I had this game as a kid, and it really was tough to progress through. Got quite far a couple of times, but like the reviewer says, it's largely down to chance due to the game's bad design and lag.
The Famicom port (which was later leaked onto illegal Japanese NES carts) of this game is SOOO much better! The controls are no where NEAR as sloppy! And the graphics are slightly better in my opinion, but there isn't Mt. Fuji in the back.
um, you play this with a keyboard. Q A Z is punch high mid low. W S X was kick high mid low, you could punch the bird. it wasn't a bout chance it was about timing and skill. . . sorry man. play it on an 800 XL or emulator, aslo, don't be in combat stance when you meet the girl.
God this game blows, I bought it back in 7th grade 1987,picture on the box looked cool,stick it in and I was like WTF!! The controls don't work, I still have it,maybe I'll give it another go!!
@TheBigRagooDOTcom You not the only 1 I hate this game with the worst waz when you ran straight in2 a enemy n got koed with 1 hit coz the lag on the controls were so bad it wouldnt put you in a fighting stance
I'm majoring in Japanese at university and it is pronounced just as karate but with a ka on the end. Karateka or 空手家 as it's spelt in Japanese is a practitioner of karate.
@knickknack07 If you watch other Mark's reviews you'll see that he is a great retro gamer, and grew up playing Atari games (actually, Classic Game Room was the first retrogames review show in the internet, created in 1999 - this makes Mark one of the greates retrogamers out there). About the game, Karateka was great... On Apple II. The Atari 7800 port was a disaster (bad audio, awful controls, random mechanics); I heard the NES port is good, but haven't played it.
@knickknack07 My point is: having played the Apple II version back in the day, and having played the Atari 7800 version too, I completely agree with this review: this was an awful port of a nice game (first rotoscoped game ever!). Maybe you don't agree because you played one of the good versions of the game, but believe me: this one was really bad.
Wow, this game could have been SO good...The graphics, music, and sound effects are awesome and it's so fun hitting the opponent, but it had to be RUINED by the controls...I still have absolutely no idea how it works...
Watching this, I think of how easy it is to try cashing in on another game's relative success (the original Prince of Persia) and failing miserably to see the point.
@fordxbgtfalcon Same here I got the 7800 for Xmas when I was 6 that came with Pole Position and I got Karateka. I couldn't beat the vultures. Man, when I saw the cartridge here, I got goosebumps. Good memories.
ohh i remember playing this baby in grade 2 (1982) during lunch time... I had to buy 5¼" disks for $5 in the hallway from this older kid. my first pirate experience. . whoo hooo. then I bought Conan... ohh that was a classic too.
ohh i remember playing this baby in grade 2 (1982) during lunch time... I had to buy 5¼" disks for $5 in the hallway from this older kid. my first pirate experience. . whoo hooo.
I don't know what the atari game was like but the original apple II one was fine. I really enjoyed this game and played it alot too. The trick is to mostly just wait until the enemies come to you. The funny thing is the hardest enemy in the game is not Akuma but his bird.
amazing the reviewer actually managed to land some kicks on his opponents which is more that I ever did. This has to be the worst 7800 game and IMHO possibly the worst game ever made....
Yeah, they made a (spiritual) sequel and the name is Prince of Persia. You can see this is totally a training run for that game, Leitmotiv musical cues and all. The best thing about Karateka, however, is the fact that if you played it on a computer that used floppies, you could flip the disc and then run the game for mirror-image gameplay. :) That's a fun joke, unlike the bad joke that the game is.
I used to play this game on the Apple II, and at the time, it really blew me away--the first game that really opened the prospect for a cinema-styled game. You might be right about the pronunciation, because I remember a commercial for some system, and they mentioned the game as one of its titles as (Kara-TEE-ka).
If you make it to the poor lady with the hurting feet, whatever you do, don't approach her in the attack stance!
Oh, and btw just in case it hasn't been cleared up yet, the name is pronounced "Kah-rah-tay-kah". It means "Karate student". I'm a total Karate nerd so these games interest me even if they suck. :P
one of the three games I owned on the 7800. it sucked, would much rather play DK Junior or the orig Mario Bros. But who needed Krapteka when you had Asteroids built-in?
