Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus

"Tao Feng: More Hype than Hope?"

I had heard about this game a long time ago from a very close friend. A new innovation in fighting games, with visible injuries, ripped clothing and broken limbs. Naturally, I was psyched. Seemed like Tao Feng:Fist of the Lotus would pull off everything MK: Deadly Alliance had failed to do. Unfortunately I was slightly disappointed.

Graphics: 10/10
Granted, this game looks amazing. The visuals are stunning in their simplicity. Bruises appear after each punch, and cuts bleed profusely when opened. The only flaw I found with the character models is the fact that, although their clothing flows freely, their hair is stuck on their head like a helmet. ''Jiggle'' technology in the female characters is as excellent as it was in DOA 3, and the fighting choreography is strongly put together. Aside from the fact that you cannot jump over another character. While 10 feet above their head, you are still able to ''push'' them backwards, effectively destroying the ability to duck under an attack.

Sound: 10/10
I have probably never laughed as hard when hearing Master Sage bust ass and say ''Ooh-hoo! Smell the spirit within!'' than I have when I first heard Bo Rai Cho bust ass and vomit all over his opponents. Character voices are perfect and funny, and the taunts, while having a positive effect on your Chi, can also add a comic relief to an otherwise dark and incredibly violent game. Attack connections are realistic, a virtue lost on most fighting games nowadays. It actually sounds as if your hitting a person, and not firing a 12-gauge shotgun. Plus, mismatched characters, such as Master Sage vs. Exile, reflect the difference in size and build by making it sound as if the sage is punching a side of lean beef.

Gameplay: 6/10
I never claim to call myself a master of fighting games, but from Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat to DOA 3 and MK: Deadly Alliance, I have always been able to hold my own. My biggest problem with TF: FOTL is probably the learning curve. In the single player ''quest'' mode, one character must defeat 6 in order to complete his ''quest,'' and I've found that, even on the easiest difficulty, the first 5 are simplistic where as the last character seems almost infallible. Placing the difficulty up one notch made for the last two to be this unbeatable, and the previous 4 only slightly harder.

Fun Factor: 7/10
This game is great for two players, for a limited time. After too long, the game becomes repetitive and boring. And the flashy visuals and amazing sounds do little to hide the fact that the game is the same, over and over. I understand that with this genre, innovation and variation are sometimes hard to achieve. But it's rare that I find two games of DOA 3 to be the same.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend picking this up. I traded in 4 titles to get the game for a whopping 13 dollars brand new, so if you must do that, it's definitely worth it.

** EXTRA **
When playing in the arcade, check out the names of the games and the booths along the wall. My favorite is ''Guess That Stink.''

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/03, Updated 03/23/03