      Pre-Input Final   Final input. This should be done at the fourth beat. If you manage to
                        press the Final input at the middle of the fourth beat, the Final
     command will pulsate or expand a bit. When this happens, you will get more points (about
     30 or so) for each time you do this. Also, when this is done, the moves become somewhat
     more difficult than that if you don't get it in the middle of the fourth beat. This is
     best seen at the start of a stage. If you don't get it to pulsate on the 2nd fourth beat,
     you will only be able to do a "4-Combo", but if you do get the 2nd fourth beat to expand,
     the character will be able to do a "6-Combo" or COOL pose. This goes for the Attacks and
     Blocks/Dodges as well. Another thing about the middle part of the fourth beat. If you do 
     this when the song ends,the character will do a pose, instead of just stopping.  

     As you do successful more dance commands, the border around the player's score will
     change (it starts at blue and will get more red) and the command inputs get more
     complicated, but more points will be awarded for more complicated commands.

     In the middle of the scores are bars of green, red and blue. This will increase for
     each COOL (the green), CHILLIN' (the red) and FREEZE (the blue) either of the players
     get. They all go back to one bar if one of them are in a level of three. If all of the
     bars are aligned, the next player who gets a COOL, CHILLIN', or FREEZE will get more
     points than usual, the border around the score of the one who gets it flash a rainbow
     of colors and the bars dissapear. I will call this the Lottery for lack of a better 
     term for this. Also, when the lottery is won by either player, something will happen
     in the background.

-------
ATTACKS
-------

     Pressing the Attack button (X for EASY, R1 for NORMAL and MIX) at the fourth beat
     will cause the character to deliver an attack the opponent. If it connects, the 
     opponent will not be able to enter any commands for a time. Also, if it connects just
     before a dance solo, the opponent will not be able to his or her dance solo and you'll
     be the one to do it! You can make the final command pulsate while doing this also. (30
     points is still 30 points!) Also, the spheres on the side of your character's score 
     show the amount of times you can attack. 
  
     Oh yeah, if you connect with the attack, you get about 1,000 points while the opponent
     loses 1,000 points! This is a big thing in close battles!

-----------
BLOCK/DODGE
-----------

     Pressing the Block/Dodge button (Circle for EASY, R2 for NORMAL and MIX) at the fourth
     beat will cause your character to do a backflip (to dodge) or block an opponent's
     attack. Once you see the opponent initiate an attack, press this button at the next
     fourth beat in the music to defend against the attack. You can also do this if you've
     messed up and avoid a missed command. If you press the Block/Dodge button in the
     middle of the fourth beat, the character will do the backflip, and you get the 30 points
     for the perfect rhythm points. If not, the character will just block the attack.

---------
REVERSALS
---------

     Pressing the Attack button (X for EASY, R1 for NORMAL and MIX) at the next fourth beat 
     when you see your opponent attacks and you will send the opponent's attack back! You can 
     keep on doing this until the attack connects or someone dodges. Take note that this MUST 
     be done JUST RIGHT AT THE MIDDLE OF THE FOURTH BEAT, making this more difficult and more 
     risky to do than just blocking/dodging! Reversals do not use up your attacks. You can 
     reverse a reversal as well! And the opponent can reverse the reversed reversal, and you 
     can reverse the reversed reversed reversal, but the opponent can... well, you probably
     know what comes next...

--------------
DANCE PATTERNS
--------------

	At the start, you do only a few button presses before the final command. As the game
      progresses and more sucessful commands are entered, the more complicated the commands
      become. Unlike Bust-A-Move 1 and its American counterpart, Bust-A-Groove, you do not
      have a choice anymore between two dance commands. This time, the complexity of the
      dance command (and more points) is now determined by the timing of the final button
      press. To be more exact, when you get a pulsating final press (when you press the
      final command at the right time), the commands become more difficult. Remember, the
      more complicated the command, the more points you'll get if successful!

            Also, the dance command patterns are quite different for each character. Shorty has
      very simple patterns while Robo-Z Gold tend to get very complicated much quicker than
      most of the regular characters. 

------------
DANCE THEORY
------------

      According to Doc Ian, to get more complicated commands, and, thus, more points upon
      completion, you have to hit the "perfect middle" during the 2nd, 4th, and 6th fourth
      beat. Meaning, when you have started a new combo string (after finishing one or during
      the start of the game), get the perfect middle in the 2nd fourth beat, then the 4th,
      and the 6th (on higher levels only).

-------------
1 PLAYER MODE
-------------
     
     Battle against the computer. If you win the match, you get to the next stage. Also,
     in between stages is the "path" you take to reach Robo-Z Gold. It looks like this...

                                 O    By the third stage, if you've been getting "Fever
                                      Times" in all your previous competitions against the
                                 |    CPU, you'll go up. This also goes for the 5th Stage.
                                      If you reach all the way to the end at any path, you
                         O - O - O    battle it out against Robo-Z Gold, a giant robot. If
                                      you pass through the highest path and beat Robo-Z Gold,
                       /              the character will enter a secret stage against Pander.
                                      
                 O - O - O - O - O    I've noted the paths that can be taken with the lines
                                      in between the circles (the circles are the stages).
               /       /              So, for example, if you keep on getting "Fever Times"
                                      until Stage 4, but don't get a "Fever Time" in Stage
     O - O - O - O - O - O - O - O    5, you'll move through the middle path until the end.

     Either way, if you beat the game, you see the character you played as in a dance show
     and dances to the crowds delight as the credits go along. Also, sometimes you will dance
     against a character that is not in the original character select around the 4th or 5th
     stage. These are the Secret Characters in the game. If you play against them and finish
     the game, they will become playable in the Character Select screen. Also, if you complete
     the game, the character will be available in Dance View.

Below, well, you don't need to read until the Character profiles, but read on if you want.
I'm not going to stop you! Just saying that the rest is pretty self-explanatory (Duh! What's 
the 2 Player Mode? Duh!) and can be skipped. 

-------------
2 PLAYER MODE
-------------

     Dance against your friend! The same rules apply and the gameplay is the same. It's more
     fun to play against a human than the CPU. I mean, you can't gloat over the computer, can
     you? And, besides, even in MIX mode, the computer isn't much of a challenge. Take note
     that you can play different styles (Easy, Normal, Mix) making the game more fair.

