WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL BOY FAQ! BY Al BACKIEL & KEITA IIDA Everything you wanted to know about the Virtual Boy, but were afraid to ask. Latest Revision : 09/20/2000 Table of Contents : I. Nintendo Virtual Boy Game Paks (releases) II. The Rumor Mill (planned) III. Frequent Asked Questions (& Answers) IV. Bibliography (VB literature) V. Easter Eggs (hidden stuff) VI. Levels & Objects (3-D Tetris) VII. Passwords (cheats) VIII. How to play Japan Only Titles (translations) IX. Peripherals (& accessories) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. NINTENDO VIRTUAL BOY GAME PAKS title version mfgr comments 3-D TETRIS USA Nintendo 3-Dimensional Tetris GALACTIC PINBALL JAPAN Nintendo Pinball collection GALACTIC PINBALL USA Nintendo Pinball collection GOLF USA Nintendo same as T&E Virtual Golf INSMOUSE JAPAN I'Max Doom-style game aka Insmouse ...House/Hotel/...No Yakata JACK BROS. JAPAN Atlus Platformer aka Devil Busters 3rd char. is Jack Ripper JACK BROS. USA Atlus Platformer aka Devil Busters 3rd char. is Jack Skelton MARIO CLASH JAPAN Nintendo Based on orig. Mario Bros. MARIO CLASH USA Nintendo Based on orig. Mario Bros. MARIO'S TENNIS JAPAN Nintendo aka Mario's Dream Tennis MARIO'S TENNIS USA Nintendo aka Mario's Dream Tennis NESTER'S FUNKY BOWLING USA Nintendo diff. from Virtual Bowling PANIC BOMBER JAPAN Hudson Soft Bomberman puzzle game aka Jump Panibomber PANIC BOMBER USA Nintendo Bomberman puzzle game RED ALARM JAPAN T&E Soft Vector-like graphics RED ALARM USA Nintendo Vector-like graphics SD GUNDAM DIMENSION WAR JAPAN Bandai Space game aka SD Gundam SPACE INVADERS JAPAN Taito by original mfgr. of game VIRTUAL COLLECTION SPACE SQUASH JAPAN Coconuts Squash T&E VIRTUAL GOLF JAPAN T&E Soft same as Golf TELEROBOXER JAPAN Nintendo Robot boxing game TELEROBOXER USA Nintendo Robot boxing game V TETRIS JAPAN Bullet Proof Straight version of Tetris VERTICAL FORCE JAPAN Hudson Soft Space game w/power-ups(hard) VERTICAL FORCE USA Nintendo Space game w/power-ups(easy) VIRTUAL BOWLING JAPAN Athena diff. from NF Bowling VIRTUAL BOY WARIO LAND JAPAN Nintendo aka Wario Land VIRTUAL BOY WARIO LAND USA Nintendo aka Wario land VIRTUAL FISHING JAPAN Pack In Video Fishing game VIRTUAL LAB JAPAN J-Wing Puzzler VIRTUAL LEAGUE Different characters but BASEBALL USA Kemco same as VP Baseball '95 VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL Different characters but BASEBALL '95 JAPAN Nintendo same as VL Baseball WATERWORLD USA Ocean Based on the movie totals: 33 labels released....as....22 different games. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. THE RUMOR MILL - GAMES THAT WERE IN DEVELOPMENT & MAY EXIST IN SOME FORM title version mfgr comments BOUND HIGH JAPAN/ Japan System Puzzler. Like Bubble Bobble? USA Supply Was due Summer'96, Fall'96 ref:NP #81-86 (screen shots) Demo at Shoshinkai & E3 DRAGON HOPPER JAPAN/ Nintendo Platformer. Like Kangaroo? USA aka Jump Dragon. Was due Summer'96, Fall'96 ref:NP #83-86 (screen shots) Demo shown at E3 G-ZERO JAPAN/ Nintendo Similar to F-Zero. aka Zero USA Racers. Was due Fall '96 ref: NP #86 (screen shots) GOLDENEYE JAPAN/ Nintendo Based on a James Bond movie. USA ref:Nintendo store brochure #NESM128 (screen shot) MIGHTY MORPHIN JAPAN/ Nintendo Based on kid show. Dropped? POWER RANGERS USA Was due Fall'95, Winter'96 ref:NP #78/79 POLYGO BLOCK JAPAN/ T&E Soft ???? USA Shown at Shoshinkai VIRTUAL BOMBERMAN JAPAN/ Hudson Soft May have become USA Panic Bomberman VIRTUAL MAHJONG JAPAN/ VAP aka MAH JONG-classic game USA Shown at Shoshinkai WARIO CRUISE JAPAN/ Nintendo May be VB Wario Land. Hard USA to tell, screen shot looks different. Ref: Nintendo store brochure #NESM128 Totals: 9 more games rumored to exist....all should exist as prototypes. Bound High and Dragon Hopper were close to release. