FAQ - Guide for Gungrave

Gungrave FAQ V 1.0
Written by Wong Si Yuan
First Written 30th July 2002
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Contents:
0.0 - FAQ Overview and Legal Stuff
1.0 - Introduction to Gungrave
2.0 - Controls & Interface
      2.1 - Demolition shots Defined
      2.2 - General Tips
3.0 - Explaination of Score & Difficulty system
4.0 - Stage Guide
5.0 - Extras Menu
6.0 - Tidbits about Gungrave
7.0 - Credits
8.0 - Contact me

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0.0 - FAQ Overview and Legal Stuff -

This FAQ will, among other things, do its best to get you at least 4
skulls, if not 5, in each stage. It also comprises of bits and pieces
of the manual for the benefit of those who can't read Japanese, plus
some Other Stuff. All credit will be given whenever possible.

Also, this FAQ is protected by international copyright laws to Wong Si
Yuan, etc. etc. etc. If you wish to post, do so with my knowledge
(and blessings) by Contacting Me if possible. Don't copy it in part or
in whole, no plagarism, this FAQ is NOT for profit, blah blah blah. If
you want to find a loophole in this regard, I Hereby Cover Them All.
So There. Now enjoy.

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1.0 - Introduction to Gungrave -

What is Gungrave? Gungrave is an arcade style PS2 3rd person shooter
which has you in the boots of Beyond the Grave, an enigmatic and
mysterious gothic cowboy with a mission... and a coffin on his back.

Grave wields a pair of pistols named Cerberus and a coffin slung on
his back which is more than it appears to be. The game takes place over
6 stages in which Grave will Jump, Blast, Smash and generally wreak
havoc through, during which you will be attempting to stay alive while
getting the most impressive record possible.

True to good, old fashioned arcade style gaming, Gungrave is more about
old fashioned blast-the-bad-guys and boasting rights rather than plot
(which is good enough). It does, however, boast some pretty great
outlandish foes which look like they came straight from a certain
Todd McFarlane comic... However, everthing in this game is a pretty
refreshing change from everything you've ever seen in an Anime or Manga.
Enjoy.

All the animation is actually done in 3D, with animated textures for
facial details. You won't be able to tell just by looking, but they
are.

Game concept and Character Design is by Yasuhiro Nightow, best known
for his works in Trigun and Trigun Maximum.

Mechanical, vehicular and equipment design is by Kosuke Fujishima,
best known for his works in Ah! My Goddess!, You're Under Arrest, and
character designer for Sakura Wars.

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2.0 - Controls & Interface -

Controls -

Controls are relatively straightforward, and pretty easy to get used to.
The only problem is finger fatigue when the action gets too intense!

Left Analogue Stick -
Controls Grave's movement. Holding it down (L3) causes Grave to break
into a Jog that allows him to shoot while moving slightly faster than
usual.

Triangle -
Fires a Demolition Shot. There is a meter in the upper left
hand corner that indicates your store of Demolition shots. Note that
using a Demolition shot makes your invulnerable for the period of the
firing, and that you are vulnerable for a short while AFTER firing.

A Demolition shot is like the 'Bomb' button in other arcade games: You
fire a mega-powerful attack that destroys everything in sight. There
ARE limitations, which is covered in further detail below, but generally
you use these to get out of trouble, and for something "special"...
More details further down.

Circle -
Makes Grave run. While running, Grave cannot shoot.

X -
Makes Grave Jump/Dive. While standing still, Grave will jump very
high. You can use the left analogue stick to move him a little in the air.
While moving, this will make Grave Dive in the direction he is moving
in. While Diving, Grave will fire twice as fast. This has an important
use that I will elaborate later.

Square -
Makes Grave fire. Obviously the most important. While firing,
Grave will lock onto anything in front of him within a specific radius
and his bullets will travel to it. If you repeatedly tap the square
button while standing still, Grave will break out into his 'Burst Mode',
where he goes nuts and starts firing with unbelievable acrobatic skill.
This is extremely fun, but also useful for taking out large numbers of
enemies quickly without resorting to a demolition shot.

L1 -
Lock on. When pressed, Grave will 'Lock On'to the nearest (or most
powerful) enemy. During this period, all his movement will be centered
around that enemy, he can Circle Strafe the enemy, and his shots will
be directed at the enemy with a greater degree of accuracy. If held down
when no enemy is around, or if the enemy is dead, Grave will be able to
Strafe from side to side.
Undeniably useful.

L2 -
180º turn. Grave will hop quickly and turn straight around,
ready to shoot anyone behind him. When held down and used in combination
with the left analogue stick, causes Grave to turn on the spot.

R1 -
Swing coffin. Grave swings his coffin in a 360º arc around
him, smashing anyone and anything that comes in contact with it and
causing MASSIVE damage. It also tends to send most people flying. While
swinging the coffin, you are immune to small arms fire. That does not
include Machine Guns, Missiles, Grenades, Gatling guns, explosions, or
Melee attacks.

R2 -
Slow mode. Unlockable after obtaining a certain rank, Slow Mode
is not so much bullet time (a la Max Payne) as it is a drop in FPS.
Although not as impressive, it helps the more flustered players to cope
with the situation better.

Start -
Pauses the game and brings up the menu. (Options covered below)

Select -
Vanity Pose. Grave has three to choose from, at random.

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2.0 - Controls and Interface -

Interface -

While playing the game, your screen is divided into four interfaces.

In the upper left hand corner is your Demolition Shots meter. The
Skull in the center serves several purposes: The blue meter around it
tells you how much more to store before the next demolition shot
is available, the number in the above left hand corner is the number
of shots available. The skull itself has one last purpose, covered
under '2.1 - Demolition Shots Defined'.

In the lower left hand corner, which is normally not used, is the
Boss Life meter. This naturally only appears when you are facing the
boss of the stage. Note this does not apply to the first two bosses
you encounter.

In the upper right hand corner is your Life Bar (Red), your Shield
Bar (Green), and your Score.

Your first line of defense is your Shield bar. This 'deathly aura'
of protection protects Grave from any and all attacks directed at
him for a few rounds before being exhausted. The shield can and
will regenerate itself after a few seconds of inactivity, like
Halo's Master Chief shields.

However, should you come under fire for too long, or take too much
damage for even your aura to protect you, your life will start to
drain. This is your last line of defense. When it hits zero, you
die. You can continue, but your score SUFFERS. (More on this later)
Thankfully, you CAN restore it in increments of 1/3 - 1/4 by accessing
the Pause menu. This is next.

The Pause menu only appears when you hit the Start button, naturally.
Under the Pause menu are several options, Sound, Restart, and
Demolition Shots.

Sound -
Under Sound is the BGM volume, SFX volume, and Channel (Mono/Stereo).
Nothing exceptional.

Restart -
Under Restart are the options Restart Stage, and Exit to Title. Restart
stage brings you back to Dr. T's lab. Exit to Title does just that,
bring you back to the title screen. I use the former liberally.

Demolition Shots -
You have 1 Demolition Shot Style by default, Death Blow. The other three
can be unlocked by performing well in each stage, and there is a fifth
option: Restore Health Now.

This is useful if you're near death, don't want to restart the stage,
and don't particularly care for your health ranking. This consumes one
Demolition shot and restores around 2/5ths (amount may vary.) of your
health and all your shields. You can use this while being hit by a
Boss's combo to restore lost shields before he can damage your health.

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2.1 - Demolition Shots Defined -

As Explained before, Demolition shots are a big part of the fun in
Gungrave. Its obvious use is to get you out of sticky spots, but
besides that they gave you FOUR styles to impress the heck out of
friends and family as well! These styles actually have a use though,
and besides that, there is a special surprise for those playing
Gungrave through the first time. Read on...

Your Demolition shots are as follows:

Death Blow -
Grave fires a single missile at the nearest target, which explodes
and kills everything in front of Grave. I suspect its range is limited,
but I've never seen it do so, so...

Bullet Dance -
Grave spins 360º firing obscene amounts of ammo from his
coffin. It kills everything around him, but has a more limited range
than the Death Blow or the Hellhound Roar.

Hellhound Roar -
Grave fires THREE missiles at everything in front of him, which looks
cool and causes obscene destruction of EVERYTHING in a 180º radius around
Grave. Try this move in places with large numbers of enemies and
exploding barrels.

Raging Inferno -
Grave spins 360º delivering his massive payload of bullets...
then jumps in the air and does it again, delivering more gratituous
death on the way up.

Final Demolition Shot -
From stage 3 onwards, whenever any Boss is near death, the Skull in
the Demolition Shot meter will suddenly glow like it's Halloween. When
that happens, you can activate the 'Final Demolition Shot' (Which I
will now refer to as Graveyard Finisher). This is an over-the-top,
insane finisher that Grave uses to put a Boss out of its misery. Note
that this DOES consume a Demolition Shot round, so make sure to have
one ready. This is readily available no matter how poorly you did in
previous stages. Note that only the 'Final' forms of the bosses can
be 'Finished' this way.

One Demolition style is granted for every 12 or 15 skulls you net
overall. (Not confirmed, but general values should be accurate.)
It is entirely possible to get all four styles at the end of stage 2.

