The Kung-Fu Master Jackie Chan
Encyclopedia
is a 1995
fighting
arcade game
developed and published by Kaneko
. It features the Hong Kong
celebrity, Jackie Chan
, who was also the producer of it, while it also features other actors from some of Jackie Chan's films. Currently, the arcade game is quite rare.
The game was later updated and retitled as .
, Special
and 3), as well as The King of Fighters franchise. The special actions are also similar to other fighting games from the same era. The presentation and death moves were most likely influenced by that of the success of Midway
's Mortal Kombat franchise, though not the first in the genre.
The player's character fights against his or her opponent in standard one-on-one best two-of-three format like most fighting games, but a match can last up to five rounds if there is no clear-cut winner in previous rounds (the game will end if both fighters lose the fifth round and no bonus points will be awarded if one wins the fifth round). Players has a character roster of six fighters to choose from at the start, each with their own fighting style and special techniques. In one player mode, after selecting a character, the arcade randomly selects an opponent. After two opponents are knocked out, one out of three versions of Jackie Chan becomes the next opponent. Unlike the Mortal Kombat series, some powerful finishing moves lack blood and gore, some don't destroy the opponents. The fast-paced action and zooming view are similar to that of numerous Neo-Geo
fighting games.
) - Known for his appearances in several Jackie Chan films such as Island of Fire
as Lau / Boss Lee, and Drunken Master II
as the Counter Intelligence Officer. In this game, he uses karate
. He was later altered in the Fists of Fire update. (actor: Yeung Ching-Ching) - Known for her appearance in many Shaw Brothers movies including Clan of the White Lotus
(as herself), 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (as Yang No. 9) and Treasure Hunters
(as Jue Gow). In this game, she uses bōjutsu
. She was later altered in the Fists of Fire update. (actor: Sam Wong / Ming-Sing Wong) - Known for being one of the former leaders of the well-known Jackie Chan Stunt Team
. In this game, he uses kung-fu
. (actor: Thorston Nickel) - Known for his appearance in Thunderbolt
(as Cougar). In this game, he uses traditional martial arts
. He was later altered in the Fists of Fire update. (actor: Kim-Maree Penn) - Known for her appearance in Police Story 3: Supercop as Blonde Gunwoman (uncredited). In this game, she uses professional wrestling
. (actor: Sam Wong / Ming-Sing Wong) - The only original character in the game. In this game, it uses magic
.
. (Violet) - This version of him appears as the second boss. Based on his appearance in Drunken Master
and its sequel, Drunken Master II. (White) - This version of him appears as the third and final boss. He is dressed in his ceremonial suit from Project A
.
in late 1994, Golden Harvest
decided to film in Japan for its several racing and fight scenes. As the film crew traveled to Japan they began a search for sponsors to fund the film, and as they were searching, the video game developer Kaneko was found. While Kaneko agreed to sponsor the film, they penned a mutual deal to create a Jackie Chan based fighting game. The deal was negotiated by Chan's longtime friend and accomplice Frankie Chan, who also co-produced the game. Due to the timing and relationship between filming Thunderbolt in Japan and signing the fighting game deal, Kaneko brought Jackie Chan and some of his actors and stuntmen of Thunderbolt such as Sam Wong and Thorsten Nickel to the offices in Tokyo in order to start the motion capture work in order to convert them into playable characters. Most of the capturing work took place in Hong Kong during Thunderbolt's production period there. Kaneko's company logo is prominently displayed throughout Thunderbolt.
In an interview with journalist Audun Sorlie, actor Thorsten Nickel shed light on the production and launch of the game, which was given a press conference in Sendai where Nickel and Chan were on-hand to give interviews to speak about the experiences of working with motion capture, and to perform a short fight scene demonstration which they hastily choreographed the day prior. During the conference they also revealed details about the upcoming Thunderbolt movie.
