View source for Aero Fighters 2 FAQ v1.02 by Baby Bonnie Hood

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Aero Fighters 2 FAQ (arcade)                                 v1.02 (01/06/2004)

Written by Baby Bonnie Hood (bbhood21@yahoo.com)

===============================================================================

This FAQ Copyright (c) 2003 Jason Carl R. Algarme

This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use.  It may not be placed on any website (other than www.GameFAQs.com)
or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.  Use of
this guide on any other website or as a part of any public display is strictly
prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

Aero Fighters 2/Sonic Wings 2 (c) 1994 Video System Co., Ltd.  All other
trademarks and copyrights contained in this FAQ are owned by their respective
trademark and copyright holders.


TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================

I.    Introduction
II.   Controls
III.  Gameplay
IV.   Planes
      - F-117A Nighthawk
      - A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II
      - Fighter Support X
      - F-15 Eagle
      - F-14 Tomcat
      - YF-23A Black Widow II
      - Rafale M
      - Sea Harrier FRS.2
V.    Stages
      - Stage 1: Japan
      - Random Stage: Brazil
      - Stage 3: Atlantic
      - Random Stage: U.S.A.
      - Random Stage: France
      - Stage 6: Australia
      - Stage 7: Himalayas
      - Stage 8: Mexico
      - Stage 9: Hawaii
      - Stage 10: Space
VI.   Miscellaneous
      - Name Change
      - Aero Fighters vs Strikers 1945
      - Special Appearances
      - Comparison
VII.  Conclusion
VIII. Special Thanks
IX.   Version History


I. INTRODUCTION
===============
Aero Fighters 2 is, logically, the sequel to Aero Fighters.  In this arcade
vertical shoot-em-up (or shmup for short) game, you control a jet fighter as
you fly over various places in the world and shoot at military enemies as you
go.  It's a pretty simple game; dodge enemy fire, grab power-ups and point
bonuses, blow up whatever you come across, and take down the big bad boss at
the end.  It's a nice shmupping formula that you'll see again and again in
other shmups that will come after this one, and that formula will be improved
upon as well.

This sequel has plenty of improvements and changes; new planes, new pilots, new
stages with old and new enemies alike, and new bosses among other things.  If
you like this kind of game and whether you're familiar with the first game or
not, you're sure to have a blast with this game :)


II. CONTROLS
============
There's not really much to it.  Joystick moves your plane, A button shoots, and
B button bombs.  Easy enough...


III. GAMEPLAY
=============
It's a simple concept, but one that works.  You move your plane around, dodging
enemy fire and shooting at enemies as you go; just like that.  Apart from the
main view (where all the action takes place), there are also letters, numbers,
and icons on the gaming screen.

First, your score is shown at the top-most part of the screen.  It'll increase
as you grab and blow up stuff, and you'll be rewarded with an extra life (only
once) if it reaches 200000 or 300000 (depending on the machine's settings).

And speaking of lives, they're displayed just below your score.  You start the
game with 1 to 99 lives (again depending on the machine's settings, but it's
usually 3), and you lose one when an enemy bullet hits you or you collide with
an airborne enemy.  Once you're out of lives, it's pretty much Game Over...
unless you continue, that is.

Continues also depend on the machine's settings.  It's usually set so that you
can continue an infinite number of times, but it could also be set so that you
can only continue a set number of times (like once, 5 times, or 10 times); it
could also be set so that you can't even continue at all!  Also, continuing at
the final stage will force you to restart that stage (or not, once again
depending on the machine's settings).

And finally, you have your bombs at the bottom of the screen; you start out
with two, but you can collect more.  Bombs are used for your plane's bomb
attack, a powerful attack that does a lot of damage, covers a wide area, and
nullifies enemy bullets.  Bomb attacks use up one bomb; and if you run out of
bombs, then you can't do bomb attacks anymore.

There are items that you can collect throughout the game.  These items are
listed and described here:

Power-Up   - A bullet (not the enemy kind) with a P on it.  Grabbing this will
             strengthen your plane's firepower (up to three levels); the 3rd
             level is limited though, and will revert back to the 2nd level
             after you've fired enough with it.  If you grab this item while
             you're already at the 3rd level, you'll score 2000 points instead
             and your 3rd level firepower will be recharged.

Full Power - A bullet (again, not the enemy kind) with an F on it.  Grabbing
             this will boost your plane's firepower to the maximum level
             immediately.  If you're already at max, then you'll just score
             10000 points instead and your firepower will be recharged.