-------------
PRACTICE MODE
-------------

     This is where you can practice your skills and timing for the game. Choose your character
     and play mode just like before. This time, you dance by yourself and there is no attacking
     since there is no opponent to attack. You are dancing against yourself here! This time,
     there is a small beat meter below the command line. You should enter the final command
     in the fourth beat, or when the line moves inside the dark green area of the beat meter.
     This will help you understand when to press an get the timing down.

     On the opposite side of your character is the Practice Data. The top one is the Level the 
     character is on, the higher the level, the more difficult the button presses become.
     In the middle is the total score you've gotten. Below it is the Rest Meter. This just
     shows how many input sequences or fourth beats are left before the music ends. When this
     runs out, so does the music. 

     After the music ends, you see the results of the Practice game you did. The highest part, 
     Finish Combo, shows the highest amount of dance moves that you've done successfully as a 
     sequence (the highest is 7 =  Freeze). The second scoring point, the Dance Rate, shows 
     the percentages of correct button sequences you pulled off. 100% is the highest here 
     (Duh!). Third is the Just Command Rate. This shows how many times you've pressed the 
     final command in right in the middle (the sweet spot). 100% is still the highest here.
     (Still Duh!) Finally, the bottom shows how many points you've gotten. The highest seems
     to vary from song to song. Also, while you're looking at all these stats, you can see
     your character dance the exact same way you played during the practice. Neat, huh?

----------
DANCE VIEW
----------

     When you finish a character in 1 PLAYER MODE, you can select the character for Dance View.
     The character will just dance! First select the character. Afterwards, the dance screen
     will be put up. On the left side of the screen are the dance names. These are the moves
     that the character will do. Move the directional pad up and down to choose which line and
     left or right to select the dance move. Press X or Circle button to start the move. 

     On the right side of the screen are the other options. The first one, from the top, is
     the Route Number. Use this to select the path that the character's moves will be. Second,
     is the Speed. This controls the speed of the dancing of the character. 30 is the normal.
     The higher the number, the slower the character dances. Camera Number selects which
     camera to be used. Move Camera, when selected, will switch you to the Camera Position
     Screen. More below. The Triangle button is used to toggle the display on or off.

     The Camera Position Screen uses the R1 and R2 to Zoom In and Zoom Out, respectively.
     Directional controls is used to move the camera around. Press Circle button to go back
     to the Dance View Screen.

-------
OPTIONS
-------

     There are only a few options for the game. The first one is the Sound Option. Second is
     the Memory Option and the last one is the Vibration Option.

     The Sound Options have several options in it. One of them is to choose if you want the
     sounds to be Stereo (two speakers) or Monorular (single speaker). Stereo, obviously,
     is better. Second is the Music Volume. The more full the meter, the louder the music
     will be played. Underneath this is the Music Select. Move the directional pad left or
     right to choose the music and press the Circle button to play the music. Next is the 
     Sound Volume. Like the Music Volume option, the more full the meter, the louder the sound
     effects will be. The last one is the Sound Select. Use the left or right directions to
     choose the sound effect then press Circle to play the sound. Pressing the X button will
     bring you back to the Options Menu.

     The Memory Option has several options again. You can Save your Data to the Memory Card
     to save all your hard word (secret characters, etc.). If you have previous game data
     in your card, the game will ask you if you want to overwrite the data. You can Load Data
     also using the Load Data Option. Make sure that the Saved Game Data in your Memory Card
     is better (more secret characters, etc.) or else your game (and your hard work) will be
     gone. It's a good thing they ask you if you're sure if you want to do it. Finally, the
     Auto Save Option can be toggled on or off. Use this if you're too lazy to save manually
     everytime. I still think it's risky to leave this on, though...

     The Vibration Option can be turned on or off. The Vibration doesn't really enhance the
     game that much. Sometimes, in my opinion, it distracts the gameplay, somewhat. I leave 
     this one off (Kinda annoying when you get hit by an Attack).

     By the way, no, there is no difficulty setting. The computer is really that much of a
     challenge (read as: too easy, even in MIX mode!).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E. Characters:

-----------------
NORMAL CHARACTERS
-----------------

Note: You can choose the 2nd costume with the Triangle button or holding the SELECT button
      while pressing the Circle button to choose your character.

HEAT
Age: 20
Height (cm): 171 
Weight (kg): 60 
Measurements (cm): 81-62-84
Symbol: Flames
Dance Style: Break Dancing
1st Costume: Mostly white jumpsuit and red stripes with some flames in the middle. He's got a 
             hat hanging on his back(?). He now has some bug-eye sunglasses on his head now!
2nd Costume: Mostly red jumpsuit and white stripes with a white flame in the middle. No hat!
             The bug-eye sunglasses are still there...
Attack: Throws a large fire at the opponent!
Others:
   The hero of the first game is back! Actually, his moves have gotten better and visually
   stimulating (especially the head spin at Level 5!).

COMET
Age: 16
Height (cm): 162
Weight (kg): 45
Measurements (cm): 82-58-84
Symbol: Cocktail glass
Dance Style: Rollerblade Dance
1st Costume: Waitress costume. Note that the rear of her skirt is transparent!
2nd Costume: Black Bunny outfit! Think Playboy waitress with rollerblades.
Attack: Casts a spell and the opponent turns into various stuff (frog, rice bowl, etc.)
Others:
   Replacing Frieda from Bust-A-Move 1, apparently. The dancing isn't too great, though. I like
   the fact that she's dancing on rollerblades, though. And the see-through skirt... Yum!

SHORTY
Age: 13
Height (cm): 152
Weight (kg): 39
Measurement (cm): 77-48-79
Symbol: Sillouete of a childish girl
Dance Style: Hip-Hop Street Dancing
1st Costume: Extremely long sleeved white shirt and blue pants. Very Hip-hop! Her hair is
             tied to her sides. Columbo (her pet rat!) sits upon her head wearing a small 
             baseball cap. 
2nd Costume: Black Hip-hop costume with a white "S" in the middle of her shirt. Hair is tied
             in loops(?). Columbo sits inside her backpack.
Attack: A large cake falls and flattens her opponent!
Others:
   The cute kid from the first game. Her dance moves have sort of "matured". Still has some
   of the cutest moves, though! Columbo still jumps out and dances with Shorty, copying her
   moves and misses along the way! To do this, you'll have to be on Level 5 Dance Moves and
   keep hitting the pulsating fourth beat very consistently.

