For almost as long as electronic games have been in penny arcades and the boardwalks of old there have been machines designed to test the strength and punching prowess of gamers. Some tested the hand grip strength of patrons, others Punching games have been part of the arcade scene for a long time and have never really disappeared. If anything they have evolved with technology and trends and have managed to keep on entertaining for decades.
The simplest type of punching game measures the punching strength and speed on some sort of scale. Most of the machines consist of a punching bag and an LCD screen. In some arcades these are ticket dispensing prize machines and have limited gameplay.
In 1990 Taito combined the punching game with the videogame in
Sonic Blast Man. In it players wore boxing gloves and assumed the role of the over-the-top superhero Sonic Blast Man. Players were treated to simple scenarios going up in difficulty regarding speed and punching power. In the early stages our hero would get the chance to punch out a mugger. In latter levels he would get the chance to punch out a runaway truck, giant octopus and even meteor.
The character got a chance to shine on the Super Nintendo in two games. These titles were not like the arcade at all but instead side-scrolling brawlers like Final Fight or Double Dragon. The original title featured only Sonic Blast Man but the sequel introduced two new characters, Sonia and Captain Choyear, each with variations on the punching powers. The games were short and simplistic but gamers could take comfort in being able to punch opponents into oblivion.
Sonic Blast Man predated the over-the-top fighting of games like Capcom?s Godhand by more than a decade, yet was not the first or best game in the arcade to use the punching mechanic. Capcom had in fact beaten Taito to the punch (pardon the pun) in 1986.
The original Street Fighter arcade cabinet featured two oversized buttons that responded to the force applied to punches or kicks, from light and medium to hard. This game came out years before Sonic Blast Man and was far more interactive. Unfortunately for many arcade owners the pads were not always responsive and required routine maintenance. Gamers could not get into the early SF mechanics and the pads were quickly swapped out for the now standard six button control scheme.
The punching mechanic was perfected in another arcade title,
Hokuto No Ken (HNK), or Fist of the North Star. In in players assumed the role of Kenshiro and would play through scenarios made famous in the manga and animé series. Players donned hard plastic gloves and punched at targets timed with animations on the screen. The moves and techniques that were used in the comics actually made their way into the patterns employed in the game. It was a fun title but exhausting for the amount of effort, reflexes and timing required to get through levels.
Taito is not hoping to topple HNK as the most interactive punching game ever but instead celebrate the arrival of the punching icon.
Sonic Blast Heroes is not only getting a new arcade title but also a graphical makeover. As is the case with modern characters the hero himself is swollen to ungodly proportions. Aside from punching a new target in the arcade I really look forward to hearing the new soundtrack provided by their internal music group Zuntata.
The Zuntata team celebrates 25 years in 2012. I had previously talked about the studio and a free album they published in Arcadia. Many game companies have come and gone in the past 25 years, it is rare to find a group that has not only survived the generations but has also maintained quality in their productions.
To celebrate Taito is publishing the Cozmo album which is a collection of the best from Zuntata. Arcade classics, console and handheld releases all appear on the album. From Battle Gear to Darius Burst, all of the catchy melodies are on the album. Check the track listing on the website and if there is a Japanese bookstore near you be sure to order a copy for yourself!
Do you ever play punching games in the arcade? If so which is your favorite? Do you have a favorite music team, or an underrated music team in gaming? I'd like to hear about it.
I bet you thought I was going to talk about the other Sonic announcement with this blog. But I'm not. Here is the video of Sonic with Sonic?
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