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Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage Impressions

Heads explode in our first look at Fist of the North Star.

Exploding heads and punching go together like Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion. Fist of the North Star looks to take this classic combination (the former, not the latter) into the realm of video games. This video game adaptation of the comic book focuses on the ridiculous bloodshed and unending swath of enemies that fans might expect, but it's going to see quite a few changes from its original Japanese release to its North American debut. It's too early to know how this will turn out, but fans of wanton violence should pencil this into their appointment calendar.

There are two separate stories in Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage. The first, called Legend, retells the original story from the comic. Dream is the other mode, letting you rush through a unique story made just for this game, and it's the only way you can play with a friend by your side. We saw a level from the Legend mode, though the story was cut out entirely so we could get a good look at the punching, kicking, and other life-ending melee maneuvers.

The bulk of the game plays out like a 3D version of Double Dragon. Your mindless foes are little more than fleshy bags of blood, and you do them the service of ending what are most assuredly miserable lives. There are super moves in addition to the standard punches and kicks. At one point, the hero Kenshiro picked up a dude by his neck, punched him a few times in the face, and then punted him 10 feet away. At another time, he conjured flaming pillars from the ground. Clearly, this guy doesn't take guff from anyone. He can even make his enemies' heads explode after performing a thousand-hand punch. Violence is his mother's maiden name.

Kicking grown men in the chest and head can get exhausting after a while. Fortunately, there are vehicles to ferry you around when your legs are tired. We saw Kenshiro ride on top of a horse and motorcycle, knocking down foes on his way to his next location.

The version we saw today was still the Japanese build of the game, but the developer promised us that the mindless enemies would be given more thoughtful AI, and the violence would be made even more extreme. Fist of the North Star is due out this fall for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Tune it to GameSpot to see if claims of even more bloodshed came to fruition, and if the game is fun to play.

43 Comments

  • fimpact

    Posted Aug 30, 2011 12:46 pm GMT

    This game is very good, only spoiled by no head to dead on line play.

  • VilandasUK

    Posted Dec 4, 2010 11:05 am GMT

    So is this game any good??

  • YouthNAsia

    Posted Nov 18, 2010 7:10 pm GMT

    theyre never going to review this, arent they?

  • Paul790195

    Posted Nov 4, 2010 1:25 pm GMT

    termadoyle read FallenAngel comment I don't know why you said that you must have not read or seen fist of the north star

  • Ruckus360

    Posted Nov 2, 2010 1:33 am GMT

    the demo was horrible.

  • goldeneye19

    Posted Oct 30, 2010 10:40 am GMT

    Played the demo... for about 2 minutes, it absolutely sucked! Predicting a 4.0

  • shadow551991

    Posted Oct 28, 2010 4:29 pm GMT

    i just hope that it holds the memory we have of kenshiro and doesn't ruin the image like what prison break video-game did.

  • CMakaCreative

    Posted Oct 24, 2010 7:41 am GMT

    With this game coming this way, will they ever make a Ninja Scroll game and if they did, will it ever come here? It has tons of blood shed too.

  • Doomguard3

    Posted Oct 23, 2010 6:28 am GMT

    Looks like godhand with blood, kinda disappointing really

  • j1965

    Posted Oct 3, 2010 3:30 pm GMT

    Just like the anime!I cannot wait for nov!

  • JD_Escobar

    Posted Sep 23, 2010 8:34 pm GMT

    SO Dynasty warriors with gore...interesting

  • killarse

    Posted Jul 3, 2010 11:46 am GMT

    Hmm... nice childhood memory. I was a big fan of the original manga in the 80's.

  • thecrow999

    Posted Jul 1, 2010 11:48 pm GMT

    if you didn't buy this game you're pure stupid

  • lowkey254

    Posted Jun 30, 2010 12:21 pm GMT

    since i already have this, region free PS3, i have no need for a NA version. Besides, if you know the story already then there's no end for English. now i will say this... get this game! it's pure violence and a ton of fun.

  • rileyasdf

    Posted Jun 30, 2010 6:41 am GMT

    lol i memba watchin this sh*t wen i was like 9 and that ninja scroll film

  • NERVE_STRIKES

    Posted Jun 24, 2010 8:54 pm GMT

    The edition we Americans get will be superior in every way, AMEN!!!

  • Dragonsingh3000

    Posted Jun 24, 2010 2:13 am GMT

    cant wait, iv already pre-ordered mine from play.com lol i love fist of the north star wooooo

  • itchyflop

    Posted Jun 24, 2010 2:07 am GMT

    the manga production was pretty cool i hope this follows the lineage true to its roots!!

  • hoysoy

    Posted Jun 23, 2010 9:48 am GMT

    gunman880 - Yeah you can cut limbs in the JP ver. for sure but the question is...will there be blood? Recent examples would include Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma(but they also removed the blood splatters off the NA one) and No More Heroes 2, no blood spraying At All in the JP ver-but in the NA ver-blood fountains everywhere. *sigh this also reminds me about the porno industry in JP-why oh why-so silly.

  • WicthBalder

    Posted Jun 22, 2010 11:12 pm GMT

    hope it has english voice overs