720*






nes instruction manual for 720




720* NES-72-USA
The arcade's ultimate aerial experience comes home!

THE GAME

As the jammin' skateboarder you know you are, you've got to test your
skills in the toughest course any skateboarder has ever seen. You start
off with a hundred bucks in your pocket, your trusty skateboard, and the
awesome moves you've learned along the way. Find your way around the park
while dodging kamikaze cars, looney thugs and killer bees. You've only
got a short amount of time to work your way through each one of the four
levels, or classes, of difficulty. Show off your hot moves, and rack up
points to earn tickets to the parks. If you're lucky, you might find some
loose bills lying around. Scoop 'em up. You know you'd like to get the dough
to buy those cool duds and some of that hot equipment.

GETTING STARTED

Once the game has loaded, press any button to get to the title screen. You
are given the option to START a new game or CONTINUE in the current class.
Press the Select Button to move the cursor between these two options, then
press the Start Button to begin the game. If you do not start the game, a
self-running Demo will begin automatically after about 15 seconds; press
any button to return to the option screen from the Demo.

You start off the game in the Main Park. You have three lives, and your
goal is to make it through all four of the special events (located in
different corners of the Main Park) with enough points to "graduate" to
the next class. You begin the game with three event tickets; rack up points
to earn the fourth ticket for the last event. If you do well in the events
you'll earn cash and bonus points, as well as the chance at a bronze, silver
or gold medal. Use your cash to buy better equipment in the shops, located
in the Main Park. Once you get to the next class, you'll have to earn more
points to get more event tickets and even better equipment. As you progress
throught the classes, the events will become more and more difficult.

CONTROLLING YOUR SKATEBOARD
Press UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT on the Control Pad to skate in that direction.
To jump as you skate, press the A Button. To skate diagonally, press the
Control Pad in that direction (for instance, press UP/RIGHT to skate up and
to the right). To pause the game, press the Start Button; press Start again
to resume play.

THE MAIN PARK
As you skate around the Main Park, watch out for cars tearing through the
streets, tough-looking thugs, motorcycle maniacs, and frisbee-throwing freaks.
You may also run across dollar bills lying in the street; pick them up by
skating over them (finders keepers!). Score points by jumping over water and
off of ramps, and by performing mid-air spins.

In addition to the four event parks, there are four shops in the Main Park
where you can buy helmets, shoes, pads and skateboards. Any money you find on
the street or earn in the events can be used to buy new equipment. If you get
lost, skate around until you find one of the Map Stations marked by the word
"MAP" on the sidewalk. When you skate over the Map Station a map of the Main
Park will appear on the screen, showing your location and the location of the
shops and events. The game timer pauses while the map is displayed. Press any
button to return to the game.

THE STATUS PANEL

A Status Panel in the upper left corner of the screen shows the time bar,
points earned, cash, event tickets, and equipment.

TIME BAR
The time bar decreases gradually as you skate; when the time bar disappears
completely, the message "Skate or Die" will appear at the top of the screen.
After this, you'll only have a few seconds to get to an event before a swarm
of bees makes a "beeline" for you...and stops you in your tracks.

POINTS
Earn bonus points in the four special events, and by performing jumps and
spins in the Main Park. You'll need all the points you can get to earn the
fourth event ticket, and to qualify for the next class.

CASH
You begin the game with $100; earn more cash in the events. You can also find
dollar bills on the streets in the Main Park. Use your money to buy better
equipment in shops located around the Main Park.

EVENT TICKETS
You have three event tickets at the beginning of the game; earn extra event
tickets by scoring points (the number of points needed to earn the next ticket
will be displayed at the bottom of the event screen).

EQUIPMENT
You may purchase four types of equipment in shops around the Main Park:
boards, helmets, shoes, and pads. A picture of each item (shown from left to
right in the above order) is displayed on the screen. Each time you buy an
item, a quarter of a pie will appear above the picture of that item. Although
you can only purchase one of each item per class, you can upgrade your
equipment when you move up to the next class.

