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Kung-Fu Master

aka: Karate Champ, Kung Fu, Seiken Achō, Spartan X, Taekwon-Do
Moby ID: 7511

NES version

A strange game that's probably valuable only to those who have nostalgic feelings for it

The Good
It's a funny game. The storyline and cutscenes are cheesy such that they are hilarious instead of annoying. You're a Kung Fu master trying to save your girlfriend, Sylvia, from Mr. X (5th level boss). The game is driven by the old 5 story pagoda thing, where you have to beat the story's boss to climb the stairs to the next story of increasing difficulty. It's kind of fun going through the varied levels to see the different bosses and such. The 3rd level has a large black guy for its boss, whom my little brother as a 4 year old kid dubbed "George Bush."

The Bad
The worst thing about this game is that it repeats and doesn't resolve. Once you beat Mr. X, your happiness doesn't last long, and you're back at the bottom of the pagoda (with the bad guys moving slightly faster and sneakier). The game just sort of goes on like this until you either die or become so fed up you turn your NES off. The midget boss on the 4th level is also extremely irritating.

The Bottom Line
It's an odd little game that kind of has its own personality that's hard to describe. It has purple guys trying to hug you, little greet midgets that jump at you, and knife guys that throw knives at you, all of whom you must knock off the pagoda with kung fu moves (high kick low kick, high punch low punch, or jump kick or punch.) Then there are the 5 bosses (Sword Guy, Boomerang Guy, George Bush, Midget Guy, and Mr X.) It's a game worth playing, for the experience, but it's probably not the most well made game in the realm of the NES.

by Feem (30) on February 17, 2004

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