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Karate Champ: The kinda-definitive transient FAQ.
Version .1
10.9.99
When we get the transient FAQs, -then- we'll feel the info-high.
By Subatomic Brainfreeze
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Kao Megura-thieved legal warning [thanks!], in case Gamepro wants this
info or something.
This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It can only be
reproduced electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be
altered as long as this disclaimer and the above copyright notice
appears in full. This FAQ is not to be used for profitable/promotional
purposes; this includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides,
books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, etc. in ANY way.
This FAQ was created and is owned by me, Subatomic Brainfreeze
<
[email protected]> All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged
that are not specifically mentioned in this FAQ. Please give credit
where it is due.
Table o' contents.
I. Intro.
i. General Description
ii. Gameplay
II. Controls
i. Attacks w/ analysis
III. Stages/Strat.
i. Training/Dojo
ii. Tournament Under 7th Dan
iv. 8th Dan and up
IV. Finishing up
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Intro
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Ahhh, Karate Champ. The great fighting game of the early 80's era.
There wasn't much notable in the fighting game section back then.
Wasn't any room for your SFs and your Tekkens and your Mortal Kombat
by-products. You either had your Yie Ar Kung Fu or your Karate Champ.
If Yie Ar Kung Fu was the Street Fighter, then Karate Champ was your
Virtua Fighter equiv.
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Gameplay
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Right off, I'll tell you that this game is rather different from the
average fighting game concept of the lifebar and the specials and the
KO. There's no lifebar, and you're fighting for the knockdown, which
in this game is just any contact. Hit and you've got a half-point.
If you counter or use a high-risk move, that's a full point. You're
playing to two points, though two and a half is possible. You have
thirty seconds, and any remaning seconds get counted up as points.
[number-type points, not match points] There's a few moves, and none
are particularly special, as it were. Get used to it. You'll like it.
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Controls
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If it wasn't enough of a trip already.... oh my Gawd there's two
joysticks!! WhadooIdo whadooIdo?! Left joystick is movement. Right is
attacking. Back on left is the block. It works completely randomly.
Keep that in mind. Now, for the movelist.
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Movelist!!
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These moves assume you are facing right, which you most often will be.
Reverse the directionals for the right side.
-o right
o- left
| down
o
o up
|
Front Kick:
Reverse Punch:
Right Joystick -o
Pt. Values: 100, 200. Half-point only.
Augh, the front kick. You know how most fighting games have that big
super desperation move that lights half the screen and does 80% damage
on impact? Here's yours. First off, the computer blocks it roughly
10-25% of the time depending on game difficulty. It also has God's
range. Meaning what? Run in with this attack at the beginning of the
round and more likely than not, you will win the round. You'll use this
a lot in getting accustomed to the game. Just... try not to. It's too
easy. The programmers knew this, and the points recieved for its use
are extremely low. Only use the attack if you're about to lose the game
and you're scared. The reverse punch seems to come out at random. It
has no range and no priority. Only the computer uses it with any
dependability. But when it does, it kills.
Forwards Jump
Left Joystick o
|
Right Joystick |
o
Pt. Value: For circus tricks? No.
Single most important move you have. The one place the opponent can't
counter you is if you hit them in the back. Get behind them, and the
win is -this- close to guaranteed. Get over there and use a turnaround
attack.
Backwards Jump
Both Joysticks o
|
Use only when running like all hell from the 8th Dan+ opponent.
Low Kick
Right Joystick |
o
Pt. Values: 100, 200, 400. Half-point only.
Fairly useless among the three low attacks. The other two are slower,
but more effective and get better scores. However, the computer
opponent uses it with frightening accuracy.
Round Kick
Right Joystick o
|
Pt. Values: 400, 800, 1,000. Half or full point.
Fairly slow and medium range. You leave yourself extremely open if you
use it. In the rare case that the computer opponent jumps at you, take
the opportunity to pick him off and you -will- get a full point.
Otherwise, nothing particularly special.
Back Kick
Right Joystick o-
Pt. Values: 400. Half point only.
Turnaround attack. Should you find yourself with your back turned, [and
you ought to], use immediately for easy 400 points. Don't use if you're
interested in anything more substantial.
Lunge Punch
Left Joystick o- or -o
Right Joystick o
|
Pt. Values: 300, 400, 500, 600, 1,000. Half or full point.
Good long range, but you leave yourself open for a while during the
attack. When the game gets harder, the computer will punish you for
this, but you don't need to worry about it for the majority of the
game. Use to counter blocked long-range attacks, as in the Front Kick,
Round Kick, Jumping Side Kick, and moves like those.
Back Round Kick
Left Joystick o-
Right Joystick -o
Pt. Values: 500, 1,000. Half or full point.
