Awaiting new genre name (formerly "Kung Fu" games)

[Dire 51]

I recently updated the OPCFG with a new section of an older article on games from the "Kung Fu" genre. Admittedly, I was racking my brain trying to think of some for this article.

The ten I have listed will do for the article, but I was wondering if anyone might know of any more. I'm positive that there have been plenty, but for the life of me I can't think of any more at the moment.

And for the record, brawlers like Double Dragon and Final Fight do not count as "Kung Fu" titles: those are, to coin a phrase that Yashiro came up with, "Two Players Vs. The World" games - as seen here. So please, don't list any of those types of games here.

*goes to play some Kung-Fu Master while waiting for replies*

[Crush Crawfish]

You can also add the NES version of Fist of the North Star/Hokuto No Ken and Two Crude Dudes (the spiritual successor to Bad Dudes) to that list as well.

[Sothy]

If Splatterhouse is a Kung fu game but double dragon is not...... Then I have no idea what the hell a king fu game is then.

[Dire 51]

You just have to look at how they both play. Splatterhouse (just 1 and 2, not 3 or Wanpaku Graffiti) definitely has its roots in the "Kung Fu" genre.

[Garry Silljo]

??? So you're saying if its straight side scrolling it's a Kung Fu game and if you can move up and down as well as left and right it's not? You're being to nit-picky.

[Gamereviewgod]

I call 'em platform beat-em-ups. Most have the basic platform mechanics of jumping and such. You're going to run into trouble, especially since some games (Double Dragon II) mix styles.

[scooby105]

yie-ar king fu is pretty fun.
i always used to play uchi mata on the commodore 64 also.

[Milk]

Maybe you should go into more detail about why you think they merit being in a separate genre from beat 'em ups, since I'm very tempted to side with Garry here.

[Dire 51]

I call 'em platform beat-em-ups. Most have the basic platform mechanics of jumping and such. You're going to run into trouble, especially since some games (Double Dragon II) mix styles.

Yeah, but then you do get that in a lot of games. It's like: what do genre do you stick The Guardian Legend in? Is it a shmup? Is it an action-RPG? Most people file it in with shmups, though, even though it combines genres. I realize that this is a little more complicated, because both of these genres involve beating the crap out of people, but hey.

Okay now, let me explain to those who think I'm being too "nit-picky":

In what I call a "Kung Fu" game you usually move only left to right or right to left on a strictly flat plane. You can jump up and down between levels, but you have no way to manuever around enemies, except for maybe jumping over them. You can't circle around them like you could in a brawler. In a brawler you actually fight with them, in a "Kung Fu" game, they take a hit or two and they're down.

Let me diagram it for you:

"Kung Fu" game field:



Straight left to right. Kill the enemies coming at you - usually with one or two hits - or die.

"brawler" game field:



More freedom of movement, allows for more strategy. You can circle around enemies, they can do the same to you. Enemies usually take more than two hits to kill.

There are similarities between the two, yes. But they aren't the same type of game. You still want to say I'm being "nit-picky", that's fine. I stand by my article. I also challenge anyone here to go play Kung-Fu Master (or any of the others I listed), then Double Dragon (or any of the games listed in the second part of the article), and come back and say that they're exactly the same type of game.

[ClubNinja]

Those are fantastic diagrams

[esquire]

So, a game like Ninja Combat for the Neo-Geo is not a Kung-Fu game simply because you can move around the opponents? But the Ninja Gaiden series for the NES and Ninja Spirit for the TG16 are Kung-Fu games because you can't? Seems a bit strange if you ask me, but according to your guidelines here are some other "Kung-Fu" games:

Kung-Fu Master (2600)
Ninja Gaiden (NES)
Shinobi (NES/SMS)
Karateka (7800)
Kung-Fu (NES)
Karate Champ (NES)
Ninja Spirit (TG16)
Tiger Road (TG16)
China Warrior (TG16)
Samurai Ghost (TG16)

[NeoZeedeater]

Kung Fu Kid(C16)
Kung Fu Kid(SMS) Great game.
Dragon Wang(SG-1000) This is the predecessor to SMS Kung Fu Kid.

[XianXi]

I dont think a game utilizing Ninjitsu or Karate falls under Kung-fu.

