(This is the 33rd game in my challenge to go through many known games in chronological order starting in 1990. The spreadsheet is in my bio.)
I don't really have much to say about this game, so let's rapid-fire this. Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu is a platformer starring well-known martial artist and actor Jackie Chan that released on December 14th, 1990 for NES.
The special thing about this game is that Jackie can do special kicks that can target enemies behind you, in front of you or above you. The game also has a solid soundtrack with some great songs. As far as its gameplay goes, it's one the easier side of 1990 platformers, but also on the unimaginative side. It's really an average fair through and through in that regard, and it gets pretty repetitive through the five levels this game has to offer.
Don't get me wrong, it's easier accessibility and no existing fetish for placing enemies anywhere and everywhere, plus not supplying the player with just one hit point like some other games of its ilk makes Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu a member of the better half of platformers of the year according to me.
It also boasts good graphics in tune with the Martial Arts theme and China setting, plus the game has nice animations for Jackie Chan's attacks. And the face he does when he falls on lava and touches his butt resembled the real Jackie's "pain face" really well and was pretty funny to see.
OVERALL
Very average and almost forgettable platformer / run & gun. That's neither bad nor great, it's just not a game you will hear anything about amongst the great platformers of the 90s. The soundtrack might have its fair share of fans still though.
WHAT THEY SAID AT THE TIME
- Ed Semrad for EGM, Issue 16 (Nov 90): "Jackie Chan is another average jump and kick game."
- Martin Alessi for EGM, Issue 16 (Nov 90): "It's not highly original, but the game plays better than most similar titles."
I don't really have much to say about this game, so let's rapid-fire this. Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu is a platformer starring well-known martial artist and actor Jackie Chan that released on December 14th, 1990 for NES.
The special thing about this game is that Jackie can do special kicks that can target enemies behind you, in front of you or above you. The game also has a solid soundtrack with some great songs. As far as its gameplay goes, it's one the easier side of 1990 platformers, but also on the unimaginative side. It's really an average fair through and through in that regard, and it gets pretty repetitive through the five levels this game has to offer.
Don't get me wrong, it's easier accessibility and no existing fetish for placing enemies anywhere and everywhere, plus not supplying the player with just one hit point like some other games of its ilk makes Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu a member of the better half of platformers of the year according to me.
It also boasts good graphics in tune with the Martial Arts theme and China setting, plus the game has nice animations for Jackie Chan's attacks. And the face he does when he falls on lava and touches his butt resembled the real Jackie's "pain face" really well and was pretty funny to see.
OVERALL
Very average and almost forgettable platformer / run & gun. That's neither bad nor great, it's just not a game you will hear anything about amongst the great platformers of the 90s. The soundtrack might have its fair share of fans still though.
WHAT THEY SAID AT THE TIME
- Ed Semrad for EGM, Issue 16 (Nov 90): "Jackie Chan is another average jump and kick game."
- Martin Alessi for EGM, Issue 16 (Nov 90): "It's not highly original, but the game plays better than most similar titles."
I've not played this game for years. Usually when you learn of emulation you start playing through all your old favorites, but this one was tricky to find, since most people from Russia likely know it as its own ROMhack usually called "Mario 10"
A charming little game, fairly easy. A simple romp in the vein of Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania where you only have a short range attack but get power-ups you can activate by pressing up+attack. There's pretty much nothing to say about its gameplay. It controls well, and it looks really good: the sprites are big and charming.
It doesn't leave much lasting impression, though. The levels, while different and sometimes having their own gimmicks are disjointed even in one world, so it feels very disconnected. It's also REALLY short.
A charming little game, fairly easy. A simple romp in the vein of Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania where you only have a short range attack but get power-ups you can activate by pressing up+attack. There's pretty much nothing to say about its gameplay. It controls well, and it looks really good: the sprites are big and charming.
It doesn't leave much lasting impression, though. The levels, while different and sometimes having their own gimmicks are disjointed even in one world, so it feels very disconnected. It's also REALLY short.
A good, solid NES platformer with charm and quality music. It doesn't fall victim to some of the annoying cheap difficulty tropes of its day, which I always appreciate. My main gripe with this game is that it's way too short, even for an NES game! It can be beaten in less than a half hour without even speedrunning!