I’ve heard of plenty of games’ blood ‘n gore getting toned down when they’ve shipped overseas, but I’ve never heard of one ratcheting its violence quotient up for such an exchange. That’s the case with the new FIST OF THE NORTH STAR MUSOU, though, according to its producer Hisashi Koinuma. What that will exactly (pun intended) translate to is still in question, of course. Are we talking more sanguine spray? More caved-in faces? Perhaps some disemboweling? The possibilities are as numerous as bones in the body, I suppose. The trailer we saw had plenty of punching and hurt-infliction, already, but not a lot in the way of cut flesh.
Aside from that, the only others bits of news regarding this knuckledusting game concern downloadable content. Recently, for 300 yen, Japanese players could download Kenshiro’s original manga outfit, and that’s only the start of a series of possible downloads, including several challenge missions. Prospects of a sequel are being reserved until Koei sees how the game does but it seems like it should be given already, considering that game's already sold 500,000 copies.
Perhaps a little tangentially, I’ll mention that I got the chance to play another FIST OF THE NORTH STAR game recently at an old school arcade. This was one was a punching game where the object was the simulate the machinegun barrage of fists that Kenshiro is wont to unleash. Basically it was a fighting game with six pads you’d have to sock when the machine told you to. Perhaps it wasn’t as FLASHY as this new one, but it still was a lot of fun, even after 15-odd-years, and a hell of a work-out. There’s no way you’re playing that thing and not cracking a sweat.
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Watch out for the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover collection this March - - available for pre-order now on Amazon.com.
