(|=========================================================================|) Assault Heroes Strategy Guide FAQ Version: 1.0 Author: PoP_PiP Latest: December 19th, 2006 E-Mail: DiablosDungeon@hotmail.com (|=========================================================================|) -------------- Introduction -------------- Greetings. Assault Heroes is an exclusive old-school top down shooter for Xbox Live Arcade. Such games are more than just a rarity these days, and I enjoyed the game enough to want and write up an FAQ. Though the game isn't difficult by any means, the purpose of this FAQ is to provide a permanent source for players who might be having trouble nabbing those achievements, or just for some tips and information that they might have missed on while playing the game. ----------------- Version History ----------------- Dec 17, 2006. Date of Birth of this FAQ. Dec 19, 2006. First Submission. Version 1.0 ------------------- Table of Contents ------------------- Usage: Press Ctrl+F and input the desired code without the brackets. Ex) #A Game Information --------------------------------------- [#A00] Story / Ending (Spoilers) --------------------------- [#A01] Controls -------------------------------------------- [#A02] Vehicles -------------------------------------------- [#A03] Power-Ups ------------------------------------------- [#A04] Weapons --------------------------------------------- [#A05] Combo Multipliers ----------------------------------- [#A06] Achievements Guide ------------------------------------- [#B00] Annihilator ----------------------------------------- [#B01] Assault Hero ---------------------------------------- [#B02] Exterminator ---------------------------------------- [#B03] Lair Slayer ----------------------------------------- [#B04] Peace Maker ----------------------------------------- [#B05] Sharp Shooter --------------------------------------- [#B06] Small Arms Expert ----------------------------------- [#B07] Speed Freak ----------------------------------------- [#B08] Survivor -------------------------------------------- [#B09] Tricked Out ----------------------------------------- [#B10] Twin Medal ------------------------------------------ [#B11] Unstoppable ----------------------------------------- [#B12] Frequently Asked Questions ----------------------------- [#Y] Credits / Disclaimer / Legal Information --------------- [#Z] ---------------------------- [#A00] = Game Information = ---------------------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #A01 - Story: As the only surviving members of an Elite Special Forces unit, it is up to you to find the secret underground lab. Go the mission alone or fight side- by-side with your fellow comrade. More than ever your military training, weapons handling, and quick mobility will be the deciding factor in this do or die mission. Reveal the truth about the classified weapons program! Ending (Spoilers): Triumph! You have destroyed the Rogue Cyborg - the classified secret weapons program that went haywire. Our citizens are safe once again. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #A02 - Controls: x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Move | Left Analog Stick or D-pad | x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Aim and Fire | Right Analog Stick | x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Grenade | Right Trigger | x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Nuke | Left Trigger | x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Coop Attack | X button | x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Show Boss Weakness | A button | x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Cycle Weapons | Left and Right Bumpers | x-----------------------x----------------------------x | Menu Screen / Pause | Start | x-----------------------x----------------------------x -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #A03 - Vehicles: x-------------x | PLA MK1 4x4 | x-------------x Official Info: The Punkasso MK1 is a fast all terrain vehicle armed with a powerful machine gun. Comments: You'll be driving this set of wheels for the majority of the game. If this vehicle blows up, you'll be forced to go on foot for a period of time. x---------------------x | PLA Speed Boat GRV1 | x---------------------x Official Info: It's the aquatic version of the MK1 4x4. It is a very fast and maneuverable speed boat. Comments: A bit tougher to control than the MK1, you'll be controlling this vehicle on the 3rd Zone. If this vehicle blows up, you'll be forced to drive a cool jet ski for a period of time. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #A04 - Power-Ups: <----------------> | Weapon Upgrade | <----------------> Official Info: Two upgrades available for each weapon. Increases damage and adds special abilities. Comments: You'll want to pick these up as soon as possible most of the time. Weapon upgrades significantly increase the powerful of all your weapons. <--------> | Shield | <--------> Official Info: Creates an impenetrable shield around the player. Useful for earning the Road Kill combo. Comments: Essentially invulnerability. I guess you can attempt to get the road kill combo from it, but you don't see these pickups enough to really make much use out of it. <-----> | 1UP | <-----> Official Info: Extra Life! Comments: You'll find one at the end of each Underground Zone. <------> | Star | <------> Official Info: Increases your score by 1000, 2000, or 3000. Comments: The amount of points you obtain depends on the color. Yellow stars give 1000, Orange stars give 2000, and Red stars give 3000. <-----------------> | Health / Repair | <-----------------> Official Info: Heals all damage either on foot or in vehicle. Comments: Heals you up to full health instantly. