FAQ/Walkthrough - Guide for Gunmetal

Gun Metal FAQ/Walkthrough
Written by NeoY2J ([email protected])
Version 1.0  8/6/02



Welcome to the FAQ/Walkthrough for Gun Metal for the Xbox. This FAQ is written
and copyrighted by NeoY2J. Thus far, this FAQ should only be found on CheatCC
and GameFAQs. FAQ Version 1.0 written 8/6/02. This FAQ looks fine in NotePad, 
but if the text stretches too far in WordPad, be sure that Wrap to Window is 
selected 
in the View > Options menu.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction/Story
2. Controls/General Tips
3. Mission Walkthroughs
   a. Mission 1 "Zero Hour"
   b. Mission 2 "Defender"
   c. Mission 3 "Escort"
   d. Mission 4 "Protection"
   e. Mission 5 "Vanguard"
   f. Mission 6 "Leviathan"
   g. Mission 7 "Infiltration"
   h. Mission 8 "Fortification" *NEXT UPDATE*
   i. Mission 9 "Minesweeper" *NEXT UPDATE*
   j. The rest of the Missions *COMING SOON*
4. Weapon List/Description
5. Enemy List/Description *NEXT UPDATE*
6. Extra Stuff
7. Next Update
8. Credits


1. INTRODUCTION/ STORY

This FAQ is for the game Gun Metal, but you already know that. Gun Metal is
your basic blow-crap-up mech game, and it's lots of fun. The game allows you to
change from a mech to a jet on the fly, leading to some interesting missions
and strategies.

Anyway, for those of you who neglected to read the instruction book, here's a
summary of the basic storyline.

Mankind has achieved faster than light travel. Yay. Now, we've decided to use
this technology to get the hell off of Earth since we've screwed it up so much.
After some research, we have found several planets with environments much like
Earth's. It was decided that the planet Helios would be the first place to
which we would move.

But, something is amiss. Apparently not everyone gets to move to the happy
planet of Helios. And those who are going to be left behind are pretty pissed
off. So, war breaks out between the guys leaving and the guys staying. The
group going to Helios is able to finally escape through the wormhole to Helios,
the gate being destroyed behind them. So, everything seems okay.

Life flourishes on Helios, and everyone is happy. A Global Senate is created,
and we all live in peace, the ancient broken gate floats in the sky as a
reminder of our past. But then one day, the gate opens. Our old buddies from
Earth finally figured out how to bust through, and they brought lots of guns
with them.

The inhabitants of Helios fight a continual retreat, but they can't hold out
much longer. Luckily for them, the Project Gun Metal is finally completed. This
project included the development of a big ass robot that turns into a jet, the
Havoc Suit (and Havoc Jet). Now, you, as the pilot of the Havoc Suit, have to
blow lots of crap up until the people of Helios are safe once again.


2. CONTROLS/ GENERAL TIPS

Honestly, you should be able to get the controls from your instruction manual.
But, for the people with a rental copy, as well as the lazy bums, here they
are:

Note: These are the default controls. If you switch styles, you're on your own.
Or you could look at the controls on the game, you lazy bum.

HAVOC SUIT

Left Analog Stick: Move
Right Analog Stick: Turn/Aim
D-Pad: Quick Weapon Select
L Button: Launch Missiles
R Button: Fire Selected Weapon
A Button: Cycle Weapons
B Button: Toggle On/Off Auto Aim
X Button: Jump
Y Button: Transform to Jet Mode
Start: Pause
White Button: N/A
Black Button: N/A

HAVOC JET

Left Analog Stick: Turn/Aim
Right Analog Stick: Boost (Forward), Brake (Back)
D-Pad: Quick Weapon Select
L Button: Launch Missiles
R Button: Fire Selected Weapon
A Button: Cycle Weapons
B Button: Maneuver
X Button: N/A
Y Button: Transform to Mech Mode
Start: Pause
White Button: N/A
Black Button: N/A


General Tips:

1. This game can be pretty tough. The object is to just not give up. Keep
trying the mission over and over until you get it. Try different strategies and
weapons. Try using the Jet where you've been using the suit, and vice versa. Be
creative, try out even the oddest strategies. With all the weapons you can use
and two fighting modes, there's several ways to beat each level. So don't worry
if you get nuked in thirty seconds, you'll find a way.

2. You'll get a new weapon after each level. I recommend going back to Mission
1 after you get a new weapon and try it out. Mission 1 has a good mech part and
a good jet part, so you should be able to try out any weapon. You definetly
don't want to run into battle with a weapon you've never used before.

3. Notice you have shields in your mech mode, and you don't in your jet mode.
In other words, the jet is more vulnerable. Try to remember that, but also
remember that sometimes you're safer in the air regardless of the shields.
Basically, keep moving. If you stand in one place, you're an easy target.

