Sonic Pinball Party FAQ v0.90 by AxemRangerBlue --------------------------- Contents --------------------------- A. Introduction I. What is Sonic Pinball Party? II. Pinball Terms III. Some Sonic Team Data B. The Main Mass I. The Sonic Table a. Objectives, Holes, etc. b. Stuff to Know/Do c. Other II. The NiGHTS Table a. Objectives, Holes, etc. b. Stuff to Know/Do c. Other III. The Samba de Amigo Table a. Objectives, Holes, etc. b. Stuff to Know/Do c. Fever Play Mode d. Other IV. Story Mode a. Knuckles b. Tails c. Amy Rose d. Metal Sonic e. Eggman V. Regarding the Chao VI. Casinopolis a. Roulette b. Slots c. Bingo C. Conclusion ----------------------------- A. Introduction ----------------------------- If you are reading this, chances are you have bought or rented Sonic Pinball Party (most likely without instructions) and are wondering, "What next?" The good news is that you've got help. Read on! ----------------------------- A. I. What is Sonic Pinball Party? ----------------------------- Sonic Pinball Party is a trio of pinball tables based on Sonic Team games that are conveniently arranged for you into one neat little package for your GBA. (Sonic Team, by the way, is a developer team that belongs to SEGA. Read Section A. III. for more information.) In the game, you can either play the tables with only your score in mind, or play through the Story Mode and attempt to save Sonic's friends from Eggman via a pinball tournament. (Cheesy storyline? Yes. But it's a pinball game, so any story at all is a surprise.) You can also use your Tiny Chao Garden to raise a Chao (See Section B. V.), and the Casinopolis area to raise rings to use on your little Chao. At this point in time, Sonic Pinball Party is only purchaseable at your local Target store or online. If you are a pinball fan who loves a challenge, this game is for you. If you love Sonic Team (or even general-issue SEGA) games, this game is probably for you, unless you hate pinball games. Otherwise, this game might not fit the bill. If you hate pinball games, don't bother with this game. You won't like the results. ----------------------------- A. II. Some Basic Pinball Terms ----------------------------- If you like to play pinball games, real-life or otherwise, you probably don't need to read this section. If you bought the game because of the presence of Sonic, NiGHTS and/or Amigo on the box, and have never played a pinball game before, you NEED to read this section. First, the plunger. (I'm assuming you've at least seen a pinball table in action before. Otherwise...well...you'll figure it out as we go along.) The plunger is the little spring-loaded thing that launches the ball from the secret place in all pinball tables where the extra balls are kept into the main part of the pinball table. In this game, the plungers only have one strength, so don't worry about how hard you're going to hit the ball. Just hit the A button and away you go. Before you can use the plunger in Sonic Pinball Party, though, you have to select what's called a Shoot Bonus. Press Left on the Control Pad or A to pick one--the selection for each seems predetermined. I may attempt to make a list of what they are (via extensive experimentation) in the future. Keep your eyes peeled. (A list of Shoot Bonuses is below.) The flippers are the little flippy things that you use to hit the ball and keep it in play. (Trivial fact: Did you know that the original pinball machines had no flippers? One simply had to shoot the ball with the plunger and hope for the best--very similar to pachinko.) Control the one(s) on the left by pressing Left on the Control Pad and the one(s) on the right with the A button. (Some boards have more than one flipper on one or both sides. Read about the boards below for more details.) Holes are just that--openings in the board that the ball can fall into. Most yield some kind of special bonus or something should you sink the ball into them. Drop targets are little panels that sink into the table when you hit them. They come in banks of three or more, and when all of them have been sunk, some kind of special action occurs and they all pop back up (so you can hit 'em again). Ramps are special lanes that the ball can go into that is raised above the rest of the board. The ball enters the lanes via an incline (the "ramp"--thus the name) and, should it be given sufficient momentum to overcome the incline, will travel down the lane and be returned to the return lanes. Return lanes are little pathways near the flippers that the ball can travel into, be it from the rest of the board or from one of the ramps. They deposit the ball ever so nicely onto the flippers for your convenience. Springs are located just above each flipper and are usually in the shape of an obtuse triangle. (Except in the Samba de Amigo board, in which case they are shaped like a couple of bananas. Odd.) When the ball comes in contact with the longest side (towards the inside/middle of the board), it bounces them in that direction. Jets, bumpers, or kickers (as they can be known) are usually round. When the ball hits them with some degree of force, it bounces them away with greater force. They usually render points upon contact, as well. Lights are...uh...lights. They usually correspond to a lane of some sort and can be moved by tapping the flipper buttons. When the pinball goes through an unlit light's lane, the light turns on. Most come in banks of three or more, and when all are lit up they usually flash, render a bonus of some sort, and then all go out. Some lights will be extingished if rolled over, so watch out. Loops are long pathways on a board that, should the ball go through one of them, will give points and cause an action, but the action varies depending on which way the ball proceeds through the loop. (In some directions, nothing at all might happen.) The name makes sense when you look at one. An unusual feature found only in video game versions of pinball (for at this point in time they are incapable of existing in the real world because of technology limitations) are enemies. Enemies are bad characters that can be destroyed by rolling over them (or hitting them) with the ball. They render points upon destruction but usually respawn shortly. Another feature in some pinball video games is the boss character. In Sonic Pinball Party, bosses may be accessed in various fashions, which can then be defeated by strategic ball shots to certain locations. After beating them, a Clear Bonus Mode is activated, in which the player scores a diminishing bonus for shooting a loop or ramp for a set period of time before moving to a new "Zone." The Sonic and NiGHTS boards consist of multiple "Zones," which are essentially sprite, background graphics, and music changes to reflect levels of the game they represent. Each Zone looks different, but upon beating all of the Zones in a table, the board will loop back to the first Zone. Rinse, lather, repeat. Kickbacks are located in the lanes furthest to the outside of the table, next to the return lanes. (These lanes are sometimes called "Out Lanes" or "Exit Lanes.") When the ball goes through these lanes ordinarily, it falls down and goes to the bottom hole where it is lost forever. This is bad, as you only get a finite number of pinballs (unless you get REALLY good at getting Extra Balls, in which case you *could*, in theory, go on forever.), and once they're all gone, you're done. Kickbacks, when in action, rebound the ball out of these lanes of doom and into the playing field. However, most must be activated first and reactivated periodically, or else they will go away and you will be vulnerable. The Ball Saver is a feature that can be accessed through Shoot Bonus or otherwise and essentially makes you invulnerable to losing the ball for a given period of time. It stays on for a short while after you begin each ball and will periodically turn back on during various Modes. In some tables, the ball can be "locked" in a portion of the table. After it is locked into said portion, another ball will automatically launch, free of charge. When a given number of balls are locked into that place (usually 3), a multiball will begin. The locked balls will be released, and, in the case of Sonic Pinball Party, Jackpot mode will begin. The kickbacks are disabled during Multiball and the Ball Saver is rarely, if ever, on. Once all but one of the balls are lost, normal play resumes. (See the sections on the individual tables for information on Jackpots and Lock locations.) Also, in Sonic Pinball Party you can achieve something known as a Combo. A Combo is made by hitting two ramps in rapid succession (5 seconds on the Sonic table, 3 seconds on the NiGHTS table, and I don't think the Samba de Amigo table has any). A sizable chunk o' change is deposited into your score for one Combo, and the chunk doubles for each Combo in succession that you successfully complete. In most real-life (and many video game) pinball tables, it is possible to shove/nudge/bump the table to get the ball to go in a direction you want. In most said tables, nudging the table brings about the infamous "TILT" light, which causes your flippers to lock up and your end-of-ball bonus to vanish. (*slap* You bad, cheating llama!) However, in Sonic Pinball Party, I have nudged and nudged and nudged and never ever TILTed. I think Sonic Team is actually taking advantage of the fact that no one ever uses the nudge controls on pinball video games because they're afraid of TILTing. Use this to your own advantage! There exists, at all times, a "Field Multiplier" on pinball tables. Almost all of the time, it rests at x1. In other words, the normal point value obtained by hitting any point-rendering target is multiplied by 1 and added to your score (it stays the same as normal). But once the Multiplier increases, the point value for any target gets doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. You can build up a high score quickly if you are good at increasing the Field Multiplier on a table. Note, however, that Field Multipliers only stay up for a fixed period of time in Sonic Pinball Party (120 seconds), unless you continuously