''International Karate'' is a fighting game developed and published by System 3 for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

in 1985 and ported to various home computers over the following years. In the United States it was published by

Epyx Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher active in the late 1970s and 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before ren ...

in 1986 as ''World Karate Championship''. It was the first European-developed game to become a major hit in the United States, where it sold over copies. However, it drew controversy for its similarities to ''

Karate Champ ''Karate Champ'', known in Japan as , is a 1984 arcade fighting game developed by Technōs Japan (which would later developing 1995 Neo Geo titles '' Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer'' with SNK) and released by Data East. A variety of moves can be per ...

'' (1984), which led to

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The A ...

filing a lawsuit against Epyx. '' International Karate +'', a successor which expanded the gameplay, was released in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

Gameplay

The core game is a two-dimensional, one-on-one,

versus fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...

. Players take on the roles of martial artists competing in a

kumite Kumite ( ja, 組手, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary. Kumite can be used to develop a par ...

tournament. Rather than wearing down an opponent's health, the goal is instead to score single solid hits. After each hit, combat stops and both combatants are returned to their starting positions. Depending on how well players hit their opponent, they score either a half-point or a full point. Matches can be quite brief, as only two full points are required to win, and a point can be quickly scored just seconds after a round begins. In single-player mode, successive opponents increase in difficulty from novice white belts to master black belts. Play continues as long as the player continues to win matches. Between fights, bonus mini-games focusing on rhythm and timing appear, including one in which the player must break a number of stacked boards using the fighter's head. As in newer games in the genre, starting specifically with ''

Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...

'', the fights take place against a variety of backdrops (eight in total) representing different locations in the world: the Mount Fuji (Tokyo, Japan), the Sydney Harbour (Sydney, Australia), the Statue of Liberty (New York, USA), the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

(Beijing, China), the Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), the Palace of Westminster (London, England), the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considere ...

(Athens, Greece), and the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient Worl ...

(Cairo, Egypt). The title utilizes the standard one-button joystick, allowing players to execute a variety of karate techniques. Unlike modern 2D fighting games, players do not turn around if the opponent is behind them and must instead execute one of three "turn-around" maneuvers to change direction.

Ports

left, Atari ST version, alt= The Spectrum version was used as the starting point for the

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Si ...

port.The Making of: International Karate, IK+
" In: ''

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' soon became ...

'', Issue 26, pp. 42-47. Another port exists for the MSX platform. A version for the Atari ST home computer was created by Andromeda Software and released in 1986. This version featured the most advanced graphics of all versions as the 16 bit hardware supported more colors and larger sprites. The port to

IBM PC compatible IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM Personal Computer, IBM PC, IBM Personal Computer XT, XT, and IBM Personal Computer/AT, AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such ...

s, published the same year, uses 4-color CGA graphics.

Lawsuit

After the release of ''World Karate Championship'' in the US in late April 1986, Epyx was sued by video game publisher

for infringement of copyright, trademark, and trade dress. The dispute was about similarities to the 1984 arcade game ''

'' and its home computer adaptations published in 1985. ''International Karate'' used the same colored fighters and had the same points system. The initial trial at the District Court for the Northern District of California began on 28 October 1986. In his decision of 28 January 1987, the court dismissed the allegations of trademark and trade dress infringement but found Epyx guilty of infringing upon Data East USA's copyright on ''Karate Champ''. Data East was granted a permanent injunction against Epyx, Inc., and an impoundment was also ordered to restrain Epyx from selling or distributing ''World Karate Championship'', and Epyx was also required to recall all copies of the game from customers and distributors. The decision was appealed the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

, who in November 1988 reversed the decision, stating that while the game was similar, it was not identical and that one game company can not monopolize one entire sport.''Data East v. Epyx''
862 F. 2d 204, 9 U.S.P.Q.2d (BNA) 1322
(9th Cir. 1988). As a result, Melbourne House did not sue System 3 nor Epyx, as the game ''

The Way of the Exploding Fist ''The Way of the Exploding Fist'' is a 1985 fighting game based on Japanese martial arts developed by Beam Software, by a team consisting of Gregg Barnett, Bruce Bayley, Neil Brennan and David Johnston. Originally developed on the Commodore 64 and ...

'' (1985) is also very similar to both of these games, though the game itself also borrowed heavily from Data East's ''Karate Champ''.

Reception

''World Karate Championship'' was a commercial success in the United States, where it became the first European-developed game to top the '' Billboard'' software charts. The game went on to sell over copies in the United States. Rick Teverbaugh reviewed the game for '' Computer Gaming World'', and stated that "Epyx continues to take a strong stand in the foreground of the arcade sports programs with World Karate Championship." '' Computer Gaming World'' called the game "an original ''Karate Champ'' clone, but it's the best one available ... Great scenery adds to the ambience". ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History T ...

'' reviewed the ZX Spectrum version in 1990, giving it a 74% score. ''

'' gave the game an 86% rating, referring to it as an underrated but "excellent" game that got overshadowed due to the legal controversy and ''The Way of the Exploding Fist'' releasing on home computers before it.

Legacy

In 2000, a Game Boy Color version, created without input from Archer Maclean, was released as ''International Karate 2000''. It sported some enhancements, and was the basis for ''International Karate Advanced'' released in 2001 for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...

. The C64 version saw re-releases in 2004 as a title on the

C64 Direct-to-TV The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick (modeled after the mid-1980s Competition Pro joystick), with 30 built-in games. The design is similar to the A ...

, and in 2008 on the Wii

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Uni ...

.Hugo Jobling, February 22, 2008
Commodore 64 Coming to Wii Virtual Console
trustedreviews.com, retrieved on 25 February 2008.

''International Karate +''

'' International Karate +'', a successor which expanded the gameplay, was released in 1987.

References

External links

* *{{WoS game, id=0002502 1985 video games Amstrad CPC games Atari 8-bit family games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games DOS games Game Boy Color games Karate video games MSX games Multiplayer and single-player video games Fighting games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Virtual Console games ZX Spectrum games Video games involved in plagiarism controversies Video games scored by Rob Hubbard Video games set in Australia Video games set in Brazil Video games set in China Video games set in Egypt Video games set in Greece Video games set in London Video games set in New York City Video games set in Tokyo Epyx games