Fist of the North Star is a 2D competitive fighting game produced by Sega and developed by Arc System Works, based on the manga series of the same name. It was originally released in 2005 as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswave hardware. A PlayStation 2 port, retitled Hokuto no Ken: Shinpan no Sōsōsei Kengō Retsuden, was released in Japan in March 2007. This version features a bonus DVD including an exclusive training mode and a documentary covering history of previous Hokuto no Ken titles for home consoles. The arcade version was officially distributed by Sega in North America, while the PS2 port was released only in Japan.
Gameplay
While in both terms of gameplay and visual style, the game is similar to the Guilty Gear series, some aspects of the mechanics are slightly different.
Below each character's lifebar is a gauge with seven "stars" in the shape of the Big Dipper. Special moves, supers, and some command normals can remove varying numbers of stars. Once empty, a final "Death Star" or "shichousei" will light up and the other player can perform a special "Fatal KO" attack that can instantly defeat them, regardless of their lifebar. The biggest difference is these moves may be easily comboed into, making them far more practical than their Guilty Gear counterparts. Players regain two stars at the start of each round, and one star any time an opponent unsuccessfully attempts to Fatal KO. After being Fatal KO'd, if the match is not over, that player starts the following round with all seven stars replenished.
Boost
Boost is one of the many meters in the game, displayed above the Aura meter in the game's HUD. The bar is divided into three sections or stocks. Using a boost allows a player to cancel a move after it hits, and also shoots the character forward. The player can also Boost when not doing a move, in order to jet across the screen quickly. Boosts are frequently used to perform combos that otherwise would not be possible.
Aura
Used to perform super moves and Guard Cancels The gauge can hold two stocks. The first stock fills the gauge up with blue; the second stock fills the gauge up with gold. When at least one stock is ready, text reading "GOD FIST BLOW" appears next to the gauge. If the player's opponent has lost all his stars, it will read "DEADLY FIST BLOW."
Characters
The game is based on the first half of the original manga and uses the characters as they were depicted in the 1980s manga and in the anime series. The voices of the playable characters are all performed by the original voice actors from the anime, with the exception of Kenshiro and Rei, who are both played by new actors.
