Hokuto
No Ken
STORY:
Set in a
post apocalyptic world where the Earth is barren and the strong survive
by preying on the weak, the series follows the journey of Kenshiro, the
successor of Hokuto Shinken, "Divine Fist of the North Star", a secret
martial arts style that allows its practitioner to destroy an opponent's
body from within by striking into their secret channeling points, often
resulting in a violent and gruesome death. Kenshiro uses his skills to
protect the weak and innocent against the numerous villains that threaten
their survival.
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Hokuto
No Ken character selection screen.
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ABOUT: Based
on the iconic manga and anime series, Hokuto
No Ken (known as Fist of the North Star in the West) is a 2D
fighter made by Arc System Works, perhaps best known for their amazing work on the Guilty Gear
series. The game is based on
the first half of the original manga (vol. 1-16), using the characters
as they were depicted in the 1980's anime series. The voices of the playable
characters are all performed by the original voice actors from the anime,
with the exception of Kenshiro and Rei, whom are both played by new actors.
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High-res
2D sprites from the
team that brought you Guilty Gear.
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Every player
has a Seven Stars Gauge. By performing attacks, the gauge can be lowered and
once empty, a final "death star" will light up and the enemy player can
perform a "Fatal KO technique" that finishes of the opponent similar to
the "Instant Kill" moves from Guilty Gear. Unlike in Guilty Gear, where
you could boost any number of times, Hokuto no Ken has a gauge that limits
the number of boosts a player can perform, however, the boost is much more
powerful than the one in Guilty Gear.
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| Page Updated: |
March
22nd, 2022 |
| Developer(s): |
Arc System Works |
| Publisher(s): |
Sega |
| Platform(s): |
Arcade
PlayStation 2 
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| Release Date(s): |
Dec. 2005
Arcade
Mar. 29th, 2000
PS2 |
| Characters: |
Kenshiro, Raoh,
Toki,
Jagi, Rei,
Shin,
Juda, Souther, Mr.
Heart, Mamiya
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Featured Video:
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| Related Games: |
Hokuto No Ken: Raoh Gaiden ~ Ten no Haoh, Sengoku Basara
X, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage For The Future,
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle, Battle Fantasia, Guilty
Gear X, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, AquaPazza,
Saturday Night Slam Masters, Dragon
Ball FighterZ |
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Gameplay Engine
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Story / Theme
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Overall Graphics
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Animation
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Music / Sound Effects
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Innovation
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Art Direction
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Customization
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Options / Extras
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Intro / Presentation
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Replayability / Fun
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"Ouch" Factor
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Characters
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BOTTOM LINE
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| Final
Words: |
First off, I do think a lot of Fist of the North Star character designs are cool and the artwork is great. However, I never followed the series too closely. Hokuto No Ken the fighting game seems like a dream come true for
any fan of the series and 2D fighting games alike. The artwork and animation has that Arc System Works aesthetic (who can complain), and the gameplay mechanics in this one are pretty flashy for its time.
However (and a big however)... this game is
notoriously BROKEN.  It's broken worse than X-Men Vs. Street Fighter broken. Hokuto No Ken has some of the most hilarious and ridiculous infinite combos and
glitches. A better name for this game? HOKUTO NO BROKEN.
I still haven't gotten around to
playing this one for any considerable length of time... but I have played a few rounds and watched some high-level gameplay. Yeah, it's definitely one of the most broken fighting games I've ever seen. I guess that's why I'm not in a particular rush to play it. On the bright side, the 2D character sprites are charismatic as hell! I'm really surprised this
game never got a localized English release.
~TFG
Webmaster |
@Fighters_Gen
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