Thursday, May 16, 2013

Karnov Box Art


I got Karnov and Friday the 13th one day as a kid. It was from a cousin who didn't like either game anymore. I received both a few days after receiving Adventure Island II for Christmas. The three games were a pretty big part of my childhood, when I only owned 20 games or so. Karnov will always be remembered for its insane robotic fish people, t-rexes, and wacky settings. This is defiantly one of the defining games of the NES, and every collector/gamer needs a copy.

I gave Karnov a try tonight, while I was taking a break from WoW. I can still get to the Caterpillar woman boss on Stage 4, but I can't beat her! Never could as a kid either. This is one of those games than has haunted me since I was a kid.


8 comments:

Chalgyr said...

There's an oldie. I liked Karnov when it came out (though I always found his inclusion as a boss battle in Bad Dudes a little odd). Never bought the game - just a weekend rental, but I had fun with it.

8bitcity said...

Apparently in the Japanese version he's a bad guy sent back to Earth to answer for his sins. So that kinda explains why they might have him as a boss. Or just for fun, in the way that the Dragon Twins are a boss in River City Ransom.

Chalgyr said...

Looooved the Dragon Twins cameo in RCR. The music kicked in, I saw the names and I just had to pause. Keep in mind though, I was a HUGE Double Dragon fan back then. That was probably the first arcade game I had ever 'beaten', right down to the surprise showdown with my buddy who was playing it with me at the end. Double Dragons 1 & 2 for the NES also got a ton of play time out of me.

Del_Duio said...

I thought you fell in! Good to see you posting again :D

Matthew St. Cyr said...

I had Karnov when I was a kid too....but I had it on the Commodore 64. I managed to get to the diving stage, but I couldn't get any further because the disk was corrupted.

Later I got the NES version and finally beat it. This game has long been one of my all time favorites! I actually just played it through not too long ago!

8bitcity said...

The red guys in the bird's nests who shoots bullet keep killing me on Stage 6.

Matthew St. Cyr said...

Those guys are a huge pain. It doesn't help that all those damn swordsmen and whatnot keep spawning to your right and left.

If you've got the shield, it helps a lot and you can pick up a new one towards the end of the stage.

Also, watch out for all those damn fishmen as you climb up the tower. It's easier to just keep climbing up than fighting them....

Matthew St. Cyr said...

Just tried to play the ZX Spectrum version.....got my ass handed to me on a silver platter. I didn't even get past the first boulder thrower before losing all my lives! It was a good ol' fashioned Alabama Ass Kickin'!