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q. What exactly is Virtual Boy? A. Virtual Boy is a 3-dimensional, cartridge-based, stand-alone, immersive, video game system. It has a 32-bit RISC chip that uses (2) high-res LED displays, (2) oscillating mirrors and (2) focusing lenses which when picked up by both eyes simultaneously produces a 3-D effect. A parallax effect is achieved by moving the two images closer or farther apart. To put it simply, it's like magic, it's done with mirrors. Q. But, is it really Virtual Reality? A. No, not in the strictest sense. Virtual Reality is a total interactive experience. If you move your head left or right, you should see a continuous view of another direction. In fact your virtual world should stretch in any direction. You should be able to see your hands or feet on-screen if you look at them. Virtual Boy only provides an impersonal, dead ahead view. Q. What's with the red screen? A. Nintendo has never really explained their rationale behind this. The best educated guess is that a color monitor was too cost prohibitive. A so-called "monochrome" display was the answer. But, black and green was done before on the Game Boy. Been there, done that. Besides the display wasn't that crisp and clear and was prone to blurriness at high speed. Red and black has a lot sharper contrast. Actually there are 4 shades of red used. It's as close to color as you get while being essentually "black and white". Here are some more reasons why - courtesy of Steve Behling: 1) A red/black screen uses a (L)ight (E)mitting (D)isplay and shows up in darkness. It also has a sharper contrast. A green/black screen uses a (L)iquid (C)rystal (D)isplay and would have required backlighting. 2) Red LED's are cheaper and easier to manufacture. 3) It is easier on the eyes, because it is a low-frequency and low-energy wavelength. 4) A full-color, mirror-scanning LED was cost prohibitive in '95 and would have required three displays and caused timing and/or intensity issues. Q. Why is it on a stand? A. I'm sure the original concept was for a head band to form a helmet apparatus. Then the so-called "portability" aspect killed that. Crazy kids are apt to walk in traffic with a helmet blocking their view. It's bad enough with a Walkman, you become oblivious to the outside world. It looks like those two rubber ornaments on the side of the goggles are the vestigial remains of where the straps would have been attached. Q. When was the Virtual Boy born? A. It was unveiled on Nov.15,1994 at the Shoshinkai Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. This is Nintendo's own trade show to line up retailers, wholesalers and interested third parties. It was released in Japan several months later. It was released in the USA in August of 1995. Its original code designation was the VR-32. Q. What are the specs on the VB? A. Processor: 32-bit RISC CPU Speed: 20 MHZ Display: RTI dual mirror-scan, high-res LED displays Resolution: 384 x 224 pixels for each eye Software: 8 or 16 megabit Rom game paks Sound: Digital stereo sound Controller: Double-grip with two directional control buttons Power: Six AA batteries or AC adapter or rechargeable battery 2-Player: Playlink cable (connects 2 virtual boys) (not released) Measurements: 14"H (with stand) x 10"W (head unit) x 7"D (with eyepiece) Weight: 5 lbs (all: unit, stand, controller, AC adapter) Orig.Price: $207 (Japan), $179 (US) Q. Who's created the VB? Whose idea was it? A. The technology behind the VB was developed at Reflection Technology INC. of Waltham, Mass. They own the patents on the LED display. There was an unofficial race to come up with a VR system for the home. There were several prior attempts. Most involved putting a small game screen monitor directly in front of the viewer. Atari planned to release a VR helmet for the Jaguar, but it never made it past the prototype stage. The "father" of the Virtual Boy was Gumpei Yokoi, the chief engineer of one of Nintendo's R & D teams. Mr. Yokoi was the genius who came up with the Game Boy, one of Nintendo's biggest successes. He also worked with Shigeru Miyamoto on the Donkey Kong coin-op. Q. When did the VB die? A. It sort of died a quiet death. Blockbuster Video eventually sold off their rental units for $30 and their games for $10 each. Toys 'r' Us discounted new systems down to $25 and games to $10-15 in early 1996. The store stock lasted about another 6 months. Nintendo Power dropped listing upcoming titles in the Nov '95 issue. Q. Why did it die? A. It started off as an expensive system. A. It wasn't in color. A. Third party support was minimal. A. People were either mystified or turned off by the red screen. A. It was a one-player game system only. Even 2-player swapping wasn't feasible. A linking cable to hook up 2 VB's may or may not exist. A. The press hated it and predicted a quick demise. A. No audience was possible. The player could not share the