Iron Soldier by Eclipse Author: DJ Tigresa and MC Pantera Email: djtigresa@classicgaming.com, mcpantera@classicgaming.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now here’s a game for real Americans: iron Soldier, in which you take the controls of a 42-foot-tall robot and blow the hell out of buildings, warehouses, trees, tanks, helicopters, and anything else that gets in your way. No “talking it out,” no “peaceful resolution,” just plenty of shooting and plenty of impressive explosions. With 16 increasingly tough missions, and eight different weapons of mass destruction, iron Soldier is packed with fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIPS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hold the A and C buttons to turn the I.S. very quickly.This is particularly helpful when you’re trying to pick off helicopters and V.T.O.Ls An exploding fuel tank can destroy airborne enemies, and blow up any nearby buildings. Don’t get too close or your IS. takes damage from the explosion. Large buildings can be destroyed with a single grenade or two rockets, while small buildings can be destroyed with a single rocket. if you’re next to a building, use the Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, or Manipulator (hand) to destroy it quickly and safely. If you’re running low on ammo, you can lure the V.TO.L.s and attack planes into bombing buildings in your path.You can also lure heavy tanks into destroying structures between you and it. It’s much easier to complete Care Package (Mission 2) and London Bridge (Mission 3) if you have the Gatling Gun from Midnight Raid (Mission 4). More mission-tackling advice: it’s easier to complete Walk in the Park (Mission 6) and Pearl Harbor (Mission 8) if you have the Rail Cannon from Fox and Hound (Mission 7). The ideal order to play through the missions is: 1,4,2,3,5,7,6,8,12,9,10,11,13, 14,15,16. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enemy Vehicles ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tank: The easiest way to destroy a tank is with your oversized foot. If a tank runs away from you, shoot it once and it might turn around to shoot back. If you damage a tank without destroying it, it may fire a rocket at you.Aim a bit below the tank with the Gatlmg Gun to destroy the incoming rocket. Helicopter: A helicopter has a hard time maneuvering around tall buildings, and can’t shoot you until it gets it close, so hide behind a skyscraper and use the Gatling Gun to destroy it. If a Helicopter flies past you, use the A and C buttons to turn around quickly.You can also use the Rail Cannon to destroy helicopters at long range. Turret and Rocket Launcher: It’s best to destroy these from a distance, before you walk into their fir ing range.A single shot from the Rail Cannon usually takes them out.You can trample a rocket launch er, but make sure it’s launched both rockets, or you take damage from the explosion.You can some times dodge rockets by dodging to the left or right of the rocket’s path. V.T.O.L.: This enemy drops bombs on you, so it’s crucial to destroy it before it gets close enough to unload on you. Unlike the helicopters, V.T.O.Ls rarely dodge, so you can hit them with rockets and grenades. If a VT.O.L. gets within attack range, use the Gatling Gun and aim a bit over the V.TO.L., or you only hit its bombs. You can sometimes lure a V.T.O.L. into bombing a tall building or fuel tank, blowing itself up. Heavy Tank: Hide from a heavy tank until you can get nice and close and cut it up with the Chain Cutter.You can also use grenades or rockets, but it’s a huge waste of ammo. Heavy tanks can destroy buildings by running into them. Bomber: Bombers usually do more damage to buildings than they do to the IS. If you have to destroy a bomber, shoot it down with the Gatling Gun at close range. To avoid a bombing run, watch your radar and walk left or right when the bomber is almost overhead. Enemy IS.: Enemy Iron Soldiers fire Gatling Guns or rockets at you. If you have good aim, a few well-placed grenades can destroy an enemy IS., but more likely, you’ll need to get in close and use the Manipulator or Chain Cutter. Keep moving in and backing out when you fight an enemy IS. to keep it from punching you. If it fires rockets, use the Gatling Gun or dodge left or right. Ship: Two grenades sends a ship to the bottom of the ocean. If a ship sails out of grenade range, use rockets or the Rail Cannon. If you have to use the Gatling Gun, fire at the ship turrets to hit any rockets they shoot at you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assault Rifle: The farther away a target is, the less damage the Rifle does to it. The Rifle has a longer range than the Gatling Gun. Press the button rapidly to increase the rate of fire. Chain Cutter: This weapon does more damage than the Manipulator, and doesn’t have any ammo, making it very useful for destroying buildings, heavy tanks, and enemy Iron Soldiers. Cruise Missile: This weapon is only useful for destroying ships and surveying a level. It’s not effective against enemy Iron Soldiers. Gatling Gun: This is a very effective short-range weapon that can also be used to shoot down incom ing rockets. It’s not of much use against an enemy I.S., however. Hand Grenade: A single grenade can destroy a group of tightly spaced skyscrapers if it blows up in the right spot. Don’t throw grenades at buildings in front of you, or you’ll be hurt by the explosion. Practice throwing grenades over buildings and watch how far they fly on the radar. Grenades are best against large, stationary targets (ships), but if you’re lobbing them at a moving target, be sure to lead it. Heavy Shield: If you know you’re about to take damage, quickly switch to the Shield to reduce the damage. Practice switching between the Shield and the different weapons. Rail