Can Level 3 on Sinistar actually be completed?

[ianoid]

I have no trouble getting to Level 2 on Sinistar, and on a good day, I can get past the second Sinistar, but level 3?

Is this game just impossible?

Is the goal NOT to pass let Sinistars get builts and to just spend your time killing drones and tanks?

Is there a strategy guide that talks about Sinistar out there?

[autobotracing]

I cant ever beat level 2 x_x

I found this 4 you.

Since there are only two things that can kill you - Sinistar and the
Warriors - survival is just a matter of avoiding the two. Dealing with
the Warriors is a matter of not letting them get you in their sights.
Try to circle around them, then face them and fire. If you look
closely, you will see that the Warrior's gun only turns so fast. If you
suddenly realize you are aligned with one, MOVE! Avoiding the Sinistar
is simply a matter of keeping track of where it is. Once it is built,
take a quick glance at the radar when there are no Warriors on screen.
The Sinistar is the big yellow dot, and stands out plainly. As you
look, try and pick out some nearby purple dots (Warriors) if you can -
I'm positive the Warrior dots were made dark on purpose. But anyways,
what you do with the Sinistar depends upon whether or not you have
enough Sinibombs to put him away. If you don't, head in the opposite
direction he is and start mining the nearest planetoid. If you do, head
towards him - yes, towards him - until he approaches the edge of the
screen, then head away. The idea is to get him to follow you. Once he
does, dump your load of Sinibombs on him. Voila.

At the start of a level, your main concern should be getting as many
Sinibombs as you can. Chase and destroy Workers that steal the crystals
you are mining, then take the crystal they were carting off. The size
of the planetoid has no bearing on the number of mines it produces, so
don't have reservations about attacking the smaller ones

[ianoid]

I HUNGER COWARD!

Those are basic strategy points. I'm hoping for something from the GODs of Sinistar.

Am I missing something about this game?

[zmweasel]

I HUNGER COWARD!

Those are basic strategy points. I'm hoping for something from the GODs of Sinistar.

Am I missing something about this game?

Nope. It's just absurdly difficult, as RJ Mical admits in his Midway Arcade Treasures video interview. I'd love to play the better-balanced version he mentions....

-- Z.

[NE146]

It is kind of worth noting that in most ports/emu'd versions you are slightly handicapped in that you can only point in 8 directions as opposed to the original 49. Although I don't know if Mame or some of the home ports take advantage of analog sticks for it.

But then again, I've always said that in my opinion, unlike Defender or Robotron, Sinistar is 'unmasterable'. :P So maybe it wouldn't make that much of a difference.

[ianoid]

It is kind of worth noting that in most ports/emu'd versions you are slightly handicapped in that you can only point in 8 directions as opposed to the original 49. Although I don't know if Mame or some of the home ports take advantage of analog sticks for it.

But then again, I've always said that in my opinion, unlike Defender or Robotron, Sinistar is 'unmasterable'. :P So maybe it wouldn't make that much of a difference.

I think it should make a difference. Why can't this be emulated with the PS2 analog stick? I think that's why I always feel so inept in emulation with this game. Mmmmm. 49 directions.

[Mayhem]

49 directions = centre plus 6 gradients in the 8 main joystick directions.

[Sylentwulf]

I know in mame I can play with the trackball or spinner, which, I would GUESS gives all 49 directions (feels like 360 to me, but since the game wasn't programmed that way, it probably isn't)

[Graham Mitchell]

In response to the original question, did you know about the trick for getting massive amounts of lives?

In a nutshell: When you are on your last ship, try to arrange it (it's fucking impossible, so you just need to get lucky) so that there are a whole bunch of warriors on the screen, and let sinistar eat you. If a warrior's bullet hits you, blam; that's your last life. But when sinistar bites down, you'll lose a second life, which puts you at -1. The computer interpreets this as 254 or something, and you'll have so many lives you can take a bathroom break while letting the thing kill you over and over, come back, and STILL have a hundred lives left over.

Though I've read and heard about this trick, I've never been able to pull it off; but I know it exists, there are people around here who probably have done it.