STRIKE:
Age: 22
Height (cm): 183
Weight (kg): 75
Measurements (cm): 94-66-86
Symbol: a hand holding a bag of money
Dance Style: Gangster Style Groove
1st Costume: Black tanktop and bellbottom pants. Has an "S" in the middle of the shirt.
             Wears bug-eyed sunglasses!
2nd Costume: Same as the 1st costume with a very loose yellow shirt over the tanktop.
Attack: Takes out his GAT and starts shooting. The screen "shatters" if the attack connects!
Others:
   The bad boy returns! His dancing seems to have gotten a bit more tame. He doesn't do the
   hand plant move anymore! Still, he's one of the best dancers in the game!

TSUTOMU
Age: 11
Height (cm): 183
Weight (kg): 36
Measurements (cm): 65-37-68
Symbol: 10 yen coin
Dance Style: Don't really know! I think it's dumb dancing (You know, he thinks he knows how 
             to dance, but he really doesn't?). Looks pretty childish...
1st Costume: Blue school uniform with a backpack.
2nd Costume: Red school uniform with a backpack.
Attack: A door appears in front of the opponent. It opens and a load of bricks drop from
        the window sill onto the opponent.
Others:
   The youngest kid to join the dance competition. He has probably the worst dance moves
   in the game. He looks like they were trying to be adorable, but it just didn't work.
   I hate this kid! Hamm was better! Personally, I think the kid's a freak of nature!

CAPOEIRA
Age: ??
Height (cm): 155
Weight (kg): ???
Measurements (cm): ??-??-??
Symbol: Two intertwined lines
Dance Style: Capoeira (isn't this supposed to be a fighting style not a dance style?)
1st Costume: Shiny silver skin.
2nd Costume: Shiny green skin.
Attack: A sattelite shines a beam on the opponent, shrinking the body, but not the head!
Others:
   One of my favorite character(s) in the first game! They are extremely fun loving for
   aliens who want to take over the world! Their dancing sure have improved with them not
   always side by side and they now interact with each other.

BI-O
Age: 47
Height (cm): 178
Weight (kg): 65
Measurements (cm): 86-67-87
Symbol: Skull
Dance Style: Zombie/Robot Dance (has a Micheal Jackson touch)
1st Costume: Blue outfit and green face (actually skull!). Has an axe embedden in his head!
2nd Costume: Same blue outfit but with a red face (skull). Still has that axe there...
Attack: Throws his head at the opponent!
Others:
   Gas-O's (from Bust-A-Move 1) dad has decided to join! Groovy dance moves! I have to admit,
   this guy's pretty cool for an old, decomposing man with an axe in his head. Maybe that's
   the reason!

HIRO(-KUN!)
Age: 21
Height (cm): 179
Weight (kg): 68
Measurements (cm): 88-68-86
Symbol: Burning cigarette
Dance Style: 70's disco
1st Costume: White leisure suit. Think John Travolta in "Staying Alive"
2nd Costume: Weird sailor costume. (He still combs his hair with that silly captain's
             cap still on!) Think... uh, don't know... like those cartoons you see...
Attack: Tosses a picture at his opponent and the opponent "falls in love" (even guys?
        Micheal Doi, maybe...)
Others:
   Probably my favorite character in Bust-A-Move 1! He's still the Natural Playboy! His
   dancing is still fun to watch! Go, Hiro-kun!

KITTY-N(AKAJIMA)
Age: 17
Height (cm): 176
Weight (kg): 46
Measurements (cm): 84-55-85
Symbol: A can of Tuna or cat food.
Dance Style: Broadway/Stage Dance (Professional Dancing)
1st Costume: White cat costume. She's got these pants that are robotic sounds as she moves.
2nd Costume: Black cat costume. The black pants make those sounds still...
Attack: A giant claw grabs the opponent, like those grabber games in amusement parks and
        arcades, lifts him or her up then drops them! Ow!
Others:
   The costumed dancer is back and seems to have gotten her moves to be more fluid! She also
   make a lot of robotic sounds when she moves. Sorry. I mentioned that already, didn't I?
   
KELLY
Age: 24
Height (cm): 168
Weight (kg): 49
Measurements (cm): 89(!)-58-84
Symbol: Policeman
Dance Style: Bump-and-Grind/Lap Dancing? All I know... I LIKE!
1st Costume: Police uniform with VERY, VERY SHORT SHORTS! Carries a light baton! (I LIKE!)
2nd Costume: Rich Tycoon (like the guy in the Monopoly board game) suit and has a painted
             on moustache (Gimme the police uniform all the time!)
Attack: Takes out a megaphone and screams at her opponent!
Others:
   Doesn't dress like a baby anymore. That police uniform... with the VERY, VERY SHORT
   SHORTS! I LIKE! Use her then wait for the [DOWN, DOWN, CIRCLE] command... Wow! 
   
-----------------
SECRET CHARACTERS
-----------------

Note: When I say Stage Pattern in how to realease them, this means just that! Example, 1st 
      stage=Hiro-kun, 2nd stage=Strike, 3rd stage=Kelly, etc. In other words, the stages
      that you encounter ARE NOT RANDOM! THERE IS A SET STAGE PATTERN ALREADY! Only which
      Stage Pattern is random.

COLUMBO
Age: ??
Height (cm): 33
Weight (kg): 1
Measurements (cm): 32-34-34
Symbol: Circle with question mark inside
Dance Style: Hip-Hop Street Dancing? (same dance movements of Shorty)
1st Costume: Brown fur and baseball cap
2nd Costume: Light brown fur. That's it!
Attack: Drops a giant Jello dessert to squash the opponent. 
Released by: Finishing Shorty, in any Game Mode.
Others:
   The cute rat has been learning from his master. Hard to see the actual dance movements
   because... he's soooo small!

