Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style
Encyclopedia
Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style - aka Wu-Tang: Taste the Pain in PAL regions - is a four-player, 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
fighting game for the PlayStation. The basis for the game's story and setting is the real-life rap group the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
, featuring characters based on their stage personas and the martial arts themes of their music. Some members of the group also provided voiceover work for the game and made vocal and production contributions to the game's music.
Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style uses the same engine created by its developer, Paradox Development
Paradox Development
Midway Studios - Los Angeles Inc. was an American-based video game developer. They are best known for fighting games such as the X-Men Mutant Academy and Backyard Wrestling franchises, as well as the Mortal Kombat action game spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. The team was also responsible for...
, for their unreleased PlayStation title Thrill Kill
Thrill Kill
Thrill Kill is a cancelled and unpublished 1998 fighting video game for the Sony PlayStation. While the technical feat of allowing four players to fight simultaneously in the same room was to be a major selling point, this was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the game's depictions of...
. That game was noteworthy for allowing up to four players to fight simultaneously, a feature heavily utilized in Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style.
Due to the game's graphic depicitions of blood and violence, a special code had to be entered within the game to see the full, uncensored action.
Story
The story is mostly told through FMV sequencesFull motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
and tells the tale of a group of martial artists studying under Master Xin, the last practitioner of the ancient kung-fu discipline of Wu-Tang. The first FMV sequence shows a small army of warriors practicing martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
in a Chinese open-air dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
under the watchful eye of Mong Zhu. He declares his plans to discover the secrets of Wu-Tang from Master Xin, who he has discovered to be hiding out on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, which will presumably give him the power to take over the world. Soon after this, Master Xin is captured by Mong Zhu's goons and the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
vow to track Zhu down and rescue their master.
The clan fight their way through Mong Zhu's various minions in an effort to rescue their master, leading them through Staten Island, mainland New York and finally China. Unfortunately for them, during a torture session (using an old, rusty cutting machine) Mong Zhu discovers the secrets of Wu-Tang are tattooed on Xin's chest. Wasting no time, Mong Zhu viciously cuts the skin with the tattoo from Xin's chest, killing Xin in the process and giving Zhu access to the secrets of the Wu-Tang.
When the clan arrive, they take down Mong Zhu and the last of his henchmen. Mong Zhu activates a gas bomb in a last ditch attempt to take the clan with him. Realizing that his talisman is the same as the bomb Mong Zhu just used, RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
activates his own gas bomb and shoves it in Mong Zhu's mouth. While the rest of the clan open the porcullis blocking their escape, RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
grabs a lamp from the ceiling of the dojo (which is actually made from the tattooed skin cut from Xin earlier). The clan then escape outside, whereupon an explosion destroys the entire building. The game ends with Master Xin's spirit watching down over the clan and smiling.
Gameplay
The game is a tournament-style fighting game with matches ranging between two and four fighters at once, with either every fighter for himself or in 2-on-2 or 1-on-3 team matches (in the single-player game modes the player will regularly be faced with multiple opponents and be outnumbered in matches). Stylized versions of all nine members of the real-life Wu-Tang Clan appear as characters in the game, with a number of fictional fighters also included in the character roster ranging from human martial artists to powerful deity-like beings with magical powers (which typically serve as the game's "bosses").Combat
The combat is similar to many 3D fighting games; two punch buttons, two kick buttons, a block button, and a crouch button. The game differs from the norm, however, by the inclusion of "lives" which are lost when the player's health bar reaches zero. When this happens, the player respawns and a life is subtracted. Should the player be killed with only one life left, however, their character will not respawn and they will lose the match (in team games, all the members of a team must die for victory to occur).The player also has a power-up meter that fills when the player scores or receives hits. When full, the power-up can be activated by pressing all four face buttons at once. Once this is activated, the player's moves are significantly more powerful while the power-up meter drains down. Once the meter is fully drained, the effect wears off. Players are free to refill this meter as often as they can during the course of a match.
Finishing Moves
Defeating the last opponent in a match will result in a fatality being performed on them in a similar vein to the Mortal KombatMortal Kombat (series)
Mortal Kombat, commonly abbreviated MK, is a science fantasy series of fighting games created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The first four renditions and their updates were developed by Midway Games and initially released on arcade machines. The arcade titles were later picked up by Acclaim...
series. Each character has five different fatalities which correspond to the four face buttons on the controller, plus one corresponding to the character's throw move. Thus, the fatality performed depends on the last moved performed. Each character only starts with one available finishing move, and must unlock the additional four by playing through the story mode.
The 36 Chambers
Throughout the course of the game's Story Mode the player advances through a series of challenge, called the 36 Chambers - a reference to both the real life rap group's debut albumEnter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Enter the Wu-Tang is the debut album of American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released November 9, 1993, on Loud Records and distributed through RCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York City, and it was mastered at The Hit Factory...
and also a classic kung fu film
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin , also known as The Master Killer and Shaolin Master Killer, is a 1978 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Liu Chia-liang and starring Gordon Liu....
, both of the same name. These challenges range from visiting certain locations to performing combos
Combos
Combos, officially called Combos Snacks, invented in the mid 1970s, are a snack food created and distributed by Mars, Incorporated, and sold throughout North America...
of a certain length. Rewards for completing these include character concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
, new game modes, characters, and fatalities. Given that some of the chambers requires pulling off a certain fatality, the player may be forced to complete a certain goal before proceeding to the next one. Also, the player cannot face the last opponent (and therefore complete Story Mode) until they have first gained 35 chambers - the 36th being awarded for defeating Mong Zhu himself.
Reception
Praise for the game came from GameproGamePro
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...
(4/5), Absolute Playstation (90%), and 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...
(8/10), while it received a much colder reception from Gamespot
GameSpot
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...
(5.2), Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
(4.5), and Game Fan (63%). Complaints were focused on the game's poor frame rate, unresponsive controls, and steep difficulty curve of the story mode, while the game's supporters lauded the then-innovative four-player matches, in-depth story mode, and creative use of the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
license for the characters, music, and tone.
Special Edition and "W" Controller
Activision released a special edition set of the game, including a controller in the shape of the characteristic Wu-Tang "W". It featured all of the buttons of the original Playstation controller, but had neither the vibration capabilities nor the analog sticks of the DualShockDualShock
The DualShock is a line of vibration-feedback gamepads by Sony for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. The DualShock was introduced in Japan in late 1997, and launched in the North American market in May 1998...
. Due to its unique shape it was very difficult to use, making it more of a collector's display piece than a functional control device.