1995 in video gaming
-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...
fighting
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed and published by Kaneko
Kaneko
, also referred to as , was a Japanese video game publisher founded in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan by Hiroshi Kaneko. It published a number of games both under its brand and other companies, such as Air Buster, Nexzr, Shogun Warriors, DJ Boy, Guts'n, and the Gals Panic series...
. It features the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
celebrity, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, who was also the producer of it, while it also features other actors from some of Jackie Chan's films. Currently, the arcade game is quite rare.
The game was later updated and retitled as .
Gameplay
The controls of the game is similar to that of SNK's earlier installments in their Fatal Fury series (particularly Fatal Fury 2Fatal Fury 2
is a 1992 fighting video game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the sequel to Fatal Fury: King of Fighters and the second game in the Fatal Fury franchise.-Gameplay:...
, Special
Fatal Fury Special
is a 1993 head-to-head fighting game produced by SNK originally released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is an updated version of Fatal Fury 2, introducing several changes to the gameplay system while expanding the available character roster....
and 3), as well as The King of Fighters franchise. The special actions are also similar to other fighting games from the same era. The presentation and death moves were most likely influenced by that of the success of Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
's Mortal Kombat franchise, though not the first in the genre.
The player's character fights against his or her opponent in standard one-on-one best two-of-three format like most fighting games, but a match can last up to five rounds if there is no clear-cut winner in previous rounds (the game will end if both fighters lose the fifth round and no bonus points will be awarded if one wins the fifth round). Players has a character roster of six fighters to choose from at the start, each with their own fighting style and special techniques. In one player mode, after selecting a character, the arcade randomly selects an opponent. After two opponents are knocked out, one out of three versions of Jackie Chan becomes the next opponent. Unlike the Mortal Kombat series, some powerful finishing moves lack blood and gore, some don't destroy the opponents. The fast-paced action and zooming view are similar to that of numerous Neo-Geo
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
fighting games.
Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire: Jackie Chan Densetsu
Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire: Jackie Chan Densetsu is an upgraded version of The Kung-Fu Master Jackie Chan that was also released the same year exclusively for the arcades, and was the very last fighting game Kaneko released before their bankruptcy in 2006. It adds a desperation move system, an improved combo system with a special combo counter above the lifebars that records the highest number of combos during a match, and an "escaping" feature where players can struggle out of combos or stand up as fast as possible by rapidly moving the control stick and tapping the buttons simultaneously. Fists of Fire also makes all three versions of Jackie Chan into playable characters expanding the roster up to nine playable characters, and makes adjustment to the character balance by strengthening and weakening the statistics of certain playable characters from the first game, while adding and removing a few moves to some of them. The palettes of Lau, Yeung and Thorston were heavily modified as well. The opening intro is a modified version of the first game's intro, but the rest of the game's graphics are not that different.Characters
There are six playable characters to choose from in The Kung-Fu Master Jackie Chan, and nine in Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire. (actor: Lau Tak / Andy LauAndy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
) - Known for his appearances in several Jackie Chan films such as Island of Fire
Island of Fire
Island of Fire is a 1991 Taiwanese action-crime film directed by Chu Yin-Ping. The film is also known in the UK as Island on Fire and in Germany and the United States as The Prisoner...
as Lau / Boss Lee, and Drunken Master II
Drunken Master II
Drunken Master II is a 1994 Hong Kong kung fu action film directed by Lau Kar-Leung and Jackie Chan, who stars as Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial arts film since The Young Master...
as the Counter Intelligence Officer. In this game, he uses karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
. He was later altered in the Fists of Fire update. (actor: Yeung Ching-Ching) - Known for her appearance in many Shaw Brothers movies including Clan of the White Lotus
Clan of the White Lotus
Clan of the White Lotus is a 1980 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Lo Lieh, with action choreography by Lau Kar Leung, and starring Lo Lieh and Gordon Liu. It is released as Fist of the White Lotus in North America.- External links :...
(as herself), 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (as Yang No. 9) and Treasure Hunters
Treasure Hunters (1981 film)
Treasure Hunters aka “Master of Disaster” is a Shaw Brothers film directed by Lau Kar Wing, starring Alexander Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu.-Plot:...