ROBO-Z GOLD
Age: ??
Height (meters): 52
Weight (tons): 220
Measurements (cm): 2500-1700-2600
Symbol: Electrical Plug
Dance Style: New Age/Modern Interpretive Dance/Vogue
1st Costume: Gold plated robot with some silver parts on his arms and legs.
2nd Costume: Silver plated robot with some gold parts on his arms and legs.
Attack: Blasts a laser beam at his opponent.
Released by: Release Columbo and ChiChi and Sally. Finish the game with any character in 
             MIX Mode.
Others:
   I guess he hasn't got his tune up since Bust-A-Move 1, since his face has the tendency to
   blow up while dancing! Cool dance moves, especially his "Fever Time"!

PANDER
Age: ??
Height (cm): 183
Weight (kg): 78
Measurements (cm): 96-85-95
Symbol: Looks like a box with some Japanese symbol inside.
Dance Style: Traditional Japanese Dance. (In other words... reeeeal slooooooow...)
1st Costume: Think human panda!
2nd Costume: Think human panda with bluish fur and a flower on the head!
Attack: Sends a hundred hands to slap the opponent silly!
Released by: Get the endings of all the normal characters first and release Robo-Z Gold.
             Finish the game with Robo-Z Gold in NORMAL Mode.
Others:
   Looks like some nightmarish freak! Reminds me of a dream I have when I feel sick! The 
   dancing is as freaky as he is! And not that great, also! 

SUSHI-BOY
Age: ??
Height (cm): 42
Weight (kg): 30
Measurements (cm): 37-38-39
Symbol: Circle with a question mark inside
Dance Style: Rollerblade Dance (like Comet)
1st Costume: Silver Metal body. (He looks like a tiny Tin Man from OZ or a tea kettle)
2nd Costume: Pink Metal body. (still looks like a mini Tin Man or tea kettle)
Attack: Exactly like Comet; he turns the opponent into stuff.
Released by: Getting 4 Fever Times and reaching Level 5 Dance Skill following a certain stage
             pattern. Follow the fourth Stage Path shown in the Stage Path section. You should
             dance against Sushi Boy in the 5th stage.
Others: What can I say? He's a little Tin Man on Rollerblades! Not as cute as Burger Dog... 
        In fact, he's not cute at all!

McLOAD
Age: ??
Height (cm): 174
Weight (kg): ???
Measurements (cm): ??-??-??
Symbol: Circle with a question mark inside
Dance Style: Bump-and-Grind/Lap Dancing? (same dance movements of Kelly)
1st Costume: He's a green dinosaur.
2nd costume: He becomes Barney! (Purple dinosaur)
Attack: He breathes fire towards the opponent! Strange. They don't catch of fire, though...
Released by: Getting 4 Fever Times and reaching Level 5 Dance Skill following a certain stage
             pattern. Follow the first Stage Path shown in the Stage Path section. You should
             dance against McLoad in the 5th stage.
Others:
   After trying several times and playing the game over and over again, McLoad is a big
   letdown! I thought he would be one of Strike's crew, but no! Give me Kelly (with the VERY,
   VERY SHORT SHORTS!) anytime! McLoad, I DON'T LIKE!

CHICHI & SALLY
Age: ??
Height (cm): 45
Weight (kg): 37
Measurements (cm): 40-41-45
Symbol: Circle with question mark inside
Dance Style: Capoeira (same dance movements of Capoeira. I still say this is a fighting style!)
1st Costume: One has a blue body and the other has a pink body. Both have light colored skin
             one their stomach. Which is which?
2nd Costume: One is green, the other is orange. Still has the light colored skin on the tummy.
Attack: Uses the same satellite beam Capoeira uses to shrink the opponent (but not the head!)
Released by: Finishing Capoeira in any Game Mode.
Others:
   They stick their tongues out while dancing. They look like mindless drones... One of them
   is taller than the other... But which is ChiChi and Sally? Also, they have the most boring
   "Fever Times" I have ever seen!

MICHAEL DOI     
Age: 34
Height (cm): 175
Weight (kg): 3 Hearts? I don't get it... Is it because he's gay? That's just too much already!
Measurements (cm): 80-61-82
Symbol: Circle with question mark inside
Dance Style: New Age/Stage Dance (same as Kitty-N. Or is it the other way around?)
1st Costume: blue tied up shirt with tight white pants. What a guy, er, gay!
2nd Costume: black jump suit and red tied up shirt with red trim. What a guy, er, gay!
Attack: Uses the same Claw Kitty-N uses for her attack. 
Released by: Getting 4 Fever Times and reaching Level 5 Dance Skill following a certain stage
             pattern. Follow the second Stage Path shown in the Stage Path section. You should
             dance against Michael Doi in the 5th stage.
Others:
   Kitty-N's dance instructor. Kitty-N has a crush on him. Problem is, he doesn't like girls!
   He likes guys! Amazing that his thights can make some of the same robot sounds that
   Kitty-N's pants produce!

HUSTLE KONG
Age: ??
Height (cm): 185
Weight (kg): 226
Measurements (cm): 172-148-158
Symbol: Circle with question mark inside
Dance Style: 70's Disco (The era of the Hustle!)
1st Costume: Brown fur with boxer shorts
2nd Costume: Blue fur and boxers
Attack: Tosses a picture of himself at his opponent
Released by: Getting 4 Fever Times and reaching Level 5 Dance Skill following a certain stage
             pattern. Follow the third Stage Path shown in the Stage Path section. You should
             dance against Hustle Kong in the 5th stage.
Others:
   Disco dancing gorilla. What else can I say?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F. Stages and Music:

LEVEL SKIP CODE: In order for the Level Skip code to be enabled and active, you must have
                 finished ALL of the characters in the game, including the hidden ones.
                 During any time in the stage, press L2 + START at the same time. This will
                 cause the game to move on to the next stage, all the way up to the ending!

Note: The "Excites" are events that happen in the stage after the score of a player becomes
      high enough.
      Rest Pattern is the dance path that the players will go through during the stage. 
      
