I tried accessing some of the WIP's based on the links above, but Microstorage kept giving me dead-link errors with messages like "Data error accessing video." If anyone has the WIP's listed above, that they once downloaded, please re-upload them so that I can review them and compare.
I spent practically a bit of time on this game, now Overkill got pwn3d right at frame 10600 - which I thought that everything was well-optimized altogether. I climb a mountain on the next level from which I read.
http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/968331596/gi.joe.2.wip.C0DE.RED.fm2
Inzult:
I discovered that you have a certain bare-hand attacking pattern that was very helpful in this optimization. All it took was a repeated B-Down-Right-per-frame and B-Down-Left-per-frame that significantly cracked down some time to defeat minibosses, and even Overkill! On the third stage, I think I even optimized their mini-boss! Again, I can't tell until I get my hands on the WIP's.
I also discovered that you're able to push Start at frame 815, and again at frame 819. 815 when the main menu is ready and 819 to skip the opening storyline. Then you go through the radar/character screens until the frame that you start on the opening route. This saves 28 frames. However, possible random memory forces you to re-think the entire manipulation strategy as you jump and collect the POW icons all the way to Bare Hands LV3. On a lazy-man's note, I already tried mirroring your frame-by-frame actions during the run despite the earlier start technique, it doesn't work that way. I managed to obtain your recent wip FCM before I kept getting error messages from Microstorage - I even converted it to FM2. Here you go:
http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/1852415410/gijoe2-inzult-wip_1.fm2
Edit ~ I managed to proceed past the mountain to Route 11. I was in desperate need of bullets to make sure I've gotten ready for Destro. I am sure there were even more bullets underwater, but you have to give up a lot of frames just to throw in Wet Suit and have to go there. Then going into Area D, I had to pause for a moment to finally level up Gen. Hawk's laser gun. A LV 3 lasergun is okay, but LV 4 seems to be much quicker. After all of this, I defeat Destro. Expect weird frame-by-frame actions during this Destro battle!
http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/66763885/gi.joe.2.wip.C0DE.RED.fm2