experience. A. Any of the above or combinations of the above. Q. What was Nintendo's arrangement with Blockbuster Video? A. Nintendo needed some way to promote the VB. Since it was in 3-D, it had to be seen to be appreciated. The regular advertising outlets were not able to convey the experience. Nintendo was hoping that renting out the system and the games would help to sell the whole system. The deal was that for $9.99 you got the use of the VB and 2 games for 2 nights plus a $10 coupon towards the purchase of a VB unit. You also got a chance in the NBC sweepstakes promo. Q. How do the two adjustments work? A. The knob adjusts the Inter Pupil Distance(how far the eyes are set apart). Turn until you can see a square in each corner. The sliding adjustment is for the focus. Turn until picture is perfectly clear. Q. What peripherals were available? A. There was the all-important AC adapter. It's the same one as for the SNES. A plastic carrying case with molded foam compartments was available from Blockbuster Video when they sold out their stock. A game link to link up 2 VB's was announced, but so far its existence is unknown. A stereo headset was available in Japan. A soft carrying case was sold at Wal-mart. See: Peripherals & Accessories Q. Can I screw up my eyesight by playing VB? It's like with anything else. If done in moderation, there shouldn't be a problem. Nintendo does not recommend it at all for children under the age of 7. They also do not recommend playing for than 30 min. at a clip without taking a break. Hey! if you stare directly at the sun you'll burn out your corneas. Q. What happened to Gumpei Yokoi as a result of the failure of VB? A. He left Nintendo or more likely was forced after after the VB did not sell as well as anticipated. He started his own development company. All this ended abruptly when he was killed in a car accident. It seems that he was with another companion in a car that rear-ended another vehicle. They got out of the car to inspect the damage when they were struck by a third vehicle. Q. How does it compare to previous 3-D game systems? A. It beats Vectrex in total games and quality. Vectrex used goggles with a a rotating, color wheel which showed ghost images a lot of times. It beats TOMY 3-D. Tomy closely looked somewhat like a kids 3D pop-up book. Very litle background detail. Sega had what looked like a pair of hip-looking sun glasses which were connected via card port. A shutter mechanism in each lens was in sync with the on screen action. Similar to the Vectrex. From what I've seen so far, it looked pretty good. I cant't comment on Nintendo's Japanese 3-D system since they're rarer than hen's teeth. It defintely beats the NES 3-D games. Rad Racer was too dark with the 2 color glasses even when it was daylight. Orb 3-D was dizzying. 3-D World Runner came out the best, but wasn't too spectacular. Q. Are the US and Japanese versions of the same game alike? A. Most are alike except for the obvious language differences in text. The packaging is similar in most of the cases. Jack Bros. (Japan) has Jack Ripper as the third character. The manual is done in portrait format. Jack Bros. (US) has Jack Skelton as the third character. The manual is done in the usual landscape format. Virtual Force (Japan) is supposedly more difficult than the (US) version. Nester's Funky Bowling & Virtual Bowling are different. Virtual Bowling is a more serious game than Nester. Besides the name change the baseball games have different looking players and password systems. The box for T&E Golf (Japan) has a 3-D stereogram. One of those computer generated pictures where you have to let your eyes go slightly out of focus to see. No hidden picture, just layers of trees. Q. What do you think of the VB as an investment? A. It looks like a blue chip investment. It should achieve cult status if it hasn't already. It should become the next "VECTREX". A stand-alone system with a small diverse quality library that had a very short life span. Already some of the rarer Japan only games are selling for many times over their original cost. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. VB BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. VIRTUAL BOY TSUSHIN (magazine)(1995- 96 pgs.-Japanese text).Special issue -contains Gumpei Yokoi interview. Released prior to Japan launch. 