Shen Mue Free Battle guide

                           By Walid Jallad known as Lord Grynn

                                 grynn@hotmail.com











Legal Stuff:



This document Copyright Walid Jallad.

This FAQ can only be distributed freely in its complete form.

It cannot be used for commercial purposes.

If you want to put it on your website or just display part of it,

please e-mail me (grynn@hotmail.com) and give me full credit.

Note: when you e-mail me about the game, please put Shen Mue on

the subject or I might accidentally delete your message before reading it

(I get a lot of stupid ads that I never read)









Contents:

           - INTRO

           - VERSION HISTORY

           - CONTROLS

           - MOVE LIST

           - STRINGS

           - THE Y BUTTON

           - THE R BUTTON

           - BOSS STRATEGY

           - FUN THING TO TRY

           - CONCLUSION







INTRO:



Shen mue is a great game so go get it ^_^

It's probably the best Dreamcast game until now, well OK,

best FREE game out there :)

I actually finished the game quite some time now, but found it really

fun to beat the 70 man battle sequence from time to time...

Especially when you want to vent your anger on something :)

I actually discovered all the interesting stuff about the fighting

system during the 70 man battle mode.

Please note that the english names aren't the translations of the

Japanese ones, I just tried to pick names that described the moves.

This is my first guide so I hope you'll find it useful!









VERSION HISTORY: - VER 1.0 (25/06/00): I just finished typing the Move list.

                   I have to play through the game a second time to find

                   my two missing moves. I also have to complete

                   my boss strategy section.



                 - VER 2.0 (15/11/00): Sorry for updating so late...

                   But I have been quite busy these last months (moving out

                   of my apartment, university studies, etc...).

                   The changes made were ready several months ago...

                   I added knew sections: THE R BUTTON, FUN THING TO TRY and

                   completed the BOSS STRATEGY section.

                   I also corrected some typing mistakes, text alignment

                   and the R button use.

                   I found the KASANEATE and the YOROI DïSHI moves.

                   Getting the KASANEATE changes the animation in a QTE 

battle.

                   These two moves are very nice!

                   I also got a better time in defeating the

                   70 man battle mode...  Sorry, I had to say it... ^_^









CONTROLS:



In the free battle mode you can use all six buttons of the pad:



- X : Punch

- Y : Dodge/Parry

- A : Kick

- B : Throw

- L : Run

- R : this button will execute the move you selected in the moves list



Fwd : Tap Forward

Bck : Tap Back









MOVE LIST:



The Japanese names are the Katakana's displayed in the move list

in the game. If you find mistake, please e-mail about it and

I'll correct it.After all I'm still a beginner in Japanese... ^_^

The moves described here are the ones I had by the end of the game where

all my moves were over the middle skill.

Some of these moves have different animations before you reach this level.

I might add the beginning animations later...

Notes: - VF3 stands for Virtua Fighter 3 ( it's also a great game ^_^ )

       - The moves listed under the "NEW MOVES" sections are moves that

         you discover during the course of the game and they replace

         the old moves with the same command.

       - To do the throw follow-ups, you have to do them very quickly

         after the first one, don't wait for the beginning animation.





X button attacks (Punches):



X                     :     TORABISHI      -     High Punch



Fwd X                 :     KOGUROMAUCHI   -     High Elbow



Bck X                 :     NEJIRIBISHI    -     Hook Punch



Fwd-Fwd X             :     RIMONCHïCHó    -     VF3 Akira's Elbow Attack



Bck-Bck X             :     NOBORIBISHI    -     Uppercut



Bck-Fwd X             :     SODEZUKI       -     Forward Punch



Fwd-Bck X             :     MURASAMEZUKI   -     Middle Punch



Bck-Fwd-Fwd X         :     SïJIN          -     Horizontal Hand Chop

                                                 followed by

                                                 Vertical Hand Chop



Fwd-Bck-Bck X         :     RETSUKïSEN     -     Power Uppercut





New X button Attack:



Fwd X                 :     SUIGETSUZUKI    -     Twin Straight Punchs

Follow-up: Tap X      :     Continues with an Elbow Attack







A Button Attacks (Kicks) :



A                     :     MIKAGETSUGERI  -     High Kick



Fwd A                 :     FUMIGERI       -     Front Kick



Bck A                 :     HARAINAGI      -     Low Kick



Fwd-Fwd A             :     TAKINOBORI     -     Jumping Knee



Bck-Bck A             :     KESAGIRI       -     Spinning Axe Kick



Bck-Fwd A             :     DEASHITOME     -     Middle Side Kick



Fwd-Bck A             :     IKAZUCHIGERI   -     Middle Kick then Axe Kick



Bck-Fwd-Fwd A         :     TSUCHIGUMO     -     Rising Handstand Kick



Fwd-Bck-Bck A         :     TSUMUJIKAZE    -     Sweeping Kick





New A button Attacks:





Bck A                 :     ENSENKïKYAKU   -     Advancing Axe Kick



Fwd-Fwd A             :     TORNADO KICK*  -     Jumping Spinning Kick

Follow-up: Tap A      :     Continues with a Reverse Spinning Kick



* It's the real name of this move and it's written in Katakana!