I actually was right with you on how crappy this game is. But then I figured out the controls, and the music is so bad that it makes me laugh. And it's so simplistic and that's very charming for some reason. And the cutscenes with the princess and stuff, are kinda cute.
It's become a really bad game that I just love to love. It's weird.
@luishomeroremohsiul wait... si eres mexico porque estamos hablando en ingles? XD yo soy de peru mucho gusto. me caen poca madre ustedes los mexicanos son lo maximo.
@muvrrey cabrooon qué gusto igualmente, y qué bueno que tienes gusto por las consolas y juegos vintage. un abrazo desde México. (no falta el gringo jodido que ponga **please write in englishh.. pero bueno me vale madre hahah)
I'll tell you, this was a pretty hot game on the Apple II.
The sound effects were very elegant and suggestive in the home computer versions -- but not here. Sound was always the worst weakness of the Atari 7800.
I had this also 4 my c64, and the ending was sweet but if you try to come at the princess in a defensive position she would hit u and the game would be over. Haha, so u had to run to her to hug her.
The best version of this game, I thought, was n Apple II. The controls were more responsive and I actually beat the game several times. Yes, you do actually have to bow to the princess or she will kill you at the end of the game!
Yeah, I was surprised that the Apple 2 version was so much better. Stronger sound effects (the character would actually kiyai), more responsive control. From the same guy who went on to make Prince of Persia.
Definitely remember combat being fairly strategic. Punched the bird out of the air with the best of 'em.
i just bought a 7800... theyre arnt many games for it... looks like the best games for it are backwards compatible 2600 games... boy did atrai hit the shit or what, 5200 gay controller then 7800 lack of software then jaguar...if youve seen the nerd review of it i dont need to go furthar...
i hate this game....not from the program side...but when i was a kid...i always scared when my sister play karateka..i play karateka on NES...and in NES...the title is more scarier than atari 7800 version....and when you play the game...in NES...they give a very scary soundtrack
In fighting stance, inch up to the door, and if I remember, you can either walk forward then backward quickly, or kick to trigger the gate to fall, then get into normal position and run (ignoring the minor damage).
7800's cpu couldn't handle it? Not really. This game was first out on the Apple 2 C, and it has behaved exactly the same way. I really wanted to like this game as a kid. But every port they made handled the exact same way.
7800's cpu couldn't handle it? Not really. This game was first out on the Apple 2 C, and it has behaved exactly the same way. I really wanted to like this game as a kid. But every port they made handled the exact same way.
I played this game with Atari Euro controllers and this still didn't improve the overall game play. The sound is awful and I'm wondering about how high the salary of the sound programmer was. If Atari wanted to commit suicide with this title that's one thing. But promoting this game as a "super game" is like to sell a handicapped donkey in the desguise of an Arab racing horse!
This game was very poor due to poor controls, but Jordan Mechner's game after this, Prince of Persia, was an amazing game. It would be awesome to see a review of that.
What a horrible conversion! Easily my biggest disappointment in video games. The XE and Apple II versions were awesome. The 7800 version should have been so much better.
Sound on this is crap. Apparently, despite being more graphically advanced than the very basic VCS 2600 (and even the 400/800/XL/XE computer series), the 7800 still only had the same sound chip as the original 2600! Supposedly they had to include that for compatibility w/ 2600 games, and couldn't then afford a decent sound chip. Sorry, but this would seriously put me off the 7800... even allowing the carts to include improved sound chips is silly, 'cos you'd need one for *each* game!
Cost was one factor, available space was another. the 7800's designers intended to have a lot of games using an external chip for additional side. However, when Atari got sold, those plans went to hell. Only two commercial 7800 games use the additional sound chip: Ballblazer and Commando.
This game sucked so bad on the 7800. The controls were a joke! The 7800 joysticks in general sucked! No wonder Atari got their asses handed to them by Nintendo in the 80's.
