TEMPEST

The Random Waves start at level 97, they are called random because everytime you die it changes to a random shape. So far the game has been out nearly 6 years and the top score is Level 51, with the rest not even making it out of the yellow waves.

When you get into the 30s the flippers and pulsars become hard to see, and there are several fuseballs everywhere. Not to mention the explosions which blind you. The developers themselves admited to not even seeing if it was possible to beat, they used infinite lives cheat to get to wave 97. This achievement is really not worth your time, it takes 30+ minutes just to grind to the yellow waves and get owned from not being able to see anything. The last checkpoint is on level 81, so that means you will have to make it 15 waves without game overing to get the random waves. Doesn't even seem possible with these awful controls and explosions that take up the entire screen.

Many of the players can reach 99 on the arcade, but this version has terrible controls and is complete shit.

This started out as notes for myself but has turned into pretty much a full blown solution. I've made it to level 47 in a single player game so far. Level 61 playing two players to help make progress and retain my checkpoints.

This achievement is hard as hell and requires vast amounts of skill, practice, and some serious luck.

Controls:
Movement- Use the d-pad or left joystick to move your ship left and right. I suggest the joystick as you have slightly better control over it.
Shooting- Press the right trigger or the A button to fire your weapon. I prefer the A button for timing purposes, but it's your preference. Note that you can hold it to fire quickly, or tap it for more precise, conservative shots. Only 8 bullets can be on screen at once.
Superzapper- Press the left trigger, or the B button to use your super zapper. You get 2 uses per wave. The first will eliminate all enemies on screen. The second will eliminate one random enemy on screen. Note that there is a half second delay before it actually kills enemies. Use them wisely.

Sensitivity: To change your sensitivity, press start, go to help and options, settings, and adjust the sensitivity slider at the bottom. I suggest starting at the slowest, and slowly moving it up as you feel comfortable. I got to level 54 on the lowest sensitivity. I don't really suggest anything more than halfway because you need to have precise movements, and you're likely to accidentally fly past your intended lane.

Level sets:
Blue: 1-16
Red: 17-32
Yellow: 33-48
Cyan: 49-64
Invisible: 65-80
Green: 81-96
97: green circle
98: green square
99: random green levels.

I'm not sure if 97 and 98 are accurate but from what I've read that's correct. They might still count as random for the achievement though.

Checkpoint levels:
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 31, 33, 36, 40, 44, 47, 49, 52, 56, 60, 63, 65, 73, 81.

On a new game you can start straight from level 9 to save time.

Level shapes: there are 16 shapes in each color set of levels.
1: circle
2: square
3: plus
4: bowtie
5: stylized cross
6: triangle
7: clover
8: V shape
9: steps
10: U shape
11: flat surface
12: heart
13: star
14: rounded w
15: fan - similar to v with odd parts jutting out.
16: infinite symbol

Enemies:
Flipper- X shaped enemy. Can fire bullets up the tube. Can also kill you by flipping on you when on the rim. Shoot it as it's coming down the tube or with a timed shot as it's flipping on you on the rim.

Tanker- Sphere enemy. When shot or when it reaches the rim it will split into 1-2 other enemies(flippers, pulsars, or fuse balls).

Pulsar- Squiggly line enemy. You can tell where pulsars are by looking for black lanes. Every few seconds they zap the lane they're in. Watch for their pulse or listen for their sound, then sweep under them after to kill them. You can also sit in one lane and shoot, waiting for them to come to your lane, but that's not fool proof either. At the end of the wave they behave like flippers and rush to the rim and flip towards you.

Spiker- Moves up and down the tube firing a few shots and generating a line of "spikes". Easy enough to shoot, but their spikes can actually be quite useful. When they reach the bottom of the tube again they respawn as a tanker instead, so sometimes it's wise to just take them out rather than let them make spikes.

Fuseballs- Electric ball enemy. Perhaps the most lethal of the lot. They are invincible to everything except super zapper. You can however shoot them if they're hovering above you, and they will change to a different lane. They will jump on and off the rim at any given time in the later waves making them an extreme threat as it will restrict your movement and possibly just kill you outright. At the end of the wave they rush the rim and track you similar to flippers, but your only defense is a super zapper if you have one.
UPDATE:
Im not sure what causes it, but ive definitely shot fuseballs and had them disappear, rather than just changing lanes. Ive only really noticed it at the end of waves, so maybe theyre vulnerable in the final phase, but im not sure. Maybe even just shooting one enough times will do it.

I'm not going into scoring because it's very basic but also hard to control. Checkpoints also defeat any real purpose of trying to go for extra score in the early levels as they provide generous point bonuses just for beating them, often more points than you would've had anyways.

