Arcade Archives VENDETTA Review (Switch eShop)

Back when belt-spinning gunfights were the arcade genre of choice for millions of players worldwide, Capcom’s output was considered by many to be the gold standard. Titles like The last battle and Aliens Vs. Carnivores raked in an incredible amount of revenue during this period, but the company doesn’t have this category for itself; Konami is one of the competitors challenging Capcom’s dominance.

When you discuss Konami defeating them, those who like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Simpsons: Video Games obviously going to increase, but when viewed without rose-tinted assist, both of these games are actually pretty simple in terms of gameplay mechanics. Vendetta (known in some parts of the world as Crime Fighter 2, linking it to Konami’s previous side scrolling fighter), on the other hand, is Konami’s attempt to really bring some innovation into the genre, and it’s a much more mature product than the company’s licensed efforts of the period.

While the plot isn’t groundbreaking for the times – you must set out to rescue a kidnapped woman from a gang – Vendetta introduces a few wrinkles that set it apart from other examples of the genre. (some of which evolved from the mechanism seen in Crime fighter). Unlike Final Fight, you have a punch and a kick command, but no jump button – instead, you press both the punch and the kick at the same time for a low arc jump attack that’s perfect for crowd control. When your enemy is on deck, pressing kick will perform a ground attack. Add in grappling, throwing, weapons, and attack abilities when you’re on your stomach on the floor, and it quickly becomes apparent that Vendetta is a pretty deep and nuanced game, even when operating within limits. Rigidity of the coil category. – and you can also play it with three other people, which makes everything more engaging and fun.

Like many other arcade games, Vendetta is primarily concerned with getting the player to deposit as many coins as possible in a single session, so there are times when it gets a bit unfair. This isn’t a big deal on a platform like the Switch, where it’s possible to go on unlimited, but unless you want to flip through the game in one sitting, you might want to limit the amount of credits you use. use. Thankfully, even once you’ve finished it, Vendetta is engaging enough to encourage replay, especially if you have a friend (or three) nearby and willing to join in.

Visually, Vendetta is said to be Konami at its 2D coin pinnacle; The graphics are colorful, detailed and animated, and the whole game is punctuated with humorous moments, such as when you throw a bucket at an enemy’s head and they go around blind, or when you get kicked in the family jewelry and momentarily incapacitated. Luckily, the leather-covered, leather-capped enemies that the player had a dry hump in the Japanese version didn’t make the switch from coin-op to Switch; This offensive bias was clearly less objectionable in the early 90s than it was in 2021, and Hamsters have made the wise decision to dismiss it here (it should be noted, however, that the predators are) big-breasted S&M dominance remains intact).

If you are a fan of belt reel fighter then the Vendetta is a must buy, pure and simple. While its arcade roots mean it’s a bit off balance in fairness, it has enough appeal, gameplay, and multiplayer appeal to be well worth watching, even decades after its release. act for the first time.