The Commodore 64 version of this game was much better. Still extremely hard, but the controls were more responsive. I still can't believe I actually played through the whole game once after 3600 tries.
Loved this review, 5 stars easy. I laughed a LOT during this review, I love the ending sequence coming in right near the beginning, great stuff. This is right up there with the Bird Ass... erm Joust review in terms of CGR comedy :D
Oh, man. I remember grabbing this game for my 7800, because I had it on my Apple IIe, and no longer owned the IIe. I was damn mad at this game. It was just awful. I nearly punched a hole through the tv screen.
Tell me about it. I just hated the controls for this game. I actually ended up throwing the cartridge against a wall, cracking its spine, before taking it back to Toys R Us for credit towards another purchase there. They granted it to me despite the damage!
I just found out this game is being remade for XBLA and PSN, no footage just yet but it'll be out late this year.
necrogenesis1981 2 weeks ago
I had this game as a kid, and it really was tough to progress through. Got quite far a couple of times, but like the reviewer says, it's largely down to chance due to the game's bad design and lag.
sbowesuk 3 weeks ago
I liked the IK++ ;)
plowenson 3 months ago
Was Karate Champ ever ported to the 7800?
fireheartis1 4 months ago in playlist CGR - ATARI 7800 reviews
Wow, Solaris looks better then this game...-___-
SitarKnight 4 months ago
I have this game for my famiclone
RadE498 6 months ago
lol had this game for atari and nes, the nes version kicks this ones ass
MrSavagegamer 7 months ago
nes looks better
victormorenoortega 8 months ago
here in Chile its pronounced ka-ra-teh-ka (fast)
hipergoku 9 months ago
Comment removed
hipergoku 9 months ago
Playing Karateka is like watching paint dry
djmocok 10 months ago
Its spelled Sp-agh-eti-eka, or just like his friends call him: DINNER!
AlphaFirefly 11 months ago
That was my favorite game for Atari 65 XE. Graphics were a lot better. Tnx for the flashback :)
narcyz17 11 months ago
The Famicom port (which was later leaked onto illegal Japanese NES carts) of this game is SOOO much better! The controls are no where NEAR as sloppy! And the graphics are slightly better in my opinion, but there isn't Mt. Fuji in the back.
Flipolopolis 11 months ago
@Flipolopolis No Mt. Fuji?
*tosses cartridge in trash*
AlphaFirefly 11 months ago
It pronouced kara-teh-ka, the second option xD
It translates to 'student of karate' or something along those lines.
LordMarluxia11 11 months ago
um, you play this with a keyboard. Q A Z is punch high mid low. W S X was kick high mid low, you could punch the bird. it wasn't a bout chance it was about timing and skill. . . sorry man. play it on an 800 XL or emulator, aslo, don't be in combat stance when you meet the girl.
0blackjackdavie0 11 months ago
God this game blows, I bought it back in 7th grade 1987,picture on the box looked cool,stick it in and I was like WTF!! The controls don't work, I still have it,maybe I'll give it another go!!
MrIronSabbath 1 year ago
What the hell?!?!!In my previus comment in king fu i wrote about this game :D
DrMiklostein 1 year ago
karateka looks and plays much better on atari xl/xe
thorgallpl 1 year ago
I thought it was Carrot-Ecka
rbrbran277 1 year ago
It's funny, because in polish 'karateka' means just 'karatist'. I always thought that this is polish game :)
bankowo1 1 year ago
It's pronounced, "Kah-Rah-Tei Kah"
SakuraAvalon 1 year ago
It´s pronounced ka-ra-te-ka, It´s spanish (even though It should have been, KA RA TE CA) C instead of a K.
gomezgomas 1 year ago
YEAH!!! I could never get past that fucker with the bird!!!
aaronmyers1982 1 year ago
"...on the Apple 2 this game was awesome!..great memories!!"
imperia777 1 year ago
@imperia777
C64 version is better since it is the original
snake2006 1 year ago
@imperia777
I am wrong the C64 is not the original version. Apple II was.
