The Karate Kid

"This game should be thrown into the abyss"

Karate Kid. I enjoyed the movie, and it was one of my favorites as a child, which is probably why I purchased this game. What a tragic mistake. This game is absolutely terrible. It's supposed to be a side-scrolling beat 'em up, but it doesn't even come close to being decent.

Gameplay 3/10
This is probably the worst game I have ever played for the NES. The controls are horrible. The A button is for punching, and the B button is used for kicking. Press a direction button plus A or B, and Daniel-San will perform a standard punch or kick, respectively. Stand still, and he will perform his special moves, the drum punch (A button) or the crane kick (B button). Beware. These special moves are limited, and they can only be earned by killing enemies or doing well in bonus stages. The bonus stages are probably the only positive things about this game. There are three in all. The first makes you catch flies with chopsticks, the second makes you break blocks of ice, and the third makes you dodge a swinging hammer. These are tasks that Daniel-San encounters in the movie, so I guess LJN did do something right. Did I mention how well Daniel can jump (sarcasm)? Press the up button, and he leaps into the air. The problem? He must be standing absolutely still, and you can't jump forward or backward. How is this supposed to help during a fight? Oh, I forgot to talk about the fights. Every opponent you face has the ability to kill you. Yes, that's right. They are absolutely cheap, and they come in pairs, too. They will almost always chip some of your health before you can kill them. Also, if you touch an enemy without attacking, you and your enemy will fly in opposite directions. This makes the game frustrating since you can't get close enough to hurt the enemies. I always found myself being bumped into a deadly pit of water, thus losing a life. Sure, there are power ups to help you along the way (touch a floating picture of Mr. Mayagi and you get a grip of health back), but that doesn't balance out the cheap enemies and the stupid ''collision'' system. And don't even get me started on the difficulty of jumping onto different platforms. The game also has a versus mode, where you and a friend can fight to the death, but I don't think anyone has the patience to do so with such crappy controls.

Story 4/10
There really isn't a story in the game. Instead, in incorporates scenes from the movie. The game is divided into four stages. The first has Daniel in the karate tournament, the second has him in Okinawa, the third has him walking around during the typhoon, and the fourth has him fight Chozen one last time. Oh ya, I forgot to mention that Chozen is your rival in this game. He practically shows up in every level as the boss, making the game a bid redundant. I like how the game ties in with the movie, but there is no flow to the stages. They almost appear random, and there is no explanation as to what Daniel-San's objective is.

Graphics 7/10
The graphics are average and often times, very bland. The backgrounds are decent, but they're so dull. There isn't a lot of detail to them. The characters are poorly animated. They move in almost a choppy way. There also isn't a great deal of variety in enemies. Most of the time, they all look the same. You'll be fighting the same looking guy throughout all the levels, until you catch up to Chozen, who also looks the same every time you fight him. The graphics for the bonus stages are surprisingly good, but the rest of the game really lacks in anything noteworthy.

Music and Sound 5/10
The music in the game is average, but it will eventually get annoying. Nothing you'll want to hum along to. The sound effects are just plain bad. There isn't any variety to the sounds, especially when you're hitting group after group of bad guys. Some of the sound effects are somewhat life-like (the flies buzzing in the bonus stage), and those are done rather well. Still, the main sound effects are nothing but noise.

Replayability 2/10
The only time you'll ever want to play this game again is when you haven't played it for years. I just recently played Karate Kid while going through my box of NES games. I've been feeling a little nostalgic lately, which is why I'm playing NES games again. Sadly, I won't be playing this game again for a very, very, long time.

Buy or Rent?
Borrow this game at ALL COSTS. Do NOT buy this game without playing it first. I don't care if you see it on sale at Funcoland for $5. Don't touch it. Spend that $5 on lunch at McDonald's (or whatever your favorite fast food restaurant is). Only come near this game if you've tried it out first. And if you do buy this game, then you must be a gigantic Karate Kid fan because most gamers will definitely avoid this one.

Conclusion-
Karate Kid was a great movie, but this game is pure camel feed. It has the worst controls I've ever seen, and I hate flying across the screen whenever an enemy decides to bump me. The game also gets repetitive, beating up the same looking guys with the same punches and kicks. Although the game does incorporate a lot of the movie's story line, this game isn't worth the $5. Stay clear of Karate Kid.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 07/03/01, Updated 07/03/01