Kick

Also known as: Kick Man, Kickman

Developer: Midway

When I was a wee lad, the only computer games that I played were educational games in school and the small handful of Commodore 64 games that I had. Kickman was one of those few games. However, before it was ported to the Commodore 64 and before it became a "man," this game was simply called Kick and it hit arcades in 1981. Supposedly, however, development for this game actually started several years earlier, in 1978, and it was a prototype called Catch 40. In that game, the goal was to run back and forth while catching objects on your head. Game testing showed that the game got too difficult too quickly, with objects falling faster than the player could reach them, so the game went into a period of stagnation before being revisited and updated as Kick. In Kick, the character was redesigned as a clown on a unicycle and to combat the pesky aspect of objects falling faster than the player could reach them, the ability to kick the falling objects back into the air was introduced, which is where the new game name came from. Stages were also changed up, with different goals on each stage. The first stage, the goal is to simply pop each balloon that falls from the sky with a spike on the clown's hat. The second stage has you stacking balloons on the clown's head, with Pac-Man (and the ghosts) making an unlicensed appearance to sometimes drop down and eat all the balloons stacked on the clown's cranium for bonus points. Likewise, if Pac-Man is on the clown's head, it will automatically eat balloons stacked up once you've got a set number collected. Kick is a good, fun game…but unfortunately one that didn't really see a lot of success in the arcade. The Commodore 64 port of the game got a better reception, but the arcade original seems to be a solid, forgotten title. If you've never given the game a try, I definitely recommend it - it's not going to blow anyone away, but it's a decent little game to pass a few minutes on a rainy day.

Review added: 04/07/2026

King & Balloon

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Namco

I honestly did not think I would enjoy King & Balloon as much as I did…Basically, King & Balloon is a spin-off of Galaxian, but not in space. Instead of shooting down space ships, you're shooting down hot air balloons and instead of controlling a space ship, you're controlling two green men holding an orange cannon. Beneath the cannon is the king that you want to protect. The balloons sway from side to side on the screen, and much like in Galaxian, hot air balloons will leave the fleet to divebomb their way down to the bottom of the screen. If they get past you without you shooting them down, they will likely pick up the king. Your goal is then to shoot the hot air balloon carrying him off before he leaves the top of the screen otherwise you've lost a life. If you do manage to shoot the king down, he'll safely float back down to the bottom of the screen thanks to an umbrella that he had handy. The cannon can be hit repeatedly, but when it gets hit, there is a delay before it's operational again. So while being hit by bullets won't cost you a life in theory, that delay before being able to use the cannon again could be the difference between saving the king and letting him float off into the clouds. This game also features some voice audio from the king. When he's captured by the balloons, he'll yell, "HELP!" When he's rescued and floating back to the ground, he'll yell, "THANK YOU!" And when you fail to save ol' kingsy, he'll yell, "BYE BYE!" Anyway, King & Balloon is a nice take on the Galaxian formula. It may not be an official sequel, but it's definitely a spiritual one. If you enjoy games like Galaxian or Galaga, then King & Balloon is a solid game to play…especially if you're tired of shooting stuff in outer space and want a change of scenery.

Review added: 11/20/2025

The King of Fighters '94

Also known as: N/A

Developer: SNK

Street Fighter II was an absolute masterpiece that was such a success that several other companies attempted to get in on the fighting game fad. One of the most successful fighting game franchises to spawn during that time was the King of Fighters, and it all started with this game. King of Fighters '94 was a crossover fighting game featuring characters from Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, original characters, and some folks from other SNK properties as well. Unlike most fighting games that were simply 1-on-1 affairs with the goal to win 2 out of 3 rounds, King of Fighters ’94 provided a different take on the genre – 3-on-3 teams with no rounds, but instead the goal is to eliminate each member of the opposing team. Once all members of a team have been eliminated in 1-on-1 fights, you advance to the next round. While not quite as smooth as fluid as Capcom’s flagship fighter, King of Fighters ’94 was still an amazing fighting game for its time and it spawned  a large number of sequels, most of which are very good-to-excellent fighting games.

Review added: 09/02/2019

The King of Fighters '95

Also known as: N/A

Developer: SNK

King of Fighters '95 is the sequel to King of Fighters '94, and a vast improvement on that game, which was already a pretty solid fighter. With increased speed, smoother controls, and an expanded roster, this game is the one in the series that began to spawn gamers that would swear up and down that King of Fighters is a better fighting game franchise than Street Fighter. I, personally, don't share that opinion, but I do believe that this is the game that made it clear that SNK knew how to make an excellent fighting game. To further improve on King of Fighters '94, in that game, you had to select a pre-made team. You can still do that here, but you also have the option to make your own team by selecting any three fighters. So, if you're great at playing as King, Choi, and Terry, you can make that team a reality, and not have to worry about brawling with a fighter that you may not be so great with.  Dodges and counterattacks were also improved to create a better overall fighting experience. King of Fighters '95 is one of the best games in the series, and well worth checking out if you ever have an opportunity to play it.

Review added: 09/02/2019

King of the Monsters

Also known as: N/A

Developer: SNK

It doesn't necessarily look like it, but King of the Monsters is actually a glorified professional wrestling game with wrestlers replaced by giant monsters and the wrestling ring replaced with cities surrounded by electric barriers that act as ring ropes. The goal is to beat up your opponent(s), often with wrestling moves, and use the city to your advantage as you do. The victor isn’t determined by the first one to deplete their opponent of energy. Instead, it’s decided by pummeling your opponent until they’re down on the ground, then you need to cover them and keep them down for a three count…you know, standard professional wrestling rules. If that wasn't enough to convince you that this is professional wrestling with monsters, then once you play, you'll understand. There's nothing like irish-whipping a Godzilla look-alike into a ferris wheel, then picking them up and giving them an atomic drop. King of the Monsters is not a perfect game by any means, and sometimes the matches overstay their welcome a bit, but King of the Monsters can be an enjoyable experience for fans of wrestling games and fans of giant monster films alike. If you're a fan of both, well, then this game will likely find a place in your heart…Especially if the idea of a giant beetle giving a mud monster a body slam into a radio tower sounds like it would be a good time.

Review added: 01/30/2022

Knuckle Bash

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Toaplan

Being a huge professional wrestling fan, as well as a Final Fight fan, this was a very pleasant surprise to find. Knuckle Bash is basically a mix between a fighting game and a side-scrolling beat-em-up, but all of the characters are professional wrestlers. As you can probably tell from the screenshot - they're mostly the over-the-top gimmick sort of wrestlers.  The controls aren't smooth, and the action isn't always exciting, but I enjoyed myself enough to see the game through to the end....more than once, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit. The ability to "recruit" some of your opponents as you go, increasing your selection of playable characters is a pretty neat idea, too. Essentially, by the end, you'll have a little wrestling faction that you'll be in control of, allowing you to beat up the dastardly heels with a small assortment of grapplers. Knuckle Bash will probably never make someone's "best games of all-time" list, but I really enjoyed it for what it is, even if it's only just barely passable.

Review added: 10/03/2019