Hands-On With Punch Mania

On our recent voyage to Japan, the videogames.com collective came across a new game during our daily rounds at the local arcade hangouts - and we were immediately hooked. Punch Mania: Fist of the North Star is Konami's latest arcade sensation, and it lets players test their boxing skills. Literally.

You play as Kenshiro, who takes on enemies such as Shin and Raoh. The punching pads are located around the monitor on the inside edge of the arcade cabinet space. The pads pop forward at you from a reclining position against the inside of the cabinet, and once they fully extend in front of you, you must immediately punch them back or your character suffers damage. You can tell exactly when to hit the pads by watching really carefully for the moment they light right before you have to hit them. By hitting lots of pads in succession, your power meter increases. When your meter is full, you can pull off a super move that's taken from the Fist of the North Star anime. These super moves are quite comical, as they usually require you to punch the pads like a madman.

Overall, we found the game to be one heck of a cool experience, but it sure tires you out after playing it for some time. videogames.com's Jeff Gerstmann can attest to this, as he played the game extensively on video, which we then put together to show you what the game is all about. If you think Punch Mania sounds appealing in the slightest, make sure to download our video.