Kung Fu Chaos

"A game in the wake of greatness. . ."

Two words (three?) that don't traditionally go together, Kung Fu Chaos sounds like it would equate to a game doomed to mass mayhem mediocrity, much like Fusion Frenzy. My first personal thoughts on the game were the previous attempts by Microsoft to corner a market long Nintendo's domain. However, this game offers a fast-paced gameplay design, non-choppy graphics, and a multiplayer engine that will keep at least four friends bashing each other left and right. And sometimes forward. The frenetic one player action will keep you happily kicking, chopping and pulverizing well into two months after getting the game.

Gameplay/Story 8/10
One word. Sweet. Okay maybe more than one word. There's a plethora of characters, each with their own unique abilities and attitudes. The game is set on well, a set. The characters are all actors who must take commands from a director through the course of several movies. Do well, and you're rewarded. Do not so well and you're doomed to failure. There is no real combo system, but mindless button mashing will only get you so far. The game engine is unlike any the good Doctor has seen. Each character has a set of moves unique to them, and one special move will pulverize anything moving on the screen. (and anything not moving for that matter). To get the move, you have to knock your opponent down and taunt them in a rash of cartoon enunciated curses and colorful phrases. Do this three times and mayhem ensues as your character thrashes the competition with some insanely wicked move. Trust me, its worth it. However, it hard, very hard to score the moves, mainly because opportunistic ninjas will attack you in midtaunt, and you get no credit if you take a stick, sword, bullet, etc. to the head. It can get frustrating if you play against humans who understand the game and begin to gang up on you. The computer doesn't watch blissfully by no means, but it is easier to dispose of. All in all, only the lack of serious combos damages the gameplay, since a button masher can occasionally take you down.

Graphics 7/10
Leave us not get over excited. This game is no Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is sad considering the power the X-Box punches. The graphics are good, but nothing to giggle over. One cool effect I've noticed was the incredible grainy film effects, emulating the seventies martial arts flicks of long ago. The other small touches like that are what boosted the overall experience, like the cloud of gore when a character gets hit with a special. Other than that, the detail gets a little two-dimensional, but only on your closer shots, more specifically in the replay of the previous fights do you see the true flaws in the game's graphics. Other than that its the normal fare, well endowed women with various body part jiggling taunts, and various men who had loose enough clothing or accessories to see them flow. Considering the Box's power though, I expected a little better.

Replayibility 6/10
Of course, I'm just about awestruck with this game, and of course, being the Smash fan that I am, I would be. However, I did eventually get tired of playing it, the objectives in the single player game took about a week to complete, and I imagine even the most average of gamers will fare about the same. The game's single player mode won't give you a lot of joy in the future. However, the multiplayer will have you rolling for three or four months. As long as you have plenty of real friends outside of Mario, Link , Masterchief, or those kids from Final Fantasy, you'll be able to play this game. Round the guys up and settle a few disputes about who's the man, and who wants to be. This game will definitely be the platform of many a long night spent taunting, both in the game and out. All in all, find some friends, or even just some people you can stomach enough to play with. Then the game replay shoots up.

Overall 7.56/10
So, should you buy it? Well, let me put it like this, if you have any other friends, maybe a pet then this game is the one for you. Trust me, you'll play this game for many years to come. Maybe not continously and maybe not at all once Halo 2 comes, but definitely until then. Just to be sure, rent it first, make sure you like hectic, smooth-running, violence with a slightly repetitive edge, then go out and support Microsoft's growing mono. . .er batch of great games.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/05/03, Updated 03/05/03