Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Jabroniville]

MAMMA
Role: Gun-Toting Maniac, Man-Child
PL 9 (88)
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+7)
Expertise (1990s Edgelord) 6 (+3)
Intimidation 10 (+8)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Equipment 6 (Gear), Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Guns), Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7, Startle

Equipment:
"Ultra Bomb- Ripple Grenade" Blast 8 (Burst Area)
"Main Weapon- Plasma Gun" Blast 7 (Multiattack)

Powers:
"Raw Toughness" Protection 2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Guns +11 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Ultra-Bomb +8 Area (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +8, Fortitude +8, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (F.U.B.)- F.U.B. has set himself up as the corrupt warden of the prison-planet Raulf. All of the Loaded characters have been arrested on false charges (even the crazy ones) and kept there, and all want revenge.
Power Loss (Ammo)- Ammo must be reloaded- especially the Ultra Bombs.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 22 / Powers: 2 / Defenses: 12 (88)

-A gigantic man-child dressed like a baby, he was abandoned in a space-port as an infant and grew up with no education, and can only shout the word "Mamma!". Re-Loaded replaces his diaper for a blue full-body bunny suit, making him even sillier looking. He uses a more powerful gun than the others, but is slower and easier to hit.

[Jabroniville]

FWANK
Role: Gun-Toting Maniac
PL 9 (109)
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+7)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (1990s Edgelord) 8 (+8)
Insight 4 (+5)
Intimidation 6 (+8)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Equipment 6 (Gear), Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Guns), Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 9, Startle

Equipment:
"Ultra Bomb- Homing Teddies" Blast 7 (Burst Area, Ricochet)
"Main Weapon- Neutron Spheres" Damage 7 (Line Area)
"Armor" Protection 2

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Neutron Spheres +7 Area (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Ultra-Bomb +xx Area (+xx Ranged Damage, DC xx)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +6 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +8, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (F.U.B.)- F.U.B. has set himself up as the corrupt warden of the prison-planet Raulf. All of the Loaded characters have been arrested on false charges (even the crazy ones) and kept there, and all want revenge.
Power Loss (Ammo)- Ammo must be reloaded- especially the Ultra Bombs.
Relationship (Teddy)- Fwank only cares about his teddy.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 24 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (109)

-A demented clown with a design so good he was the main character on the cover of Re-Loaded (where he is initially not selectable- a cheat code unlocks him), Fwank talks like a child (his introduction video shows him mowing down his "Pwobation Officer") but is a madman like the others- he sees living beings as mere target practice, and only cares for his teddy bear. He's actually quite large in-game, with the best armor around, making him very slow. Unfortunately, his weapon is terrible- it starts out as a tiny, short-range thing, but with power-ups it becomes a Line Area weapon- not nearly good enough in a game that requires massive areas of effect to slaughter all your enemies.

[Jabroniville]

Seriously, like what the f*ck is it with British people and TANK GIRL? Literally nobody else in the universe knows or cares about Tank Girl, but it's like the most influential thing ever to the Brits.

THE CONSUMER
Role: Gun-Toting Maniac, Miss Fanservice
PL 9 (108)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 8 (+11)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (1990s Edgelord) 8 (+8)
Insight 4 (+5)
Intimidation 6 (+8)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Equipment 6 (Gear), Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Guns), Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 10, Startle

Equipment:
"Ultra Bomb- Missile Launcher" Blast 8 (Burst Area)
"Main Weapon- Laser Beams" Blast 4 (Multiattack)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Guns +14 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Ultra-Bomb +8 Area (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (F.U.B.)- F.U.B. has set himself up as the corrupt warden of the prison-planet Raulf. All of the Loaded characters have been arrested on false charges (even the crazy ones) and kept there, and all want revenge.
Power Loss (Ammo)- Ammo must be reloaded- especially the Ultra Bombs.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 25 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 19 (112)

-The Consumer is a pink-haired, cannibalistic sex symbol, and looks pretty clearly inspired by Tank Girl (aka "The most influential English thing that no American knows about"). She fires little energy-spheres, and is shown in the game's introductory video feeding a human arm through a meat-grinder.

[Jabroniville]

SISTER MAGPIE
Role: Gun-Toting Maniac, Android Nun
PL 9 (123)
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA -- AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 8 (+11)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (1990s Edgelord) 8 (+8)
Intimidation 6 (+8)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Equipment 6 (Gear), Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Guns), Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7, Startle

Equipment:
"Ultra Bomb- Frag Missiles" Blast 8 (Burst Area)
"Main Weapon- Gatling Guns" Blast 6 (Multiattack)

Powers:
"Android"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 6 [6]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Gatling Guns +11 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Ultra-Bomb +8 Area (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +6, Fortitude --, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (F.U.B.)- F.U.B. has set himself up as the corrupt warden of the prison-planet Raulf. All of the Loaded characters have been arrested on false charges (even the crazy ones) and kept there, and all want revenge.
Power Loss (Ammo)- Ammo must be reloaded- especially the Ultra Bombs.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 22 / Powers: 36 / Defenses: 13 (123)

-Sister Magpie is a malfunctioning android nun. That's like... all I can find about this character, lol.