It makes sense since Tom is the one who teaches you this move!







B Button Attacks (Throws):



B                     :     SEOINAGE       -     Two Hands Throw



Fwd B                 :     HARAIGOSHI     -     (sorry, I don't know how

                                                 to name it in English)



Bck B                 :     TOMOENAGE      -     VF3 Kage's Bck P+G Throw

Follow-up: Fwd-Bck A  :     URATOMOE       -     (sorry, I don't know how

                                                 to name it in English)



Fwd-Fwd B             :     KASUMIGARI     -     VF3 Kage's Bck-Fwd P+G

                                                 Throw



Bck-Bck B             :     USETSUOTOSHI   -     (sorry, I don't know how

                                                 to name it in English)



Bck-Fwd B             :     TENGUSHï       -     (sorry, I don't know how

                                                  to name it in English)



Fwd-Bck B             :     MAKIGATAME     -     (sorry, I don't know how

                                                 to name it in English)



Bck-Fwd-Fwd B, B      :     TORAMIKUZUSHI  -     VF3 Akira's Bck-Fwd P+G

                                                 Throw



Fwd-Bck-Bck B         :     OBOROMUSï      -     An elbow to the ribs

Follow-up: X then X+A :     Arm Lock then Shoulder lock



Fwd Y+B               :     KAGEMI         -     Dodge move that puts you

                                                 at your opponents back



Follow-up: X          :     KAGEGATANA     -     Followed by an Elbow

                                                 to the neck



Fwd-Fwd Y+B           :     ZANGETSU       -     Dodge then shoulder charge

                                                 to the side





SPECIAL THROW:



If you try to throw your opponent from a certain distance, Ryo will grab him

by the collar and you have several possible follow-ups:



          - X    : a punch to the stomach, you can hit your

                   opponent after this attack with a quick move



          - X, X : Two punches to the stomach but you cannot

                   hit your opponent after this attack



          - X, A : a punch to the stomach followed by a dodge

                   to your opponent's back and a side kick



          - A    : a knee



          - B    : Ryo throws his opponent to the back









X+A button attacks:





X+A                   :     ïGURUMA        -     VF3's Jacky's P+K attack



Fwd X+A               :     MOROTENAMI     -     Forward attack with

                                                 two hands



Bck X+A               :     URAYANAGI      -     Reverse Spinning Punch



Fwd-Fwd X+A           :     HïZANSï        -     Forward Elbow Attack



Bck-Bck X+A           :     TACHIGASUMI    -     Hand Chop



Bck-Fwd X+A           :     SHINGETSU      -     Falling Axe Kick



Fwd-Bck X+A           :     KORAN          -     Reverse Spinning Kick



Bck-Fwd-Fwd X+A       :     HIENRENGE      -     Jumping Forward Kick

                                                 followed by

                                                 Jumping Axe Kick



Fwd-Bck-Bck X+A       :     YOROI DïSHI    -     Forward Palm Attack





New X+A button attacks:





Fwd X+A               :     KASANEATE      -     Upward Palm Attack followed

                                                 by Two palms attack







Running Attacks:



These moves are done while running.



X                     :     NAGIKAZE       -     Running Elbow Attack



A                     :     HAYATE         -     Spinning Jumping Kick



X+A                   :     FóSHA          -     Spinning Jumping Axe Kick



Y+A                   :     KAGEGARI       -     Ryo jumps in the air but

                                                 finishes with

                                                 a sliding sweep











Counter Attacks:



This is the move taught by Chin near the end of the game.

It only works on punches.



Bck X                 :     ENSENHAIRYU    -     Ryo grabs the attacker's

                                                 hand and pushes him away

Follow-up: A          :     Ryo then trips him...

Follow-up: X          :     ... and finishes him with a punch





There is another counter attack for punches,

you have to press B when the opponent punches you.

Ryo will then grab his opponent in an arm lock,

and you have several possibilities:



         - X                   : an elbow to the opponent's neck



         - A                   : a knee to the opponent's knee



         - Just wait           : Ryo will break his opponent's arm



         - push a direction +A : Ryo will kick to the side for another

                                 opponent,very effective against

                                 multiple opponents









STRINGS:



Ryo has several strings he can use.

