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Renegade

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::sigh:: Got to get this over with sometime.

Story - Controls - Review - Images - Downloads

Storyline
Generic mid-80s "city terrorized by brutal thugs, lone vigilante must beat them and restore peace" tripe. Starting to get the idea I don't like Renegade much?

Controls
The arcade game had three buttons, one to attack left, one to attack right, and a jump button. Nintendo players had to press both attack buttons at once to jump.
You can run by double-tapping in the left or right direction, and get on top of downed enemies to punch them some more by getting above them and moving down.
While on the motorcycle (NES only), you can maneuver with the control pad and kick by pressing A.

In-Depth Review
OK, I admit it. The arcade version isn't all bad. But the Nintendo version is rubbish, and that's the one most people played. Since I'm basically covering two versions of the same game with different graphics here, I'll use the Renegade section for the NES version and the Kuniokun section to cover the arcade game.
Renegade is a really straightforward beat'em-up, with very little to do other than punch, kick, and jump. The Nintendo's limited capabilities allowed only three enemies on screen at one time, and they're alarmingly stupid (they don't help each other out when you're on top of a downed guy). Each stage consists of beating up some guys, going through a door or two, then fighting a boss one-on-one, and the bosses are difficult to the point of being cheap.
Apparently the programmers thought the arcade's straightforward action wouldn't be enough to hold home players' interest, so they added a few extra bits. The first, the motorcycle scene, is really rather nifty. The second "new feature" is the mazelike stage 5, where you're given several choices of doors to go through. Where they take you seems to be completely random, but it's usually all the way back to stage 1. You may think you're getting somewhere, but is possible to take a path where your only choice is to start all over again. It's sort of an unnecessary homage to the Atari 2600.
You also get to hear (read) some badass words from Mr. K(unio?) after each boss, if you win. If you lose, the boss will taunt your game-playing skills. As if the game itself didn't make you feel sorry enough already.
I'd previously thought the game was completely pointless to play because it probably started you right over without an ending, but thanks to new information from Aaron Glickman via Email, I know otherwise. If you somehow manage to get through the maze, you face the gun-wielding villain who can kill you in one shot (sending you back to the beginning--hope you drew a map). If you manage to beat him through a combination of scrubby playing tactics and luck, the credits roll almost instantly. So it's completely pointless in a completely different way!

Images
The arcade cabinet.
Close-up of the arcade marquee.
The American box.
Duel with the lead singer from AC/DC in a subway (this was Riki in the Japanese version).
The rockin' hero, Mr. K!
Totally dangerous motorcycle chase!
This is about where you want to stop playing.
The subway. (arcade)
Pro-wrestler bikers attack! (arcade)
Leather-clad Mr. K takes a wrong turn in the red light district. (arcade)
True love at last. (arcade)

Downloads
TXT file containing the game's credits
Renegade Arcade ROM - requires MAME emulator
Renegade & Nekketsu Kouha Kuniokun NES ROMs - use NES emulator of your choice, I choose Nesticle
(check Links section to find the emulators you'll need to play these)

Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun

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Now this is a little bit more like it...

Story - Controls - Review - Images - Downloads

Storyline
I think the basic idea of the story is that different gangs intrude on Nekketsu turf and beat the shit out of some innocent student, at which point Kunio is called on to take revenge. It's hard to write a story summary for a game with no text...

Controls
The arcade game had three buttons, one to attack left, one to attack right, and a jump button. Nintendo players had to press both attack buttons at once to jump.
You can run by double-tapping in the left or right direction, and get on top of downed enemies to punch them some more by getting above them and moving down.
While on the motorcycle (NES only), you can maneuver with the control pad and kick by pressing A.

In-Depth Review
What can I say about Nekketsu Kouha Kuniokun that hasn't been said before? ::ahem::
Well, it's a really straightforward arcade beat'em-up. The enemies actually have good AI (as opposed to the NES version); they won't wait for you to finish one of their friends off before moving in to attack, and they don't fall for the same tricks even enemies in more modern beat'em-ups do. They know you're outnumbered and use that against you. The bosses are a mixed bag, since the first two are moderately difficult, the third is insanely cheap, and the final boss is ridiculously easy.
Before each stage you get to see the enemy gang of the day come to Nekketsu HS and beat up some kid, then Kunio chases them back to their home turf. During the stages, the bosses wait in the background until their gang has been reduced to about three members, then they join the fray (which is kind of cool).
Not a great game, probably the most mediocre in the whole series (but they had to start somewhere, hey?), but one needs to see where the whole franchise got started. It's still not completely clear to me exactly when and why Riki turned to the "good" side, though...

Images
It's Kunio... and he's NOT SUPER-DEFORMED! (Japanese box)
The cartridge. Different locale, same pose.
Riki's gang comes to Nekketsu.
Riki gives Kunio what-for in the subway (I don't know if it was this bland originally or if it's due to graphic errors in the ROM).
Shinji's biker gang watches and waits...
The girl gang.
Kunio's fellow students rejoice!

Downloads
TXT file containing the game's credits
Kuniokun Arcade ROM - requires MAME emulater (you need to have the Renegade ROM to play this, they share files, and the ROM has graphic errors).
Renegade & Nekketsu Kouha Kuniokun NES ROMs - use NES emulator of your choice, I choose Nesticle
(check Links section to find the emulators you'll need to play these)