luishinton: Karateka makes old school fighting new again on iPhone and iPad

Karateka -- originally released for pre-Mac Apple computers back in the day when bitmap samurai and Shaolin still walked the world, solving problems with their will, their fists, and their keyboard commands -- has now been reborn in full 3D, multitouch glory on the iPhone and iPad.

From Jordan Mechner, who not only made the original side-scroller, but created Prince of Persia as well, and Jeff Matsuda of The Batman animated series fame, the all new Karateka, you get three lives, literally -- the Brute, the Monk, and the True Love -- to attempt to save Mariko from the evil warlord, Akuma. Again, with. your. fists.

They claim the combat is rhythm-based, easy to pick up but challenging to master, and there's three different endings, one for each character.

I'm looking forward to trying it out this weekend, but if you've already strapped on your black belt, kung fu slippers, and gotten your Karateka on, let me know what you think of it.

Karateka is a universal app for both iPhone and iPad. For behind-the-scenes videos on the making of the new Karateka, check out Jordan Mechner's blog.