Cannon: This long-range weapon needs to be aimed precisely to hit its target. Rocket Launcher: This weapon has a long range, but not too long; when you’re firing at a distant tar get, make sure the rockets are hitting and not exploding prematurely. Enemy bullets can destroy your rockets. Rockets are best against tanks and buildings; flying targets are almost impossible to hit. When firing rockets at ground targets, aim slightly high or they will hit the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 1: The Bust ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy the brown and gray ware houses outside the city. Recommended Weapons: Assault Rifle. This amusingly easy mission is really a practice run that gives you a chance to get used to the controls without much enemy harassment.At the beginning of the mission, walk straight ahead and follow the road around the city until you reach a road with a white arrow pointing to the right. Follow this road to a group of fuel tanks.There’s a rifle ammo crate in one of the buildings behind the tanks, and another in one of the tanks. Turn left at the fuel tanks and walk straight ahead to the brown and gray warehouses. Destroy them all and pick up the weapon crate for the Hand Grenades. There’s also a rifle ammo crate in the middle brown warehouse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 2: Care Package ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy two ships. Recommended Weapons: Assault Rifle, 2 Gatling Guns, 2 Hand Grenades. At the beginning of the mission, turn left 45 degrees and walk toward the water. Keep your eyes open for the first ship. Launch a few Hand Grenades at the ship to destroy it, then turn until you see two skyscrapers on the shoreline. The second ship is behind the skyscrapers. Head for the skyscrapers and blow up the build ings near the skyscrapers for two wood crates and two repair crates. Take out the second ship the same way you nuked the first one. If you take longer than four minutes to complete the mission, you’re attacked by an enemy I. S.You have to destroy the IS, along with the ships. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 3: London Bridge ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy two bridges. Recommended Weapons: 2 Gatling Guns and 2 Hand Grenades. At the beginning of the mission, turn to the left and then the right to see the objectives. (The buildings near your starting position have every type of crate.) Don’t go into the town area; there are no bridges and plenty of enemies.The left bridge is guarded by fewer enemies, so attack it first. Walk toward the bridge, turn to either side of the ramp, and walk forward until you hit the water line.Airn at the bridge strut and hit it with a minimum of five Hand Grenades to destroy it. (The bridge collapses when it’s been destroyed.) Once you’ve thrown the grenades, you can turn around and head to the second bridge, which you destroy using the same technique.The fuel tanks nearby have Repair Crates inside, and the orange warehouses have Hand Grenades. When you complete the mission, you earn the Chain Cutter, a hand-held weapon used to destroy buildings, heavy tanks, and enemy Iron Soldiers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 4: Midnight Raid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy a group of warehouses surrounded by four security towers. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, 2 Gatling Guns, 2 Hand Grenades. At the beginning of the mission, walk straight ahead toward the city, destroying the enemies in your path.Turn and walk left of the city, then turn right when you reach the last two sky scrapers. Look for the four security towers. Once you get close to the warehouses, toss a few Hand Grenades to destroy most of them, along with the tanks hiding between them. To complete the mission, you have to pick up all the supply crates and the weapon crate with the Gatling Gun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 5: Hunt the Hunter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy the enemy I.S. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Hand Grenades. Walk across the large grassy field and launch your Hand Grenades at the I.S. If you throw your Grenades at the right moment, they destroy the IS. on impact. If the Grenades don’t do the trick, walk up to the IS. and use the Chain Cutter to hack it apart. Use your Gatling Gun to shoot down the incoming rockets. When you get close, the I.S. stops firing missiles and starts trying to punch you. Dodge the punches and keep hacking with the Chain Cutter until it’s destroyed. (The best way to dodge the punches is simply to back up whenever the I.S. turns to face you.) When you complete the mission, you earn the Rocket Launcher from the enemy I.S. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 6: Walk in the Park ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy all tanks, including the heavy tank. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Rail Cannon, 2 Rocket Launchers. At the beginning of the mission, there are two small tanks nearby. Step on them or otherwise blow them into tiny pieces. Follow the road to the right to find the heavy tank. Walk up to the tank, look downward, and use the Chain Cutter to destroy it. Once the heavy tank is gone, the rest of the mission is a breeze. Head for the HQ building in the large field and protect it from the tanks and helicopters with your Rail Cannon and Rocket Launchers. Stand near the tower to draw enemy fire and blow them up with the Gatling Gun. If you don’t complete the mission at this point, there are still a few tanks roaming around the road circling the field. If you need repair or ammo crates, search the gray warehouses to the side of the HQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 7: Fox and