Bomb       - A bomb with a B on it.  Grab these to use them for the bomb
             attack.  If you already have 6 bombs when you collect this, then
             you'll just score 10000 points (a waste of a bomb, in my opinion).
             Note that you cannot collect more than 6 bombs.

Currency   - Either a Dollar, a Yen, or any other currency (depending on which
             stage you're currently in).  Anyways, these are point bonuses;
             grab them, and you score 200 to 10000 points depending on where
             you grab them.  The higher they are on the screen when you grab
             them, the higher their point value.

This game has a total of 10 stages, and all of them end with a boss battle.
Once a boss is destroyed, you fly on to the next stage.  If you take too long
fighting a boss however, it'll self-destruct and leave you with no points; but
you'll still fly on to the next stage afterwards.

After you complete all 10 stages, you'll be treated to the ending of your
plane's pilot.  If it's a 2-player game, then you'll be shown a joint ending of
your two planes' pilots.  However if you let the final boss escape (unlike all
the other bosses, it doesn't self-destruct), then you'll be shown a bad ending
instead.  Nevertheless, the game isn't over yet; after the ending, you'll fly
through all 10 stages again and this time the challenge will be harder.  This
is known as a second loop.

The game ends when you run out of lives and don't continue, or you finish all
10 stages twice.  And that's all there is to it...


IV. PLANES
==========
There are 8 planes to choose from, varying in speed, firepower, appearance,
and pilot.  If it's a 2-player game, both players cannot select the same plane;
they must pick two different planes.  The following info will describe what
these planes are, what they can do in the game, and who their pilots are.


F-117A NIGHTHAWK
----------------
Pilot:
Robo-Keaton

The F-117A Nighthawk is the world's first operational aircraft designed to
exploit low-observable stealth technology.  The unique design of the single-
seat F-117A provides exceptional combat capabilities.  About the size of an
F-15 Eagle, the twin-engine aircraft is powered by two General Electric F404
turbofan engines and has quadruple redundant fly-by-wire flight controls.  Air
refuelable, it supports worldwide commitments and adds to the deterrent
strength of the U.S. military forces.  The F-117A can employ a variety of
weapons and is equipped with sophisticated navigation and attack systems
integrated into a state-of-the-art digital avionics suite that increases
mission effectiveness and reduces pilot workload.  Detailed planning for
missions into highly defended target areas is accomplished by an automated
mission planning system developed specifically to take advantage of the unique
capabilities of the F-117A.
(Source: Military Analysis Network <http://www.fas.org/man/index.html>)

The pilot:
Keaton is your typical American military guy... in a tin can of a robot body.
All patriotic, all heroic, and all that stuff; not even rust will stop him from
performing his duty.

The plane:
The F-117 fires a rapid straight shot.  Its subshot consists of small bombs
that drop down forward and then explode into travelling burning napalm upon
impact with the ground.  And for its bomb attack, two giant lasers sweep the
entire area and cause an aftermath of explosions.  It covers the entire screen,
but the damage is only average and there's a split second before the bullets
are nullified.

Overall:
Decent firepower, full-screen bomb attack, and fast speed.  The F-117 is a
decent plane.


A-10/OA-10 THUNDERBOLT II
-------------------------
Pilot:
Captain Silver

The A-10 and OA-10 Thunderbolt II's are the first Air Force aircraft specially
designed for close air support of ground forces.  They are simple, effective,
and survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against all ground
targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles.  The primary mission of
the A-10 is to provide day and night close air combat support for friendly land
forces and to act as forward air controller (FAC) to coordinate and direct
friendly air forces in support of land forces.  The A-10 has a secondary
mission of supporting search and rescue and Special Forces operations.  It also
possesses a limited capability to perform certain types of interdiction.  All
of these missions may take place in a high or low threat environment.  The
A/OA-10 aircraft was specifically developed as a close air support aircraft
with reliability and maintainability as major design considerations.  The Air
Force requirements documents emphasized payload, low altitude flying
capability, range and loiter capability, low speed maneuverability, and weapons
delivery accuracy.  The aircraft is capable of worldwide deployment and
operation from austere bases with minimal support equipment.
(Source: Military Analysis Network <http://www.fas.org/man/index.html>)

The pilot:
Silver is a retired top gun.  Accompanied by his pet parrot Polly, he has
decided to fly just one more time before finally calling it quits.

