is a
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
side-scrolling beat-em-up released by
Konami
, is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casino ...
for the
arcades. The players takes control of a duo (or squad) of undercover police officers who are assigned to rescue a group of kidnapped damsels from a crime boss and his army of punks.
Much like Konami's arcade version of ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...
'' (released during the same year), the game was available in a four-player dedicated
cabinet, as well as a conversion kit that was available in 2-player and 4-player versions (meant for either Atari Games' ''
Gauntlet'' or Konami's own ''
Main Event
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
''). Unlike ''Ninja Turtles'', each player character is identical, save for each one sporting a different
palette swap
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
ped color. ''Crime Fighters'' was followed by a sequel titled ''
Vendetta
Vendetta may refer to:
* Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight
Film
* ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke
* ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes
* ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), a ...
'' (released in Japan as ''Crime Fighters 2'').
Gameplay
In the four-player versions, each player position has its own coin slot and each credit value adds around a hundred
health points
Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the for ...
to that position which slowly drains one health point per tick (similar to
Gauntlet). Players are able to accidentally hit each other and cause allies to drop their weapons permanently. After defeating the
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
at the end of each
level, if the game has more than one current player then the players are given a time limit that refreshes when a player is hurt and tells the players to fight as long as they want and lose health. While some health is granted at the end of the time limit, it is possible to lose more health than granted during this fight. The two-player version gives players a set number of lives and the health/timer system is replaced with a life meter and life counter similar to other beat-em-ups.
Players start in the first level of play, the
subway. Upon knocking down the first few enemies, a large icon instructs player to kick downed opponents. There are buttons to punch and kick; pressing both performs a spinning jump kick. It is also possible to grab enemies and attack them, as well as kick them in the groin to stun them. Many enemies have weapons. Certain enemies always use knives to attack, while some "punk" enemies will have lead pipes and later enemies have
handguns. Upon killing these enemies a player may pick up a weapon and use it indefinitely (including handguns in the two-player versions), however if players are hit once, the players will drop the item and it will disappear (except for the handguns in the four player versions, provided that they have ammo).
In the final stage, the final boss throws a key to the players and tells them to pick it up. Doing so will allow the boss to pull out a machine gun and shoot at the players. Should the player run out of health at this point, the game will end and a bad ending will be seen with the final boss telling the players to try again. The player however can choose not to get the key and kick (or shoot if the player has a handgun) the main villain repeatedly until he is defeated. Upon winning the game, player will then be subjected to a difficult final all boss round where the players must kill every boss in the game, who all appear on screen at once. If all the bosses are beaten, the game will either end or repeat endlessly.
Reception
In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Crime Fighters'' on their August 1, 1989 issue as being the third most-successful table arcade unit at the time.
See also
*''
Violent Storm
is a 1993 side-scrolling beat-'em-up for arcades produced by Konami.
Plot
In the 1990s, World War III
World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-sc ...
''
References
External links
''Crime Fighters''at Arcade History
*
{{Konami beat 'em up games
1989 video games
Arcade video games
Arcade-only video games
Beat 'em ups
Cooperative video games
Konami franchises
Konami games
Nintendo Switch games
PlayStation 4 games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
Video games about police officers
Konami arcade games
Video games developed in Japan
ja:クライムファイターズ#クライムファイターズ
Hamster Corporation games