Best of the Best: Championship Karate

The MS-DOS version is the one this page covers: the information, review and main screenshots are from this platform.

Best of the Best: Championship Karate for Mega Drive (Genesis) uses the championship presentation and the bouts between two kickboxers in profile view. This version has its own graphics, menus and console controls. The copy in the collection shows the game text in English and keeps the original game image inside its ZIP.

From the title screen to the first round

Wait at the title screen with Press Start Button and press Enter. The menu shows Player 1 on the left and Tsong Po on the right. Pad vs Sega indicates one player against the computer. Match lets you begin the bout, and Z confirms the selection in the test done with a keyboard.

Before you can fight, the round introduction and the referee's cues appear. Wait for that entrance to finish. The scoreboard shows the time available for the round at the top of the ring. Check that the Game Paused message has disappeared before using the directional controls.

Preview lets you watch a demonstration. The menu can start one of those sequences if you leave it untouched. The gameplay check was done by entering Match expressly with Pad vs Sega selected.

Moving and combining a technique

The arrow keys represent the directions on the controller. Left and Right change the fighter's position in the ring. In the tested sequence, lateral movement was used and then an approach toward the opponent.

X combined with Right produces the technique shown in the gallery. The screenshot captures a kick from Player 1 toward the rival. The stance and the distance between the boxers show when the move begins and where its reach ends.

The repertoire depends on the techniques chosen in Select Hits. Physical Type shows the fighter's characteristics. The menu also offers Grading, Another Boxer, Options and Training. You can review those sections before returning to Match.

The console pause and the player pause

Enter corresponds to Start during the bout. Pressing it brings up Game Paused over the ring. Enter lets you continue. The pause button of ClaBa Player offers another way to halt the emulation while you check the instructions.

The screenshots for this edition come from the cartridge running in the browser. They include the menu, the referee's introduction, action from the bout and an image taken with the player's capture function. The verification covers startup, movement and the indicated technique.

The Mega Drive cartridge

The download keeps the original ZIP with a one-megabyte game image. The internal header identifies Best of the Best Championship Karate and the Sega Mega Drive console. This game page dates this edition to 1993. The title screen keeps the 1992 copyright that appears in the program itself.

The associated video shows the Mega Drive edition kept in the collection. To use the download outside the site you need an emulator compatible with that console. The boot options and the DOS keys are explained in the section for PC.

Best of the Best: Championship Karate for Game Boy brings the kickboxing championship to Nintendo's handheld. The title screen shows the 1992 copyright, the names of Loriciel and Electro Brain, and the Nintendo license. The copy in the collection keeps the game's menus and messages in English.

Entering Match

Press Enter on the title screen to reach the menu. Player 1 appears on the left and Tsong Po on the right. The central area lets you check Grading, Select Hits, Load, Save and Physical. The bottom row holds Preview, Match and Training.

In the session we tested, Z confirms the initial selection of Match. The ring then appears along with the Ready message. Wait for that introduction to finish and for the clock to start counting down before you use the move as a reference. The first steps of the verification were taken while Ready was still showing, and the later images show the fight already under way.

The directions and the tested attack

Use Left and Right to move Player 1. In the verified match the fighter was made to step back and then advance toward the opponent again. Holding a direction for a moment lets you tell the movement apart from the animation of a strike.

The combination of X with Right performs the attack shown in the screenshots. The sequence shows Player 1 approaching Tsong Po and extending an arm toward him. You can repeat those movements to adjust your distance before chaining other actions.

Select Hits and Physical let you check the fighter's preparation from the menu. Preview opens the demonstration that the program offers. The images in the gallery come from a match started expressly in Match and controlled with the keyboard.

The handheld's image

This edition uses the monochrome Game Boy presentation. The menu keeps the portraits and lays the options out in large boxes. During the bout, the time sits at the top of the ring and the crowd fills the lower area. The screenshots keep the four shades that the game produces in the emulator.

ClaBa Player's capture feature lets you download an image of the screen. You can open the player menu and use Captura (Capture). The pause button on the player bar stops the emulation while you read this page. When you resume, focus the screen again so that your keystrokes go to the game.

