Kung Fu Chaos

[Jason Cross]

Sometimes I'm convinced that a website will review something really early (usually IGN) and then just most of the other sites are afraid to stray too far from that score.

IGN gave Kung Fu Chaos a 6.3, and several others have followed suit. Um... WHAT? I've been playing this a lot this weekend, and it's a RIOT! It's a fun game with a nice simple combat setup but there's enough depth there once you get into it, as with other good party fighting games. The single-player mode has some of the most inventive stages I've ever seen. The chop-soppy humer is bad, but it assults you with so much, and it's so consistant, that you can't help but chuckle at it.

Steve and I played it togeter a bit at work, and it's even a cool party game. Watching the reply of your fight in either 50s or 70s kung fu movie style, complete with wipes and free-frames and film artifacts, is awesome.

I honestly don't see how anyone would give this less than 4/5 (80%, 8.0 out of 10, whatever). Unless you just don't like ANY of these group-brawling silly party games, in which case why would you be reviewing it? All it needs is Xbox Live support.

Anyway, IGN is on crack. And so is Gamespot (6.5). It's a blast. If you have an Xbox, go rent it or buy it.

I hope Microsoft goes forward with a sequel anyway.

[MattKeil]

I concur with your assessment of IGN and Gamespot's drug habits regarding Kung Fu Chaos.

The entire game's a blast, and the level design is absolute genius in places. I chuckle every time I hear "Wait for ninja!" The director's commentary on the replays is another inspired touch.

I expect part of the reason for the low ratings is an expectation of backlash over the racial stereotypes, but that's an awfully spineless reason to downgrade a good party game.

I ran into the director of KFC at the Microsoft party during GDC and he seemed genuinely surprised/pleased to find someone who liked the game as much as I did. It's a shame, really. A lot of care went into this title, IMO.

~MJK

[Anonymous]

Another "Gamespot are morons" thread so soon?!!

[wumpus]

I think Tom and Mark are fans, too. Well, Tom and Mark's kids anyway.

http://www.quartertothree.com/reviews/kung_fu/kfc.shtml

[Jason Cross]

Another "Gamespot are morons" thread so soon?!!

Sorry, my mistake. It was intended to be an "IGN are morons" thread. :P

Seriously though, I'm not trying to bag on anyone's individual review so much as the tendancy for the first "major" web review to set the tone for many of the subsequent ones, regardless of how good that initial review is. I picture editors from websites instant-messaing their writers saying "so-and-so just gave this game an 85%. Do you think you're going to be somewhere around that?"

More to the point: IGN's first review of MOO3 where they gave it a 9.2....wait a minute...I have to stop laughing so I can type... On Feb 14. On Feb 15, it got a 5/5 from ActionTrip. On the 18th, an A- from UGO. All the other reviews came a week later and were significantly lower (though still often inflated quite a bit from what seems sensible to me).

[DaveC]

Agreed, it's a hella fun game. Especially with a small group.

[wumpus]

tendency. Although tendancy sounds like a lot more fun. I WEAR MY MC HAMMER PANTS AND WE GET OUR TEN DANCY ON!

[Bub, Andrew]

Man, I really liked Kung Fu Chaos. Nice to see the Xbox get a decent party game (better than Whacked). Also KFC is more kid friendly (again, better than Whacked).

[Robert Sharp]

EGM, which I think writes it's articles before online reviews come out concurs with the lower scores. They say that it is blatantly racist, but if you get past that, it's just not a very good game. The artwork is bad (in style, I guess) and the action is WAY too easy once you learn the taunts and special attacks. There are also cheap deaths, they say.

I haven't played the game, so I am just a messenger.

[Union Carbide]

There are also cheap deaths, they say.

There sure are. They even keep track of them in the "end of fight" summary, as I recall.

[Supertanker]

I was impressed by KFC, so I'm surprised to see the low scores. The average user score at EGM was only 4.4, so I looked at them because I wondered if there was something I was missing. A big part of the reason the average is so low is that one guy posted his review eleven times, giving the game a "1" and just posting a form anti-Xbox rant (doesn't mention KFC) entitled, "XBOX SUX PS2 WILL REIGN SUPREME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They need to do something about that.

[DaveC]

EGM, which I think writes it's articles before online reviews come out concurs with the lower scores. They say that it is blatantly racist, but if you get past that, it's just not a very good game. The artwork is bad (in style, I guess) and the action is WAY too easy once you learn the taunts and special attacks. There are also cheap deaths, they say.

I haven't played the game, so I am just a messenger.

I am part chinese and I am not offended at all by KFC.

[Anonymous]

I was impressed by KFC, so I'm surprised to see the low scores. The average user score at EGM was only 4.4, so I looked at them because I wondered if there was something I was missing. A big part of the reason the average is so low is that one guy posted his review eleven times, giving the game a "1" and just posting a form anti-Xbox rant (doesn't mention KFC) entitled, "XBOX SUX PS2 WILL REIGN SUPREME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They need to do something about that.
That was me.

