Karate Champ
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''Karate Champ'', known in Japan as , is a 1984
arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...
fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
developed by
Technōs Japan was a Japanese video game Video game developer, developer, best known for the ''Double Dragon'' and ''Kunio-kun (series), Kunio-kun'' Media franchise, franchises (the latter including ''Renegade (video game), Renegade'', ''Super Dodge Ball'' and ...
(which would later developing 1995
Neo Geo Neo Geo is a family of video game hardware developed by SNK. On the market from 1990 to 2004, the brand originated with the release of an arcade system, the Neo Geo MVS and its home console counterpart, the Neo Geo AES. The Neo Geo MVS was su ...
titles ''
Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer ''Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer'' is a 1995 superhero-themed head-to-head fighting game produced by Technos Japan Corp. for the Neo Geo arcade and home console. It was the companys second attempt at a fighting game, following the Neo Geo fighting g ...
'' with
SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
) and released by
Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The Am ...
. A variety of moves can be performed using the dual-joystick controls using a best-of-three matches format like later fighting games. The game was a commercial blockbuster, especially in the United States where it was the arcade game of 1985 and the best-selling home computer game up until 1989. ''Karate Champ'' established and popularized the one-on-one fighting game genre, for which it is considered one of the most influential games of all time. An updated version that allows two players the option to compete against each other was released in 1984 under the title , featuring a
multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
mode and more varied gameplay. It was released for the arcades shortly after the original during the same year, also published by Data East. This version was released internationally as ''Karate Champ'' (the original single-player version was exclusive to Japan), and would serve as the basis for the home versions of ''Karate Champ''.


Gameplay

Using two
joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...
s, players can execute 24 moves. Gameplay consists of a two dimensional fight between the first
karateka (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
wearing a white gi who is controlled by player one and the second karateka wearing a red gi who is controlled by either player two or the CPU, followed by various bonus rounds for the successful player. This pattern repeats itself in the next, more challenging round set against a new background, the first level being a
dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
and all following levels taking place at the same tournament stadium. Unlike most later fighting games, there is no health bar or hit point system. A hit successfully landed ends the round and earns the hitter either one point or half point (along with a numeric score for the top ten, but this has no effect on winning a match). The first to score two points is the winner. If the player loses a battle, the game ends. The game features digitized speech for the judge to call out such phrases as "Fight!" or "Winner!". The speech is in Japanese in the original version.


''Player vs Player''

''Karate Champ — Player vs Player'' is distinguished from the initial ''Karate Champ'' by the addition of a
player versus player Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents. The terms are mos ...
mode. It is very similar to the original in the sense that they use the same hardware, have the same sprites and title screen, and the gameplay mechanics are basically the same. ''Player vs Player'' has the characters fighting it out over girls in twelve different locations around the world (similar to the later
SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
's '' Street Smart''). A scene runs as a best out of three rounds competition for one girl. After every competition, the player has a chance to earn bonus points by evading a series of potted plants flying at the player, kicking through a series of boards and stopping a charging bull. The locations of the game are: A harbor, a garden with a view of
Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...
, a bamboo forest, on a tree trunk over a chasm, on the stern of a Japanese registered ship, on the side of a road or runway, Holland with windmills, a big city, a North American desert with Indian tipis, a
Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...
, a dojo, and finally a forest path at night. Afterwards, the game returns to the first scene.


Versions and re-releases

''Karate Champ'' was converted to the
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
and the
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
by Berkeley Softworks. Data East began publishing the home versions in the USA on October 12, 1985.''Data East v. Epyx''
862 F. 2d 204, 9 U.S.P.Q.2d (BNA) 1322
(9th Cir. 1988).
The
NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
version was released in North America in December 1986. Like the home computer versions, the NES conversion was inspired by the ''Player vs. Player'' edition of the arcade game, this version was later released in Japan for the Disk System on July 22, 1988, but never made it to the cartridge-based Family Computer. Data East published this version of the game, both in North America and Japan. An emulation of the arcade version was released by
Hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera.Fox, Sue. 2006. ''Hamsters''. T.F.H. Publications Inc. They have become established as popular small pets. The b ...
for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
as part of its '' Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono'' lineup. Only the original game was included (the ''Player vs. Player'' version being ignored from the compilation). The emulated version from Hamster was re-released in 2015 for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
on the ''
Arcade Archives is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch, published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called is focused on rereleasing Neo Geo ...
'' compilation which, unlike ''Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono'', was officially distributed outside of Japan. In 2010, it was released on the iPhone platform by developer Revolutionary Concepts. Although visually identical to the 1984 arcade edition of ''Karate Champ — Player vs Player'', the iPhone version is actually a remake rather than an emulation, as it includes new features such as a difficulty mode as well as the ability for players to compete through a gaming network via
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
or
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...
. The game was also released for the
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
under the title ''Karate Champ XL'', again developed by Revolutionary Concepts. ''Karate Champ XL'' is basically the same game as the iPhone's ''Karate Champ'', but with additional attributes over its phone counterpart such as a split screen option. The arcade version and the NES version were released in 2018 by Dreamgear LLC under its "My Arcade" brand. The arcade version of ''Karate Champ'' is part of a compilation released in the shape of a mini arcade cabinet featuring 34 Data East games. The NES version was released both as a standalone mini arcade cabinet and in a handheld device that includes 300 built-in games. In the case of the NES version, the referee's digital voice was removed and the music tracks were replaced. The arcade version is unedited. Since My Arcade's releases are
single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...
only, the two player mode was removed from the NES version, and the ''Karate Champ — Player vs Player'' edition was not included in the compilation of 34 arcade games. The NES version returned as part of the "Data East Collection 1" set for the
Evercade The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by UK company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. Development began in 2018, and the console was relea ...
handheld console. Except for the removal of the Nintendo license on the game's titlescreen, the rerelease is identical to the 1986 original with all soundtracks and digital voice intact as well as the two player mode.


