Will try the free game, but initially not interested.
For those of you wondering about Karateka, here is my take.
It tells the stories of three men who long for the same beautiful woman, captured by a warlord and held captive in a fortress. Each man, starting with the woman's true love, has an opportunity to save her. He, alas, has the most difficult challenge, while the ascetic monk who comes behind him -- should the true love fail -- has it somewhat easier. The crass brute, who arrives should the monk fail, is even stronger and has an even easier road.
The ending, naturally, depends on which man rescues the woman.
The game takes the old idea of the 8-bit game and mixes it with a rhythm game, where the battle is won by being able to hear audio cues and responding with the appropriate pattern of defensive moves and offensive strikes. There are some clever variations on this, and it is a difficult game. I have finished only on the brute and the monk. I have gotten nearly to the final battle with the true love, but I can't imagine I will ever win.
Some have complained about the animation, graphics, and so forth. These are ancillary. They tell the story and represent the action just fine. Deal with it.
There are, however a few bugs. I have had my copy lock up at least a half-dozen times. I also encountered a bizarre bug where an enemy ran behind me and kept running and the camera zoomed out further and further trying to keep us both in view. Very strange.
For $10, I got my money's worth, but I was dedicated to enjoying it. I don't believe that most people would want to pay $10, but at $5, it's getting close to a good buy.
Read other reviews for other opinions.
I think I have this trophy. I probably had 29 minutes on the clock. It took me 2-3 full games, losing the brute at the end of each. Perhaps I just suck? Hard to know.
