This FAQ can be found at:
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Playstation Cheat.net [http://www.psxcodez.com/]
Game Winners [http://www.gamewinners.com/]
Neoseeker [http://www.neoseeker.com/]
Gaming Planet [http://www.gamingplanet.com/]
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1. UPDATES
2. GAME MODES
a. One-Player
b. Two-Player
c. Practice
d. Dance View
3. HOW TO GROOVE
a. Button Functions
b. Following the Beat
c. The Difficulties
4. GAME MECHANICS
a. Your Score
b. The Just Command
c. Dance Patterns
d. Solo Sections
e. Jammers
f. Groove Bars
g. Fever Time
5. CHARACTER INFORMATION
a. Heat
b. Comet
c. Shorty
d. Strike
e. Tsutomu
f. Capoeira
g. Bi-O
h. Hiro
i. Kitty Nakajima
j. Kelly
k. Columbo
l. Robo-Z Gold
m. Pander
n. Sushi Boy
o. McLoad
p. ChiChi & Sally
q. Michael Doi
r. Hustle Kong
6. SECRETS
a. Secret Characters
b. Miscellaneous Secrets
7. CREDITS
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1. UPDATES
Version 1.05 (January 8, 2001): Over a period of two days, I have
received requests from four sites to post my FAQ. My FAQ is now posted
at those five sites. I have also made some minor modifications within
the sections and added the webmasters' names to the Credits.
Version 1.0 (January 5, 2001): This is the first draft.
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2. GAME MODES
a. One-Player
In this mode, your character travels through a path consisting of eight
dance matches (nine if you meet Pander). There are four possible stage
patterns. To branch onto the upper paths of the pattern, you must obtain
"Fever Time" in each stage. Regardless of the path you take, your eighth
opponent will be Robo-Z Gold, and the ninth will be Pander if you meet
him.
b. Two-Player
You can compete against a friend in this mode. You and your opponent can
select your favorite character, your optimum dancing mode, and the
playing field before you compete against each other in a festive and
exciting dancing contest.
c. Practice
You can practice your moves in this mode. You can select your character
and the playing field (unlike "Bust a Groove," where you could only
select your character) for your practice session. Each character has
different controller movements and techniques, so it is best to practice
with all the characters so that you can decide which character is your
best one.
d. Dance View
In this mode, you can create a dance for your victorious characters and
watch every one of their dance techniques. The fun part is that you can
watch the character dance in all sorts of ways. You must beat the game
with a certain character to unlock his or her (or its, in some cases)
dance view. (For example, when you beat the game with Heat, you can use
Heat in the Dance View mode.)
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3. HOW TO GROOVE
a. Button Functions
Directional Pad: used to perform dance movements
highlights different selections in menus
Square Button: enters dance command (Mix Mode only)
Triangle Button: enters dance command (Mix Mode only)
cancels selections in menus
X Button: enters dance command (Normal and Mix Modes)
confirms selections in menus
blocks an attack (Easy Mode only)
Circle Button: enters dance command (Normal and Mix Modes)
launches an attack (Easy Mode only)
reflects an attack (Easy Mode only)
Start Button: pauses the game [allows you to retry a battle or quit]
R1 Button: launches an attack (Normal and Mix Modes)
reflects an attack (Normal and Mix Modes)
R2 Button: blocks or dodges an attack (Normal and Mix Modes)
(All the other buttons have no function.)
b. Following the Beat
This is very basic: you press any direction or button in the green
section BEFORE the fourth beat, and you press the given direction or
button in the red section ON the fourth beat.
If you need help keeping the beat, you can:
1. tap your foot on each beat of a measure (a measure is four beats)
2. watch the command you are given (the commands in the green
section will flash on Beats 1, 2, and 3 and the commands in the red
section will flash on Beat 4)
c. The Difficulties
In this game, you may choose from three difficulties when you select your
character. The difficulty settings can allow a beginner to compete with
an expert.
EASY: This mode uses only directions (Up, Down, Left, and Right) as the
primary commands.
NORMAL: This mode is the one from "Bust a Groove." Directional commands
are used in addition to pressing X or Circle on the fourth beat.
MIX: This mode uses the directions and buttons (Up, Down, Left, Right,
Square, Triangle, X, AND Circle) in dance moves. Any button can appear in
any part of the dance move.
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4. GAME MECHANICS
a. Your Score
This is a very important mechanic because it determines whoever will win
the game. (Duh.) It will be dark blue and have no score at the start.