Also, one final note: Enemies behind environmental cover can actually
dodge the effects of a Demolition shot. If someone is behind a corner
and you used, say, a Bullet Dance, it won't hit him so long as you
can't see even a part of him. If he is covered on two sides by walls and
out of sight, a Hellhound Roar may not be enough to reach him! This
does not apply to people behind sandbags or destructible details.
Be cautious.

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2.2 - General Tips

To play Gungrave, all you need is persistence and a durable set of fingers.
However, to get a really good score, you need to adopt some viable tactics.

- Lock and Strafe:
I can't tell you how useful it is to strafe while moving. Most of the
enemies in this game only fire at your current position. If you keep moving,
they tend to keep missing. Locking on also allows you to focus on one
enemy, even while Diving to one side. This allows you to get your shots in
really fast while avoiding theirs in turn.

- Dive!:
Diving (using the Jump while moving in any direction) is not only a great
way to get 100 Artistic points, but also a lifesaver. It allows you to
move quickly while firing even faster, gets you places sooner, avoid
lots of big guns, and perform some really cool moves down staircases. It
gets ever better with the lock on. If you lock on someone and dive, you
will pirouette around the opponent, allowing you to get in a lot of shots
stylishly and doing a ton of damage at the same time.

But as with everything else, watch where you dive. Diving into a horde of
heavily armed enemies is as bad as diving into an explosive barrel, guns
blazing. Also, if you hit a wall or anything while diving, you will stop,
and this is bad if you are avoiding enemy firepower or a Boss's combo attack.
They are very like to to catch you and harm you. Use discretion.

- Jog!:
I use the term 'Jog' because it isn't a walk, but it isn't a run either.
When you hold down the left analogue stick, Grave will go into a 'Jog',
faster than walking, slower than running, but the advantage is being able
to shoot on the go. This is invaluable in saving time and progressing to
the next area quickly, especially if you are aiming for a high Beat Count
and/or low Time Taken. Again, lock and strafe.

- Prudence is the better part of Valor:
Unless you're playing on easy, it's not worth restarting the map just
because you got cocky on some enemies, lost more life than you were willing
to, and then pounding the controller into dust, especially after getting an
oh-so-elusive 500 beat combo. On Normal and Hard, Diving into the thick of
a crowd is either an act of supreme confidence or of supreme idiocy. It's
better to use a lock and jog in this case, finishing enemies off one by one
as you approach, both to get a better Artistic score and to make sure you
can get a few more hits in with your Coffin. Always let your shields
regenerate before moving into the next area, and be wise enough to back
off if you're losing shields too quickly. Better to have 4 skulls in Time
only than 4 in Time AND Life, right?

- Demolition Shots are your friend:
If stuck in an absolutely-no-hope situation, don't be afraid to use a
Demolition shot. You generally get more than you can use anyway, so using
a few now and then won't hurt. Better than, again, losing life unnecessarily.

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3.0 - Explaination of Score & Difficulty system

Gungrave has an interesting scoring system which has not been seen for
a while in other games. You are graded in five categories: Beat Count,
% Enemies Killed, Time Taken, Life Remaining, and Artistic Score. I
will explain the scoring on each system, and general tactics to get them.
More advanced tactics come with the Stage walkthroughs.

Beat Count -
Each Stage has its own beat count requirement to get 5 skulls:

Stage 1 - 300
Stage 2 - 350
Stage 3 - 300
Stage 4 - 400 - 500 (difficulty based I think)
Stage 5 - 200
Stage 6 - 200 - 250

Difficulty may or may not affect the beat count in certain stages. I have
reason to believe that on Easy, the Beat Count requirement for stage 4 is 400+,
but on Normal it apparently rises phenomenally.

Getting a high beat is certainly a challenge, as your beat meter will
eventually flicker and die if you don't continuously shoot things. Between
waves of enemies, the game HAS generously provided you with plenty of things
to keep your beat meter high. The exception is in Stage 5, where your top
beat will have to be obtained by killing constant waves of enemies. Also,
the higher the difficulty, the faster your beat meter dies.

% Enemies Killed -
Each Stage will send WAVES of enemies at you from start to end. Although
most of the enemies WILL come to you, you may have to look for some of them.
Most prominent is Stage 2, where getting the last few enemies may take some
experimenting. More detail later. It is tricky to find ALL the hidden enemies...

Time Taken -
There is a fine line between killing ALL the enemies, and taking the time
to do so. You want to kill them quickly, but you want to make sure you killed
them ALL. This tends to, but is not limited to, involve a fine balance
between rationing your Demolition shots to take out vast numbers of enemies
and getting the Beat Count you so desperately need.
Each stage has the time limits (for 5 skulls) as follow:

Stage 1: 4 Minutes or less 
Stage 2: 8 Minutes or less
Stage 3: 8 Minutes or less
Stage 4: 8 Minutes or less
Stage 5: 9½ - 10 Minutes or less
Stage 6: 14 Minutes or less (Subject to Confirmation)

If you find that my information is wrong, please send me your time for
5 skulls.

Difficulties -
There are three difficulties in the Japanese version. The North American
version reputedly has a fourth 'Kick Their Ass!' difficulty, but that will
be confirmed when it is released.

Easy -
Enemies do little damage, can take even less and have horrible aim.
Environmental objects can take more shots (better beat count), explosions
do less damage, certain stage requirements are lowered (speculation here),
and Grave's auto-aiming is improved drastically. He will aim for everything
without hesitation. Your Beat Count meter has a much longer lifespan,
allowing you to net even bigger Beat Combos than on other difficulties.
Not much of a challenge, and shame on you if you die.

However, your score will be limited to around 5 million, depending on how
well you did.

Normal -
Enemies are tougher now, do (a LOT) more damage, and have average
aim. Environmental objects blow up faster, explosions hurt, certain stage
requirements are higher, and Grave's auto-aiming is a little slow. Your
Beat Count meter also dies much faster, making it a bigger challenge to get
the 5 skull rating. A decent challenge, and definitely difficult for
newbies.

Your score can jump to 7 or 9 million or more on normal.

Hard -
Pray hard. Enemies take Grave's shields down like a hot knife through
butter, have great aim and range, explosions are best viewed from afar, but
I'm not sure about Stage Requirements. Grave's auto-aiming is survivable,
and not much worse than normal (if at all), but considering the enemies...
Oh, getting a decent beat count on Hard isn't difficult because of enemy
endurance, but forget about getting a good one if there're no enemies within
reach in 1½ seconds.

Your score can reach 14 million or more on hard.

***

Contributed by Remy, with 5 skulls in all stage times (and everything
else too... whoa) -

stage 1 4,20
stage2 6.41
stage3 7.50
stage 4 forgett to note
stage 5 8.26
stage 6 don t note.

***

Life Remaining -
Very simply, anything less than 100% nets you 4 skulls or less. Using a
Refill Life Now drops your grade by 1 skull (meaning at 100% but with a refill,
you still get 4 skulls). Using a continue gives you NONE. Be careful to
prevent the enemies from hitting you too much... no shame in hiding while your
shields recharge, or using a Demolition shot to get you out of trouble.
Every 25% drop costs you one skull as well. Therefore:

100% - 5 skulls.
99% - 75% - 4 skulls
74% - 50% - 3 skulls
49% - 25% - 2 skulls
24% - 1% - 1 skull
Death/continue - None

Anyone care to confirm if you still get 5 skulls for replenishing your
shields only, without taking damage to health?

Artistic Score -
Basically, this is Gungrave's version of Devil May Cry's 'Coolness' factor.
Anything that makes your audience more awe-inspired nets you points.
Slamming people with the coffin, shooting enemies from point blank, diving
all over the place, using Demolition shots, using the Vanity Pose, shooting
someone as soon as you use the 180º hop,  getting insane beat counts, etc. all
add to your score. Generally, I find that using Grave's Diving all over the
place will give you a perfect 100 and 5 skulls all the time.
Occasionally you might want to combine all the above techniques... hehe...

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4.0 - Stage Guide

Here it is... a stage by stage introduction and general tips, plus boss
strategies, special notes, and 'Beat Count' areas.

Also included are some [poorly] translated transcripts of the character
conversations. (By Yours Truly. ^_^U I only claim 75% accuracy here! Places
where the exact words are unclear are made up for in general meaning.)

Opening -

*Cutscene -
Snow is falling. We see a city, one that bustles with life and technology.
In the background (or should I say, THE background) is a gigantic building
with searchlights racing across its surface. The camera lowers down through
the many layers of the city, through increasingly more imporverished areas,
finally resting at the very bottom, the dark alleys and streets of the lowest
class.

A girl, in red, is dragging an attache case with much difficulty. She is
bleeding from the head.

A lab, where a kindly looking doctor and a dark mysterious stranger wait. A
thud at the door, and the doctor is cautious. He carries a gun as he approaches
the door, then opens it cautiously. The girl slumps in, dropping the case.

The brooding figure pulls on his coat, adjusts some stuff, and pushes his
glasses up. We see his face, and the prominent scar on it.

Dr. T - "You're going to do it then? The Comany that you owed your life to,
which took it away, that which you cannot forget... you're going for it?"

The figure doesn't speak. He lifts one gun, then the other, deliberately.