push them up (like plugging holes in a dam). Also, similarly, there exists a Bonus Multiplier. After each ball you lose, you receive an end-of-ball bonus that is derived from your accomplishments with that ball you just lost. Once the whole thing is tallied up, it is multiplied by the Bonus Multiplier. If you don't increase it, it stays at x1 (your bonus doesn't increase). But if you do, it gets doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. This can be another effective way to increase your score rapidly, provided you don't run out of balls. Bonus Multipliers do not have a fixed time span, but rather only last for the ball you're on. Once it's lost, the next ball's Bonus Multiplier starts at x1. Shoot Bonus List: Small Bonus: Gives you 300 points. Big Bonus: Gives you 30,000 points. Super Kickback: Gives you 5 more times that your kickbacks can be used. Backup: Gives you Super Kickback and a 30-second Ball Saver. Long Ball Saver: Turns on the Ball Saver for 120 seconds (I think--could be shorter). _____ Light: Turns on a light of the listed light-able thing on your table--can be random. I think that about covers it. -------------------------- A. III. Some Sonic Team Info -------------------------- This section is for those people who are pondering, "What is this Sonic Team thing I keep hearing about?" If you know, and/or don't care, skip ahead. Otherwise, keep reading. Sonic Team is a development team from SEGA International responsible for the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games, as well as Burning Rangers, Phantasy Star/Online, Samba de Amigo, ChuChu Rocket, and the fantastic NiGHTS Into Dreams. They are a dynamite team of programmers that made this game too. Sonic Team has been hailed for their unique game ideas that turn into magnificently-done games that are worth every penny of their purchase price. But now, a bit about their games: Sonic the Hedgehog is the blue, spiky-headed critter on the front of this game's box. (If you don't know who he is, you've probably been living under a rock for the past decade--he's been out that long.) He is a supersonic-speed-capable hedgehog who is continuously trying to foil the plans of the evil Dr. Robotnik (AKA Eggman). He is capable of utilizing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds to up his power tremendously and essentially make him invincible. (Though there are constraints on even such a powerful power.) His friends, Tails the fox, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose the (other) Hedgehog, and Cream the Rabbit (among others; I won't list them all here), all help him with their unique talents. Tails has two tails and can use them, propeller-style, to fly for a while. Knuckles has exceedingly strong punches and can glide through the air for great distances. Amy is Sonic's self-appointed girlfriend and has a mighty hammer for avenging cute little animals. Cream has a little Chao that is exceedingly strong and she can use her floppy ears for some semblance of flying. However, they have also been occasionally known to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds--specifically Tails and Knuckles. Eggman, the bad guy behind most of the evil schemes Sonic and crew have to deal with, is a mechanical genius with (supposedly) and IQ of 300 and a thirst and hunger for power. He has created or otherwise enlisted a few henchmen (mostly robotic--specifically Metal Sonic, E-102 Gamma and Mecha Sonic) over the years that often make encores and are a general annoyance to deal with. His grandfather also created a dark version of Sonic known as Shadow, who has many of the same powers and introduced Sonic to the power of Chaos Control. (Chaos Control harnesses the power of a Chaos Emerald to warp space and/or time--cool stuff.) Moving on to the non-Sonic games, Phantasy Star was originally a first-gen RPG for the SEGA Genesis (I believe) that eventually expanded, though not as quickly as Final Fantasy. However, once the SEGA Dreamcast was introduced, SEGA unleashed Phantasy Star Online Version 1. PSO allowed you to have other people around the globe join your baddie-terminating (or vice versa) team, and new missions were continuously download-able from the regional servers. It was received with amazing enthusiasm. Two songs from Phantasy Star Online can be accessed via the Samba de Amigo board (and also the Sound Test), and on the Mode Selection screen in the rotating character circles a few of the characters from PSO can be seen. NiGHTS into Dreams, which has an entire table devoted to it, was made for the SEGA Saturn. It was one of the first 3D games and had breathtaking graphics and gameplay--in short, it was stunning. Legendary, even. SEGA even designed a special controller just for the game. It involved two dreamers--a boy and a girl by the names of Elliott and Claris--who could "Dualize" with a character from the realm of dreams (his name was NiGHTS) and save the world of dreams (Nightopia). The catch: NiGHTS could fly. The two kids, alone, couldn't. It was a game that I can only vaguely remember (as I was about 6 at the time), but the few memories I have are crystalline and beautiful. I'm trying to get a hold of it even now, in fact. If your interest is piqued, you may wish to skip to the NiGHTS table section (B. II) even now. Be my guest. Samba de Amigo was an innovative game for the SEGA Dreamcast. You probably remember the dancing game craze that still hasn't gone away, right? You know,the one that had DDR and ParaParaParadise and now has Karaoke Revolution--that one. Samba de Amigo took advantage of the popularity of that idea and gave it their own twist. Samba de Amigo is a game where you must shake twin maraca controllers to a prescribed rhythm and pattern displayed on-screen. Very fun and very good for parties. You really have to try it to know, but the "Fever Play" mode on the Samba de Amigo Table is something like it. (See Section B.III.c for details.) ChuChu Rocket was a puzzle game for the SEGA Dreamcast that, I hear, was also transposed onto the Game Boy Advance. It involved little alien mice ("ChuChus") that were being chased by these evil alien cat-like things who wanted to eat them. Your job was to get the ChuChus onto rockets to escape while avoiding the kitties of doom and not allowing them to get to your rockets. I've never played it, but I don't like puzzlers that much. And I know absolutely nothing about Burning Rangers, save that it was made by Sonic Team originally for the SEGA Saturn and has two songs on the Samba de Amigo table. Look it up on the Internet if you have a Burning (haha) desire to learn more. So there you have it. You now have a better idea of where Sonic Team is coming from on this one. I hope it helps. On to the tables! ----------------------- B. The Main Mass ----------------------- If you've been skimming through the past several sections, stop skimming here and start actually reading. You are about to enter the annals of knowledge regarding the table of Sonic Pinball Party. I have something to say about it, though--"Don't look at me!" If any of this is incorrect, post about it on the topic I'll have created shortly after posting this FAQ. (I'm NOT giving out my e-mail address. No. Bad llama.) I'll argue, then either deny you or humbly accept whatever your thought is. Just so you know. ----------------------- I. The Sonic Table ----------------------- The Sonic Table is (surprise!) based on Sonic the Hedgehog, with a particular emphasis on the Game Boy Advance game Sonic Advance. It is the primary table played in Story Mode and of medium difficulty (though probably the most annoying of the three). ----------------------- a. Objectives, Holes, etc. ----------------------- The Sonic table has five lanes near the flippers (an exit and return on the left, and two returns and an exit on the right), with a second flipper about halfway up the board on the right side. Each of these return lanes and exit lanes have a light, which, when all put together, spell SONIC. Once the entire set of SONIC lights are lit, 5 extra Kickbacks will be granted. Two Chao Eggs can be seen over two holes on the upper left. The lower-right of the two will be called the Chaos Drive hole, while the upper left hole of the two will be called the Chao Growth Hole. In the upper right corner of the table, obscured by a wall (most of the time), is the Feature Hole. Behind the two Chao holes, obscured by palm trees and a ramp, is the Big Target Hole (as SEGA calls it), but I will call it the Character Change hole. (You'll soon see why.) Around the top of the board is the table's one loop, which, when approached from the left, lights one of the RING lights. When approached from the right, the ball will either go into the Feature Hole (if the wall obstructing it has been drawn back by certain conditions), or complete the loop and light one of the EGG lights. There are three ramps, one draining to the left return lane and two that join together and drain on the right. The left-most ramp (which also drains left) will be referred to as the Left Ramp, while the one in the middle (just above the Chao Holes) will be called the Extra Ball lane. The third, in the upper-right by the bumpers, will be referred to as the Accelerator Lane, as it has a ball accelerator that automatically gives the ball enough force to go up the ramp's incline (no matter what force the ball initially had) so long as it hits the accelerator in its narrow opening. The bumpers are shaped like spring pads from Sonic games and will simply be referred to as the bumpers. Above the bumpers are three lanes (with lights), that will be referred to as the Triple Light Lanes. On the right side of the board near the upper flipper are four drop targets that spell Zone, which will be called the Zone Drop Targets. On the left, slightly above the left spring, is a hole that is called the Intergalactic Hole. The Zones of the table are, in order: Neo Green Hill Zone, Secret Base Zone, Casino Paradise Zone, Ice Mountain Zone, Angel Island Zone, Egg Rocket Zone, and X-Zone. (The secret Moon Zone can also be accessed if certain conditions are met--see below.) If all