[M4C8]

I'm English (mostly) and I only know of Tank Girl from the movie with Lori Petty. I've never been a fan of the 'British' comics and as far as I know none of my school friends that read comic books were either. I know Judge Dredd of course and I assume he's fairly well known but I have no idea how famous any of the other British characters are.

[Jabroniville]

MALICE:
* It's a pretty sweet name, I'll give it that- I'll list the various ones here, just for my own sake. Humorously enough, most have never actually received real names.

MALICE I (Real Name Unknown):
-Short-lived Black Panther for in 1973's Jungle Action. Minor super-strength, but jobbed to the Panther's bystander girlfriend. Hasn't reappeared since the '70s.

MALICE II (Real Name Unknown):
-A one-off villain from Ghost Rider in 1977. A rich guy who robbed banks for kicks, but was easily beaten by Johnny Blaze and gave up. Never reappeared.

MALICE III (Susan Richards): Go Here: Fantastic Four
-A mad, skankily-dressed variant of Susan Richards, driven nuts by the Psycho-Man. Kinda reappeared later when the Magus created evil duplicates of Earth's heroes.

MALICE IV (Real Name Unknown):
-A mind-posesser in the X-Books, who later officially joined the Marauders. Posessed Polaris for several arcs until the 1990s, then disappeared from comics for a decade until dying in a 1993 X-Factor issue, then popping up in more modern stuff.

MALICE V (Nakia): Malice V (Nakia)
-Young woman obsessed with the Black Panther in Christopher Priest's run of the book.

[Jabroniville]

MALICE I (Real Name Unknown)
Created By: Don McGregor & Gil Kane
First Appearance: Jungle Action #7 (Nov. 1973)
Role: One-Off Villain
Group Affiliations: Killmonger's Agents

-The original Malice first appeared in Jungle Action. She was extremely strong, able to throw a spear with enough force to break a marble column, and was an agent of Erik Killmonger in his feud with the Black Panther. She was captured a few issues later, and was then knocked out by the Panther's American lady friend, Monica Lynn, and has never properly reappeared since that 1975 issue. She was mentioned briefly in a Deadpool run as possibly having returned from the grave, which was odd since she had never died on-panel. Too bad she was never used again- she had a pretty decent look, and at the time, would have been one of the only super-strong women in the Marvel Universe.

-Malice was strong and fast, and probably about Class 5- vulnerable enough that a normal human woman could knock her out.

[Jabroniville]

MALICE II (Real Name Unknown)
Created By: Jim Shooter & Don Heck
First Appearance: Ghost Rider #25 (Aug. 1977)
Role: One-Off Villain, Thrillseeker
Group Affiliations: None

-The second Malice, debuting only a few years after the first, was a Ghost Rider one-off threat. He was a costumed supervillain who robbed banks... but notably used gear that cost MORE than what the bank even had- he was actually just a rich guy in it for kicks. Johnny Blaze chased down his getaway vehicle, ultimately wrecking it, and the villain crawled from the wreckage. Blaze used hellfire on him, and the panicking, desperate villain gladly confessed everything to the police. Despite being created by Marvel's future Editor in Chief, the villain never reappeared- seven years later, Susan Richards would take the name when she went insane under the power of the Psycho-Man, and a year after THAT, the Marauders featured a mind-possesser by that name. 1998 would see the Black Panther get a psycho-jailbait stalker taking the name.

-Malice had some IMMENSELY incredible gadgets, including a gun that could create mini-earthquakes, one that could shatter any metal object, and a magnet powerful enough to yank out an entire bank vault. His vehicle was a 1970s Cobra outfitted with guns and missiles. Despite all this, he lost his first and only super-fight.

[Jabroniville]

So yes, I found out there were another couple of Malices, and since I wanted to post up the Marauders right away, the name was relevant on my To-Do List .

[Jabroniville]

Talking with Ares about the Roger Stern run on Captain America and the creation of Bernie Rosenthal led me down the path of "Why was it so short?". Apparently Stern's nine-issue run is considered somewhat legendary, almost for being cut short as for being good. But going down that path, I found the reason why: https://www.gamesradar.com/roger-stern- ... fficulties.

Short Answer: Scheduling Conflicts. The book was late, there was gonna be a fill-in, and Stern took his ball and went home, saying it would wreck the story he planned out.