4. Missiles are your friends. You can lock on to up to four targets with each
one, and you can usually take out tanks or basic jets with one shot. This is
very useful when there's swarms of enemies around, and as your missile stock
increases over the game, you'll have more to expend. And don't forget that the
mech and the jet have separate supplies of missiles. If you're fighting planes
and the jet is out of missiles, just go to mech mode and fire at them from the
ground.

5. Ignore the Jump button. Honestly, this is pretty useless. The mech jumps
very slow, so trying to jump to avoid being a target just doesn't work. I've
only found one instance so far where the Jump is useful, and even then you
won't always use it (I'll point out that in the walkthrough).

6. Listen to the Commander guy and use your radar effectively. The Commander
usually knows what's going on, and if he tells you to go somewhere, it's
usually a good idea to do so. Also, familiarize yourself with the radar symbols
so that you can plot your course on the fly. Note: If you not have the
instruction manual, here's the more important radar symbols:

Red: Enemy
Blue: Ally
Green: Ammo or Re-Energizer (they have different symbols)
Yellow Cross: Area important to the mission

7. Take advantage of the custom soundtrack option. This is an option that not
many Xbox games use, but in my opinion, it adds so much to the game. After all,
it's a lot more fun to blast away enemy fighters while listening to your
favorite music. The default Gun Metal soundtrack isn't exactly spectacular,
either. In my opinion, this game is most fun when you battle with the Outlaw
Star and Cowboy Bebop soundtracks in the background.


3. MISSION WALKTHROUGHS

Note: I'll put the general difficulty level of each mission, graded from 1
(easy) to 5 (hard).


a. MISSION 1 "Zero Hour"
Difficulty: 1

Obviously, this being the first mission, it won't be very tough. You should be
able to take this one on your first try. Anyway, as you start out, notice your
weapons. The Havoc Suit has Machine Pistols, which are fast, but weak, with
infinite ammo. It also has the Flak Gun. This one is powerful, but only at
close range. So be sure you're near your enemy when you use it. The Jet has
Vulcan Cannons, which are like the Machine Pistols. It also has the Phoenix,
which fires several shots in several directions, making it ideal for multiple
targets. It's not really powerful, though.

Anyway, start out the mission. You'll start out right in front of the HQ, with
several enemy tanks visible from the left. Rush towards the tanks. As you run,
watch for the missile lock on signal (there will be a red diamond around the
enemy). Once you have three or four tanks targeted, press L and let the
missiles fly. You should be able to take out each tank with one missile.
Continue to do this until you're near the tanks. Now, you can either continue
blasting them with missiles, or go in close. If you go in close, be sure to
switch to the Flak Gun. Get right up next to a tank and fire.You should be able
to take out a tank with one shot of the Flak Gun, maybe two. The Commander will
say that they're getting the upper hand when about 60% of the tanks are
destroyed. Continue to take out the tanks, making sure to finish off anyone who
survived a missile.

After the tanks are destroyed, the commander will thank you, and ask you to
head towards the weapon plant to make sure it's okay. Switch into jet mode, and
look for the yellow crosses on your radar. They should be almost directly
behind you. Fly towards them, making sure to push forward on the Right Analog
to speed up. When you arrive, you'll find that, surprisingly, the plant is just
fine. The Commander recommends that you take the opportunity to land and
refresh your health and ammo. The ammo pick-ups are the floating bullet things,
and each restores 50% of your max ammo capacity (ex. If the weapon's max ammo
is 50 shots, the pick up gives you 25. So picking up two restores them to
full). The Re-Energizer is the big tower thing with a blue glow. Stand near the
tower in mech mode, and your health (the icon on the lower right of the screen)
will slowly recharge.

After a little while, the Commander will say that the nearby farms are under
attack. So, switch back to jet mode and find the farms on the radar, they
should be back in the direction you came from. Now you're up against other
jets, so it's time for a dogfight. As you approach the enemies, do the same as
you did with the tanks: wait for 3 or 4 to be targeted, and launch your
missiles. Use the Vulcan Cannons to take out the rest. If things are moving too
fast, press back on the Right Analog to slow yourself down. This does make you
easier to hit, but these guys aren't very good shots. The Commander will say
that you're almost there when only one or two enemies remain, and once he says
that Project Gun Metal is a success, the mission is over.

Beating this level gets you the Torpedo weapon for the Havoc Suit.


b. MISSION 2 "Defender"
Difficulty: 2 1/2

This one isn't really that hard, but if this is your first time playing, then
it's a definite step up in challenge from Mission 1. Don't be ashamed if it
takes you a few tries.

Here's the situation: There's four weapon research facilities, and the enemy is
targeting them all. They've also deployed a few automatons, which are basically
walking bombs. When you shoot these guys, try to be far away: they have a big
explosion.

You'll start out in Research Facility One, and you should be able to see the
enemy right in front of you. Several ground tanks are on their way, but you
might notice something large approaching from the sky. This is an Armored
Personnel Carrier (APC), and for the next few missions, you will hate these
guys. Later on you'll get some weapons that can destroy these guys easy, but
for now, they're tough. They carry little infantry soldiers (which can be
stepped on for satisfying results). But don't let the infantry build up, these
little guys are dangerous in large numbers. The APC itself has a large laser
gun, which is pretty powerful.

