Urban Champion
Encyclopedia
is a 2-player fighting game
produced by Nintendo
in 1985. It was inspired by the 1984 Game & Watch
title, Boxing (also known as Punch-Out!!). It is also Nintendo's first 2D fighting game, followed by the Joy Mech Fight
, released exclusively in Japan for the same platform.
The purpose of the game is to knock the other player into a sewer
manhole
. There is a time limit, and the player has a set limit of stamina, both of which are represented by numbers. The player has two types of attacks: a light punch and a heavy punch. The light punch does not push your opponent as far as the heavy punch, but it is harder to block. The heavy punch sends your opponent reeling backwards, but can be blocked easily and takes a bit longer to pull off.
For every punch you throw, you lose 1 stamina. Flower pots are occasionally dropped from windows, which, if one hits a person, they will be dazed and will lose 5 stamina. When a player is knocked off the pavement, they would then advance to the next street. In addition, a police car may pass by the fighting at any point in the fight which causes the players to return to their starting positions. If the timer runs out then the police will arrest the player closest to being knocked off of the pavement, meaning it is a default win for the other player for that round. The fighters are not named and are just a palette swap of the player's character.
. It was an adaptation of the Game & Watch
video game called Boxing. It was released in the arcades as Vs. Urban Champion in 1985. It was later released in North America on August 1, 1986, and in Europe some time in 1986. Urban Champion was re-released for the Nintendo e-Reader, and then later on the Wii
's Virtual Console
. Urban Champion was later slightly altered in autostereoscopic 3D
by Arika
and released by Nintendo on the Nintendo 3DS
as a downloadable title on July 13, 2011 in Japan and the rest of the world on August 18, 2011. This release was featured amongst other games from the Nintendo Entertainment System
and Super Nintendo Entertainment System
to be released for the 3DS on a tech demo called Classic Games at E3 2010.
's Jeff Gerstmann called it tedious when it was originally released, and now it's "about as boring as it can possibly be." GamePro
described it as a second tier Virtual Console game. 1UP.com
's Jeremy Parish commented that he would rather have nothing at all on the Virtual Console in its debut week than Urban Champion. He also cited it as an example of a poor game that gamers would still buy for the e-Reader. He listed it as one of the worst Virtual Console games. 1UP.com's Patrick Klepek criticized Nintendo for releasing only this and Baseball in one week, calling both poor games. Writer Ben Mackey called it questionable, calling it the "Bad Street Brawler
of its day". It appeared as a skin in Tetris DS
. GameSpy
's Phil Theobald called it awful, criticizing its cameo in Tetris DS
. IGN
's Lucas M. Thomas called it too shallow for an NES game, adding that there was no reason to purchase it. He also commented that it didn't deserve the distinction of being Nintendo's first head-to-head fighting game. IGN AU's Cam Shea called it "god awful", and "worse than actually falling down a manhole." Screw Attack advised that Wii owners not waste their money on it, calling it simple and slow.
On the positive side, video game developer Ron Alpert, however, found it to be an acceptable game, calling it one of the simplest of its day, but also an easy game to pick-up-and-play. Since its release, most consumers gave five stars to the 3D Classics version of Urban Champion for the Nintendo 3DS.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
produced by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
in 1985. It was inspired by the 1984 Game & Watch
Game & Watch
is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....
title, Boxing (also known as Punch-Out!!). It is also Nintendo's first 2D fighting game, followed by the Joy Mech Fight
Joy Mech Fight
, sometimes called Joy Mecha Fight, is a fighting game for the Family Computer, released only in Japan on May 21, 1993. The game was released during the generation shift between the Famicom and the newer Super Famicom, and Joy Mech Fight is counted among one of the most important late Famicom games...
, released exclusively in Japan for the same platform.
Gameplay
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
manhole
Manhole
A manhole is an opening used to gain access to sewers or other underground structures, usually for maintenance.Manhole may also refer to:* Manhole , a metal band from Los Angeles* The Manhole, a computer game...
