Charge'N Blast (DC) - help needed

[lewisit]

although hated by almost everyone (so it seems) i hope to find at last one person here who could help me with a few questions concerning this game - after all it's kind of a shooter

because i own the japanese-version there are some things i just don't get by reading (or better: looking at) the manual


1) when completing a level there're some points on the score-card that make me wonder:

[special bonus] - what factors do contribute to that?

[perfect bonus] - what is necessary to ever get more than "0 points" in this category? i am pretty sure that i often clear stages off all enemies...

[damage on the stage] - it's written in red (and before the stages a voice warns me not to destroy the buildings)

does it affect the score in any negative way if i burn the city e.a. to the ground? sometimes i get extra health ("amour box") or extra time ("energy cel") for destroying the enviroment so i hope it shouldn't be too bad scorewise to do so?


2) i read about 2 unlockable bonus-characters in the us-version (beating the game on "easy" & on "normal") are both unlockable in the japanese version also?

if so: how? i beat the game on "easy" and got the (really cool) "spread-rocket-guy" just as in the us-version - i also beat the game on "normal" and did not get the (i hope hot) "hyper-laser-girl" ?!


3) any other essential hint(s) i need to know about this game?


if someone could please answer that questions or just scan the corresponding pages of the us-manual for me?

thanx

[Damocles]

I want to say that when I 1cc'd the game I recieved a bonus character...on normal. That was a long time ago, however, so I could be mistaken. As for bonuses...I have no idea. I never cared about what or how I blew things up.

Actually a pretty fun game, methinks. I personally see it as a precursor to Gunvalkyrie in both aesthetics and control...though the control makes a lot more sense in this game.




....GODZILLA!!!!!!!!!....

[Obiwanshinobi]

Suddenly interested in this one, myself. Is the PAL version 60 Hz? Descriptions and gameplay footage vividly reminiscent of Space Raiders, and... Vanquish, perhaps?

[louisg]

Yeah, I need to revisit this one, too. I remember intensely disliking it when I rented it, but games in this style or so few and far-between. Another game I was thinking about revisiting too was Space Raiders on GameCube. That one got totally panned, and now I don't remember if it was justified or not. I mean, PN03 got panned too, and that game's awesome.

Oh haha I JUST saw Obiwanshinobi mentioned Space Raiders. That's so funny because I've been thinking about that game this week.

EDIT: I'm watching Charge n Blast gameplay footage, and I'm remembering now: I was like, "This isn't Cabal/Blood Brother/Wild Guns! This sucks!".. but it looks like it has a strategic style all its own that might be really fun if I gave it a chance. I wonder if other reviewers who gave it low marks thought the same thing-- like thinking you're taking a swig of milk and getting orange juice instead.

[Obiwanshinobi]

This recent review seems pretty just to me. The writer marks it down for what it is rather than what it's not.

[bottino]

I've played Charge'N Blast for a reasonable amount of time and even cleared it's harder modes; it's a really simple and short game, but can be quite fun, especially with a friend.

I still have my old save file stored on one of my VMUs, so I'll see if I can fire up the game later to help jog my memory and drop one or two lines about it.