RQ: R-Type II Level 8 checkpoint recovery

[Iceberg]

Hello R-Type gurus... First time poster here, and wondering if someone can suggest a good technique for recovering from the checkpoint in Level 8 (Loop II Level 2) of R-Type II? I'm getting nuked right around and just past the sub-boss, especially when the fish-type things that act like torpedoes when you shoot them start swarming from in front and behind. It's not so much the fish themselves but the bulletstorm they unleash that gets me every time. For some reason I'm having a really hard time coming up with an effective tactic for this part.

Thanks and cheers!



<mod edit: post moved to Strategy and edited slightly during the approval process. -inc.>

[saucykobold]

Welcome to the forum. I think a video would be more helpful than a text description, so I'll just link this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r3OND5aXFc#t=2m44s (skip to 2:44 if it doesn't take you there automatically)

Pretty reliable method in my experience. If you can kill the midboss before the fish arrive, the positioning and movements shouldn't be too complicated.

[Iceberg]

Awesome, thanks! You make it look so easy. That technique worked perfectly - there were a few mad scrambles when I didn't manage to clear the floating ice away quickly enough after the sub-boss, but I think I've got it down now.

So I'm on to level 9, and managed to get as far as the end-of-level squeeze play between those two big ships (that's a lot of bullets at that part). I've got your demonstration bookmarked for quick reference as required...I can't wait to see how much harder the Corvette is on this loop, ha ha! Anyways, thanks again!

[saucykobold]

Cool, glad it worked.

For the last two big ships in level 9, I take the center path if I still have the red laser. If I have any other weapon, it's really hard to clear all the center guns in time, so I squeeze through the bottom.

[Iceberg]

Ha ha, that's awesome. I just watched your vid for level 9 and never realized that you could squeeze underneath the bottom ship. I always just went straight up the gut, right between the two, which as you mentioned can be pretty harrowing if you haven't got the right weapon (reflecting lasers work fine on loop 1...not so good on loop 2). And for now at least, it seems like I'm doomed to play that part with reflectors because I keep cashing in my chips at the boss and having to recover from the checkpoint.

So now I'm at the Corvette, and yup, he's definitely tougher this time around. I'm playing around with your technique of immediately shooting your force into his side...on the first loop, I tend to keep my force, but I can see that bringing him down as quickly as possible is the priority on loop 2. I haven't managed to beat him yet, but I'm sure it will come!

EDIT: Just beat the Corvette! I actually kept my force for the whole thing, just a good old-fashioned dogfight to the finish. A little touch-and-go, but not too bad. And I almost made it to the 10th level checkpoint on that same ship - at first glance it doesn't look THAT much more difficult than it is on the first loop (I may eat those words later). Although I'm not terribly optimistic about the boss...even on the first loop, I consider Rios to be one of the toughest bosses from either of the first two games.

BTW saucykobold...do you happen to have a loop 2 "checkpoint" demonstration video for the first game as well? I looked quickly on YouTube but didn't see one (I may have missed it). I'm stuck quite hopelessly on level 15...seriously, like level 7 wasn't hard enough the FIRST time around!!