. There is a time limit, and the player has a set limit of stamina, both of which are represented by numbers. The player has two types of attacks: a light punch and a heavy punch. The light punch does not push your opponent as far as the heavy punch, but it is harder to block. The heavy punch sends your opponent reeling backwards, but can be blocked easily and takes a bit longer to pull off.
For every punch you throw, you lose 1 stamina. Flower pots are occasionally dropped from windows, which, if one hits a person, they will be dazed and will lose 5 stamina. When a player is knocked off the pavement, they would then advance to the next street. In addition, a police car may pass by the fighting at any point in the fight which causes the players to return to their starting positions. If the timer runs out then the police will arrest the player closest to being knocked off of the pavement, meaning it is a default win for the other player for that round. The fighters are not named and are just a palette swap of the player's character.
Development and release history
Urban Champion was first released in Japan on November 14, 1984 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It was an adaptation of the Game & Watch
Game & Watch
is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....
video game called Boxing. It was released in the arcades as Vs. Urban Champion in 1985. It was later released in North America on August 1, 1986, and in Europe some time in 1986. Urban Champion was re-released for the Nintendo e-Reader, and then later on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
. Urban Champion was later slightly altered in autostereoscopic 3D
Autostereoscopy
Autostereoscopy is any method of displaying stereoscopic images without the use of special headgear or glasses on the part of the viewer. Because headgear is not required, it is also called "glasses-free 3D" or "glassesless 3D"...
by Arika
Arika
is a Japanese video game developer. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees. The name of the company itself is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who created Street Fighter II. Arika's first arcade game was Street Fighter EX...
and released by Nintendo on the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
as a downloadable title on July 13, 2011 in Japan and the rest of the world on August 18, 2011. This release was featured amongst other games from the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
to be released for the 3DS on a tech demo called Classic Games at E3 2010.
Reception
Most reviews gave it mixed to negative ratings. On the negative side, author Andy Slaven commented that Urban Champion showed that the NES could not do a proper one-on-one fighting game, calling it "amusing at times" but criticizing its lack of precision in its controls. Writer Levi Buchanan noted it as one of the weakest NES games for the Virtual Console. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Jeff Gerstmann called it tedious when it was originally released, and now it's "about as boring as it can possibly be." GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
described it as a second tier Virtual Console game. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Jeremy Parish commented that he would rather have nothing at all on the Virtual Console in its debut week than Urban Champion. He also cited it as an example of a poor game that gamers would still buy for the e-Reader. He listed it as one of the worst Virtual Console games. 1UP.com's Patrick Klepek criticized Nintendo for releasing only this and Baseball in one week, calling both poor games. Writer Ben Mackey called it questionable, calling it the "Bad Street Brawler
Bad Street Brawler
Bad Street Brawler is a video game by Beam Software Pty., Ltd. It was distributed worldwide by Mindscape Inc. and Mattel. It was released for the Commodore Amiga, the Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and the NES...
of its day". It appeared as a skin in Tetris DS
Tetris DS
Tetris DS is a Touch! Generations puzzle game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. THQ announced Tetris DS before E3 2005, and scheduled it to make an appearance at the show. However, the company decided to cancel the game, and Nintendo released their own make of Tetris DS in...
. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
's Phil Theobald called it awful, criticizing its cameo in Tetris DS
Tetris DS
Tetris DS is a Touch! Generations puzzle game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. THQ announced Tetris DS before E3 2005, and scheduled it to make an appearance at the show. However, the company decided to cancel the game, and Nintendo released their own make of Tetris DS in...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Lucas M. Thomas called it too shallow for an NES game, adding that there was no reason to purchase it. He also commented that it didn't deserve the distinction of being Nintendo's first head-to-head fighting game. IGN AU's Cam Shea called it "god awful", and "worse than actually falling down a manhole." Screw Attack advised that Wii owners not waste their money on it, calling it simple and slow.
On the positive side, video game developer Ron Alpert, however, found it to be an acceptable game, calling it one of the simplest of its day, but also an easy game to pick-up-and-play. Since its release, most consumers gave five stars to the 3D Classics version of Urban Champion for the Nintendo 3DS.