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The 1986 film Fist of the North Star was one of my favorite anime when I was a kid. It was just so ridiculously violent. The storyline takes place after a nuclear holocaust in a land where savage gangs prey on the weak and martial art super men lay the smack down on a whim.
The main character, Ken, has the ability to blow people up with his fists. In 1986 it was over the top and excessive. It still is. Another warrior, Rei, has a lazer finger technique that is bloody, precise, and flashy. If you haven't seen the film then I have good news for you. Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is a two player local co-op game based off the magna (of which the anime was based) and a demo is available today on XBL.
The game's developer is Koei, so yep, it's Dynasty Warriors with Fist of the North Star characters. Which is great if you like a little blood and guts with your waves of enemies. I put the demo through its paces. It's a fun beat'em up with some fantastic special move effects. Unfortunately, the demo is only for single player. It should be noted that if you choose Ken's story you get a boss fight with Jagi. If you choose Rei you get a whole level of slicing through baddies leading up to a boss fight with Boss Fang.
Tecmo Koei has built Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage in the frame of their popular Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises, with players frantically fighting off legions of vicious foes as they progress through North Star's iconic vision of postapocalyptic Earth.
Ken's Rage has two playable stories: an "origin story" adapted from the original Fist of the North Star manga, and a new narrative written exclusively for the game supervised by the original manga creators.
Ken's Rage boasts nine playable characters, including Hokuto Shinken-trained Kenshiro, ruthless rival Raoh, and Nanto Suichoken master Rei. All nine characters are available for local co-operative play in the game's new storyline.
Where Ken's Rage saw some initial censoring in its homeland of Japan, the Western versions retain the source material's explosively violent aesthetic, with not a pint of plasma spared for the ESRB.
Here's the trailer fromt this year's E3.
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage will support two player local co-op and is scheduled for a November 2 release.
Source: Gamepro.com