Flack
10-28-2005, 12:43 PM
Flack's Top 5 Karate Games from the 80's
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/537784783436238c4d3480.png
Rank: #5
Game: Kung-Fu Master / Data East (1984)
System: Arcade / Commodore 64
Game summary: Thomas' girlfriend Sylvia has been kidnapped by Mr. X. To rescue her, you'll have to fight you way through all five levels of the Devil's Temple.
My Notes: I first saw this game at the local skating rink, Yukon On Wheels. As a kid I really enjoyed Bruce Lee's movie "Game of Death" (in which he has to fight his way through a five-level pagoda), so Kung-Fu Master always reminded me of that. Kung-Fu Master has few attacks (low kick/high kick/jump kick, low punch/high punch) and his method of shaking off adversaries (by wiggling the joystick) isn't too pretty, but it's still a fun game. For as seemingly simple as it is, it's still pretty difficult to beat (especially the bosses at the end of each level).
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/1025814901436238bde1ee1.gif
Rank: #4
Game: Karateka / Broderbund (1985)
System: Apple II / Commodore 64
Game summary: The evil warlord Akuma has kidnapped your bride-to-be, Princess Mariko. To rescue her you'll need to dispose of many palace guards, evade various traps, and eventually face Akuma himself.
My Notes: The first time I saw Karateka on my Apple II, I was convinced that the game was created with some sort of motion capture software -- the animation looks that good. Karateka's another game that doesn't have a deep fighting system (low/high kicks and punches) so while there's not much depth to the fighting portion, the game in itself is beautiful. Programmed by Jordan Mechner (who would go on to also do Prince of Persia), Karateka featured an entire storyline including cut scenes and everything. Due to the cut scenes the game runs a bit slow, but it's still an awesome game that everyone should check out. It was ported to many different systems, including the NES, the Gameboy, the PC, and even the Atari 7800.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/1702865620436238b7174bc.gif
Rank: #3
Game: Bruce Lee / Datasoft (1984)
System: Commodore 64
Game summary: Help Bruce Lee fight his way through several levels of lanterns while battling a ninja and a sumo wrestler.
My Notes: Super Mario Bros. may have popularized the platform genre, but it certainly wasn't the first. Bruce Lee was a popular platformer filled with action, puzzles and fighting. Many of the puzzles took both thinking (to figure out how to get around them) and then the dexterity of the joystick to be able to pull it off. I first played this game on a Commodore 64 but it's available for many platforms. One guy even re-wrote it in BlitzBasic for modern PC's and released it for free: Check it out! (http://www.planetflibble.com/blitz)
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/1855939577436238d001523.png
Rank: #2
Game: Yie Ar Kung-Fu / Konami (1985)
System: Arcade / Commodore 64
Game summary: You, as Oolong the Kung-Fu warrior, must fight your way through 11 different enemies.
My Notes: I first played Yie Ar Kung-Fu at the bowling alley, although I got it for the Commodore 64 roughly around the same time. Yie Ar introduced a few more moves than some of the previous games, but the best thing about it was the game's fast action. Each enemy brings a different weapon (from swords to nunchucks to Chinese stars) to the fight, so each one takes a different strategy to defeat. Limited to one player, Yie Ar Kung-Fu is one of my favorite karate games of all time. In fact, it's #2. Those wanting to check out the game today can either do so through emulation or by picking up Konami Arcade Classics for the original Playstation or the Gameboy Advanced. Whatever you do, don't pick up the all-in-one Konami joystick.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/924415426436238ae54542.png
Rank: #1
Game: Karate Champ / Data East (1984)
System: Arcade
Game summary: Begin. (Kick). Full point. Winner.
My Notes: Karate Champ was the first one-on-one fighting game -- talk about creating a genre! And while its gameplay is one of the most influential of all time, its control system was one of the strangest. Each player used two joysticks to control their character's attacks. It was awkward (at best), but provided a large amount of moves for players to choose from. Due to the controls, the best way to play Karate Champ is on an original arcade cabinet. Assuming you don't have one (or, you know, can't make it over to my house), you can play the game in MAME and use two joysticks (or two areas of the keyboard). Karate Champ was ported to the NES, C64, Apple II and Amiga, but all of them lost something when changed to single joystick control.
Care to debate? Disagree? Want to add some to the list? Bring it on, Danialsan!
