Car Type: Junk Car
Driver Name: Marcus Kane
Special Weapon: Boomerang Blast
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: 2
Specialty: 3
Speed: 3

My personal favorite, Roadkill is the most all-around solid character in the game. While he's not particularly dominant in any one area, he also lacks any real weakness and is therefore adaptable to any style of play. Find yourself matched up against Mr. Grimm or Spectre? Play freeze-and-ram. Staring down Warthog or Hammerhead? Play hit-and-run. Plus, he's a small target, and can often dodge straight- line weapons like power missiles and ricochet bombs. His special, a boomerang missile, does only moderate damage on a normal shot. However, if you can get it to hit someone on it's way back to you, it does triple damage. This takes a lot of practice, and is almost impossible in the more confined levels like Hong Kong or Paris. But even if you don't hit anyone, the missile will come back to you and go back into your weapons storage to be used again. Very handy.

When playing against him: Don't let the boomerang smack you in the back. If it gets by you, throw up a quick force field and absorb the blast. If he's on the verge of death, it might be worth it to take a straight shot from it rather than let it loop back and really whomp you.

Car Type: Race Car
Driver Name: Amanda Watts
Special Weapon: Tornado Spin
Handling: Ultra Tight
Armor: 1
Specialty: 4
Speed: 5

Did somebody say speed? Twister is far and away the fastest car in the game, and has the best handling too. But in my mind, she has a fatal flaw: she's got very low armor, and a close contact special. Her special, a tornado attack, hits all cars in the area, and can be very effective in the streets of Paris or Hong Kong. But even if she hits five or six enemies with it (which I've seen her do) she then finds herself staring down each and every enemy she just nailed, and they are all very mad at her. And while she's spinning around bouncing people off buildings, she's wide open to attack by anyone not sucked into the vortex. Further more, it's a close range special, which means you'll have to be more careful to pick up missiles for long range combat. Still, if speed is your thing, than Twister's the car for you.

When playing against her: Try to keep your distance. With her speed, that can be hard to do, so be prepared to throw up a quick force field if you have to. If you see her spinning, freeze her immediately, then have your way with her. With her light armor, it shouldn't take much to get her out of the way.

Driver Name: Axel
Car Type: Daddy's Revenge 209
Special Weapon: Supernova Shockwave
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: 3
Specialty: 3
Speed: 2

This guy gives me the willies. I mean...what the hell happened to him? How much does it hurt to wear nothing but a pair of Levi's when you get hit with a burst of napalm? How does he go to the bathroom? Whatever the case, Axel's a very dangerous character, especially in tight quarters. His special is an omni-directional blast; the closer you are to him, the more damage it does. When playing him, I try to find crowds of people, bring up a force field, charge into the fray, firing off the special as I go. The great thing about it is, anyone who gets hit by it is launched into the air, and he can zip right underneath them. He's also got decent armor and (as you would expect from a guy who's just two big wheels) great handling. On the downside, he's fairly slow, and a big target. Also, his special is a short-range weapon; towards the end of a level, if you're matched up with Spectre and the like, you're going to have a hard time getting close enough to kill them without the additional long range weapons.

When playing against him: Remember how to beat Twister? Same idea here. If you keep your distance, he won't be able to touch you. He is slower than Twister, so he'll be easier to hit, but he's got more armor, so you'll have to be more patient. Still, if you've got a decent supply of weapons, you should be able to wear him down without much difficulty.

Driver Name: Simon Whittlebone
Car Type: Front Loader
Special Weapon: Grab and Slam
Handling: Sluggish
Armor: 4
Specialty: 5
Speed: 1

"Mr. Slam, that's his name, that name again is Mr. Slam." If you're not fan of obscure episodes of "The Simpsons," you won't get that joke. But it applies, because Mr. Slam is a lot like Homer Simpson: big, slow, and not too bright. When the computer is playing him, he'll often hit you a freeze blast (on the higher levels, seven or eight freeze blasts) and creep toward you, raise his jaws in the air... and then harmlessly turn away. It's odd. The advantages of Mr. Slam are obvious: he's got a ton of armor and an ass-whuppin' special attack. Y'see, he's a car smasher, and his special attack is... well... he smashes you. He lifts you into the air with his big metal jaws and slams you repeatedly to the ground. This, obviously, is a short range weapon, and it will take a little time to execute, so make sure you freeze your target before advancing. Also, while your bouncing your opponent like a basketball, you are susceptible to attack from meddling third parties. Also, you are friggin' huge and bright yellow. Pretty much everything that gets shot at you will hit.

When playing against him: I know it's getting old, but keep your distance. Wait for him to show his face, then zip up beside him. It'll take him about a half-hour to turn and face you; in the meantime, hit him with everything you've got, then freeze him and hit him some more. If you find yourself being lifted in his jaws, you can put up a force field and get away with minimal damage. Because of his huge size, Mr. Slam is particularly vulnerable to close range napalm blasts.