Dr. T - "Those guns.. seeing them again, I understand now. Do as you please
then. You're free to pursue your goal... that most important goal of yours."

The girl awakens as the figure leaves. She looks around.

Mika - "Doctor?"

Doctor T. - "You can call me T."

Mika - "That guy? My mom's guardian, the one called Grave?"

Doctor T - "Calm down. That guy is off to do his job now... he'll be back."

Mika - "In that case... he's gone to stop Harry McDowell?"

Doctor T - "Don't worry about him, he's the most evil demon of them all.
The company's people are going to be in trouble, meeting that 'Graveyard'."

*End Cutscene -

Stage 1 - Slaughter House
Boss - Mickey
Time Limit - 4 Minutes or less
Beat Count - 300

*Cutscene -
A seedy bar in a shadowy district.

Title - Stage 1: Slaughter House

Inside the pulsing, beating nightclub, Grave approaches the rich looking man in
yellow and his lovely ladies.

Mickey - "To the new boss, Mr. Harry! Cheers!"

They look at Grave. A bouncer accosts him.

Bouncer - "What do you want? You ain't part of the boss's party!"

Grave gives him a very nasty punch and floors him. Grave looks at the lounge
chair Micket was in, but he is gone. Grave turns and sees Mickey escaping
through a door.

*End Cutscene -

Details:
Basic training stage, nobody here poses any serious threat to you. You
start out in a bar with the bartender and several lackeys shooting at you.
Simply kill everyone. A large brute will be the key to opening the next
area. Stay around and kill everyone as you please, then move on.

In the next area, you are in a corridor with three enemies and a stack of
boxes in front of you. Kill them all, and proceed.

*Special Note: Walk into the door on your side when you kill the three guys
to find a toilet. Destroy everything (and everyone) inside, and when you walk
out again there'll be more people to add to your kill %!

The rest of the stage is pretty straightforwards. When you get to the
area with the water towers, you are near the boss area.

*Cutscene -
Grave walks forbiddingly towards the railing, and looks down. Mickey is running
out the front entrance, and several of his lackey's cars are pulling up.

The Lackeys are aiming guns at the entrance, where they expect Grave to come
out from.

Grave jumps through the railings and lands on one car, caving its top in.

*End Cutscene -

*Beat Combo Area: The last part of the stage, where you chase Mickey through
a gauntlet of lackeys and cars, is where you can get your 5 skull beat count.
Start with the car in front of you, then kill the enemies behind the pickup
and those near the car and those around you. Work on the cars as you Strafe
around and be sure to use Dives to quickly reach the next targets if your
beat's dying out. Note that you want to make use of Mickey's lackeys to get
your last 50 or so beats if possible. There's almost not enough shootables to
get 300 without them, depending on the difficulty.

Boss:
Nothing special. Mickey's just a lowly human pimp-scum, so go ahead
and blast away. Finish him with a Demolition shot if you want.

Points of interest:
Exploding Barrels - After reaching the second floor rooftop, you will
encounter your first ubiquitous exploding barrels. These not only harm/hurt
your enemies, but you as well, if you're not careful. Not just barrels
either. Exploding gas cans, exploding cars, anything that could go up in
flames, be careful around!

Fadeaway Shot - The area with your first staircase is also the first place you
can practice your 'Fadeaway' shot by diving down a staircase.
Try it!

Enemies - No doubt by now you have already noticed that there are more than
1 size of enemy. The Big Guys always carry machineguns or something
equally heavy, and are a bigger threat than the tiny Lackeys. They will
also be a source of constant pain for you if you don't take them out fast.
You will encounter many, many more types of enemies in the future... beware.

Targets - Mickey will be the first of many such 'Targets' that you will
encounter throughout the game. Targets are mission critical and must be
killed/mutilated/destroyed before you are allowed to continue. They come
in two flavours: Blue (Enemies) and Golden (Bosses, Objects). You CANNOT
continue if you don't destroy these Targets, even if everyone else is dead.

---

Stage 2 - Factory
Boss - Koujouchou (Plant Manager, in English)
Time Limit - 8 minutes or less
Beat Count - 350

*Cutscene -

A dusty floor in an industrial factory. A shadow crosses it, and it belongs
to Grave.

Behind him, the steel wire doors shut loudly. Grave glaces back, then
continues his walk.

Title - Stage 2: Factory

*End Cutscene -

Details:
You begin in a factory in a slightly more scummy part of town. Start by
destroying the barrels to the sides and then the enemies in front. When you
reach the area with a lot of cars and even more enemies, clear everything
to proceed. You will encounter a new sort of enemy here.

*Beat Combo Area: The moment you start the stage, you will WANT to keep
your Beat combo going by constantly diving/jogging/shooting at everything
in your path. Your goal here is at LEAST 350 beats, and it is NOT easy.
Between enemies, shoot crates and barrels as you move to keep the Beat
alive. When you see a car, shoot it till it explodes and KEEP moving when
they are near destruction. You will be able to get over 450 beats if you
are careful, but it is rather difficult because of Grave's capricious
autoaiming. Be careful.

Your next arena will be in an underground excavation site, as well as some
new enemies. Nothing special here, except that visibility is extremely low,
so keep those guns firing!

Past the excavation area is the staircase to the roof. En route up, you will
find a pipe on the first landing with enemies on it. (Number varies with
difficulty) After dealing with them and heading up the second flight, turn
around immediately. More enemies will be coming from that pipe. clear them
out, clear the roof out, and break the glass. Grave will jump in.

Grave will land in a remote corner of a Warehouse. Blast your way to the
warehouse main. Note that this area is extremely crowded, so be cautious
where you dive and shoot. Nothing unusual here, but be careful of enemies
that are scripted to take cover and ambush you behind the boxes.

After that is a staircase leading to a lot more enemies, a Missile Launcher,
and an odd Kill % area. Note that it is VERY easy to get damaged here (no 100%
Life Remaining score, in other words), so use a Demolition shot if you want.

*Special note: After clearing out the area, do NOT walk through the door yet.
Walk along the catwalk to the end. Several enemies will fall from the ceiling
and attack you. Kill them to add to your Kill %.

Past the warehouse are the labs. You will encounter several... doctors and
patients who are less than happy to see you. Kill them all. There is a new
class of enemy here to be wary of: The Fat Heavy Weapons guy. They are always
fat (unlike the big tall guys), and ALWAYS carry a weapon that is short
ranged, but VERY painful. In this case, a shotgun. Stay away and take him
out from a distance.

*Special note: After clearing house, walk/jump into the room full of crates
where the fat guy was shooting you. Several more enemies will run into the area
from where you came in. Again, more Kill % for you.

In the next area, you come across what appear to be cloning tanks of some
sort. Half formed people float inside... weird. You will be greeted by a
patient and a Melee guy from the start. Take them all out and continue
downstairs. Note that the enemies here like to take cover behind the tanks,
so don't leave until you're done with everyone!

The next area is short. Several Big Guys and several Lackeys await you. A single
Demolition shot is all it takes to finish them quickly.

The next area is just before the boss. There are several catwalks, of which you
are on one. Shoot everyone on your catwalk first, then finish off everyone
else. There is a switch marked "Target", so shoot the switch and take out the
new enemies on the catwalk and the lowering bridge. Cross it. It's time
for the Boss.

Boss:
Slightly more challenging than last, Koujouchou hides behind several counters
and crates covered with computers and Lackeys. They will bust in through the
windows. Just keep Strafing left and right and killing everyone. Eventually
the tide of enemies will stop. Feel free to finish him off as you please. He
only carries a machinegun, so don't worry.

Points of Interest:
New Enemie Types - In the first area, you will also encounter your first
Missile Launcher enemy. The missiles are supposedly easy to avoid, but in
the thick of battle with clutter all around, it's much more difficult than
expected.
They are also dangerous because they can do a lot of damage and are very
capable of ruining your perfect beat combo. Beware.

In the second area, you will encounter Melee enemies. These guys are big,
tough, and carry steel construction girders to smack you around with. You
do NOT want to be hit.

You will also encounter your first Grenade enemies. Although not as dangerous
as Missile Launchers, they are an annoyance nonetheless. Stay away from them
and finish them off last.

Fat Heavy weapons guys are the final worry. You only meet them in two stages,
but the weapons they use will leave a lasting effect on you, and even bosses
use the same weapons! Thankfully they are generally short ranged, so just
stand back and fire away!

---

Stage 3 - Chinatown
Boss - Bob Poundmax, Bob Poundmax (Overkill version)
Time Limit - 8 minutes or less
Beat Count - 300

*Cutscene -

Bright lights and neon signs adorn the buildings.

Title - Stage 3: Chinatown

In a dark alley, Grave is 'speaking' (one sidedly) to an informant, who counts
his wad of cash as he smokes a pipe.

Informant - "There's a piece of news, came down from Brock. There's an
airship called the Furidori Hide. The company's holding a party there. The
new boss's face was seen, but I'd have to say it in a group of people, I can't
say it here. If I did the Yakuza would get wind of it, and-"

(Note: It's either the new boss's face was seen, but I'd have to say it in a
group of people, or it was seen in a group of people I can't tell you about.")

Suddenly Grave turns around as he notices something, and ducks. Bullets
riddle the wall (and the informant) full of holes.