the Hound ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy three convoys of trucks and take the Rail Cannon inside one of them. Recommended Weapons: Gatling Gun, Rocket Launcher. At the beginning of the mission, turn to the left until you see the first convoy of trucks. Walk over and destroy them with rockets or stomping, then follow the convoy route to reach a group of fac tories, gray and brown warehouses, and oil tanks. If you wait at the entrance until one minute and twenty seconds into the mission, you see the second convoy roll out. Destroy it, turn around, and walk into the large grassy area. Look for a group of tall blue and gray skyscrapers clustered together. Walk to the left side of the skyscrapers to find the third and final truck convoy. Blow it up and pick up the Rail Cannon to complete the mission.The factories and oil tanks near the second convoy have an ample supply of crates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 8: Pearl Harbor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy four ships docked around an island. Recommended Weapons: Gatling Gun, Hand Grenades, Rail Cannon, Rocket Launcher. All of the dark red skyscrapers in this mission have Repair Crates inside. Head away from shore to the closest dark red skyscraper. Turn left and head through town until you see the second dark red skyscraper with blue trim. Behind it is the first ship. Destroy it, turn around, and backtrack until you reach the shoreline. Go to the left and look for a long peninsula with brown warehouses. Wait on the peninsula until the next two ships sail past you. Destroy them, leave the peninsula, and head back to where you started the mission.The last ship will sail past this location. Unload on it with rockets and the Rail Cannon to destroy it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 9: Pandora’s Box ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Infiltrate the enemy fortress and take the Heavy Shield. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Hand Grenades, Rail Cannon, Rocket Launcher. Most of the buildings and warehouses in front of the fortress have crates inside, so keep that in mind. March to the right side of the fortress and wipe out the numerous gun turrets, rocket launchers, and tanks. There are three major hazards inside the fortress. The first two are the turrets on the towers, and the third hazard is the IS. that appears when you destroy the building in the front right corner. Destroy the turrets with rockets before infiltrating the fortress. You have to destroy the I.S. to complete the mission. Try this simple technique. Arm the Hand Grenades and lob a few in the direction of the building. (It’s in the front right corner if you approach the fortress from the front.) When the 1.5. appears, lob a few more Grenades to destroy it.After you’ve destroyed the I.S., destroy a door with the Chain Cutter. Enter the fortress (watch for a rocket launch er when you walk in), wipe out the buildings, and pick up the Heavy Shield. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 10: Hornet’s Nest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy an enemy airfield and a group of helicopters stationed there. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Rail Cannon, 2 Rocket Launchers. At the beginning of the mission, turn 45 degrees to the right and walk straight ahead, through a group of skyscrapers, a small field, and an apartment complex, before you finally reach the airfield. During the long walk, use the Chain Cutter to destroy the skyscrapers, and the Rail Cannon to destroy turrets and tanks from long range. When you reach the airfield, you’ll also see a group of four helicopters and a V.T.O.L. Destroy these quickly, then turn at the hangars and fill them full of rockets. Once the helicopters and hangars are eliminated, turn toward the tower at the corner of the airfield and destroy it to complete the mis sion.There are crate-filled apartments near the airfield if you need an energy boost. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 11: One-Man Army ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy the nuclear power plant and the surrounding buildings. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Hand Grenades, 2 Rocket Launchers. You need at least two racks of rockets to destroy most of the skyscrapers and warehouses. At the beginning of the mission, follow the gray road and make a right at the fork. Once you turn right, all the buildings you see on the dark red plot of land have to be destroyed. Fire a rocket at the cluster of fuel tanks to the left, then turn right when you reach the skyscrapers and destroy the rocket launchers. Turn left and walk to the brown warehouses.Throw a grenade into the middle of the orange buildings and destroy the tanks with rockets. If the heavy tank shows up, hide behind the skyscrapers and wait for it to go away or get within Chain Cutter range. The power plant is surrounded by two large maroon skyscrapers; destroy the buildings in that area and the mission is complete. If you need health crates, return to the mission starting point and blow up the skyscrapers. If you need ammo crates, make a left at the fork and search the buildings at the end of the road. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 12: The Best Defense ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy the enemy I.S. and protect the research laboratory. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Rail Cannon, Rocket Launcher. At the start of the mission, your research lab is besieged by a group of helicopters. Stay near the lab for at least three or four minutes and fend off the helicopters before going after the enemy IS. Destroy the heavy tank before you fmd the enemy I.S., or it destroys the lab while you’re away. The enemy I.S. is surrounded by apartment buildings at the edge of the level, in the opposite direction the helicopters are com ing from.There are plenty of crates in the build ings around the lab if you need ammo or health. