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Mad City Stage 4

This is the first of two driving stages, which occur back to back. During this stage, you must drive as fast as you can to travel a certain distance before the clock runs out. You are trying to catch up to the vehicle that Annabelle is being transported in. Along the way, several obstacles will try to slow you down or stop you.

Common to both versions of the game is the fact that as you drive down the road, you will encounter several other vehicles on the road that can be shot, or must be avoided. A plane will approach you from off in the distance and attempt to drop a bomb on you unless you are able to destroy it first by throwing an explosive at it. Trees or posts on the side of the road must be avoided, as must the boulders that appear in the middle of the road.

Besides these similarities, the two versions of the game have a number of differences, as described in the table below:

The Adventures of Bayou Billy Mad City
Vehicle durability In the American version, there is no health meter during this stage. Any hit to your vehicle will destroy it and cost you one life. In the Japanese version, you keep your health meter. Different kinds of collisions cause varying amounts of damage, and you only die if your meter is depleted.
Gas pedal In the American version, you must keep Up dpad held in order to maintain top speed. In the Japanese version, you may release Up dpad once you reach a desired speed.
Speed The American version moves much faster. As a result, many of the turns start edging your vehicle to the outside lane. It is often necessary to slow your vehicle down, or even stop entirely, in order to survive some of the sharper turns. The Japanese version is a bit slower. Even at top speed, you will have no problem taking turns, and you can still steer the vehicle towards the inside lane.
Enemy jeep In the American version, the tan vehicle that you are chasing never appears during the stage. In the Japanese version, throughout the stage, the tan jeep that Annabelle is captured in will appear. It will stick around on the road unless you shoot it several times and force it to drive away. It may even shoot at you, and it is the one vehicle that can destroy yours with a single hit if you collide.
Timer The American version counts down very slowly from 99. Each unit of time is approximately 2 seconds. The Japanese version counts down incredibly quickly from 5000. Approximately 40 units count down in a second.
Bonus items In the American version, there is exactly one blue gas tanks which adds 10 units of time to your clock. In the Japanese version, there are a few gas tanks. The blue ones add 500 units of time back to your clock while the green ones restore your health meter.
Weapons In the American version, you lob grenades at orange planes. You may not fire your guns while a grenade is on the screen, and you may not throw a grenade while your gun fire is still visible. In the Japanese version, you toss sticks of dynamite at green planes. You may shoot and lob dynamite at the same time.
Plane movement In the American version, the planes track you better around turns. This means they are far more likely to successfully hit you with a bomb, but they are also much easier to hit. In the Japanese version, the planes veer off to the left and right as you take turns. They are far less accurate when they try to bomb you, but they are much harder to destroy.
The Adventures of Bayou Billy Stage 4

Due to the increased difficulty of the American version, it is much harder to make it through this stage without losing a life. The following tips will increase your chances of surviving.

  • If your vehicle is being thrown to the outside lane of a turn, release Up dpad and let your car slow down. Press Down dpad if necessary and reposition your vehicle on the road before continuing.
  • The boulders are perhaps the most difficult obstacle to avoid, since they come toward the vehicle rather fast. Knowing where they are in the road, as well as when they are likely to appear, will help you avoid them. When they are off in the distance, they may appear to be on the left side of the road, but that will quickly change as they come more into view.
  • Shoot as many vehicles as you can in order to avoid the chance that you might collide with them. Be mindful of the limitation that you may only have one weapon on the screen at one time. If you lob a grenade at a plane, be aware that you will be unable to shoot other vehicles momentarily.