(as Jue Gow). In this game, she uses bōjutsu
Bojutsu
, translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of using a staff weapon called bō which simply means "staff". Staffs are perhaps one of the earliest weapons used by humankind. They have been in use for thousands of years in Eastern Asia. Some techniques involve slashing,...
. She was later altered in the Fists of Fire update. (actor: Sam Wong / Ming-Sing Wong) - Known for being one of the former leaders of the well-known Jackie Chan Stunt Team
Jackie Chan Stunt Team
The Jackie Chan Stunt Team , also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan.-History:...
. In this game, he uses kung-fu
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
. (actor: Thorston Nickel) - Known for his appearance in Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt (1995 film)
Thunderbolt is a 1995 Hong Kong action film, directed by Gordon Chan and starring Jackie Chan. In some early North American releases, it was known as Dead Heat....
(as Cougar). In this game, he uses traditional martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. He was later altered in the Fists of Fire update. (actor: Kim-Maree Penn) - Known for her appearance in Police Story 3: Supercop as Blonde Gunwoman (uncredited). In this game, she uses professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. (actor: Sam Wong / Ming-Sing Wong) - The only original character in the game. In this game, it uses magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
.
Bosses
After two opponents have been knocked out, players will face Jackie Chan as he uses three different fighting styles in order of appearance. Unplayable in the original version, but playable in the Fists of Fire revision. (Yellow) - This version of him appears as the first boss. The fighting style he uses in the game was used in some of his earliest films, including Snake in the Eagle's ShadowSnake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Yuen Woo-ping his directorial debut, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey, Fist of Legend, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series, Kill...
. (Violet) - This version of him appears as the second boss. Based on his appearance in Drunken Master
Drunken Master
Drunken Master, also known as Drunk Monkey In The Tiger's Eye, is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang Lee...
and its sequel, Drunken Master II. (White) - This version of him appears as the third and final boss. He is dressed in his ceremonial suit from Project A
Project A
Project A is a 1983 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Jackie Chan, and starring Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao....
.
Development
While Jackie Chan started the production of his then-newest film ThunderboltThunderbolt (1995 film)
Thunderbolt is a 1995 Hong Kong action film, directed by Gordon Chan and starring Jackie Chan. In some early North American releases, it was known as Dead Heat....
in late 1994, Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest is a film production, distribution, and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It played a major role in becoming the first Chinese film company to successfully enter the western market for an extended period of time, especially with the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan...
decided to film in Japan for its several racing and fight scenes. As the film crew traveled to Japan they began a search for sponsors to fund the film, and as they were searching, the video game developer Kaneko was found. While Kaneko agreed to sponsor the film, they penned a mutual deal to create a Jackie Chan based fighting game. The deal was negotiated by Chan's longtime friend and accomplice Frankie Chan, who also co-produced the game. Due to the timing and relationship between filming Thunderbolt in Japan and signing the fighting game deal, Kaneko brought Jackie Chan and some of his actors and stuntmen of Thunderbolt such as Sam Wong and Thorsten Nickel to the offices in Tokyo in order to start the motion capture work in order to convert them into playable characters. Most of the capturing work took place in Hong Kong during Thunderbolt's production period there. Kaneko's company logo is prominently displayed throughout Thunderbolt.
In an interview with journalist Audun Sorlie, actor Thorsten Nickel shed light on the production and launch of the game, which was given a press conference in Sendai where Nickel and Chan were on-hand to give interviews to speak about the experiences of working with motion capture, and to perform a short fight scene demonstration which they hastily choreographed the day prior. During the conference they also revealed details about the upcoming Thunderbolt movie.
External links
- Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire at The Large Cult Fighting Game March
- The Kung-Fu Master Jackie Chan / Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire: Jackie Chan Densetsu at Hardcore Gaming 101
- Thorston Nickel interview at Hardcore Gaming 101
- The Kung-Fu Master Jackie Chan at arcade-history
- Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire at arcade-history