I still like the C64 version more though,thanks to the awesome SID chip
snake2006 1 year ago
Comment removed
mikehawk69 1 year ago
damn this game was tufff
mikehawk69 1 year ago
These reviews are both informative and hilarious. Great work!!
matador432able 1 year ago
there are forums?!?!?
BRiTDRAG2 1 year ago
oh my god... the intro... it just... eh :/
DeadOmega 1 year ago
@DeadOmega ear rape
NicolaScorpion7000 1 year ago
How can I get past the bird?
damonalbarnbusukabis 1 year ago
This game really pissed me off as a kid. I thought it was me. I thought I just sucked. No. The Fucking game sucks. I'm still pissed!
TheBigRagooDOTcom 1 year ago
@TheBigRagooDOTcom You not the only 1 I hate this game with the worst waz when you ran straight in2 a enemy n got koed with 1 hit coz the lag on the controls were so bad it wouldnt put you in a fighting stance
SEVENTHSIGHN 1 year ago
i'd be depressed too if i was reviewing this game
RenegadeFury 1 year ago
I'm majoring in Japanese at university and it is pronounced just as karate but with a ka on the end. Karateka or 空手家 as it's spelt in Japanese is a practitioner of karate.
SanshinOfStirling 1 year ago
The NES port has music when you fight, not the four note randomness
luvmelikeudo714 1 year ago
Heh, this game was hard/difficult on Apple 2s too.
antdude 1 year ago
Comment removed
joaovictor1994 1 year ago
The sound in this game sounds like it'd get very annoying after a while.
MattTheSaiyan 1 year ago
karateka means student in japanese, inecom.
IIIIdepechemodeIIII 1 year ago
at least it's better than Heavy Nova
KingDavid73 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Wow..this is why people who weren't born yet should not review games that came out in the 80s. Nor should eople without any humor try to be funny.
knickknack07 1 year ago
@knickknack07 If you watch other Mark's reviews you'll see that he is a great retro gamer, and grew up playing Atari games (actually, Classic Game Room was the first retrogames review show in the internet, created in 1999 - this makes Mark one of the greates retrogamers out there). About the game, Karateka was great... On Apple II. The Atari 7800 port was a disaster (bad audio, awful controls, random mechanics); I heard the NES port is good, but haven't played it.
CervantesXV 1 year ago
@knickknack07 My point is: having played the Apple II version back in the day, and having played the Atari 7800 version too, I completely agree with this review: this was an awful port of a nice game (first rotoscoped game ever!). Maybe you don't agree because you played one of the good versions of the game, but believe me: this one was really bad.
CervantesXV 1 year ago
Wow, this game could have been SO good...The graphics, music, and sound effects are awesome and it's so fun hitting the opponent, but it had to be RUINED by the controls...I still have absolutely no idea how it works...
MrSaturn33 1 year ago
Apart from the great (for the time) animation,this wasn't really a good karate game.
Games like The Way Of The Eploding Fist and International Karate were way more convincing interpretations of the sport.
johnwx777 1 year ago
It's "Ka-ra- Teh - Ka". You guys suck at reviews more than this game sucks at being a 7800 game.
Maskddingo 1 year ago
Watching this, I think of how easy it is to try cashing in on another game's relative success (the original Prince of Persia) and failing miserably to see the point.
falariem 1 year ago
yes, this was the worst game of all time, I bought this pile when i bought my 7800 in 88.
fordxbgtfalcon 1 year ago
@fordxbgtfalcon Same here I got the 7800 for Xmas when I was 6 that came with Pole Position and I got Karateka. I couldn't beat the vultures. Man, when I saw the cartridge here, I got goosebumps. Good memories.
JAZZSTARish 1 year ago
ohh i remember playing this baby in grade 2 (1982) during lunch time... I had to buy 5¼" disks for $5 in the hallway from this older kid. my first pirate experience. . whoo hooo. then I bought Conan... ohh that was a classic too.
burndata 1 year ago
ohh i remember playing this baby in grade 2 (1982) during lunch time... I had to buy 5¼" disks for $5 in the hallway from this older kid. my first pirate experience. . whoo hooo.
burndata 1 year ago
I don't know what the atari game was like but the original apple II one was fine. I really enjoyed this game and played it alot too. The trick is to mostly just wait until the enemies come to you. The funny thing is the hardest enemy in the game is not Akuma but his bird.
pmattoon 1 year ago
I played the shit out of this game on my Apple II as a kid.
