Urban Champion

Description

Urban Champion is a classic fighting game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1984. This game is distinguished by being one of the first in the 2D fighting genre, taking inspiration from the Game title. & Watch from 1984, Boxing, also known as Punch-Out!!. Urban Champion's gameplay is simple but challenging: players must block, dodge, and throw punches to push their opponent into a manhole, all while avoiding being hit by flower pots falling from windows and keeping an eye on the patrol car passing by. It can happen at any time.

The game was innovative for its time, offering a multiplayer mode and controls that required a combination of strategy and quick reflexes. Despite its simplicity, it laid the foundation for future fighting games. In terms of hardware, Urban Champion was distributed in cartridge format and was played with standard NES controls. Over time, the game has been re-released on several platforms, including the Wii Virtual Console, the Nintendo 3DS as part of the 3D Classics series, and most recently, in the Arcade Archives collection of games for the Nintendo Switch.

Later versions have improved in technical aspects such as sound quality and visuals, especially notable in the 3D Classics version, which adapted the game to the 3D of the 3DS console. In addition, the version for Nintendo Vs. arcade systems included improvements to the soundtrack and visuals, although it was long considered lost until its inclusion in the Switch collection.

However, despite these improvements, reviews for Urban Champion on the Virtual Console were mostly negative, and some critics have called it one of Nintendo's worst games. This is partly due to its repetitive gameplay and lack of depth compared to modern titles in the genre.

As for the plot, Urban Champion does not have a complex story or developed characters. The premise is simple: two anonymous fighters, differentiated only by the color of their clothing, compete to be the neighborhood champion. Despite this simplicity, the game has a nostalgic charm and represents an important piece of video game history.