Daryl Sarat of Anime World Order and Otaku USA fame lives by the motto that an anime fan is only allowed to like one Shonen Jump show, and with good reason: let’s face it, as much as you may like the way, way over the top action, the filler episodes and barely-there characterization leaves a lot to be desired for anyone over 15.

That said, I openly admit that I’m huge mark for Hokuto No Ken (or Fist of the Northstar), so when I discovered that SEGA had published a HNK game, I knew I had to get my grubby paws on it, even though games based on the blood-letting property have, historically, been more than a little suspect.  Remember the Genesis’ Last Battle? Seriously, WTF.

My homie Terry of The Other View threw a hungry, desperate dog a bone by giving me his old, modded PS2, and promptly purchased the fighting game the following week. Was it worth the $45 from Videogames New York? Oh Sweet Jesus, yes, and then some.

A brief recap of the Hokuto no Ken premise for those who’ve been denied one of the most epic and mindlessly violent series ever produced. It’s the years 199X, and after the nukes have left the planet barren and broken, mohawk-clad thugs and their super-powered gang leaders, rule the land. Enter Kenshiro, the successor to Hokuto no Kenshin (the most lethal kung fu style on the planet) to rid the world of street scum by making heads explode. The end.

As you can see, this is perfect fighting game fodder, and Arc Systems Works, the fine folks behind the Guilty Gear series, is the first company to bring the HNK madness into videogamedom without losing any of the kickassedness inherent to the series. The roster is as follows:

• Kenshiro
• Shin
• Raoh
• Rei
• Jagi
• Juda
• Toki
• Souther
• Mamiya
• Heart

It’s the classic lineup, although 10 characters seems a bit skimpy post-Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Still, most folks will be picking this title up for the sweet, sweet license, and not to have a billion and one filler characters (ironic, considering Hokuto no Ken is one of the best examples of filler-laced anime).

Visually, the game looks like an episode in motion, but with sharper colors. Arc Systems did an excellent job of capturing the sway of bodies, the explosive impacts of fists, and pre-fight interactions between certain characters with history; the opening animated sequence even includes the anime’s theme song. This fighter oozes Hokuto no Ken (notice Ken rocking Shin with the 100 Crack Fist in the photo).

The game rides the Guilty Gear engine (without the weapons), so if you loved or despised those titles, you feelings won’t change here. There are two punches and kicks of normal and heavy varieties, taunt, and Boost (which I’ll get into a wee bit later). The biggest difference in the gameplay, however, is that Guilty Gear‘s One-Hit Kills – - branded here as “Fatal KO” – - have simple inputs making them easy to integrate into a combo. Here’s how it works:

Positioned below each character’s lifebar is a gauge with seven stars in the shape of the Big Dipper, which drains as you perform special moves, supers, and some command normals (like slam and stun attacks). Once drained, you’re considered to be in a severely weakened state and a “Death Star” will light up, allowing your opponent to attempt a “Deadly Fist Blow”. Think of how Roah finger-stuffed Rei in the Hokuto No Ken movie as inspiration behind this. Unfortunately, these only end the current round, not the match; I’m not sure why Arc System’s didn’t up the ante and have it obliterate the opponent with gallons of blood, which would’ve been true to the source material.

Two other meters are available that are equally important. The “Aura” gauge is used to unleash supers, and guard cancels. Above the Aura meter is “Boost”, which is a bar divided into three sections or stocks. Boosts allows players to cancel a move after it hits similar to Guilty Gear’s Roman Cancels; it can also be used to quickly dash across the screen for swift attacks.

In addition, there there are a pair of blocking techniques which use up energy from the Aura Gauge. The Aura Block surrounds your character with a glowing force field that provides a powerful defensive barrier, while the Block Cancel technique helps you recover quickly from a blocking stance and execute a counter.

The fighting action is tight and the combos flow nicely, but it isn’t as smooth as King of Fighters XII, Street Fighter IV, or even a game running on an older engine such as King of Fighters ’98: Ultimate Match. Once again, Arc System delivers killer sprites that lack the few extra frames that would give its titles additional smoothness – - a criticism that goes back to the original Guilty Gear.

Chance are that if you’re planning on purchasing Hokuto no Ken, you’re doing so primarily for the license. Thankfully, it’s finally given the care it deserves, even if it amounts to nothing more than a tweaked version of  Guilty Gear with a few extra modes (Practice, Story) tossed in for good measure. The game is so tight, and so much fun, that I can recommend it without pause to those unfamiliar with the license.  Fighting fan, this is your import PlayStation 2 title.