I will mention that you get an extra life every 20,000 points though. Therefore beating any checkpoint level from stage 7 and on is a guaranteed free life(starting fresh from the checkpoint, not the first time you beat it).

If at any time you fail to beat the checkpoint level you start on, you are reverted to the previous checkpoint. Thus priority number one is to clear your checkpoint level to keep it.

It is also worth mentioning that if you play 2 players, if only one person beats a checkpoint, you both get to keep it and start there. It might be worth trying on real attempts to help prevent losing serious progress. However, if you lose a life in the middle of a level it's the other players turn, and coming back after their turn could leave you a bit disoriented and unprepared. Be aware if you attempt this route.

A bit about the checkpoint system:
After you die, if you sit at the main screen for too long(10-30 seconds) if you go back in, your checkpoints will be gone. Also, when you do select new game in time, you only have 10 seconds to scroll to your checkpoint level in time. If you are playing on the lowest sensitivity, you will have to hold right on both the d-pad and joystick to be able to scroll to 81 in time. I think mid sensitivity and even one tick below can make it there fine though. Just something to keep in mind.

You should also be careful not to spam the A button, and select the first level on accident and lose all your checkpoint progress. I've fallen victim to this a few times.

Techniques:
Before I start I will mention again that you can only have 8 bullets on screen at once, which is why some of these techniques work.

The flip shot- The most basic life saving technique. Anytime a flipper or pulsar is on the rim, you can kill them if you time your shot just right as they're flipping on to you. Using this you conserve your 8 bullets and can kill fairly large numbers of enemies if done properly.

Using angles- This mostly pertains to using the flip shot. Basically the wider the angle a flipper has to flip, the more time, and better chance you have to shoot it. While it's possible to kill enemies in say the 40ish degree angle of the star with a well timed shot, you have a much better chance if you move over one space and let them flip over the 300ish degree angle instead.

The hail mary- Only for use in extreme situations as a last ditch effort where your backs against a wall and you can't shoot your way out. It is actually possible to slip underneath enemies as they're flipping. EVEN FUSEBALLS. It's basically the same as the flip shot, except you run under them instead of shooting them. It's incredibly risky though and should only be attempted when you are facing certain death anyways.

The spike shield- If you have multiple enemies heading towards you, it's usually a good idea to get under a line of spikes and hold the fire button. It creates a rapid fire effect that usually keeps you safe and kills the enemies. This has a much lower chance of keeping you safe in 90 degree angles or less. It also works better for the first half of the spikes. The second half is a little more hit and miss.

The rapid fire- This is essentially the spike shield trick, but keep holding fire after the line of spikes is gone. You should see a constant, fairly steady stream of bullets. This trick is amazing for wide angles like the steps on stage 9, but it's not fool proof. Watch for gaps in the shots. Flippers can easily weasel they're way in. Basically useless for low angles.

The safe haven- It's generally good practice to keep a few lanes clear around you, but more so when there's pulsars and fuseballs around. The basic idea is to sweep a few lanes under pulsars when they're not attacking, then sit in your zone and kill any flippers on their way, then sweep again, then defend. Sometimes fuseballs will wander into your zone as well and drop to the rim. Try to sweep under them just after they lift off the rim to make them change lanes. If things are too hectic, try to quickly look for a new safe zone to defend, but beware of the pulsars and any fuseballs that might drop down on your way.

Additional info:
When you can, you should try to prioritize pulsars. Many times you will be at the end of the wave and become trapped with no way out because you are waiting for the last slow ass pulsar to touch the rim. In the interest of survival it's best if you can take them out before this happens. There's nothing worse than being on the last of a 5 level checkpoint and being screwed because that last pulsar was way on the other side of the fuseball coming towards you with nothing you can do about it.

Apparently tankers show their cargo(fuseball or pulsar) with a picture of it in the middle. I have never been able to discern a difference in evolved mode. If the picture is there, it is very hard to see, making tankers in later waves almost a complete gamble. The only truly safe method would be to shoot a tanker in the tube after the pulsars zap, so if it's pulsars they won't zap you, and move over 3 lanes so if it's fuseballs they won't hit you. Easy opportunities like that are rare to come by though.
UPDATE:
Ive tried to catch a few on the pause screen, and they might actually have a different color in their bottom plate. Its still next to impossible to discern on their way down though. If i am correct, i think flipper tankers have a white middle, and fuseball tankers have a greenish middle. I havent caught a pulsar tanker. Even then this is still speculation for now. I also thought i saw the rainbow colour pattern on the plate like a fuseball should have, but that mightve been my eyes playing tricks. Perhaps they are labelled the same as the original, but damn near impossible to tell through the new effects. For all intents and purposes, you can still basically say you cant tell the difference. Everytime i think i might be on to something, the next one makes me rethink it.

