gorfcadet Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Hope everyone is doing well. This one really got me revved up. I should have quit playing sooner, but I thought I could beat it if I was just stubborn enough. I haven't got that ticked off since I was a kid trying to beat Mike Tyson in Punch Out!! Was there a trick to dealing with the stupid green bird? The instruction manual didn't even mention the bird. No mention or advice at all. It was just there to steal health. I also didn't see much difference in the two difficulty settings. Oh well. Back to the back of the collection drawer. I'm playing one I know I like next to get the taste out of my mouth. Maybe Mario Bros. or Super Huey. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+chicgamer Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 You gave six hours to this game? Good god. I tried playing this a couple of times, I think. The first time, I realized it was terribly broken and stopped within a minute or two. The second time was to make sure that I was remembering my first experience correctly. I was. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorfcadet Posted December 9, 2018 Author Share Posted December 9, 2018 You gave six hours to this game? Good god. I tried playing this a couple of times, I think. The first time, I realized it was terribly broken and stopped within a minute or two. The second time was to make sure that I was remembering my first experience correctly. I was. Usually, I like to beat a game before I review it if possible. I knew that may not always be possible with Ikari Warriors on the "to do" list, but I didn't think Karateka would be the one to stop me. I saw Trebor's play through and thought, "I can do that." Nope. No I can not do that. I meant to use the footage where the green bird tags me for 6 health in under 10 seconds. He never even left the screen; just kept looping over me and hitting me. I kept hearing my kids in the other room playing Smash Ultimate and it was maddening. I kept seeing Galaga and Centipede on my desk as if to say, "you pulled us out to play that garbage." I was just worried that I was missing something and I didn't want to get hate for going off on a game unfairly. I now feel pretty safe in saying this game deserves all the hate it gets. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 What a horrible, horrible port. The hawk that looks like a drunken duck. The choppy animation. The missing cut scenes. That horrible tap, then wait a second before the character responds controls. I have never been as disappointed in a port as I was with this one. Even Impossible Mission with that stupid bug is otherwise a pretty solid port that's got some fun in it. Karateka is utterly terrible on the 7800. And it didn't need to be. Was the second game I purchased for the system and the one I was the most excited about getting overall ... only to find it was just atrocious. Ikari Warriors can be beaten ... trust me. I've done it many times. But Karateka is brutal with the horrific controls. My respect to anyone who was able to beat it and had the patience to do so 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blainelocklair Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Good review. Right on point. There are some great ports of this game, such as the one on the Commodore Amiga. I bought this for $4 a few months ago as a loose cart. Well, at least I can say I have another 7800 game for the collection. That's about all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 I dream that someone redoes this game from scratch for the 7800 someday. The A8 version is really good 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Was there a trick to dealing with the stupid green bird? You have to be walking. Even if you are going nowhere (Just walking in place, trying to 'walk over' the enemy in front of you), walking is the only guaranteed avoidance of being hit by the bird. Watch the playthrough again, especially with the last boss, and you'll see me leveraging that fact to avoid bird hits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6QJM1DJZdE Last boss fight begins @5:51. You're better off taking one or two hits from the boss than a complete wipeout by the bird. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 (edited) You have to be walking. Even if you are going nowhere (Just walking in place, trying to 'walk over' the enemy in front of you), walking is the only guaranteed avoidance of being hit by the bird. Watch the playthrough again, especially with the last boss, and you'll see me leveraging that fact to avoid bird hits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6QJM1DJZdE Last boss fight begins @5:51. You're better off taking one or two hits from the boss than a complete wipeout by the bird. My hat off to you for being even able to beat that game! I only even made it to Akuma once or twice before losing patience. Cool to see the ending ... they cut the part where you have to bow to the princess or she'll kill you. (Why didn't she use that trick on Akuma and his goons if she was that lethal in the first place? haha) Edited December 9, 2018 by DracIsBack 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattyboombatty Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Now that was a good review of a game that was utter crap. It's a terrible, but truthful shame because the Apple ][e game was interesting and memorable. Perhaps if the character control and timing were improved, it would be playable! My friends and I always pronounced the game [kuh-RA-teh-kuh] back in the mid '80s. I know there's a late 1980s Atari commercial where they pronounce it the way you did, but to me that makes no sense ("karate" > "karateka"). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Karate-caca 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Making a kid play this for at least an hour would be a good punishment. "Now you go over there and play Karateka for an hour! And I'm setting this timer to make sure it's exactly one hour!" 