2. VIRTUAL BOY GUIDE BOOK (booklet) (1997- 24 pgs. - Japanese text). One-shot release. 3. NINTENDO POWER # 75 (magazine) (Aug'95 - 116 pgs. - English text). Special 3-D issue of NP with 3-D glasses & trading cards enclosed. Emphasis on VB introduction. 4. VIRTUAL BOY (owner's manual) (1995- 24 pgs. English text). Pack-in with system. VUE-USA) (Japanese and other language editions are available). 5. VIRTUAL BOY CONSUMER INFORMATION & PRECAUTIONS BOOKLET (brochure) (1995 fold-out - English/Spanish/French) or (the all-Japanese version). Pack-in idiot warnings! e.g. Do not spill liquids on the console. Do not expose to direct sunlight, etc. (VUE-USA/CAN) or (D-VUE-JPN-1) 6. VIRTUAL BOY (brochure) (1995 - 5 pages - English text). Store giveaway to promote the system. Contains screen shots of current games and some that were never released like Goldeneye. (Part #322787 Item #NESM128) 7. VIRTUAL BOY (brochure) (1995 - fold-out - English text) Mall Tour 1995 promo item. Dated with mall and schedule. Various. No catalog #. 8. GAME INFORMER (magazine) (Aug'95 - 4 pgs. on VB ) Re: VB intro. 9. VIRTUAL BOY TRADING CARDS (an insert to #3 above) 12 pre-punched cards each depicting a different game or the system itself. Game tips on back. 10.VIRTUAL BOY ACCESSORIES (one-page pack-in with Japanese Vb system. 1&2 can be viewed at http://www2.gol.com/users/geopal/vb000.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. VB Easter Eggs 1. RED ALARM - Lots of hidden stuff here! STAGE 1: A) Hidden doll house - When in the room with the small figures, destroy all aggressive enemies. Stop then turn around towards the entrance of the room. Fly slowly along the wall to your right and shoot the lower right corner of the wall near the door, a little house will appear, complete with stick people and furniture! (NP#82) B) Virtual Boy System/controller - Fly through the stage until you enter the first room with large pillars in it, Shoot at the base of the walls just before the exit to find a wire-frame VB. A VB controller can be found on the opposite side. (NP#81) C) Ultra Hand - This is a simulation of Nintendo's first toy. An accordian type extension arm that picks up objects. Found by shooting one of the "wall pictures" in the pillar room. D) Bowwow Bonus - Looks like a medal of a dog's head. Found in the top right corner of the pillar room entrance. Probably triggered by C) above. STAGE 2: E) Mother kangaroo and babies - Fly forward then turn around and see the kangaroos. If You kill the mother, the babies will fire back at you. (Thanks to Jason Mazure) f) Girl in a bikini - Before you fly through the chomping mouth, slow down and shoot at the wall (next to the waterfall) to the right of it, towards the ground. (Thanks to Jason Mazure) (hinted at in NP#81) 2. TELEROBOXER - Practice Punches (Can be thrown during intro sequence using left and right triggers). (NP#83) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CAUTION - LOOK NO FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE PASSWORDS FOR HIGHER LEVELS. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. Levels/Objects 1. 3-D TETRIS (Puzzle Mode) You must solve in order, There is no skip level. 1) Formula-1 Racer 6) Horse 11) Dinosaur 16) Bulldozer 2) Snake 7) Penguin 12) Ostrich 17) Rocket 3) Sun Glasses 8) Dog 13) Swan 18) Gorilla 4) Airplane 9) Train 14) Helicopter 19) Elephant 5) Sea Lion 10) Toadie 15) Truck 20) Chair ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. Passwords 1. GOLF: Enter "Hacker" as your player and the ball will travel farther. 2. INSMOUSE: Completing a maze quickly results in a higher or a lateral move to the next column/level. A slower completion time results in a lower move to the next column/level. The exceptions are: the first, and next-to-last column (top & bottom) each having a single exit. Ending A is probably the correct one. ending GOAL-ROCK WING-CAKE \ \ BODY-BOOK \ FISH-FOOL A AQUA-WILD \ HAND-EROS \ HYDE LOVE-ARCH \ JAZZ-GAME \ BONE-ALPS\ B ROPE-ROAD \ DOOR-HIGH \ ADAM-WOOD \ EDEN IRON-CAFE \ WINE-BALL \ WEAR-BABY/ C RUBY-URAN \ TANK-WALK \ DARK MEAT-GUTS \ RAIN-INCA D MASK-WAVE \ / SNOW-FAKE The following mazes are depicted in the physical shape suggested by their passwords: BODY, BALL (sort of ), HAND, MASK, EROS (face?), WOOD (tree), FISH, BONE (skull). 