[DaveC]

I was impressed by KFC, so I'm surprised to see the low scores. The average user score at EGM was only 4.4, so I looked at them because I wondered if there was something I was missing. A big part of the reason the average is so low is that one guy posted his review eleven times, giving the game a "1" and just posting a form anti-Xbox rant (doesn't mention KFC) entitled, "XBOX SUX PS2 WILL REIGN SUPREME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They need to do something about that.
That was me.

Gotta love fanboys. No logical argument or persuasive gameplay will get in the way of their unswerving devotion.

[Kevin Perry]

I found the actual gameplay in KFC to be devastatingly underwhelming. The action felt mushy and distant, and the combos and attack modes just confused or confusing.

However, I have an enormous blast watching people play it. Trying to muddle through the actual gameplay means that the players miss easily 75% of the visual splendor of the title. The backgrounds are vast and alive, and there is a taut theme throughout all the ones that I saw.

Someone (too lazy to look it up) in another thead (or to link it, either), mentioned, rather fatalistically, what you can do during game development when the game is a mess and you're not the producer or lead designer? This, I think, is the answer. This game should be up for the Art Direction awards next year.

Oh, and just to pull on my troll armor, I didn't hate it just because I suck. I like many games at which I am a very poor player.

[Anonymous]

So let me get this straight. IGN/GameSpot/GameSpy/CGW/insertmagazinehere 's reviews suck if they're too far off from the holy truth of the GameRankings.com average. (see: GS Harbinger review, IGN Moo3 review)

But they also wrong if they're all closely clustered together (KFC reviews).

Got it.

-bc

[TomChick]

I found the actual gameplay in KFC to be devastatingly underwhelming. The action felt mushy and distant, and the combos and attack modes just confused or confusing.

"Devastatingly underwhelming"? Please, Mr. Perry, you used to be a writer. What's with the soggy hyperbole? :)

You call it mushy and distant, but I suspect that's because the combos and taunts can shut the other player out of control. There are counters you can use in some of these situations and the block is an important part of making sure you don't get smacked around by fast combos.

As for being confusing, I agree when you get more than two players on screen. Personally, I prefer a nice clean one-on-one match. But I think anyone who's played Powerstone would be able to tap pretty quickly into the action.

As for Kung Fu Chaos' racial stereotypes, shouldn't the criticism be aimed at the source material and not the game it inspired? I think it's silly to even raise the issue. After all, I wasn't aware that short fat loud Asian directors were even a stereotype.

-Tom

[Anonymous]

While we're on the subject of offensive racial stereotypes in games, let me troll for some more discussion on the subject. Was no one else put off by the thick fobby Chinese accents in C&C Generals? I know there's a desire to differentiate the voice overs between the sides, but couldn't they just have them speak real Chinese and have little subtitles in the corner (like bf1942)?

FWIW I found KFC's representations to be suspect also.

-bc

[Anonymous]

ZoE 2 ended so quickly and abruptly that I felt the urge to try something else new and unexpected, so I took a gamble with this. I'm always game for a Powerstone/Smash Bros. hybrid. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this game yet though.

Part of the time I am absolutely loving it, the general whackiness surrounding the theme, the long progressive scrolling levels, mini-games, challenges, and all the inherent cheese.

But then you have the gameplay which is like a constant tug of war between blocking and counterattacking. It's definately a system you can sit and get skilled at learning, certainly there is room for some hairy mindgames in how you attack, but it can also be extremely frustrating and really dull after a given set of time. Either your enemies block and counter as if they can predict your exact button presses, or they are incredibly stupid and walk into your fist.

But damn those levels can be so fun to play through. The multiplayer options definately need a bit of fleshing out(user stat tracking??) and maybe a bit more variety to the way you can approach combos and counters, sometimes you get locked into some very cheap attacks with no chance of escape.

I really love the look and style the game has, it tries to have a bit of fun with cult cinema and people get pro-active? The humor is generally in good taste, if a bit crude here and there, but it's never really incinuating much beyond how silly HK cinema can be. I wish they actually pushed it further! Why not build more stages that revolve around fights or sequences in the great Kung Fu classics instead of the Hollywood movie tour that exists in most of them.

[Anonymous]

But they also wrong if they're all closely clustered together (KFC reviews).
Pretty much!

IGN is biased against Xbox when they scorn KFC, but they're right on the money when they give total shit like Wreckless and DOA:XVB 9.0+ scores.

I expect part of the reason for the low ratings is an expectation of backlash over the racial stereotypes, but that's an awfully spineless reason to downgrade a good party game.
That's spineless? I'd think it takes more guts to do that. "Well, as long as the game's fun, I guess it's okay if the characters talk like the landlord from Breakfast at Tiffany's! This is certainly the type of thing we'd like to encourage! Next up! KFC2 - all characters in blackface!"

As for Kung Fu Chaos' racial stereotypes, shouldn't the criticism be aimed at the source material and not the game it inspired?
There's a difference between making fun of the bad dubbing that took place in early Kung Fu movies, which is a process, and actually attributing that dubbing to the actors as if they actually talked like that.

