Supreme Warrior

Story

The game is set in China hundreds of years ago, where the player character is tasked with protecting half of a magical mask. The wearer of this mask will be granted untold power. The villainous Fang Tu has the other half of the mask, and wants the player character's half.

Gameplay

Gameplay consists of fighting off Fang Tu's minions, and eventually Fang Tu himself. The gameplay in Supreme Warrior consists of full-motion video combined with interactivity.

Cast

Development

When asked about the inspiration for the game, Tom Zito, president of Digital Pictures, said that "We asked game players what types of games we should create, and frankly, we were surprised when they kept telling us to make a game that recreates a kung fu movie."

The video footage for Supreme Warrior was filmed on Shaw Brothers Studio sets in Hong Kong. Many of the actors, and even director Guy Norris, had extensive martial arts backgrounds, and the actors playing the game's enemies each choreographed their own fight routines. The game's fight sequences were mostly recorded using a head-mounted minicam worn by a stunt coordinator, while the sequences where the player character is hit were recorded with a padded hand-held camera which the actors would actually punch and kick.

Reception

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the 3DO version a unanimous score of 5 out of 10. While they praised the exceptionally good video quality and the innovation of having a fighting game from a first person perspective, they found that the gameplay did not work, and in particular that opponent attacks are excessively difficult to block. A reviewer for Next Generation remarked that "Digital Pictures' games are usually better to watch than play ... however, with this title it may be on the edge of a viable game structure." He went on to say that the game, while a step in the right direction for the developer, suffers from a steep learning curve and a disconnect between the gameplay and the onscreen video. GamePro's Slo Mo highly praised the production values of the game's full motion video, saying that it recreates the look and feel of a kung fu movie with such authenticity that "The only thing missing is the subtitles." Though he warned that the controls are complicated, he noted that they are responsive as well, and commented that taking the time to master the gameplay is rewarding.

Slo Mo was slightly less approving of the Sega CD version. Though he again praised the game's look "Grainy Sega CD video notwithstanding," he remarked that the controls are problematic, particularly without a six-button controller.

Electronic Gaming Monthly' review team gave the 32X version a 5.375 out of 10. They praised the cheesy kung fu movie style video sequences and compelling storyline, but criticized the gameplay, saying that it is too difficult to effectively pull off attacks and progress. Slo Mo's review of the 32X version praised it as having much better graphics than the Sega CD version, and again assessed the game as extremely difficult but rewarding. Mega Play Magazine gave it a 76 out of 100.