Driver Name: Mortimer
Car Type: Hearse
Special Weapon: Soul Shadow
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: 2
Specialty: 4
Speed: 3

*UPDATE* Originally, I wasn't a big Shadow fan. I thought the car was slow, (which it is) handled like crap, (which it does) and was generally a waste of time. Then I found out that the problem wasn't with the car, it was with the view! Only by playing in helicopter view do you realise how powerful Shadow can be.

To review: Shadow is slow, can't handle, and is a huge target. The good news? His special weapon. The Soul Shadow launches out in front of your car, and doesn't explode until you hit the button. In close-up view, it's very inaccurate. But in helicopter view, you can see the Shadow go almost all the way across a level, and not fire it off until it gets right underneath a foe (or foes). And when it goes off, it releases a very powerful explosion. Shadow is on the short list of characters who can hit multiple opponents with one special. (The others being Axel, Twister, and Thumper.) also, it reloads almost immediately; in Hong Kong and Paris, you can shoot three or four into a crowd and score several direct hits.

Although not a good car for beginners, advanced players can use Shadow very effectively. One of the better cars in the game.

When playing against him: He's a mile long. Get to one side of him and write your name in his side with machine guns (and missiles, bombs, etc.). Remember that his spirit blast goes only in a straight line, so if he's pursuing you, it helps to take a bunch of sharp turns.

Driver Name: Mike 'n' Stu
Car Type: Monster Truck
Special Weapon: Monster Crush
Handling: Sluggish
Armor: 3
Specialty: 3
Speed: 1

He's a monster truck. If you can't figure out what to do with him, then you're playing the wrong game. Run people over. That's his special: He runs people over. It's automatic, and never runs out. If they try to run, freeze them. If they charge you, take a quick tight turn backwards, wait for them to cross your field of view. Then run them over. I guess the strategy could get a little deeper. I guess I could point out that if you pin a weenie like Twister against a wall, you can actually climb on top of them and watch their health disappear. Or I could point out that if you ram someone from the side, they will roll over and be in perfect position to be rammed again. But really, if you want to play Hammerhead, you shouldn't be reading this; you should be running people over.

When playing against him: First and foremost, don't let him run you over. He's slow, but he turns quick for a big guy, and out maneuvering him can be tough. Better just to hit him and run. His armor's surprisingly low, so if you're health's at a high level, you may just want to exchange weaponry with him, realizing that with his special, he's got to touch you to hurt you.

Driver Name: Capt. Jamie Robers
Car Type: Police Car
Special Weapon: Omni Taser
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: 2
Specialty: 3
Speed: 4

Ready for a little police brutality? Outlaw is a good solid character, a little on the weak side, but a little on the fast side. She's fast enough to run down most any criminal, and quick enough to make the big boys look silly. Her special weapon is an omnidirectional lightning bolt that strikes the nearest opponent. This is great, because it saves you the trouble of aiming. Just get close to them and fire. Also, the taser blast lifts it's target off the ground; use it to keep your opponents away from valuable icons. Be careful, though; even though she has a short range special, Outlaw doesn't have the armor to get stuck in small places with the bigger characters. Don't worry, though. If someone's got you pinned, zap 'em with the taser and zip underneath 'em. As long as you can keep up a good supply of missiles and other distance attacks, you should do okay.

When playing against her: Outlaw has an annoying habit of being the last character alive almost every time, so get used to playing her. She likes to run and hide, and with her speed it's hard to track her down. It's a tough situation, because you've got to get close enough to aim at her, but if you get to close, she'll zap you. Load up on homing missiles and freeze blasts, and try to draw her into the open.

Driver Name: Capt. Roberts
Car Type: Army Vehicle
Special Weapon: Patriot Missile
Handling: Sluggish
Armor: 4
Specialty: 3
Speed: 2

Warthog rocks. He's got armor for days, but unlike most of the armored division, he's not a particularly large target, and he's also relatively fast. If it came down to it, he could probably go an entire game without weapons, relying on machine guns and his shell to survive. Of course, he doesn't have to do that; he's got access to all the power-up weapons the other characters do, plus an absolutely bad-ass special: He fires off red, white, and blue homing missiles that do greater damage at greater distances. So if one of those smaller gits tries to outrun him, let him go. Then just launch the missiles and let them do the work.

When playing against him: Get ready for a long fight. Here's the deal: If you stay too far away from him, he'll rain his Patriot Missiles on you. So you've got to get him in close range combat. At the same time, he's burly enough to just smash into people, so don't let him get you in confined areas. Your best bet is to take one of the faster cars, like Mr. Grimm, and literally run circles around him. Keep him in the wide open spaces, and don't let him pick you off from a distance. If you're stuck playing one of the big boys, load up on extra missiles. Then freeze him, and unload.