CatsBunniesDucksMice 1 year ago
I swore back in the day this game looked bad ass to me lol.
seanj666 1 year ago
I hated this game!!!!
Westplay 1 year ago
amazing the reviewer actually managed to land some kicks on his opponents which is more that I ever did. This has to be the worst 7800 game and IMHO possibly the worst game ever made....
SeriousWalrus 1 year ago
Karateka is from poland -.- I'm from Poland and this is polish name :/
Vedkonner 1 year ago
pureshit
IIIIdepechemodeIIII 1 year ago
Yeah, they made a (spiritual) sequel and the name is Prince of Persia. You can see this is totally a training run for that game, Leitmotiv musical cues and all. The best thing about Karateka, however, is the fact that if you played it on a computer that used floppies, you could flip the disc and then run the game for mirror-image gameplay. :) That's a fun joke, unlike the bad joke that the game is.
ramimarkusmaunula 1 year ago
@ramimarkusmaunula I thought POP came out first....
BillyCauseyjr 1 year ago
2:08 I love how the girl complains about "this incompetent douchebag".
The guy risks his life, trying to save her and all she does is complaining, that it doesn't go fast enough. :-)
RottenRroses 1 year ago
I mean, for real guys, program the girl a damn chair. She is a princess for crying out loud!!
BitchFunky317 1 year ago
KARATEKA IS KARATE IN SPANISH
RomanVictorico 1 year ago
Hilarious review!
I used to play this game on the Apple II, and at the time, it really blew me away--the first game that really opened the prospect for a cinema-styled game. You might be right about the pronunciation, because I remember a commercial for some system, and they mentioned the game as one of its titles as (Kara-TEE-ka).
If you make it to the poor lady with the hurting feet, whatever you do, don't approach her in the attack stance!
godfunk 1 year ago
I am familiar with the C-64 version. Equally as slugish. Yet, oddly entertaining.
jupreindeer 1 year ago
Ka ra te Ka As in one who Partakes in Karate
LunasCraincloud 1 year ago
there is also an NES version.... though the only good one is the Apple II version.
BillyCauseyjr 1 year ago
LOL this game is so weak.
Oh, and btw just in case it hasn't been cleared up yet, the name is pronounced "Kah-rah-tay-kah". It means "Karate student". I'm a total Karate nerd so these games interest me even if they suck. :P
Yamtendo 1 year ago
The 7800' is still the same as all the other Atari's
mariokiller55 1 year ago
"If this was Shinobi I'd be out of here by now"
LOLOLOLOLOL!!!
superallye 2 years ago
Karateka = practitioner of karate.
ClassicTVMan81 2 years ago
Comment removed
ClassicTVMan81 2 years ago
Kung Fu for NES was better
gopconservative78 2 years ago
i accually liked this game as a kid... even tho that gay ass bird would piss me off
rawjc 2 years ago
There were ways to neutralize the bird attacks, but it was a bit tricky.
coolcoldbro 2 years ago
This game is by far the WORST game I own for my Atari 7800/2600 collection. And, yes, that includes E.T. and Pac-Man...
And Journey Escape:)
Jed49er 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Karateka sound like Polish production.
And was programmed during communistic rulez so that's why no chair for princess hahaha
What a crap!!!
So glad I didn't waste my eyes on this and got
PS3 at home lalalala
DjGisME 2 years ago
Damnnnn... i still have this game... it sucks soooo badddddddd
elhombredemierda 2 years ago
I played this on my GBA SP and i went trought the whole game going "WTF"
darko123456 2 years ago
one of the three games I owned on the 7800. it sucked, would much rather play DK Junior or the orig Mario Bros. But who needed Krapteka when you had Asteroids built-in?
