Kung Fu

[Fryguy64]

Kung Fu
aka. Spartan X (Japan)
Famicom/NES 1985

- Nintendo ported this Irem arcade game (Kung-Fu Master in the U.S., Spartan X in Japan) to the Famicom/NES
- The game is very loosely based on a movie license. The main characters Thomas and Sylvia are based on characters from the movie Wheels on Meals, starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao and directed by Sammo Hung.

All character and enemy descriptions have been written up.

Kung Fu Cameos

WarioWare: Touched!
The Indiana Jones styled action game in the microgames "Button Masher" and "Famicom" actually has amended sprites of characters from the FC/NES port of Kung Fu. The change was likely down to licensing (Irem and/or the rights holder for the movie).

[Manspeed]

So wait, does Nintendo still own the publishing rights to this game even though it was made by Irem?

[parrothead]

You typed "Kung-Fu Heroes", Fry. It should of been "Kung-Fu Master".

"Kung-Fu Heroes" refers to the international name for "Super Chinese", which is the NES port of the arcade game, "Chinese Hero".

Apr 12, 2010 18:37:15 GMT -5 Manspeed said:

So wait, does Nintendo still own the publishing rights to this game even though it was made by Irem?

I highly doubt it. Irem owns the rights to the game; however, not the version. In order for Nintendo to re-release it, they should ask Irem's permission. In Japan, along with Nintendo, they also have to ask the owner of the Wheels of Meal film. I noticed that Kung-Fu Master was added to Irem's Arcade Classics for the PS1 and Sega Saturn, as well as cell phones.

[Fryguy64]

Nintendo will own the development and publishing rights to the Famicom port of "Spartan X" (that is, they haven't passed all that back to Irem, the original game's licensor), but if they were to publish that port today they will need to extend their licensing agreement with Irem, and probably the rights holders for the movie.

The graphics of the Famicom version are very distinctive when compared to the Arcade version. The animation is certainly better. I presume Nintendo holds all the development rights to these.

Which is why, I guess, Nintendo only made a subtle allusion to it in WarioWare

Parrothead... thanks, I have amended (I'm sure it's written right in the feature, but I was writing this on the fly).

[Fryguy64]

Kung Fu is now online