[98PaceCar]

I'm far from a master, but I have beaten level 3 a handful of times. What I try to do on levels 1 and 2 is continue to mine crystals while I'm fighting the Sinistar. Fly away from him, mine a crystal or two in the time it takes to get up to you, drop a couple bombs and run. Repeat as necessay! That way, I can get back to a full load quicker at the start of the next level which allows me the luxury of hunting the warriors instead of worring about having enough bombs to kill the Sinistar.

I think if you were only going after a high score, I'd just mine bombs around the place where they are building the Sinistar and never let them complete him. Seems like you could rack up points for a lot longer than playing it the proper way.

[scooterb23]

Wait...



There's a level 2 to Sinistar????

[o2william]

I used to have access to a real Sinistar cab on free play, so I can verify that the game is much easier with the 49-directional controls (or however many directions there are). It's still crazy difficult, but I was able to get through about level 6, I think. But that was on a good day.

That was years ago, so let me try to recall my strategies... as I remember, it's mainly a matter of mining as fast as humanly possible. Find a large planetoid and mine it while watching the sides of the screen. Kill warriors as soon as they appear. Mine in a patch of planetoids if possible because the warriors won't be able to get a clear shot at you, so use the radar to find a planetoid patch immediately when you start a new level. Don't overmine a planetoid because it'll blow up, and you don't want to lose the cover. Mine one for a while, then switch to another.

When you're ready to fight Sinistar, release one bomb. It'll head right toward him. You can follow it to find him quickly, and it's more accurate than the radar. This is important, because otherwise he'll find you.

Conserve your Sinibombs. It's no use dumping your entire payload on one Sinistar, so fly away from him and bomb in a steady stream.

Unfortunately for me, after being used to the real controls, I can't even play the game in other forms.

[Arcade Antics]

In response to the original question, did you know about the trick for getting massive amounts of lives?

In a nutshell: When you are on your last ship, try to arrange it (it's fucking impossible, so you just need to get lucky) so that there are a whole bunch of warriors on the screen, and let sinistar eat you. If a warrior's bullet hits you, blam; that's your last life. But when sinistar bites down, you'll lose a second life, which puts you at -1. The computer interpreets this as 254 or something, and you'll have so many lives you can take a bathroom break while letting the thing kill you over and over, come back, and STILL have a hundred lives left over.

Though I've read and heard about this trick, I've never been able to pull it off; but I know it exists, there are people around here who probably have done it.

I've done it.

As for the game, yes. It is just extremely difficult. Moreso without the aforementioned 49-way stick. On a good day I can get to level 4.

[Queen Of The Felines]

Doesn't the Gamecube version of Midway Arcade Treasures have the 49-direction capability? Something's ringing a bell with that.

Kristine

[Jorpho]

Isn't Level 4 the really unpleasant one that is mostly empty?

[bargora]

Isn't Level 4 the really unpleasant one that is mostly empty?

Ah, the "Void Zone".

The only reason I saw that one (and however far I got afterward) was because I went into the settings on the PS1 version and granted myself 99 ships.

Doesn't the Gamecube version of Midway Arcade Treasures have the 49-direction capability? Something's ringing a bell with that.

Kristine

If true, then you have caused me to say to myself for the first time "Holy Shit I Gotta Get a Gamecube".

[kainemaxwell]

In response to the original question, did you know about the trick for getting massive amounts of lives?

In a nutshell: When you are on your last ship, try to arrange it (it's fucking impossible, so you just need to get lucky) so that there are a whole bunch of warriors on the screen, and let sinistar eat you. If a warrior's bullet hits you, blam; that's your last life. But when sinistar bites down, you'll lose a second life, which puts you at -1. The computer interpreets this as 254 or something, and you'll have so many lives you can take a bathroom break while letting the thing kill you over and over, come back, and STILL have a hundred lives left over.

Though I've read and heard about this trick, I've never been able to pull it off; but I know it exists, there are people around here who probably have done it.

Anyone know if there's a video of this trick in action?

[Iron Draggon]

OMG, you mean that game has levels? I can get past the first stage, but I don't remember ever getting past the second stage. All those tanks always blow me up. So I can only destroy the Sinistar once. Yeah, I really SUCK!

[ianoid]

Wait...



There's a level 2 to Sinistar????

I don't say this much, but !