Software:The Way of the Exploding Fist

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Short description: 1985 video game
The Way of the Exploding Fist
Developer(s)Beam Software
Publisher(s)Melbourne House[1]
Designer(s)Gregg Barnett
Bruce Bayley
David Johnston
Neil Brennan
Composer(s)Neil Brennan
Platform(s)Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, Commodore 16
Release
[3]
Genre(s)Fighting game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The Way of the Exploding Fist is a 1985 fighting game developed by Beam Software and published by Melbourne House for the Commodore 64. It was later ported to Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron and Commodore 16. It is based on Japanese martial arts. The development team consisted of Gregg Barnett, Bruce Bayley, Neil Brennan and David Johnston.

Gameplay

Commodore 64 gameplay

The game has various backgrounds that change as the player progresses through the levels: inside a dojo, an outdoor field with snowy mountains and volcanoes, a Buddha statue, or some pagodas.

The player takes part in a series of one-on-one karate matches, all overseen by a wise old expert who appears in the background. Once the player defeats an opponent they move up to the next stage and a more difficult adversary. Fights are not won using the energy-bar style found in modern fighting games; instead, the player needed to get two complete yin-yangs. Any move that connected with the opponent would end the round; a loosely timed or borderline kick or punch would obtain half a yin-yang icon, while a well-executed move would obtain a full icon. Two complete icons ended the bout and progressed to the next level.

This system of scoring, known as shobu nihon kumite, is used in real life in many traditional styles of karate. A half yin-yang represents a waza-ari (a committed but not decisive technique) and a full yin-yang represents an ippon score (full point, decisive finishing blow).

The game control is via joystick or direction keys and a "fire" key. 18 different movements can be made, including jumping kick, roundhouse kick and a variety of punches and kicks, high and low. The game features a variety of backgrounds against which the fighting takes place. After completing a number of progressively harder stages, the player is charged at by a bull in a bonus round. The player must knock the bull out with a single hit. The bonus round mirrors the feats of Mas Oyama, a karate expert who purportedly killed bulls with a single strike. This bonus round was not present in the ZX Spectrum version and some of the early Commodore 64 versions.

Production

Before creating The Way of the Exploding Fist, designer Gregg Barnett converted The Hobbit and Sherlock, two adventures from Beam Software, to the Commodore 64.[4] It was one of the first games to borrow heavily from the Data East arcade game Karate Champ, which was released the previous year. The Commodore 64 version uses over 600 sprite images to animate the player's movements.[5] Karate champion Jeoffrey Thompson was signed[6] to promote the game but was not sufficiently well known to have the game named after him.[7] A Nintendo Entertainment System version was developed by Beam Software but it was never released.

The game's soundtrack was written by Neil Brennan and it is based on the 1952 orchestral piece Dance of the Yao People. It has been praised for the excellent atmosphere it provided and was one reason behind the popularity of the game.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCZX
Crash92%[8]
Sinclair UserStarStarStarStarStar[9]
Your Sinclair83%[10]
Computer GamerStarStarStarStar (CPC)[11]StarStarStarStar[11]
Retro Gamer86% (8-bit)[12]
Awards
PublicationAward
Golden Joystick AwardsGame of the Year[13]
Saturday Superstore Viewer AwardsVoted Best Game[14]
CrashCrash Smash
Sinclair UserSU Classic
Amstrad ActionMastergame[15]

The Way of the Exploding Fist topped the UK software sales charts for two months, in September[16] and October 1985,[17][18] until it was replaced by Monty on the Run.[19]

The Way of the Exploding Fist became the best-selling computer game of 1985 in the UK.[20][21] It sold 150,000 copies for the ZX Spectrum by 1987,[22] and a total of 500,000 copies across all platforms in Europe.[23][24]

The Commodore 64 version received a positive review in Zzap!64 magazine, which called it a "Sizzler" and praised the game's sound and graphics, scoring it 93% overall.[5] Ahoy! said that the Commodore 64 version was "an excellent start for a new software label", with a "good balance of action and strategy" and some of the best graphics of the year.[25] Your Sinclair reviewers praised the visceral sound effects.[26]

Accolades

The game was voted Game of the Year at the third Golden Joystick Awards, with Melbourne House picking up Best Software House.[13] It also received the "Voted Best Game" award at the Saturday Superstore Viewer Awards.[14] The ZX Spectrum version was placed at number 67 on the "Your Sinclair official top 100" list in 1991.[27] In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the game 76th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time" list.[28]

Sequels

There were three sequels: Fist II: The Legend Continues (1986) and Fist II: The Tournament (1987) and Exploding Fist +. Of these three, Fist II: The Legend Continues is not a fighting game involving player-versus-player, but a scrolling adventure game with one-on-one fighting elements. Exploding Fist +, on the other hand, returns to the style of the first game. It features combat with three characters, an idea followed from International Karate +, though in this case it is possible for players to control the three characters simultaneously.

