If you fire at that Timed Game box on the game's start screen (as opposed to that Story Game one), it shall proceed to the screen shown above, where you shall have ten seconds to select either Stage 1 (Easy), Stage 2 (Medium) or Stage 3 (Hard) by firing at the appropriate box; once you have done so, the box for your chosen stage will grow and move to the left side of the screen as the five best times for the stage appear on its right side. The stage will then start (without the skippable-by-shooting cutscene), and the gameplay is the same as that of Story Mode, but for the fact that Miller has infinite lives - however, the five best times for the current part of the area (and your current ranking) shall be shown in the top-right corner of the screen in this mode. Once you've cleared an area the text "AREA X RANKING" (X being the area's number) will appear on the screen with the area's "best-time" table below it; if your current time for the stage is low enough to be registered on it, it will be highlighted by a red rectangle and indicated by the initials "---". The text "VS. TOP SPY -/+ X'XX"XX" (-/+ X'XX"XX" being the positive, indicated by the minus, or negative, indicated by the plus, difference from the area's best time) will also be displayed below the table - and at the end of the stage, the text "STAGE X RANKING" (X being the stage's number) will appear on the screen with the stage's "best-time" table below it (if your final stage time is low enough to be registered on it, it will be highlighted by a red rectangle and indicated by the initials "---"). That text of "VS. TOP SPY -/+ X'XX"XX" (-/+ X'XX"XX" being the positive indicated by the minus, or negative indicated by the plus, difference from the stage's best time) will also get displayed below the table; if your time is the new best time, the text "NEW RECORD" will be displayed below it. The game will then go into "best-time" mode where you will have to enter your initials on the stage's, and any of its areas' your then-current time was low enough to be registered on as a result, "best-time" table(s), by using the lightgun to select the letters, and firing at them to confirm them; once you have done it, the game shall not proceed to the next stage (or the ending, in the case of the third stage), but go back into attract mode.