MOLTEN METAL ROOM (Heat)
Description: The dancers are on top of a moving platform, which is over vats of molten metal!
Excite 1a: The platform reaches the ground and stops moving. (Boring!)
Excite 1b: The platform moves over a vat of molten metal. (Okay)
Excite 1c: All the furnaces in the stage turn off, and the platform enters one of them! It
           then goes up and reaches Heat's secret room! (looks like Heat's stage in the
           first game, but without the fire)
Lottery: The elevator button shorts, causing the entire platform to burst into flames!
Music: "The Heat is On", Hip-hop Rap. Slower than in Bust-A-Move 1 (2 Bad), but just as good!
Rest Pattern: 8 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 16 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2),
              4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 14 (both) [TOTAL: 62]
Others: Excite 1a occurs if you don't get too many points just after the 2nd dance solo while 
        the other one happens if a whole mess of points are received just after the 2nd dance 
        solo ends. Great stage design!

SUSHI PLANET (Comet/Sushi Boy)
Description: A truck stop restaurant that's shaped like a giant frog. (Yes, that's right! You
             heard me! A giant frog!) Burger Dog is behind the counter.
Excite 1: The nostrils of the frog-shaped restaurant emit steam.
Excite 2: Burger Dog (from Bust-A-Move 1) comes up from behind the counter, accompanied by
          various animals (I think the food here is a bit too fresh!)
Lottery: A rocket crashes into the Sushi Planet. The sign with the picture of Sushi Boy gets
         knocked loose in the process.
Music: "Magic Tower", alternative rock? Look at the lyrics in the Bust-A-Move-2 Lyrics
       FAQ by Jin Saotome at www.gamefaqs.com. Naughty, isn't she? 
Rest Pattern: 24 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 12 (both),
              4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 12 (both) [TOTAL: 72]
Others: I never knew that there are places that sell cheap sushi. I mean, truckers eat sushi?
        And, what kind of sushi restaurant is that if the food can dance around? Still don't
        know what Burger Dog is doing here! (Selling raw burgers?)

JUNGLE TOURS RAFT RIDE (Shorty/Columbo)
Description: The characters dance aboard a raft that gently drifts along the river of the
             amusement park.
Excite 1: A hippo comes from behind the raft and follows it! Kinda cute!
Excite 2: The volcano suddenly errupts and spews rocks and stuff!
Lottery: Ghosts surround the dancers for a few seconds. (Lame! Lame! Lame!)
Music: "Hizashi no Okuno Happy Heart", strong J-Pop! Not sa good as her original song,
       "Shorty and the Eezy Mouse" in Bust-A-Groove, or "Watarre Pon!" in Bust-A-Move 1.
Rest Pattern: 12 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 12 (both), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1),
              8 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 16 (both) [TOTAL: 72]
Others: I sorta miss the Wonderland from Shorty's stage in Bust-A-Move 1... and the music.
        Her song from the original was just so darn CUTE! Even the English version was CUTE!

BANK VAULT ROBBERY (Strike)
Description: In front of a bank vault, the character's dance while totally ignoring the poor
             bank teller tied up in the background! hehe!
Excite 1: Security systems become active and seal the room with bars!
Excite 2: The electronic combination of the safe shorts out. The safe opens and a lot of
          jewels, gold and money is poured out on the dance floor.
Lottery: A hole is blasted in the floor. A couple of crooks (or escaped convicts?) climb out
         of the newly made hole.
Music: "Hear Comes Trouble", Gangster Rap! Just a bit better than his music in Bust-A-Move 1.
       By the way, that's the spelling of his song that's in the game, okay? Hey, I'm just
       copying it as is!
Rest Pattern: 8 (both), 2 (Player 1), 2 (Player 2), 2 (Player 1), 2 (Player 2), 16 (both),
              4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 16 (both) [TOTAL: 56]
Others: Look at the guy in the background. Up to now, I'm not sure if he's trying to get
        untied or just dancing to the music.

HAPPY HOUSE (Tsutomu)
Description: The dancers dance in front of a rich looking Japanese style house.
Excite 1: A giant statue of Buddah is launched and lands on top of the house. 
Excite 2: Cannons pop out from the roof of the house and fire cannonball frequently. (Huh?)
Lottery: A dragon comes flying in and encircles the dance floor. Cool!
Music: "Got to be Happy", strongly pop. Cute, though! (Thank God it's not Spice Girls or
       something on that line of pop music.) You kind of get sick of it after a while because
       the lyrics sort of sucks.
Rest Pattern: 24 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 2 (Player 1), 2 (Player 2), 2 (Player 1),
              2 (Player 2), 8 (both), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 16 (both) [TOTAL: 72]
Others: Is it just me or is the stage sort of revolving around the house? I'm amazed that
        the dancers don't get accidentally hit by the cannonballs!

SPACE TRIP TO EARTH (Capoeira/ChiChi and Sally)
Description: Dance inside a UFO headed to Earth! ChiChi and Sally happily bounce around in
             the background.
Excite 1: The covers on the windows open up and a fleet of spaceships can be seen following!
Excite 2: The UFO reaches Earth! (I didn't know there's a giant "Welcome" sign located at the
          North Pole? You learn something everyday...)
Lottery: Meteor Shower! The ship crashes into an asteroid! (Okay, it's not a meteor shower...)
Music: "Allegretto Break", Techno-pop? Much better than "Uwasa no Kapoera" and the song from 
       Bust-A-Groove, but then, anything would be better than that piece of crap (the English 
       one)! Maybe because there's no lyrics this time...
Rest Pattern: 8 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 8 (both), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1),
              16 (both), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 4 (both) [TOTAL: 60]
Others: One of the best stage designs in the game, in my opinion! It's kind of distracting
        when the asteroid hits the ship... for some odd reason, it makes me lose my rhythm.

PIRATES OF THE SEA (Bi-O)
Description: You're on a Pirate Boat! Need I say more?
Excite 1: It starts to rain lightly... 
Excite 2: A trapdoor is triggered! The dancers fall into the cargo hold. Amazingly, no one
          even stops dancing after a fall like that!
Lottery: Pirate swords dance around the characters... Couldn't think of anything, I guess.
         Oh, yeah. The treasure chest opens up and the cauldron in the background spews out
         some green gas (Gas-O's in there?).
Music: "Zombie Hopper", Rock music! Almost Heavy Metal... Great drums here!
Rest Pattern: 16 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 8 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2),
              2 (Player 1), 2 (Player 2), 2 (Player 1), 2 (Player 2), 16 (both) [TOTAL: 64]
Others: Attack during the temporary darkness after falling into the trapdoor! I'm pretty sure
        the opponent can't see you attack. But maybe he's thinking the same thing? Song's
        pretty cool... too bad the stage sucks.

