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Karateka (computer Game)
''Karateka'' is a 1984 martial arts action game by Jordan Mechner and is his first published game, created for the Apple II while attending Yale University. The game was published in North America by Broderbund and in Europe by Ariolasoft. Along with ''Karate Champ'' and ''Yie-Ar Kung Fu'' (both also released in 1984), ''Karateka'' is one of the earliest martial arts fighting games. It was inspired by Japanese culture (Ukiyo-e art, Akira Kurosawa films, and manga comics) and by early Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Disney animated films and silent pictures. The player controls an unnamed protagonist attempting to rescue his love interest, Princess Mariko, from Akuma's castle fortress. The character walks and runs from left to right through a linear, side-scrolling level, dealing with attackers and obstacles, while moving deeper into the fortress. Each encounter with an enemy is one-on-one, as in a fighting game. Cinematic cuts show Mariko's situation and Akuma's actions prior to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jordan Mechner
Jordan Mechner (born June 4, 1964) is an American video game designer, author, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He is best known for designing and programming the Broderbund Apple II games '' Karateka'' and ''Prince of Persia'' in the 1980s, the latter of which grew into a multi-platform franchise. Early life Mechner was born in New York City in 1964, into a family of European Jewish immigrants. His father is psychologist Francis Mechner, and his mother was a programmer. He attended Yale University in the 1980s. Career While at Yale, Mechner wrote several Apple II games that he submitted for publication, but which were rejected. ''Asteroid Blaster'', an '' Asteroids'' clone, was submitted to Hayden Software and abstract arcade game ''Deathbounce'' to Broderbund. Mechner then spent two years at Yale writing his first published game, '' Karateka'' (1984), which went to number one on the ''Billboard'' software chart. His second game, ''Prince of Persia'', was released in 1989 aft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