Reception


Arcade

''Karate Champ'' was a commercial blockbuster, selling 10,000
arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
s within two months of release and becoming Data East's best-selling arcade game of all time. In Japan, '' Game Machine'' listed ''Karate Champ'' on their August 1, 1984 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the month, before becoming the top-grossing
table arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement ...
by August 15, 1984. ''Game Machine'' also listed ''Karate Champ — Player vs Player'' on their November 1, 1984 issue as being the sixth most-successful table arcade unit of the month. In North America, it was among the most successful arcade games in 1984, generating significant sales. In the United States, ''Karate Champ'' had shipped 30,000 arcade units by April 1985. It was the top-grossing arcade game during Summer 1985, and the fourth top-grossing upright
arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
on the monthly ''RePlay'' charts in November 1985, when each cabinet was selling for about $2,400 and earning an average coin drop revenue of $200 per week. It ended the year as the highest-grossing arcade game of 1985, and the year's highest-grossing game in route/street locations. In 1995,
Flux Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications to physics. For transport ph ...
magazine ranked the game 91st on their "Top 100 Video Games".


Home computers

On home computers in the United States, Data East's ''Karate Champ'' floppy disk received a "Gold Award" from the
Software Publishers Association The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association dedicated to the entertainment, consumer and business software industries. Established in 1984 as the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the SIIA took its new na ...
(SPA) in July 1987 for sales above 100,000 units, then a "Platinum Award" for over 250,000 sales in February 1988, and then a "Diamond Award" for sales above 500,000 units in January 1989. It was the first game to receive the "Diamond Award" from the SPA, and it was one of the top two best-selling computer games in the United States (along with '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') up until June 1989. Rick Teverbaugh reviewed the home computer version for ''
Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'', and stated that "my only complaint is that some of the in-match options are counters for a move of your opponent, but there often isn't any time for those reactions". ''
Ahoy! ''Ahoy!'' was a computer magazine published between January 1984 and January 1989 in the US, focusing on all Commodore color computers, but especially the Commodore 64 and Amiga. History The first issue of ''Ahoy!'' was published in January 198 ...
'' opined that the
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
version "isn't quite as electrifying as the arcade version, but it's an entertaining action-strategy test". The magazine concluded that "the learning curve is steep, but ... when the joysticks are in the hands of two practiced gamers, it is one of the most exciting games to hit the computer screen in a long time".


Legacy

''Karate Champ'' inspired numerous martial arts games. Its release was followed by a wave of
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
and
kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
games attempting to capitalize on its success. It is credited with establishing and popularizing the one-on-one fighting game genre, for which ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' listed it as one of the top ten most influential games of all time. The ''Player vs Player'' edition of ''Karate Champ'' was also the first fighting game to allow two players to fight each other. ''Karate Champ'' influenced titles such as
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
's ''
Yie Ar Kung Fu () is an arcade fighting game developed by Konami. It first had a limited Japanese release in October 1984, before having a wide release nationwide in January 1985 and then internationally in March 1985. Along with ''Karate Champ'' (1984), which ...
'' (1985),
Beam Software Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Melbourne House, was an Australian video game developer, video game development studio founded in 1980 by Alfred Milgrom and Naomi Milgrom, Naomi Besen and based in Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Initially ...
's ''
The Way of the Exploding Fist ''The Way of the Exploding Fist'' is a 1985 fighting game based on Japanese martial arts developed by Beam Software, by a team consisting of Gregg Barnett, Bruce Bayley, Neil Brennan and David Johnston. Originally developed on the Commodore 64 ...
'' (1985), and other fighting games.
John Tobias John Tobias (born August 24, 1969) is an American comic book artist, graphic designer, video game designer and writer. Tobias is best known for creating the ''Mortal Kombat'' series along with Ed Boon, to whom he pitched the game concept. Tobia ...
cited ''Karate Champ'' as the primary inspiration for the gameplay of ''
Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
'' (1992). In 1985, Data East began taking legal action against counterfeit arcade manufacturers, both in Japan and internationally. Data East later brought suit against
Epyx Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher active in the late 1970s and 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before rena ...
alleging copyright infringement for its 1986 game '' World Karate Championship''. The case, ''
Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc. ''Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc.'' 862 F.2d 204, 9 U.S.P.Q.2d (BNA) 1322 (9th Cir. 1988) was a court case between two video game manufacturers, where Data East claimed that their copyright in ''Karate Champ'' was infringed by '' World Karate ...
'', went to the ninth circuit court, where it was held that the typical purchaser of the games would not find them substantially similar. ''Karate Champ'' was again involved in a later case, '' Capcom U.S.A. Inc. v. Data East Corp.'', in Data East's defence over
Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
's allegations of ''
Fighter's History is a series of fighting games that were produced by Data East during the 1990s. The original ''Fighter's History'' was first released for the arcades in 1993 and ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Two different sequels ...
'' (1993) plagiarizing ''
Street Fighter II is a fighting game developed by Capcom and originally released for arcades in 1991. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter''. It is Capcom's fourteenth game to use the CP Syst ...
'' (1991).


References


External links

* * {{Data East 1984 video games Apple II games Arcade video games Commodore 64 games Data East arcade games Data East video games Marvelous Entertainment franchises Famicom Disk System games IOS games Karate video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games Technōs Japan games Fighting games Video games developed in Japan Virtual Console games Hamster Corporation games Multiplayer and single-player video games