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #A05 - Weapons: o-----------------------o | Weapon Rotation Order | o-----------------------o RB: Right Bumper LB: Left Bumper Minigun / \ LB / \ RB / \ / \ Flamethrower <-------------> Flak Cannon Flak Cannon / \ LB / \ RB / \ / \ Minigun <-------------> Flamethrower Flamethrower / \ LB / \ RB / \ / \ Flak Cannon <-------------> Minigun o---------o | Minigun | o---------o Official Info: Your default weapon, the minigun is the most balanced of all weapons. It Has a long range, inflicts moderate damage, and has a good rate of fire. Comments: Probably the gun you'll be using the most throughout the game, as it's the easiest weapon to score combo multipliers with, and shreds through weak enemies like no tomorrow. Don't bother using this against any armored enemies or bosses unless you want to boost your accuracy score for the achievement. I often try to score any other multiplier any then quickly swap back to the minigun to nab the combo multiplier. o--------------o | Flamethrower | o--------------o Official Info: The flamethrower is ideal for taking out swarms of smaller units. It has good damage but has the worst range. Enemies hit with the flamethrower take damage over time. Comments: At first glance, the flamethrower seems to be fairly useless. It forms a strange arc when you move, for some reason it doesn't kill infantry instantly, it's hard to score combo multipliers with, it will overheat if fired constantly, and it has the lowest range of the 3 weapons. With careful use however, the flamethrower is actually the best weapon in the game, and dare I say it, is also broken. Though the un-upgraded flamethrower remains relatively weak, it is the upgraded flamethrower that is the most powerful. When upgraded, you can tap the right analog to spam powerful homing pellets. I don't think it was the intention of developers to allow this, because with some practice you can even manage to keep the flame going as you also spam the pellets. The crab boss will go down before even putting up much of a fight, and those any enemies that might have been hard to kill otherwise become ridiculously easy targets. The only downside of this is that you do not score combo multipliers from it. o-------------o | Flak Cannon | o-------------o Official Info: This weapon fires heavy long-range shells. A direct impact from the cannon does high damage, but it has the slowest firing rate. Comments: The Flak Cannon plays a solid role in the game, and is essentially the weapon you'll be using against any more heavily armored units if your flamethrower isn't fully upgraded. Its full screen range is also important in certain situations such as one part of the Train boss in Zone 4. This weapon is also easier to score combo multipliers with than the flamethrower, so expect to be using this one more than necessary if you're interested in your score. o----------o | Grenades | o----------o Official Info: Grenades are ideal for taking out enemies that hide behind mortar trenches and other barriers that your main weapon cannot penetrate. Grenades explode on impact or on contact with the ground. Comments: Grenades are particularly useful when you aren't in your vehicle, and make quick work of any armored units. Spamming grenades annihilate any boss in a matter of seconds, and remember that your counter resets every time you enter a new zone, so don't bother saving them up in between zones. Note that grenade kills seem to only score half of your combo multiplier, but are still useful against regular enemies for obtaining the Bunker Buster multiplier. o------o | Nuke | o------o Official Info: A super weapon that causes massive destruction. The nuke can only be used once per pickup. When you activate the nuke a wall of fire erupts from the 4x4 destroying both enemies and scenery. Comments: Nukes are essentially lifesavers when you're clearing underground zones, and have also particularly good use on the last area of the game where you're hurrying to the top. They have a good radius and deliver solid damage against bosses as well. If you have too many of them, Nukes are also good for scoring the Bunker Buster multiplier. o----------o | Missiles | o----------o Official Info: Seeking heavy damage, useful to eliminate airborne enemies. Comments: The effect of this pickup usually ends up being quite unnoticeable. The missile doesn't fly very fast, and you'll often end up killing the enemy before the missile even hits. Just about its only use is when your other weapons aren't upgraded. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #A06 - Combo Multipliers: 1) It requires 4 kills to initiate all combos except Berserk. 2) Berserk requires 5 kills. x---------x | SMOKIN' | x---------x Official Info: Kill multiple enemies in a short time with the flamethrower. x---------x | TOP GUN | x---------x Official Info: Kill multiple enemies in a short time with the minigun. x---------------x | CANNON FODDER | x---------------x Official Info: Kill multiple enemies in a short time with the flak cannon. x---------x | BERSERK | x---------x Official Info: Kill a series of enemies without being hit. x-----------x | ROAD KILL | x-----------x Official Info: Run over a series of enemy soldiers. x---------------x | BUNKER BUSTER | x---------------x Official Info: Kill multiple enemies with a grenade or nuke. x--------------x | COMBO MASTER | x--------------x Official Info: Earn three different combos in a short time. ------------------------------ [#B00] = Achievements Guide = ------------------------------ Notes about all Achievements: 1) Achievements only unlock once you FINISH the zone you're in. 2) Achievements can be obtained on ANY difficulty and during COOPERATIVE play. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B01 - Annihilator Gamer Points: 10 How to Unlock: Kill more than 85% of the total enemies in a zone. This is a very easy achievement to obtain by just playing through and clearing the first zone. Try not to let enemies get by you, and clear the underground zone. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B02 - Assault Hero Gamer Points: 30 How to Unlock: Complete the game. Not much to say here. Just beat the game on any difficulty. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B03 - Exterminator Gamer Points: 10 How to Unlock: Defeat the giant spider. The giant spider is the first mini-boss you'll face in the game. