Vendetta, known in Japan as Crime Fighters 2, is a 1991 side-scrolling beat-’em-up arcade game developed and published by Konami. It is the sequel to 1989 Konami’s Crime Fighters, although it was marketed internationally as a stand-alone game with no previous connections.
Gameplay
The four men of the game’s hero gang, The Cobras, fight through waves of enemies to rescue Kate, The Cobras’ fifth member, who was kidnapped by the Dead End Gang. As with most beat-em-ups, the game features primarily side-scrolling action. Player score is based on number of opponents eliminated.
The option of attacking an enemy while they are knocked down was new to the genre. The game uses ‘punch’ and ‘kick’ buttons rather than ‘jump’ and ‘attack’. The special punch-plus-kick attack is the only aerial attack. Every time this special attack is performed, it takes away one bar of energy from the character. The players can also use different weapons that belong to enemies or are hidden inside boxes, including a shotgun (with limited cartridges), baseball bats, knives, and bottles. Players can also double-team enemies and vice versa.
After defeating the Big Boss at the end of the chapters, the game continues: first it resuscitates all the bosses for a massive final fight, and if the player defeats them all, then the game repeats endlessly, with an amped-up level of difficulty.
Plot
Dead End City is a place controlled with a firm grip by the “Dead End” gang, an endless parade of violent criminals. Their only obstacle is the opposing hero gang, called The Cobras. The Cobras number five members: Blood (former prizefighter, with a passing resemblance to Wesley Snipes), Hawk (former professional wrestler, with a passing resemblance to Hulk Hogan), Boomer (a martial artist, possibly based on Jean-Claude Van Damme), Sledge (a military ex-convict with a passing resemblance to Mr. T) and Kate, the damsel in distress, described as Hawk’s protegee and wearing a blue shirt similar to his. One day, Kate is kidnapped by the Dead End Gang under the leadership of Faust, who is looking for the leadership of all street gangs in an attempt to take full control of the city. The four men go to enemy territory to save Kate, fighting through the waves of enemies sent against them.