3. JACK BROS: Stages (NP#89) Jack Frost Jack O'Lantern Jack Skelton Grim Reaper's Cavern 3267 4965 0248 Temple Of Nightmare 8453 5923 2745 Dragon's Belly 1309 0919 9537 Mecha Fortress 7285 2817 3598 Crystal Palace 6313 0531 4. PANIC BOMBER: Regular stages (NP#85/89) Sinister Forest= 2695 / 6835 / 4390 Desert of Desolation= 1038 / 9081 / 3281 Doom Castle= 6934 / 2473 / 5607 Bosses Only Stages= 1298 5. VIRTUAL LAB: This game gives out passwords after each level. The only problem is that there doesn't seem to be any way to input them??? This function looks like it was never completed, rendering the passwords useless. Will accept any comments on this.. Level 1 - no password Level 2 - 0032224 6. VIRTUAL LEAGUE BASEBALL: National Team vs. Miracle Team. (select/pennant) USA: 0 club club43 (7-0) or: 0! Club 43 (5-0) Cuba: 2 club 414 (7-0) or: 28414 (4-0) Singapore: ! club 403 (7-0) Australia: ? club 083 (7-0) or: ?8083 (4-0) France: spade club 882 (7-0) Germany: club club 281 (7-0) UK: diamond club ! spade 1 (7-0) or: diamond !! spade 1 (5-0) JAPAN: 6 club 804 (7-0) (NP#78/79) National Team vs. Galaxy Team. (select/pennant) Canada: 10 diamond 03 Japan: 60904 Taiwan: 70?43 Germany; club 0302 Italy: 01102 ** WANTED JAPANESE VPB'95 PASSWORDS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII. HOW TO PLAY JAPANESE ONLY TITLES ** Note These are not direct translations, but interpretations based on game play experience. 1. INSMOUSE: The object is to find the key, and get to the exit in less than 2 minutes. If you do, you move to the next level. Each level is a more intricate maze of hallways. At each level, you must avoid or kill the monsters. You can turn down any hallway (using LEFT +button to go forward, backward, left or right). You can also go through any door, simply by walking through it; however, you can not go through the exit door without the key. Monsters can not follow can you through a door, so you can run for cover, if need be, by going through a door. SCREEN: Upper left: the number of bullets you have left, starting with 6. To fire, use the RIGHT REAR button. Middle left: the number of "stocks". Each stock is a reload of 6 bullets. When you have used all 6 of your bullets, press the LEFT REAR button to reload. You start the game with 1 stock (i.e. one reload), and can pick up extra stocks in the maze. Bottom left: If you've picked up the key, it will appear here. Top right: Life-meter (designated by the number of hearts). You start with three hearts, and can pick up others in the maze. Each time a monster hits you, one heart is taken away. When all are gone, the game is over. Bottom right: Orbs. During the gam, you can check your location on the map at any time, and see where you've been. Simply push SELECT to pause the game and see the map. There are 2 orbs in the maze. If you pick ck up one, the map will show you where the "goodies" (bullets, key, hearts) are located (they flash). If you pick up the other, the full maze will appear, and the exit will flash. When you have the key, walk through the exit door to move to the next level. (courtesy of Neil Schuldenfrei) 2. VIRTUAL FISHING: The objective is to catch the most fish in a set amount of time (determined by total length). SCREENS: Title Screen: Hit start. Player/Name: There can be up to 3 players which can be scored separately. To enter a new player(in an empty box), highlight an empty box, then press "A" twice. Enter name, then highlight the word in the lower right corner, and press "A". You are presented with a box with a box with 2 choices; the upper choice is "Male", and the lower choice is "Female". Choose one, then press "A". To start a game, highlight a player name, and press "A". You will be presented with the next menu. Player/Trophies/Option: Toggle up and down with L+, then press "A" to select. Each choice is explained below: OPTION 1: This will start the game. (See instructions below). OPTION 2: Press "A", This will show your 8 high scores. (Toggle left and right with with L+ to see all 8). OPTION 3: This will show you the types of fish you have caught, the range of sizes for each, and the largest of each you've caught. NOTE: This screen will be blank until you have completed at least one full game. OPTION 4: This will allow you to clear the player's name and records, Press "A". You will be presented with 2 options: 1=Clear 2=Cancel PLAYING THE GAME: To play hit START. Choose your fishing location by toggling left or right with the L+ control. The