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/537784783436238c4d3480.png
Rank: #5
Game: Kung-Fu Master / Data East (1984)
System: Arcade / Commodore 64
Game summary: Thomas' girlfriend Sylvia has been kidnapped by Mr. X. To rescue her, you'll have to fight you way through all five levels of the Devil's Temple.
My Notes: I first saw this game at the local skating rink, Yukon On Wheels. As a kid I really enjoyed Bruce Lee's movie "Game of Death" (in which he has to fight his way through a five-level pagoda), so Kung-Fu Master always reminded me of that. Kung-Fu Master has few attacks (low kick/high kick/jump kick, low punch/high punch) and his method of shaking off adversaries (by wiggling the joystick) isn't too pretty, but it's still a fun game. For as seemingly simple as it is, it's still pretty difficult to beat (especially the bosses at the end of each level).
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/1025814901436238bde1ee1.gif
Rank: #4
Game: Karateka / Broderbund (1985)
System: Apple II / Commodore 64
Game summary: The evil warlord Akuma has kidnapped your bride-to-be, Princess Mariko. To rescue her you'll need to dispose of many palace guards, evade various traps, and eventually face Akuma himself.
My Notes: The first time I saw Karateka on my Apple II, I was convinced that the game was created with some sort of motion capture software -- the animation looks that good. Karateka's another game that doesn't have a deep fighting system (low/high kicks and punches) so while there's not much depth to the fighting portion, the game in itself is beautiful. Programmed by Jordan Mechner (who would go on to also do Prince of Persia), Karateka featured an entire storyline including cut scenes and everything. Due to the cut scenes the game runs a bit slow, but it's still an awesome game that everyone should check out. It was ported to many different systems, including the NES, the Gameboy, the PC, and even the Atari 7800.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/1702865620436238b7174bc.gif
Rank: #3
Game: Bruce Lee / Datasoft (1984)
System: Commodore 64
Game summary: Help Bruce Lee fight his way through several levels of lanterns while battling a ninja and a sumo wrestler.
My Notes: Super Mario Bros. may have popularized the platform genre, but it certainly wasn't the first. Bruce Lee was a popular platformer filled with action, puzzles and fighting. Many of the puzzles took both thinking (to figure out how to get around them) and then the dexterity of the joystick to be able to pull it off. I first played this game on a Commodore 64 but it's available for many platforms. One guy even re-wrote it in BlitzBasic for modern PC's and released it for free: Check it out! (http://www.planetflibble.com/blitz)
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/1855939577436238d001523.png
Rank: #2
Game: Yie Ar Kung-Fu / Konami (1985)
System: Arcade / Commodore 64
Game summary: You, as Oolong the Kung-Fu warrior, must fight your way through 11 different enemies.
My Notes: I first played Yie Ar Kung-Fu at the bowling alley, although I got it for the Commodore 64 roughly around the same time. Yie Ar introduced a few more moves than some of the previous games, but the best thing about it was the game's fast action. Each enemy brings a different weapon (from swords to nunchucks to Chinese stars) to the fight, so each one takes a different strategy to defeat. Limited to one player, Yie Ar Kung-Fu is one of my favorite karate games of all time. In fact, it's #2. Those wanting to check out the game today can either do so through emulation or by picking up Konami Arcade Classics for the original Playstation or the Gameboy Advanced. Whatever you do, don't pick up the all-in-one Konami joystick.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblogs/upload/20/924415426436238ae54542.png
Rank: #1
Game: Karate Champ / Data East (1984)
System: Arcade
Game summary: Begin. (Kick). Full point. Winner.
My Notes: Karate Champ was the first one-on-one fighting game -- talk about creating a genre! And while its gameplay is one of the most influential of all time, its control system was one of the strangest. Each player used two joysticks to control their character's attacks. It was awkward (at best), but provided a large amount of moves for players to choose from. Due to the controls, the best way to play Karate Champ is on an original arcade cabinet. Assuming you don't have one (or, you know, can't make it over to my house), you can play the game in MAME and use two joysticks (or two areas of the keyboard). Karate Champ was ported to the NES, C64, Apple II and Amiga, but all of them lost something when changed to single joystick control.
Care to debate? Disagree? Want to add some to the list? Bring it on, Danialsan!