Kung Fu Master
Kung Fu Master |
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Kung Fu-Master was Activision’s first "arcade coin-op to 2600" port, or "translation." Activision had previously stuck to releasing games of original design. Kung Fu Master had set the mark and Commando, Rampage, and Double Dragon soon followed. Originally, the arcade coin-op was manufactured by a company called IREM. In the game, an evil wizard has captured the Princess Victoria. Your goal is to make your way through the five levels of the Evil Wizard’s temple and rescue the princess. Different Kung-Fu moves can be made by pressing the fire button and moving the joystick in a certain direction at the same time. Enemy henchmen will approach you and you must kick or punch them. Some enemies require more than one hit. Some enemies will throw bombs which must be avoided. An energy bar at the top of the screen displays your strength and the enemy’s strength. Each hit you endure from an enemy decreases your strength. Time is also crucial. A clock counts down from 2000. You will lose a life if time runs out.
Unlike Double Dragon, the other Activision Karate 2600 game, there is no two-player simultaneous action feature. Kung Fu Master looks good graphics-wise when you compare it to other 2600 games. It even features a musical background. In issue 34, staff writer Dave Giarusso reviewed Kung Fu Master and discussed the negative aspects of the game: "When I heard the news that Kung Fu master was destined to arrive on the 2600, I was pretty excited. KFM on the 2600 intrigued me from the start, because I could visualize the translation working out pretty accurately. While not anywhere nearly as bad as Double Dragon (see page x), KFM is still beleaguered with problems. It looks all right, down to the score bar and the colors of the lairs, and even the sounds and music are decent. My main complaint, as was the case with DD, is the horrible control. One of the most integral play mechanics of the KFM coin-op was the jumping kick, which not only would down several evildoers in one fell swoop, but was also of great assistance in defeating the mob Bosses. Programmer Dan Kitchen must have never even played the coin-op, because the jumping kick is completely absent I the 2600 version! Veteran players used the overlooked kick frequently, especially in the falling basket round and the killer butterfly screen. Remember drop kicking the giant with the shaven head and Mr. X himself? Good, because you can’t perform those maneuvers here! So much for getting very far in this one, kiddies!"
Back in the 1980s, Activision used to give out embroidered game club patches if you got a high score, took a picture of your TV screen, and mailed it to them. However, there was no high score patch awarded for Kung Fu Master.
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