As the APC approaches, fire the machine guns or the torpedoes at the tanks and
automations in the field. You should be able to take out several before the APC
gets close. Use missiles if you have to. If a REALLY big ass explosion occurs,
you just killed an automation. Don't worry too much about the explosion, as
long as you aren't too close, the explosion will barely damage you, if at all.

Once the APC is close, it will open fire on you. You can use missiles on it,
but they aren't really effective, and you'll want to save them for later. The
torpedoes can't hit an airborne target, and the Flak Gun is too weak from that
distance, so you'll have to plink away with your machine guns. Try and move
around a little to avoid the lasers the APC fires. The facility may fire on the
APC, giving you a little help. Once the APC reaches its destination, it will
begin to descend. Once it gets close enough, switch to the Flak Gun and fire
away. If you got some good hits in with the machine gun, and the facility was
able to help you out, you should be able to take the APC out soon after it
lands.

By now, several more tanks and automations should be coming from the same
direction they were before, so go and take them out. When all the enemies are
down, the Commander will inform you that Settlement 1 is okay. Switch to the
jet, and kind of hover around until the Commander announces that Settlement 2
needs help. Head towards the yellow crosses on your radar. Over at Settlement
2, it's pretty much the same as it was at Settlement 1. However, this time the
APC is in front instead of the tanks. So attend to it immediately, taking it
out the same way you took out the first. After it's toast, turn towards the
rest of the enemies. The enemies are bunched up together, but for the most part
the tanks are on the left, while the automations are on the right. You can
distinguish the automations by their blue electric looking glow. Be sure and
take those guys out first. Since these guys are probably still a ways away from
you, you might want to try out the torpedoes. These things hug the ground as
they approach their target, so they're good for attacking land targets from a
distance. Once again, after this settlement is safe, the Commander will tell
you.

Switch into jet mode, and wait for the announcement that Settlement 3 is under
attack head on over there. Once again, the APC is in the front, and it will
probably have almost landed by the time you get there. Get out the Flak Gun and
take it out. Then turn back towards the other approaching enemies. This is the
last wave, so if you have any missiles left, go ahead and unload them. Once
again, the tanks tend to be on the left, and the automations on the right. The
Commander will report that Settlement 3 is okay once the enemies are
dispatched, and soon after he'll declare the mission a success.

Beating this level earns you the Tomahawk missiles for the Havoc Jet.


c. MISSION 3 "Escort"
Difficulty: 4

For the third mission, this one is pretty damn tough, and long to boot. Anyone
who plays flight/shooter type games knows that the escort/protection missions
can be real bitches, and this one is no exception. This one took me a few
tries, and you'll likely do the same.

First things first, when the mission starts, head forward and locate the
convoy. These are the guys you have to protect, so keep an eye on them. You'll
notice that moving the firing cursor over them will display their health, as it
does for the enemies. You can use this to monitor how they're doing.

Go forward and take your place in front of the convoy. Once you do this, you'll
likely notice three, yes, three APCs heading your way. Oh, joy. Go a little
more forward, and you'll notice they have six jets as support. The APCs will
take a while to land, so take the opportunity to launch missiles or fire at the
jets with the machine guns. Alternately, you could take this fight to the air,
but I prefer staying on the ground for this one. Luckily, the convoy can defend
itself a bit, so you're not totally on your own. And don't worry if the convoy
takes some hits, it's impossible to completely protect them.

Try and take out all six jets before the APCs land. After they land, head
towards them, using the Flak Gun to take them out one at a time. By now they've
likely deployed some infantry, so be sure and step on a few as you move from
APC to APC. After the big guys are gone, switch to the machine guns and take
out the excess infantry. Yes, I know stepping on them is more fun, but using
the machine guns is a lot faster. Afterwards, make sure that you didn't miss a
jet or two (if you did, the Commander will probably be yelling that the convoy
is under fire), then head back to the front of the convoy.

As you continue, you should come across about three or so tanks. Use the
torpedoes to take out these guys, switching to the machine gun if you get
close. There may also be some jets nearby, so fire at those with missiles or
machine guns, or switch to jet mode and shoot them down.

After the jets are down, you'll notice two more APCs approaching. Geez, these
guys don't give you a break. Head towards them, taking them out as you always
have. After that, more tanks should be approaching, so go forward and take
those guys out. Three more jets are likely with them, so take them out. Around
this time, you should get a message saying that the convoy is halfway there.

At this point, the convoy will appear to be in no immediate danger. By looking
at the radar, you should see a group of red dots on the left, and a group on
the right. Switch to jet mode and head towards the left group, leaving the
convoy behind for now (be sure all the enemies are gone, though). About midway,
you should meet a trio of enemy planes, take them out. Continue forward a bit
until you spot four tanks on the ground, fire a missile with all four targeted
to quickly dispose of them.