The plane:
The A-10's main shot is straight and strong, able to do a lot of damage.  Its
subshot, small bombs that shoot off forward, also packs a heavy punch.  And for
its bomb attack, the plane loops over and releases two bombs that erupt into a
huge and powerful explosion upon impact.

Overall:
The A-10 is your textbook powerhouse; strong firepower and bomb attack that's
counterbalanced by very slow speed.


FIGHTER SUPPORT X (FS-X)
------------------------
Pilot:
Hien

The Mitsubishi F-2 is a Japanese fighter aircraft manufactured by Mitsubishi,
based on the American F-16.  In October 1987, Japan selected the F-16 as the
basis of its new fighter, to replace the Mitsubishi F-1. The F-2 programme has
been controversial because the unit cost is roughly 4 times that of a Block
50/52 F-16, but this demonstrates Japan's commitment to its aerospace industry.
Before its official designation of "F-2" in 1996, it was known as the FS-X.
(Source: Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org>)

The pilot:
Hien is a ninja, one of the coolest kinds of humans on the planet.  Ever loyal
to his Shogun, he follows orders without hesitation; all for peace, honor, and
the way of the Ninja... I suppose.

The plane:
The FS-X shoots a decent straight barrage of kunai daggers.  For its subshot,
it fires seeking shurikens that home in on any target.  And for its bomb
attack, the plane unleashes a powerful energy beam; no doubt, ancient Ninja
power in action.  While this beam is active, the plane cannot be harmed and it
can also still move around.

Overall:
The FS-X is another decent plane; decent speed, decent firepower, and decent
albeit pretty concentrated bomb attack.

Comparison:
The FS-X has undergone a few changes since AF1; its main shot has become more
standardized (breaking away from its unique but erratic style), its subshot of
missiles has been replaced with shurikens (making the plane more ninja-ish),
and the appearance of its bomb attack has been improved to look much better.
Apart from that, the FS-X is still pretty much the same plane; it's still
piloted by a Ninja, and it still fires Ninja weapons.


F-15 EAGLE
----------
Pilot:
Mao Mao

The F-15 "Eagle" is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter
designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat.  The Eagle's
air superiority is achieved through a mixture of maneuverability and
acceleration, range, weapons, and avionics.  The F-15 has electronic systems
and weaponry to detect, acquire, track, and attack enemy aircraft while
operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace.  Its weapons and flight
control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform
air-to-air combat.  It can penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outfight
current or projected enemy aircraft.
(Source: Military Analysis Network <http://www.fas.org/man/index.html>)

The pilot:
Mao Mao is a Japanese megastar; she sings, she acts, she does all that popular
idol stuff.  And in between all that, she manages to find the time to fly a jet
fighter and save the world.  She's one amazing (and hot) pilot ^_^

The plane:
The F-15's main shot fires in a spread pattern, once powered up enough.  For
its subshot, it shoots forward lasers that tear through anything in their path;
at max level, you can hold down the A button to control the lasers' positions
(the longer you hold down, the more far apart from each other the lasers will
be).  And finally, its bomb attack is quite unique; instead of a typical mass
destruction attack, the plane unleashes a shockwave that stops time (and also
does a little damage, wiping out weak enemies).  Everything except the player
planes are frozen in place, allowing you to freely shoot at the helpless
enemies until the effect wears off.

Overall:
The F-15 is the fastest of all the planes here, and it's got nice firepower
too.  However, its bomb attack is quite variable; it could either do great
damage or crap damage depending on how you use it, so use it well.

Comparison:
Like the FS-X, the F-15 has had only a few changes from its AF1 counterpart;
its main shot has been changed from straight to spread, and its lasers have
been sped up (plus the position control at max level, too).  Aside from that,
it's still that good ol' laser-shooting time-stopping plane and it's still
piloted by Mao Mao :)


F-14 TOMCAT
-----------
Pilots:
Cindy & Ellen

The F-14 "Tomcat" is a supersonic, twin-engine, variable sweep wing, two-place
fighter designed to attack and destroy enemy aircraft at night and in all
weather conditions.  The F-14 can track up to 24 targets simultaneously with
its advanced weapons control system and attack six with Phoenix AIM-54A
missiles while continuing to scan the airspace.  Armament also includes a mix
of other air intercept missiles, rockets, and bombs.
(Source: Military Analysis Network <http://www.fas.org/man/index.html>)

The pilots:
Cindy is a little girl, and her idea of fun is to fly a jet fighter and blow up
bad guys all around the world.  With her is her mother Ellen, who makes sure
that her daughter doesn't get into *too* much trouble.