References

  1. ↑ First Fist, Then... In: Your Computer. August 1985, p. 40.
  2. ↑ "Martial Arts from Melbourne". Popular Computing Weekly 4 (22): 1. 31 May 1985. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2859&page=1. Retrieved 21 June 2024. 
  3. ↑ "Commodore Show". Popular Computing Weekly 4 (24): 5. 13 June 1985. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1985-06-13/page/n5. Retrieved 21 June 2024. 
  4. ↑ First Fist, Then... In: Your Computer. August 1985, p. 42.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Way of the Exploding Fist". Zzap!64 (4 (August 1985)): 30–32. 11 July 1985. https://archive.org/details/zzap64-magazine-004/page/n29/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ Jeoff Thompson: Karate: The Pursuit of Excellence. Gallery Books, 1988, p. 126. ISBN 0-8317-5304-8.
  7. ↑ Jim Lennox: Why the sports stars are loaded. In: The Guardian, January 16th 1986. – In his article Lennox discusses how, spawned by Daley Thompson's Decathlon, a number of British sportsmen have endorsed and lend their name to computer games. Among them are Frank Bruno's Boxing, Barry McGuigan World Championship Boxing, Ian Botham, Steve Davis and Bobby Charlton.
  8. ↑ "World of Spectrum – Forced Redirect". worldofspectrum.org. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue21/Pages/Crash2100013.jpg. 
  9. ↑ "World of Spectrum – Forced Redirect". worldofspectrum.org. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=SinclairUser/Issue043/Pages/SinclairUser04300027.jpg. 
  10. ↑ "The YS Complete Guide To Beat-'em-ups". Your Spectrum (53 (May 1990)). 12 April 1990. http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/completeguidetobeatemups.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-26. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "World of Spectrum – Forced Redirect". worldofspectrum.org. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=ComputerGamer/Issue07/Pages/ComputerGamer0700074.jpg. 
  12. ↑ "8-Bit-'Em-Ups". Retro Gamer (22): 56–7. March 2006. https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_022/page/56/mode/2up. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Golden Joystick Awards". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (55): 90. May 1986. https://archive.org/stream/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_055_1986-05_EMAP_Publishing_GB/Computer__Video_Games_Issue_055_1986-05_EMAP_Publishing_GB#page/n89/mode/2up. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Thank you from The Home of the Hits!". Popular Computing Weekly: 7. 30 January 1986. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1986-01-30/page/n6/mode/1up. 
  15. ↑ Game review, Amstrad Action magazine, Future Publishing, issue 1, October 1985
  16. ↑ "The Software Chart". Computer and Video Games (49 (November 1985)): 30. 16 October 1985. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue049/Pages/CVG04900030.jpg. 
  17. ↑ "The Software Chart". Computer and Video Games (50 (December 1985)): 40. 16 November 1985. https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-050/page/n39/mode/1up. 
  18. ↑ "The Software Chart". Computer and Video Games (51 (January 1986)): 141. 16 December 1985. https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-051/page/n140/mode/1up. 
  19. ↑ "Charts". Popular Computing Weekly (Sunshine Publications) (45): 54. 7 November 1985. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2882&page=41. Retrieved 13 October 2022. 
  20. ↑ "News Desk: Exploding Fist tops Gallup 1985 charts". Popular Computing Weekly: 4. 20 March 1986. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1986-03-20/page/n3. 
  21. ↑ "Yie Ar tops charts for 1986". Popular Computing Weekly: 6. 12 February 1987. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1987-02-12/page/n5. 
  22. ↑ "Kick High". Crash (45): 41. October 1987. 1987-09-24. https://www.zx-spectrum.cz/zxsr/zxsr.php?mag=1&id=4082. 
  23. ↑ "NG Alphas: Melbourne House". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (33): 116. September 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_33/page/n117. 
  24. ↑ "Beam Software Company History". Archived from the original on October 21, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19971021035824/http://www.beam.com.au/E3/comphist.htm. Retrieved March 17, 2022. 
  25. ↑ Katz, Arnie (April 1986). "Kung Fu: The Way of the Exploding Fist". Ahoy!: 48–49. https://archive.org/details/ahoy-magazine-28/page/n47/mode/1up?view=theater. Retrieved 2024-09-04. 
  26. ↑ Oct 1988 YS34 at The Your Sinclair Rock 'n' Roll Years
  27. ↑ "The YS Top 100 Speccy Games Of All Time (Ever!)". Your Sinclair (70): 31. October 1991. http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/ystop100.htm. Retrieved 2006-09-04. 
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Games of All Time". GamesMaster (44): 75. July 1996. https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cf/GamesMaster_UK_044.pdf. 

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. 
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