Immediately turn back, as those red dots from the right should be approaching
the convoy. They are two more APCs, so do the usual here. You might be running
low on Flak Gun ammo by now, so switch to the torpedoes if needed.

After the APCs are gone, go back to where you were. If you didn't get the four
tanks, take them out now. Three jets should be arriving as well, so take them
out too. You should see some more red dots a bit farther forward, go there to
meet up with three tanks, and destroy them. Soon you'll receive a message that
the convoy is almost there. Actually, if you've taken out all the enemies thus
far, the convoy is safe for the time being. However, all is not well. You'll
soon be notified that the Re-Energizer is under attack. Heard over to the new
yellow cross on the radar to find it. There will be around 8-10 planes here, so
this battle is best fought in the air, although if you have some missiles left
over in the mech, those will do nicely. After taking the planes out, use the
Re-Energizer if needed. But don't take too long, as the convoy is once again in
danger. Quickly fly back to see four (!) APCs commencing an attack. If you were
able to grab some ammo at the Re-Energizer, then let loose with some missiles,
following it up with Flak Gun shots. You may lose some convoy vehicles in this
assault, but as long as one remains, you're okay.

Once this last threat is gone, the Commander will tell you to wait for the
convoy to arrive so that you can launch an attack on the oncoming enemy force.
That's right, you're STILL not done. You may want to rush back to the
Re-Energizer while you wait if you're in bad condition.

Once the convoy arrives and the choppers are re-armed, you're ready to attack.
The enemy force's position will be marked with a yellow cross. Time to sit back
and let the supplies you protected in the convoy go to work, right? Well,
maybe. I assume that if you save a large part of the convoy, then the choppers
will be well-armed. However, I usually only have 2 or 3 remaining, so I guess
there's not much ammo (in fact, if you only have one vehicle left, the
commander will say they only have enough ammo for half the choppers...oops...).
Anyhoo, you can sit back if you want and watch the choppers engage the
enemy...chances are, they'll be taken down in seconds. Lotta good that convoy
did. Luckily for us, your forces don't have to survive in order to complete the
mission, but the less of them there are, the more work for you, as this is a
nasty armada. It consists of about six ground tanks and three APCs. These tanks
are a little different from the ones you've been fighting, however. They have a
much better laser gun equipped, and they're quite well with anti-aircraft fire.
In other words, your choppers are screwed.

This battle takes place near a mountain. I suggest that you stay on this
mountain and take pot shots at the enemies while your choppers weakly try to
put up an offense. Chances are, you'll take out more than they will. Be careful
if some large yellow laser beams start heading your way...the tanks fire these,
and they eat through your shield with ease. So if you see them, take cover
fast.

Once your pitiful force is no more, it's up to you to take out what's left,
which is probably a lot. I've found that the best way to do this is the
following: Switch to Jet mode, and basically do bomber runs. Approach them at
high speeds, letting loose with some missiles as you pass. Be sure and aim at
the tanks, they're the bigger threat here. You might want to use the maneuver
button if you start taking heavy fire. Remember that you can head back to the
Re-Energizer if you take a lot of damage.

Once all your missiles are gone, switch to the Tomahawks. Hopefully, by this
time, all the tanks are gone and only the APCs remain. An effective way to use
the Tomahawks is to aim towards an APC, slow down, and just keep firing
missiles. If you watch them, you should be able to tell if they hit or not.
Continue until the APC starts to fire at you, and then retreat and start again.
If you're down to the APCs only, and have good armor left, you could take them
out in mech mode, which might be a bit easier if you can't get a hang of the
Tomahawks.

After you Tomahawk or Flak the APCs to death, this nightmare is finally over.
The Commander will commend you on effectively working with the other forces to
snare victory, even though we really didn't do that. Either way, you've won
this round.

Beating this mission gets you the Disk Launcher for the Havoc Suit.


d. MISSION 4 "Protection"
Difficulty: 3

Compared to the last mission, this one's a walk in the park. Be sure to stay on
your toes, however, because if you don't pay attention, this one can turn ugly
real fast. This mission is also mostly a jet mission, as opposed to the last
two.

The city has two bitchin' defense guns. However, they require a good amount of
power, and getting the power takes time. And, as expected, the enemy has
attacked. Your job is to defend the guns until they come online.

There's two guns, so quickly note their general position as the mission starts.
You'll be going back and forth a lot. Switch to jet mode, and head towards
whichever gun appears to be in the most immediate danger. Usually the one that
is on your left as the mission starts is the first to be attacked. About 5 to 6
planes will approach. These are different from the ones you've been facing thus
far, however. The instruction book calls them Hover Tanks. Basically, they're
the same stuff you've been fighting with more armor. Missiles won't necessarily
take these down in one hit, so get the Vulcan Cannons ready.

Once that gun is safe, chances are the other one is about to be attacked, so
immediately head over there. Around four hover tanks should be waiting for you,
so take them out.