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B04 - Lair Slayer Gamer Points: 10 How to Unlock: Complete all underground zones. This is the most difficult achievement in the game. You must clear the 4 underground zones in the same game; so don't bother trying to clear them in any random order, and level warping around. Die in any of the underground zones, and you unfortunately must restart from the beginning. Losing all your lives and restarting from the previous checkpoint DOES NOT work. The achievement will unlock at the end of zone 4 (train boss) if you've done everything correctly. Remember that you can also do this in COOPERATIVE play if you find that easier. Go slowly in these underground zones, and try to save up those grenades and nukes for these places. Use grenades against the more heavily armored enemies, and turrets. When crossing the red lasers, keep an eye that it isn't flashing, as the delay between shots can be tricky. Beware of the hovering enemy that explodes with blue electricity on the last underground zone. Either toss grenades in front of it, or use a nuke to take it out. Also beware of enemies that sometimes get stuck in front of entrances, so take your time and shoot them from afar before proceeding through. Finally, remember that you can always stay back and take a breather to restore your health. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B05 - Peace Maker Gamer Points: 20 How to Unlock: Finish a zone killing less than 50% of the enemies. This is another of the more tricky to obtain achievements. You DO NOT have to play through the ENTIRE zone and can start in any area you like. You just have to FINISH the zone. I managed to pick up this achievement on The Sea level where you're on the Speed Boat, as there are lots of enemies that can be easily avoided. You Can skip the Underground zone as well. Another simple method is to just start at Area 4 and attempt to complete Zone 1 killing as little as possible from that point. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B06 - Sharp Shooter Gamer Points: 10 How to Unlock: Don't waste more than 30% of your bullets. When they mean don't waste more than 30%, that means you must get an accuracy of 70% or higher (it's astounding how some people don't understand this). The easiest method is in COOPERATIVE play, and shoot at something to get 100% accuracy and then let your partner kill everything else. Now, if you're going to do this alone, I recommend either using an UPGRADED flamethrower or the Flak Cannon and shoot at as little as possible for this achievement. Remember that by tapping the right analog with the Upgraded Flamethrower, it shoots homing pellets, which should increase your accuracy if done properly. Lastly, you can also exit your vehicle and fire on foot at something that has lots of health (buildings, etc.) to greatly boost your accuracy. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B07 - Small Arms Expert Gamer Points: 20 How to Unlock: Finish a zone without using grenades or nukes. This is a simple achievement that anyone can easily obtain by playing Through the first zone on EASY difficulty. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B08 - Speed Freak Gamer Points: 20 How to Unlock: Finish a zone in less than 15 minutes. This is a simple achievement that anyone can easily obtain by playing through the first zone on EASY difficulty. Avoid the underground zone to save time. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B09 - Survivor Gamer Points: 20 How to Unlock: Finish a zone killing 60% of the units on foot. The exact details on this achievement are sketchy, as procedures that might work for some people might not work for others. Attempting to get this achievement by going through Zone 1 is what most people attempt at first, but even if you think you killed over 60%, the achievement doesn't always unlock. The same occurs when attempting to obtain it in COOPERATIVE mode. I managed to obtain the achievement by playing through the second zone, since there are plenty of grenades to pick up and lots of infantry that can be easily killed. You MUST go through the Underground Zone. Many people have also reported having great success by just playing the last area of the game (the timed one). -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B10 - Tricked Out Gamer Points: 20 How to Unlock: Max out all of the vehicle power-ups. This is a simple achievement that anyone can easily obtain by playing through the first zone on EASY difficulty. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B11 - Twin Medal Gamer Points: 20 How to Unlock: Finish a zone in Co-op mode. You can obtain this achievement in either online or offline COOPERATIVE play. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- #B12 - Unstoppable Gamer Points: 10 How to Unlock: Finish a zone without losing a life. This is a simple achievement that anyone can easily obtain by playing through the first zone on EASY difficulty. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------------ [#Y] = Frequently Asked Questions = ------------------------------------ Q: How long is this game? A: There are 5 Zones and 17 Areas in the game. The first 4 Zones each have an Underground Zone, which acts like a Bonus Level. From beginning to end, the game lasts around an hour and a half. Q: How is the online play? A: The online play is hit or miss. Some people have reported success, while others get stuck on the loading screen. The online population is barren; so expect to only play with people on your friends list. Q: Is it worth the money? A: That depends. These kinds of games are all about replaying it over and over and mastering every inch of it. The achievements are fun to unlock, and constantly trying to score better is fun as well. Try the demo first, and remember that this game is still just 800 points and a fraction of the cost of most full retail games. Q: Help! I can't beat . A: Press A to see its weak point. Q: Is there cooperative play? A: Yes, both online and offline coop. -------------------------------------------------- [#Z] = Credits / Disclaimer / Legal Information = -------------------------------------------------- Special Thanks: - Many members on the GameFAQs message board: subcons, Morpheus_100, eastman, xThe_Ska_Boss, KMFDManic, and any others who may have posted useful information. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Copyright 2006 by PoP_PiP