Software:Shao-lin's Road

From HandWiki
Shao-lin's Road
Japanese arcade flyer
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami (arcade)
The Edge (computers)[1]
Platform(s)Arcade, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum
ReleaseArcade
  • JP: March 23, 1985[2]
  • WW: April 1985
Commodore 64
ZX Spectrum
Amstrad CPC
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)1 or 2 players alternating turns
Arcade systemKonami 6809[4]

Shao-lin's Road (少林寺への道),[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] also released in North America as Kicker, is a 1985 beat 'em up video game released by Konami. The game was commercially successful, becoming a chart hit in the arcades.[5] It was ported to several early home computers and has also been featured in classics compilations Konami Arcade Classics for the PlayStation in 1998 and Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits for the Nintendo DS in 2007.

The game was also released as a download-only title as part of Microsoft's Game Room for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in 2010, as well as Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2023.

Plot

Players take control of Wanpyou (ワンピョウ) (renamed Kicker in Kicker, renamed Lee in other ports), who has just mastered the secret of Chin-style Shaolin martial arts. He then encounters the Triad Yamucha Gang (ヤムチャ団), also responsible for the assassination of his master Raochuu (ラオチュー), and is trapped within their Jaken Temple (邪拳寺). He attempts to escape and enact revenge with his new-found skills.

Gameplay

The controls consist of a four-position joystick and two buttons. The goal of each level ("step") is to defeat a set number of enemies, as indicated by an on-screen meter. The player can move left or right, jump between platforms/floors, and attack with various jumping/kicking strikes.

Enemies emerge from doorways to attack the player; some fight hand-to-hand, while others throw projectiles. Defeating a green-clad enemy causes a colored sphere to appear, which grants the player one of three power-up weapons for a few seconds if caught: a meteor hammer, the ability to throw fireballs, or a ball that orbits the player and damages any enemy it touches. Food items occasionally float across the screen and can be struck for bonus points.

The player can take three hits from enemies or their projectiles and continue fighting, but a fourth hit costs one life. Each step is divided into two parts; the second half includes a fight against a boss character, who requires five hits to defeat and may have a special attack technique. Once all enemies in either half of a step are defeated, the player earns bonus points based on the number of hits taken in that half and the damage meter is fully restored.

The game includes a total of five different step designs, which repeat in a cycle with increasing difficulty. Once all lives are lost, the game ends.

Reception and legacy

In Japan, Game Machine listed Shao-lin's Road on their June 15, 1985 issue as being the twenty-second most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[6] In Europe, Shao-lin's Road was marketed as a follow-up to Yie Ar Kung-Fu and became a commercial success in arcades.[7] The Legend of Kage, released by Taito later the same year, was influenced by Shao-lin's Road.[8]

Records

The current arcade world record is held by Estel Goffinet scoring 50,000,000 points on June 28 of 2014 in just under 32 hours of play. The score is listed in the Twin Galaxies database.

The current arcade world record for "Extreme Settings" is held by Joe Hudak scoring 5,054,500 points on September 17 of 2018. The score is listed in the Twin Galaxies database.

Adrian Rodriguez holds the official world record of 13,007,800 in the MAME platform on Twin Galaxies on 2018.[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Various ports use Shao-Lin's Road or ショーリンズロード to refer to the game.
  2. ↑ "少林寺への道" is also the name of the Japanese release of 18 Bronzemen (少林寺十八銅人); Shao-lin's Road may have been planned to be based on that film in a similar manner to Spartan X.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Shao Lin's Road Release Information for Amstrad CPC - GameFAQs". http://www.gamefaqs.com/cpc/941006-shao-lins-road/data. 
  2. ↑ "Shao-lin's Road (Registration Number PA0000257007)". https://cocatalog.loc.gov. 
  3. ↑ "Shao-Lin's Road , Arcade Video game by Konami Industry (1985)". http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=shao-lins-road&page=detail&id=2409. 
  4. ↑ "System 16 - Konami 6809 Based Hardware (Konami)". http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=556. 
  5. ↑ Sinclair User, January 1987, page 94
  6. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (Amusement Press, Inc.) (262): 25. 15 June 1985. 
  7. ↑ "Shao-lin's Road: The arcade hit... in your home!". Popular Computing Weekly: 16. 19 February 1987. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1987-02-19/page/n15. 
  8. ↑ Hamilton, Ferdy (20 December 1986). "Legend of Kage". Commodore User (40 (January 1987)). https://archive.org/details/commodore-user-magazine-40/page/n28. 
  9. ↑ Kicker Marathon Settings (MAME) World Record by Adrian Rodriguez, December 7, 2018, https://www.twingalaxies.com/showthread.php/196602 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Shao-lin%27s_Road&oldid=789713"