Yie Ar Kung-Fu

There are sixteen possible moves in two modes which puts Yie Ar Kung Fu a notch or two above the multitude of beat-em-ups that have been launched over the years.

Imagine don't have many Amstrad games under their belt but nothing they have ever done compares to this. The graphics are superb and the fighting action the best I have seen. The movement of the warriors is great. I love the way the vanquished chap ends up on the floor, legs waving in the air. As far as I am concerned the people who converted this to the Amstrad have done a first class job: they have set a standard by which I will judge other games.

Die besseren Versionen von Yie Ar Kung Fu kann man auf dem Arcade-Automaten oder auf dem guten alten C-64 spielen. Die Arcade-Version ist spielerisch die bessere Wahl (Und auch technisch, aber man kann die beiden Versionen so nicht miteinander vergleichen. Für die Möglichkeiten des C-64 ist das Spiel sehr gut gelungen!), da sie ein Level mehr aufweist und es für die Faust- und Fußtechniken jeweils einen Button gibt, während die C-64-Version nur mit einem Knopf auskommen muss, was sich in einer geringeren Anzahl der Kampftechniken widerspiegelt. Zusätzlich ist die C-64-Heimversion teilweise etwas unfair, denn die computergesteuerten Gegner können gleiche Angriffe sehr schnell vielmals hintereinander ausführen, so dass man nicht mehr in der Lage ist, sich daraus z.B. durch einen Sprung zu befreien, und sofort ein Leben einbüßen muss. Das kann dann auf die Dauer etwas frustrierend sein.

The only problem I found with Yie Ar is that it's just too easy. It only took half an hour to reach the final opponent, the Kung Fu master himself, and I was within one blow of toppling him. Unless you're into notching up the points you may just find that your interest starts to wane once you've faced all the foes. Or perhaps I've just played too many similar games.

There are better classic fighters out there than Yie Ar Kung-Fu, but mainly because they are newer. For its time, Yie Ar Kung-Fu was the hottest game in town and played like it too, other than its control issues. The Xbox Live enhancements to Konami’s original ROM once again make this classic coin op title worth its cheapy asking price, especially to those who respect the family tree of video gaming.

It's hard to imagine players coming away from Yie Ar Kung Fu feeling as if they got a good deal for the $5 they'd spend to get the full version of the game. The graphical update is nice, but there isn't enough depth to the game, and even players with fond memories of the original release probably won't find much to enjoy.

Para os fãs do original - provavelmente os únicos de fato interessados no remake -, a única atração acaba sendo o "upgrade visual", que deixou o jogo mais bonito, embora não tenha feito qualquer milagre com as datadas animações dos personagens. É possível alternar entre o upgrade e os gráficos originais a qualquer momento durante o game.

The Live Arcade is filled with several timeless arcade classics that are fun to this day. Pac-Man, Contra, Galaga….they were great in the 80's, and they’re still great for a quick pick-up-and-play in 2007. Yie Ar Kung Fu is not one of those games. It’s a fighting game technically, but to call the game archaic wouldn’t even adequately describe it. Put simply—it’s not fun to play. At all. You mash buttons while pressing different directional buttons to select your punch or kick, and hope it connects before the incredibly cheap A.I. hits you. Do not download.

I was thrilled to learn Yie Ar Kung-Fu was coming to XBLA. This is a game I treasured as a kid. I was certain it would stand the test of time. It turns out that sentimentality and nostalgia had clouded my memories. Yie Ar Kung-Fu is a game lost to time. It's outdated and no longer enjoyable. It's worth a few quarters in an arcade cabinet, but not worth $5 on Xbox Live Marketplace.

Microsoft has been heavily criticised for the quality of some of the retro offerings that have appeared on Xbox Live Arcade, and rightfully so. With literally hundreds of better classic games out there to choose from, it's absolutely mystifying that something that's aged as badly as Yie Ar Kung-Fu can be held aloft as some sort of period piece worth re-investigating. By all means give Konami some credit for its place in helping to create the beat 'em up genre as we know it, but download the free trial and spare yourself the painful comedy of actually playing it.