Now, two or three hover tanks are approaching the first gun, so rush on back
there. This is basically how the remainder of this part of the mission plays
out. Rush to one gun, take out hover tanks, rush to other gun, take out hover
tanks, etc. Generally the fleets are around 3-5 hover tanks, so it shouldn't be
too hard. Use your missiles liberally, they will prove to be quite useful.

Note that the Commander is pretty good about letting you know when one of the
guns is under attack. If he says one is in trouble, finish up at the gun you're
at and then bust ass over to the other one. Chances are you'll never need the
mech during this part of the mission, so don't bother.

The guns do have some basic defenses, and they can usually finish up a hover
tank weakened by missiles, but don't count on it. Also, pressing Down + B will
make the jet turn around, so that can be useful if you need to get to the other
gun fast.

Hold out for a while, and the guns will be fully charged. Luckily, this time
around your allies are actually powerful, so once the guns are charged you can
sit back and laugh your ass off as the guns blow the hell out of the remaining
hover tanks.

But of course, nothing here is easy. The enemy has discovered the weakness to
these guns, and has targeted the nearby remote energy base. Head on over there,
and get ready to finally use the mech.

Once you arrive, quickly find the two APCs that should have dropped down by
now. Since your mech should still be full of missiles, go ahead and blast away,
using either the Flak Gun or the Disc Launcher as well. Once these two are
down, check the radar and find the next duo of APCs, who should be about to
land. Do the same thing to these guys and take them down. Note that the base
has pretty decent defenses itself, that'll help to make this a little easier.

Take those guys down quick enough, and you'll get a brief breather. Since you
are at an energy base, grab some ammo or use the Re-Energizer if you need it.
Once you're ready, check the radar and find two more APCs approaching. Give
them hell as well. Two more will be approaching, so head towards them after
taking out the other two. Finish them off, and the mission is over.

Beating this mission nets you the GP Bombs for the Havoc Jet.


e. MISSION 5 "Vanguard"
Difficulty: 3 1/2

If you've played the Gun Metal demo, this stage should be familiar to you. And
if you got completely whipped in the demo, you might have a better chance now
that you have a few missions under your belt.

This mission has you protecting a trio of drop ships from lots of enemies. As
you start out the mission, you may notice a problem. From the left, you have a
good sized squad of tanks attacking. And from the right, you have a trio of
APCs maneuvering into place.

Where do you start? Good question. If you start with the APCs, you'll take them
out before they become a threat, but the tanks will take shots at the drop
ships the whole time. If you start with the tanks, by the time they're down,
the APCs will have unloaded their infantry, and you'll be in trouble.

So what do you do? You gotta do a lot, and do it fast. Start out by switching
to jet mode. Quickly head towards the left. Once you have three or four tanks
in a lock, fire some missiles. Immediatly turn back towards the APCs, don't
even stop to see if the missiles hit, and engage them.

Now, these APCs will almost certainly be on the ground by the time you get
them, and they'll be firing at you. A lot. Use missiles often, shoot away with
the Flak Gun or the Disk Launcher, and try not to take too much damage...you're
likely to take a lot, though. Once those three are down, head back towards the
tanks, taking out some infantry on the way. Don't stop to attack them however,
chances are the city's defenses can handle them. You'll have to take chances in
this mission.

Once you get back to the tanks and destroy them, you have a few seconds. Rush
over to the Re-Energizer if needed, but don't stay long, you can't afford it.
More tanks will approach, as well as another APC. Take out the tanks as the APC
flies toward the city. Once the APC is nearby, take it out.

Now comes the hard part. Enemy Bombers are approaching. These guys are tough.
You don't want to engage more than two or three if you're in mech mode, or
they'll bomb you to bits. Switch to jet mode, and try to hit some of them with
missiles as they approach. They go down pretty easily, but there's a lot of
them.

Luckily, if you are in the air, these guys will be more interested in taking
you out than the drop ships. This allows you to take a little time in
dispatching them. The first wave comes with six ships, one in front, two in
middle, three in back. Get four of them targeted, fire the missile, and
immediately start using the Vulcan Cannon on the other two. You should get all
four with the missile, and get one with the vulcans. Quickly press Down + B and
finish off the one(s) you missed. Then, immediately press Down + B again and
engage wave 2, which has the same numbers. After them, wave 3 is also the same.
Chances are you'll be a little overwhelmed by wave 3, but they should be
chasing you by then, so just do some maneuvering until you can get them with
some missiles. With the third wave destroyed, the mission ends.

Beating this mission gets you not one, but two weapons: the Mini Rockets for
the Havoc Suit, and the Rockets for the Havoc Jet. If you've been keeping
track, you'll notice that your weapon spaces were full after the Disc Launcher
and GP Bombs. The new weapons will start appearing as alternate choices of the
other weapons. For example, these rockets are both alternatives to the Machine
Gun and Vulcan Cannon. Both are unlimited, and they are also a bit more
powerful than the original two. But, the rockets shoot slower, and it's harder
to use them on airborne targets. Play around with them in Mission 1 and see
which suits you best. In my opinion, both the Machine Guns and the Rockets are
good for the Suit, so I kinda switch between them. However, the Vulcans are
much better for the Jet than the Rockets. But, it's up to you.


f. MISSION 6 "Leviathan"
Difficulty: 2

Now, if you've tried out this mission, you may think I'm crazy for giving it a
2 in difficulty. I admit, this mission can be very hard. But once you know what
you're doing, it's as easy as Mission 1.