As you dance successfully, your score will increase and turn lighter
shades of blue, then to green, yellow, and red.
Like the first "Bust a Groove," the gauge fills as you attain a higher
score, which is done by performing successful dance moves. However,
harder moves are obtained quite differently, as shown in Section B.
(For an explanation on moves, see Section B under "How to Groove.")
b. The Just Command
In "Bust a Groove 2," harder dance moves are obtained by timing your press
on the fourth beat so that the command in the red section enlarges. This
will result in a higher score and the chance to execute better, albeit
harder, dance moves. When an opponent attacks, you can also dodge or
reflect the opponent's attack if you achieve the Just Command.
I have a method that I use to achieve this. It may or may not work for
you, as everyone's timing is different. You need to wait for the red
section of the move to flash, then as the flash disappears, hit the
button. This should work, but remember that timing is extremely critical.
If not, suggest a method by e-mailing it to me.
c. Dance Patterns
The directions that are used for each dancer are quite different.
Shorty's dance moves are relatively easy, McLoad's and Sushi Boy's are
extremely easy, and Pander's and Robo-Z Gold's are extremely difficult.
This time, you can only select one dance move to do, as opposed to two
from the previous game.
d. Solo Sections
These sections are your chance to shine without interruption from the
opponent. You are given a sequence of four moves. If you achieve the
Just Command, you can attain harder dance moves and earn a larger score.
(That strategy may not be useful on Pander's stage.) You and your
opponent cannot attack each other during this time.
e. Jammers
These special Groovetron-generated powers are designed to totally screw
up your opponent's groove and enhance yours. I have listed each dancer's
attack with their Character Bio. To attack, you press the R1 Button
(Normal/Mix) or the Circle Button (Easy) on the fourth beat. However, if
you are about to be attacked, you can block or dodge the attack by
pressing the R2 Button (Normal/Mix) or the X Button (Easy) on the fourth
beat. If you wish, you can attempt to reflect the opponent's attack and
hit them! To do this, hit R2 (Normal/Mix) or Circle (Easy) on the fourth
beat, but you must achieve the special fourth beat to reflect.
Successfully connecting with an attack earns you 1,000 points and the
opponent a deduction of 1,000 points. A good time to attack is two
measures before an opponent's solo. (Why two measures? You need to
start there because it takes one measure, or four beats, to launch an
attack.) If the attack is successful, your opponent will not be able to
perform his or her solo, which means that he or she will not get credit
for it. Then you can perform both solos to achieve an extremely high
score! ^_^
f. Groove Bars
These little bars between the two score bars are what control the stage's
maximum point of activity. Green bars represent times that a dancer has
gotten "Cool," a red bar stands for "Chillin'," and a blue bar signifies a
"Freeze." These bars come in a set of three (three bars for each level).
The first dancer to line all three bars will activate a special feature in
the dancing field. The bars must be lined in the highest row in which
there is a bar present.
g. Fever Time
A dancer does this special dance after the match ends if he or she has a
score of more than 23,000 points. Fever Times are critical in unlocking
four secret characters. If both characters have met the quota and have
scores with a difference of less than 1,000 points, both characters will
participate in the Fever Time!
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5. CHARACTER INFORMATION
a. HEAT
Age: 20
Dance Style: Break Dancing!
Jammer: launching a wave of fire at the opponent
Info: Heat is one of the most recognizable characters from this game. He
was a Formula One racer, but hasn't returned to the track because he was
nearly incinerated in a terrible crash. Miraculously, he made a complete
recovery and developed the ability to manipulate fire. Heat wants to use
the Groovetron to become a racer again.
b. COMET
Age: 16
Dance Style: Rollerblade Dance
Jammer: a magic spell cast by her wand that transforms the opponent
Info: She is a waitress at Sushi Planet, the truck stop that caters to
the needs of truckers that have a craving for sushi. Comet also has
eleven other part-time jobs because her love for helping people. She
donates her money to volunteer groups in an effort to save endangered
species. One reason for her seductive clothing is that the truckers may
have wanted to see sexy waitresses; as such, they could get their minds
off the sushi. (Well, I don't know! :-Þ) She competes in the place of
Frida, her older, artistic sister.
c. SHORTY
Age: 13
Dance Style: Jungle
Jammer: dropping a giant cake on the opponent
Info: She is the daughter of a father serving as a diplomat and a
supermodel mother. She still collects 8-track tapes at flea markets.
