Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage Image
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60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 36 Ratings

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  • Summary: A ravaged Earth struggles to survive after a nuclear holocaust has left the world in ruins. Survivors band together in communities and villages, living off what little resources remain. In the wastelands beyond, vicious gangs prey on the survivors for their resources, or sometimes merely forA ravaged Earth struggles to survive after a nuclear holocaust has left the world in ruins. Survivors band together in communities and villages, living off what little resources remain. In the wastelands beyond, vicious gangs prey on the survivors for their resources, or sometimes merely for sport.

    A mysterious martial artist named Ken, a man with seven scars on his chest and the chosen successor of the legendary assassin's art Hokuto Shinken (The Divine Fist of the North Star) has sworn to protect the weak and innocent from the malicious gangs roaming the scorched planet.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 30
  2. Negative: 4 out of 30
  1. Jan 3, 2011
    89
    Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is an excellent game which exceeds at staying true to its roots, with extreme repetition being the only thing that boggles it down.
  2. Dec 19, 2010
    75
    It's much deeper than I would have expected from a current age Musou style game, and I highly urge people who aren't usually enamored with the Dynasty Warriors series to check this out, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
  3. Dec 19, 2010
    67
    Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage reminds us what a great beat-'em-up at its core is all about, as long as you're playing by yourself and hopefully in spurts.
  4. Dec 19, 2010
    60
    Unfortunately, non-fans of the North Star will find very little in this waste-land of below average gameplay mechanics.
  5. Jan 4, 2011
    60
    Intense battles for any fan of the anime or manga. Don't expect any more.
  6. Jan 10, 2011
    55
    Ken's Rage ruins a solid game-structure with a gameplay that lacks depth. And furthermore the graphics is really poor. A game only for addicted fans.
  7. 40
    A bland beat 'em up plagued by monotonous gameplay and an extremely inclusive story.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Nov 29, 2010
    10
    This game isn't trying to become the next great pinnacle of gaming. It's trying to accomplish something that people used to enjoy in games,This game isn't trying to become the next great pinnacle of gaming. It's trying to accomplish something that people used to enjoy in games, having fun. Remember when a game that was just plain fun was all that you needed to have to enjoy yourself? Well this game not only accomplishes that but also remains extremely faithful to to not only the source material, but also the game Koei has become synonymous for. So if you're a fan of the series or you just want a game where you can kick back and blast people into puddles of intestines (Love you Roah), then please rent/buy this game. It may not change your life, but it will definitely make it a little more entertained. Expand
  2. Nov 9, 2010
    9
    A Great Game, I SPit on the reviewers who never gave this game a chance, i never watched the anime, but this game apprantly follows it well,A Great Game, I SPit on the reviewers who never gave this game a chance, i never watched the anime, but this game apprantly follows it well, its interesting, there is eng and jap voices, english is nice, Kenshiro sounds badass and i love the way he says the Hokuto Signature moves in japanese in his english voice, There are only 9 Characters but all have 8 signature moves which are badass and great combos, the graphics are nice, showing the wasteland feel to the game. Jagi is a badass character to play as... if you love Beat em ups with a great story and badassery GET THIS GAME NOWWWW! Expand
  3. Nov 2, 2010
    9
    Koei Tecmo has really outdone themselves with Fist of the North Star: Kenâ
  4. May 10, 2013
    8
    Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage isn't a groundbreaking game. It isn't even very good looking (sans the cutscenes which run at a very smoothFist of the North Star: Ken's Rage isn't a groundbreaking game. It isn't even very good looking (sans the cutscenes which run at a very smooth 60fps), but it is a hell of a lot of fun to play. The game tells a portion of the story from the original manga series, and while there are some great looking cutscenes throughout, there's a lot of the story missing here. It only hits on the major action set pieces, and throughout playing it, you'll realize there happens to be a good bit of story missing here. However, even if Fist of the North Star is a dearly beloved manga series, I don't think anyone will be worried too much with how this game's story folds out. It does get the job done. The main reason to play this is for the gameplay, and that's where this game shines. It's a straightforward Dynasty Warriors style beat 'em up, and