of the lights of RING are lit up, the feature hole will be opened. If the ball is placed in the hole during such time AND the EGG lights are not all lit, Ring Mode will begin. In Ring Mode, golden rings will be scattered about the table, and will be collected if the ball rolls over them. After a ring is collected, another will appear in its place after a brief pause (about one full second). Rings give lots of points and also add to the end-of-ball bonus. The rings you gather will be immediately transferred to your ring inventory in the Tiny Chao Garden. If you collect a total of 500 rings in one go-through and beat X-Zone on that same time around, you will go to the secret Moon Zone. Ring Mode lasts 120 seconds, the first 60 or so of which are protected by the Ball Saver. If all of the lights of EGG are lit up, the Feature Hole will also be opened. Place the ball in it to activate Egg Mode. In Egg Mode, it is your objective to place the ball in the Chaos Drive Hole (which Eggman will be hovering over for your reference) the number of times indicated by the small number and picture of Eggman that will appear in the lower-right corner of the screen. Once you have done so, his craft will emit several explosions, cover it and him with soot, and fly off. Clear Bonus Mode will begin, and after its time runs out or the Zone Drop Target bank is completed, the table will change to the next Zone. Egg Mode lasts 120 seconds, of which the Ball Saver is on about 20. If you place the ball within the Character Change Hole (AKA Big Target Hole) three times within any given Zone, the Sonic character (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy Rose in that order) displayed on the center of the table will change to the next one and the border color of the table will change. The Mini-Games will also change. If the ball is placed within the Chaos Drive hole 3 times, a Mini-Game will begin. In the Mini-Game, a goal will be displayed for the player and the player must try to accomplish it. If he/she succeeds, a fairly large amount of points will be gained. Ball Saver is on for about the first 25 seconds of a Mini-Game, and most last 60 seconds. Mini-Games vary depending on the character displayed in the center of the table. If the ball is placed in the Intergalactic hole 3 times (except on the Casino Paradise Table), a locking pin will be engaged in the return portion of the Left Ramp. Each time a ball is shot into the ramp with said pin engaged (except during Modes), it gets locked into place. Once 3 balls are locked, Multiball mode begins. The three balls are released, and the Jackpot becomes available. To get the Jackpot, the player must hit the bumpers 10 times. Each time the Jackpot is collected, it doubles, and the player can increase its amount by shooting ramps and/or loops, which adds to it 100,000 points. Once two balls are lost, the Multiball music and Jackpot Mode end, and normal play begins again. No other modes can be activated or entered during Multiball. The exception I mentioned before of Casino Paradise Zone is that, upon entering the Zone, the Lock Bar will already be engaged with two balls locked behind it. (If, however, Lock Mode has already been engaged before reaching Casino Paradise Zone--even if a Multiball resulted of it--the Lock Bar will not be engaged upon entering the Zone.) One more ball will begin Multiball. Also, if the Lock Bar is engaged during Egg or Ring Modes, a ball shot into it will not be locked. Instead, the lowest ball (the one locked first) behind the bar will be released, and play will continue. If the entire Zone Drop Target bank is completed, the Feature hole will be opened. Placing the ball in it (so long as no other Feature Hole-related occasions are ready) will activate a random feature, which could be any of the Shoot Bonuses (although the Long Ball Saver is switched for a shorter, normal Ball Saver). Do this three times on a table and on the fourth, a single-ball Jackpot mode will begin. (See the previous paragraph for more information on Jackpot mode.) Once the ball is lost, normal play resumes after the new ball is launched. If you send the ball through the Extra Ball Ramp 20 times with the upper right flipper , you will gain an extra ball. Think: 1-up=extra life; 20 ramp shots=extra ball. If the Triple Light Lanes are lit up, and the ball is shot into the Accelerator Ramp, the Field Multiplier will increase. If you can, rinse, lather, and repeat. If you send the ball into the Chao Growth Hole 5 times during normal play (the Chao will turn into a whitish Chaos Chao, if you can recognize that), the Bonus Multiplier will increase. -------------------- B. II. b. Things to Know/Do -------------------- Now that we have the mechanics of the table out of the way, what do you do next? For starters, practice. If you're lucky, you may be good at it the first time you pick it up. But don't count on it. As with any table, there are a few things that you need to know and/or get good at doing to become an effective player of said table. For starters: never underestimate the power of an extra ball. You are mortal, and if the ball suddenly shoots down the drain unexpectedly when you don't have an extra ball, you'll be toastified. On this table, take your time going through the Zones. Pick your favorite character and try to get the table to show them. Get Ring Mode at least once per Zone if you can, as you'll be rewarded with the super-cool, super-secret Moon Zone board. Go for Extra Balls. An important thing to get good at performing: First, master sending the ball from the right flipper through the Ring Loop. Once you've got that, master using the upper right flipper on the ball's way back down to put it into the Extra Ball Ramp. I call this, er, (thinks hard) the Ring-Ramp Trick. (Whew.) Master the Ring-Ramp Trick and you'll be in for a few nice things. First of all, when you're in Ring Mode, you can use this Ring-Ramp Trick to get a lot of Rings and get a bunch (or all) of your 20 Extra Ball Ramp shots to get an Extra Ball. Second, if you use it in Stage Clear Bonus Mode, you get a loop and a ramp (translation: lots o' points) and perhaps even a Combo if you do it quick enough. And you still get those coveted Extra Ball shots. It even comes in handy a few times in Story Mode (see far below). Make sure you can do it. If you can, become accomplished at shooting the ball into the Chaos Drive hole. This is not to get those annnoying little Mini-games, though, but rather to hit Eggman when you activate Egg Mode. Few things on the Sonic table are more frustrating than trying to hit that hole in a hurry. (If you can do it well, though, the other people who play this game will despise you. Nothing personal. Just jealousy.) Also, make use of nudging the table. The B button nudge (shoves the ball up in a bounce) is especially good for when the ball is coming down one flipper slowly and you want the ball on the other flipper. (This goes for all tables, actually.) This is especially handy when trying to get those EGG Loop shots and the ball keeps winding up on the right-hand flipper, which makes it nearly impossible to execute. Try it and you'll see what I mean. Don't bother with the Intergalactic hole. Multiball is a sorry excuse for a cool Mode and it slows the processor down because it's so intensive. It also leaves you at the end with only one Kickback, meaning that you have to reactivate them real quick or else you're at risk for Sudden Ball Out Syndrome (SBOS). However, if you can get ordinary, one-ball Jackpot mode, go for it. It's a good way to get a good sum of pointage. ----------------------- B. I. c. Other ----------------------- List of Character Change Hole Actions: Neo Green Hill Zone--Palm trees shake and a roboticized monkey pops out. It gets destroyed, releasing the roboticized animal inside. Secret Base Zone--Boiler near hole chugs back and forth a few times, glows red, blows off some steam, and then cools to dark. Casino Paradise Zone--The lights on the Casino circular thing go out, then come back on and flicker a bit. Ice Mountain Zone--The snow-laden pine trees shake, dropping a bunch of snow. That's all. Angel Island Zone--The television monitor shows a picture of Tikal (from Sonic Adventure 1), who appears to be praying. She then opens her eyes and looks straight at you. Egg Rocket Zone--The box with an X on it shifts, blinks, and looks all technological-like. X-Zone--The drifting ship thing starts emitting explosions and turns dark. Moon Zone--(Unknown--haven't been there yet) Mini-Games for All Characters (Partial--contributions appreciated): Checkpoint (Medium): Hit the left ramp and Ring Loop. Harder than it sounds, and can be frustrating. Sonic's Mini-Games: TB Done (Contributions appreciated) Tails' Mini-Games: TB Done (Contributions appreciated) Knuckles' Mini-Games (Partial--contributions appreciated): Wall Climb (Easy): In Wall Climb, it is your objective to hit as many rollover switches and other targets as you can. Each one will net you a nice bonus. Amy Rose's Mini-Games: TB Done (Contributions appreciated) Super Sonic's Mini-Games: TB Done (Contributions greatly appreciated, especially if different from regular Sonic's) ------------------------ B. II. NiGHTS Table ------------------------ The NiGHTS Table is based on (amazing!) the NiGHTS into Dreams video game for SEGA Saturn. (Read the section about the Sonic Team for more information on NiGHTS.) It is certainly the easiest of the three tables and isn't very frustrating. The Zones of the NiGHTS Table are: Spring Hill (the IDEAL), Splash Garden (the AFFECTION), Mystical Woods (the POSSIBILITY), Frozen Bell (not sure what it is), Soft Museum (the CONFUTION [sic]), Stick Canyon (the REVIVAL), and the secret Twin Seeds Zone (also not sure what it is). ------------------------ B. II. a. Objectives, Holes, etc. ------------------------ The NiGHTS table has four flipper-area lanes, that have lights that spell DASH. Two are exit lanes, while two are return. The plunger loads the pinball into a cannon, which shoots the ball up a wire ramp on the left (which will hereafter be referred to as the Extra Ball Ramp). The ball then