I've also read that the space next to a fuseball is the safest place. I do NOT. Recommend this. In my experience that will get you killed. Generally try to stay away, only sweeping under either to move or to shoot it into a different lane, and only after it has lifted off the rim, or you see it make a similar vertical movement.

There is another strategy you can use to help clear checkpoints, but it's pretty risky. The basic idea is to do the checkpoint before your checkpoint again. If you can clear the whole thing without dying, you'll be walking into the next checkpoints with 4 lives, and on your way to a fifth. I generally don't recommend this though. Especially on later waves where it's near impossible to no-miss a checkpoint. You're risking losing 2 checkpoints everytime you attempt this.

Pay attention to your score when you start on a checkpoint level and clear it. In a few cases it can go 2 ways. One you will finish and have say 361,000 points, and get you an extra life. The second way is if you scored low enough, you will be at about 359,000, getting an extra life, and setting you up for an easy second extra life giving you a way better chance of clearing the checkpoint. Keep an eye out for these opportunities, especially on harder levels.

Honestly, I rarely even use spikes anymore after playing the later levels. Once you hit pulsars they become alot less viable, oftentimes screwing you over because pulsars and fuseballs can hide in them. They can still be useful, but it becomes more situational. With practice, you are almost just as safe using flip shots as using spikes. Depending on the angle, possibly more so. Additionally, I usually try to kill spikers rather than letting them make spikes now. Leaving spikers around actually significantly increases wave times, and causes you to deal with more enemies, since you have to wait for the spiker to go all the way up and down the tube before it becomes a tanker which can contain another 1-2 enemies. Thus killing the spiker eliminates the spiker travel time, the tanker travel time, and you only have to deal with 1 enemy, rather than the 3-4 it would be. The spiker shooting bullets, the tanker shooting bullets, and the 1-2 random enemies it drops.

Now, onto a bit of strategy:
Level 1-10:
Pretty straightforward. You can even start from wave 9 if you prefer, but I suggest getting there yourself a few times to get used to the basic movements and tactics. Here you should learn to take out enemies quickly before they reach the rim, and learn to read further down the tube to see where they're coming from in advance. You can pretty much use your super zapper whenever you want, but I'd save it for when there are alot of enemies or you are in danger. Remember to use timed flip shots when enemies are on the rim. Around stage 4 or 5 spikes start appearing. Use them to your advantage to kill enemies and keep you alive. Practice using angles and the spike techniques to handle enemies and you should be fine. Remember to clear spikes or find a clear lane at the end of the waves.

Level 10-16:
These levels introduce the fuseball. It's mostly harmless in these waves until the end of the wave when it drops to the rim and chases you. The only way to kill it is with a superzapper, and only when it has already dropped to the rim. Thus you usually have to save at least one superzapper for the end of the wave. The only exception is if it is far enough away that all enemies either die or touch the rim before it reaches you. Remember to clear spikes at the end.

Level 17-32:
These are the red levels and where we meet the pulsars for the first time. The spikes are gone for the first few waves so you're down to clearing the tube and timed shots. Here you should start trying to keep a safe zone from the pulsars so you don't get boxed in. Use your superzapper wisely and always save a superzapper for the fuseball. Spikes return about 5 levels in I think. Use them to your advantage, but be careful of pulsars. You cant shoot them if spikes are in the way, you will just get fried as you're whittling down the spikes. I think round 32 the fuseball will start dropping to the rim occasionally, so watch out for it. The superzapper won't kill it yet. Remember to clear spikes or find a clear lane.

Level 33-39:
We're into the yellows now. This is where it starts getting downright unfair. Fuseball tankers are introduced for the first time. As soon as it's shot 2 fuseballs will drop straight to the rim and end your life if you are sitting there. I tend to sweep by tankers when I shoot them so I'm a couple lanes over if it is fuseballs.
The checkpoints between 33 and 36, and 36 and 40 are very rough. There are no spikes to help you so you have to become adept at timing your shots as enemies are flipping onto you. In addition I've seen up to 6 fuse balls on screen at once, cleared them with a super zapper, and had another 5 on screen within seconds. It's cheap as fuck, and you almost need a bit of luck so that many won't spawn. It seems there can only be so many enemies in the tube at once. When there are 5-6 fuse balls out you will only get 1-2 new enemies at a time. It also seems if you can survive for a good 10-15 seconds before clearing the 5 fuse balls, there's a better chance 5 more won't spawn, although I do suspect it to be a bit random still. Keep to the techniques, especially making a safe zone and practicing keeping fuseballs out. Good timing with superzapper will make all the difference in the world. These levels are where I recommend starting with the second controller if you want to have a shot at it. Remember to clear your way of spikes. Last time I'm saying it because it's a bit redundant by this point.

