Daily Graffiti – Remember ‘International Karate’ for the Atari?

By brownkidd on January 11th, 2010 in Art, Video Games

Remember International Karate? No? Don’t feel bad, neither do I. But Finish photographer Sameli does, and he’s got the pics on his Flickr to prove it.


This one’s called International Karate ++. Read the Wiki to find out why the title’s so clever.

Here’s the International Karate Wiki entry:

International Karate is a 1986 karate computer game for the ZX Spectrum, MSX, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit family of computers. It was first published by System 3 in Europe, and then in the United States of America by Epyx as World Karate Championship. A version of this game was later released for the Atari ST and the PC (utilizing 4-color CGA graphics). In 2000, a Game Boy Color version known as International Karate 2000 was released, with several enhancements, and another version based on it was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance, as International Karate Advanced. In 2004 it would be “re-released” as a title on the C64 Direct-to-TV, and in 2008 the C64 version was released as a title on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console.[1] The game was programmed by Archer MacLean, and the music was by Rob Hubbard.

International Karate and World Karate Championship are identical except for the difference in game speed – the latter is tuned for the American NTSC television system.

A sequel to this game called International Karate + was released a year later.

Gameplay

The core game is a two-dimensional, one-on-one, versus fighting game. Players take on the roles of martial artists competing in a kumite tournament. Rather than wearing down an opponent’s health, the goal is instead to score single solid hits. After each hit, combat stops and both combatants are returned to their starting positions. Depending on how well players hit their opponent, they score either a half-point or a full point. Matches can be quite brief, as only two full points are required to win, and a point can be quickly scored just seconds after a round begins.

In single player mode, successive opponents increase in difficulty from novice white belts to master black belts. Play continues as long as the player continues to win matches. Between fights, bonus mini-games focusing on rhythm and timing appear, including one in which the player must break a number of stacked boards using only his or her head.

As in newer games in the genre, starting specifically with Street Fighter, the fights take place against a variety of backdrops (8 in total) representing different locations in the world.

Controls

The title utilizes the standard one-button joystick, allowing players to execute a variety of karate techniques. Unlike modern 2D fighting games, players do not turn around if the opponent is behind them and must instead execute one of three “turn-around” maneuvers to change direction.

Lawsuit

Video game publisher Data East sued System 3 and Epyx for publishing World Karate Championship, and by extension, International Karate, which was nearly identical to its arcade game, Karate Champ. International Karate used the same coloured fighters, and had the same points system. Initially Data East won the lawsuit, obtaining a permanent injunction against Epyx, In., and an impoundment that restrained Epyx from further sale or distribution of World Karate Championship, as the court found that the work violated and infringed upon Data East USA’s copyright on its game Karate Champ; Epyx was required to recall from both customers and distributors all copies of the infringing work.[2] The decision was appealed to a higher court, who reversed the decision, stating that while the game was similar, it was not identical, and that one game company can not monopolize one entire sport. As a result, Melbourne House did not sue System 3 nor Epyx, as the game The Way of the Exploding Fist is also very similar to both of these games.[3][4]

Hmm… I had no idea Archer MacLean was involved with this. Now I’m even more curious to hunt this game down, especially if karate de-pantsing is one of the game’s mechanics, but I doubt it.

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Capcom Goes Retro with ‘Dark Void Zero’ for DSiWare

By brownkidd on December 22nd, 2009 in Video Games

As the ‘80s were drawing to a close, the developers at Capcom began work on a top secret project that aimed to set new standards for the platformer genre. That game was called “Dark Rift”, and it blended the intense shooting action of Section Z™ with the latest innovations in platform jumping from Mega Man. In order to properly fulfill the producer’s vision for Dark Rift (later renamed Dark Void), the hardware engineering team at Capcom was enlisted to design and produce an all-new chipset that would be included in every cartridge, enabling huge numbers of sprites and never-before-seen special effects to be displayed on the aging NES® platform and the PlayChoice-10 NES arcade cabinet.

Alas, time waits for no man and game developers are no exception. The dawn of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System® made the additional hardware requirements for Dark Void redundant. Capcom suspended development on Dark Void as it began to evaluate the SNES. Before long, the game was shelved and drifted into the annals of gaming history. Even the internal tape-based archives were lost due to an unfortunate magnet incident which even today is best left un-discussed. Dark Void became a legendary “lost project” at Capcom…until now.

Nearly twenty years later the next gen version of the game, Dark Void, is back on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC! But to commemorate the game’s humble origins, Capcom has commissioned this recreation of the original 8-bit classic, now re-titled “Dark Void Zero,” on the DSi platform. You play Rusty, the first human born in the Void, who must take on the Watchers in a quest to stop their domination of Earth. With the aid of Nikola Tesla, and his state-of-the-art rocket pack, Rusty must take down the Watchers and their minions across three intense levels of action and intrigue.