spirals down the ramp into the left return lane (letter A of DASH). Around the top of the board is a long loop/ramp, which will hereafter be referred to as the Big Loop. A spinner (one of those little things that spins when the ball passes under it) is located on the right side of the Big Loop, which will be referred to as the Field Multiplier Spinner. Located in the upper-right corner of the board (below the Big Loop) is an island of sorts, which has a loop around it (the DRMY Loop) and a hole on the front (SEGA calls it the Symbol Hole, but I will refer to it as the Boss Hole, for this island is where the Zone boss will appear). On the right end of the DRMY Loop (which is the side the ball must be shot into to light one of the letters of DRMY), situated against the side wall of the Big Loop, are three drop targets, known as the ECN Drop Targets. In the upper-left corner of the board (though still below the Big Loop) is another loop, known as the CHIP Loop. In its center is the entrance to the Extra Ball Ramp, along with a few quasi-bumpers (they don't really add energy to the ball when hit, but they do react and render points) and a small island with a hole on the front (SEGA calls it the Pian Hole, but I will call it the FLY Hole) and an angel-like creature perched over the hole. Below the right- and left-hand entrances of the Big Loop are extra flippers. Above the upper right flipper is a hole, which is usually has a small critter over it and is known as the Ideya Capture Hole. Below the upper left flipper are three drop targets, which spell "MAP". These will be known as the MAP Drop Targets. Finally, in the smack-dab center of the board is the Ideya Palace area. Passing the ball into it, no matter what direction, does not change the trajectory or velocity of the ball. (In other words, it might as well be a hologram, as it doesn't even touch the ball.) Above it, slightly to the upper right, is a hole which an enemy is perched upon. This will be referred to as the AIM Hole. When the game starts, the board will be in Normal Play Mode. A hole will be open during Normal Play Mode in the Extra Ball Ramp (the "Ball Lock Hole") that will lock the ball after the ball launch shot. Once three balls are locked, Jackpot Mode will begin. Jackpots in the NiGHTS Table can be collected by shooting (one of) the ball(s) into one or more of the table's holes 5 times. Shooting the ball into a ramp or loop will add to the Jackpot, and collecting the Jackpot will double the Jackpot the next time you collect it. When in Normal Play Mode, shooting the ball through the Ideya Palace three times will activate Dualize Mode. (Dualize Mode lasts for 180 seconds, after which time the board will revert to Normal Play Mode) In Dualize Mode, the Ball Lock Hole is closed over, inhibiting ball locks, and enabling Extra Ball Ramp shots. 10 Extra Ball Ramp shots will give the player an extra ball. Also, when the board is in Dualize Mode, shooting the ball into the Ideya Capture Hole will give the player one of 5 Ideyas. The player starts with one (red--the Ideyas can be seen as lights near the region in between the two lower flippers) and must collect all five Ideyas (ergo, 4 more) in each Zone (More properly "Mare," as that is what the levels in the real NiGHTS Into Dreams game are called, but for consistency the stages of the NiGHTS Table will be referred to as Zones.) before advancing to that board's boss. Once all five Ideyas for a Zone are collected, a single shot through the Ideya Palace will send the player into that Zone's Nightmaren (boss) stage. In Nightmaren Mode (which also lasts 180 seconds), the board will change appearance, and the ball will be once again upon the plunger (and a Shoot Bonus will be given, too). The Nightmaren itself will be perched on the island in the middle of the DRMY Loop. It is the objective of the Nightmaren Mode to destroy the Nightmaren by raising its damage to 100%. Damage can be rendered to the Nightmaren in three ways: bopping it on the nose (shooting the Boss Hole), which gives it 12.5% damage; forming a Paraloop around it (shooting the DRMY Loop in the correct direction), which gives 25% damage; and smacking it in the back (shooting the Big Loop from the left side), which gives 37.5% damage. (It should be noted that the game retains but doesn't display the decimal quantities. In other words, if you shoot the Boss Hole once, the game will say that you have 12% damage to the boss, though when you shoot it again it will say that the boss has 25% damage. Though you don't see the 0.5%, it's still there.) When the boss' damage hits 100% damage or greater, Clear Bonus Mode begins. A bonus score counts down from approximately 1,600,000 points. Shooting the ball through a ramp or loop will award the current score on the countdown, while the countdown continues. When the countdown reaches zero, the board will advance to the next Zone. Ball Saver is activated for the first 100 seconds of both Dualize and Nightmaren Modes. While in Normal Play or Dualize Modes, the Acrobat and Mini-Game Modes can be activated. Acrobat Mode is activated by spelling the letters of FLY by shooting the FLY (Pian) Hole three times. In Acrobat Mode, moving the ball in certain ways and hitting certain targets will trigger recognition of the game of certain acrobatic techniques, awarding you points. After 30 seconds in Acrobat Mode, the game reverts to Normal Play Mode and displays a rating based on how many techniques you were able to perform. A partial list (contibutions would be appreciated!) of Acrobat Techniques is included in Section B. II. C. Ball Saver is activated for the first 15-20 seconds of Acrobat Mode. Mini-Game Mode is activated by spelling the letters of AIM by shooting the AIM (Enemy) Hole three times. In Mini-Game Mode, an objective is displayed, which the player has 60 seconds to accomplish. If the player succeeds, a point bonus will be awarded and the board will revert to Normal Play Mode. If the time runs out, the board still reverts to Normal Play Mode without rewarding the player. Ball Saver is on for the first 20-30 seconds of Mini-Game Mode. By shooting the CHIP Loop four times (thus lighting its letters), Blue Chip Mode will be ready for activation. Shooting the Boss Hole while CHIP is lit will start Blue Chip Mode. In Blue Chip Mode, Blue Chips (blue glowing orb-thingies) will be present at certain points on the board for 120 seconds. When the ball passes over/through one (they do not affect the ball in passing), it is collected and disappears. A second or two later, the Chip will rematerialize in the same place, and can be promptly collected again. Each Chip collected will add a Ring to the Ring collection in the game's Tiny Chao Garden. Also, collecting 500 total Blue Chips will enable passage to the Twin Seeds Zone (Mare) after the player beats the otherwise-final Zone, Stick Canyon. Ball Saver is on for about the first 60 seconds of Blue Chip Mode. When the Field Multiplier Spinner is spun, it slowly fills up a gauge. When the gauge is full, the Field Multiplier will be doubled (up to a maximum of x8) for 120 seconds, after which time it will drop to the next-lowest level. The Bonus Multiplier on the NiGHTS Table can be increased by first hitting all the ECN Targets and then completing the lights of DRMY. Enemies also roam the center of the board, below the Ideya Palace. Passing the ball over them (they do not affect the ball) will destroy the enemy and give a small point bonus. The enemy will shortly thereafter reappear. Destroying 50 enemies in a single Zone will double the points given by destroying an enemy. Destroying 100 will quadruple the points rendered, and it is believed (confirmation would be appreciated) that destroying 200 will octuple ( x8) the point value. A Random Feature (essentially the same things as the Shoot Bonus possibilities) can be gained by shooting the Ideya Capture Hole in Normal Play (*not* Dualize) Mode. The fifth shot will start a single-ball Jackpot Mode, along with an Extra Ball. See earlier in this section for how the NiGHTS Jackpot Mode works. ------------------------ B. II. b. Stuff to Know/Do ------------------------ Except at the beginning of the game, when staying alive on any board is tricky, the NiGHTS Table will be a cinch for you. Especially after you complete Story Mode. In fact, I once had a marathon NiGHTS session going that popped me into the top slot of the High Score List (>1,000,000,000 points, at least) that I actually had trouble ending. (I didn't want to just flip the ball around until Ball Saver went off and then drop the thing--it would feel like clubbing a seal. Even when I got sloppy it was hard to actually lose the ball.) Anyway, Ball Saver is on so much on the NiGHTS Table that you're practically invincible--especially when you get the hang of sending the ball where you want it to go. A couple things about the table--First, you will probably notice fairly quickly that the Acrobat and Mini-Game Modes happen when you often don't want them to. Get used to it--especially since Dualize Mode can be interrupted by them. Think of them as a way of getting better at ball handling, since both demand some skill in that department. Also, you will find that you will enter Multi-Ball Mode far more often than you'd like. It seems that SEGA placed some kind of Murphy's Law enforcer in this game that causes the ball to be sent up the Extra Ball Ramp with annoying frequency when the Lock Hole is open, causing you to not gain Extra Ball Ramp shots, and to have to enter the most annoying Multi-Ball Mode when you don't want to. A word about Multi-Ball--it leaves you with only one Kickback use. Make sure you are aware of this before the ball plummets to its doom in the exit lanes with no kickback to intercept it. It is entirely necessary that you become good at sending the ball through the DRMY Loop and into the Ideya Capture Hole. The DRMY Loop allows you to attack the boss in Nightmaren Mode, light up DRMY and ECN for Bonus Multiplier increasing, collect Blue Chips in Blue Chip Mode, gain lots of pointage in Clear Bonus Mode, score an acrobatic technique in Acrobat Mode, and even