The situation here is that the mother of all mother ships is approaching, and
you have to defend the city. Now, if you've tried this mission out, you might
have noticed that trying to fight this thing in mech mode is, well, impossible.
The mother ship has a big double barreled laser cannon underneath it, and one
shot from that will kill you, end of story.

Fighting it from the air is also very hard. You've got lots of things to shoot
at, and lots of things are shooting at you. Plus, you don't have much time to
spare before the mother ship starts obliterating the city. Unless you're a
combat flight sim expert, that option is closed as well.

So what do you do? This is where the creativity part I mentioned in the Tips
comes in. As soon as the mission starts, switch to jet mode. Locate the mother
ship on the radar, and head straight for it at full speed. As you near it, fly
above it, then switch back to mech mode, and land on top of the thing. Now, you
have access to the firepower of the mech mode, and the evil double laser cannon
can't get you. Plus, most of the jets supporting the mother ship will actually
crash into the side of the ship when they try to get you.

Head to the back of the ship. There should be a big shiny red square, and two
cannons on either side of it (on the wings). First, take out the cannons. The
Flak Gun works best, but the Disc Launcher and the Rockets work well too. After
those two are down, go back to the shiny red thing. Destroy it. It takes more
damage than the guns, but it will eventually go down in a satisfying explosion.

Once it is down, go over and stand on one of the wings, and face towards the
front of the ship. You should see another gun turret. Take it out. If you want,
you can go take out the turret of the opposite side, but it's not necessary.
You should have noticed as you approached the ship that the front of it was
protected by a barrier. You need to destroy that barrier. And it seems that all
you have to do to do that is take out six separate parts of the ship.

So far you have the initial two cannons, the red thing, and another turret.
That makes four. Now, aim at the wings. Shoot towards the gray strips at the
front of them, you'll know it's taking damage if it flashes. Once the two wings
are down, you've got your six. The Commander will inform you that the shield is
down.

Head to the front of the ship. Aim at the orange strip and open fire. After
that part goes down, the reactor core will be exposed. Walk forward again,
almost to the point that it looks like you'll fall off. You should be able to
see a blue and pink thing, fire at that. It may seem like you aren't hitting
it, but look for the reactor's life bar. If it's going down, you're hitting it.
After only a few hits, the reactor is destroyed, and the whole damn ship goes
down.

For those wondering, this is the place where I used the jump button. Sometimes
when you're walking on top of the ship, especially around the wings, you'll
kinda get stuck. Jumping there will get you out. Still, that's only one real
use...

However, even though the Commander says that you have saved the city, your work
is probably not done. You'll need to switch to jet mode and mop up any enemy
planes that survived, but that's nothing compared to the mother ship. Once all
the enemies are destroyed, the mission ends. It may seem tough at first, but
after a few tries the mission will become second nature. Plus, once you get a
few of the weapons from the next couple of missions, this one becomes even
easier.

Beating this mission gets you two weapons once again, the Maverick for the Jet,
and the awesome Assault Cannon for the suit (one of the "makes Mission 6 easier
weapons I mentioned).


g. MISSION 7 "Infiltration"
Difficulty: 4

This is another tough one. But, it's also a very fun one, as for once, you get
to be on the attack, instead of the defensive.

There is an enemy base here that you must destroy. However, three radar
stations protect it. So your job is to take out all three radars without being
detected, and then launch a surprise attack on the base and demolish it.

You can tackle the radar stations in any order, I go from left to right just to
make it simple. Now, destroying these without being detected does not involve
lots of sneaking around and covert Metal Gear Solid type moves. The radars WILL
see you. You have to blow them up before they can report. Whenever a radar
spots you, it will send off a warning jet to the base, and it will prepare to
radio the base itself.

As the mission starts, switch to jet mode. Approach your first radar station.
Once you get it in view, hold back the right analog and approach slowly. This
way, you can see the warning jet when it launches. As soon as it does, close in
on it until you get a missile lock. If you were close enough, it may have
gotten a lock as soon as the plane lauched.

Fire the missiles, and immediately head back to the radar station and switch to
mech mode. Don't bother checking if the missile hits, you need to take a chance
here. If you got a lock, it will almost definetly hit him, and the jet can't
take a missile, so it'll be destroyed. If you are too slow there, the radar may
be able to transmit. So you need to immediately engage the station.

You have two choices for weapons here: the spiffy new Assault Gun you just got,
or the Disc Launcher. The Assault Gun does good damage, and the Launcher shoots
fast. Either one will work, but I recommend the Launcher, as you're better off
saving the ammo in the Assault Gun for later. However, you will get a chance to
reload your ammo if you can remain undetected, so if you wanna go with the
Assault Gun, do it.