The plane:
The F-14 possesses a decent straight shot.  For its subshot, it fires seeking
missiles that home in on any target.  And for its bomb attack, five rockets fly
over the area and scatter bombs everywhere to blow up everything in sight; this
attack covers the whole screen and it's pretty strong too, but it doesn't
nullify bullets immediately (there's a delay before that happens) so be
careful.

Overall:
It's got fast speed and some decent firepower too; its full-screen bomb attack
is also pretty strong, though quite slow to come out.  The F-14 is a good plane
overall.

Comparison:
Lots of changes since AF1 for this plane.  Its main shot is still straight, but
it's not so wide anymore; its subshot still consists of seeking missiles, but
they don't cause burning explosions anymore.  Its bomb attack is still a full-
screen assault, but it's now slower and stronger.  And of course, the F-14 has
changed pilots; instead of a military guy, we now get a mother-daughter team.
Odd replacements indeed, but they're a nice detachment from the usual; plus,
they're pretty cute too ^_^


YF-23A BLACK WIDOW II
---------------------
Pilot:
Spanky (Whity in Jap version)

The YF-23A "Black Widow II" was the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas team's entry
into the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition.  The four-way ATF
competition pitted the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23A "Black Widow II" team
against the Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics YF-22A "Lightning II" team.  The
Pratt & Whitney YF119 engine competed with the General Electric YF120 engine.
At the end of the competition, the YF-22A "Lightning II" and the Pratt &
Whitney YF119 engine were the winners.  The YF-23A "Black Widow II" was a
supersonic "stealth" fighter.  Along with its stealth capabilities, the YF-23A
was designed to "supercruise".  This meant that the YF-23A "Black Widow II"
could cruise supersonic without the use of engine augmentation or
"afterburning".
(Source: Allen Rockwell's Aviation Site <http://www.allenrockwell.com/
aviation/>)

The pilot:
Spanky is the strangest out of all the pilots here.  He still intends to save
the world via his jet fighter... but he's a *dolphin*!  A *talking* dolphin!!
A talking dolphin *pilot*!!!  What the hell?!?

The plane:
The YF-23's main shot is almost straight, but it actually shoots off in a
slight V-formation.  Its subshot consists of mines that explode upon colliding
with any enemy or bullet; the small explosions damage any enemy and also stop
bullets as well.  These mines can also be moved around by the plane.  Finally
for its bomb attack, the plane charges up and then unleashes two energy waves
that travel sideways and blow through anything in their path.

Overall:
The YF-23 has strange but strong firepower, average speed, and a nice life-
saving bomb attack.  This can be a strong plane if used properly.


RAFALE M
--------
Pilot:
Steve (Angela in Jap version)

The Rafale is a twin-jet combat aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range
of short- and long-range missions including ground and sea attack, air defence
and air superiority, reconnaissance, and high-accuracy strike or nuclear strike
deterrence.  The aircraft has been developed for the French Air Force and Navy.
The Rafale is produced in three variants: M, B, and C.  The Rafale M variant is
a single seater carrier-based version for the Navy; B and C are a two seater
and a single seater for the Air Force.
(Source: Air Force Technology <http://www.airforce-technology.com>)

The pilot:
Steve is a punk rocker, and he fights for justice in his jet fighter.  Also, he
looks like a woman.  He's no Spanky, but he's still pretty weird...

(Note: In the Japanese version, "Steve" is actually a woman named Angela; and
she does regular rock, not punk rock.  I have absolutely no idea why they tried
to pass her off as a man in the English version.  Oh well, at least this whole
Angela thing lessens this pilot's weirdness somewhat; but only somewhat because
a female rocker/pilot isn't exactly commonplace :P)

The plane:
The Rafale fires a simple straight shot.  For its subshot, it sprays its front
with a scattershot of missiles.  And for its bomb attack, it loops over and
releases a big capsule that explodes into a huge and round electrical field.

Overall:
Fast speed, average firepower, and an okay bomb attack; the Rafale is a simple
but good plane.