Shorty has picked up another hobby while collecting her tapes: collecting
clothes and accessories formerly used by superstars. Columbo is her pet
mouse given by her father as a gift and is her best friend. Columbo can
dance alongside Shorty by consistently achieving the Just Command on
"Level 5" dance moves.
d. STRIKE
Age: 22
Dance Style: Gangster Groove
Jammer: shooting the opponent with his gun
Info: Strike is out of the penitentiary and ready to dance with his dance
group formed by his former inmates. While not dancing with "The Ball and
Chain Revue," his dance group, he develops plans for using the Groovetron
to take over society.
e. TSUTOMU
Age: 11
Dance Style: House
Jammer: throwing objects through a magical door
Info: He is the son of a professional baseball player as a father and a
congressional representative as a mother. He is extremely disliked by
almost all of the other kids because of his mannerisms. He takes after
his mother in that he wants to use the Groovetron to become president of
the student council of his school. He is also reported to have stalked
his teacher, Ms. Monroe, and can behave similar to a train.
f. CAPOEIRA
Age: Unknown
Dance Style: Capoeira (which is a fighting style and not a dance style)
Jammer: a laser beam that shrinks the opponent's body (but not the head)
Info: The aliens Kiki and Lala, originating from the planet Capoeira and
taking their name from their home, have come to Earth to collect old
tinplate billboards. Each alien has developed a unique personality and
dance with each other, not just beside each other.
g. BI-O
Age: 47
Dance Style: Zombie Dance
Jammer: his own head (!) that he throws at the opponent
Info: Bi-O is the father of Gas-O, a competitor in the previous "Bust a
Groove" game. One day, he got into an argument with his son, which was a
very bad move. Gas-O sprayed his father with caustic gas that melted
most of his skin and lodged an ax in his head. Due to this incident,
Gas-O is now in jail, and Bi-O is taking his place in this competition.
He has adapted to his new zombie form well, dancing like the zombies in
Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
h. HIRO
Age: 21
Dance Style: 70's Disco
Jammer: an autographed picture of himself
Info: Hiro is a very narcissistic dancing hero. Originating from Italy,
he moved to Japan and lived in a box-sized apartment, but moved out due
to an increase in rent. He loves Saturday nights as much as he loves
himself, catching "dance fever" and letting his playboy antics fly.
Unfortunately, he is shy around women! He wants to use the Groovetron to
create the perfect hairstyle that can never be altered by anything – not
even wind. He has remarkably dedicated fans that will follow him
anywhere and are never afraid to scream his name in a heated competition.
i. KITTY NAKAJIMA
Age: 17
Dance Style: Jazz Dance
Jammer: grabbing the opponent with a giant claw
Info: Since the last competition, this lovable TV star has negotiated
with KNN-TV to produce her show, "Litterbox Warriors 5." Her ambition to
use the Groovetron to become the ultimate TV star appears to have
succeeded. However, she may have gotten more than she wanted, as her
studio can fall apart during dance matches! She apparently wants to make
herself more famous by dancing.
j. KELLY
Age: 24
Dance Style: Sexy Hip-Hop
Jammer: a deafening scream enhanced by her megaphone
Info: She has been promoted from secretary to executive of a foreign
capital trading firm. Her costume fetish has driven her to purchase many
different costumes; as such, she now has massive debt. After a co-worker
saw her in her baby suit, he became disgusted. Now she wears a skimpy
police uniform. She wants to use the Groovetron to pay off all her
debts.
k. COLUMBO
Age: Unknown
Dance Style: Jungle
Jammer: dropping a giant mold of flan on the opponent
Info: Columbo is Shorty's pet mouse. He learned how to dance from his
owner. He was a gift to Shorty and is now her best friend.
l. ROBO-Z GOLD
Age: Unknown
Dance Style: Techno
Jammer: a homing missile
Info: This is an upgraded form of Robo-Z. It now has wings, but hardly
ever uses them. Robo-Z Gold is the same as its predecessor: it dances
like a female, yet it has a masculine voice. It may be a hermaphroditic
robot. (Who knows?)
m. PANDER
Age: 31
Dance Style: African Dance (may have Japanese dance elements)
Jammer: many hands that flip the opponent off the stage
Info: Pander is the final opponent of this game. He is a cross between a
human and a panda that wears one shoe and a watch. (Actually, he looks
like a human spray-painted to resemble a panda.) He resides in a freaky,
psychedelic world. His name actually means "one that caters to the
weaknesses of others, a go-between in amorous intrigues, or a pimp."