*End Cutscene -

You begin in a Chinatown alley. Nothing special, kill them all. Walk up the
stairs and encounter your first Lackey Melee guys. These guys are basically
the little brothers of the Big Melee Guys. Smaller, weaker, but they still do
plenty of damage. Just whack them.
Oh, enjoy the massive Fadeaway shot down the staircase.

You will now be on a street with a Tram dropping off enemies and enemies
that pop out from the alleys and balconies.

*Beat Combo Area: It is possible, although supremely difficult, to get your
300 Beat combo here. As soon as you reach the top of the stairs, you'll want
to keep shooting every enemy around you, as well as the telephone booths and
the tram that's dropping the enemies off. However, keeping your beat alive at
the end of the street before the Tram returns is difficult at best. The tram
itself is good for about 150 beats though, so if you can reach 150 before
working on the tram, you could concievably reach 300 beats here.

Next up after the staircase is another street, filled with a lot of Missile
Launchers and Melee guys, big and small. Nothing special here, keep moving
and killing until you get to a gate. Try to open it and run around the street
to get the enemies to come. Kill them all to proceed.

*Special Note: There are more enemies here than required to progress. As soon
as the 'Go' arrow appears, run back down the street. More enemies will appear.
Again, good for your 100% kills. Run around a bit more to see if anyone you
missed appears.

Next up, a scene from Hong Kong movies - The Kitchen of Death! You will be
in a kitchen filled with irate chefs and patrons alike. Note that due to the
cramped quarters here, taking damage is a possibility. Enemies will come
from all around, most notably the stairs, but watch your back as well. When
you're done, walk down the stairs.

You'll end up in an abandoned parking lot with Missile Launchers bunkered
behind sandbags, and lots of trigger happy Lackeys. Diving and prioritizing
targets here will get you through. When you reach the gates, more enemies
will come from the top and behind. Kill them all to proceed.

*Special Note: Keep moving back to the middle of the parking lot to find
more bad guys to add to your 100% Kills rating.

In the next area, you will meet a new sort of enemy that will be a very
constant fixture from now on: Kurofukus (Black Shirts. More on them later).
Kill them as usual, but watch for their acrobatic tricks. They will come
from all over the place. You will also encounter the Heavy Weapons version
of them. Be very careful with these guys, they can and will hurt you.
After turning them all to jelly, move on towards the bridge.

*Cutscene - A massive bulldozer will burst out of a warehouse and head for
Grave. Grave makes a 'strategic retreat'.

This is one of the more unique portions of the game, although not the most
original. several Kurofukus will be standing atop the 'Dozer as it claws
its way towards you. Simply keep backing up and avoiding their shots. You
can't destroy it, and your goal is simply to run to the end of the bridge.
The dozer itself will occasionally stop to let off a few 'passengers', who
will happily add themselves to your Kill %.

*Beat Combo Area: More risky than the start, but also much easier. You can
shoot the 'Dozer for insane beat combos. Simply back up firing. Note that
walking backwards is too slow, while jogging backwards (L3) is too fast. You
want to mix the two together while being shot at and shooting back. If
your shields get too low, jog back a litte further just out of the Kurofuku's
range while still remaining within shooting range of the 'Dozer. It's
trickier to pull off because Grave's range is barely longer than theirs, so
it's a balancing act. You should get your 300 beats at the end of the bridge.

*Cutscene - Grave turns at the end of the bridge and sees the massive
Zepplin below him. He leaps, and makes a dramatic entrance through the window.
People can be heard screaming as he breaks through the glass.

Grave is now in a poshly furnished dining room. He starts out on the entertainer's
platform with a grand piano to the side. Kurofukus will be your only enemies
here, and they will jump from table to table to kill you. Go nuts as you
please. Once they're all dead...

*Cutscene -
Nice western piano accompaniement, followed by a clapping. Grave starts and
points both guns to the source. It is Harry McDowell and some of his subordinates.

Balladbird Lee - "This, gentlemen, is Grave. Long time no see. A true
returnee from the land of the dead, he is."

Bear Walken - "A dead man. He's forgotten his manners and memory since the last
time we saw him."

Grave increases the pressure on the trigger, and Bunji points a gun warningly.
Grave changes targets to Bunji. Bob waves his drumstick around.

Bob Poundmax - "Now, now, Bunji, let's not be hasty. Grave, you were part of the
company eh? A meal, a room, and where's your gratitude? Those guns you hold,
they too belong to your supervisor (boss?) too! Come on then! let's have some
fun together!"

The music suddenly picks up, and McDowell and Co. take this cue to leave. Bob
leaps from the balcony (whoa) and lands rather heavily. He is armed with a
machinegun.

Bob Poundmax - "COME ON! This will be your 'Grave!'/I'll send 'U' to 
your 'Grave'!"

*End Cutscene -

Mini-Boss: Bob Poundmax will be armed with a machine gun and grenades,
screaming 'DIE!' while his four Kurofuku bodyguards fire at you. Simply
keep your fire on him. The kurofukus will be constantly replenished at any
rate, and you'll be wasting your health if you want to try. 'Killing' Bob
will end the section.

*Cutscene -
Grave storms out the rooftop door, just in time to see a helicopter take off and
fly away. He chases it, but it's a futile effort. A MASSIVE blob, Bob Poundmax
(Overkill Version), floats up with propellers and fills the screen, glaring
at Grave with glowy red eyes (ooh).

Bob Poundmax - "Your opponent is right here, Grave! Get ready to die!"

*End Cutscene -

Boss: Bob Poundmax (Overkill Version) reminds us of someone, doesn't he?
Can you say... Clown? Anyways, he is easily defeated. Run up to him and lock
on as soon as you come into range, and Circle-Strafe while firing. He has
four attacks: Pulling a clotheless Kurofuku (I call them Fukunai, clotheless
Guys) and tossing it at you like a bomb, spawning several Fukunais which
then crawl towards you like seeker missiles, launching himself into the
air to butt-smash you, and spinning in a circle.

The first two are easily countered: Dive to the side when he tosses one
at you, and shoot the crawlers when he spawns them. The third one is
also easy: When he jumps, watch his shadow and dive backwards when it
is near you. The last one he only uses when you are near him. It damages
you, sends you flying, and renders him invulnerable. Simple backpedal to
avoid it. Other than that, keep shooting him while Circle Strafing and
he should go down in no time.

Graveyard Finisher - When Bob's life is nearly gone and your skull lights
up like it's Halloween, hit the Triangle button and watch the fireworks.
He uses a variation of the Hellhound Roar to finish Bob off.

*Spoiler- To spoil you, several doves fly across the screen and reveals
Grave standing here with his coffin verticall up on his back. It opens
four ports, each with a missile, which then fire into the sky. They stop,
orient themselves, and fly towards Bob, who is unceremoniously blown away.

Points of Interest:
New enemies - Kurofuku (Normal and Gatling). These guys only LOOK human,
but they explode into little blue/golden/whatever colors of goo when shot
at and killed. They are faster, tougher, stronger, and the ones carrying
lighter weapons can jump like Spiderman on crack. The normal guys are
irritating, the Gatling guys (carrying two briefcases) are dangerous.

Graveyard Finisher - This is the first boss you can use one on. To tell
when to use it, watch your Demolition Skull when the bosses' life is low.
If it lights up like Broadway, FINISH HIM! Enjoy.

---

Stage 4 - Subway
Boss - Balladbird Lee
Time Limit - 8 minutes or less
Beat Count - >450 (Or around 450, depending on Difficulty)

*Cutscene -
Dr. T puts a hand on Grave's shoulder.

Dr. T - "Grave, wait. Today's the 'Exchange'. I've gotten the chamber ready
for your use."

Flash to a chamber with four massive pipe leading into a chair where Grave
sits gravelly. The view cuts to the ceiling, where four massive bell-like
contraptions supposedly responsible for replacing his bodily fluids are
located.

Mika - "Doctor, he-"

Dr. T - "That guy's body fluids must be changed periodically, seeing as he's
a walking corpse. His heart, his hands, his body and his motives, are all for
the sole purpose of being a Killing Machine."

The 'door' slides close, fitting perfectly with the wall. Just then, Dr. T
hears another strange sound outside his door. He watches it suspiciously.
The door is suddenly riddled with bullets and Dr. T takes a few rounds as a
horrified Mika watches on. The Kurofukus that break in then make off with her.

Mika - "DOCTOR!"

Inside, Grave can hear Dr. T as he struggles to speak.

Dr. T - "Grave, can you hear me? That girl, Mika... she's been taken. Chase
them!"

The pipes disengage with a hiss of steam, the door opens, and Grave steps
out. Dr. T has managed to drag himself to the wall and now lies slumped against
it.

Dr. T - "When everything's ended... go to a place far, far away, eh, Brandon?"

*End Cutscene -

*Cutscene #2 -

Several Kurofukus are running down a staircase, one of them with a prominent
red form slung over its shoulder. The others pause to watch the rear, before
following again.

Title - Stage 4: Subway.

*End Cutscene #2 -

You start out in a seedy subway with several Yakuza running away. Time to get
Mika back, at gunpoint. Nothing spectacular at the start.
Kill everyone, work your way to the end and kill everyone coming down the
staircase. You have to turn around and enter the next area after that.