SEA HARRIER FRS.2
-----------------
Pilot:
Bobby

The BAE Systems FA.2 Sea Harrier fighter aircraft, which is in service with the
British Royal Navy and the Indian Navy, provides air defence for the carrier
fleet, particularly against low-flying attack aircraft armed with long-range
air-to-surface missiles.  The design of the aircraft is optimised for air-to-
air combat with secondary missions of surveillance, air-to-sea and air-to-
ground attack.  Before May 1994, it was known as the FRS.2; there are plenty of
reasons for its renaming to "FA.2" (where "FA" stands for "Fighter Attack").
The "R" for reconnaissance was dropped as the Sea Harrier had never really been
used or fitted for that mission, the Royal Navy having never bothered to obtain
a reconnaissance pod for the type.  The "S" for "Strike" was changed to "A" for
"Attack" apparently because the Sea Harrier's nuclear strike mission was
mothballed in 1991 as part of the general drawdown of Western tactical nuclear
forces.
(Source: Air Force Technology <http://www.airforce-technology.com>, Air Vectors
<http://www.vectorsite.net/indexav.html>)

The pilot:
Bobby is only a baby, but that doesn't stop him from flying a jet.  And...
well, I... I'm at a loss for words here... :\

The plane:
The FRS.2 fires 3 shots in a spread pattern, once it's powered up enough that
is.  Its subshot is a pair of missiles that shoot off forward, to add to the
plane's frontal firepower; these missiles also slowly move sideways towards any
enemy.  And for its bomb attack, the plane flies up and drops down two bombs
that explode into huge diagonal blasts of flame; the coverage is wide, but
there's a bit of a gap in the center front.

Overall:
It's got slow speed, but it makes up for it with its strong firepower and bomb
attack that both cover a lot of area.  The FRS.2 is a powerful plane.


V. STAGES
=========
There are a total of 10 stages, taking place in various locations around the
world.  What follows is a description of each stage; the places, the enemies,
and the bosses.  Note that Stages 2, 4, and 5 are arranged randomly.


STAGE 1: JAPAN
--------------
You'll kick things off by flying over the city.  A pretty easy stage; choppers
here, tanks there, and even a few hostile buildings.  You'll also battle a
small version of the green machine boss from AF1 as well.  At the end of this
stage is a train station; from there, the small green machine will emerge again
(watch out for its laser blast in the second loop) and this time attach itself
to a giant walker machine to form the boss.  From here, it'll lumber through
the station, attempting to shoot you down as it goes.


RANDOM STAGE: BRAZIL
--------------------
In this stage, you'll fly over the rainforest and blast your way across an
enemy base.  You'll encounter choppers, tanks, and gun turrets here; you'll
even also meet a small version of AF1's giant desert vehicle.  And at the end
of the stage, you'll chase after the boss; a giant armored vehicle on railroad
tracks, and it's got a lot of cannons...


STAGE 3: ATLANTIC
-----------------
This one is actually a bonus stage; here, you'll be flying fast over the ocean
as you shoot down waves upon waves of large choppers.  Every single one of
these choppers leave behind power-ups, so the stage can become crowded with a
lot of power-ups.  This bonus stage is still dangerous though, because you can
still collide with a chopper and die as a result; so be careful.


RANDOM STAGE: U.S.A.
--------------------
In this stage, you'll come from the sea (feel free to shoot at the Statue of
Liberty until it gives up a power-up as you fly past it; don't worry, you can't
destroy it ;) ) as you head to and then through the city; once you're past the
city, you'll then fly over a theme park.  And during all this time, you'll be
battling a lot of choppers and jets.  Once you're past the theme park and over
a forest, you'll encounter the boss; a giant stealth fighter.


RANDOM STAGE: FRANCE
--------------------
It's nighttime in this stage, and you'll be fighting jets, jets, and more jets
as you fly high over the city; you'll even fly over the Eiffel Tower.  And
after all those jets, you'll speed up and chase down the bosses; a pair of big
supersonic jets.  They'll first take on you one on one, but soon they'll come
together for a combined effort to shoot you down.


STAGE 6: AUSTRALIA
------------------
In this stage, you'll fly over the city and even past the Sydney Opera House
before heading out to the open sea.  Along the way, you'll combat choppers,
jets, gunboats big and small, and submarines.  And after all that, you'll
encounter a battleship; don't waste your firepower on it, because that's not
the boss (and it's also indestructable; but watch out, because it'll shoot at
you).  The real boss, a much bigger battleship, will soon emerge and plow
through the smaller battleship without mercy.  This bigger battleship has lots
of gun turrets and even some choppers; and that's just its exterior...