Driver Name: Mr. Grimm
Car Type: Motorcycle
Special Weapon: Screaming Soul
Handling: Tight
Armor: 1
Specialty: 5
Speed: 4

Imagine a house fly armed with a bazooka. That's Mr. Grimm. He's the smallest character in the game, but one of the fastest, and he's got one of the most powerful specials in the game. With the small size comes weak armor, but he's got the speed and quickness to evade most damage anyway. The best thing you can do is to keep moving, trying to stay out of danger, waiting until you get at least two Specials to use. Then freeze someone, hit 'em with the Specials, and throw in a missile or two for a quick and easy kill. I usually don't recommend targetting specific opponents, but with Grimm I make an exception. I target the first person I see. Freeze blast, Special, freeze, special, fire missile. That usually kills them. Then I go hide. It's not necessarily worth it to pick up extra weapons, because his special is so burly. There's just one other thing to mention: his special goes in a straight line, and doesn't home at all. DON'T FIRE IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN EASY SHOT. It can take all day for another Special to load up, so make 'em count.

When playing against him: Proceed with caution. Killing Grimm isn't necessarily difficult, but it can be very risky. He's too small and fast to be hit with most weaponry, so find every single homing missile you can. If there aren't any available, then make sure your freeze meter is fully charged. Try to get him into the open, where he can't hide, then freeze him. Hit him with everything you've got, but be ready to freeze him again almost immediately. If you can get him trapped, he can't take much of a beating.

GRASSHOPPER

Driver Name: Krista Sparks
Car Type: Dune Buggy
Special Weapon: Leap 'n' Slam
Handling: Tight
Armor: 1
Specialty: 2
Speed: 3

Hoo-boy. Grasshopper has the lowest armor rating possible. Well, she must be particular fast then right? Wrong. She's only got mediocre speed. Well, I bet her special kicks butt. Wrong again, junior. She jumps in the air and lands on people. Which would be great if she were a suburban or a bus or something, but she's a puny little dune buggy, and the damage it registers is minimal. You're best bet is to load up on any weapon you can find, throw up a force field, and charge into the fray. And remember: there's nothing wrong with running for your life, except that she's usually not fast enough to get away with it. So be aware that playing Grasshopper may be the ultimate challenge of this game. But I assure she's worth it, because she has far and away the coolest ending of the game.

When playing against her: Be warned: When played by the CPU, Grasshopper never, ever, ever runs out of specials. She'll just pounce on you over and over, and there's nothing more humiliating then when The Bug kills you. Fortunately, her Special is easily defended, so long as you keep her in your field of vision. If she launches from too far away, you can actually see her come towards you. Hit her with a ricochet bomb, power missile, or some Specials, and she'll be knocked back, her Special wasted. Even better, you can launch a freeze blast at her. It will home in on her in the sky, and she will drop to the ground in a big ice block. Then, you squish her.

Driver Name: Bruce Cochrane
Car Type: Luxury Car
Special Weapon: Ultra Flame Thrower
Handling: Intermediate
Armor: 2
Specialty: 4
Speed: 3

Thumper's another good all-around character. He is easily adapted to counter whatever opponent you face. Fast enough to run, but big enough to slam dance. The best general strategy is to pick out the weaknesses of your opponent. That, and to load up on distance attacks, because he's got a short-range Special. Speaking of which, Thumper has, unquestionably, THE most powerful special in the game. I know, Thumper's Specialty is rated at 4, and Grimm's is at 5, but that assumes Thumper hits someone in passing. Y'see, Thumper's special is a jet of fire that shoots out the front of his car. But it doesn't just launch out there, it fires off for a couple of seconds. Try this sometime: freeze Mr. Grimm, pull up right next to him, then freeze him again so he can't run away. Then, make him toast. If you fire immediately after you freeze, you can kill him in ONE Special. Even most of the armored boys will go down in two. So it's not an awful idea to hide somewhere and build up Specials. Then unleash them on an unsuspecting world.

When playing against him: If he's coming your way, RUN. Do NOT let him get close enough to burn you. Stay to his sides or behind him, and pick him apart with long, long range attacks.

Driver Name: Ken
Car Type: Sports Car
Special Weapon: Ghost Missiles
Handling: Tight
Armor: 1
Specialty: 4
Speed: 4

Spectre is in that upper stratosphere of speed merchants. Don't worry if somebody's too close to you, you can easily escape. Zip into the scene, launch a couple of missiles, and zip back to safety. Speaking of missiles, don't worry about picking up power-up weapons, because Spectre's Ghost missiles are the best Special in the game. I know I just got done praising Grimm and Thumper, but I described them as having the most POWERFUL Specials in the game. Spectre's Specials do less damage, but they're better. First of all, they home in their target, and are far more accurate than even homing missiles. Second, and more importantly, Ghost Missiles go THROUGH WALLS. This means that in levels with well-shielded areas, like the swimming pool in New York, or the caves of Amazonia, and remain literally untouchable as he fires Ghost Missile after Ghost Missile at his opponents. A wise man summed it up best when he said: "If you're playing Spectre, you should never even see your opponents."

When playing against him: Don't let him get out of sight. If he tries to run away, freeze or follow him. Given his speed, that's not an easy thing to do. But no matter who you're playing, or what kind of strategy you're using, you have no choice but to follow him wherever he leads you. He has very low armor, so if you get a chance to freeze him and unload, by all means, drop the bomb on him.

Quick, boy, back to the Temple of Vin!

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