This is a very exciting moment for a beat-'em-up junkie like myself, who's well and truly stuck in the past. Revolutionary Concepts has exclusively revealed to Pocket Gamer that it's working on an iPhone adaptation of the original 1984 Data East fighting game Karate Champ (something we inadvertently predicted, actually).
This is a massively relevant title in the fighting game world. Around 1984, game developers everywhere were clamouring to create the first real one-on-one tournament fighter, and although the home computers saw a couple of stilted attempts, it was Karate Champ that really gave birth to this style of game. It even had a cameo role in Jean Claude Van Damme's finest ever film, Bloodsport.
Originally created by Data East, this two-player game used twin joysticks for controls, which worked beautifully (far better than the six button nonsense popularised by the Street Fighter franchise years later). This also lends itself very nicely to the iPhone, allowing for unique, two-thumb gestures to pull off the excellent range of karate moves.
The two-player fighting was an essential part of Karate Champ's appeal, so it's great to hear the iPhone version will also feature Bluetooth and local wi-fi multiplayer.
If you're anything like me, you can't wait to hear the muffled speech samples and bleepy, yet emotional music as you fight through a range of dojos for the hand of a maiden fair. Here's a video of the original arcade game, and we'll get you more iPhone Karate Champ news from Revolutionary Concepts as soon as it lands.
Ippon!
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