Hokuto no Ken (arcade)

Hokuto no Ken
Cover of the PS2 version.
Developer(s)	Arc System Works
Publisher(s)	Sega
Platform(s)	Arcade, Playstation 2
Release date(s)	2005 (Arcade) March 29, 2007 (Playstation 2)
Genre(s)	2D Versus Fighting
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players simultaneously
Rating(s)	CERO: B
Input methods	8-way Joystick, 5 Buttons
Cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	Atomiswave

Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳, Hokuto no Ken) is a 2005 2D head-to-head fighting game developed by Arc System Works, based on the manga and anime series of the same name. A PlayStation 2 port, retitled Hokuto no Ken: Shinpan no Sōsōsei Kengō Retsuden (北斗の拳 審判の双蒼星 拳豪列伝, roughly translated as "Fist of the North Star: The Twin Blue Stars of Judgment - Grand History of the Fist"), was released in Japan in March 2007. This version features a bonus DVD including an exclusive training mode ("Starter's Guide") and a documentary covering previous Hokuto no Ken console games. The arcade version was officially distributed by Sega in North America, while the PS2 port was released only in Japan.

Gameplay

While in both terms of gameplay and visual style, the game is similar to the Guilty Gear series (which was also made by Arc System Works), some aspects of the mechanics are slightly different.

Seven Stars of the Hokuto

Below each character's lifebar is a gauge with seven "stars" in the shape of the Big Dipper. Special moves, supers, and some command normals can remove varying amounts of stars. Once empty, a final "Death Star" or "shichousei" will light up and the other player can perform a special "Fatal KO" attack that can instantly defeat them, regardless of their lifebar (similar to the Instant Kill attacks in Guilty Gear.). The biggest difference is these moves may be easily comboed into, making them far more practical than their Guilty Gear counterparts. Players regain two stars at the start of each round, and one star any time an opponent unsuccessfully attempts to Fatal KO. After being Fatal KO'd, if the match is not over, that player starts the following round with all seven stars replenished.

Boost

Boost is one of the many meters in the game, displayed above the Aura meter in the game's HUD. The bar is divided into three sections or stocks. Using a boost (with the Boost/Special button) allows a player to cancel a move after it hits (similar to Roman Cancels in Guilty Gear), and also shoots the character forward. The player can also Boost when not doing a move, in order to jet across the screen quickly. Boosts are frequently used to perform combos that otherwise would not be possible.

Aura

Used to perform super moves and Guard Cancels (similar to alpha counters.) The gauge can hold two stocks. The first stock fills the gauge up with blue; the second stock fills the gauge up with gold. When at least one stock is ready, text reading "GOD FIST BLOW" appears next to the gauge. If the player's opponent has lost all his stars, it will read "DEADLY FIST BLOW."

Characters

The game is based on the first half of the original manga (chapters 1-136) and uses 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, who are both played by new actors.

Playable characters

• Kenshiro (cv. Kunihiro Kawamoto)
• Shin (cv. Toshio Furukawa)
• Raoh (cv. Kenji Utsumi)
• Rei (cv. Isshin Chiba)
• Jagi (cv. Kōji Totani)
• Juda (a.k.a. Yuda) (cv. Bin Shimada)
• Toki (cv. Takaya Hashi)
• Thouther (a.k.a. Souther) (cv. Banjō Ginga)
• Mamiya (cv. Toshiko Fujita)
• Mr. Heart (cv. Shōzō Iizuka)

Cameos

• Yuria (During the game's opening. Also visible in the background of the Southern Cross stage and in Shin's victory animation.)
• Lin (cv. Miwa Kōzuki) and Bat (cv. Ayumi Tsunematsu) (Whenever Kenshiro wins.)
• Zeed (Can be seen in background in Lin's Village.)
• Shuu (In the background of Thouther's stage, carrying the cap stone to the top of Thouther's Holy Pyramid)
• Ōgai (Thouther's sensei. Appears during his victory pose after a Fatal KO at the Pyramid stage.)
• Diamond (cv. Naotsugu Yoneda), Spade (cv. Koji Totani) and Club (cv. Riichi Nishimoto) (As part of Mr. Heart's Fatal KO.)
• Dagarl (cv. Yūsaku Yara) and Komaku (cv. Shigeru Chiba) (Juda's underlings. Appear during his special moves.)

External links

• Hokuto no Ken PlayStation 2 version's website Japan - The game's website
• Hokuto no Ken Arcade version's website Japan - The game's website
• Sega Amusement USA page of the game - Contains downloadable flyer.
• Arc System Works official website Japan - Arc System Works official website
• Hokuto no Ken PS2 bonus disc info