this is easily the best game in the genre. When playing as Kenshiro, you don't use weapons. Unless you count those ridiculously badass fists of his as weapons; and you should. The moves and brutal violence in this game are completely over the top, and this game is better for it. When you punch 4 or 5 people at the same time in the face and watch their heads f-ing EXPLODE, you'll feel accomplished. The really amazing thing about that is there's no tongue in cheek humor here regarding the violence. The game plays it straight, and it really fits in well with Fist of the North Star canon. The levels in this game are absolutely massive for the type of game this is, and some can take 45 minutes to an hour to complete. All the while facing off hordes of gang members. At the end of each level, you'll face a boss. While some people would call these bosses cheap, I call them an accomplishment. I feel like it's been a long, long time since I've faced so many bosses that were this good. Sure, they can block your attacks, once you break their defense with, say, a kick, it's hard to situate yourself to attack before they get their guard back up, but the more you play this game, the more you'll be thankful for these bosses. They help make an otherwise mediocre game great. Plus, if you learn to use the skill tree in the meridian chart correctly, you won't have much trouble. Still a challenge, but minimal trouble. Speaking of the meridian chart, that is this game's way of leveling up your character. And oh boy, this thing right here, really, really makes this game much deeper than it ever deserved to be. FOTNS:KR could have really suffered the fate of being a flat out boring game. The core gameplay here is decent enough, but once you add the leveling system with these outstanding boss battles, you're left with a great game. My first playthrough of this lasted around 20 hours or so, and that was with one character. There are more characters to unlock in the main story mode, "legend mode," to make this game much longer. Then there's dream mode, another story mode in this game with even more characters to unlock. Dream mode plays like a classic Dynasty Warriors game, with spots on the map to capture before the enemy does, and again, this makes an otherwise mediocre game so much more deep than it deserves, and it definitely benefits from this. Then there are the special moves. OH. MY. GOD. I don't even have words for these. They're amazing, and some of the most badass stuff you'll ever see in a video game. Just take my word for it. These are half the reason to play this game. All in all, Ken's rage doesn't look great, the metal music in the background can be annoying if that's not your thing, and the graphics can be somewhat drab. With all that being said, this is still one of my favorite video games ever made. It takes the beat 'em up/brawler genre and really runs with it. You'll have so much fun taking down wave after wave of enemies in so many different ways, that the rest of the game's presentation is forgivable. Just wait until you get to a rather tough boss fight and the game gets really intense. It's a wonderful experience. Ken's Rage is a game that deserves to be played. It's a callback to the great beat 'em ups of the 16-bit era, except that this is a third person 3D game. That's the only difference. Every time I play this, I feel like I'm playing a much deeper version of Final Fight or something in that vein. Pick this one up, it's a great title with some very, very brutal gameplay Great boss fights. Great special moves. Great cutscenes. Absolutely amazing game. Expand
  5. Jul 12, 2021
    7
    Out of all the Tecmo Koei games, this had the best Cinematics, and will really hit the feels. However it is probably one of the most slowestOut of all the Tecmo Koei games, this had the best Cinematics, and will really hit the feels. However it is probably one of the most slowest and repetitive out of all of them. A great Fist of the North Star coating, but a downgraded Dynasty Warrior gameplay. Expand
  6. Apr 4, 2017
    7
    It is not a bad game, and you will enjoy it greatly if you like the original work. I did not even read the manga nor watched the anime andIt is not a bad game, and you will enjoy it greatly if you like the original work. I did not even read the manga nor watched the anime and still had fun playing it.

    On the other hand, gameplay ends up being quite repetitive and the control is too orthopaedic. These two aspects are what really worsens the quality of the game.
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  7. Jan 27, 2011
    6
    As a fan of the mindless action of the Dynasty Warriors series, I picked this game up, despite never laying eyes on the anime. Nothing groundAs a fan of the mindless action of the Dynasty Warriors series, I picked this game up, despite never laying eyes on the anime. Nothing ground breaking here, but it was a fun distraction. Because I had no connection to the anime, it was hard to get into the story, and i never really cared too much for it, but if you loved the anime, you're crazy not to play this. Otherwise, it's worth the money buying it used. Expand

See all 9 User Reviews