I’ve gotta’ admit, when Dark Void was originally announced, I was pretty excited, but I haven’t really been keeping up with it. The announcement of an 8-bit Dark Void DSiWare game has my interest piqued once again. This is the DSiWare that I’ve been waiting for -- the type of DSiWare that should have been out with the system’s launch. Oh Capcom, so glad you’ve found that the way to a nerd’s heart is through pixels and chiptunes.


Yes, this is an actual screenshot from the game. You actually have to blow into the DSi microphone to get the game started. Freaking brilliant!

More screens after the jump. Continue reading “Capcom Goes Retro with ‘Dark Void Zero’ for DSiWare” →

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A Little Bit On The Awesome Show #12 – Level Up Video Games

By brownkidd on October 19th, 2009 in Featured, Video Games, interviews

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For this week’s episode, I visited a local game shop called Level Up Video Games. Tucked away behind bigger buildings, almost hidden, Level Up is just a small shack that you’d never notice if you weren’t looking for it, but that’s all part of its charm. This is the only store for miles that specializes in oldschool gaming. You want an Atari 2600, Jaguar, Virtual Boy, NES, or other retro console? This is the place to go. They also have a great selection of collectibles, strategy guides, and import games.

The owner, Paul, was awesome enough to allow me the time to interview him for the show. He talks about his store’s humble beginnings, why he decided to focus on the retro gaming niche, and his plans for the future.


As always, please comment, rate, and subscribe!

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These Fatal Fury hats are given away for free to anyone who wants one. How awesome is that!?

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I bought myself a Sega Saturn a while ago for the sole purpose of playing Nights, but I never found a complete copy, so my Saturn library consists of absolutely nothing. It figures I’d find this here when I was flat broke. Can you believe I’ve never actually played this game?

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The ceiling in this place is covered in posters and there’s a bunch of hanging Super Scopes and random controllers. In all seriousness, I’d really like to know what the hell Atari was thinking when they made the Jaguar controller.

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I really couldn’t stop drooling over this case. I NEED those Darkstalkers figures! Fun fact: when I was in middle school, I used to draw Victor (the Frankenstein monster) in Jnco shorts and Airwalk shoes doing kickflips. I was weird kid.

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I totally forgot to ask Paul what was up with this arcade machine. When we first walked in, it was showing the original Metroid, and in the video you can see that it’s showing the Ninja Turtles game. And it has two screens!

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Other than the female anatomy, nothing gets my willy wet like a bunch of oldschool games still in their boxes. Orgasmic.

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Out of all the game stores in my area (and there’s a buttload) Level Up Video games is the only store to carry retro import stuff. I almost wish they carried some of the high-profile current-gen imports like the ones shown in this mega retro import games post, but at least they have something. That’s more than most people can say about ANY game store in their area.

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This is the shelf behind the counter and it’s like a museum of retro gaming awesomeness. I might have to pick up one of those clear N64’s and an extra Game Boy for chiptuning.

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So…

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…much…

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…awesome…

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…stuff!!!

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Level Up Video Games also wins the award for best game store sign ever.

If you’re ever within an hour of Wyomissing, PA, I highly advise you to check this place out. it’s well worth the drive just for the experience alone, even if you don’t wind up buying anything. For store hours, contact info, and message boards, check out levelupvideogames.org.

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Import Gaming Heaven at the VGXPO

By brownkidd on October 13th, 2009 in Featured, Otaku, Tech + Gadgets, Video Games

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If you saw Episode #11 of A Little Bit On The Awesome Show, then you already got a sneak peek of the VGXPO that took place in Philly this past weekend. Aside from getting some footage for the show, I also got some pictures of all the import goodies that the various vendors had on display.

If imported gaming treasures like the Wonderswan, Famicon, Twin Famicom, and candy-colored arcade buttons tend to speed up your breathing or heart rate, you might want to keep a glass of cold water next to you as you read this.

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Ah, the holiest of holies. The original Famicom System (short for Family Computer System), better known as the Nintendo Entertainment System to those of us in the states. I always thought that the Famicom looked way sexier than the original NES. Supposedly, Nintendo changed up the design for other countries to make the system look less like a toy and more like a computer.

That box underneath is the Famicom Disk System. The system ran off of either a C battery or you could just plug it into a wall. The big deal with the Disk System was the fact that it actually let players save their progress in a game. Popular games like Zelda and Metroid actually came out for the Disk system before cartridge-saving technology existed. The Zelda and Metroid that we all know and love today are actually ported from the Disc versions.

Fun fact: The disk system was actually in production up until 2003, just six years before the time of this writing!

