The Combatribes 
Developer: Technos Publsher: Technos
Introduction:
The year is 1990 and Technos of Japan decided to release a very unique and interesting brawler called The Combatribes. As a matter of fact, the original team behind the first two Double Dragon games were too busy behind the development of this game that they weren't able to make Double Dragon 3 for the arcade...which hints why that game doesn't feel like, nor have the charm of the first two. The storyline is a bit bizarre. Apparently, the three main characters (Bulovea, Berserker, and Blitz) are cyborgs and are on a quest to rescue a kidnapped girl from various gangs. The arcade version, however, doesn't mention anything of such a storyline (the SNES port does...somewhat), so the actual nature of the plot is a bit iffy. Like most Technos games, sadly, this game was pretty much ignored in favor of the more mainstream games that were out during that time and wasn't a success. So is this game another Technos classic...or just another POS? Read on and you'l see...
Reviewed By: Legend
Graphics: A
Simply beautiful. The character sprites are very crisp, fluid, and colorful. Tehcnos has yet again wowed with their gorgeous lighting and coloring. I'll even go as far as say that this is one of the most beautiful 2D games I've ever seen! The characters are very well detailed from their rippling muscles to their facial expressions when they get punched or kicked. You've got to see it first hand to believe it. It is pretty funny seeing that most of your enemies are shrimps compared to your character though =p. The backgrounds are full of vibrant colors making you sometimes get lost just staring at them. Overall, another visual masterpiece by Technos.
Sound: B+
The sound for the most part is very good. The enemies sound pretty funny whenever you beat the living crap out of them. The weird thing is about that though is that your character sounds the exact same as your enemies. Considering that this is a Technos game, that's a bit bizarre because in most of their games (notably Double Dragon) your characters sounded completely different from the bad guys. But oh well, that's a very minor gripe. The punches and kicks sound very crisp and area treat to listen to. Who wouldn't be satisfied from hearing the effects of your opponent's head being smashed into the ground? The music is also very well done...if you can hear it that is. That's why I gave it a B+, becasue eventhough the music is very good, you can barely hear it when the battle gets real intense...or during regular gameplay for that matter. I suggest you listen to the OST for this game because some very great and memorable songs are on it. (my persoanl favs being levels 4 and 5). So overall, the sound is great, but the pretty much silent BGM kind of hurt this score.
Control: A
As with the case with most Technos games, the controls are very dead on...which means it's basicaly perfect! The moves respond right away and there is no delay. The controls are pretty simple too. One button is for punch, one is for kicking, and one is for jumping. That pretty much sums it up to be honest. Everything plays very smoothly with no sluggish responses whatsoever.
Gameplay: A
The most important part. This brawler is well known for it's engine. The game is suprisingly fast paced (even by today's standards) and very complex. While most brawles at the time (or even today) rarely ever let you do anything to a downed enemy, Combatribes more than expands upon this! You can actually grab an enemy that is knocked down by the ankles and spin them around like crazy before finally flinging them to the opposite end. It should also be noted that the main three characters play slightly different from each other...but basically are the same (same moves, just with different speed. Berserker (the blue guy) is your standard character seeing how he spins the thugs at an even pace and does a flying knee attack when running. Bulova (the yellow guy...and my personal fav) is the light/fast character seeing how he spins enemies very fast and does a standard clothesline while he runs. And finally, Blade, is the power character. He spins enemis slowly, but mroe powerful than the other two and also oes a flying jump kick while running. But overall, they're ecatly the same.
Also unique to this game is that you can also smash your enemies' heads into the pavement for the ultimate punishment (complete with blood!). You can also smash your opponents' heads together while standing...which will quickly knock them out. Another feature is that you can pick up your enemies (most of them anyways...except the guys with the weapons) and carry them around like babies. Very funny to watch! Oh, and you can also stomp on the downed thugs ala Double Dragon 3/Advance. the bosses for this game are pretty cheap...but not t the point where you'll want to break something. Just make no mistake...this is indeed a quater muncher seeing as you'll have to constantly get more credits just to give your character more life while fighting. If you don't, then you'll die pretty quickly. Another thing that will probably piss you off is the fact that there is no friendly fire! That's right...whenever your partner is anywhere near you...you'll more than likely get hit or knocked the f*** down. But overall, this is a true Technos brawler...which is more than a good thing! These minor gripes aside, it's one of the best beatemups ever made. Not only that, but the gameplay is very well done and pretty balanced.
Overall: A
Combatribes is yet another underrated game from Technos. It is defitinley one of the best beatemups ever made! There really isn't any complaints about this game...other than IT IS a quater muncher. Good luck even trying to get pass the first level without putting in extra credits! But overall, everything from the graphics to the gameplay truly makes this game another lost gem! I'll even go as far as to say that this version is far better than the SNES version! It's that good! You owe it to yourself to hunt down a version of this game (any version) and play it! You'll be very glad you did!