The next area is a shopping arcade style hallway which has enemies
literally popping out left and right and front to get you. Simply clear
them while you progress through the area. There is an interesting enemy
here.

*Beat Combo Area: From the start of this area to the end of the next, you
will need to work on your Beat count. Simply keep shooting everyone in the
arcade till you reach the end (a heavily fortified sandbag bunker with several
burning barrels in front), kill everything and everyone, and QUICKLY move
into the adjacent room (the Electronics Goods Store). Better yet, stay near it
so that the moment you've killed everyone and everything in the arcade, you
can move in immediately. It's cramped and full of Big Guns, so be careful
and take whatever cover is necessary. You will want to keep strafing while
firing in this shop to get at EVERYTHING that is shootable. My record is 540.

*Special Note: While you are shooting up the area, several enemies will drop
from the hole in the roof. There are roughly three sets, so you might want
to stick around if you want a 100% kill score.

The following area is another area with more gang members. Kill them,
and everyone behind you, then walk towards the corner. Behind a barricade
are some mobsters with dual machineguns, kill them all. Past them is a
staircase with three of the rabbit guys.

In the next area, dive down the staircase and kill everyone. You will
encounter some Samurai guys and your first Kurofukus for the stage, in the
Ticketing Lobby. You will have to kill everyone here as well as those that
pursue you from where you came from. Also, before going through the door,
make a trip around each of the four benches. A Samurai will drop from the
ceiling above each of them.

After them, you will pass through another shutter and be greeted by a
Gatling Kurofuku. Kill and proceed. More violence. (Yum) You will eventually
come to a waiting area where you will kill even MORE people. (I see a trend
forming.) Eventually you can pass through the shutters on one side.

Burst Mode to kill everyone before walking in. There will be several waves
of enemies from inside and outside before you can proceed down the hallway
and down the staircase.

In the next area are various Yakuza hiding behind highly explosive barrels.
I wonder why. Proceed down the staircase and be ready for a very big fight.
At the ticket gates lobby, many enemies will come from behind and to the
side, so find a spot and stand your ground. I prefer to dive over to the
sandbags and shoot from there. When you're done...

*Special note: When everyone is dead and you see the Go sign, don't go
yet. Move past the gates, then turn around and fight off the last
pocket of resistance before proceeding.

*Cutscene -
You see a train with the car number 26 leaving the station. Inside,
two Kurofukus, one with Mika, run from car to car. Soon after, Grave bursts
in through one of the windows.

*End Cutscene -

In the next area, you are now on board a train. The first carriage is
for your leisure. Simply destroy everything in sight as you please, and
move on to the next car. Several Kurofukus greet you, so feel free to see
them off.

In the third carriage, you encounter a Gatling Kurofuku and something more...
unusual. There are two rockets on either side of the car, with Kurofukus
hitching a ride on them. They are 'Blue' Targets, which means finish them
off NOW. Once one of them is dead, move to the next carriage and finish
the second one off too.

In the fifth car, you fight yet another Blue Target... a Helicopter! It
has two attacks: It will launch missiles into the car and then fill it
with lead from its Vulcan cannon. Use the Lockon and Strafe technique to
destroy it as quickly as possible. The occasionaly Kurofuku will jump in
once in a while. Once it's dead, it's on to the boss...

*Cutscene -

As the door opens, Grave stands there ominously. He suddenly raises his
guns at Balladbird Lee, whos is holding Mika under one arm.

Balladbird Lee - "So, Bob has failed too... so, what's his reason?"

(Note, the latter part of the conversation has me stumped. This is the best
I can conclude from the context.)

Grave holds his position.

Balladbird Lee - "Are you still loyal to Big Daddy/Does it mean anything to you?"

(Again, the sentence is a little ambiguous.)

Grave looks up suddenly.

Balladbird Lee - "Ah, what's that look for? Is forgetting what (her?) father
was like such a big matter to you? hahahaha! A dead man before me! This will be
your last stop!"

Lee tosses Mika out the window (!) as Grave watches on in shock(?), moments
before the train hits something and derails.

*End Cutscene -

*Cutscene #2

A burning train wreck. Grave lies on his face, on the floor, unmoving.
Suddenly, he gets up and looks around. A weird sound comes from behind the
train.

Balladbird Lee - "Shu! Waki!"

(Note: Just sounds)

A weird creature leaps and spins from behind the train, slicing the car in
half as it does so. It lands, and the car behind it falls to pieces. Lee
speaks to Grave, as Bunji watches on from atop a structure, Mika safely
unconscious on the ground besides him.

Balladbird Lee - "I shall avenge Bob!"

Boss: Balladbird Lee looks like another old, 'Spawn'ed friend, doesn't
he? Hm... Anyway, he has three attacks. A leaping slash attack, in which
he jumps and tries to slice Grave in half. He also fires that HUGE gun
in his other... appendage... which does a lot of damage if it connects.
Simply Jog to avoid this. His final attack, which is also his most
powerful, is his Combo. He will telegraph both his Jump Slash and
Combo attacks by 'charging' up before attacking. Dive as SOON as he 
starts dashing at you. He will also circle strafe a lot, like you.
Besides that, he is no harder than Bob.

Graveyard Finisher: Grave uses modified Bullet Dance to finish him off.

*Spoiler - We start out inside some highly complex piece of machinery
which locks and loads, and we find out it is Grave's Coffin cannon.
He fires up his coffin from the cross like a thruster, plants the spike
into the ground, and extends one leg out. He spins like a top, firing
bullets all over the place. Lee is unceremoniously blasted and sent
flying.

Points of Interest -
Roger - See those crazy jumping guys in rabbit suits? They're called
'Roger's in-game. Hm... Roger... a Rabbit man... you don't suppose there's
a RELATION do you?

---

Stage 5 - Underground
Boss: Bear Walken, Bear Walken (OVerkill Form)
Time limit - 9½ - 10 minutes or less
Beat Count: 200

*Cutscene -
Grave revs and drives a cool looking bike with a sidecar containing his
coffin. As he passes a building, a police-vehicle appears and launches
missiles at him. Grave loses control as he dodges the missiles, then
flies off the road towards a canal. As he falls, his coffin opens up
and launches 8(!) missiles at the vehicle, which promptly explodes.
Grave's bike lands on the side of the canal wall and he manages to
drive into a drainage pipe. He looks around.

*End Cutscene -

You begin in a drainage channel inside a canal. Upon leaving the pipe,
you will face an interesting foe: Special police riding on flying
platforms. Note that they are unique to this stage only. In this case, the
two that face you are tricky. When you destroy one, the other will flee.

If you want a perfect kill score, finishing both off quickly is a must. A
burst mode is generally the most effective, but running up to them and
swinging a coffin at them works. Just so long as they are close enough
to the ground, you can kill them. Or, if you're feeling generous, a
Demolition shot works fine. When they die, they explode. Note that their
explosions are like exploding barrels: They damage and kill anyone too
close to them, including the Flyers next to them...

Behind the two Flyers is a small gauntlet of enemies and obstacles. It
isn't too difficult, so destroy them all. Once everyone is dead, walk up
to the gate to open it. (Note that you are not given a 'Go' sign as a
hint, so don't wait for it.) Up the stairs, you find several enemies on
the next floor up.

Note that the safety rails here are mostly missing, so be careful when you
dive. Grave won't suffer any falling damage, but his Time Taken will most
definitely take a hit. Grave is climbing up a giant multilevel tower of
sorts, so making a wrong jump and landing at the bottom is a pain.

Simply progress through the next gate, up the stairs, and be ready for
a surprise. At the top of this stairs are some enemies, nothing special,
but be careful. Next gate, several enemies await you just as you open it.

Note that there isn't anything special on the way up besides two things:
At around the fourth floor, you will start encountering Missile Launchers
and Flamethrowers. The Flamethrower guys are the Fat Heavy Weapons Guys I
warned you about in Stage 2: They do a LOT of damage with their weapons,
so keep your distance and watch some pigs fly. Be careful around these
floors, as the rails are in better repair, but the missiles can and will
send you flying downstairs. Keep going all the way up until you enter the
next area. Be ready.

*Beat Combo Area:
Be ready for the Gauntlet of the game. You will face off with Riot Shield
enemies, protecting their Big Guy brethren. Always keep moving while firing,
and aim for the Big Guys if you can. Note that the Riot Shield police are the
key to getting 200 beats. Their shields can take a beating before going down.
You might want to stay near one side of the stage though, to limit damage
taken. Anyway, while you are shooting, keep moving slowly towards the other
end of the area to make sure you have a constant supply of fresh enemies to
fuel your beat. Once you hit 200 though, relax and take a breath. It's very
difficult to get there so congratulate yourself.

*Special Note: When all the enemies are dead, don't go through the door
marked 'Go' yet. RUN back to the place where you entered, and turn around.
There _should_ be a single Melee weapon guy who will accost you. Riddle him
plenty, THEN go through the door marked 'Go'.

