Fist of the North Star is an easy sell, especially as a game. Main-man Kenshiro punches men so hard that they literally explode, and the goofy post-apocalypse world is packed with crazy characters, like burly knuckleheads with pigtails. But surprisingly, punching fools who look like Pippi Longstockings until their guts burst just isn’t enjoyable in Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage. It’s actually worse than its “re-skinned Dynasty Warriors” label implies, especially if you’re not an obsessive otaku.

The beat ’em up’s exhausting repetition and painfully linear levels immediately minimize the game’s appeal. The Dynasty Warriors series succeeds because we get to use big, sharp sticks to clobber hundreds of idiot enemies. Fist fails because it slows down the go!-go!-go! pace. A sluggish brawler without an ounce of fluidity to support its shallow combat, the game’s wacky finishing moves — sticking your thumbs in a bad guy’s ears makes his head explode! — match the anime’s absurdity, but contribute little to gameplay.

Ken’s Rage tries to offset this boredom by letting you play as other series characters like Rei and Mamiya, but their missions are almost identical to Ken’s in many cases. These folks add a considerable amount of content to a game in desperate need of variety, but their fighting styles and special moves aren’t enough to make this rigid, repetitive actioner worth enduring

On Xbox 360

+ As ridiculous as its source material in all the right ways.

- Stiff, slow, and same-y combat; worthless if you’re not an über-fan.

- Crap level design, enemy A.I., and boss fights.

? Who’s buying these games...and why?!

4.0