Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire

Also known as: Jackie Chan: The Kung-Fu Master (North America), Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire: Jackie Chan Densetsu (Japan)

Developer: Kaneko

I'm not quite sure what to say about Jackie Chan's arcade fighting game. It seems to go a little overboard with Jackie Chan: every boss fight is a variation of Jackie Chan from one of his several movies. It also seems to go overboard to protect Mr. Chan, since when you defeat him (which can be a pain due to fighting that can feel cheap), Jackie just drops to a knee in defeat, rather than get laid out like every other fighter in the game. You can't play as any of the Jackie Chan variations, either. He's purely there to serve as boss fights and provide a name to this game. Like he's just taking it easy on you to see how much you've improved. The other fighters, who seem to be mostly actors from Jackie Chan films, don't get the same treatment. They can get knocked out, and sometimes they even get, well, murdered. The non-Jackie Chan fights feel like a sloppy Mortal Kombat, complete with the opportunity to "Finish them." The fighting feels choppy and lacks any real excitement…I kicked my opponent towards the screen and "broke" the screen, and almost fell asleep while doing so. How dull does a fighting game have to be to have scenarios like that and still fail to feel exciting? Anyway, if you find yourself in a position to play Fists of Fire, it may be worth playing as a curiosity, but I highly doubt that anyone will consider this to be one of their favorite games. If they do, you can probably call them a "liar, liar fists of fire!"

Review added: 04/11/2023

Joust

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Williams

In the early 80s, the arcades were a place where you would go if you wanted to see innovation. Sure, some home and computer video games provided some unique ideas, but it seemed like developers and publishers would be willing to try just about any concept at the arcades, and if it worked, then it would be ported (and cloned) for home use. Joust was one of those innovative games…there wasn't really anything like it before. The concept is that you control a "knight" that rides on a large bird, battling enemy knights, also riding large birds: player one rides an ostrich, player two rides a stork, and the enemies ride buzzards, in case anyone was curious which avian species we're dealing with here. Your goal is to fly around the area, which is a single screen split into three levels, and try to defeat the enemy knights by hitting them in their skulls with your lance. If you're successful, the enemy knight will transform into an egg. You then need to quickly capture that egg before it hatches, otherwise you'll be dealing with an even deadlier knight in short fashion. As you advance in the game, you'll also come across pterodactyls and lava trolls to contend with. Pterodactyls are only beatable by ramming them in the mouth with your lance. The lava trolls are neither enemy nor friend. As the lava pits open up, if you happen to fly too close to the lava, you will see hands reach up and try to grab you and your feathered friend. If they are successful, you need to have your ostrich or stork flap their wings as quickly as possible to escape their grasp, otherwise those giant hands will drag you right into the lava. On a positive note, though, the enemies are in the same danger as you are, and you may see a few buzzards get pulled down into the lava, leaving one less enemy to contend with. Anyway, Joust, at its best, is unique, frantic fun that is just as fun to play when you're playing solo as it is when you're playing with a pal. So, if you're looking for a fowl game that isn't foul at all, then Joust is an excellent pick that's still just as fun today as it was back in 1982.

Review added: 08/08/2026

Jungle Hunt

Also known as: Jungle King (Original title)

Developer: Taito

Initially known as Jungle King, starring a Tarzan-like character, this game was then changed to be called Jungle Hunt, starring an explorer in safari gear. Aside from those changes, there are also minor differences, like a Jungle Hunt "theme" playing in part of the game instead of a Tarzan-like howl, but in terms of actual gameplay, they're identical. If you're wondering why the game was changed, well, it's pretty simple. The trustees of Edgar Rice Burroughs' estate threatened to sue Taito for using Tarzan's likeness. So, rather than scrap the game altogether, Taito felt like the end product was solid, so they swapped out the jungle man with the safari man, made a few minor tweaks, and Jungle Hunt was born. While I haven't played it yet to confirm if it's worth reviewing on its own or if I should just lump it in here as an alternate title, Taito also created a game called Pirate Pete, which seems to essentially be Jungle Hunt at sea. Anyway, all of that out of the way, Jungle Hunt is a game with four screens or levels. The first level has the safari man jumping across swinging ropes (vines in Jungle King), where the player has to time their jumps in order to successfully make it across. From there, you're swimming with crocodiles in the water. You can press the fire button to stab the crocodiles, but it only hurts them when their mouths are partially or fully closed…otherwise, you're their lunch. You also need to make sure that you rise to the surface every now and then, since the safari guy doesn't have gills and he'll need some air. On the third screen, you are controlling the safari man as he runs uphill, avoiding large and small boulders as they tumble towards him. You can slow down or speed up, as well as duck or jump, to ensure that a big ol' rock doesn't splatter you. The final screen has the woman that you're trying to save tied up over a pot of boiling water, and the natives that kidnapped her pacing around. Your goal is to hop over the natives and grab your gal. After a successful rescue, the four levels loop again, but on a harder difficulty. Overall, Jungle Hunt is a solid game, and it got ported to various home consoles and computers, where I feel like it was better suited. If you get a chance to play Jungle Hunt (or even Jungle King), you won't likely feel like you've wasted your quarters if you give it a try.

Review added: 08/08/2026