HUSTLE DANCE FLOOR (Hiro-kun/Hustle Kong)
Description: In a 70's disco, complete with floor lights, fireworks, laser lights, disco ball 
             and giant screen in the background.
Excite 1: Small display of fireworks.
Excite 2: Lights turn on and off and laser lights show! Also, the dance floor is raised a bit.
Lottery: A giant Hustle Kong busts out of the giant TV screen in the background!
Music: "Let the Music take Control (Hiro's Groove)", Disco! (what else?) This is definitely 
       not as good as his theme song in Bust-A-Move 1. But, how could they top "The Natural 
       Playboy"? In fact, this song (The Natural Playboy) is being used as a song for a 
       commercial for "YuYu Hakusho" (GhostFighter in the Philippines)!
Rest Pattern: 16 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 4 (none), 8 (both), 4 (Player 2),
              4 (Player 1), 18 (both) [TOTAL: 62]
Others: Attack when Excite 2 occurs! Maybe you're opponent won't notice... I was hoping that
        his stage was filled with people this time, cheering on Hiro-kun! Shucks! No luck.

THE KITTY-N SHOW! (Kitty-N/Michael Doi)
Description: A television studio! (Gee, the cameramen sure look stiff!)
Excite 1: The background poster is rolled up and a futuristic city poster remains. Various
          spaceships start flying out (hung on wires).
Excite 2: Some lights fall from the ceiling. They crash onto the cameras, exploding and
          causing them to spin out of control!
Excite 3: The Studio signs off due to technical difficulties!
Lottery: All the lights (well, there's still some light) fall from the ceiling.
Music: "Hello, Kitty-N", J-pop! Very cool sounding! It's not as good as "Aozora No Knife" or
       "Bust-A-Groove" from her previous game. After a while, her music will get on your
       nerves! (In 1-Player Mode, her stage is one you'll encounter frequently!)
Rest Pattern: 16 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 14 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2),
              5 (both), 4 (none), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 20 (both) [TOTAL: 83]
Others: Excite 3 happens only the neutral dance before the 3rd dance solo. This will only occur
        if you manage to get Excite 2 before that time.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT (Kelly/McLoad)
Description: A scene of a traffic accident. (for God's sake, Kelly's probably causing the 
             traffic with that delicious police costume with the VERY, VERY SHORT SHORTS!
Excite 1: The helicopter flies off and manholes start popping out from the ground.
Excite 2: For some strange reason, a chalk outline on a body (like after a murder scene) comes
          to life and dances in the background! (Must be the VERY, VERY SHORT SHORTS of Kelly!
          Even inanimate objects come to life at the sight!)
Lottery: A police squad car comes careening down the street at a high speed, loses control,
         and jumps OVER the dancers, crashing into a heap! Pretty cool effect.
Music: "Moonlight Party ~Clap your Hands", Cool song... (better than her original song, 
       "Transform") Rhythm-and-Blues? Very soothing! But her dance... I LIKE!
Rest Pattern: 8 (both), 2 (Player 1), 2 (Player 2), 2 (Player 1), 2 (Player 2), 8 (both)
              4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 16 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2) [TOTAL: 56]
Others: How can I concentrate on the stage with Kelly dancing in those VERY, VERY SHORT SHORTS?
        I just wish I knew what the message of the song here is... 

REVENGE OF ROBO-Z (Robo-Z Gold)
Description: Bridge leading to Tokyo. A giant Robo-Z is standing in the river while his 
             opponent is in a helicopter.
Excite 1: The police arrive at the scene! Bombs are dropped on the giant Robo-Z Gold.
Excite 2: A missle tank appears and fires at Robo-Z!
Lottery: The missle tank fires but hit the bridge by mistake! Ooops!
Music: "Acid Line", Techno-pop. Look! My foot is tapping... As good, if not better, than
       "Flyin' To Your Soul" from Bust-A-Move 1, his song before.
Rest Pattern: 12 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 12 (both), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1)
              24 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 4 (both) [TOTAL: 76]
Others: This stage is only selectable in 2-Player mode if you've released Robo-Z and if one
        of you selects Robo-Z Gold. I really love the music here!

MAD, MAD WORLD (Pander)
Description: A place that defies description!
Excite 1: Dancers are transported to the Phantom Zone! Well, not really. Just a dark place
          with weird lights!
Excite 2: The room is filled with lights, as if they are dancing inside a giant prism!
Lottery: The background gets filled up with circles with symbols in them... Getting dizzy...
         I think I'm gonna throw up...
Music: "Enka 1", Alternative/New Age/Techno. Think Bjork! Very, very fast tempo! Amazing
       that his(?) dance moves are extremely slow!
Rest Pattern: 16 (both), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 16 (both)
              4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 4 (Player 2), 4 (Player 1), 32 (both) [TOTAL: 96]
Others: The most freaky, insane stage I've ever seen! And I mean that for all games I've
        played! This stage becomes selectable after releasing Pander. Wow! The music has a
        maddingly fast beat!

-----------
STAGE PATHS
-----------

Note: There appear to be only four Stage Paths in 1 Player Mode. I haven't found any more.
      Also, this is assuming that you reach Pander at the last stage. In other words, every
      stage played gets a Fever Time.

1) Comet -> Strike -> Hiro-kun -> Shorty -> Kelly -> Capoeira -> Kitty-N -> Robo-Z -> Pander
     This path can unlock McLoad (Kelly's stage) if the proper pre-requisites are met. See
     McLoad's profile for more details.

2) Hiro-kun -> Comet -> Kelly -> Bi-O -> Kitty-N -> Tsutomu -> Strike -> Robo-Z -> Pander
     This path can unlock Michael Doi (Kitty-N's stage) if the propoer pre-requisites are met.
     See Michael Doi's profile for more details.

3) Strike -> Kitty-N -> Comet -> Heat -> Hiro-kun -> Bi-O -> Kelly -> Robo-Z -> Pander
     This path can unlock Hustle Kong (Hiro-kun's stage) if the proper pre-requisites are met.
     See Hustle Kong's profile for more details.

