NYCC 09: Invincible Tiger hands-on (XBLA)

by James Ransom-Wiley { Feb 7th 2009 at 11:58AM }

We learned a valuable lesson today: Don't judge a game by its ... name. First uncaged earlier this week, Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is the sort of hackneyed game title that simply can't survive in the brutal wilds of Joystiq.com. So, already composing the first kill strikes in our minds, we picked up an Xbox 360 gamepad and entered the Tiger.

First thought: Wow, this is kinda like Kung-Fu Master -- the venerable father of beat-em-ups. Next thought: No, this isn't like Kung-Fu Master. The level is a movie set, not side-scrolling, but stage-like, with vertical sections, props, and stunt areas. You don't move as an 8-bit Master, but as a fast and fluid 3D model: leaping, rolling, diving, flipping, kicking and splitting wigs.

Gallery: Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao

Dare we say, Invincible Tiger is quite tiger-like? There's a great precision to the controls, and the combat evolves as the stage progresses. Each stage is comprised of "waves" of enemies, growing stronger and more complex with the passing of the tides. Enemies become adept at blocking and attacking. Glowing indicators on their hands and feet telegraph where a strike will originate from (but give no indication of exactly when the strike will happen), giving players an opportunity to execute a dodge move (right stick); left, right, or upward -- unlike enemies, players can't block. Successful dodging builds a "Yin/Yang" meter that, once full, can be triggered (RB), in turn, unlocking a so-called "invincible" strength, vastly increasing players' speed and damage capabilities. On the opposite side of the gamepad (LB), is a "meditation" trigger used to regenerate health -- just know that you can't meditate with undead ninjas jump kicking your dome.

What looks dull and grainy in screenshots, is an intended 70s Kung Fu film filter, which doesn't necessarily translate much better in actual gameplay. It's an aesthetic choice, though, and the developers have clearly put a lot of attention into the art design of Invincible Tiger. This really shows in the stage design. Interactive set pieces glow red as you near them, and tapping the interact button (B) mergers players into those built-in stunts -- kicking clay pops, shimmying up polls, swinging across gaps, or simply walking in one door (and down unseen stairs) and out another.

Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is not as grandiose as the great Kung Fu flicks, but it certainly compares to some lesser, Sunday afternoon pictures. At the right price (we'd like to see $10) -- and with 2-player co-op and 4-player battle modes (online and off) -- Invincible Tiger is another summer release we're looking forward to soaking up.

Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is scheduled for release this summer on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade for an as yet unspecified price.

Tags: comic-con, hands-on, invincible-tiger, namco-bandai, nycc, nycc-2009, psn, psn-games, the-legend-of-han-tao, xbla

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

-.- @ Feb 7th 2009 12:03PM

I thoguht it was LBP when i saw the pic O.O

Pumapayam @ Feb 7th 2009 4:02PM

We think alike, I thought it was LittleBigPlanet too.

Stylized similar to the Gardens/Islands.

J.Goodwin @ Feb 7th 2009 12:08PM

Yeah, I had that LBP feeling too.

I like how ComicCon is becoming the go-to place for "major" downloadable game previews.

finalstar @ Feb 7th 2009 12:19PM

lol
i thought it was LBP too lmao .. im glad i wasn't the only one :P

Courtney @ Feb 7th 2009 12:25PM

Man, I had originally thought this reminded me of Kung Fu Chaos (a tragically overlooked fun game), but now it does even more so. I'm sold!

Game_playa @ Feb 7th 2009 3:31PM

Did you mean Rag Doll Kung Fu?

J.Goodwin @ Feb 7th 2009 6:30PM

No, he meant Kung Fu Chaos, the game made by the developer currently known as Ninja Theory before they made Heavenly Sword.

It didn't sell very well at all, and Microsoft declined to finance and publish their most recent project as a result.

Courtney @ Feb 7th 2009 11:32PM

I didn't realize it was the same developer behind Heavenly Sword.

Kung Fu Chaos was an original Xbox game where you played the star of a B Kung Fu movie, fighting out each scene of the movie while a director yelled at (or occasionally complimented) you, hence the resemblance to this one when they described each stage as being like a movie set. I thought it was just full of over the top, silly fun.

zakru @ Feb 7th 2009 12:45PM

Wow, I thought this was a Playstation site.

Bowser Rogozhin @ Feb 7th 2009 12:55PM

It's an Amiga fansite. Didn't you see Ludwig's five page preview of the latest Zool release? Talk about whoring yourself for pageviews, amirite?