Looking at the following years on the book (I'm at Issue 310 now- from 1983), it seems clear that the run was liked, as J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Zeck were using the same stuff. Bernie Rosenthal WASN'T just dumped like most creators would do today (the "Rapid-Fire Romance" I often complain about), and became a recurring character for years. Mike Zeck was very obviously aping Byrne's style, too (though Bernie had a longer face than Byrne's typical "Byrne Girl").

There's a very amusing "Well I like Spider-Woman so I've decided this book now co-stars Jessica Drew" bit. DeMatteis is REALLY pretentious as a writer, though, doing overwrought narration all over the place- he's well-respected as comics writers from his era go, but it's a bit much.

And hey- it's the start of the "Jack Monroe Years"! He shows up, worn out and bedraggled, and gives us a sad-sack recap of his life (mandatory in Marvel at the time- every comic that re-debuted someone has them narrate for two pages straight). Steve initially attacks him as a "clone" of Bucky meant to screw with him, but swiftly comes down when he hears Jack's story (this, I believe, is the debut of the character even getting a name!) and chooses to take him on as a friend & partner. Jack is initially Bucky here, but later becomes "Nomad" until Mark Gruenwald gets in and... well, jettisons all the previous work to make his own thing.

[Jabroniville]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suOZ3hv ... sterPhaber

A YouTube video featuring most of these games being played.

PRIMITIVE FIGHTING GAMES:
-With the sensation of Martial Arts Films of the 1970s & '80s, especially the works of Bruce Lee and the Karate Kid franchise, we ended up with a veritable TON of these. If you really get specific, these are the first true Fighting Games, pre-dating even Street Fighter I by ages, but they're so primitive as to barely feel like the same genre. Most of them are just "two guys stand side-by-side and throw shots until one falls", with even jumping barely being an option. A couple in here are early examples of the "Beat 'Em Up" (though in strict 2D with no separate planes), while others are point-based to the point of being sports-sims.

KARATE CHAMPION
Role: The Player Character
PL 6 (94)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Athletics 5 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+9)
Expertise (The Martial Arts) 10 (+11)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 4 (+6)
Perception 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Assessment, Chokehold, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Power Attack, Takedown

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +6

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 10 (94)

-This is a pretty typical representative of a "Karate Game" fighter- essentially taking Oolong from Yie Ar Kung-Fu and knocking him down a bit. Most of these guys are distinctly "human" martial artists, simply normal guys trying to win competitions.



KARATE:
Release Date: 1982
Developer: Ultravision
Systems: Atari 2600

-Allegedly made with the help of Karate black belt Joseph Amelio, this was considered one of the worst Atari 2600 games of all time.

SUPER BLACK BELT KARATE:
Release Date: 1983
Developer: Computer Applications, Inc.
Systems: Commodore 64

-Two ridiculously-animated guys in blocky graphics slowly kick each other in this one- a precursor to the later games.


KARATE CHAMP:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Data East
Systems: Arcades, Apple II, Commmodore 64, NES

-Karate Champ was a HUGE blockbuster when it first came out in 1984, being very advanced for the time. It uses a Best-Of-Three format, later popularized by Street Fighter II and its copycats, making it a true originator. 24 different moves are possible as a guy in a white gi fights a guy in a red gi- you score a point or half-point for certain hits, and the first one to two points wins. A semi-sequel allowing two players to face each other came out the same year, also by Data East.

BLACK BELT:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Earthware Computer Services
Systems: Apple II, Commmodore 64

-Better graphics than some, but awful, stiff animations.

KARATEKA:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Jordan Mechner
Systems: Apple II, Commmodore 64, Game Boy

-Jordan Mechner later created the famous Prince of Persia, but this was his first game. Your unnamed protagonist must rescue Princess Mariko from the castle fortress of Akuma- it's apparently a combo of Fighting Game & Beat 'Em Up. You fight your way through the castle, regaining health if you spend a while not attacking. Hilariously, if you approach the Princess while in your fighting pose, she will kill you in one blow. A remake, also by Mechner, was available for download on the modern systems in 2012.

COMPETITION KARATE:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Motivated Software
Systems: Apple II, Commmodore 64

-Actually more of a Role-Playing Game, as you "roll" for your character's stats, and then choose which moves they're going to use from a list.



KUNG FU MASTER:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Irem
Systems: Arcade, Amstrad, Atari 2600, Commodore 64, NES, Game Boy

-An early side-scrolling Beat 'Em Up where a simple karate guy fights endless goons. Thomas must save Sylvia from these hordes. The game was made by Takashi Nishiyama, who would later create Street Fighter, then move to SNK and found THEIR Fighting Game lineage with Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury! So this one has a very strong legacy, despite being forgotten.

KUNG FU:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Bug-Byte
Systems: ZX Spectrum

-Horrendous-looking game using white outlines of fighters with terrible music.