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edladdin Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 Karateka is terrible. I don't have any impulse toward collecting completion on the 7800, so I sold my copy as part of a Fighting Four Pack that also included Mat Mania Challenge, Fight Night, and Title Match Pro Wrestling - four awful, trash games that were not worth the limited space on my shelf. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorfcadet Posted December 11, 2018 Author Share Posted December 11, 2018 Karateka is terrible. I don't have any impulse toward collecting completion on the 7800, so I sold my copy as part of a Fighting Four Pack that also included Mat Mania Challenge, Fight Night, and Title Match Pro Wrestling - four awful, trash games that were not worth the limited space on my shelf. Yeah, I hate to hate on anything on the 7800 because the library is smallish, but those are four REALLY bad games. I'm about to decide I hate Kung Fu also, but I'm waiting to decide until I finish a review on it. Leaning into hate on that one though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Oh no, I wouldn't lump Kung-Fu in with those other winners. Even with its stupid single-button control scheme, much better game than those other three: Mat Mania, Title Match and Fight Night. I grew up playing Karateka on the Apple II and C64 - where the game was legendary. Imagine my surprise the first time I popped Karateka into the 7800. Was shocked at how shitty the gameplay was. And WTF? No excuse being released so many years later. If anything, should have been a superior port with added features, levels and graphics, but noooo. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorfcadet Posted December 11, 2018 Author Share Posted December 11, 2018 Oh no, I wouldn't lump Kung-Fu in with those other winners. Even with its stupid single-button control scheme, much better game than those other three: Mat Mania, Title Match and Fight Night. Not Karateka bad, but WHY only one button? That was so lazy! Still it is better than that, but not as good as other versions of the game. It looks better in ways than the NES, but lacks that versions play refinement. Feels like luck and button mashing to me at times. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imstarryeyed Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Oh wow I have not played much the 7800 version but I used to be a pro at all of the other versions. In the Commodore 64 and Apple 2 and Famicom versions you can kill the bird with a high punch but that 7800 version looks kind of nuts. When I can finally unpack my console that is going to be my first game that I will have to try. Entertaining review by the way, I like your style. I really need to start making reviews of games too, something on my I really want to do list! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empsolo Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Who compiled the Famicom version? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Who compiled the Famicom version? Nintendo; specifically, "Nintendo Research & Development 1" for Kung-Fu. Soft Pro International for Karateka. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Atari Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 (edited) Not Karateka bad, but WHY only one button? That was so lazy! Still it is better than that, but not as good as other versions of the game. It looks better in ways than the NES, but lacks that versions play refinement. Feels like luck and button mashing to me at times. Karateka is just an awful, awful game; I want to like it, and just can't. Kung-Fu Master on the other hand, isn't so much "bad" as it is "missed opportunity." I actually do like it quite a bit, but it's basically the 2600 version with a graphical overhaul; the backgrounds are excellent and quite a bit better than the NES port, though the sprites are fairly goofy lookin' IMO. Otherwise, same one-button configuration, same gameplay, same sound as the 2600 port. I can only guess that they went one-button so that a more-comfortable 2600 controller could be used? That's the best reason I can come up with. Edited December 11, 2018 by King Atari 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high voltage Posted December 15, 2018 Share Posted December 15, 2018 I just realized that the title is lower case karateka 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 (edited) Not Karateka bad, but WHY only one button? That was so lazy! Still it is better than that, but not as good as other versions of the game. It looks better in ways than the NES, but lacks that versions play refinement. Feels like luck and button mashing to me at times. Me too. Always found the controls to be way too slippery Edited December 17, 2018 by DracIsBack 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Oh wow I have not played much the 7800 version but I used to be a pro at all of the other versions. In the Commodore 64 and Apple 2 and Famicom versions you can kill the bird with a high punch but that 7800 version looks kind of nuts. When I can finally unpack my console that is going to be my first game that I will have to try. You're probably going to have the same reaction as my friend who had it on the Apple II and introduced me to the game. "What the *&^( is with the controls???!!!!. Tap the joystick. Wait for a full second. Player punches or kicks. Repeat" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Oh the subject of unpacking a 7800 to try out this game.. The saying "Let's not and say we did" comes to mind. Or "If I ever play that game again it would be too soon" "It ain't worth two S$%ts" Is also a good way to put it. If you hate yourself go ahead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Two-word review: "Sh!t sandwich" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluxit Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 It's too bad that Karateka carts don't have pokeys in them. I guess it wasn't as common a game as Ballblazer, but it's much more deserving of being salvaged for parts. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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