hit said Loop when called for in Mini-Game Modes. The Ideya Capture Hole is essential because without it, you'll never advance to the next Zone. Also, hitting it every so often will net you some nice Random Features and the Jackpot Mode. Thus, make these your first priorities. Next, become skilled at shooting the Extra Ball Ramp at will. Since the game is vehemently opposed to letting you shoot this ramp randomly when you need to, force it. The Extra Balls will come in handy once you start becoming skilled at this table and begin getting good scores, prolonging your play time. Finally, become good at shooting the Chip Loop. It's a lot easier than shooting the Big Loop and it will help you enter Blue Chip Mode. After all, those rings for your Chao are important, right? ;-) Nonetheless, Blue Chip Mode will also help you get to the awesomely-awesome Twin Seeds Zone, which is well worth the effort of collecting 500 Blue Chips. ------------------------ B. II. C. Other ------------------------ Symbol Hole Actions: Spring Hill Zone--The windmill perched on the island spins faster than usual for a bit. Splash Garden Zone--The fountain bubbles faster for a bit. Mystic Woods Zone--The island building's lights flicker. Frozen Bell-- (Can't remember--contributions appreciated!) Soft Museum Zone--The quasi-museum building shudders inward, then pops back into shape. Stick Canyon Zone-- The crane's arm lifts up, making it look like a dragon. Twin Seeds Zone--The gigantic building glows. Mini-Games (Partial--contributions greatly appreciated!): Alarm Egg (Difficulty: Easy)-- Every second this Mini-Game is on, you gain a smattering of points. Shoot any loop, hole, or ramp to add seconds to the timer and prolong your point gain period. (Plus many others that I can't remember!) Acrobat Mode Techniques (Partial--contributions greatly appreciated!): Sling--Hit one of the two slings (the bumper-like things near the flippers) Arrow--Have the ball shot out of the cannon (i.e. lose the ball while Ball Saver is on) (And more!) ------------------------ B. III. Samba de Amigo Table ------------------------ The Samba de Amigo Table is based on Samba de Amigo, for SEGA Dreamcast, and is the hardest of the three. However, it is also very well-made and fun, so it's hard to get frustrated at it. ------------------------ B. III. a. Objectives, Holes, etc. ------------------------ The Samba de Amigo has three return lanes (one left, two right), and two exit lines. The return and exit lanes are rollover-lit, and rolling over a lit lane will turn it off unless all of the lights are lit (to spell FEVER). The kickbacks are shaped like drums (evoking an image of two of the Samba de Amigo characters, Bingo and Bongo), and the slings are shaped like bananas. The board is entirely symmetrical (with the exception of the Song Play Hole), with a loop around the outside (the "Main Loop"), two ramps on either side whose entrances are just above the entrances of the loop, and a circular enclosed area in the top-middle with bumpers. The bumpers are shaped like the Maraca Shake Indicators from Samba de Amigo, and in the center is the Pose Man from the same game. The bumpers are also arranged symmetrically, and hitting a bumper will change the position of Pose Man's hands on the side the bumpers are on to the level of the bumper you hit. Pose Man's position dictates what song will be played in the Fever Play and Song Play Modes. The Song Play hole is located at the end of a lane attached to the right side of the Main Loop. It is blocked most of the time by shaking cartoon palm trees, but when Song or Fever Play Modes are ready, the ball will knock them away as if they weren't there. Over it is a cartoon Sun. The only available Shoot Bonuses in the Samba de Amigo board are the Big and Small Bonuses. There is no way to increase the Field Multiplier or Bonus Multiplier. The Ball Saver is only active during the Song Play Mode, and there is no other way to turn it on. Once a Kickback is activated, it disappears until both ramps' lights have been lit. When both are lit (meaning that both ramps have been shot), both kickbacks will regenerate, if both are missing, or only the one that's missing if only one is missing. If both kickbacks are in place when the ramps are shot, nothing happens. Song Play Mode can be activated by shooting the ball around the Main Loop 3 times each in both directions and then placing the ball in the Song Play Hole. In Song Play Mode, the various ramps and loop directions will be lit up to the rhythm of the song, and the player must shoot them as dictated as rapidly as possible. If a set of directions is completed rapidly enough, all of the ramps and loop directions will be lit until the next set begins. During this time, if the ball is shot into any of the loop directions or the ramps, a jackpot will be awarded of 1,000,000 points (or more, but I haven't seen greater). At the end of the song, the player will receive a letter grade on their completion of the mode as well. The Ball Saver is activated during the entirety of Song Play Mode. Fever Mode can be activated by lighting all of the FEVER lights (on the return and exit lanes) and placing the ball in the Song Play Hole. A special video mode will begin. Two Maraca Shake Indicators (like the bumpers around Pose Man) will appear, the left one corresponding to the left flipper, and the right one corresponding to the right flipper. As the song plays, small Rhythm Balls will come from between the two Maraca Shake Indicators to the beat of the music. When each Rhythm Ball comes to the center of the Maraca Shake Indicators, the corresponding flipper button should be pressed. At the end of the mode (once through the song), the performance of the player will be graded as a percentage. The percentage will be multiplied by 100,000 (as if the percentage was an integer) and the corresponding amount of points awarded. If the player performs perfectly, they will receive 2,000,000 points. It should be noted that the song played is dependent upon Pose Man's position when the Mode begins. By hitting the bumpers 30 times, Letter Collect Mode will begin. In Letter Collect Mode, the player must hit the bumpers whose indicator arrows are lit up to collect the letters of the name of a Samba de Amigo character. Doing so within 60 seconds will give the player a bonus. It should be noted that though sufficient bumper hits to begin Letter Collect can be assembled during Song Play Mode, Letter Collect Mode will not begin until Song Play Mode is over. ------------------------ B. III. b. Stuff to Know/Do ------------------------ Samba de Amigo is the hardest board. No other way to say it. You have Ball Saver only during a mode that's hard to enter, your Kickbacks are weak and hard to recharge, and the angles of the board tend to dump the ball in the exit lanes a LOT. And yet, for some reason, it's not all that frustrating. This is, in part, due to the upbeat attitude of the board in general (where else do you get the ultra-cool Fever Play Mode?) and the fact that it's not anywhere in Story Mode. That, and the thing is over pretty quick. You don't get this long, drawn-out torture that the other boards sometimes give. So, to do well on this board, you must be reeeeally good at ball handling. Casinopolis might help you with that. Story Mode, too, if you don't mind getting enraged at your GBA. Whenever you use one of your kickbacks, make sure you replace it right away by shooting both ramps (or just the one that's blinking, if you've already shot one). Also, if you can, figure out when the ball is "destined" to go towards an exit lane, and see if you can nudge it out of the way somehow. Such information would also be greatly desired here, if it works, so post if you've figured something out. Collecting the FEVER lights is helpful and certainly worth your time if you just want to play Fever Play Mode and don't really care about pointage, but if you're trying to get Song Play Mode, and you light all of the FEVER lights, you won't be able to collect more loops for Song Play Mode until after you go to Fever Play Mode. So use with caution. (I know, I sometimes play this board just for Fever Play Mode. It's such a blast.) ------------------------ B. III. c. Fever Play Mode ------------------------ Fever Play Mode is a grand time and a half to be had. It's essentially a two-button form of the rockin' game Samba de Amigo, for Dreamcast (with maracas for controllers). As mentioned above, Fever Play Mode requires you to hit the flipper buttons as the little Rhythm Balls get to the Maraca Shake Indicators. (When the little circle goes into the hole in the big donut, hit the button.) A few notes about Fever Play Mode: if you've ever played DDR, chill a bit. The hand is much quicker than the foot, so when you play this game, press the button when the ball is right in the middle of the circle and not before. (I used to play DDR like mad, and I had a bit of trouble when I started playing Fever Play Mode. It went away pretty quick, though.) It may occasionally be necessary to hit both flipper buttons at once. If a Rhythm Ball goes to each of the two at the same time, that's what you'll have to do.
	When you are playing this Mode, it may be helpful to picture yourself as the
drummer of the band performing the song. Most of the shakes correspond to drums
or strong beats in the music, and so it may help you "get in the groove" to
think in such a way.
	Go with the flow. The music is your guide, and trying to play this Mode
without the music (use headphones if you must) is very tricky. Learn the
patterns in each song and use them.
	A final really important thing: pressing the flipper button when you're not
supposed to is just as bad as not hitting the flipper when you should. You'll
hear that horrible "Boo!" sound, which is your cue to feel bad. Be careful.
	If you do perfectly, you'll get a whopping 2,000,000 points (which are, of
course, hard to come by on this table), instead of the maximum 999,900 points
you could get otherwise. Pat yourself on the back if you pull this off.
	A listing of the Songs available for Song Play and Fever Play Modes is below.

