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Vigilante (video game)
Encyclopedia
is a beat 'em up
arcade game
developed and published by Irem
in Japan
and Europe
and published in North America
by Data East
. It is a spin-off of Irem's beat 'em up arcade game, Kung-Fu Master.
. The game's plot involves a lone, professional martial artist who became a vigilante
to fight an evil gang called the Skinhead
s ruled by a man known as the Giant Devil, in order to protect his "turf" and save his girlfriend Madonna, who was kidnapped by them.
Players control the titular character using punches and kicks to defeat the Skinheads in a 2D platform manner, while sometimes picking up and using a nunchaku
against them. If players get hurt while holding nunchukus, they become unarmed. There are five stages in order of appearance: a street, a junkyard, the Brooklyn Bridge
, a back street scene and on top of a building that is under construction. Skinheads with mohawk or spike hairdo attack the vigilante with knives, chains, motorbikes, rifles and other kinds of weapons. They will also cling to him if he stands too close to them.
version was ported and published exclusively in North America and Europe by Sega
, and is one of several Sega Master System games to include an FM sound switch. In the Sega Master System version, Madonna was renamed "Maria" and the Skinheads were called the "Rogues". The ones for Commodore 64
, ZX Spectrum
, Atari ST
, Amiga
and the Amstrad CPC
were reprogrammed by Emerald Software and published by U.S. Gold
mostly in Europe. The MSX
version was ported and published by Korea
n company Clover. The TurboGrafx-16
version was ported and published in Japan on January 14, 1989 by Irem and published in North America by NEC
the same year. This port matches the arcade more than other ports. The TurboGrafx-16 version was later re-released by Irem globally for Nintendo
's Virtual Console
for the Wii
in North America on February 5, 2007, in Japan on February 6, 2007, in Europe on February 9, 2007, and in Australia
on July 6, 2007.
Home versions
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed and published by Irem
Irem (company)
is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. The company has its headquarters in Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture....
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and published in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
. It is a spin-off of Irem's beat 'em up arcade game, Kung-Fu Master.
Plot
The game takes place in downtown New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The game's plot involves a lone, professional martial artist who became a vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
to fight an evil gang called the Skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s ruled by a man known as the Giant Devil, in order to protect his "turf" and save his girlfriend Madonna, who was kidnapped by them.
Gameplay
Nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
against them. If players get hurt while holding nunchukus, they become unarmed. There are five stages in order of appearance: a street, a junkyard, the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
, a back street scene and on top of a building that is under construction. Skinheads with mohawk or spike hairdo attack the vigilante with knives, chains, motorbikes, rifles and other kinds of weapons. They will also cling to him if he stands too close to them.
Ports and related releases
The arcade game was later ported to several different home computers and consoles. The Sega Master SystemSega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
version was ported and published exclusively in North America and Europe by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, and is one of several Sega Master System games to include an FM sound switch. In the Sega Master System version, Madonna was renamed "Maria" and the Skinheads were called the "Rogues". The ones for Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
were reprogrammed by Emerald Software and published by U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
mostly in Europe. The MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
version was ported and published by Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n company Clover. The TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
version was ported and published in Japan on January 14, 1989 by Irem and published in North America by NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
the same year. This port matches the arcade more than other ports. The TurboGrafx-16 version was later re-released by Irem globally for 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....
'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...
for 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...
in North America on February 5, 2007, in Japan on February 6, 2007, in Europe on February 9, 2007, and in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on July 6, 2007.
External links
Arcade version- Vigilante at arcade-history
Home versions