4) Kitty-N -> Kelly -> Strike -> Capoeira -> Comet -> Heat -> Hiro -> Robo-Z -> Pander
     This path can unlock Sushi Boy (Comet's stage) if the proper pre-requisites are met. See
     Sushi Boy's profile for more details.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G. Spoilers/Endings

WARNING: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDINGS OF THE CHARACTER'S, SKIP THIS SECTION!

All the endings, except for all the Secret Characters, have the character as a guest in 
"Dancing Heroes", a show much like "Soul Train". The hose, James Suneoka, comes out and makes 
a lousy joke at the start and gets bonked on the head by some object. He then introduces the 
character, then the ending slide show is shown. Afterwards, the host seems to grieve about the 
hard life of the character. Something funny happens to the host (most of the time) then 
the character gets into a dance solo as the credits roll by. James Suneoka then says goodbye 
to the viewers.

Heat: He used to be a champion race car driver until he had an accident. His car crashed and
      exploded. He had 3-degree burns all over his body and was not expected to survive, but,
      miraculously, he did! Because of the fire, he now has the ability to throw fire and
      the average body temperature is 43 degrees! (At least this explains his orgin...)

Comet: Kidnapped when she was a child, the kidnappers were going to kill her because the
       ransom wasn't paid. But, before that happened, the kidnapper changed to a vegetable!
       Comet found out that she has the ability to change anything into anything she wants!
       (This doesn't explain why she's a waitress, though!)

Shorty: The daughter of very busy parents, Shorty was alone in a big house all the time. One
        night, she found a present from her mother and father. Opening it, a giant jack-in-
        the box poped out. But there was another box inside! Inside the smaller box was a 
        creature she had never seen before! She named this animal Columbo and they became
        very attached to each other. (One of my favorite endings!)

Strike: Arrested when he was young, Strike managed to finish his sentence and leave the big
        house and "change his ways". He formed the group "Notorious" and became a big gangster
        rap superstar. But, just for the heck of it, Strike's gang would rob banks to the 
        beat of Strike's rhythm on the fly. (Okaaaaaay...)

Tsutomu: Being very studious, other kids would make fun of of Tsutomu. But, this kid has a
         short temper. Too bad he would wet his pants when he blows his top! His teacher
         (Wow! What a bod!) would keep on encouraging him. Tsutomu plans to marry his
         teacher when he reaches 18. (Cute ending, sort of. Still think the kid's some freak
         of some sort.)

Capoeira: Planning to take over the world, they got sidetracked because they became avid
          fans in collecting a certain poster series. They would save as much money as 
          they could to buy them. One day, they ordered a rare poster, but when they got
          it, it turned out to be a fake! (Kinda crappy ending! Doesn't make much sense!)

Bi-o : His son, Gas-o went home one day. Bi-o ordered to take off the mask that Gas-o always
       wears. Gas-o didn't want to. They had a fight. Bi-o got an axe and treatened to kill
       his own son! Gas-o had no choice but to spray his father with his gas, causing the
       skin of Bi-o to dissolve. To add injury to injury, Gas-o embedded the axe in his
       father's skull. The neighbors saw the new Bi-o and named him that. Now, Bi-o wants
       to reunite with his son and play catch! (What a family!)

Hiro-kun: Moving into Tokyo, the computer programmer named Hiro loves to go into clubs and
          all the guys want to be like him and all the girls are just dazzled by Hiro-kun's
          charm and dance moves! But, deep inside, Hiro-kun is just shy in front of girls!
          (Fine! Go ahead! Destroy my illusion of the greatest Natural Playboy ever!)

Kitty-N: Formerly a member of the Magnificent 5, Kitty-N broke away from the group to dance
         solo. After some time and hard work, she became even more successful now! It also
         mentioned that she has feelings for Michael Doi, but that he(?) likes other guys
         only. (Well, fair ending... Nothing great here.)

Kelly: Dressing up in a baby costume, Kelly would love going into clubs. One night, she saw
       her office friend who she had a crush on. The office worker recognised Kelly and was
       disgusted at what he saw. Now, Kelly changed and now dresses in a police uniform.
       Because of this, she feels more confident and more guys make passes at her!
       (I love this ending. It gives the orgin of the VERY, VERY SHORT SHORTS she wears.) 

Robo-Z Gold: James Suneoka tells a lame joke. Instead of some object knocking him down,
             Robo-Z's big-@$$ foot comes crashing down on him, flattening James Suneoka!
             Robo-Z shrinks down and dances. James Suneoka waves goodbye (notice that he's
             still flat as paper!) and the show closes. 

Pander: The "Dancin' Heroes" studio is totally deserted. The camera pans around a bit, then
        finally, Pander is seen behind the curtain, hopping on one foot. Pander dances and
        then the show closes.

The other secret characters don't seem to have endings... they just dance in the "Dancin' 
Heroes" studio and the show closes when he/she/they are finished.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H. Hints and Tips:

LEVEL SKIP CODE:

   In order for the Level Skip code to be enabled and active, you must have finished ALL of 
   the characters in the game, including the hidden ones.
   During any time in the stage, press L2 + START at the same time. This will cause the game 
   to move on to the next stage, all the way up to the ending! Cool!
   
Stuff about the Hidden characters:

   The 9th stage (Pander) is reached by getting a "Fever Time" in all of the stages.

   Release Columbo by finishing Shorty in NORMAL Mode.

   Release ChiChi and Sally by finishing Capoeira in NORMAL Mode.

   Release Robo-Z Gold by finishing the game in MIX Mode and reaching Pander.

   Release Pander by finishing Robo-Z Gold and reaching Pander in NORMAL Mode.

   If you fight a hidden character in the middle of the game, you'll release that character if 
   you finish the game.

   The secret characters can be released by any other character, normal or hidden. Keep on
   getting Fever Times before the fifth stage. If you are in the right stage path, you will
   be able to release them. 

Stuff about the game:

   Dual Fever Times are possible! Make sure that the score doesn't have a difference of more
   than 1000 points and high enough for a "Fever Time". At the end of the "Fever Time", the
   character that lost will point at the winner with both hands, or does the loser want to
   strangle the winner? I'm not sure...