------------------------
B. III. d. Other
------------------------

Letter Collect Names:
Amigo--Amigo is the dancing, maraca-shaking monkey that is the mascot of Samba
de Amigo.
Rio--Rio is a cheetah-ish critter who plays the trumpet and holds a trademark
rose.
Bingo, Bongo--Bingo and Bongo are twin robotic drum-playing bears. One's
purple; the other's blue.
Linda--Linda is a sorry excuse for a butterfly, but, nonetheless, dances pretty
well. She's usually shown winking.
Chumba, Wamba--Chumba and Wamba are mariachi-playing leopards. They are named
after the band Chumbawamba, which composed "Tubthumping," a song in Samba de
Amigo.

Song List (All difficulties are for Fever Play Mode):
Burning Hearts--Source Game: Burning Rangers. Difficulty: 3.5/10 A rockin'
little song that has a nifty jazz beat.
We Are Burning Rangers--Source Game: Burning Rangers. Difficulty: 4.5/10.
Another nice song. Slightly harder than Burning Hearts.
Vamos a Carnaval--Source Game: Samba de Amigo. Difficulty: 6/10. This song is
the song that plays during the Normal Play Mode of the Samba de Amigo board, so
it shouldn't be hard to pick up. The only tricky part is that the rhythm gets
screwed up near the end of the song, and so all of a sudden you have to tune
out the song and go just by the Rhythm Balls. Not nice at all. (Name means "We
go to Carnival" or "Let's Carnival." As if Carnival was a verb.)
ChuChu Rocket--Source Game: Same. Difficulty: 5.5/10. This one is very
repetitive, and not too hard to pick up. Watch out for the pattern change
mid-song.
ChuChu Fever--Source Game: ChuChu Rocket. Difficulty: 6/10. This is also very
repetitive, but is faster than ChuChu Rocket. You'll also hear it in Acrobat
Mode on the NiGHTS Table.
Phantasy Star Online--Source Game: Same. Difficulty: 3.5/10. Rather easy, this
song doesn't quite fit the "Samba" pattern, but still works.
Can Still See The Light--Source Game: Phantasy Star Online. Difficulty: 6.5/10.
The first time I played this one, I nearly fainted. A weird beat, strange
rhythm, and no Latin flair whatsoever. It gets better with practice, but on
first appearance it is very strange.
Mambo de Verano--Source Game: Samba de Amigo. Difficulty: 8.5/10. This song is
very Latin and all, but it has a strangely syncopated beat and lots of
half-beats. Combined with its large number of pauses and unpredictable
patterns, this song is a doozy. I don't think I've gotten a Perfect on it yet.
Good luck. (Name means "Mambo of Summer.")
Dreams Dreams--Source Game--NiGHTS Into Dreams. Difficulty: 3/10. Coming from
NiGHTS Into Dreams, this song has no Latin-ness to it, but works just fine. I
found that as I first started playing this board, this song was selected a lot,
and that was just fine with me. It's quite easy, as long as you have the music
on.