In the next area, you are riding on a giant elevator up a giant tower, and
both Flyers and normal enemies will descend on you like flies to dead meat.
(Sorry, that was a bad joke.) The first wave will be enemies that drop onto
your elevator, so take them out quickly. Next up will be Flyers, then enemies
from your neighbouring elevator. Note that you must be close to the edge of
your elevator to kill the ones on the other side, and that if you dally too
long the elevator will move on, cheating you of your Kill %. Finish them off
quickly and effeciently. More Flyers, accompanying enemies on YOUR lift, then
enemies on the other lift that are braver than most and actually make the jump
over to your lift. See them off and down.... way down... more of the same until
the end.

Your next area is serenely quiet. Nothing to destroy, nothing to dodge. Almost
like an invitation to something, huh? Anyway, run under the Japanese arches
(often used to denote a temple or shrine of some sort. Sets of 3 supposedly
bring luck, but I can't be sure.) until you see the bridge and the little hut.

*Cutscene -
Walken stands before Gravem poised.

Bear Walken - "Welcome to my Dojo. However, it ends here! Waaargh!"

Walken performs some transformation that apparently levels the entire rooftop
garden. When the light clears, a many-armed person (Gilgamesh, anyone?) faces
off with Grave.

Bear Walken - "Fall at my hands, Grave!"

*End Cutscene -

Boss: Bear Walken has two forms, so don't waste any demolition shots on the
first form. His first form carries several weapons: Two Machine guns, a
flamethrower, and a missile launcher.

He has several attacks: He will simply shoot at you, which is easily dodged. He
will fire several missiles into the sky that track you, which is dodgeable, he
will spin in a circle firing his flamethrower, during which time he cannot be
hit by bullets, and his combo attack, in which he charges at you, grabs you,
tosses you into the air, and blasts you with 3 out of 4 guns. Very simple to
defeat him, just use exactly the same tactics as you did for Bob Poundmax, or
Balladbird Lee. As you shoot him up, he will lose arms one by one, and thus
his offensive power lowers. When the first form is "dead"...

*Cutscene -
Walken, armless, pants as Grave watches.

Bear Walken - "I see. Even with these demonic arms I have lost to another
discipline. But, it is not over!"

Walken then proceeds to transform into something nasty. His shadow looms
over Grave as he transforms.

*End Cutscene -

Walken (Overkill Form) is a little bit more tricky. He will throw cars that
fall from the sky at you when far. He will charge you when you are at a
comfortable distance, and he will pound the ground to create a shockwave if
you are too close. Simply run up to him, avoiding everything he tosses at you, 
then
lock on and fire. When he's about to charge, you can hear the tires screeching
(you'll find out when you play the game), so get ready to dodge. He will cross the
arena to the other side, so run up, wash, rinse, repeat.

Graveyard Finisher: Grave uses a modified Deathblow to finish off Walken.

*Spoiler - Grave jumps and does a 360 flip in the air. When he lands, his coffin
has a missile tube sticking out of one side. He then fires the missile which hits
Walken and sends him flying. A nuclear explosion of sorts follows, lighting up the
horizon.

*Cutscene -
Someone depresses a detonation trigger, and the tower explodes. Grave begins to
slide as the top of the building collapses, but plants his Coffin spike into the
floor to stay put. Bunji appears.

Bunji Kugashira - "You haven't changed have you? Regain your memory soon, my
powerful counterpart."

The building then proceeds to fall completely apart, and Grave falls along with
it. He hits a giant puddle of water with a massive splash and gets up as if he
was getting out of bed. (ooh.) He looks up, and sees the Church before him.

*End Cutscene -

Points of Interest:
Flamethrower - You probably haven't seen the flamethrower yet. Two words: Avoid
Them. The Tenderloins (That's what the game calls them) can deal serious damage
in a matter of one or two seconds, and are always placed at strategic areas, so
you must get rid of them if you want to move on unscathed.

Also, bosses that use them must be dealt with cautiously. Walken isn't too 
dangerous
so long as you keep your distance, but there is another...

---

Stage 6a - Bunji, Church.
Boss - Bunji Kugashira

*Cutscene -
The doors close behind Grave. Ahead, someone lights up. Bunji steps out from
behind a pillar, smoking.

Bunji Kugashira - "It's come down to this. Because you disappeared I could be 
here.
You did everything for the company, like I do. Everything I'm about to do and have
ever done, it has been a fight with you."

(Note: This translation is sketchy at best. The general impression is that Bunji
is the man who 'replaced' Grave when he 'died', and sees him as a very dangerous
but challenging competitor and wants a duel.)

Bunji draws his guns.

Bunji Kugashira - "Let's go."


People have asked how to defeat Bunji. There are several methods. First, I'll
explain Bunji himself: He is similar to Grave, in that they are both not-human
superhumans, modified using the technology that made the Kurofukus. But Bunji
differs from Grave in that Bunji wasn't dead to begin with, and that he wants
nothing more than a showdown with Grave.

Bunji has several attacks and one special - His normal guns, which are extremely
powerful, a shockwave attack, which is even more powerful, his Graveyard Combo
attack, which is yet more powerful, and a strong kick that sends Grave flying,
which he uses if you are too close. His special ability is to restore lost health
when out of sight. Sounds unfair, doesn't it? But he does have a weakness:
Although his life bar is long, he takes a LOT of damage from Grave's guns,
and can be sent flying with a Demolition shot.

First off, at the start, Bunji is 99% sure to use a Graveyard combo on you, so
dive as soon as he starts dashing for you. Lure him away from the pillars by
staying near the doorway, and keep circle-strafe/shooting him, and dive whenever
he fires a shot or activates his combo. Some people have reported success at 
smacking
him with the coffin to send him flying if he gets too close, but I haven't managed
this myself.

Anyway, when low on health, Bunji will attempt to run behind the pillars to
regenerate his health. Chase him, and use Diving shots to damage him if possible.

Also, another tactic is to simply lock on him and circle the pillar he tries to
hide behind constantly. The Merry-Go-Round tactic is tedious, but it works.

If he gets behind a pillar, Strafe around to find him ASAP! If not, use a
Demolition shot to send him flying away from the pillar. When his life is low
enough...

Graveyard Finisher: Grave performs a sort of Raging Inferno/Bullet Dance on
him.

*Spoiler - Grave runs, hops and goes into a slide as he preps his coffin. He then
proceeds to fire ALL his bullets into Bunji, who starts to smoke after being hit
a few times.

*Cutscene -
Bunji lies against a wall, smoking.

Bunji Kugashira - "You've won. I'm saved. Didn't think you'd have such a poor
successor huh? As my gratitude, I wish you well in your goal to destroy them.
None of us can go back to what was, huh? Sorry."

Bunji's cigarette dies in his lips, and so does he. He explodes into a hundred
blue droplets of goo as Grave watches dispassionately.

Now that that's over with, it's time to start the stage proper.

Stage 6 - The Tower
Boss #1 - Big Daddy
Boss #2 - Alien Head
Time limit - 9½ - 10 minutes or less
Beat Count: 200 or more (Difficulty based)

*Cue super-cool title screen.

You start out in something similar to Walken's prelude, ruins leading to 
somewhere.
Just walk in and enjoy...

*Cutscene -
Grave is on a strange elevator, heading up into the sky. The city glows below him.

Grave is expressionless as the elevator continues upwards. Suddenly, one of the
passing rungs flashes and...

Flashback. We see the man Grave once was. Brandon. Someone is talking to him.

Harry McDowell - "Brandon. Where do we go from here, Brandon? All the things we
have never seen, would never see, shrouded in darkness..."

McDowell has a hand on the glass window of the elevator, looking out over the
city. He clutches his hand like he is grabbing power.

Harry McDowell - "The power... I want it."

Brandon listens dispassionately as McDowell continues speaking.

Harry McDowell - "I want the sort of freedom that power would grant us..."

Cue a HUGE office, with Big Daddy (human) standing there, his back facing Brandon.

Big Daddy - "Brandon, I have achieved everything I wanted in this lifetime, with
this company. I have achieved my dream. It is time to slowly enjoy my life, with
Maria and the child within her."

(Alternate translation: "It is time to slowly enjoy life. For me, Maria, and the
Child within her.")

Cut to Maria's room as she stares dejectedly out the window, one hand held
protectively over her stomach.

Maria - "Brandon, we lead a polluted, corrupted existence. Compared to the life I
lead now, I want a normal life to protect 'her' with."

(Note: 'Her' being the child in her womb, the future Mika.)

Brandon walks over and places a hand on her shoulder. It is reciprocated.

Maria - "Thank you."

Cut to the lift again, with Brandon and McDowell.

Harry McDowell - "Brandon, kill the boss."

Brandon has a shocked look.

Harry McDowell - "Then we can have everything we've ever wanted. Sound good?
Now's our chance. take it now. And then... and then you can have Maria too."

Brandon loses it and punches McDowell in the face when he mentions Maria. McDowell
clutches his bleeding head and looks vengefully at Brandon.

Harry McDowell - "What rudeness, Brandon!"

A shot. McDowell has shot Brandon with a hidden pistol. He follows up with 11 more
shots. Brandon hits the wall of the elevator, bleeding and in shock. McDowell 
holds
the pistol to his left eye.

Harry McDowell - "Nothing, and nobody, can stop me. You should've known that."

McDowell fires, and Brandon's body falls from the elevator amidst a shower of
glass, into the darkness below.

