Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic - $9.99

Developed by Tarsier Studios, Rag Doll Kung Fu™: Fists of Plastic is a PS3 exclusive party-fighting game based on the original 2005 title, Rag Doll Kung Fu, created by Mark Healy (co-founder of Media Molecule). A fast-paced combat game with an imaginative look and feel, Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic focuses on fun with exaggerated ragdoll physics action and charming HD visuals. Featuring accessible and intuitive controls, novice players can orchestrate impressive attacks with ninja-like precision, while offering hardcore players an intense combat system, use-of-weapons and strategy. Success depends on mastering basic Kung Fu moves while sharpening their acrobatic skills to swing off platforms and somersault through the air. This action builds up Chi Power, which can be conjured to perform spectacular SIXAXIS™ wireless controller-triggered special attack moves and combat sequences. Players can even taunt their opponents with the Free Pose system, ensuring the battle is infused with lighthearted fun.

Perfect for any social occasion, Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic offers frantic multiplayer action for up to four players locally.

Key Features

• Kung Fu Fun – Control hilarious puppet fighters to duke it out against the computer or your friends.
• Deep Combat – Accessible controls with a deep combat system, including Chi Power charge attacks.
• Character Customization – Create and customize your own crazy Kung Fu fighter.
• Multiplayer Mayhem – Solo play, plus offline multiplayer modes for up to 4 players
• Online Rankings and Trophy Support – Supports online leaderboards as well as Trophies.

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Sony made the PlayStation 3 a real presence at its CES booth, including demos of upcoming PSN downloadable games, such as Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic. The fast-paced action game occupies that nebulous area between fighter and action game, much like Nintendo's blockbuster Super Smash Bros. franchise. While the goal is certainly to administer beatdowns, the game is so un-serious its difficult to consider it a brawler. It's more of a slap fight -- a very silly slap fight starring plastic marionettes that would look at home in classic episodes of "Thunderbirds."

My demo of Rag Doll Kung Fu consisted of three of the four games modes. And admittedly, the game does play a bit like Super Smash Bros., especially the main fighting game where you jump around multi-tiered levels, crack open boxes to liberate weapons or power-ups, and smash rivals until they drop to the floor. After choosing from a selection of pre-made fighters (although you can apparently create your own from a pile of spare plastic parts), you enter the arena you waste little time before getting down to business. The game supports up to four players and you can substitute humans with AI-controller bruisers.

The reason I allude to Rag Doll Kung Fu as something of a puppeteer game is the way it controls. You use face and shoulder buttons for the majority of actions, like jumping punching, and grabbing objects, but the game also employs a fair bit of motion control. For example, when you flip the Dual Shock over, your fighter starts to meditate and regain lost health. Swiping your controller while punching or kicking increases its potency as long as you have banked chi power from dishing out previous damage. But it's in the King of the Hill mode where you really get your Stromboli on.

King of the Hill plays exactly like it sounds. There is a special plateau on the stage that you must dominate if you want to win the game. The longer you remain on the plateau, the more points you earn. However, if you really want to boost your score, hold down the L2 and R2 buttons and manipulate the analog sticks. Your fighter's arms swing and sway around like a doll. While doing this, you are vulnerable to attacks -- but it's necessary to win. Just kick, punch, and scrap your way up there, goof with your arms for a few seconds, and then get ready to defend your territory because surely somebody with a pair of nunchuks is on the way up.

Intriguing art direction supports the game's whimsical concept.
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The puppet motif is everywhere in the game. While playing the third game mode today, Capture the Fish, the exaggerated movements of the fighters are very apparent. In this mode, fighter battle over a single rubber fish. To score points, you must drop the fish into a basket somewhere on the stage. You can pitch it into the basket (but it can be intercepted) or jump over the basket and drop it. While rushing from fish to basket, the fighters bobble along like Team America puppets. You remember the cocked legs that shuffle along? The difference here is that you don't see the strings.

What struck me most about Rag Doll Kung Fu, though, wasn't necessarily the gameplay, but the goofy aesthetics. Something about this generation of hardware has emboldened developers to really try new visual techniques and experiment with art direction. We saw this with LittleBigPlanet, of course, which was created by Media Molecule... which in turn was behind the original Rag Doll Kung Fu. The plastic dolls in Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic really do look like cheapie flea market action figures from 1975 -- bits of plastic connected by inexpensive string. Gameplay is always supposed to be king, but delivering an engaging atmosphere matters, too. Without a fresh look, Rag Doll Kung Fu would lack the needed charm to pull off its concept.

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• Multiplayer Mayhem – Solo play, plus online and offline multiplayer modes for 2-4 players
• Online Rankings and Trophy Support – Supports online leaderboards as well as Trophies

Originally Posted by Josh Miller
Initially we intended on doing online multiplayer, but as the development progressed, the developer came to realization that technically it could not be done. The complexities of the physics engine made it too hard sync up players. Because of this we stuck with local multiplayer.

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