HaydnRamone 2 years ago
must... make ... KaRotica!!!!
thereallanthus 2 years ago
Wasn't this game originally by Jordan Mechner (who later made Prince of Persia) and released on the Apple II?
GenericRubbishName 2 years ago 43
You are correct sir!
Gregb7677 2 years ago
The delay with the controls was unbelieveably frustrating to me as a kid.
OldFooFan 1 year ago
@GenericRubbishName
Yes, but released on the COMMODORE 64. Then ported to various consoles and computers. But the C64 version IS the original.
Just like Maniac Mansion, it was made for the Commodore 64 first then ported to everything else.
Same as Skate or Die, C64 first then ported
snake2006 1 year ago
@GenericRubbishName
Nope, scratch that I thought it was on C64 first, C64 was the first port.Your right about Apple II being the original.
snake2006 1 year ago
@GenericRubbishName you mean the genius? :P
Magyar126 10 months ago
@GenericRubbishName I remember it very well on the Apple ][!
winwolf06 7 months ago
the shot of the girl waiting looks exactly like prince of persia. The life bars too.
joesatube 2 years ago
I actually was right with you on how crappy this game is. But then I figured out the controls, and the music is so bad that it makes me laugh. And it's so simplistic and that's very charming for some reason. And the cutscenes with the princess and stuff, are kinda cute.
It's become a really bad game that I just love to love. It's weird.
dogeymon83 2 years ago
Yeah that's like me and Friday the 13th on nes. Horrible Game but i just can't stop playing it.
Luigi84289 2 years ago
I always thought it was "Kara- Teh - Ka".
NinjaMuffinMaster 2 years ago 29
@NinjaMuffinMaster well, thats exactly how it's pronounced in spanish
luishomeroremohsiul 1 year ago
@luishomeroremohsiul not really, in spanish would be ''kara-té-ka''
muvrrey 1 year ago
@muvrrey dude, im from méxico, i know how its pronounced... ka-ra-teh-ka is ALMOST the same as saying ka-ra-te-ka in spanish
luishomeroremohsiul 1 year ago
@luishomeroremohsiul dont kill the fun
muvrrey 1 year ago
@luishomeroremohsiul wait... si eres mexico porque estamos hablando en ingles? XD yo soy de peru mucho gusto. me caen poca madre ustedes los mexicanos son lo maximo.
muvrrey 1 year ago
@muvrrey cabrooon qué gusto igualmente, y qué bueno que tienes gusto por las consolas y juegos vintage. un abrazo desde México. (no falta el gringo jodido que ponga **please write in englishh.. pero bueno me vale madre hahah)
luishomeroremohsiul 1 year ago
@NinjaMuffinMaster it IS like that.
luishomeroremohsiul 1 year ago
@NinjaMuffinMaster I always thought it was crap
ReverendSyn 1 year ago
Poor chick. XD
TheCastellan 2 years ago 2
Yea I got this game with my Atari 7800 recently. I couldn't help but laugh when I ran into the bad guy and fell over dead in 1 hit lol.
jimbox114 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
i shot my nutsack with an ak-47
lsdbrownies 2 years ago
I totally forgot about this game!!!...You are right on the Apple 2 this game was awesome!..great memories!!
Patrick502 2 years ago 3
I'll tell you, this was a pretty hot game on the Apple II.
The sound effects were very elegant and suggestive in the home computer versions -- but not here. Sound was always the worst weakness of the Atari 7800.
classof77 2 years ago 4
who is this incompitent douche bag trying to save me
i laughed at that
zattle123 2 years ago
wuz it made fohr teh nes too
ThePspdog98 2 years ago
@ThePspdog98 Yes it was made for the NES. And whoever thumbed you down is retarded.
Ketorulz 2 years ago
Had this for the Commodor 64 - pretty tough with a keyboard.
in2NaS 2 years ago 3
I had this also 4 my c64, and the ending was sweet but if you try to come at the princess in a defensive position she would hit u and the game would be over. Haha, so u had to run to her to hug her.