fish will move to the location of your choice. Note that the "swimming pool" on the left is for casual (non-competitive); all others are competitive. After selecting a site, press "A". You are presented with a window which MAY give you 2 options: OPTION 1: You compete against 6 computer players for an 8 minute game. OPTION 2: Your goal is to reel in 5 hooked fish in the quickest time. No competition. Game ends when you reel in 5 or break the line. GAME 1: Press "A" to cast your line, and HOLD IT DOWN. When you see the fishing pole flex a fair amount, quickly press release and the BACK RIGHT button (behind controller). If you've hooked a fish, the picture will change to show the fish. If not the pole disappears(cast again) else reel him in using the "A" button, but be careful. If you fight him too hard, the line will snap! When he fights you, give him some line, then reel him in again. If you get him to the surface, he'll be measured for length, and totaled. If you're not having any luck, try a new location (Option 3, below). The gane is 8 min. long, You compete against 6 computer players. Their scores wiil appear at the 3 and 6 min. marks. SELECT OPTIONS DURING GAME: L+ = highlight, A = choice, B= exit 1 = current no. of fish, last length caught, total lengths 2 = change bait (2 types) and return. 3 = change fishing spot? right = cancel, left = select new location. There are rumors of a "lunker" somewhere in this game. A huge record breaker. HAPPY FISHING! (courtesy of Neil Schuldenfrei) 3. SD GUNDAM DIMENSION WAR: The objective is to advance on the enemy army, and defeat them in battle. You control the warriors and ships facing away from you. (It's hard to tell which ones are facing away...there's a trick -- see below.) You get to use each of your warriors/ships once per round -- move it, or use it for battle. Then, the computer takes a turn. To select a warrior/ship to move, move the cursor left/right/back/forth with the LEFT +. To move up or down (there are 3 levels of action), use the BACK L and R buttons. When you've selected your warrior/ship, press A. (NOTE: If you press A, and nothing happens, you've either selected one of the enemy's warriors/ships, or one that you've already used this turn. You can tell which ones you've used this turn --they're marked with a small "E" to the left of the warrior/ship.) Once you've selected your warrior/ship, use the RIGHT + to select what you want to do with it. If you're not close to an enemy, the game will only let you select the option "move". Press A, then use the LEFT + and BACK L and R buttons to move up to 3 squares. (Some directions may be blocked.) Then press A to complete the move. If you're close enough to an enemy, the game will let you select the option of "indirect". This lets you attack an enemy without them firing back at you. (You can't cause much damage to them, but at least you won't suffer any damage yourself.) Press A to select this. The cursor will then move to the enemy that's in range. Press A again to start the indirect attack. (NOTE: On rare occasions, 2 enemies will be in range. In that case, use the LEFT + and the BACK L and R buttons to put the cursor on the enemy you want to attack before pressing A.) If you're really close to an enemy, you can select "attack". In this case, you do direct battle with the enemy. For some STUPID reason, the game does all of the fighting by itself EXCEPT when a it's warrior-on-warrior "attack" (NOT "ambush" or "indirect"). (Once or twice, it did let me control a warrior in a battle with a ship...have no idea why it was only those times,) For a warrior-on-warrior attack, follow the on-screen instructions to start the battle. The attack is a 2-part battle (why - who knows??). In the first part, you fire on the enemy using the A button and he doesn't fire back. In the second part, use the following buttons: - Move left, right, up, down with the LEFT +. - Move in and out of the screen using the BACK L and R buttons. - Fire with the RIGHT + button, pushing left or right for 2 diff. weapons. - Attack at short range (with sword) with RIGHT + button, pushing down. When you've used all of your ships/warriors once, press A. You should see an option screen. Select "end turn". "Finished" will appear. Press A. Now, the computer will take a turn. Sometimes it doesn't seem to move anything... other times it does. When all of the enemy is destroyed, the game plays some lame animation, then moves on to the next (monotonous) battle. 