PixlBit

Kick, punch, it’s all in the mind.

On October 18, 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System was launched in the US. Among the 18 games released alongside it was Kung Fu. A rather unassuming title, Kung Fu has an intriguing history behind it. It started as an arcade game from Irem called Kung-Fu Master and was intended to be based on the movie Game of Death- Bruce Lee’s final film before he died. Later in the course of development, the story and characters were changed to become a tie-in to the Jackie Chan film Spartan X (aka Wheels on Meals). Most noteworthy about the game was its genre-defining gameplay elements that are considered by many to be the first example of what would come to be known as a beat ‘em up.

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Bigger, but not better.

In 1988, the Summer Olympics took place in Seoul, South Korea. Capitalizing on this event, Konami released the latest game in their Hyper Sports series, Konamic Sports in Seoul on the Famicom. The game was released a year later in the US as Track & Field II. If the original Track & Field were a person, it would be the humble, modest friend quietly entering the room. Track & Field II, on the other hand, is more like the gregarious guy that wants to be the life of the party. Instead of the meager eight sporting events of the first game, this one features 15 athletic events (11 of which were new to the NES series).

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Fighting crime...in a future time!

Welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! Julian and Justin look to the future in this episode, as we list our favorite bits of tech in video games. Also, Okami takes on Shadow of the Colossus in the steel cage. Join us, will you?

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It's a party, y'all!

Welcome, welcome, welcome, to the 150^th episode of Nerds Without Pants! We have an amazing show for you this week. So amazing, telling you about what’s in this episode would spoil everything! Okay, you twisted my arm. We’re joined by {REDACTED}, who surprises us all by announcing {REDACTED}. After that, we spend some time talking about {REDACTED} and announcing the winner of the second Great Game Giveaway: {REDACTED}! Then, we jump into the meat of the show.

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Fifteen years old but still fresh for newcomers.

As much as I love games, I dread the hours it takes to get over the hump of one that’s new and unfamiliar. When I finally get over it, I hope that I didn’t waste those hours on a game I won’t keep playing. So when I fired up Disgaea 1 Complete for the Nintendo Switch I wasn’t sure what to expect. Even though it’s been fifteen years since the game’s initial release, it was still a new and unfamiliar title for me. Thankfully, I’m glad to say that the hours spent getting over that initial hump were worth it.

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