Wheels on Meals
Irem's "Kung-Fu Master", designed by Takashi Nishiyama and released in November 1984, was a side-scrolling beat 'em up that, at the end of each level, featured one-on-one boss battles that resemble fighting games. It was based on Hong Kong martial arts films, specifically Jackie Chan's "Wheels on Meals" (1984) and Bruce Lee's "Game of Death". Nishiyama later used its one-on-one boss battles as the basis for his fighting game "Street Figher". Nintendo's boxing sequel "Super Punch-Out", released for arcades in late 1984 and ported by Elite to home computers as "Frank Bruno's Boxing" in 1985, featured martial arts elements, high and low guard, ducking, lateral dodging, and a KO meter that is built up with successful attacks, and when full enables a special, more powerful punch to be thrown. Broderbund's "Karateka", designed by Jordan Mechner and released at the end of 1984, was a one-on-one fighting game for home computers that successfully experimented with adding plot to its fighting action, like the beat 'em up "Kung-Fu Master".