------------------------
B. IV. Story Mode
------------------------

	The Story Mode is VERY frustrating and rather difficult. It also has a very
iffy plot. Sonic must save all of his cutesy little animal friends by winning a
pinball tournament that Eggman's throwing. You must beat Knuckles, Tails, Amy
Rose, and Metal Sonic to win the tourney, and then Eggman shows up in person
and demands that you beat him, too. It's exceedingly difficult and took me days
(and a lot of luck) to complete. Be warned: practice a LOT first. The Samba de
Amigo table does not show up in Story Mode, so practice it only for fun if you
need to until you're finished with this Mode.

------------------------
B. IV. a. Knuckles
------------------------

	Knuckles' challenge, being the first, isn't very hard. You must simply gain
10,000,000 points on the Sonic table to win. (Thank you sonic16 for
clarification!) This translates roughly to beating Eggman once and doing well
in the Clear Bonus Mode. This is one of the few challenges that doesn't take
*too* much practice to beat.

------------------------
B. IV. b. Tails
------------------------

	Tails' eyes are a freakish red color when you challenge him, and he acts
strangely. He requires that you gain 15,000,000 points in under 5 minutes--beat
Eggman once or twice and you'll have it in no time. (Thank you sonic16 for
clarification!) Once you complete his challenge, he returns to normal but seems
to have a bit of amnesia about how he got into his odd state.

------------------------
B. IV. c. Amy Rose
------------------------

	Amy also has the strange red color to her eyes, and acts strangely as well.
For her, you must beat Gillwing (the NiGHTS first Zone boss) supposedly before
her. I took my time, and no timers appeared, so it's unlikely that there is
actually a time limit. Once she has been beaten, she also returns to normal and
relates to Sonic that Eggman is using some kind of mind-control on the people
in the tournament. You must beat that bad llama's tournament to free everyone.
(But of course.)

------------------------
B. IV. d. Metal Sonic
------------------------

	Metal Sonic is supposedly your last foe. He requires that you beat ALL (up to
X-Zone; Moon Zone not required) of the Zones of the Sonic Board. This could be
tricky, so make sure you stock up on Extra Balls and practice, practice,
practice! (I became quite frustrated during my numerous attempts to defeat
Metal Sonic. You might feel the same way if you haven't practiced enough.)

------------------------
B. IV. e. Eggman
------------------------

	After you beat Metal Sonic, there is a general huzzah and you see Sonic
standing in front of a "Winner!" banner. Then, it falls off of the screen and
Eggman challenges you. This is by far and away one of the hardest final
challenges of ANY game I have ever played. (And far more frustrating, too.) He
requires that you have more points than him in 5 minutes. (Luckily for you, I
happen to know that he always gets 30,000,000 points, which means you must get
30,000,050 or better to win in under 5 minutes. Good luck.) This is truly
difficult and requires a great deal of both luck and skill to accomplish. Here
is the way I did it, which will probably work for you as well if you are good
enough at the shots required to do it:
	As soon as the ball is in play, focus on getting into Egg mode. When the ball
comes down from the launch ramp onto the right flipper, use the B button to
nudge the ball up and over onto the left flipper. Time your flipping of the
left flipper to send the ball into the Egg loop. Rinse, lather, repeat, until
you are in Egg Mode.
	Now comes the tricky part: sending the ball into the Chaos Drive Hole while
being stressed out about this challenge. If you're anything like me, the ball
always goes into the Chaos Drive Hole when you DON'T want it to, but it avoids
it like the plague when you're in Egg Mode. Anyway, do the best you can. If you
can't succeed in beating him once before only 2:30:00 remain, start over. It
isn't worth the frustration and extra time.
	As soon as Clear Stage Bonus Mode begins, go into a frenzy of Ring-Ramp Tricks
(see Section B. I. b for info on this valuable skill). As long as you do it
correctly, this will pump lots of points into your score.
	Once you wind up in Secret Base Zone, do the same thing. Egg Mode-->Stage
Clear Mode (w/ lots of Ring-Ramp Tricks)-->Casino Paradise Zone. All the while,
do your best to avoid the bumpers and the Character Change Hole. Both sap a
good deal of seconds from your timer that you can't spare.
	In Casino Paradise Zone,  make sure you don't hit the Left
Ramp!  If you do, you'll go into Multiball Mode and not be
able to start any Modes! However, you now have your choice (with the scant time
that remains) to attempt Egg or Ring Mode. I chose Ring Mode, because getting a
whole bunch of Rings is a lot easier than trying to get the ball to go into the
Chaos Drive hole to beat Eggman. Use the Ring-Ramp trick to light the RING
Lights, then shoot for that Feature Hole on the double! If you've made it this
far and done well on the Clear Stage Bonus Modes, your score will be really
close to (or more than) 30,000,000 points. A smattering of rings will put you
over the top.
	This is MUCH easier said than done. I wish you the best of luck in beating
Eggman. You'll need it.

	Once you beat him, he goes into his typical "Curses! Foiled again!" thing and
you go to the credits. This game has one of the longest and most boring credits
sequences that I have ever seen. At least the music is nice, though. After you
watch the credits scroll, you'll be returned to the title screen. And then, one
of the most frustrating moments of all: discovering that you don't get anything
for winning! That's right, you get absolutely zilch (besides maybe a smidgen of
relief and satisfaction) for beating one of the toughest Story Modes of any
game in history. But at least you can say you did it. There should be a
Winner's List on GameFAQs' Sonic Pinball Party Message Board where you can add
your name to the glorified list. (There, that's better.) I hope I see yours
there soon--and make sure you mention on your post to it that you used my FAQ!


------------------------
B. V. Regarding the Chao
------------------------

	In your Game Pak is a little garden where you can keep a Chao. Chao (plural
now--singular and plural are the same) are essentially glorified virtual pets
that actually have begun to play a part in the overall Sonic story. Now you can
have one of your own!
	I am not going to go into detail about how to raise your Chao. If you need
help, consult the Chao FAQs under the Dreamcast or Gamecube games Sonic
Adventures 1 and 2. There is such a wealth of data there that I'm not going to
even scratch it. I will, however, outline the game Chao's CC Shoot, which is
unique to Sonic Pinball Party and is a mini-game included in the Tiny Chao
Garden.