After the station is destroyed, the Commander will inform you that you have not
been detected. If he says this, then the warning jet went down. However, soon
after he informs you that the base is sending a ship to investigate. Wait at
the destroyed station for the ship to arrive (if you're at the left station,
it'll take a while to get there, but just be patient, it will come). Once it
comes into view, you'll see that it's an APC. However, with the Assault Gun,
these guys are no longer a problem. Hit it with the machine gun or rockets as
it approaches, then use the Assault Gun as it begins to land. The best part
about destroying the APC, though, is that since it's gone, the base's defenses
will be weaker. That's why you want to take out these stations. Doing so will
take out three tough enemies from the assault on the base later.

Go ahead and do the same for the second and third stations. After each of
those, the Commander will inform you that they have dropped off ammo for you.
Wait until you take out all three stations before getting the ammo, though.
That way, you'll get two ammo pickups, which will refill your ammo to max. If
you've avoided damage thus far, you could head into the enemy base at full
strength.

Once you're ready, switch to jet mode and head for the base. As you approach
it, launch a few Tomahawks or GP Bombs at it. However, don't try too hard,
You'll be destroying most of this base in mech mode. After you land, look
around. There should be a gun turret at each corner of the facility. One well
placed shot from the Assault Cannon will destroy these, you might have to use
two shots. There will also be two or three moving tanks (like the ones from the
end of Mission 3). Be sure and take these guys out too. There will also be the
occasional jet launched, so after you take out the first two turrets, look for
it. Get a lock and fire missiles at it, as it can be a bother if you leave it
alone.

After all the turrets and tanks are down, take out the barracks and the
infantry on the borders of the base. Another jet should be launched around this
time, dispatch it.

Soon you'll get a message saying that a mother ship is on the way to defend the
facility. Don't worry though, this one isn't as tough as the one from the
previous mission. Attack it the same way, fly towards it and land on top of it.
You need to immediately take out the turrets in the front and the back of the
ship, otherwise they'll rip you apart. Once those two are gone, look for the
disc shaped area in the center of the ship. Aim at that and fire. Once it's
gone, the core will be exposed. Fire at it, sometimes it may not look like
you're doing damage, but keep at it. Once that's destroyed, the ship goes down.

Now, just go and mop up anything that's still alive, and make sure to destroy
all the buildings in the base. Once it's all destroyed, the mission ends.

Beating this one gets you the Hellfire Missiles for the Jet and the Grenades
for the Suit.


4. WEAPON LIST/ DESCRIPTION

Here, I will list all the weapons for the Havoc Suit and the Havoc Jet, as well
as describe their effects. I'll also rate their effectiveness from 1 (crap) to
5 (great).


HAVOC SUIT WEAPONS

1. Machine Pistols
Ammo: Unlimited
Rating: 3

These are your basic weapons. You'll be using these a lot, since they have
unlimited ammo. They may not be powerful, but they are very fast, and with no
ammo limit, you can just blast away. Not too shabby for your basic weapon.

2. Flak Gun
Ammo: 50
Rating: 3

This is the other weapon you'll start with for the suit. It is very powerful,
but you'll have to shoot from close range to actually get any power out of it.
It's good for the time you have it, but replace it with the Assault Cannon as
soon as you get it.

3. Torpedo
Ammo: 50
Rating: 3
Obtained after: Mission 1

These are pretty good. They're best used when attacking a ground target from a
distance. They can't be used on airborne enemies, however, so keep that in
mind.

4. Disk Launcher
Ammo: 200
Rating: 3 1/2
Obtained after: Mission 3

While each disk is not particularly powerful, you'll be shooting them at a
rapid speed, so they end up being pretty powerful. These can be used in many
situations. They seem to be especially effective against enemy buildings. Watch
the ammo, though. It may have 200 shots, but they go very fast.

5. Mini Rockets
Ammo: Unlimited
Rating: 2
Obtained after: Mission 5

These are alternatives to the Machine Pistols. Both are relatively good, but
you may want to test them out in Mission 1 to see which suits you best. These
are more powerful than the Pistols, but they shoot slower, and it is harder to
hit a fast moving target with them.

6. Assault Cannon
Ammo: 50
Rating: 5
Obtained after: Mission 6

These are very nice. Their power is more than when you fire the Flak Gun at
close range, and you can fire these from anywhere. They do seem to be a bit
more powerful when fired from close up, but they're effective from any range.
Use these on pretty much anything.

7. Grenades
Ammo: 30
Rating: 2
Obtained after: Mission 7

These aren't too great. They are very powerful, and can take out most enemys
with one grenade. But, it's a little harder to hit an enemy with them, and the
30 shots go pretty quick. However, once you have these, you probably won't be
using the Torpedoes much since you have the Assault Cannon and Disc Launcher,
so you might be okay using them instead of the Torpedoes, they may come in
handy.


