I remember when the original Rag Doll Kung Fu was released on Steam a
few years ago, and it seemed like a neat physics experiment if not much
of a game. The version put on the Playstation Network seems to use the
same system with simplified controls, and it apparently has done so
poorly that it ended up being more profitable to let users download it
for free in a promotion sponsored by Sprint, which is how I got to play
it. I screwed around with it for a couple hours, not cursing the time I
wasted but not itching to go back either.
There's no real single
player game, just a series of challenges to compete for scores in and
some multiplayer modes. I tried them all, and some of them were kind
of cool, but none prompted me to try again once I completed the
requirements for the basic trophies. The combat has some cool gimmicks
to it and beating up a group of guys can be all right, but in the end
it just sort of feels like a poor man's Super Smash Bros.
The motion controls add an interesting element with turning the
controller over to meditate and restore health, but the other
techniques are too wonky to use effectively. I wouldn't mind trying it
with four people if I ever had that many people and controllers in the
room, but I'll probably just forget I downloaded it before long.