4. SPACE SQUASH: A sports game similar to squash tennis, racquetball, and handball. You can choose one special move before each stage begins. On the screen at the beginning of each stage, you'll see a pic of both players. Just beneath your player(on the left) is some Japanese writing which indicates which special move you want to use for that round. To select your special move, scroll up and down with the L+ CONTROL PAD, then press START. OPTIONS "Shoot Ball": enables double-speed smash ball [Note: This is the default selection] "Homing Ball": enables homing smash ball [Note: To select this special move, press L+ Control Pad UP ONCE] "Shield": spread a shield on your area for a short time [Note: To select this special move, press L+ Control Pad UP TWICE] "Speed": make your movements speedier [Note: To select this special move, press L+ Control Pad UP THREE TIMES] You can use your special move only when your Power Gauge (bottom left corner) is full. To use the special move, press the L or R REAR button. Your Power Gauge will increase automatically during gameplay. To fill your Power Gauge more quickly, hold the R+ controller in the DOWN position between shots. (by Neil Schuldenfrei: nspinhead@aol.com) 5. VIRTUAL LAB: The object is to drop pipe pieces, Tetris-style, trying to seal all pipes on the screen. OPTIONS 1) Game Speed: At title screen, press START, then use L+ (up or down) to select game speed. Press START. (Note: there appears to be no difference between the speeds.) 2) Password: Although the game provides a password after each level, there appears to be no way to enter a password at the start of the game; the password appears to be useless. CONTROLS L+ or R+ Press LEFT or RIGHT to move pipe pieces Left or Right Press DOWN to speed descent of pipe piece A: Rotate the pipe pieces as they are dropping B: Shift relative position of pipe pieces (when 2 or more are falling side-by-side) RULES Drop pipe pieces to try to seal all pipes on the playfield. You must seal all openings on each pipe. Pipes are sealed when they: * Are topped by an end cap (pipe with only one opening) * Touch a side wall * Touch the bottom wall Pipes are NOT sealed when they touch the side of another pipe! When a pipe is sealed, it disappears, and you receive a score based on the size of the pipe. Larger pipes yield higher scores. When a pipe disappears, the remaining pipe pieces fall to the bottom of the playfield. If any of them become sealed in their new positions, they also disappear, and give you points. When all pipes on a playfield are sealed (disappear), the game moves to the next level. DISPLAYS "MAX" This is the size (in number of pipe pieces) of the largest pipe you have sealed on the current level. "GET" This is the number of pipe pieces of your last completed pipe. BONUS: If you seal a pipe at least 10 pieces in size, the pipe will disappear and a "bonus fairy" will move across the bottom of the screen, taking the bottom layer of pipe pieces with her to help you out. GOOD LUCK! (by Neil Schuldenfrei: nspinhead@aol.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- IX. Peripherals & Accessories: 1) AC Adapter (by Nintendo) This is the same adapter that is used for the Super Nintendo. 2) AC Adapter (by STD Entertainment) Not Authorized. Made in China. 3) Ear Phones (by Nintendo) Hearing aid style head set. Japan only. 4) Hard Case (by Nintendo) Used for VB rentals when they were available at Blockbuster Video stores. They were eventually sold off at discount prices with the VB system when the VB ceased production. Orange hard plastic, foam-lined attache case. 5) Hard Case (by STD Entertainment?) Black hard plastic, foam-lined attache case with red label. 6) Soft Case (by STD Entertaiment Inc.) Not Authorized. Made in China. Carrying case with shoulder strap. 7) Display Stand (by Nintendo) Free-standing display used to demostrate the VB system in stores. Rare. 8) Display Stand (by Nintendo) Table mounted display used to demonstrate the VB system in stores. Built for shelf space. Rare. 9) Eye Shade (by Nintendo) Replacement part for the original. Japan only. The following items were advertised in Japan, but never released: a) Deluxe Game Stand, b) Multi-Player Game Link ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