The collection's copy

The download keeps the original ZIP with a single 256 KiB cartridge file. To use it on your computer you need an emulator compatible with Game Boy. The video in this tab corresponds to the handheld edition that accompanies that copy in the collection.

Best of the Best: Championship Karate for Super Nintendo presents the tournament with this console's graphics and controls. The title screen shows the 1992 copyright and the Loriciel and Electro Brain brands. This game page dates the edition to 1993. The menus and messages of the copy used in the online session are in English.

Choosing the match

Let the title animation finish before pressing Enter. The menu shows Player 1 and Tsong Po. Pad vs Snes indicates the match against the console. Match is in the bottom row, between Preview and Training.

X confirms Match from that menu. The round introduction and the referee's cues come before the exchange of blows. Wait until both fighters are ready and the referee lets the fight begin before you try out the directions.

Preview lets you watch a demonstration and Training opens the gym. In the menu you will also find Grading, Select Hits, Physical Type, Alter Look, Options and Next Boxer. The portraits and stats let you check a fighter before going back to the ring.

Controlling the distance

Left and Right send the controller's directions. You can move Player 1 away from the opponent and bring him close again. Hold each direction for a moment to see how the fighter's position changes.

The verified sequence uses lateral movement, approaching, and X together with Right during the match. Watch both characters' arms and legs to tell the start of a technique from the opponent's strike. The distance between the two determines when they come into contact.

The screenshots show the first round against Tsong Po and several moments of that controlled game. The fighter on the left wears red pants and blue gloves. His opponent wears blue pants and red gloves.

Pausing and taking a screenshot

The ClaBa Player pause button stops the emulation while you read the instructions. To use the keys again, resume and focus the game screen. Restart lets you begin again from the original presentation.

Open the player menu and use Captura (Capture) to download the image you are looking at. The gallery includes a screenshot taken with that function during the fight. It keeps the game frame and its proportions.

The two preserved copies

The collection includes the original ZIP files from Europe and the U.S. The online session uses the U.S. cartridge, which keeps a one-megabyte file. Both downloads keep their original files and need a Super Nintendo emulator to use them outside the site.

The video in this tab belongs to the Super Nintendo edition. The other tabs on this game page gather the versions verified for their respective platforms.

Best of the Best: Championship Karate for NES presents the kickboxing championship with the graphics of Nintendo's console. The title screen keeps the 1992 copyright and the Electro Brain brand. The collection's copy uses English text and initially pits Player 1 against Tsong Po.

From the Title Screen to the Ring

Wait for the title screen to appear in full before pressing Enter. From the menu, X confirms the selection that leads to the match. The introduction to the first round shows a woman holding the round number sign. Then the fighters and the referee appear.

Let that entrance finish before moving the character. During the fight, the scoreboard at the top shows Round 1 and the clock. The ring bar and the names help you recognize the fighter you are controlling when the two opponents get close.

Moving and Attacking

The arrow keys send the controller's directions. In the keyboard check, Left was used to back away and Right to move toward the opponent again. Holding the direction for a moment makes it easier to see the change in position.

X together with Right was also tested to perform an attack. The gallery shows the fighter's movement and the encounter with Tsong Po. You can start by practicing the distance, advancing toward your opponent and combining the direction with the action button.

The ClaBa Player pause stops the emulation while you read these instructions. When you return to the game, focus the screen so that it receives the keyboard. The Capture function in the player menu downloads an image of the game.

The NES Presentation

This conversion draws the ring with a black background and a blue spotlight on the fighters. The spectators fill the lower part of the image. The characters' shorts and gloves help tell their positions apart in close exchanges.

The images in this tab come from the cartridge running in the browser. They include the round introduction, the ring and actions from a controlled game. The screenshot downloaded with the player's function keeps the NES image and its proportions.

The Copy in the Collection

The download keeps the collection's original ZIP with a single NES game image. The online game uses that same content. You can download it to open it in an emulator compatible with Nintendo's console.

The video for this edition corresponds to the NES game that accompanies that copy in the collection. The DOS instructions and those for other consoles are in their respective tabs.