HAVOC JET WEAPONS

1. Vulcan Cannons
Ammo: Unlimited
Rating: 4

These are similar to the Havoc Suit's Machine Pistols. However, they are
actually more effective since airborne enemies usually have less armor than
ground enemies. These make a great standard weapon.

2. Phoenix
Ammo: 40
Rating: 2

This weapon fires out several shots, so it's good for attacking large groups of
enemies. But, it's not very powerful, and it can be hard to aim correctly.
They're decent, but you're usually better off just using the Vulcan Cannons.

3. Tomahawk
Ammo: 100
Rating: 3
Obtained after: Mission 2

These are used to attack ground targets. They're kinda like the torpedoes, as
they also hug the ground as they head towards their target. If your enemy is
not moving very much (ex. An APC), then these are very effective.

4. GP Bomb
Ammo: 50
Rating: 3 1/2
Obtained after: Mission 4

These, like the Tomahawks, target ground enemies. However, their range is a bit
more than a Tomahawk, and they tend to do more damage. It's easier to aim a
Tomahawk, but these are still pretty easy to hit with.

5. Rockets
Ammo: Unlimited
Rating: 2
Obtained after: Mission 5

Like the Havoc Suit, the Jet receives an alternate choice to its basic weapons.
But while the Suit is good with either one of its choices, these are no where
near as good as the Vulcans. The Rockets are just too hard to aim correctly.
They do more damage, but air targets don't have much armor anyway. Try these
out, but chances are you'll prefer the Vulcans.

6. Maverick
Ammo: 10
Rating: 1
Obtained after: Mission 6

These are very powerful. But, they're immensely hard to aim. Unless your target
isn't moving, you'll have a tough time of hitting it. Plus, with only 10 shots,
this weapon is obviously useless. But, if you can't seem to do anything with
the Phoenix,  you might want to just take these just in case you have to take
out a structure from the air.

7. Hellfire
Ammo: 20
Rating: 3
Obtained after: Mission 7

These are basically the same as the Tomahawks, except that this fires four
missiles instead of one. This has less ammo than the Tomahawks, though. You'll
just have to choose between ammo and power.


6. EXTRA STUFF


-When a mission is loading and the Commander is briefing you, you can rotate
the map with the left analog stick, zoom in with the R button and zoom out with
the L button. Kinda useless, but you may find it amusing.

-This game came out in Europe much earlier than it did in the States. What's
the significance of that? I dunno. I guess it's nice to see the Europeans get a
break for once, they usually get shafted when it comes to games (although they
got a lot more Neo Geo Pocket games than we did).

-The plot of this game reminds me a bit of the anime series Vandread. Both
involve groups of people who used to live on Earth being attacked by invaders
from Earth. Plus, in the show, there are Vanguards, which are mech suits, and
Dreads, which are fighter jets. They combine to make a Vandread (hence the
title). Now, a Vandread is not a mech to jet changing thing like the Havoc
Suit, but it's still the combination of a mech and a jet...to top it off, one
of the missions in Gun Metal is called Vanguard...hmm...

-In any stage that takes place in Zone 4 (the snow place), look around on the
ground area. You may see some sort of animal, kinda looks like a rhino. You can
blow these things up, splattering blood everywhere. If you shoot them with the
Torpedo, they will burn, and leave a skeleton behind. Try blowing all sorts of
scenery up with various weapons, it's fun!

Best Times:

Just in case you want to see how you stack up to my skill(z), here's my best
times for each stage:

Mission 1: 2:02
Mission 2: 3:26
Mission 3: 15:45
Mission 4: 5:59
Mission 5: 3:39
Mission 6: 2:04
Mission 7: 10:34
Mission 8: 4:03

I don't know how impressive those are, so you might be able to beat them pretty
easily...I think my Mission 1 and 6 times are nice, though.


7. NEXT UPDATE

I should be able to get another update up within one or two days. Expect it to
include Missions 8 and 9, maybe more depending on how far I get. I'll also add
an enemy list, with descriptions and difficulty ratings. If I can think of
anything else, I'll add that too.

Want to contribute? If you have a strategy for a mission that is different from
mine, go ahead and send it. I'll try it out, and if I can re-create it (or at
least see that it can be done), I'll add it. Everyone plays differently, and
your strategy may be better for someone else than mine. Also, if you have any
random stuff for the Extra Stuff section, send that too. If your Best Times are
better than mine, I'll post those too.

My email address is: [email protected]


8. CREDITS

Here's the usual Thank You lists people always tack to the end of their FAQs.

I'd like to thank:

Myself, for writing this, of course.

CJayC, for having one of the most useful sites on the entire internet.

Microsoft, for making a great video game console.

Majesco and Rage for developing/publishing this game.

Mission Hill, for being a funny as hell TV show (I thought of it while writing
this since I was typing Mission over and over).

And no thanks to people who badmouth the Xbox without trying it first. Feh.


Gunmetal FAQ Version 1.0, written by NeoY2J.