They are not combo moves but they can be useful:



- X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X      : a series of hand attacks that

                                ends with the RIMONCHïCHó



- X, X, Fwd X, X              : 2 punches, forward elbow, hand chop



- X, X, Fwd X, A              : 2 punches, forward elbow, knee



- X, X, X, A                  : 3 punches, jumping spinning kick



- X, X, A                     : 2 punches, side kick



- X, X, Bck A, A, A           : 2 punches, low kick,

                                2 reverse spinning kicks



- X, A, A, A                  : punch, high kick, 2 reverse spinning kicks



- A, A, A                     : high kick, 2 reverse spinning kick



- A, X, X, X, X, X, X         : high kick, series of hand attacks

                                that ends with the RIMONCHïCHó



- A, X, A                     : high kick, spinning punch,

                                jumping spinning kick









THE Y BUTTON:



This button is both a dodge button and a parry button.

If you use it at any time, Ryo will just duck

or move to the side depending on the direction you're holding.

But if you press this button at the beginning frames of an enemy attack,

then Ryo will push away the attack or duck under it.



You have several possibilities from the ducking position (happens when

the enemy performs a high attack):



- X   : rising uppercut, good power, low range



- A   : sweep, high range



- X+A : Ryo rolls with his legs forward



- B   : there are several possibilities:



            - from far: rising uppercut, good power, low range



            - if Ryo ducked under high a punch: punch counter

              tap B directly to throw him after the punch,

              you can use a quick move instead since your opponent

              takes some time to fall



            - if Ryo ducked under high a kick: kick counter





If Ryo ducks under an attack from his back:



- X   : rear hand attack

- A   : sweep, high range

- X+A : Ryo rolls with his legs forward

- B   : Ryo snatches his opponent with his legs and makes him fall







The R button:



While looking at the moves list, select a move with A and you'll see it

highlighted.  Then during free battle, you'll execute this move by

simply pressing this move.

Knowing this your goal should be to select the most difficult move.

But let's think...

You can execute 2 difficult motions instead of one... How?

You want to always perform the OBOROMUSï throw (Fwd-Bck-Bck B),

Then just select the USETSUOTOSHI throw (Bck-Bck B) for the R button:

- If you press B, you get the USETSUOTOSHI throw.

- If you press Fwd B you get the OBOROMUSï throw

There  are several combinations that you can do this way.

You must also keep in mind that the follow-ups are not

automatically done, you have to input the command manually.







Boss strategy:





- Beating Chai the first time: yes, Chai is beatable at the game center.

  First of all, avoid using punches, he has a nasty counter against them

  that takes a full point of health. Don't use throws he almost always

  escape them, I only managed to throw once in a hundred times.

  You can use punches but only from time to time. Chai doesn't like

  middle kicks. Use the high kick when you see him jumping, as it will

  stop most of his jumping attacks.   When you see him approaching

  the Fwd Kick is a good choice, if he's very close, use the low kick.

  If you're looking for a very easy way to beat him, just select the

  Fwd A for the R button. You the press R as soon as Chai is in range.

  Bear in mind though, that if you press the button too early

  you're open for an attack.



- Beating Chai the second time: he's easier to beat the second time,

  you can throw him and punch him more often (he uses the punch counter

  less often). The pattern to beat him the first time still works here.



- Beating the guy with the stick: an easy way to beat him is to simply

  do the X,X,X,A repetitively. He'll end up dying. You can also fight

  him normally which is more fun.



- Beating the huge guy of the 70 man battle mode: if you're taking

  your time, you have to play defensively.

  Wait for him to attack and press the Y button:



   - If it was a head charge, you can throw him after you push him away

   - If it was a punch, you can continue with the punch counter from the

     ducking position or use the uppercut

   - If it was a drop kick, use the sweep from the ducking position.

   - If it was an axe kick, use the kick counter.



If he closes in with you, just press the B Button, you'll escape

his throw and then, counter with a quick move.







FUN THING TO TRY:



In the 70 man battle mode, try to keep all the bosses for the end.

Kill the henchmen first then the boss. I managed once to get

the man with stick and the final boss together!

There was huge slowdown!

But the fun thing is that while the man with the stick

is following you he'll hit his allies trying to get you!

His hits instantly knock out the henchmen.









CONCLUSION:



I hope you found this FAQ useful.

I might add strategy on how to finish the 70 man battle mode.

My best time is 5mn05s.

I am going to play the American version as soon as I get the

time and will change the FAQ if it is useful.

If you require a new section or some advice, e-mail me.