Rockchisler 2 years ago
Had the best audio though.
modesthero 2 years ago
f#ck it ~ the 800 version rulzs ~
TJae1 2 years ago
I like the NES version...
dolomite51 2 years ago 2
I used to love this game and I still do.
I don't know about the controls on your version, but beating this game is both hard AND fun.
TaoQiBao 2 years ago
damn... my atari was lost..
it really hurts me
NegzRamone04 2 years ago
"The bad guys look like pastel versions of the bad guys on the death star, that used the TV switcher to blow up Alderaan."
LOVE IT !!!!!
xoxo
totoundharrysindtop 2 years ago 3
3:55 Killed by a bird.
Tryzon 2 years ago
0:45 XD
He takes two steps and dies. The hilarity!
Tryzon 2 years ago
i rofled at the bird
PlasmicPie 2 years ago
lmao, i used to wonder why she always killed me. i thought it was just the way the game was made. thanks 4 that!
owlfood 2 years ago
The best version of this game, I thought, was n Apple II. The controls were more responsive and I actually beat the game several times. Yes, you do actually have to bow to the princess or she will kill you at the end of the game!
Maestrp37388 2 years ago
What a nice person she is :|
Snotnarok 2 years ago
Yeah, I was surprised that the Apple 2 version was so much better. Stronger sound effects (the character would actually kiyai), more responsive control. From the same guy who went on to make Prince of Persia.
Definitely remember combat being fairly strategic. Punched the bird out of the air with the best of 'em.
Pronounced kara tek ka
joeottoson 2 years ago
yes, Kara tay ka, that's right!
Maestrp37388 2 years ago
lol
cage987 2 years ago
stupid bird? or programmer... lol
onlocash 2 years ago
i just bought a 7800... theyre arnt many games for it... looks like the best games for it are backwards compatible 2600 games... boy did atrai hit the shit or what, 5200 gay controller then 7800 lack of software then jaguar...if youve seen the nerd review of it i dont need to go furthar...
sonic4sale 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
man you americans are real dumb on pronouncing like its karateka but fuck you say it in your own ways man thats funny
lludmilla 2 years ago
Prince of Persia anyone?
halidefox 2 years ago
i hate this game....not from the program side...but when i was a kid...i always scared when my sister play karateka..i play karateka on NES...and in NES...the title is more scarier than atari 7800 version....and when you play the game...in NES...they give a very scary soundtrack
nujie273 3 years ago
boo hoo
takedowned 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
"More Scarier" You can just say scarier, you don't need the more.
chrisz31974 2 years ago
He's from Indonesia, dude. English isn't his first language. Give him a break.
(@crisz21974)
FloatyPineapple 2 years ago 3
I have this on Game Boy and even when I beat the second boss, the door closes on me when I try to enter it and die.
5 stars.
ElricSowrd 3 years ago 4
Yeah, apparently you have to trick the door into closing prematurely.
NightSprinter 2 years ago
Yeah, how?
ElricSowrd 2 years ago
In fighting stance, inch up to the door, and if I remember, you can either walk forward then backward quickly, or kick to trigger the gate to fall, then get into normal position and run (ignoring the minor damage).
NightSprinter 2 years ago
I had this for the C64 back in the day, It was the shnizit! What a shame :(
AfroedNinja 3 years ago
7800's cpu couldn't handle it? Not really. This game was first out on the Apple 2 C, and it has behaved exactly the same way. I really wanted to like this game as a kid. But every port they made handled the exact same way.
CarlstonSolar 3 years ago
A good game, but the 7800's CPU just wasn't fast enough to handle the gameplay, hence the controller delay. :(
HypnoToad72 3 years ago
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7800's cpu couldn't handle it? Not really. This game was first out on the Apple 2 C, and it has behaved exactly the same way. I really wanted to like this game as a kid. But every port they made handled the exact same way.
CarlstonSolar 3 years ago
Nah, it's just poor programming. The CPU speed (the 7800's CPU ran at 1.79 MHz BTW) has nothing to do with it.
ApolloBoy 3 years ago
Has this sucker, debuted on the Wii virtual console yet? & what about the lst ninja?
