Kung Fu Chaos - Xbox review

14 October 2003 0:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Kung Fu Chaos is what every 70's Chinese movie parody wanted to be. Based around your standard fighting genre, you play one of nine Kung Fu experts hoping to make it in the world of the movies.

The four player game's gameplay is based on a similar style to Capcom's Powerstone series and you get to interact with everything on the set including chests, scenery, and people in order to defeat your enemy.

Broken down into a number of different layers, the game offers plenty to do and challenge. Looking for some storyline fighting action? Simply work your way through the campaign styled storyline.

The more of the campaign you complete, the more levels, secrets, power-up and characters you open up elsewhere in the game with certain areas only opening when certain tasks have been completed on certain levels.

Progression through the levels is based on performance in those said levels, and as you would expect, the better you perform the more prizes you win. Graded on a one to five scale, you have to gain a certain proficiency to pass the level. Getting three normally does it, get four and you normally open up a new feature and getting five means you have dexterity even Monkey and Pigsy would be proud of.

If it is after the pub release that you want with your mates, then you'll revel in the utter madness of four-player beat 'em up action in the battle arena. Like every other standard game in this genre you have the usual array of characters with their different moves and different locations to offer a constant change in scenery.

For those wanting to merely watch their oriental magic, the game also offers a playback facility that really only drunks or young kids are likely to use, however it's a nice feature if you like that kind of thing.

The graphics and sound are pure fun, with plenty of eye candy happening on the screen all the time, but it's nothing to push the X-box to its limits. After all, Capcom was doing this with Powerstone some 5 years ago, and nothing has really changed.

On the plus side, this is a great game that offers plenty of single player and multiplayer fun. The only concern is that learning the different characters moves isn't difficult and once you know them you can easily defeat your foe whether its computer intelligence or your best mate. While the computer will always keep throwing more men your way, your friend may not have the same patience as he or she learn the moves to the same guile as you.

Verdict

This is a game that is not nice to newcomers and for that reason, some might find they are playing the single player campaign more than that want to.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Microsoft
Price as reviewed: £35
The good: Can play back your most fun matches
The bad: Best enjoyed with friends (sobriety optional); characters easy to master
Quick verdict: Powerstone was a great game so if you want this homage to it, here it is. Otherwise some may want more depth and it’s demanding on newcomers.
Score