Level 40-48:
Here you get a bit of a break from fuseball tankers while it introduces pulsar tankers. These waves will start with 2-3 fuseballs off the bat though. Generally keep to one side and use the safe haven technique and they shouldn't cause near as many problems as 33-39. Spikes make a return on level 43. Use them if you can.
At this point the 47 checkpoint will become your best friend. It's 10x easier to consistently clear this checkpoint than anything around it. Especially if you are playing 2 players.
Just stay on the left and try to keep a safe zone timing flipper shots and chasing away fuseballs. If you have a few pesky fuseballs hanging around use your super zapper. If you survived a good 20-30 seconds beforehand this wave will be about done.
The right side by the 270 degree hump is also a good place to defend, but you must be wary of enemies approaching from the 90 degree on the right.

Level 49-55:
Cyan levels are hard as hell. Fuseball tankers are back in full force along with pulsar tankers and everything sped up. I think every level from here on starts with 3 fuseballs. Pulsars can move 2-3 lanes before zapping and their rythym is sped up. Have to learn to manage pulsars effectively, dashing under after their attack and back to your "safe" zone, as well as occasionally shooting fuse balls to get them out of your safe zone. The only good thing is this entire set has spikes to help out, but again, pulsars can hide in them screwing you over as well. Be mindful. Overall keep the same strategies you've been using, but consider working with a smaller safe zone as it's harder to cover a wider area with things at this speed. Fuseball management is a full time job. Checkpoints get further apart as well, making these levels an absolute nightmare. If you can score 6-7 thousand points before superzapping, these waves will generally be over. That's a long time to go without a superzapper though.
52-56 is probably the worst checkpoint up to here, followed by the 36-40 checkpoint. They are both the same 5 levels. 36-40 dont have pulsar tankers mixed in, 52-56 do.
Your best chance to clear this checkpoint is to finish the first stage with under 8000 points, and without dying, but good luck with that. If you do manage it, you will get an extra life for clearing 52, with another life 1000 points or less away. This means youll have 5 lives to clear the next 4 stages, and I believe you'll get a 6th on the way. Even so, its very easy to blow 3 lives on any one of these stages aside from 56. If youre lucky, and good, 56 can usually be cleared in 1-2 lives pretty easily.

Level 56-64:
56 is another checkpoint level that you will thank the gods for. Much easier to clear than the ones before it. Same basic strategy as the 47, it works pretty well on this V shape too. But the heart, star, and infinite symbol are probably the hardest levels to clear overall. Ive only made it to 61 so far so I'm not entirely sure from here on.

Level 65-80:
Invisible levels. Everything is generally harder and faster. Not sure if you can see the lanes in evolved or not, but if not you can tell where you are by using spikes. Pulsars lanes might blend in so you would have to look for them or their zap as a signal. Apparently spikes are super soft in these levels so you can shoot an entire line on your way down the tube at the end of the waves.

Level 81- 99:
Green levels. Veteran players of the original state that these are easier than the invisible levels due to the fact that you can actually see what lane you're in, as well as pulsars. Everything is further sped up. I believe you can still ride a full line of spikes down at the end of the waves as well. There are no more checkpoints through this last section, so you have to do it in one go without gameovering. I'm not sure if it applies to these levels as well, but I read once you hit 99 you get an extra life every 2 waves or so, so if you can survive multiple waves at a time in these levels you're golden.

This achievement is not for the faint of heart. To this day, noone has been able to complete this, myself included. I would urge more people to try though. I've played it probably a total of 2 weeks to get this far, and I'm fairly confident I can at least reach the invisible levels at stage 65. From there the last 2 checkpoints are 9 levels apart though, and the final stretch is about 19 levels, but it might be able to be done by someone with enough practice.

From my perspective, the open ended stages are much easier as you only have to deal with enemies from one side. Closed shapes you are pretty much always vulnerable from both sides, and you really have to play to the angles where applicable. Thus i suppose the strategy would be to survive the closed shapes, clearing a few of the easier ones without dying, then do the open stages near flawlessly to build up some lives for the last tough stretch of closed shape levels. Hopefully 97 does actually count as random, but if not, the circle and square are probably 2 of the easier closed shapes.