Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic Preview

Arcade gaming is taking another turn for the silly fun of it with the pending PSN release of Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic. This is a title that is all about the high score, or multiplayer mayhem when you use the various skills at your disposal to beat up on others in this platformer.

The game is precisely what the title implies – rag-doll physics, kung-fu action and plastic-looking characters. The game is quick paced, and graphically pleasing. Though the characters do have that plastic sheen to them, the animation does not suffer and the game moves along very well in the limited arenas that serve as the levels.

There are several ways to play the game – multiplayer, challenges, the tutorial (which is also part of the challenge series), a cursory character customization setting that really does not do a lot but allow the player to add costume elements and change out heads with some predetermined models.

You can then move into the tutorial or better yet, jump into the challenge mode and complete the tutorial there. The reason? Easy, even if you ran the tutorial, you will have to complete it in the challenge mode to unlock the first of seven challenges. By completing the challenges at one of three levels (they follow the familiar pattern of bronze, silver and gold), you unlock new customization elements.

As for the combat, there are several elements that take advantage of the hot keys and the SIXAXIS motion sensors. Fighting is simply a matter of using the square to punch, the triangle to kick and the circle to block, but you can pick up and throw items, use weapons, eat noodles, meditate, swing from platforms and so on. The control scheme is not overly complicated but you should learn it simply because you may find that drawing from chi for health is vital to survive. You can also shake the controller to build up a lightning ball that you throw at your opponent.

And yes, you can pick up and toss your foe around like … well … a rag doll.

The environments are well done with texture and lighting adding ambience to the setting. The music has that cheesy B-movie feel to it from decades past.

The game is certainly entertaining and should have robust online presence when it launches. This is a title slated to release on the PlayStation Network.