Header banner Header banner

Karate Kid Part 2

Author

ST Graveyard has written 62 additional reviews

AL Mobile

Screenshot of the site on a mobile phone

Did you know Atari Legend is fully responsive and mobile ready? You want this site to behave like an app on your phone or tablet? Simply open the site in your favorite browser and look for the 'Add to homescreen' button. In Safari on IOS, first press the 'share' icon, then the "Add to home screen" pop-up appears. In Chrome on Android, you press the button at the top right, and select 'add to homescreen'. Once you have done this, the famous Atari bee fits nicely on your homescreen and you can enjoy AL with the tap of a finger.

Written by ST Graveyard

December 8, 2002

Comments

Wax on...Wax off...Daniel San

The Karate Kid 2 is another game that oozes in 80's atmosphere. Everybody in their early 20's must have seen the movie and, Just like me, had to start taking Karate lessons afterwards. If it was only as simple as painting a fence or waxing a car...


The game itself dates back from 1986 and was one in the first batch of fighters available for the ST. At the time the competition was already pretty stiff, with the nice "International Karate" and the superb release of "Barbarian". But Karate Kid 2 had a quality of its own. Or what did you expect from the famous duo Steve Bak and Pete Lyon? I treasure some precious memories about this game, and I bet I'm not the only one here. Once the intro picture pops up on the screen, and the famous "glory of love" song by pop artist Peter Cetera starts playing through the speakers, you're immediately dragged back to the good 'ol days...


Graphics

The graphics look very slick, especially considering the age of this product. There are a variety of nice backgrounds from places seen throughout the movie, like for example Myagi's ruined garden. Animation is also very good. All the movements of the characters are fluent and realistic.


Sound

The sound isn't really special. A Yamaha version of the "glory of love" song at the title screen, and some nice in-game sampled sound effects to represent the moans and screams of the characters when they are hit...


Gameplay

So graphically and sonically everything seems to be okay, but what about the gameplay? Well, it's all pretty straight forward and it reminds a lot of the other fighting games of that era. You'll have to fight different characters from the movie, and they'll get smarter and harder to beat as you progress in the game. All the fights take place on a different spot, in chronology with the events of the movie.


You only get one life, which is very frustrating, as the characters become stronger really fast. Once you got beaten, you might end up in the highscore table, but you'll have to start from scratch. Controls are pretty good. Just wiggle the stick in the preferred direction and press the fire button to punch, kick, jump or block... You'll need some more practice to beat the game, because the actions aren't as easy to execute as in let's say IK+ IMO.


All this might sound pretty boring...And actually, it is! But the real treat here are the bonus games, which appear after every 2 rounds or so. You remember the scene where Myagi picks a fly out of the air with the chopsticks? Well, now is your chance to try it yourself. I used to play this all the time, but I only managed to catch the bugger once or twice. If you accomplish your goal, you'll receive the extra points. The other bonus game is the famous "breaking the ice with bare hands" scene! Remember what Myagi thought you..."Focus, Daniel san"! These little bonus rounds make it all worth it, and believe it or not, they have become classics in the history of Atari ST gaming!


Of course there is also a 2 player mode, where you and a friend can beat the crap out of each other. This is of course the most fun, cause the one player mode gets repetitive pretty fast! And in all, the game is also a bit short, with only 6 fights and 2 bonus rounds before you see the end screen! So playing with a friend, really is the way to go...


Conclusion

"Karate Kid 2" is a pretty good fighting game for the ST, but it's far from the best! I would much rather recommend IK+ or Barbarian, or even the original International Karate. Still, it has a strange quality to it. And you should definitely check it out just for the implemented bonus rounds, they are awesome! So in conclusion I suggest you give the game a chance, you might enjoy it...




Score
  • Graphics: 6
  • Sound: 5
  • Gameplay: 5
  • Overall: 6

Review Comments

Please log in to add your own comment to this review

Zone Warrior

February 12, 2023 by AtariCrypt

Once again, pesky aliens are giving us Earthlings lots of grief. We previously fought them off but they managed to pinch a time machine so are using that to alter history and wreak havoc by taking crucial hostages from each period in an attempt to halt their influence. From the invention of the wheel in prehistoric times to England's King Arthur uniting Britain! And where would any of us be today without Japan and its technical wizardry? Yep, we cannot allow this - the fight is on!

Son Shu Shi

March 21, 2021 by ST Graveyard

What an accomplishment this game is. Created with such a small team, the result is really amazing. The game oozes creative passion. While the gameplay is really well balanced, it is a tough cookie, very hard from time to time with its moments of sheer frustration. As of level 3, timing becomes key. You will need to practice and learn the levels to complete this game, there are so many bad guys on screen it sometimes gets a bit hard to take.

Blood Money

April 4, 2020 by Morcar

Graphically, it's also nice on the eyes with well-defined graphics and animation. You really get the feeling that the developers put some thought and love into the game. Remember what I said about the large levels? Well these are wonderful and are very different to each other, they also scroll fairly smooth in all four directions.

Currently 0 registered users online

In the past 24h there were 5 registered users online