Slow, slow, long-range kick. Extremely easily countered. However, what
saves this move is that you can hop over the opponent, and while his
back is turned, use this move. Generally, it will hit for 1,000 points,
making this the most effective tactic you've got. The computer might
counter, but the chances are bad. It's also a bit possible that the kick
will float through them it you're too close up, so move in a little
before attempting the jump.
Foot Sweep
Left Joystick |
o
Right Joystick | or -o
o
Pt. Value: 200, 400. Half-point only.
Slow, long-range sweep. Would be useful, however, it can only get a
half point, and its speed keeps it from countering anything. Use the
ducking Reverse Punch instead.
Ducking Reverse Punch
Left Joystick: |
o
Right Joystick: o
|
Pt. Value: 400, 800. Half or Full point.
Quick, medium range midsection attack. Use to counter any high attack
aside from the Jumping Side Kick. Countering will most often get the
full point.
Jumping Side Kick
Left Joystick: o
|
Right Joystick:-o
Oohh.. a jump kick. Very long range, hops over low attacks, highly
counterable when blocked. But you don't need to worry about that
because the computer hardly ever counters this! Often, it just does a
foot sweep to get under it. Use the ducking Reverse Punch as you land
and you might even get a full point for it.
Jumping Back Kick
Left Joystick: o
|
Right Joystick:o-
Same as the Jumping Side Kick, except it never hits, it's really slow,
and it's generally really annoying to use. Use the Back Kick instead.
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Stages/"Expert" advice
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Training and the Dojo levels
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Training! Whoo! 1200 free points, provided you know my movelist by heart
and recite it nightly like a good little Karate Champ.
["annoying to use... Use the Back Kick instead. Okay, good night
everyone. <yawn>" Heh.] Just do the moves
when the game tells you to. Nothing backbreaking. On to the fight. It is
noticeably easier than the later stages, and you're not getting a time
bonus. Since there's no bonus, feel free to take your time getting a
500-point knockdown, then a 1,000 point, then another 1,000-point, which
is the highest you can get. Here's where you first end up on the bonus
stages. First is the evasion stage. It says "EVADE", but that won't
get you any points. Hit them fools. Use the round kick for high targets,
the front kick for middle, and low kick for low. 200 points apeice, and
you should have five to seven of them thrown at you. Easy thousand points
or so. The stuff-chopping level is next. Chop the um, things with ONE
joystick movement down. This is not the button-mashing match it would
have you believe it is. I can't tell you the timing... figure it out.
Enjoy the wacky music as you walk towards the intermediate level...
and the National Karate Championships!! ORAORAORAORAAAA!
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Tournament under 7th Dan
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At this point, the most points you can get are points you get from the
time bonus. So that means quick kills with high-risk moves for the point.
There are a few ways to go about this. First off you can just run in
screaming with the Jumping Side Kick. Very often this will hit, and a
little less often you'll just get half a point as opposed to a full point.
But the computer can dodge it. When it does, immediately use the ducking
Reverse Punch for 400 or 800 points. The other quick kill is jumping over
the opponent's head and using the Back Round Kick. This is extremely
effective, however, it takes three seconds to get off, and highly
punishable if dodged. [considering you'll lose even more time trying to
get the point.] After a while, it boils down to one of these two tactics.
Get used to it and you'll -feel- which one is necessary. And then you
will go get that danged bull. Use the ducking Reverse Punch as soon as
he comes within one Karate Champ-length of you. Just keep going like this.
Things won't change much until....
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8th Dan and up!!
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Starting here, you are no longer fighting the red guy. You are fighting
God himself. Don't be fooled by his similar appearance. God's got a lot
more firepower than the guy's you've been fighting. He looks a little
twitchy, but that's the source of his power. He has lightning speed.
If you attack him, and he blocks, he will -always- counter and -always-
win. If you wait for him to attack you, he will utterly destroy you
before you even figured out what was happening. Just don't attack him
head-on. Instead, jump over his head, and kick him in the back. If it
doesn't work, use either the Jumping Back Kick or the Back Round Kick
to turn [fast!!] and try again. And even in mid-air, there's a good chance
he'll pick you off with the Round Kick. Fear God. Trust me. You may
not believe in him now... but buddy, you will. You so will.
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Ending this sucka
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This concludes the Karate Champ FAQ. Contributions are welcome, and
should be sent to
[email protected]. Currently I've only gotten as
far as 9th Dan and have a high score of 84,800.
My acknowledgements are as follows:
Data East, for making this, but not for making Bad Dudes Vs. The
Dragon-Ninja. I hated that game.
Classicgaming.com for having this game as a Game of the Week and fueling
the addiction.
My brother for being high score competition.
YOU, for playing Karate Champ.
Konami, for the invention of the previous line.
