Kung Fu Chaos
The lights dim, an image begins to appear on the screen of a lone warrior standing motionless save for the slight heaving of his chest and glint of light from the blade at his side. Suddenly, a flash of white and the audience hears: “Everybody was kung fu fighting…..Those kids were fast as lightning….”
Nope, this isn’t a bad kung fu asian exploitation movie from the 70’s, its a GREAT video game parodying bad kung fu asian exploitation movies from the 70’s. And then some. Kung Fu Chaos for the Xbox is what would happen if the GameCube’s SuperSmash Bros. and Mario Party conceived a borderline racist child. It blends fast paced 4 player free for all (humans or computer), a slew of irreverent mini-games and a challenging single player storyline with TONS of extras. Throw in paradoies to nearly every big kung-fu movie in the last 4 deacdes, not to mention Titanic, Jurassic Park and more, and you’ve got a game that forces you to keep a balance between button mashing and laughing.
You play as one of several actors portraying sterotyped kung fu fighters from the reserved and wise kung fu master, to the giant afro sporting african-momma toting a shot gun and a sharp tongue. You’re being directed by self-acclaimed film genius Shao-Ting. Scenes are just that, movie sets with fake props and bad special effects. For example, long stunt jumps are pulled off frequently, but take a close look and you’ll actually see the characters on wires! Depending on how well you did, the dumpy director shouts out his wishes and takes all the credit for your accomplishments. Just like Hollywood. Bumping the cool factor is the ability to watch the “final cut”. In multiplayer games, after completing a round you are given the chance to watch the match you just played from multiple camera angles, with transition effects and custom music, even tracks you’ve encoded to your Xbox. All that AND the director’s comedic and sometimes disturbing commentary really help to wrap up a good match with a bunch of friends. Movie and game night all in one!
Moving around is done with the analog stick and fight moves are simple 1-4 button presses. Pulling off combos couldn’t be simpler and the button presses are the same for everyone, a la Smash Bros. Light attack, medium attack, throw and jump are your four basics. Strong attacks combine the light and medium buttons. After pulling off a combo, players can hit the L trigger, causing expletives (graphical and aural) to come flying out of the mouth of the player. This serves 3 purposes. It causes your opponent to stay dizzy for longer, allowing you to throw them out of the ring or set up for another combo. It also places one of three total stars above your head that earn you a chance to use your Super Attack Insta-Kill move that is essential to winning most levels. Finally, it’s just plain funny to watch and listen to, especially when you’re taunting your buddy next to you.
A challenging single player game, loads of unlockables, laugh-out-loud humor, great voice acting and sound track, and barely noticeable load times completely make up for the lack of Xbox Live play. This is more of a party game anyway that screams 4 player, local action. Easy enough for the younger crowd to play, but certainly not meant for them due to some edgey humor. If you’re over 13 though, pick this up!
