Trigger Happy

Sumo wrestler (Ready 2 Rumble Boxing [see fig. 4])? Bruce Lee in a gold lamÉ leotard, a pogo-happy alien cyborg or a tiny, annoying dragon (Tekken 3)? Black, Asian or Caucasian; male, female or indeterminate xenomorph? Beat-’em-ups are nothing if not politically inclusive; it is much more common for European men to play as women or as Korean jujitsu experts than as digital avatars of their own ethnic origins. It doesn’t matter who you are in real life; here, the idea of play as experimentation extends to your own genes.

Fig. 4. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Croatian tank Boris Knokimov (left) takes on cuddly Hawaiian Salua Tua. Rumble bumble . . .

(‰ 1999 Midway)

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Magnavox Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution Trigger Happy manual ‰ 1999 Midway