Spartan X 1 and 2

[lobdale]

Here's my theory from a project I've been working on...

Spartan X features a relatively convoluted and mysterious release history. Originally released as an arcade game--also titled Spartan X--by IREM in Japanese arcades in 1984, the game features a licensing deal with the Hong Kong Jackie Chan/Golden Harvest film Kuàicān Chē (roughly, Wheels on Meals), which in Japan is renamed to Spartan X, for some reason. The arcade game as it is released in the US in December of 1984 is retitled Kung Fu Master, presumably because the film hasn't been released in America and neither the original title nor the Japanese title have any meaning to US audiences. In June of 1985, Nintendo enters into an agreement with IREM--ultimately the only time they'll ever partner with them--to release a Famicom port of the arcade game, also called Spartan X.

When the US version of Spartan X is released for the NES four months later in October of 1985, it will be retitled Kung Fu in an effort to bank on the familiarity that US gamers already have with the arcade game Kung Fu Master. For whatever reason, at some point in time that nobody seems to ever have confirmed but what I'm guessing is most likely one year after the Famicom release in June of 1986, the licensing agreement Nintendo has for the title Spartan X either expires or is cancelled, and Nintendo rereleases the Famicom game under the more basic name Kung Fu (surely based on the branding of the US release), which gets its own release code (HVC-KF).

The Japanese release of Kung Fu is seemingly identical to the US release of Kung Fu, which has most likely just been slapped onto an FC cart. The Famicom release of Kung Fu, to ultimately be sent out to die four months into the Famicom Disk System era, becomes one of the rarest games for the system, with carts alone commanding a significant premium and boxed examples virtually impossible to find, owing to a low quantity release for a limited audience who has either already purchased the Spartan X cart or moved on to the FDS.

(I have never seen a boxed example in person, but did at one point find a tiny picture of one, probably confirming that at some point these were indeed available boxed...)

[L___E___T]

 



I have seen a CIB version in a Hong Kong store, I think Flying Phoenix has also seen this same copy so we know it exists, and the seller is knowledgeable and frequents Japan often.

The question was posed and from memory, I think this was the earlier version as opposed to a later release.  I can't recall but there was some discussion on it in another thread here...

Hoping I can update with that before a flurry of defensive posts arrive disputing various elements - I already said I can't recall properly, nor do I know all the ins and outs of the timings!

[Flying_Phoenix]

Interesting theory, it also makes sense as a later release. It wouldn't be the first time that a re-release is very hard to find, much harder than the original print. I'm thinking a couple of PS games, but also GB games (change of distributor for example, with different box).

There's something fcgamer could help with. Open up all those Kung Fu carts and write down what's written on the board and chips (or just take a good close-up pic ). We should be able to track down one or more dates. I'm able to do this with my GB carts, with interesting finds.

If we could narrow down a couple of Kung Fu carts to a certain month, then we could do the same with some (super cheap) Spartan X carts. This would clear up which one came first.

(yes it was definitely a boxed copy, although I did not open it up to look at the cart and manual)

[L___E___T]

 



I have both carts, assuming I can find them I'll crack them open and post pics. 

[Flying_Phoenix]

That would be amazing, but please don't damage them just for this purpose.

Wish I could get a loose cart to open it myself!