*UPDATE*
As Marc D from The BBPS points out in the comments, the above Famicom is actually a bootleg! The original Famicom says “Family Game Computer” followed by the Nintendo logo, not “Family Game.”

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This is the Famicom Twin Disk System. basically just a Famicom with the disk system built-in. Interestingly, the Twin Disk System was released by Sharp, not Nintendo. There’s also an ultra-rare orange version.

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I could have ogled at this case for hours. Although they were asking the crazy sum of $99.99 for a Neo Geo Pocket Color (I got mine for $40!), this particular vendor had an amazing Wonderswan collection. They even had the special edition white WonderSwan that came bundled with Final Fantasy!

If you look above the One Piece game, you can spot Guilty Gear Petit, a portable Guilty Gear game featuring chibi versions of the fighters and a nurse chick with a giant needle who was never featured in any of the other Guilty Gear games as far as I know.

For those who don’t know, the WonderSwan is a handheld console that was only released in Japan. Two later versions, the WonderSwan Color and the SwanCrystal, were also developed, but none them were backlit.

The WonderSwan was created by Gunpei Yokoi, the same man responsible for creating the Game & Watch, Game Boy, and Virtual Boy. Sadly enough, Gunpei never got the chance to see the final version of his WonderSwan. He was killed in a car accident in 1997, just two years before the WonderSwan was released.

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Judgement Silversword. Judgment. Fucking. Silversword.

This game is the crème de la crème of WonderSwan titles. It’s not only considered to be one of the best bullet hell shmups to ever grace a handheld system, but it’s strongly considered one of greatest shooters of all time. That’s probably why it’s being sold for a hefty $169.99.

If you’re a fan of the shooter genre, I highly advise you to check out some videos of this game on YouTube. I dare you not to drool, even just a little.

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One of the vendors at the VGXPO was selling imported games for current gen systems like the Wii and PS3. The above sign was spotted by Wii games and it reads, “Wii Japan – Ask how to play it on your Wii.”

I pretended to be clueless and I asked. Without missing a beat, the asian kid behind the counter was telling me how to get the Homebrew Channel running on my Wii and ow to use gecko to run imports.

Shady practices that tiptoe along the lines of legality and non-legality? Maybe. Awesome? Yes!

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The same vendor had this copy of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya game for Wii and it even comes bundled with a Fraulein Revoltech!

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They also had this Arcana Heart 2 arcade stick for the PS2. For those who don’t know, Arcana Hart is an amazingly cute 2D fighting game featuring a girls-only cast of characters. Basically, you can expect LOTS of short skirts, frilly dresses, and thigh-highs. Every moe/lolita fetish can be found in this game.

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This display of Sanwa arcade parts is nothing short of gorgeous. It’s a candy-coated array of pure visual sex. I probable stared at this display longer than any sane person should.

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Here’s the special edition Game Boy Micro that comes bundled with Mother 3. I was tempted to ask the vendor if I could peek inside the box, but I assumed he’d say no. I was also scared I’d drop it or something.

Oh, and does that font on the price tag look familiar to anyone? *peeks up at Albotas.com header*

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Doki Doki Majo Shinpan Duo!!! This is actually the limited edition box set which includes two figures, a soundtrack, and some other cool stuff.

This is the sequel to the DS game that puts you in the role of a witch hunter. As a witch hunter, it’s your job to grope, rub, and feel up all the girls in your high school to look for their “magic spots” using your stylus the DS touch screen. I actually played a bit of the original and it’s pretty amazing. It’d probably have been even more amazing if I could actually read Japanese.

It’s a shame that this game will most likely NEVER come to the states. Might have something to do with feeling up high school girls…

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Not only did the VGXPO have a good deal of import games, but they also had strategy guides to go along with them! And people were buying them! I wonder if they could actually read Japanese and were buying them to use, or strictly for collection purposes.

Am I not as cool of a nerd for not knowing Japanese? Is my geek cred less relevant?

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This is the limited GameCube controller only available to Japanese Club Nintendo members. Is it just me, or does $100 seem like a little too much to spend on a controller?

…

Looking over these pictures, I really wish a I had a real job and more money. Blogging really doesn’t provide the sort of funds that lets one splurge on things like shiny arcade buttons, underage girl-groping DS games, and Famicom systems.

There’s always next year.

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A Little Bit On The Awesome Show #11 – Philly’s VGXPO

By brownkidd on October 12th, 2009 in Featured, Otaku, Tech + Gadgets, Video Games

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I was lucky enough to hit up this year’s VGXPO in Philly to check out Nintendo’s 2009 holiday lineup, a bunch of cosplayers, and a buttload of retro and import games.

We got as much footage of the Nintendo games as we could, but one of the Nintendo reps actually came up to us and asked that we stop recording. Whoops!

Please support the show by rating and commenting! Don’t forget to subscribe to Albotas on YouTube!

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