Maybe that is why he is so strange.
n. SUSHI BOY
Age: Unknown
Dance Style: Rollerblade Dance
Jammer: a magic spell cast by his wand that transforms the opponent
Info: Sushi Boy is the mascot of Sushi Planet, one of Comet's twelve
places of employment. Basically, he is similar to the Tin Man from "The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum except that he wears
rollerblades and is very short. Sushi Boy is best used by beginners, as
his dance moves are very easy to perform.
o. McLOAD
Age: Unknown
Dance Style: Sexy Hip-Hop
Jammer: many hands that attack the opponent
Info: McLoad is the giant green dragon found on Jungle Tours, which is in
Shorty's stage. Oddly enough, he dances like Kelly. The pronunciation
of his name is borrowed from McDonald's. He is a character for
beginners, as his moves are easy to execute.
p. CHICHI & SALLY
Age: Unknown
Dance Style: Capoeira
Jammer: a laser beam that shrinks the opponent's body (but not the head)
Info: ChiChi and Sally are the weird mindless drones that hop around
Capoeira's spaceship. It is hard to decipher which is which.
q. MICHAEL DOI
Age: 34
Dance Style: Jazz Dance
Jammer: a giant claw that grabs and drops the opponent
Info: This dancer is a rip-off of Mango from "Saturday Night Live." He
is Kitty Nakajima's homosexual dance instructor. (That is why he dances
as he does.)
r. HUSTLE KONG
Age: Unknown
Dance Style: 70's Disco
Jammer: an autographed picture of himself
Info: Hustle Kong is the giant gorilla that busts through one of the
video walls in Hiro's stage.
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6. SECRETS
a. Secret Characters
In this section, I will explain how to get the eight secret characters:
Columbo, Robo-Z Gold, Pander, Sushi Boy, McLoad, ChiChi & Sally, Michael
Doi, and Hustle Kong.
COLUMBO: Beat the game with Shorty.
ROBO-Z GOLD: Release Columbo and ChiChi & Sally, then beat the game with
any character in Mix Mode.
PANDER: Beat the game with the ten default characters, then beat the game
with Robo-Z Gold in Normal Mode.
SUSHI BOY: Get 4 Fever Times while following the stage pattern beginning
with Kitty Nakajima. Face Sushi Boy in the fifth stage and beat the
game.
McLOAD: Get 4 Fever Times while following the stage pattern beginning
with Comet. Face McLoad in the fifth stage and beat the game.
CHICHI & SALLY: Beat the game with Capoeira.
MICHAEL DOI: Get 4 Fever Times while following the stage pattern
beginning with Hiro. Face Michael Doi in the fifth stage and beat the
game.
HUSTLE KONG: Get 4 Fever Times while following the stage pattern
beginning with Strike. Face Hustle Kong in the fifth stage and beat the
game.
b. Miscellaneous Secrets
These are the rest of the secrets in the game.
ACTIVATE DANCE VIEW: Beat the game with the character for which you would
like to have the Dance View.
ALTERNATE COSTUME: When selecting a character, press the Circle Button.
LEVEL SKIP: Anytime during a song, hold the L2 Button and press Start.
This can only be done when all characters are activated in Dance View.
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7. CREDITS
I would like to credit the following people for information found in my
Bust A Groove 2 FAQ:
Al Amaloo: for posting this FAQ on Game Winners
enigmaopoeia: for information on the characters
Enix of America: for releasing this wonderful game to the United States
Fans of Bust a Groove and Bust a Groove 2: for support :)
Fiefo: for understanding the nuances of playing this game
Peter Judson: for posting this FAQ on Neoseeker
Kao Megura: for creating the ideal FAQ format (this FAQ is based on it)
Jeromy Stroh: for posting this FAQ on Gaming Planet
Jeff Veasey: for posting this FAQ on GameFAQs
Christian Wirth: for posting this FAQ on Playstation cheat.net
IF I HAVE NEGLECTED TO CREDIT ANYONE, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT
mking3472@aol.com OR venerabledragoon@yahoo.com AND I WILL MAKE SURE YOU
GET THE CREDIT YOU DESERVE.
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Go out there and BUST A GROOVE... again! Enjoy "Bust a Groove 2," everyone!
If you need help with the first "Bust a Groove," read my FAQ on that game.