STAGE 7: HIMALAYAS
------------------
Another bonus stage; in this one, you'll be flying high above the clouds as you
shoot down many large choppers and missiles.  And of course, every single one
of them leave behind power-ups and maybe even a bomb or two.  Just remember:
you can still die via collision in this bonus stage.


STAGE 8: MEXICO
---------------
This stage sees you flying high over the Aztec ruins.  You'll be taking on many
enemies here; choppers, jets, barrages of missiles, and some tanks as well.
And after all that, you'll arrive at the boss; a pyramid that's been converted
into an enemy base.  This base has a few layers, each with different weapons;
watch out especially for the layer with the lasers.  Sometimes, there's an
extra layer where an eye opens up in the base and shoots bullet waves at you.


STAGE 9: HAWAII
---------------
You'll take on many choppers and jets as you fly high over the islands in this
stage.  You'll also encounter small versions of AF1's bomber boss and black jet
boss here.  And once you get past them all, you'll battle the boss; a strange
UFO-like aircraft.  It shoots a lot, leaves behind probes, and also has a
deadly cluster of cannons.


STAGE 10: SPACE
---------------
In this final stage, you'll be flying in some sort of strange ancient place;
I'm not really sure what this place is, exactly...  Anyways, the only enemies
here are round drones that roll towards you and occasionally fire downwards.
But halfway through the stage, you'll encounter the sub-boss; it's the monkey
riding on the space machine, two AF1 bosses combined into one!  Don't take this
union lightly; the monkey will let loose with fast bullet waves (but sometimes,
he fakes it), summon smaller monkeys to attack you, and use the machine's
cannons as well.

After the sub-boss, you'll battle a few more drones before finally reaching the
end of the stage.  This is when the final boss materializes, and it turns out
to be a weird black eyeball.  This eyeball has a lot of alien-like attacks; it
creates extra weapons onto itself, it shoots a big laser beam from its eye
(sometimes even sweeping the area with the damn thing), and it even lashes out
with a giant arm!  Very very weird, this eyeball is...

But it's not as weird as the alternate final boss, which you sometimes get
instead of the eyeball.  This one is Tenukie, a giant ghost; not the horrifying
spectral kind of ghost, but the silly round bedsheet kind of ghost.  Tenukie
takes on a lot of facial expressions, and its attack pattern changes along with
its face.  Also during this battle, Kame-Chargers (weird turtle enemies) will
fall from the top of the screen; if you shoot them, they'll turn into carrots
that you can collect for 1000 points each.  Both Tenukie and the Kame-Chargers
are from Rabio Lepus (also known as Rabbit Punch), an old semi-cute horizontal
shmup by Video System; this could explain all those carrots.  Also, Tenukie is
part of Japanese mythos; so you might see it elsewhere as well.  And you
thought fighting the eyball was weird :P

There's actually another alternate final boss apart from Tenukie, but its
appearance is very rare.  This final boss is Mambu, a giant fish; surprisingly,
this fish does nothing (no attacks whatsoever).  You're free to shoot at Mambu;
and when it's destroyed, you earn a ton of points.  If you let Mambu escape
however (it doesn't stay there for very long), then you'll earn no points
(obviously) and you'll get a special ending involving a penguin instead of your
normal ending.  All this sounds highly unbelievable, doesn't it...?

And in case you're wondering, the bad endings of the eyeball and Tenukie are
indeed different.  Mambu's ending is also different, though it's not exactly a
bad ending.


VI. MISCELLANEOUS
=================

NAME CHANGE
-----------
In Japan, this game is originally known as "Sonic Wings".  Perhaps it was
renamed for outside-Japan releases so that this game won't be confused with a
certain speedy blue hedgehog.  Who knows...?


AERO FIGHTERS vs STRIKERS 1945
------------------------------
The Strikers 1945 games are shmups just like the Aero Fighters games.  Not only
that, but the two game series also happen to be very similar to each other.
Similar bullets, similar power-ups, similar gameplay style, and even similar
fonts.  However, the two game series were made by two different game companies
(AF by Video System, and Strikers by Psikyo).  So what's going on here?

Perhaps the answer lies in the credits of these games.  A few names in AF's
staff list (like Shin Nakamura and Wataru Yamazaki) also show up in Psikyo's
many shmups.  I can only conclude from this that some of the staffers moved on
to Psikyo and continued to create and refine their shmup style there.  This may
not be the correct answer though, so don't take my word for it.

