Cadillacs and Dinosaurs 2

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs 2, released in Japan as Cadillacs Kyouryuu Shinseiki 2 (キャディラックス 恐竜新世紀, Kyadirakkusu Kyōryū Shinseiki 2), is a 2021 arcade and console game by Mad Man Ninja Studios and Capcom. It is a side-scrolling beat 'em up based on the comic book series Xenozoic Tales. It is a sequel of the 1993 arcade exclusive game released by Capcom. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs 2 was released in June 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Samsung Zeo and Microsoft Windows.

Gameplay
Like the previous two entries, gameplay is reminiscent of a top-down dungeon crawler with an emphasis on cooperative play. Up to four players can play the game cooperatively locally either on the same screen with a single docked Nintendo Switch system or undocked with up to four systems, or online with friends or random player lobbies.

Players choose until four characters to traverse linear stages, fight enemies, and defeat bosses. Certain passive buffs are acquired with particular character combinations. Each character's controls are fundamentally identical; each has a jump, light attack, heavy attack, dodge, block, and four special abilities. Special abilities can be synced with the other three members for a synergy boost, with an especially powerful attack unleashed if all four party members sync up simultaneously. Additional characters are unlocked by story progression or optional Infinity Rift challenges, with more characters currently planned as free or paid downloadable content.

When the player loses along the way, one of the big baddies holds a gun point-blank to the losing player's face in a first-person view, taunting the player with sayings such as "Eat lead, baby!". Unless the game is continued within a countdown of 20 seconds, the baddie fires his gun, leading to a game over.

Plot
Earth has been ravaged by pollution and natural disasters of all sorts. To escape this, humanity built vast underground cities in which they lived for approximately 500 years. Upon emerging, the humans found that the world had been reclaimed by previously extinct lifeforms (most spectacularly, dinosaurs). In the new 'Xenozoic' era, technology is extremely limited and those with mechanical skills command a great deal of respect and influence.

The two main characters of the series are mechanic Jack Tenrec and scientist and love interest, Hannah Dundee. Tenrec operates a garage in which he restores cars, particularly Cadillacs. Given that the post-apocalyptic world no longer possesses the ability to refine oil, Tenrec modifies his cars to run on dinosaur guano. Added into the mix is Hermes, an Allosaurus Jack raised, and who basically acts as the most threatening guard dog one could ask for. Other characters include various criminals, politicians, scientists, and inventors who populate the dystopian world of tomorrow.

After the fall of Dr. Simon Fessenden, the protagonists face The Terhunes, a family of poachers who are the enemies of Jack Tenrec. They ar led by Hammer Terhune – an overweight poacher who despises Jack, indicating that they have met before, but on very bad terms; they have tried many times to kill him, without success.

The setting of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs 2 is along the Eastern coast of North America during the mid-27th century, most of America's cities having been destroyed during the Great Cataclysm, with a few surviving.


 * The City in the Sea – The remains of Manhattan and the series' main setting. As its name implies, it consists of several buildings that survived when Manhattan was flooded during the Great Cataclysm. The Empire State Building was one of the surviving buildings.
 * Wasoon – The home of Hannah Dundee, located in the south and the remains of Washington, D.C. Its people the Wasoon are a tribe of scholars; however, they are treated with disdain by many other surviving humans for reasons unknown. They sent Hannah to the City in the Sea with the hopes of gaining access to their library.
 * Calhoon Mines – A copper mine located a few days from the City in the Sea. It is where the copper for the City in the Sea is mined; it was once besieged by a man-eating Shivat until it was killed by Jack and Hannah.
 * Fessenden's Station - A scientific research station that is a several-days journey from the City in the Sea, deep within the treacherous jungles, and established by Dr. Fessenden, a scientist highly revered by the City. Jack and Hannah discover the grisly fate of Fessenden and all his staff there, and the place is torched and declared forbidden.

Characters

 * Jack Tenrec – An old blood mechanic who runs a garage; old bloods are a group of people who repair machines that were left over from the great cataclysm that forced humanity to live underground. Despite his gruff behavior, he is considered leader by the people in the City in the Sea (formerly Manhattan) more than their governors; he starts an on/off relationship with the beautiful Wasoon ambassador and scientist Hannah Dundee.
 * Hannah Dundee – A beautiful scientist and ambassador from Wasoon (formerly Washington, D.C.). She came to the City in the Sea in order to build relations with her people, as not many trust them. Over the course of the comics, she becomes the love interest of Jack Tenrec despite their different views on things.
 * Hermes – An Allosaurus who Jack raised after his mother was killed by poachers; although he can be vicious to others, he is gentle with Jack and Hannah. He first appeared when he saved his beloved master after he was being threatened by one of the Terhunes.
 * Mustapha Cairo – An engineer and a mechanic who is a good friend to Jack. He becomes one of their allies in their fights for survival in the post-apocalyptic world overrun by dinosaurs and saber-toothed tigers.
 * Mess O'Bradovich - A character nobody really knows about. His in-game bio simply states "mystery", but he seems to at least know Mustapha and helps him, Jack and Hannah in the fight.
 * Kirgo – An elderly mechanic who is a friend to Jack. He seems to know why some people hate Jack and want him dead.

Nominations and Awards

 * Game Ideas Wiki Awards 2022: Best Sequel.