I was never able to beat that stupid game on a Commodore 64 because that stupid gate always killed me. Having to rewind the cassette every try was annoying, too.
Now that I know the trick to pass the gate... I'll let the game grow old as dust. It already took more time of my life than it deserved.
It could be worse...At least the gate can be passed. How many hours did I spend trying to shatter the backboard in Double Dribble because Gamepro said it could be done? Too many. I think it was just an April fool's joke that they posted to torture people.
I encoded Foda's run, if that matters anything anymore. You can get it from here: http://koti.mbnet.fi/laitilan/Karateka-PlayedThrough.avi
(Get it soon because I'll delete it after few hours. I don't have much space in there.)
Thanks Maza, Foda, and Baxter. It looks like the weasels aren't going to cough it up. The guy who made the challenge feels bad, but the guy who collected seems to feel justified in keeping it. I'd push the issue, but I don't want it to come out that we were all doing this during work hours. Now I just have to hope they don't all want to see me do it live, in 12 minutes no less. I guess I was cheating in a sense too, by asking you guys for help, but I'd still split the money if I were the guy who won. The rules of the bet could have been interpreted either way...
Here's the mail that was sent out...he seems to say that all yuo need to do is pass the gate, but also all you need to do is finish the game..
The Challenge:
Alright boys, we were talking about old school games the other day and I happen to mention that a buddy of mine has been trying to beat this game for almost 20 years. He put me to the challenge to get past the gate in Karateka the NES version. If you can do it, he's willing to put down $20 with another buddy putting down another $20. I'll sweetened the pot by putting my share, so if you can beat the game, there's $60 waiting for you.
The History:
Karateka was originally an Arcade game ported to the Atari. Later on, ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Some people on the internet have claimed to have beaten it, however my friend and I have never achieved the impossible. The reason is the dreaded GATE! After battling numerous enemies and entering the house, you encounter a gate. If you walk through the gate, it will fall and instantly kill you. If you run through the gate, you will die. The trick apparently is to go into your fighting stance and quickly press forward then back. The gate will fall and if you are quick enough, you'll avoid getting hit. Then run through. That's it.
The Setup:
Since nobody has a NES anymore, I've downloaded the Emulator and ROM. All you have to do is start the emulator and load the ROM. I even created a Savepoint so you can quickly load the state where I made it right to the gate. You don't even need to fight any enemies, just get past the gate and record that you did it (movie function). Take some screenshots as well to prove that you beat the game.
The zip file contains the following
- NES Emulator (RockNESX.exe)
- Karateka ROM (ROMs/Karateka (J).nes)
- Savegame point (Savegames/Karateka (J).rs0)
- Karateka FAQ/Walkthrough (karateka_nes.txt)
- Image where the gate is (karateka01.gif)
This should be more than enough to get you guys started. I did all the work for you, all you have to do is pass the stupid gate and collect your $60.
Gentlemen, good luck!
Like I said, they sent us a rom and save state where the guy was in front of the gate... all the guy did was boot up the emulator, load the state, and figure out how to pass the gate. I just sent out an email with your fcm to all included in the bet. Hopefully, the fact that I bolded the terms "complete the entire game" after the part about getting past the gate will shame the winner into coughing up the cash. Or at least, the others in the mail will demand justice...
Yes... I used 0.98.15. Everything works fine for me with that version.
Actually, I couldn't get the game to work, but once I loaded the movie, it worked. Arguing now with the guy from IT...he gave the cash to someone who just passed the gate, but didn't finish the game completely. I was afraid this might happen...IT guys can't be trusted.
In fact, they even sent the faq and a save state just before the gate in the zip file. I tried for a bit and couldn't do it. Worse, if you back up a bit another bad guy shows up. I'd post the zip, but I doubt we're allowed to post roms anyway...
I have played Karateka on a pirate multigame cart. Long time I last saw that game.
But, I have no idea of the structure of that game. I tested it quickly with an emulator now and I was able to reach inside and see a girl there, but then I got bored and closed the emulator.
Ya, it's a boring game. It was one of the earlier computer games though, so at the time, people didn't care.
Foda, getting past the gate is something no one would do by accident in a million years. Apparently, you need to kick while under the gate, make the gate come down, the run through it...
I played a lot of karateka but i couldn't get past the gate as well.
Highness, he just wants to see the game completed, no need for perfection. Use some savestates and you're done with it in less than 30 minutes.
Right, I should have specified. It's not about perfection or time attack, just pass the stupid gate and finish the game with video proof. I tried myself, it may not be possible on the NES version. Perhaps a glitch, but not sure...
Come to think of it, they never said it had to be with the Rocknes, which I don't think has a frame by frame slow down function...but that is the emulator they sent out, so I assumed it was. If someone can finish the NES version with a different emulator, I bet they'd take that too.
Never heard of this game before.
But I'm sure Bisqwit could use the 60 bucks to finance his site.
You should probably hook up bisqbot to this as well. :D
Just the orange car does that? I swear when I was a kid i gave up on the game because at a certain point, more and more of the cars started going faster than was supposedly possible. I'd hear that sound, then look at the radar and see them zipping around the track impossibly fast.
Awesome game though, up to the point. With Death Rally and Ignition, one of the best top down racers ever...
Amazing! I was trying to remember the name of this game, and here you folks are talking about it. Someone must be reading my wavelength or something heh.
Edit: So, are you going to do a 100% run (all scrolls, all crystal balls, etc) or are you going for one of the lesser endings?
I rented it and "thought" I had finished it maybe 15 years ago or more. Turns out you have to reveal certain enemies as Tusk soldiers and beat them after they transform in order to finish the game, which I eventually did with an emulator. The fighting system was awesome, all about reaction time. No game other than Mike Tyson's Punch Out was so about reaction time. Anyone else ever succomb to nerves and dodge before Tyson flashed, then come back just in time for a real punch? Ouch
Hi Guys
I received an e-mail from our IT department. Some of the guys were saying they had never been able to get past the gate at the end of level 2 and then beat the game in Karateka. They sent out Rocknes X 2.0, the rom and a save state just before the gate and said anyone who can do it will get the 60 bucks.
Just get past the gate and record that you did it (with the movie function). If you can, take some screenshots as well to prove that you beat the game. Apparently, the trick is to kick when near the gate then run through it after it starts to rise again.
Let me know in advance if you've done it, so I can let you know if the 60 bucks was already claimed and I don't look like a liar. I must be done with the Rocknes X 2.0 though.
Thanks
Joe
GDoes anyone know what "randomly" causes the dragon skeletons to lower as you approach Frankenstein rather than go up and hit you? I've always wondered.
They individual components of the dragon skeleton each move randomly. There's no greater logic in them. Unless you can see to the future (like savestate users can do), you can't really predict them, because there's no direct correspondence between your actions and their behavior. It's just a complex mathematical formula that is intentionally made meaningless.
But still, if the creators created a save state point shortly before the dragon, and the dragon went the wrong way, their actions getting back to the dragon on their next attempt would still be identical, frame by frame when trying again right? And since the dragon's randomness is only pseudorandom, wouldn't it behave exactly the same way each time they tried again? Or would the walkthrough makers have to delay a split second in order to changeup the dragon's actions?
Thanks
Great vid!
Does anyone know what "randomly" causes the dragon skeletons to lower as you approach Frankenstein rather than go up and hit you? I've always wondered.
Thanks
Joe