Still, it's kinda nice to think that Aero Fighters is the granddaddy of all
Psikyo shmups even though it's not a Psikyo shmup itself ;)


SPECIAL APPEARANCES
-------------------
A few certain things make special appearances in this game.  But what exactly
are these things...?

- In one part of the city in the Japan stage, you can see the Aka Usagi (the
rabbit-shaped player ship from Rabio Lepus) on a sign, a poster of Mao Mao, a
small sign with Mambu on it, and of course that infamous "Heroin Magic" sign.
Winners don't do drugs, indeed... :P
- Check out the theme park in the U.S.A. stage.  Among the rides, you can see
the Aka Usagi, Tenukie, and Mambu.  There's also a black sphere that kinda
looks like the eyeball final boss, but I'm not quite sure about that one.
- The Aka Usagi, Mambu, arcade machines of older Video System games, and some
others make cameo appearances in some endings.  See if you can spot them ;)

If you see any other special appearances in this game that's worth mentioning,
please tell me about them.


COMPARISON
----------
Being a sequel and all, there obviously will be changes from the previous game.
So what are these changes?

- The screen, for starters.  AF1 is a vertical-oriented game, so its screen is
vertical too.  AF2, however, is on a horizontal screen despite still being
vertical-oriented.  The reason for this is because the arcade hardware it's
running on (a Neo-Geo) doesn't support vertical screens.  A vertical game on a
horizontal screen does look a bit weird, but it still plays fine nonetheless.
- There are still 8 planes, but only 3 have remained from AF1; and of those 3,
only one has been changed a lot.  The other two are still pretty much the same
as their AF1 incarnations.
- As for the other 5 planes, they're all new.  Though a few of them still shoot
familiar firepower from AF1 (like the FRS.2, which shoots the same main shot as
that of AF1's AV-8).
- Like the planes, only 3 pilots have returned from AF1.  Two of them still fly
the same planes, but Keaton has moved on to the F-117.  And of course, the
other 5 pilots are newcomers.
- The 5 pilots from AF1 aren't completely gone, though.  They make cameo
appearances in some endings in this game ;)
- In AF1, both players are forced to play two planes from the same country.
Not here in AF2; both players can now select any two planes, the only limit
being that both can't pick the same plane.  This allows for many two-plane
combinations, and many two-player joint endings as well.
- AF2 has 10 stages, more than AF1's 8.  And you play through them all too,
unlike in AF1 where you only play 7 out of its 8 stages.
- This game has a lot of new enemies and bosses, but there are also familiar
enemies from AF1 (choppers, tanks, jets, and more; and of course, small
versions of some of AF1's bosses show up too).
- In AF1, collecting currency nets you 1000 points.  Now in AF2, you can get up
to 10000 points depending on where you collect the currency on the screen; the
higher it is, the more points it'll give.  Also, currency changes from stage to
stage; different from AF1 where currency changes from plane to plane.


VII. CONCLUSION
===============
And there you have it, the lowdown on this arcade game.  I hope that you found
the info in this FAQ useful; or at least, you found this FAQ to be a nice read.

If you wish to contact me (the author) about this FAQ or anything else, just
e-mail me at: <bbhood21@yahoo.com>

Thanks for reading this FAQ :)


VIII. SPECIAL THANKS
====================

Military Analysis Network, Wikipedia, Allen Rockwell's Aviation Site, Air Force
Technology, Air Vectors
- Various info on the real life planes that are featured in this game.

Destroy All Monsters
- Scans and info on the game Aero Fighters Special/Sonic Wings Special.

Skyknight
- Provided info on the whole Steve/Angela thing.

Gemant and his Neo-Geo Super Tricks Guide (Italian)
- Provided info on the game's really super secret stuff.

Shapermc
- Provided the staff lists of Aero Fighters and Gunbird.

Shmups.com
- A kickass website and community about shmups :)


IX. VERSION HISTORY
===================

v1.02 (01/06/2004)
- Added more info on the ghost final boss, and new info on a very rare final
  boss.
- Added the Special Appearances section in Miscellaneous.

v1.01 (11/25/2003)
- Added info on the Rafale's pilot, Steve.
- Added full names for some of the planes' pilots.

v1.0  (11/14/2003)
- Initial release.


===============================================================================
Aero Fighters 2 FAQ (arcade)                                 v1.02 (01/06/2004)
===============================================================================
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