SPINS
Wanna know how to do those rad jumps and spins, including the awesome 720?
Just hold down the A Button and press UP, DOWN, RIGHT, or LEFT on the Control
Pad. It doesn't matter which direction you press, as long as it's different
from the direction you're heading. When you're about to land, make sure that
you're heading in the same direction as when you started your jump. The more
you spin, the more points you earn:

1 Spin: 100 Points
2 Spins: 200 Points
3 Spins: 300 Points
4 Spins: 400 Points

Spin points are increased by 100 in each class. Gain the height you need to
perform difficult maneuvers by spinning as you jump from ramps or curbs. Earn
extra points by jumping and spinning over water hazards, grass patches, and
ramps.

THE SHOPS

There are four shops located in the Main Park: the Skateboard Shop, the
Helmet Shop, the Shoe Shop, and the Pad Shop. Once you earn enough money in
the events, you can use it to buy hot new equipment that'll let you jump
higher, go faster, and recover from falls more quickly. If you have enough
money for a piece of equipment, you'll be outfitted with that item
automatically when you skate up to a shop. When you buy a piece of equipment,
a quarter of a pie will appear above the picture of that item and the price
of the item will be deducted from your cash. You can only purchase one of
each item per class, but when you move up to the next class you can upgrade
your equipment again.

SKATEBOARD SHOP
Buy a hot skateboard that lets you jump higher and score more points.

HELMET SHOP
With a new helmet, you'll be well protected when you fall and it won't take
you so long to recover from bumps and bruises.

SHOE SHOP
Really burn rubber in a pair of ultimate high-tops. With shoes like these,
nothing will stand in your way.

PAD SHOP
Hey, you can never be too careful! With pads on your knees and elbows, you
can skid into just about anything without getting hurt.

THE EVENTS

There are four events which you must complete before you can move on to the
next class--the Downhill, Slalom, Jump and Ramp. Each event requires one
ticket to play. You start off with only three tickets, and have to score
points to earn the fourth one. The number of points needed to earn the next
ticket is displayed at the bottom of the event screen.

You must complete each event in a limited amount of time. In the Downhill,
Slalom, and Jump events, tear through the course as fast as you can for the
greatest number of points. Don't fall down, or you'll lose valuable seconds
that will cost you bonus points and cash! In the Ramp event, show off as many
of your moves as you can in the time allowed.

Once you complete an event, your score plus any bonus points or medals will
be displayed. Afterward, the Medal Table will appear showing the events you
have completed and your performance in each event. Press the any button to
return to the Main Park,

DOWNHILL
This event is filled with hairpin curves, in a course built on stilts over
water. As you skate downhill you must jump from one section of the course to
the next without missing a turn. Arrows at the end of each ramp section tell
you which way the course is going to turn. As you sail off the end of one
ramp, turn in the direction of the next ramp to land. If you think you're
good enough, try a spin or two for extra points. The number of points needed
for the next event ticket is show at the bottom of the screen. An indicator
bar at the top of the screen shows the time remaining, and whether you're
eligible for a bronze, silver, or gold medal. The time bar starts off in
the "gold" range ("G"), and gradually decreases to "silver" ("S"), "bronze"
("B"), and then no medal at all.

SLALOM
Fly down a flag-filled course built over water, weaving your way through a
series of gates. You must go through all the gates (that is, between each
set of flags' to win the event. Every time you go through a gate, the flags
change color and time is added to the clock. If you pass through a gate
correctly, the flags will turn yellow. If you miss a gate and pass through
the next one, the flags of the gate you missed will turn blue. If you go
through a gate in the wrong direction (upward), those flags will turn blue.
More time is added to the clock for yellow flags than for blue ones. The
number of points needed for the next event ticket is shown at the bottom of
the screen. An indicator bar at the top of the screen shows the time
remaining, and whether you're eligible for a bronze, silver, or gold medal.

JUMP
You'll need quick reflexes and a great sense of timing to get through this
course. As you speed down the ramps, watch out for water hazards at the
bottom. When you reach the end of one ramp, press the A Button to jump to the
next one. If you land successfully, you'll earn points. Get extra points
by doing spins and jumps on your way down, and by landing on bonus markers
that can be found near the water hazards. A countdown timer appears at the
bottom of the screen, along with the number of points needed for the next
event ticket. An indicator bar at the top of the screen increases as you earn
points to show if you're eligible for a bronze, silver, or gold medal.

RAMP
Ready to tame the wild concrete tidal wave? You have only a short time to
get as many points as you can by showing off your awesome moves. As you
skate up the side of the ramp, prepare to soar through the air and twist
around for a perfect spin or a cool handstand