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Microsoft
Games Studios www.microsoft.com/games
Back in the days of the Commodore 64 many a lunch hour was spent
emulating the great karate movies in an addictive game called
International Karate.
In fact I haven’t really been into fighting games ever since,
probably because of the increased levels of gore and ridiculous
super powers that seem to dominate in today’s fighting games.
Kung Fu Chaos harks back to the old days when kicking your mate
when he was down (virtually of course) while simultaneously hurling
copious amounts of lame abuse was clean fun. It doesn’t take
itself seriously; in fact it is just the opposite.
The developers have based the game around every dodgy kung-fu
movie seen with weird characters, funny moves, and great commentary
provided by the director who is filming the fights for the next
big action movie. As the game is based on a film set, almost anything
goes and fights are varied and challenging as the director aims
for the ultimate shot.
I read recently that the developers had come under criticism from
the Asian XBox market for its blatant stereotyping. Call me ignorant
but I’m yet to see a kung-fu movie that wasn’t at least
Asian inspired.
The best bit is the game is simple to learn but immensely fun.
While it is violent in a kicking and throwing sense there is none
of the gruesome effects of modern fighting games and inbuilt taunts
add the light-hearted nature of the game.
Perhaps I shouldn’t admit it here but it hasn’t taken
all that long for my seven-year-old son to starting throwing me
around the game and we’ve spent several nights playing co-operatively
against the AI characters and in a slug-fest against one another.
It’s like an interactive version of Big Trouble in Little
China – no pretences, just good kung-fu fun. Oh, and it’s
got all the great music to go with it as well.
Looking
ahead
| XBox |
Soldier
of Fortune II
Activision
John Mullins, the gaming world’s first middle-aged action
hero, and Activision are attempting to retake the lead in
the race to be the best by jumping from their original home
to the new realm of the console, specifically XBox.
Soldier of Fortune II will be a direct port from the PC version
and players will fight a group of mad terrorists intent on
creating biologically induced hell.
The PC game was famous for its gore and its multi-player mayhem,
both of which should be fully harnessed, if not improved on,
in XBox form.
Soldier of Fortune II on XBox is set for release soon.
Watch for a full review and a competition in coming columns
of The Gamesman. |
| PC |
Star
Trek Elite Force II
Activision
Another sequel from the Activision stable soon to hit the
shelves is Star Trek Elite Force II.
The first game was the first Star Trek I have played that
I actually enjoyed, although it did have one major flaw –
I finished the game in a day.
Let’s hope the sequel will give fans a little more lasting
enjoyment with 11 complete levels and several ways to finish
each mission.
The game will use an enhanced Quake III arena engine, providing
great visuals as well as stable multiplayer code.
Trekkies will be well catered for with the game set in the
New Generation timeframe and will have players interacting
with Romulans, the Borg and other alien species.
Star Trek Elite Force II will hit the shelves shortly. Look
for a full review and competition. |
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