Harry McDowell - "Fall Brandon, down into the darkness and the grave that suits 
you
so well."

(Alternate translation: "Fall Brandon, down into the darkness which suits your
Grave so well.")

We return to the present, where Grave is still expressionless.

*End Cutscene -

You start out somewhere in the sky, atop some massive stratoscraper. The first
thing you'll see is something shaped like a cancerous kidney-bladder. Shoot it
and it disgorges... something.

*Special Note - Before I go on, I'll introduce the enemies as you meet them.
This one is a 70mm Finger, one of the four ubiquitous main enemies you'll face
throughout the stage. It launches a single missile, and can charge up and fire a
rain of missiles down at you. It resembles a Kurofuku, doesn't it? Hm... more
on that later.

*Special Note #2 - Although people have complained of not having anything to
shoot up here, do you see those floating structures all over the place? Try
shooting them. They're not worth much, but you may need all the Demolition
shots you can get.

*Special Note #3 - If you've ever wanted to know if Grave can survive a fall off
the top of the building, yes he can. If at ANY point you jump off the edge of
the building, you will either land on the nearest floor beneath you, or in the
case of flying off into Blue Nothingness, you start out from the beginning of the
area (that means the glowing green elevator). No corny Game Overs/Continues? here.
All enemies that were killed stay dead, but you have to climb up ALL the stairs
again.
Only Red knows if Grave actually 'survived' and took the elevator back up. Eeks.

*Personal Note - Kosuke Fujishima must've been asked to do this level. It reeks
of the Heavens in Ah! My Goddess!.

Once it's dead, fill the bladder full of lead! You will learn to hate their
presence, but not to worry. When you see the 'Go' sign appear, follow it to
another glowing glyph-inscribed platform. A staircase appears. Whoo. climb up
and encounter your next new enemy.

*Special Note - Your new enemy is _THE_ most annoying enemy in the stage,
aptly named Dragonfly. They will fly and buzz around, annoy you by shooting
you, and dodging half your shots. Use a Lock on if possible, and use the 180º
hop to keep an eye on them.

Once again, clear out everything and proceed upstairs. You will encounter a
few 70mms, Dragonflies, and then a new enemy...

*Special Note - Death Scythes are seriously hardassed enemies if you're not
used to dodging. They run circles around you, then come in for the kill, and
they always come in groups. Learn to Lock and Dive if you haven't already.
You can bat them with the Coffin, but on Normal it takes at least 2 swats so
use them quickly.

Again, up to the next set and repeat. Note that at around this time, Dragonflies
will pop up as you move up the staircase. You WANT to finish them off as quickly
as possible.

It's more of the same, and eventually you'll reach another 'Elevator'. Go on.

In the next area, it's more of the same, except this time you have a new enemy
to contend with.

*Special Note - Mad Asuras. These guys are seriously messed up. They share one
pair of legs, but three upper torsos. As you can guess by the name, that means
three heads and six arms. The front two arms can 'put up their dukes' and block
your shots. Don't get too close either. Their guns alone can put serious hurt
on you, but that is the only time when they are vulnerable. Keep firing at one
until it is DEAD before moving on.

You start out with a 70mm to your upper right, and when you approach it, more
Dragonflies appear.

*Special Note: When they're all dead however, don't go up the staircase yet.
Walk around the perimeter of the building. This is the only time you need to
note, if you want your 100% Kill score. Enemies include Dragonflies and one
Mad Asura that drops from the sky.

It only gets harder here as you climb the first flight of stairs. Another
bladder and more enemies, this time working in tandem. Up more stairs, more
enemies to face.

At one point, you will come to an hourglass shaped area. Dragonflies attack
from the narrowest area, and on the opposite end are some Death Scythes.
However, once you cross, look behind. Another Bladder has descended, and is
now disgorging Mad Asuras! The easiest way to approach them is with guns
blazing. Take out the nearest one with a Lock on and work on them one at a
time. They're not too tough, but they can cause you serious pain.

Nothing special though, the sequence is almost too familiar when you finally
reach the top...

*Cutscene -
Grave stands atop an elevator that rises to the very top of the building,
where a giant Bladder floats.

Harry McDowell - "Yo, Brandon!"

Grave turns and fires at the face, which shatters. A pane of glass stopped
the bullet from reaching McDowell's face.

Harry McDowell - "Impulsive as ever. Is this is what you do to friends who haven't
seen each other in a long time? Just what has happened to us?"

The view changes to the world below, at the buildings below. Their scale indicates
this is one TALL tower.

Harry McDowell - "Look, at the world below us. We are at the top. The freedom
to do what we like. Our dreams have come true eh, Brandon?"

Grave doesn't respond. That gun seems permanently trained on McDowell's head.

Harry McDowell - "Haha, you're dead. I forgot. Well, something there's an 
important
personality I'd like to introduce to you."

Something bubbles up from behind Grave and a giant hand reaches out from the
floor to grab Grave and drag him under.

Harry McDowell - "It's the boss. He's been dead a while, but time has made him see
my way. You two should meet."

McDowell stands at the edge of a rippling pool, hands behind his back.

Harry McDowell - "Enjoy yourself, Brandon."

*End Cutscene -

Boss #1: Big Daddy.
Big Daddy's really just a Big Weenie. He has only four attacks. One is a series
of rapid punches. Another is a single, heavy pound and sweep. He has a 'finger
gun' that he fires at you from time to time, and finally, he has Dragon-breath.
Quite literally, he spits fire at you. Only this attack is worth noting, as it
is in the same danger level as the other Flamethrower attacks you've faced in
the past. He can't even move to dodge your attacks!

You fight him in an encased arena with a half-circle for moving space. Lock
and fire, and head for ONE end of the area. The second he starts an attack,
any attack, Jog and Dive over to the other side. He'll miss completely. From the
other side, wash, rinse, repeat. Just be careful not to be in the middle when he
stops one attack and starts another, or you'll be feeling it in the morning,
especially the flame attack. THAT one can be avoided just by Jogging. At any rate,
enjoy his Graveyard Finisher...

Graveyard Finisher - Grave uses a Hellhound Roar, and then a Deathblow to blow
Big Daddy away.

Phew.... he's dead and that's the end.... you think.

*Cutscene -

Big daddy groans and screams as he writhes in agony. His support breaks and he
falls... and then something big and toothy bites him in half. Grave backs off as
a giant four eyed freak-head appears and stares at him with shining eyes. The
world spins and Grave falls to what appears to be inside a very long snake's
body. (A red version of Big Daddy's stage, flipped horizontally, and of infinite
length.) The Alien Head stares at Grave, and roars at him. (Pee-yew! Take a 
Clorets!)

*End Cutscene -

Boss #2: Alien Head.
Now, although strictly speaking he's not as hard as Bunji, he IS the last boss and
pretty damned ugly to boot. (if you look carefully at his forehead, between where
the brows should be, you'll spot an alien. This boss is being controlled by an
little green/bluish white man!) He has several attacks, all of which can be
troublesome.

His most basic attack is to simply ram you. While you dodge backwards, he will 
pick
up speed and try to ram you. This does quite a bit of damage, and he does it 
often.
Easily dodged by diving backwards.

He has a Flying Bodies attack, where he launches several blue guys that explode
on contact (destroyable by shooting).

He also has a Flying Eyeball attack, where he uses a targeting laser to spot you
first; let it touch you, and dive the moment it does. The eyeball explodes, cannot
be shot down, and does nasty damage, but is too easy to dodge once you know to 
dodge
the moment the laser touches you.

Finally, he has a Brain Biter attack. He will open up that nasty maw in his...
brain... and try to suck you in. Simply Jog backwards firing all the while. Diving
actually causes you to lose distance because of the pause as Grave lands, but is a
viable last resort if you get too close. If he does swallow you, he'll literally
chew you up and spit you out.

Now, on to killing him: Try not to use the L1 button on him. You'll lock onto his
eyeballs, which are invulnerable. Instead, use it strafe yourself into the center
of the corridor, and keep jogging backwards. Don't worry about losing him, he'll
follow you as far as you care to run. Hold down your Square button and don't let 
go
either, he involves on special tactics. Use the L1 ONLY to strafe yourself into a
better position if you find yourself turning the wrong way.

*Beat Combo Area: The final boss is a treat for everyone who's very nearly 
destroyed
a controller getting a 5 skull in say, Level 4. Simply keep backing off and 
shooting.
There's almost no way he can get far enough to avoid being hit except when he 
attacks.
The only ways to break a beat is if you get hit by one of his attacks, but once 
you
get about 200-250 you don't have to worry anyway.

Again, when his life is low enough, enjoy the final Graveyard Finisher...

Graveyard Finisher - Grave pulls out all the stops and uses all his Styles in one
go. Bullet Dance, Deathblow, Raging Inferno, and finally Hellhound Roar.

*In-Game Cutscene -

Grave points a gun at McDowell, who has his arms up.

McDowell : "It's all over then. Well done, Brandon. Come..."

Note: You have to 'shoot' him. Guess which button does that? (NO! NOT the
Demolition button!) If you want, you can leave the system on for three hours and
Grave won't have moved an inch.

