The Combatribes

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The Combatribes
Image:Combatribes.png
Promotional flyer for the arcade version. Notice that the colors for Blitz and Bullova are switched in this artwork.
Developer(s) Technos Japan Corp.
Publisher(s) American Technos Inc.
Designer(s) Arcade version
A. Tanimoto {director)
N. Tomiyama (director)
SNES version
Yoshihisa Kishimoto (director)
Platform(s) Arcade, SNES
Release date Arcade version:
NA June 1990
SNES version:
JPN December 23, 1992
NA March 1993
Genre(s) Side Scrolling Fighter
Mode(s) Single player, Two and Three Player Cooperative
Input methods 8-way joystick, 2 Buttons
Cabinet Upright
Display Raster, Horizontal Standard Resolution

The Combatribes (ザ・コンバットライブス Za Konbattoraibusu?) is a 1990 arcade game produced by Technos Japan Corp, later released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. The game is a side-scrolling fighting game, similar to the Renegade and Double Dragon, both made by Technos as well, centering around three vigilantes (identified as cyborgs in the SNES version) who must fight against numerous street gangs in a futuristic New York.

Contents

[edit] Arcade version

The player takes control of one of three strongmen, the titular "Combatribes": Berserker, a blond-haired man in a blue outfit who is endowed with a balance of speed and strength; Bullova (who takes his name from an Indian battle ax), a black man in a yellow outfit who is the strongest of the trio, but also the slowest; and Blitz (short for "blitzkrieg"), a long-haired man in a red outfit who has the most agile attacks, but lacks the strength of the other two characters. The heroes boasts a variety of unique techniques in addition to the standard punch and kick combos such as stomping on an opponent, swinging them by their ankles, kicking them on the ground, slamming their faces into the pavement and even the ability to slam the heads of two opponents together. The player can also pick up certain large-sized objects (parked motorcycles, go-karts or pinball machines) and toss them over enemies. The game can be set up so that it can be played by up to two or three players simultaneously. In the 2-Player version of the game, the player is asked to select their character at the character select screen, whereas the 3-Player version has each player already assigned with a corresponding character.

The game is composed of six different stages (or "Acts" as they're referred within the game) set in unique locations, each featuring a themed gang. The majority of the stages are composed of a single playing field where the player must take on a set number of underlings before facing the gang's leader, similar to Renegade. Some stages break away from this formula by being comprised of more than one level. The gangs the player faces are in order: a biker gang in Times Square, circus performers in Coney Island, roller skaters in a dance club, a punk gang in a baseball stadium and a militia in a high-rise building. The final stage is a boss rush against all the previous gangs while chasing a big crime boss in the harbor. After the gangs are defeated once again, the crime boss is killed by his female cyborg bodyguard, Martha Splatterhead, who engages the player in a final battle. If two or three players are present by the start of the final battle, an additional clone or two of Martha will appear to match the number of players. All Marthas must be defeated to complete the game.

[edit] Super NES version

The SNES version of The Combatribes makes a few changes to the game. The game now has an opening intro which details the plot of the game, as well as dialogue and cut scenes between the main characters and the game's bosses. The gameplay remains the same, with the character's health now represented by a life bar instead of numeric values. There are no weapons to be picked-up and thrown in the SNES version, the stages are simpler and some of the enemy characters are missing. The fifth stage is composed of a boss rush against all the previous gangs before facing the Slaughter Troops. The sixth and final stage is simply a final battle against Martha Splatterhead set atop the rooftop of a high-rise building. She is noted to have unified and taken control of the gangs, rather than the unnamed crime boss in the arcade version who does not appear in this version at all. Additionally, only one Martha will fight the player, regardless of the number of players present at the final stage.

In addition to the main game, there's a one-on-one versus mode similar to the one featured in the NES version of Double Dragon. The player can perform Street Fighter II-style special techniques including fireballs and block attacks with some characters. The game's enemies can also be used by inputting passwords given in the main game.

The North American version of the game was censored, with the blood on enemy's faces during cut scenes being recolored to look like saliva, sweat and tears. One of the bosses, a cyborg general named Swastika, was renamed "Major Blaster", to remove obvious references to Nazism.

[edit] Soundtrack

An album containing the original soundtrack for the arcade versions of Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone and this game was released by Pony Canyon in Japan, titled Double Dragon 3/The Combatribes. It was released on June 21, 1991 and its catalog number is PCCB-00065. Tracks 13 to 21 are taken from The Combatribes.

  1. "The Rosetta Stone" (arranged version)
  2. "The Rosetta Stone"
  3. "To the Dragon World"/"In America"/"The New Black Warriors"
  4. "Jim's Theme"/"The Way of Sōsetsuken"
  5. "To the Dragon World"/"In China"/"Li's Theme"
  6. "To the Dragon World"/"In Japan"/"Ranzou's Theme"
  7. "To the Dragon World"/"In Italy"/"Giuliano's Theme"
  8. "To the Dragon World"/"The Enchanted Forest"/"Enter the Dragon"
  9. "The Fearsome Goblin"/"Roppe, the Stone Man"/"Hiruko's Trap"
  10. "Awakening of the 2,000 Years Old Demon"/"Cleopatra's Theme"
  11. "To the Children of the World"
  12. "Play Version"
  13. "The Final Battle" (arranged version)
  14. "Title Roll"/"The Motorcycle Nuclear Warheads"/"2X4 Fatman"/"Go to next Act"
  15. "Amusement Park Nightmare"/"Persian Warlord"
  16. "The Slash Skate Screamers"/"Destroy Overdrive"
  17. "Place of S.O.D."/"War Paint"
  18. "The Slaughter Troops"/"Swastika is Cyborg"
  19. "The Final Battle (Martha Splatterhead)"
  20. "Ending (Out of Somewhere)"/"Staff Roll (Rest in Peace)"
  21. "Play Version"

[edit] External links

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