It's about time that Microsoft finally published a *fun* game. Far too often, Big Green has been inundated with "adult oriented" games trying to push their image as far from Nintendo as possible. However, in this transition, much of the foundation for successful gaming has been lost. The biggest issue I'm referring to is the "fun factor". To me personally, games that are light and a blast to play will often outweigh the heaviness that many XBOX games protrude.
With that said, Kung-Fu Chaos is one of those rare breeds of games that focus primarily on storyline and simplicity as the core for gameplay. This works well for the most part, even though the idea was a complete rip of one of my personal favorite Dreamcast games... Power Stone. For the handful of gamers who remember the series, you can't help but notice the blatant similarities between the two. You have a limited number of simple combos, with the option of gathering "stars" to produce a super power-up. In fact, the entire essence of the game is truly a spitting image of Power Stone 2. This isn't a bad thing, because Power Stone was just a fabulous series... But what truly makes Kung-Fu Chaos so enjoyable is the tongue-in-cheek humor that runs throughout the game. The game truly just oozes with character and smart humor. For those who love satire and cynicism you'll feel right at home.
As mentioned, the storyline is the heart of the game, which I actually followed from start to finish. Briefly: you are a "star" in an ongoing series of movies directed by -cough- "Shao-Ting" (say the name fast). You start off learning the basic moves as Shao shouts directions and you move through-out the semi 3D world. In order to complete the level you need to score at least three stars out of a possible of five stars. Most of the levels are straight out of a bad kung fu clip, but others are 100% ripped from major motion pictures. I laughed out loud during one level that mimicked "Titantic" to a freakin' tee. >From the game events to the slight commentary ("King of the World"), this proved to be my second favorite level. Probably the most impressive level was soon thereafter and was carbon copy of "Jurassic Park". Not only did the gameplay keep you on your toes, the visuals were brilliant.
As with any "alternative" game, it has to have a hook. As previously stated, the "hook" was stolen from Power Stone... After pulling off a combo, you can taunt your opponent and thus adding a "star" above your head. Once you have achieved three stars, pull both triggers and hang on. Your special move really packs a wallop and destroys basically everything in site (blood and all). Good stuff. Needless to say, this ties into the continuity of the gameplay and even beginners can feel like they pulled off a triple dragon punch in classic Ken style...
One thing that I've noticed about games that focus on more simple aspects and control usually fail when it comes to consistency. KFC (not the chicken) falls into the same category where at times you can whoop a 1,000 ninjas bottoms, and at other times one pesky ninja will spend three or four lives. The in-game tutorial claims "generic" ninja's can be blocked and countered (which is true), but about half-way through the game you rarely see these peons. This makes a block button all but useless, so landing your initial combo is essential to completing a level.
With any game like Kung Fu Chaos, implementing cutting edge visuals is overkill. Just Add Monsters (the developers) opted to go to the chunk, Nintendo-esque type graphics that fit the bill perfectly. The animation and performance is top-notch and background settings are sometimes jaw dropping (especially in the Dinosaur and Boat levels). The graphics are crisp and clean that make the game flow quite fluid. It's nice to see developers focus on something other than visuals, something that has been an anathema for many XBOX games.
In regards to the audio, this is one of the best sounding games on the market. The 70's kung-fu theme fits hand-in-hand with the gameplay and the soundtrack intertwines perfectly with the schematics. Everything from classic "wacks" and "thuds" to cheesy Americanized karate movie themes are sure to impress. Not only do the sound effects work, the color commentary is pure joy to follow along with. The game is filled to the brim with high quality voice acting and fitting one-liners.
When it comes down to summarizing Kung Fu Chaos, it's hard to pigeon hole the ratings. On one hand you have an incredibly addictive and long running gameplay, combined with fun graphics and superb audio. But, on the other hand you have the inconsistencies that prevent this from becoming an instant hit. Far too often I found myself too frustrated to play more than 30 minutes at one setting, but at other times I would easily clock in two hours. For there are tons of things to unlock, and getting to the final two levels (by getting four and five stars on each level) was quite challenging.
Recommending the game, however, is much easier to do. If you liked the Power Stone series, then you will love Kung Fu Chaos. For n00bs to the genre, it's hard not to like a game like KFC. It has all of the ingredients of a highly entertaining game, and once you add multiplayer into the mix it makes for a perfect party game. Still, is it worth the $30 for the average gamer? No question about it. Brand new you can find it for 30 clams, and on Ebay you can get it for half that. Kung Fu Chaos is truly a refreshingly rewarding, entertaining game…