*Ending Cutscene -

I won't spoil the last scene for you, but it gives you an idea of just how 
faithful
Grave is to Maria and Dr. T... even unto death.

Congratulations, you've finished the game and gotten your rank! What's your
total Skull Score, out of a possible 150?

---

5.0 - Extras Menu

The Extras Menu is what you've been working your butt off for for so long. It 
contains
the following options:

*

Camera - By default, this is always available. High means you're looking at the 
game from
slightly above Grave's shoulders. Low means you're looking at it from directly 
behind him.

*

Slow - Not like Max Payne's bullet time by any appreciable stretch of 
imagination, Slow
is more of a way to watch the finer details of the death and destruction caused 
by you,
represented by a severe drop in frames. Auto means whenever you perform a Dive, 
Coffin
Swing or Demolition Shot, the game slows down for you, and R2 activates it 
manually.
On means you have to activate it manually, and otherwise doesn't affect the game. 
Off
means it's exactly like the first time through: You don't get anything at all.

Note that the tactical advantages of Slow include being able to plan your moves 
more freely
in the face of a Boss charging at you to perform his combo attack, as well as 
assessing a
nasty situation before wading into it. It also lets you fine tune yourself so 
that you can
get a great beat without taking damage. ^_^

Unlockable with The Savage or below.

*

Movie - If you've always wanted to watch the movies in-game without having to 
play for them,
this is the one. There are 25 standard movies and 1 bonus movie (of that pink 
idol you see
in the Who? posters in-game).

Unlockable with Beyond the Grave only.

*

Characters - Big fun here. Since you've been too busy blowing away everyone in-
game to
actually apprciate their detail, you can do so here. All characters are located 
here
sorted to stage and are packed action-figure style! The back even has 
an 'authentic'
Gungrave cardboard backing! Categories include stage 1-6, Last Boss, and Grave. 
Anyway,
controls are as follow:

Left Analogue Stick - Selects the 'Action Figure' you wanna view. With a selected 
figure,
allows you to rotate 360º from the sides, and limited rotation up and down.

O - Confirms the selection. Once more to open the box after confirmation.

Triangle - With a confirmed selection, returns the figure to its initial 
orientation.

X - Cancels selection, returns you to character menu, or replaces the box when 
you're
done looking.

Square - Nothing.

L1 - Scrolls up while viewing the figure.

L2 - Scrolls down while viewing the figure.

Select - Scrolls to the next/previous page if any.

Stages 1-4 Unlockable with the Rash or below. Stages 5-Grave unlockable with 
Beyond
the Grave only.

*

Demolition Shot - Allows you to select between infinite Demolition ammo and 
standard
Demolition ammo. With infinite on, you have access to all the styles from the 
start,
but you cannot Refill Life, nor will you unlock any Extras with this option when 
you
finish the game.

Unlockable with the Savage or below.

*

Stage Select - Allows you to play from the start of any stage, from the 'waiting 
room'
page onwards.

Unlockable with the Savage or below.

*

Note that the unlock requirements are rough estimates, only those requiring 
Beyond The Grave
are fully confirmed.

- Ranks Available -

For that matter, I have managed to determine the following ranks exist:
(Note that ranks are rated from A-D, and Presumed Averages are given with no 
particular
preference.)

The Coward - Worst of the worst. Started from stage 6 and botched it. Rating 
[DDDDD],
by Me. ^_^U

The Dunce - Poor performance, but not the worst. Rating Unknown (Presumed 
Average: [CCCCC])
Contributed by SambaGuru

The Savage - Decent performance. Rating [BADCD], by hgblob. (Presumed Average 
[BBCCC])

The Marauder - Average performance. Rating [BACCD], Contributed by pbruiz. 
(Average of
[BBBCC])

~ Akechi Samanosuke also got [CABCC] for The Marauder.

The Rash - Above Average performance. Rating [BABBC], by me. ;P (Presumed 
Average: [BBBBC]

The Steel - Good performance. Rating Unknown. (Presumed Average: [BBBBB]) By 
Holdincourt.
I need someone to post a score for this.

~ hgblob also got [ABBCD] for The Rash.

The Brave - Really Good performance. Rating [ASBAB] by Beyond the GraVe. (Presumed
Average AAAAB])

Beyond the Grave - Best performance! Rating [AAAAA] or above. By me, and Remy. >;)

---

6.0 - Tidbits about Gungrave

Little bits and pieces about Gungrave that the wonderful people on GameFAQs have 
provided,
so read on!

Story Summary -
As of this FAQ's conception, only the Japanese version is out. As far as I can 
tell, not
many people know or care about the story, but I'll give my take on it anyway...

*MAJOR SPOILER ALERT*

Brandon (First name unknown) is an employee of a megacorporation, which is the 
biggest
in the world. (I presume it has a weapons program, among other things.) A loyal 
employee,
Brandon is given the task of watching his boss's (Big Daddy) wife, Maria Asagi, 
who is
pregnant with Mika. What the Boss doesn't know however, is that Brandon himself 
is in
love with Maria. Only one other man knows, Harry McDowell, a greedy, power hungry
corporate type with lofty ambitions.

McDowell is not a nice man. In the elevator one day, he proposes to Brandon to 
kill
the boss and take over the corporation, to share the wealth that it brings and the
power it bestows. And in a wrong move, he suggests to Brandon that the boss's 
wife could
then marry Brandon. Shocked and disgusted, Brandon gives McDowell a punch, which 
ends
their 'working partnership'. McDowell fills Brandon with roughly 12 rounds from 
his
handgun, and then sees him off with a message... and a bullet through the eye.

Years later, Harry McDowell is the richest and most powerful man alive. He runs a 
secret
weapons program with mysterious technology that produces the 'Kurofuku', one of a 
series
of bio-mechanoid weapons that he intends to use to rise to even higher places. 
His base?
The massive, sun-blocking Stratoscraper that he and Brandon used to work in. He 
is the
new boss of the underworld as well, an indication of how far he can and will go.

And in the lowest portions of the city, under the falling snow, a mysterious 
girl, dragging
an attache case and bleeding, staggers towards some unknown destination. She is 
Mika Asagi,
daughter of Maria Asagi. She has strange instructions to carry the case to a lab, 
run by
Dr. T, and seek her guardian there. That guardian is a dark, quiet shadow, with 
no memory
of himself or his past. The aura of death surrounds him, follows him wherever he 
goes...
and feeds upon his kills. He is Beyond the Grave, a product of the selfsame 
research that
McDowell carries out, but with a more private motive. After Mika's arrival, Grave 
dons
his clothes, packs his Coffin, and carries the twin legacies of the Asagis with 
him,
Cerberus, the twin guns, his dogs of vengeance. (I believe that the third head 
from this
beast of legend is his Coffin, but who knows?)

Bob Poundmax, Balladbird Lee, Bear Walken, Bunji Kugashira and Big Daddy are all 
products
of McDowell's direct line of research, humans enhanced with the bio-mechanical 
elements of
his weapons project. The key seems to be the strange blue-white goo which 
attaches itself
to their 'hosts' and grants them strange abilities and powers. The goo itself can 
be
animated to create the Kurofukus, 70mm Fingers, Mad Asuras, Dragonflies and Death 
Scythes
as well. The goo apparently comes from some alien technology. What the story is 
behind
that, however, remains to be seen...

The main difference between Grave and the bosses is that Grave started out as a 
corpse,
so the reanimation might have granted him powers nobody thought of yet. We know
Grave is one-eyed, from the scar given to him by McDowell, but that doesn't stop 
him
from laying the smackdown on everyone in his way, and looking flashy to boot. As 
an
Undead, Grave must replace his body fluids on a regular basis to stay 'alive'. (I 
suspect
that his blood 'clogs' after a while. What was that condition called? Rigor 
something.)

At the end of the game, Grave and Mika set off into the distance, to lead 
the 'normal life'
that Maria so desperately wanted for her daughter Mika...

More tidbits:

"Do you know Brandon's (Grave) wife? (I'm not sure is his wife, I only know she 
is Mika's
sister...) is acted by the voice of Kikuo Inoue, the voice actor of Belldandy 
(Ah! My Goddess)
and Lobelia Carlini (Sakura Wars 3)"
- By Xenoseripha

(Side Note: Kikuko fans rejoice! She's in the game! And I think he is referring 
to Maria
Asagi.)

"But one of the villians is voiced by Masaya Onosaka who plays Vash in the anime 
of Trigun."
-Bebpo

(Side note: I think it's Bear Walken who's voiced by Onosaka.)

- Certain editions of Gungrave have an alternate cover on the flip side of the 
original.
Take a peek, maybe your copy has one.

---

7.0 - Credits

Credit goes to GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) for posting this FAQ up.

Everyone on the GameFAQs Gungrave board for posting all their info generously.

Of mention are:

hgblob, pbruiz, Beyond the GraVe, holdincourt and Akechi Samanosuke.

Special thanks to Remy for being really helpful!

---

8.0 - Contact me

If you see any discrepancies, errors, misinformation, etc, or want to add 
something, or want
to praise me, etc. etc. etc., please send an email to [email protected], and 
add
"Gungrave" to its subject. For everything else, I have the Junk Mail filter on at 
Exclusive.
Beware.

ranmafan out.