[Jestr]

I would say My Hero by Sega would qualify. It was released in the arcade and on the SMS.

[Dire 51]

So, a game like Ninja Combat for the Neo-Geo is not a Kung-Fu game simply because you can move around the opponents? But the Ninja Gaiden series for the NES and Ninja Spirit for the TG16 are Kung-Fu games because you can't? Seems a bit strange if you ask me, but according to your guidelines here are some other "Kung-Fu" games:

Kung-Fu Master (2600)
Ninja Gaiden (NES)
Shinobi (NES/SMS)
Karateka (7800)
Kung-Fu (NES)
Karate Champ (NES)
Ninja Spirit (TG16)
Tiger Road (TG16)
China Warrior (TG16)
Samurai Ghost (TG16)

I think almost everyone is missing the point here.

Of course Kung Fu Master (2600) and Kung Fu (NES) are "Kung Fu" games, they're both ports of the arcade Kung Fu Master. I even mentioned that in the article. China Warrior also falls into that category. Samurai Ghost and Tiger Road I'm not sure about yet, because I need to play them both a lot more. Kung Fu Kid also qualifies as a "Kung Fu" game from what I can tell, as does My Hero.

The others mentioned do not fit my definition of a "Kung Fu" game. Karateka and Karate Champ are both one-on-one fighters. Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Spirit and Shinobi are platformers. That's not hard to see. Ninja Combat I wouldn't class as a "Kung Fu" game, nor would I class it as a brawler. I'm not sure what to call it yet.

And as far as what I named the genre, I just named it after Kung-Fu Master. It doesn't matter what kind of martial arts is utilized, it's how the game is set up.

[Garry Silljo]

If the genre is defined by the setup and not the fighting style, then don't name it after a fighting style. Call it a Side-Fighter or something. It's ridiculous that I could make a brawler called "The Kung-Fu Game" where the characters do nothing but Kung-Fu moves and be told it's NOT a Kung-fu game.

[Sotenga]

If the genre is defined by the setup and not the fighting style, then don't name it after a fighting style. Call it a Side-Fighter or something. It's ridiculous that I could make a brawler called "The Kung-Fu Game" where the characters do nothing but Kung-Fu moves and be told it's NOT a Kung-fu game.

I don't think the subgenre is named so much after the actual fighting style than it is after the game Kung Fu, which is pretty much the original pioneer of these styles of games. Personally, I'm not sure what else these games can be called. It's just a title, anyway. Don't be so nit-picky about it.

[Garry Silljo]

It's not being nit-picky, it's being logical. To name a genre "Kung Fu" that doesn't include games that are focused on Kung Fu, doesn't make any sense.

If it makes sense to name genres after the first game made in those genres, then all the Maddens are actually "Pong" games because Pong was the first sports game. Oh, wait ... that makes no sense. Oh, wait ... that's the point.

Now, I'm off to play one of my favorite "Pitfall" games. No, it's not any of the Pitfall titles, but that's the earliest similar title I can think of so it may as well be classified as a "Pitfall" game anyway. Wait ..... no.

[Dire 51]

If the genre is defined by the setup and not the fighting style, then don't name it after a fighting style. Call it a Side-Fighter or something. It's ridiculous that I could make a brawler called "The Kung-Fu Game" where the characters do nothing but Kung-Fu moves and be told it's NOT a Kung-fu game.

Sure, I'd call it a Kung-Fu game, but I wouldn't classify it as a "Kung Fu" game. That's why "Kung Fu" is in quotes.

Geez, if all this fuss is about what I decided to name the genre, than someone come up with a better one. "South American Commando Slaughter" worked for the overhead run-n-guns (despite the fact that very few of the ones I listed take place in South America, although I don't hear anyone bitching about that... although I'm sure I will now ), and "Two Players Vs. The World" worked for the beat-em-ups, so someone suggest a new title for these, by all means. Just because it's in the article doesn't mean I can't go back and change it later if I hear of something better to call it.

[Dire 51]

Now, I'm off to play one of my favorite "Pitfall" games. No, it's not any of the Pitfall titles, but that's the earliest similar title I can think of so it may as well be classified as a "Pitfall" game anyway. Wait ..... no.

Do you know how many times I'd seen similar games referred to as "Pitfall like" in the mid '80s, rather than being called "platformers"? A lot.