   Close matches are almost always determined by the extra "pulsating" points. Practice first
   to get the rhythm of the music and get the "perfect middle" consistantly for that song.

   If you think you're not going to complete the command line (this happens frequently when
   you reach Pander for the first few times), attack or dodge if the command line hasn't gone
   black yet! This way, you avoid the miss and still have to do the same command line, keeping
   you in the running to string the combo still!

   Final pose! At the last fourth beat of the song, get the perfect middle! Instead of the
   character just stopping, he, she or it will do a pose in the end!

Stuff about Attacking/Blocking/Dodging/Reversals:

   A good time to attack is when an Excite occurs. This is true because the camera will pan
   away from the characters for a brief period of time. Not much... in fact, it will quickly
   pan back once you initiate an attack, but this may make it confusing for the opponent.

   Make sure that you don't attack just before the opponent ends in a Cool or Freeze 
   pose. The attack will surely miss, And the opponent won't even have to dodge!

   Time your attacks before the dance solo so's you'll get his or her dance solo and really
   rack up the points.

   You can't attack the instant the dance solo starts. If you try, you'll just get tired and
   miss (but won't waste the attack). So, attack two rhythm counts (ready the attack first,
   attack will connect in the next beat) just before the solo. This goes for reversals also.

   If you can't get the fourth beat to pulsate constantly, forget about trying to reverse an
   attack. You might get plastered! Just dodge!

   If you can get the "perfect middle" of the beat consistantly, try to goad your opponent 
   into attacking then reverse it. Opponents usually don't check if the attack is reversed!

Stuff about the Characters and Stages:

   Heat, Hiro-kun and Bi-o, in MIX Mode, has mostly direction commands still! So, use them in 
   MIX Mode competitions if you're still not used to the other characters!

   Shorty, in NORMAL Mode, has very short and simple command inputs!

   Capoeira and the ChiChi and Sally duos have mostly symbol presses in MIX Mode.

   McLoad is really for beginners! Even in MIX Mode, his command inputs are mostly directional
   commands and very repetitive. (like [LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, X]. Simple, huh?)

   Robo-Z Gold and Pander's command lines, especially in MIX Mode are very complicated, with
   not much structured patterns.

   In Bi-o's stage, when you drop down into the trapdoor, use an attack! Your opponent won't 
   be able to see it in the darkness until the last moment. Cheap but effective! Just remember,
   your opponent might be thinking the same thing...

   In Hiro-kun's stage, when the lights turn on and off, use an attack. Still kind of visible,
   but maybe the opponent won't notice...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Help Me!

Send me some comments or suggestions to make this FAQ a better one. They are always 
welcome! Contact me at [email protected]. 

I like to make some sort of poll now...
Best Music, Best Character Design (specific if normal or alternate costume), Best Looking 
Stage, Best Ending, Best Dancing (Fever Time inclusive), Best Attack, and Favorite Character 
(You may hate the Character Design for Shorty, but just love the personality of the kid so 
she's your fave...) 
Rank them from 1st, 2nd, 3rd (1st being the best). In fact, if you want, you can include the
characters and music from Bust-A-Move 1! Please state if its the English version or not if 
this is the case. 

(No, there is no prize! I'd just like to see how other people are enjoying
the great game that this is)

Send your poll answers at these e-mail addresses...

[email protected]
[email protected] (a friend who helps me out...)

Well, the poll is now closed... I didn't put up the results because, well, plain and simple,
there wasn't much of a turn-out! Only THREE people sent me poll result, and that doesn't 
constitute as a poll, does it? Maybe I'll put up the results of the poll if more people send
in their list... So I apologise to the ones who took time out to send in their poll.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J. Thanks!

www.gamefaqs.com - a great site for your faqs! Thanks for putting this one up! You get credit
                   now for being the first one to do so!
www.allanime.com - go here for all your Japanese anime and video game needs! Pretty cool page
                   as well! 
www.cheatcc.com - for being kind enough to put up my humble FAQ here! Nice collection of
                  FAQs and cheats (Duh!) here, as well!
www.console-gamer.com - The name says it all, doesn't it? Thanks for putting my FAQ up here 
                        as well!
www.consolecity.com - Another good site, with lots of games! Trust me on this! Thanks for
                      putting it up!

Enix - for making the game! Good job, guys!

Pricilla Meridith - for asking my permission to put up this FAQ at www.allanime.com! Thank you!
                    I'm really grateful! 

Dave - for asking permission to put this up in his homepage (www.cheatcc.com)! Thanks a bunch!
       I love the design, by the way.

Richard Lissimore - for e-mailing me and asking me permission to put up my humble FAQ in his
                    neat page! I really appreciate it!

Liandro Tabora - For e-mailing me about Robo-Z Gold's ending! Thanks a bunch! Also, he
(aka Doc Ian)    gets lots of thanks for sending me a lot of support via e-mail! Thanks!
                 Also gets credit for the appropriate times for getting the perfect middle 
                 to improve the score. Oh, and for a lot of corrections. Whew! Thanks a bunch!
                 By the way, he's a BIG Heat fan!

Mike - Doc Ian's friend. Really, really helpful! He keeps on playing, that's why! Also, he was
       the one, thru Doc Ian about the Level Skip code. Big thanks!

[email protected] - Since he/she left no name for me to put up, I was forced to use the 
                     e-mail address. Anyways, he's the one who sent me the cleaned up version
                     of the Level Skip Code.

Carlton Hwa - for e-mailing me some questions about the game.

Mantis Knight -  for e-mail supporting me and for the correction on how to release Pander.

Naska Chijoue - for e-mail questions about the game (and for calling me Fiefo-san!)

Donnie Wells - for spotting the mistake I made in the Reversals section. Thanks! I deeply
               appreciate it!

Justin Strauss - for confirming how to release Pander.

M2T30 - He didn't give me his name, and I don't like to put up e-mail addresses of people
        who I didn't receive permission from. Anyways, he gets credit for telling me that
        he/she released Columbo in EASY Mode.

Ng Sun Tong - e-mailing me some of the poll results! You really like Shorty, don't ya?

Mary Rose Yatco - for playing the game with me! And for correcting the age of Shorty! (How
                  clumsy of me!)
Butchoy Yatco - for playing the game with me! 

END!

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