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 13: Urban Renewal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy every building in the area, including the water towers and the buildings on the three islands. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Hand Grenades, 2 Rocket Launchers. Don’t waste too many rockets before destroy ing the island buildings, which you should destroy first. (Walk up to the edge of the water so you can see every building on the distant islands.) There’s an enemy IS, in the area, so watch yourself while heading for the skyscrap ers.TheVTO.L.s in this mission will help you a lot, as their bombs destroy many of the build ings around you. Almost every building that isn’t a skyscraper has a crate inside, so you should never run low on health or ammo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 14: Escort Service ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Protect the three trucks carrying the refugees. Recommended Weapons: Rail Cannon, Rocket Launcher. The first task in this mission is to learn the route that the trucks take through the city. (This will take at least two or three run-throughs.) Certain enemies along the route attack you, while others want to destroy the trucks. For example, the first heavy tank on the route ignores the trucks and concentrates on you; the second heavy tank aims for the trucks and takes them out with one or two shots. Use the Rail Cannon to take out heli copters, rocket launchers, and V.T.O.L.s. To com plete the mission, you can’t stay next to the trucks; you have to walk the route ahead of the trucks and destroy the enemies before the trucks reach them.Try moving clockwise around the city and meeting the trucks in the middle of town. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 15: Return to Sender ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy five ships. Recommended Weapons: 2 Cruise Missiles, Gatling Gun, Hand Grenade. Turn to the right and walk toward the two heli copters. Destroy them and any nearby tanks with the Gatling Gun.The peninsula you’re now standing on is your base of operations for the rest of the mission.At the tip of the peninsula is the first ship; destroy it with grenades. Turn around and blow up the fuel tanks to find Repair Crates. Destroy any nearby helicopters and launch the first Cruise Missile. Fly all the way to the opposite side of the city and destroy the docked ship. Now walk past the brown warehouses on the peninsula to the ship near by. Destroy it with grenades. One of the ware houses has another Cruise Missile inside. Pick it up and use the Cruise Missiles to destroy the last two ships. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission 16: War is Heck ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Objective: Destroy all the skyscrapers, the enemy headquarters, and the enemy I.S. inside the HQ. Recommended Weapons: Chain Cutter, Gatling Gun, Heavy Shield, Rail Cannon, Rocket Launcher. Take your time and use the various crates wisely.Take advantage of the heavy tanks by tricking them into shooting enemy skyscrapers and the enemy HQ. Some of the turrets in this mission reappear after being destroyed, so watch out. Clear out the closest skyscrapers first and then walk over to the warehouse area, avoiding the enemy-filled middle of the area. Destroy as many skyscrapers as you can, using the ware house crates for ammo and health. Eventually, you have to head downtown. Stay near the edges of the level to keep from being surrounded. Once most of the buildings and enemies are destroyed, head for the HQ and destroy it with the Chain Cutter. Don’t stop cutting unless helicopters are shooting at you.When the building is destroyed, an enemy IS. comes out to attack. Use the Chain Cutter while dodging the l.S.’s punches. You win! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECRETS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACCESS ALL LEVELS AND WEAPONS: Go to the Options Screen and press 3, 7,6,6,8,2,4, 2 on the keypad.The screen border flashes to indicate that the cheat is active. Start a new game and you can choose any of the 16 missions. You can also choose all eight weapons at the Arming Screen. CRUISE MISSILE REPAIR: When the I.S. has taken so much damage that the screen starts blinking the subtle message DANGER! LOW ENERGY!!, fire a Cruise Missile and hit the IS. (That’s right, you hit yourself.) The Missile explodes and the I.S. is almost completely repaired. DISPLAY MISSION STATS: Start the game and press 8 on the keypad. The game gives you a mission summary with the following stats: Mission Time, Shots Fired, Enemies Shot, and Bldngs (“Buildings” without the vowels) Shot. INSANE DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Go to the Options Screen and press 6, 8, 2, 4 on the keypad. (This spells “OUCH” on a telephone keypad, in case you cared.) The screen border flashes to indi cate that the cheat is active. Now you can select the INSANE difficulty level, which is even tougher than the HARD level. SLOW-MOTION: Pause the game and press 1 or 3 on the keypad to skip ahead one frame of animation. TITLE SCREEN: Move the control pad Up and Down to scroll the title screen up and down. UNLIMITED AMMUNITION: Go to the Options Screen and press 2, 7, 2,8, 3, 7 on the keypad. The screen border flashes to indicate that the cheat is active. Start a new game and all your weapons have unlimited ammo with which to blow the hell out of everything. MISSION PASS/FAIL: Go to the Option screen and press 2, 8, 8, 8, 6, 6, 7, 7, 3, 7, 7 on the keypad. During the game, press * to fail or # to pass instantly.