Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (arcade game)
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| Cadillacs and Dinosaurs | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Release date(s) | February 1st 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player, 2-3 player Co-op |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Input | 8-way Joystick, 2 Buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system(s) | CPS-1 + QSound |
| Arcade display | Raster, 384 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors |
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is a 1992 arcade game released by Capcom. It is a fighting game based upon the comic Xenozoic Tales which was created by Mark Schultz in the late eighties. There was a TV series made after the game, though it wasn't a major success. Not to be confused with the console and computer game Cadillacs and Dinosaurs: The Second Cataclysm made by Rocket Science Games but based on the same license.
The gameplay is like that of many other side-scrolling beat'em up games of the time, such as Streets of Rage or Final Fight. A distinctive feature of this game is the frequent use of firearms, rarely seen on other games of its kind, which normally favoured weapons such as bottles and knives. There is also a sequence later in the game wherein the player gets to control the titular vehicle, though it seems difficult to keep the car intact for long as near the end of the stage as the enemies start throwing grenades at the car.
Controls
In Cadillacs and Dinosaurs the player has access to several special attacks. They are done in the same way for all the characters, but have varying degrees of effectivity per character. By pressing attack and jump together, the player will perform a 360 attack with momentary invulnerability that will knock down nearby enemies. By pressing forward, forward then attack, the player will perform a dashing attack that can easily take down crowds of enemies. Mustapha's dashing attack is particularly effective as it has long reach and priority. By pressing down, up then attack, the player will perform a rising attack that hits multiple times, but can leave you vulnerable. Unlike most other Capcom beat'em ups you cannot fluently chain a rising attack during a combo, but you can perform one while holding an enemy.
Characters
It features 4 playable characters, corresponding more or less to the usual variations found on beat'em ups:
- Jack Tenrec
- The main character of the game and the comics, he is an all-around fighter, focusing a bit more on strength than on agility. His running sweep is invulnerable to many attacks.
- Hanna Dundee
- The second to fastest character in the game, she's also specially skilled with knives and other items. She's a great thrower, being able to launch enemies higher than the other characters. She's not as powerful as other characters, but her agility makes up for it.
- Mustapha Cairo
- The fastest character in the game. His flying kick has great range and priority. Being quick and agile give him less of a chance of getting hit.
- Mess O'Bradovich
- The powerhouse of the game. It is worth noting that he is one of the few strong-type characters from beat'em ups not able to lift an enemy in the air to do some kind of slam on the ground. He is slow, but can inflict much more damage to enemies than any other character.
It is thought that this was the first game from Capcom CPS-1 to feature swearing, but there's only one swear word and it's censored. — "XXXX YOU!" - Butcher.