Xta Large (Formerly Fatass) @ Feb 7th 2009 12:57PM

I'm assuming you caught this link from http://playstation.joystiq.com/, in which case I suggest you lrn2joystiq

It says (XBLA) at the top because that's the version of the game that they were able to play. The game is still being released for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, and since they're likely very similar products, this hands on is also describing the experience a Playstation 3 owner would take away from this game.

Fraser JK @ Feb 7th 2009 12:46PM

Looks like Rag-doll Kong Fu... interesting!

Bill$ @ Feb 7th 2009 1:21PM

thats what im thinking. what ever happened to that game? or did they just change the name?

j.howlett @ Feb 7th 2009 2:25PM

i think rag doll kung fu came out on pc awhile ago, i think it was through steam. it's suppose to com to psn eventually

Fraser JK @ Feb 7th 2009 3:21PM

I think that's the old one, they are making a new one now!

A1 @ Feb 7th 2009 1:09PM

I too thought this was a Playstation site, never mind.

mgsrocks1 @ Feb 7th 2009 1:17PM

Good thing to know I'm not the only one who thought it was Little Big Planet on the pic.

IvorB @ Feb 7th 2009 1:41PM

Isn't this supposed to be PS3fanboy? Why the Xbox 360 hands on? I know it's being released on both but why write about the 360 version here? That doesn't make sense.

Xta Large (Formerly Fatass) @ Feb 7th 2009 1:53PM

I'll just copy and paste this.

It says (XBLA) at the top because that's the version of the game that they were able to play. The game is still being released for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, and since they're likely very similar products, this hands on is also describing the experience a Playstation 3 owner would take away from this game.

WhiteShield @ Feb 7th 2009 2:41PM

they also have a link to this from the xbox.joystiq site. not that i used it but now with the merger of all the fanboy sites, links pile over into other sections of the site. and once again, just read xta large.

TuxBobble @ Feb 7th 2009 3:42PM

It seems to me that the others are right--it'll be both PSN/XBLA game.

However, please if you're going to USE the same article for XBLA/PSN, at least indicate that it's for both in a clear way. I almost skipped right over this post because it said XBLA and not PSN, so I initially assumed it would be an exclusive.

So next time make it clear please. I didn't see a single mention of PSN/PlayStation outside of the "tags" and so I wasn't sure if it was a mis-tag or what. Just add a /PSN to the title. So, for a multiplat game, just use the platform you're reviewing/previewing first. i.e. for this, type XBLA/PSN. If you were looking at the PSN version, simply put PSN/XBLA. Can't be much easier than that, can you?

cafecito @ Feb 7th 2009 2:43PM

Still can't tell that oriental people call strong people "tigers" and "dragons", and not literally tigers and dragons? Sheesh.

Anyway, sounds fun. Hope it has a nice price when landing on XBLA :D

(Damn, I'm still waiting for a current-gen Jackie Chan game. Not the cartoon, mind you... the guy himself. Like that great PSOne game)

Popfrogs @ Feb 7th 2009 3:23PM

The colors are ugly and disgusting. I hope this game is fun to make up for that.

jordanpories @ Feb 7th 2009 4:48PM

wow this looks just like littlebigplanet but probly sucks

WhiteShield @ Feb 7th 2009 6:13PM

ya the background looks like LBP but how does the gameplay? this isn't platforming, this is a side scrolling fighter.

revsoul @ Mar 12th 2009 12:47PM

In the true essence of fanboyism, i'd expect a PS3 hands-on not a 360 hands-on. If it's not available yet then wait until it is. If I want it that bad I'll go to the 360 site and read it. Let me at least have my "fanboy" site and nothing else.

davebo @ Feb 8th 2009 12:33AM

I'm always excited to hear about co-op beat em up's. I'll keep an eye out for some videos of this once it gets closer to release.

Larry @ Feb 9th 2009 11:19AM

Nice write-up. I will try the demo when it comes out.

hippe @ Feb 9th 2009 1:23PM

I agree with tuxbobble. i for one loved PS3 fanboy but i knew eventually money and gaming politics would push it into a platform where , just like all other sources of gamming news, XBL stuff would be meshed with PS3 stuff and us PS3 fans get to get all our reviews based off the XBox version. I for one will be looking out for the next great video game site that will provide content in the way PS3 Fanboy did it. I was worried about what the change would mean and this is it. Enjoy your XBox reviews and screenshots in the PS3 fanboy section.