DEATHKICK:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Blady Computer Games
Systems: Armstrad

-I can't even tell what's going on the graphics look so bad- just guys with one frame of animation each aiming at each other. Like a Tiger Game on a TV set.



URBAN CHAMPION:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Nintendo
Systems: NES

-Amazingly, an early NES Fighting Game. The purpose is to knock your opponent into an open manhole- people above you drop flower pots and stuff on your head. You have a light punch and a heavy punch.



CHINESE HERO:
Release Date: 1984
Developer: Taiyo Systems
Systems: Arcade, NES

-This is more of an overhead Action Game, where you play a, well, Chinese hero (sporting a coolie braid) against a ton of similar-looking bad guys, hoping to rescue your beloved. Actually, you can play two-player, so it's TWO Chinese Heroes- Lee and Loo.

CHOP SUEY:
Release Date: 1985
Developer: English Software
Systems: Atari

-Another simple game, but you can see people in the crowd moving around, and even SCORPIONS run across the bottom of the screen. Smooth animation for the time.

THE WAY OF THE EXPLODING FIST:
Release Date: 1985
Developer: Gregg Barnett
Systems: Acorn Electron, CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum

-Another old computer Fighting Game- you beat a series of guys in bouts that use a "yin-yang" instead of a health bar- completing a full move fills the yin-yang immediately, while glancing blows do half-fillings. This is actually pretty close to real karate tournaments. This was actually the best-selling ZX Spectrum game! Which would mean more if I actually had more of an idea what that was, lol. A sequel was created, but it was a side-scrolling Beat 'Em Up.



INTERNATIONAL KARATE:
Release Date: 1985
Developer: Archer MacLean
Systems: Amstrad, Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance

-Another simple 2-D "Fight for points" karate game. Data East found this so similar to Karate Champ that they sued- an early case of copywrite infringement lawsuits from video game knock-offs. However, it was tossed out, as most are, as simply copying genre conventions isn't enough to win a lawsuit like this- Data East won at first, but later judges reversed the decision. Upgraded versions hit the Game Boy Color and even Game Boy ADVANCE of all things!

KARATE COMBAT:
Release Date: 1986
Developer: Superior Software
Systems: Acorn Electron

-This one came out for a U.K. gaming system in 1986, and features pretty generic graphics.

MASTER NINJA- SHADOW WARRIOR OF DEATH:
Release Date: 1986
Developer: Paragon Software
Systems: Amiga, Commodore 64, DOS

-Identical-looking ninjas with color swaps fight. One version just has them as yellow & red outlines, but the Amiga one has solid graphics for the era (your ninjas have SHADING), even if the moves are all a single frame each. You must fight an evil villain called Sanjo. The game talks some MAD SHIT to you if you lose badly enough: "You can no longer be called a ninja. Remove the title from your vocabulary. White belt, you were an utter disgrace to the code of the ninja".

SAI COMBAT:
Release Date: 1986
Developer: Mirror Soft Ltd.
Systems: Commodore 64

-Kendo fighting game- you gain "Chi" based off of how difficult your moves are to pull off.

SHANGHAI KARATE:
Release Date: 1988
Developer: Players Software
Systems: Commodore 64

-Mixing Chinese & Japanese words together, this one features Lio Yin fighting all of Wang Chen's men on his way to Shanghai. There are eight strikes, and you have pretty good-sized power bars. All the attacks sound like gunshots.



CHOY LEE FAT- KUNG-FU WARRIOR:
Release Date: 1990
Developer: Positive
Systems: DOS, ZX Spectrum

-Hoo boy- graphics barely better than a Tiger Software game, in black & white, with wacky "a child colored this with crayons" schemes for the bottom half of the screen, which is inexplicably full or your health, invetory, and a portrait of an old man.



KICK BOX VIGILANTE:
Release Date: 1991
Developer: Zeppelin Games
Systems: Commodore 64

-Spectacularly awful music and sound effects destroy your ears as guys throw limp kicks at each other. I have no idea why anyone would have played this by '91.

[drkrash]

Evidently we Westerners only knew about karate and black belts in 1980.

(This is true. I was there. I played the hell out of Karate Champ in the arcades.)

[Jabroniville]

Evidently we Westerners only knew about karate and black belts in 1980.

(This is true. I was there. I played the hell out of Karate Champ in the arcades.)

lol, was that where your obsession started?

[Shock]

This one was my first fighting game. We had it on the Atari. It was super hard to beat because in between each fight there was a stage where weapons flew at you from off the screen and you have to duck or jump over them. One hit meant you lost and had to start over.

[Ares]

My first "fighting game" was an NES game called "Flying Warriors", which was this fun mix of kung fu, super Sentai and super heroes. There was a story mode (that I never finished), but it also had a VS mode where you could pick from a few characters with different fighting styles and fight with the second player. Fairly primitive, but gun and it lasted us until Street Fighter II came out.