Developer: Technos Publsher: Technos
Introduction:
The year is 1990 and Technos of Japan decided to release a very unique and interesting brawler called The Combatribes. As a matter of fact, the original team behind the first two Double Dragon games were too busy behind the development of this game that they weren't able to make Double Dragon 3 for the arcade...which hints why that game doesn't feel like, nor have the charm of the first two. The storyline is a bit bizarre. Apparently, the three main characters (Bulovea, Berserker, and Blitz) are cyborgs and are on a quest to rescue a kidnapped girl from various gangs. The arcade version, however, doesn't mention anything of such a storyline (the SNES port does...somewhat), so the actual nature of the plot is a bit iffy. Like most Technos games, sadly, this game was pretty much ignored in favor of the more mainstream games that were out during that time and wasn't a success. So is this game another Technos classic...or just another POS? Read on and you'l see...
Reviewed By: Legend
Graphics: A
Simply beautiful. The character sprites are very crisp, fluid, and colorful. Tehcnos has yet again wowed with their gorgeous lighting and coloring. I'll even go as far as say that this is one of the most beautiful 2D games I've ever seen! The characters are very well detailed from their rippling muscles to their facial expressions when they get punched or kicked. You've got to see it first hand to believe it. It is pretty funny seeing that most of your enemies are shrimps compared to your character though =p. The backgrounds are full of vibrant colors making you sometimes get lost just staring at them. Overall, another visual masterpiece by Technos.
Sound: B+
The sound for the most part is very good. The enemies sound pretty funny whenever you beat the living crap out of them. The weird thing is about that though is that your character sounds the exact same as your enemies. Considering that this is a Technos game, that's a bit bizarre because in most of their games (notably Double Dragon) your characters sounded completely different from the bad guys. But oh well, that's a very minor gripe. The punches and kicks sound very crisp and area treat to listen to. Who wouldn't be satisfied from hearing the effects of your opponent's head being smashed into the ground? The music is also very well done...if you can hear it that is. That's why I gave it a B+, becasue eventhough the music is very good, you can barely hear it when the battle gets real intense...or during regular gameplay for that matter. I suggest you listen to the OST for this game because some very great and memorable songs are on it. (my persoanl favs being levels 4 and 5). So overall, the sound is great, but the pretty much silent BGM kind of hurt this score.
Control: A
As with the case with most Technos games, the controls are very dead on...which means it's basicaly perfect! The moves respond right away and there is no delay. The controls are pretty simple too. One button is for punch, one is for kicking, and one is for jumping. That pretty much sums it up to be honest. Everything plays very smoothly with no sluggish responses whatsoever.
Gameplay: A
The most important part. This brawler is well known for it's engine. The game is suprisingly fast paced (even by today's standards) and very complex. While most brawles at the time (or even today) rarely ever let you do anything to a downed enemy, Combatribes more than expands upon this! You can actually grab an enemy that is knocked down by the ankles and spin them around like crazy before finally flinging them to the opposite end. It should also be noted that the main three characters play slightly different from each other...but basically are the same (same moves, just with different speed. Berserker (the blue guy) is your standard character seeing how he spins the thugs at an even pace and does a flying knee attack when running. Bulova (the yellow guy...and my personal fav) is the light/fast character seeing how he spins enemies very fast and does a standard clothesline while he runs. And finally, Blade, is the power character. He spins enemis slowly, but mroe powerful than the other two and also oes a flying jump kick while running. But overall, they're ecatly the same.
Also unique to this game is that you can also smash your enemies' heads into the pavement for the ultimate punishment (complete with blood!). You can also smash your opponents' heads together while standing...which will quickly knock them out. Another feature is that you can pick up your enemies (most of them anyways...except the guys with the weapons) and carry them around like babies. Very funny to watch! Oh, and you can also stomp on the downed thugs ala Double Dragon 3/Advance. the bosses for this game are pretty cheap...but not t the point where you'll want to break something. Just make no mistake...this is indeed a quater muncher seeing as you'll have to constantly get more credits just to give your character more life while fighting. If you don't, then you'll die pretty quickly. Another thing that will probably piss you off is the fact that there is no friendly fire! That's right...whenever your partner is anywhere near you...you'll more than likely get hit or knocked the f*** down. But overall, this is a true Technos brawler...which is more than a good thing! These minor gripes aside, it's one of the best beatemups ever made. Not only that, but the gameplay is very well done and pretty balanced.
Overall: A
Combatribes is yet another underrated game from Technos. It is defitinley one of the best beatemups ever made! There really isn't any complaints about this game...other than IT IS a quater muncher. Good luck even trying to get pass the first level without putting in extra credits! But overall, everything from the graphics to the gameplay truly makes this game another lost gem! I'll even go as far as to say that this version is far better than the SNES version! It's that good! You owe it to yourself to hunt down a version of this game (any version) and play it! You'll be very glad you did!
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