International Karate

Sport 1989 Dos Dosbox System 3 Software Fighting Tournaments Martial Arts

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Such simple graphics that its amusing!

World Karate Championship (1989) must have taken itself pretty darn seriously when it was first released, as it is after all a game that was at the pinnacle of what 1985 could muster; but, the waging of fights in monochrome fields, which don't shy away from using pink (magenta, actually) as the basic color around which the rest of the game chooses the palette can be quite amusing. Not to talk about the so very simple animations, the often finicky collision detection system and the very small number of moves. But, for what was possible at the time, the Atari 5200 look of the game can be its strong point, its forte, as the game's ultra simplicity can be refreshing today. Just don't expect to play it as a skill based game, because it doesn't really run so deep, it's more of a brawler in which you can't scroll past the one screen scenario. Eh, well, if you've developed a love story with computer magenta, see International Karate as well or World Karate Championship (Epyx, 1986) as they both offer a similarly themed (both gameplay and looks!) type of game. The mid 80s sure weren't that good to fighting games!

Simple fighter focused on karate moves

The game is a good example of the genre at the end of the 80s, it sports crude graphics, it has simple and immediate controls, and it can't really manage to create that feeling of immersion that you would get from later fighter games. The most annoying however have to be the graphics, with a really limited EGA set of colors, which will leave you with a headache eve after a short play session. In terms of player diversity, there isn't much to say. There are a few sprite karate boxers to choose from but their actual styles of fight are very similar. When you won't be battling to understand what moves are depicted, you will have a hard time trying to anticipate your opponent's moves, as the animations are quite rudimentary with pose changes that are too immediate to find the time to react. So, in the end, it' a game of chance and of frantic button mashing that wins the game. But, if that's the old school experience you're looking to find, ok, the game delivers what the era made available, simple, and rather unclear on strategy and minimalist fighting.

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