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The Combatribes

 
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Johnny Undaunted



Joined: 08 Sep 2003
Posts: 306

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 11:55 pm    Post subject: The Combatribes Reply with quote

While browsing for Combatribes images on Google and saw this photograph of the arcade cabinet. At the first, I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but then noticed that on the actual game, Bullova (the black guy) seems to be wearing red instead of his usual yellow. In the main promotional art (which can also be seen on the marquee in the previous image), Bullova and Blitz actually have their colors switched, with Bullova wearing red and Blitz (the dark-haired guy) wearing yellow. I've always dismissed this as a simple artist error, but now I wonder whether this was actually the original intention and the colors were only switched after the art was already made.

Unfortunately, that photo is from a thread made on the KLOV forum a few years ago, so I'm not sure if the poster still owns the PCB.
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Linquesan



Joined: 29 Jan 2004
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Was this really the game Technos Japan worked on in lieu of Double Dragon 3? I think this would've made more sense as the actual Double Dragon 3 as opposed to what came out (in arcade, at least).

I must be missing some sort of behind-the-scenes politics that would've led the company to outsource their marquee title and try to start a "new" franchise with very similar gameplay and scenarios.

Is there any insight into this pivotal time for the Double Dragon franchise, and by extension Technos?
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Johnny Undaunted



Joined: 08 Sep 2003
Posts: 306

PostPosted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

According to this interview with Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Technos' in-house staff had their hands full with both, Combatribes and WWF Superstars at the time, so they outsourced Double Dragon 3 to an inexperienced company that never produced a game before (I'm guessing Gigandes was being made at the same time).

Many of the staff members who worked on Renegade and Double Dragon were involved with Combatribes under two new co-directors (one of them worked on the 1987 arcade version of Super Dodge Ball), while Kishimoto himself oversaw the development of Double Dragon 3 with East Technology (although Kishimoto is not credited in the game).

I think Combatribes was just an original project Technos had in mind in addition to Double Dragon 3. I supposed they just wanted to make an experimental brawler without being constrained by an established IP (even though DD3 ended up being a huge departure from the previous entries anyway). Not to mention that with Double Dragon, the overseas rights to the console versions were already licensed out to Tradewest (which they sublicensed to Acclaim for II and III), so Technos weren't really seeing much of a profit from home version sales despite the series' popularity. With Combatribes, at least they got to self-publish the SNES version in the US, even if it wasn't exactly an outstanding success.
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Johnny Undaunted



Joined: 08 Sep 2003
Posts: 306

PostPosted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bumping with this Japanese ad for the SFC version of Combatribes posted by Sara-Net!
http://www.sara-net.jp/?p=39952

This was scanned from the June 1992 issue of Family Computer Magazine. The interesting thing about ad is that it reveals that PALSOFT (not Technos) were originally going to be the publisher for the console version. The cartridge size was also originally 8 Megabit (the retail version raised it to 16).

But the most peculiar thing is the promotional illustration by Nobuteru Yuki (of Escaflowne and Chrono Cross fame). Such a shame it wasn't used for the actual packaging art. A waste of talent if you ask me.
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Johnny Undaunted



Joined: 08 Sep 2003
Posts: 306

PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Found an image of the Noboteru Yuki phone card from an auction site. It seems weird his illustration wasn't used for the Super Famicom version's packaging. I'm guessing only Pal Soft had the right to use it. At any rate, the actual boxart they used in its place is rather bland by comparison.
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