Released for the Master System by Sega in 1986, Black Belt is a scrolling beat ’em up in the tradition of the classic Irem arcade game, Kung-Fu Master. And it is a challenging and fun game to play.
Tag Archives: Beat ‘Em Up
Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2: The Emperor Yie-Gah, MSX
The sequel to the classic Konami arcade game, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2: The Emperor Yie-Gah was only ever released for home computers and was never produced as an arcade game. It was first released for MSX compatible computers, on cartridge, in 1985.
Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Arcade
Alongside Karate Champ, Konami‘s Yie Ar Kung-Fu had a profound effect on the beat ’em up genre and could be said to have contributed greatly to the establishment of modern fighting games. It was given a limited release in Japanese arcades in 1984 and was later rolled-out more widely – and internationally – in 1985.
Shadow of the Beast, Atari Lynx
The Atari Lynx port of Shadow of the Beast was developed by Digital Developments and first published by Psygnosis in 1992. And it is surprisingly good.
Shadow of the Beast, PC Engine
The PC Engine CD version of Shadow of the Beast is – in my opinion – the best version of the game available. For two reasons: it has the most responsive controls of any version of Shadow of the Beast I’ve played (even compared to the Amiga original), and it’s also the best-looking and best-sounding version of the game too. It was developed by DMA Design and first published in 1992. In Japan it was released by Victor Interactive Software as “Mashou no Okite“, and in North America it was released for the TurboGrafx CD by Psygnosis/Turbo Technologies.
Shadow of the Beast, Megadrive/Genesis
The Megadrive/Genesis conversion of Shadow of the Beast was developed by WJS Design* and published by Electronic Arts in North America and Europe in 1991 (Victor Interactive Software in Japan in 1992). It’s arguably one of the best versions of Shadow of the Beast out there.
Shadow of the Beast, Sega Master System
Shadow of the Beast for the Sega Master System was developed by TecMagik and published by Psygnosis in 1992, and this port has some differences to the Amiga original – arguably to its detriment.
Shadow of the Beast, Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 conversion of Shadow of the Beast was developed by DMA Design and published by Ocean Software in 1990. And it’s a reasonably good port of the scrolling fighting game, with decent graphics and atmospheric music.
Shadow of the Beast, Super Nintendo
***CANNED GAME***
The Super Nintendo version of Shadow of the Beast was prefixed with the word “Super” to differentiate it from other ports, and… it was cancelled before release and never officially made it out. It was developed by IGS (Information Global Service) and an unfinished prototype of the game was leaked in 1993.
Shadow of the Beast, ZX Spectrum
Shadow of the Beast is a scrolling fighting/action game originating on the Amiga. It was enough of a success for publisher Psygnosis to convert it to various home computers and consoles. The ZX Spectrum version was developed by Gremlin Graphics and published in 1990, and it is not a bad port overall.