	Chao's CC Shoot is one of those games where, after playing it for a while, you
get a general feeling for what's going on, but then suddenly something happens
while you're playing that makes you scratch your head in curiosity. I call that
a "high serendipity factor." In Chao's CC Shoot, you control a Chao (which will
look like your Chao if you've gotten and hatched one but like a normal blue one
if you haven't) that can throw red and green chips up into a matrix of other
chips that is continuously being pushed downward. It's like a cross between Go,
Connect Four, and something else. The object of the game is to eliminate as
many chips as possible so as to free the ring groups locked inside the chip
matrix. Once the rings have no chips below them, they will fall, and you must
maneuver your Chao underneath the falling rings to catch them. If the chips are
pushed all the way down to where your Chao is, you get a Game Over.
	The chips will disappear when ten of the same colored chips are in horizontal
and/or vertical contact (that is, no diagonals). However, they will not simply
disappear after being pushed down in such shape. Your Chao's Chip must hit the
grouping and cause them all to vanish. Otherwise, you could get a huge block of
20 chips of the same color coming down that wouldn't go away. Your chip is the
catalyst, in other words.
	Chips can also change color. If a chip or line of the same-colored chips are
"imprisoned" between two chips of the opposite color on either end of the line
(one of which must just have been thrown up by your Chao), the chips will
change to all the same color (that is, the color of the "imprisoning" chips).
This action can cause enough chips of the same color to be in contact so as to
make them all vanish. Note that diagonals are effective here.
	Another note: if you vanish a group of chips near the top (and gravity pulls
the chips up), and another large enough group of chips falls into place for
whatever reason, they, too will disappear. This will continue until no large
enough groups can fall into place, after which point normal play will continue.
	A third note: while chips are changing color or disappearing, your Chao cannot
toss any chips. You must wait. However, you can move your Chao into an
advantageous position during this time, so do so.

------------------------
B. VI. Casinopolis
------------------------

	To buy things for your Chao (food, toys, more Chao) you will need rings. You
can get rings via three methods: you can get them from the Sonic and NiGHTS
tables (via Ring and Blue Chip Modes, respectively), the mini-games in the Tiny
Chao Garden, or Casinopolis. Casinopolis, as the name implies, is a casino-like
area in which you can play games of chance to increase the supply of rings you
have on hand. Note that you must have rings on hand. If you squander them all
away, you'll have to resort to one of the other two methods listed above.
	All three Casinopolis games have two "Bet Holes" in the upper-right and
upper-left corners. These holes are crucial for all of the games, and you must
become skilled at rapidly and repeatedly shooting the ball into them. In this
way, Casinopolis is also good for honing your ball-handling skills. Make
extensive use of the B nudge-up button for switching flippers as necessary.
	Also in all three games, if you lose the ball down the center drain, a
replacement ball costs one ring. Try not to lose the ball.
	At any time during a Casinopolis game, you may press Start to pause, and
select "Quit" to exit the game you're playing and return to the Casinopolis
main menu.

------------------------
B. VI. a. Roulette
------------------------

	In Roulette, you must place the ball repeatedly into the Bet Holes before the
timer on the center of the Roulette Wheel runs out. Each time you do, you bet 1
ring on one of the spaces. The betting is randomly decided by a random number
generator on the Bet Hole's little window thingie. The number that shows up on
the little window is where your bet is placed.
	 Ordinary spaces are a dull burgundy color, which means you haven't bet on
them yet. If the Roulette lands on one of these, you get nothing.
	When you bet on a space for the first time, it turns bright red. If the
Roulette lands on a bright red space, you get twice your bet of 25 rings--50
rings.
	If you bet on a bright red space, it turns yellow. If the Roulette lands on a
yellow space, you get 4 times your bet of 25 rings--100 rings.
	If you bet on a yellow space yet again, it turns green. In the happy event
that the Roulette should land on a green space, you receive a whopping eight
times your bet-200 rings!
	Once the timer runs out, you get to make one more bet. Once the bet is made,
the Bet Hole holds onto your ball while the Roulette spins. After the Roulette
has been spun and any rings won received, the ball is then released for another
round. (Note--if you lose the ball after the timer runs out, the Roulette wheel
starts and you don't get another bet. Try not to let that happen!)

------------------------
B. VI. b. Slots
------------------------

	The Casinopolis Slot machine is very unusual and unlike any I have ever seen
in a video game. In the first part of Slots, you have a fixed (but not shown)
amount of time to bet. You bet (naturally) by placing the ball in one of the
Bet Holes. The first ring bet gains you control of the center slot line. The
second ring bet gives you the top and bottom lines. The third ring will give
you the diagonal lines.
	Once either the fixed time span passes or you have bet three rings, the slots
will start spinning. You can stop a slot by placing the ball in a Bet Hole
(which doesn't cost you anything, by the way). Or, you can wait. It doesn't
make much of a difference. Once all three slots have stopped (by your action or
by waiting or a combination of the two), any rings won will be calculated and
given to you.
	The symbols on the slots are derived from the Sonic Team game ChuChu Rocket
and include: a green planet, a red ChuChu, a bluish-white ChuChu, a gold
ChuChu, a red-and-white rocket, and a yellow cat thing. (There may be more;
I'll have to check.) I have yet seen no rhyme or reason as to how the winnnings
are calculated based on the symbols, and have won rings for matches that are
not apparent. If anyone has any idea as to how this thing works, please post,
for the good of the entire Sonic Pinball Party community.

------------------------
B. VI. c. Bingo
------------------------

	Bingo is by far the easiest and highest-yielding (on average) of the three
games. At the beginning of each round, you are given a Bingo card. Press A to
release a ball. In doing so, you pay 20 rings. You now must gain random numbers
from the Bet Holes (the numbers don't cost anything) and attempt to make a line
with said numbers horizontally, vertically, or diagonally on your card. (The
middle square is free and counts as if it were a number.) You gain more rings
by getting a Bingo (as such a line is called) with fewer numbers. The most
rings you can get with a single Bingo is 400, which can be gained if you get a
Bingo with only 4 numbers. If you get more than one Bingo with a given number,
the amount you win doubles or triples, depending on how many Bingos are
completed by it.

------------------------
C. Conclusion
------------------------

	So there you have it. I hope you gained some insight from what's here. If you
have questions or comments, go to the GameFAQs message board regarding Sonic
Pinball Party and post. I'll address your message as soon as possible.
	If you mention something that I don't have in my FAQ and I put it in, I'll
acknowledge your information. If, for whatever reason, you mention something
that I've already added and I'm in-between versions or something, I might not
acknowledge your mention. I'm sorry, but I can't please everyone. I'll do my
best, though.

Contributors (Thank you!):

GameFAQs user sonic16 gave clarification on Tails' and Knuckles' Story Mode
challenges.

-Disclaimers and other Legal Thingies-

To the best of my knowledge, all of the information listed here is correct
unless otherwise noted. However, I am not responsible for anything that happens
to you, your game, your Chao, your Chia Pet, or anything else from any action
you take as a result of this guide, regardless of whether what I wrote that
inspired your action(s) was correct or not. (However, please notify me as
mentioned above if you believe something is wrong so I can fix it and keep Chia
Pets everywhere safe.)

Sonic, SEGA, NiGHTs into Dreams, Chao, Amy Rose, Tails, Knuckles, Eggman, Chao,
Burning Rangers, Samba de Amigo, Amigo, Sonic Pinball Party, Phantasy
Star/Online, ChuChu Rocket, Cliff, Ideya, and Cream the Rabbit (along with
probably a few others I haven't mentioned here) are all property of SEGA
International.

Game Boy Advance, Nintendo, Gamecube, and Game Pak (and possibly others
mentioned) are property of Nintendo of America.

The Chia Pet and The Clapper are property of Joseph Enterprises, Inc. (Whoever
they are.)

This guide copyright me, GameFAQS contributor name AxemRangerBlue, 2003. Do not
copy any portion of this text into anything anywhere without express permission
from me (and I doubt I'll be giving it.) It should only appear on GameFAQs.com
until otherwise noted and permitted by me.