Kabuki Quantum Warrior review - Nintendo Entertainment System

The year is 2056 and computers control just about every aspect of a human's life. Unfortunately, they also control the global nuclear defense capabilities. A bunch of deranged psycho-terrorists have got together and infiltrated the US complex and they're out to reduce the Earth to a cinder.

Although their capture is inevitable, they've used their hacking skills to alter the nuclear program - meaning that the Earth faces Armageddon at any moment! Someone has to rid the computer of the program alterations and the man for the job is Scott O'Conner - computer expert, karate champ and all-round hero.

Using a new Image Transfer System, his life-force is changed into raw computer data, and reassembled inside the Complex Mainframe. Once inside, his skills are tested to the limits as he battles the computer's new inhabitants.

But the Image Transfer System is completely untested - and no one knows what the computer-compatible form of Scott O'Conner will be...

What the Mean Machines staff thought

Here's a guy with the ker-a-zee-est hairstyle of all time! One flick with his quiff, and it's goodnight Vienna! Apart from the hair-related devastation, this is very similar to Shadow Warriors. However, I found that this is actually smoother, slicker and better looking, and it has more variety and challenge! Some of the baddies are really neat, and situations Kabuki gets himself into later in the game are great. If you're after a top-quality beat 'em up, "hair" down to your local software shop and grab it before it disappears "perm"-anently.

Kabuki's quite a novel game. Well, have you ever seen a game where the main character dispatches his foes by lashing out at them with his massive hair-do? I think not. The action itself is incredibly similar to Shadow Warrior (which we reviewed last month), what with all of the different athletic moves Shadow Warrior - the interaction with the backdrops is a little easier. The game's quite challenging, but not frustrating enough to put you off for long. Both graphics and sound match the brill playability, so check it out as soon as you see it.