Guide:How to play Medarot R Parts Collection
(Written by: Kimbles)
Medarot R Parts Collection is an add-on game for Medarot R for the PS1. It lets you load your Medarot R save file, then go through a series of fights to earn points that can be used to purchase new parts (in addition to gaining parts by winning battles) and then transfer the spoils back to your main game. Unlike Medarot R, it's totally menu-based and has no overworld.
(More info coming soon.)
Menu guide
| Main menu | |
|---|---|
| メダロット買う | Purchase Medarots |
| ランキング戦 | Ranking Battles |
| メダロット図鑑 | Medarot Encyclopedia |
| システム | System |
- Purchase Medarots: Takes you to a screen where you can spend points to buy Parts Collection-exclusive Medarots.
- Ranking Battles: This is where you fight people!
- Medarot Encyclopedia: Lets you view all the Medarots that you have parts for (missing parts show up as black silhouettes). The list is broken up into Medarots from Medarot 1, Medarot 2, and Medarot R.
- System: Takes you to the system menu.
| System menu | |
|---|---|
| メダロッチ | Medarotch |
| ポケトルデータ | Poke-Toru Data |
| オプション | Options |
| セーブ | Save |
- Medarotch: Let's you view and change the Medals and parts your Medarots have equipped, same as in the regular game.
- Poke-Toru Data: Takes you to the Poke-Toru (or "Pocket Robottle") Data menu.
- Options: Takes you to the options screen. The options are: battle length (long-medium-short) and rumble (on-off).
- Save: Creates/overtwrites a Medarot R Parts Collection save file on the memory card in slot 1. Note that the file is large so creating it the first time takes a while. You can only have one save file per memory card.
| Poke-Toru Data menu | |
|---|---|
| データ交換 | Data Transfer |
| 敵セレクト | Enemy Select |
- Data Transfer: Takes you to the Data Transfer menu.
- Enemy Select: ???
| Data Transfer menu | |
|---|---|
| メダロットRのデータをロード | Load Medarot R Data |
| メダロットRのデータをセーブ | Save Medarot R Data |
- Load Medarot R Data: This lets you load your Medarot R save file. Note that it only looks at the memory card in slot 2!
- Save Medarot R Data: This lets you overwrite your Medarot R save to include the stuff you obtained in Parts Collection (including changes to your win/loss rate). It only lets you do it if you loaded a Medarot R save in the first place.
Using your Medarot R save file
The game doesn't read your Medarot R save data automatically, so you'll need to follow the following steps:
- Make sure your Medarot R save file is currently on the memory card in slot 2.
- Start up Medarot R Parts Collection and navigate to the main menu.
- Select these menu options: System (システム) -> Poke-Toru Data (ポケトルデータ) -> Data Transfer (データ交換) -> Load Medarot R Data (メダロットRのデータをロード).
- It will list all of the Medarot R save files on the slot 2 memory card. Select the one you want, and you're done!
After that, you can:
- Change your Medarot's parts and Medals like normal in the Medarotch menu.
- Battle enemy Medarotters in the "Ranking Battle" menu and obtain new parts.
- View the parts you have collected in the Medarot Library.
- Transfer your save back to your original game.
To transfer your save back to Medarot R, select "Save Medarot R Data" (メダロットRのデータをセーブ) from the Data Transfer menu and choose the save slot you want to overwrite. Done!
There are also features that use the PocketStation (a Japan-only PS1 memory card accessory with an LCD screen), but most PS1 emulators do not support it.
Playing without a Medarot R save file
When you start up a new game and don't load a Medarot R save file, you start with 3 Tinpets (2 male, 1 female), 3 Medals (Kabuto, Kuwagata, and Mermaid) and one set of Metabee parts. (That's it!)
The game is still playable without an R save, but you won't be able to transfer over any of the parts you obtain, so it's a bit pointless in that regard. If you save the game while playing without an R save, it still generates a Medarot R Parts Collection save file on the memory card in slot 1, which will be loaded when you select "continue" on the main menu. Loading a Medarot R save file will overwrite the parts you obtained before, and saving the game after loading it will overwrite your previous file permanently.
PocketStation features
One of the more highly advertised features for the game was its compatibility with the PocketStation peripheral (essentially a PS1 memory card with buttons and an LCD screen that can play games downloaded onto it from the PS1). Medarot R Parts Collection includes a PocketStation game called "Pocket Robottle" (ポケットロボトル) or "Poke-Toru" (ポケトル) for short, which can be loaded onto the PocketStation card via the save screen when an actual PocketStation is inserted.
The game apparently uses the same LCD sprites as the Medarotch toy and includes sprites for all of the Medarots from Medarot 1, 2, and R. It lets you Robottle AI opponents, or other PocketStations with the game loaded using infared communication. Medarots select actions on their own (similar to "auto-battle" mode) and the battles use similar (but simplified) mechanics compared to the normal game.
Emulation
Some PocketStation games can be emulated with the PS1 emulator "Xebra" and its add-on PocketStation emulator, PK201. Unfortunately, it requires a kernel dump from a real PocketStation, and the only dump currently available online is flawed (a "bad dump") so some games are not compatible with it. Sadly, "Pocket Robottle" appears to be one of those games. Although it lets you load the PocketStation data onto the memory card when using Xebra, in my experience the PocketStation emulator will not run it.
If you manage to get it working, or have a real PocketStation and can explain more about how the features for this game work, feel free to leave a message here!