[Gordon Cameron]

I guess it's okay if the characters talk like the landlord from Breakfast at Tiffany's!

Man, I'd forgotten all about that... "MISS GORIGHTRY!!!"

Still I'd say there's a difference between that and "fool! I am using only 20 percent of my kung fu!" said with an exaggerated accent. The latter seems, I dunno, more empowered, in a weird sort of way. Of course in 20 years it may appear just as offensive as the landlord does now...

[runesword forger]

Shrug. Pretty good game, but the characters are kinda samey compared to something like Smash Bros. Environments are cool, though. Definitely a good game for kids.

However, I have a hard time believing that an IGN review makes all the other reviewers line up in lockstep. If I were a reviewer, I'd enjoy saying all the other reviewers are full of %(&^^&^% if I really thought they were.

Besides... IGN? Not exactly the NYT Review of Books, that one.

[MattKeil]

I expect part of the reason for the low ratings is an expectation of backlash over the racial stereotypes, but that's an awfully spineless reason to downgrade a good party game.
That's spineless? I'd think it takes more guts to do that. "Well, as long as the game's fun, I guess it's okay if the characters talk like the landlord from Breakfast at Tiffany's! This is certainly the type of thing we'd like to encourage! Next up! KFC2 - all characters in blackface!"

I just want a game review to tell me whether the game's good or not. I don't need IGN to act as my moral compass in the race arena. (Not that they necessarily said anything about it, that's just an example.)

On the other hand, I was rather surprised that little was said about the Latino guy in State of Emergency, so maybe it just depends on the nature of the game.

The humor in KFC isn't particularly racially motivated, so I don't find any of it offensive. People have accents. People also have big noses. It's okay to exaggerate those things for comic effect, IMO. Besides, "These guys are so good! When I say 'kick!' they say 'who?'" is funny in any accent.

~MJK

[Andrew Mayer]

[People have accents. People also have big noses. It's okay to exaggerate those things for comic effect, IMO.

That's the essence of comedy, and yet it's a very fine line.

What makes it so hard to walk is that it's a delicate combination of intention and perception...

Your Power Pill (http://www.levelupdesign.com/gamelog)

[Chris Nahr]

I'd like to register a complaint about blatant racism in Freelancer where half the Rheinlanders speak with exaggerated German accents. Where can I sue Microsoft and Digital Anvil?

[GregB]

And I'd like to complain about Grom, where one of the German guys speaks in a French accent. And my sidekick Petr sounds kind of gay. That's gotta be offensive, right?

-g

[Tyjenks]

My wife and I have a waiter at the Red Dragon Restaurant that, no lie, said, "Rong time no see." when last we ate there. Am I a racist for repeating that story to every person I know and random people I meet on the street?

[Anonymous]

I'd like to register a complaint about blatant racism in Freelancer where half the Rheinlanders speak with exaggerated German accents. Where can I sue Microsoft and Digital Anvil?
The line starts over there in front of George Lucas
And I'd like to complain about Grom, where one of the German guys speaks in a French accent. And my sidekick Petr sounds kind of gay. That's gotta be offensive, right?
Uh, well, yeah it is. "Sounds kind of gay?" What does that mean?

[runesword forger]

In my game, there were 12 races in all, set on another world, with varying starting ability scores and magical advantages and disadvantages.

Sure enough, I got a note that said the game was racist.

I guess it was, technically. But since every race was imaginary, on an imaginary world, and there was no allegory to real world races, I wasn't sure who I was supposed to apologize to. And the story for one of the adventures was about overcoming prejudice against a certain group, so I was surprised.

I guess to cover yourself these days, you need to lampoon everybody, including whites. My model attitude would be The Onion's.

[Anonymous]

My wife and I have a waiter at the Red Dragon Restaurant that, no lie, said, "Rong time no see." when last we ate there. Am I a racist for repeating that story to every person I know and random people I meet on the street?

If the purpose is to disparage and make light of the person in question, then certainly. Next dumb question. :roll:

[wumpus]

What Tyjenks didn't mention is that he came to the restaurant clothed entirely in Confederate flags, drinking directly from a bottle of Jack Daniels and angrily demanding that everyone call him "Bocephus."

See, that's the funny part.

[Anonymous]

I finally got a chance to play Kung Fu Chaos on the Xbox magazine demo disc. What a fun little game!

Like most "good" console games, it's hardly a picture of complexity or depth. But I found it thoroughly entertaining and even charming, which I can't say about most of the demos I've played.

Anyway, I think this game is worth a second look if you've written it off for whatever reason.

[Anonymous]

The above message was me, too.
The action felt mushy and distant, and the combos and attack modes just confused or confusing.
I thought so too until I went through the (surprisingly fun) training mode. Kung Fu Chaos reminds me a lot of Sega Soccer Slam, actually-- there's a satisfying paper, scissors, rock element to the gameplay. It's more complex than it looks, while retaining the feel of a simple button mashing affair.

-wumpus