GamesFightingAfter 31 years stuck in Japan, the first fighting game from the Tekken studio is finally available worldwideWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFightingAfter 31 years stuck in Japan, the first fighting game from the Tekken studio is finally available worldwideWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Hamster Corporation/Bandai Namco)
Rejoice, fellow lovers of obscure video games of the early ’90s! Developer Hamster Corporation’s Arcade Archives series has just brought us one heck of a historical curiosity in Namco’s Knuckle Heads.
Knuckle Heads hit Japanese arcades in 1993, just as the Street Fighter 2-inspired fever for 2D fighting games was starting to hit its peak. This was Namco’s first fighting game, and it served as the company’s first tentative dip into the genre years before Tekken would become a breakout hit in the 3D fighting world. While Knuckle Heads seems to have enjoyed modest success in Japan, it never got a worldwide release until now.
If you want to check out Knuckle Heads for yourself, it’s available today as part of the Arcade Archives series on bothSwitchandPlayStation. It’s priced at a cool $7.99 or $8.49 USD depending on your platform of choice, which is probably a whole lot less than the amount in quarters you would’ve spent on it back in the day.
Arcade Archives KNUCKLE HEADS - YouTubeWatch On
Arcade Archives KNUCKLE HEADS - YouTube
Arcade Archives KNUCKLE HEADS - YouTube
The big gimmick in Knuckle Heads is the four-person multiplayer mode, which is just as chaotic as you’d expect in a Street Fighter-style 2D fighter, with a gaggle of brawlers fighting along multiple planes in a constrained arena. It looks like it nearly matches the chaos levels of something like Super Smash Bros. - though, of course, this was several years before that formula was established on N64.
Get your knuckles dusted with thebest fighting gamesyou can play.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”