TJae1 3 years ago
NES version is easier... a loooot easier. In fact, NES version sucks even more because it's too deam easy!
ivanvalerian 3 years ago
too bad its japan only and was never done in usa
SuperDave341 3 years ago
oe el juego conchetumadre ordinario.....
galmier18 3 years ago
I played this game with Atari Euro controllers and this still didn't improve the overall game play. The sound is awful and I'm wondering about how high the salary of the sound programmer was. If Atari wanted to commit suicide with this title that's one thing. But promoting this game as a "super game" is like to sell a handicapped donkey in the desguise of an Arab racing horse!
thamry721 3 years ago
This game was very poor due to poor controls, but Jordan Mechner's game after this, Prince of Persia, was an amazing game. It would be awesome to see a review of that.
downphoenix 3 years ago
I did hear that Karetka was really designed to be a tech demo for his next title, Prince of Persia.
ScrewAttackEurope 3 years ago
What a horrible conversion! Easily my biggest disappointment in video games. The XE and Apple II versions were awesome. The 7800 version should have been so much better.
DracIsBack 3 years ago
make a review of ninja golf
sidexwalk 3 years ago
this game wasn't too bad on my Commodore 64... however,
another great review Mark!
plurp7 3 years ago
Sound on this is crap. Apparently, despite being more graphically advanced than the very basic VCS 2600 (and even the 400/800/XL/XE computer series), the 7800 still only had the same sound chip as the original 2600! Supposedly they had to include that for compatibility w/ 2600 games, and couldn't then afford a decent sound chip. Sorry, but this would seriously put me off the 7800... even allowing the carts to include improved sound chips is silly, 'cos you'd need one for *each* game!
NotATube 3 years ago
Cost was one factor, available space was another. the 7800's designers intended to have a lot of games using an external chip for additional side. However, when Atari got sold, those plans went to hell. Only two commercial 7800 games use the additional sound chip: Ballblazer and Commando.
DracIsBack 3 years ago
When ever I see the main character, he reminds me of a white haired monkey with a red face.
Panpizza15 3 years ago
This game sucked so bad on the 7800. The controls were a joke! The 7800 joysticks in general sucked! No wonder Atari got their asses handed to them by Nintendo in the 80's.
ku4uv 3 years ago
There was a Japan only release of "Karateka" for the Nintendo Famicom. This was never released for the U.S. NES system.
darkpitch1 3 years ago
Wasn't this also on the NES.
DeanoTheLegend87 3 years ago
Yea i agree with you i also played it on nes but i olways wondered why this game had lower grafic than other games
Arkura 3 years ago
Lol, whats the music at the beginning at the end?
ScrewAttackEurope 3 years ago
The Commodore 64 version of this game was much better. Still extremely hard, but the controls were more responsive. I still can't believe I actually played through the whole game once after 3600 tries.
balletman 3 years ago 2
your really exited about wind squid arnt you lol
StarInvasion 3 years ago
cool
ExpoTVVideoGames 3 years ago
I remember this game I would always fight my cousin just to play this game
Narutofan123320 3 years ago
wooo Nice justin! Jordan im so glad your bro made rock band drum vids! He could have been the best drummer ever! Justin rocks \m/ =P
bryce98rocks98 3 years ago
Loved this review, 5 stars easy. I laughed a LOT during this review, I love the ending sequence coming in right near the beginning, great stuff. This is right up there with the Bird Ass... erm Joust review in terms of CGR comedy :D
Rep2369 3 years ago
The game is fine but this was a really bad port from Tramiel's cheapskate days.
atm94404 3 years ago
Oh, man. I remember grabbing this game for my 7800, because I had it on my Apple IIe, and no longer owned the IIe. I was damn mad at this game. It was just awful. I nearly punched a hole through the tv screen.
delfmeek 3 years ago
Tell me about it. I just hated the controls for this game. I actually ended up throwing the cartridge against a wall, cracking its spine, before taking it back to Toys R Us for credit towards another purchase there. They granted it to me despite the damage!
cc1945 3 years ago