WinKawaks

THE EMULATOR WITH A FUNNY NAME

http://kawaks.retrogames.com (for download and download information)

Information about this game simulator…

Kawaks has been one of the emulators of choice for newer games such as Metal Slug 3. This emulator supports both Neo-Geo and Capcom (CPS1/2) games. This can probably be considered the ePSXe of arcade emus; some configurating must be done prior to actual gaming, but once that’s out of the way, the playing can begin!

Kawaks (known as WinKawaks) is an emulator that allows to play games as: The Punisher, The King of Dragons, Street Fighter 2, Pang, Final Fight, Captain Commando, X-Men VS. Street Fighter, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Mega Man, Dungeons and Dragons, Puzzle Bobble, Metal Slug, etc.

The list of games is large and you will find all the games that you played when a kid.

Kawaks can configure in a high quality video and sound. You may enjoy the excellent graphics. You can also reduce the graphics and sound quality, to play with power computers.

Kawaks can save the match at any time and applied tricks to the game. Resides you can play in net with your friends to still enjoy more than the games that Kawaks emulates.

Right from the time, in 1997, if I recall correctly, the “computer” entered our home, we thought of only one thing…games. The internet, which was painfully slow, only entered our lives in 2000, and did not spark much interest. The memory of a C-D, called ‘Z Zone games’ still remains fresh in my head, along with the traumatic day we lost it. I remember with horror the sound of the C-D, breaking with a sharp crack as I sat on it.

However, on with the purpose of this blog entry…to publicize this awesome emulator, which allows me to play ‘fighting games’, termed so casually at that time. Along with these “fighting” games, we also had The Lion King game (and leveled up with the help of passwords, as I could never pass level two, still can’t btw!), The Garfield game, and a few others blurred by either sheer lack of interest or the cruel impact of time.

Right. Since these “fighting” games have been mentioned so many times (let’s call them FG from now on), let me elaborate for those who have no idea what I am talking about…though, it’s a shame, because, why else are you reading this? It’s those arcade games, the ones where you pick a character, and play against another one. Sometimes, you need to choose only one character versus another (one on one), like in games like Double Dragon and Samurai Shodown, but the more fun games, in my opinion are a team of three to four predetermined characters (though, if this, too was random. It would be more fun) to which you choose the same amount of characters, and fight against, as seen in all The King of Fighters series. Sometimes, there is a ‘striker’, seen in the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon series, which appears WHEN SUMMONED UP TO 3 times and performs a specific move. The striker is optional in most cases for the player’s side.

Every FG has a high kick, low kick, low punch, high punch, like in Mortal Kombat, along with the movements front (to move forward), back (to block), up (to jump) and down (to duck). A combination of kicks and punches, coupled with the movement keys, enable players to perform ‘special moves’, possible sometimes in the beginning of the fight, and some only when ‘powered up’ completely. The music, an important aspect of all these games, intensifies as the final fight or the deciding round begins. The players all have signature moves, which are mostly performed along with words in Japanese. Every time a player begins a fight, they must say or do something, and they have predetermined victory and defeat reactions, as well, which speaks volumes about their character, apart from their clothes, actions and ‘gloats’ at the end of the game. For example, Athena, the pop star from the King of Fighters, or KoF will greet the other player with “here I go” in Japanese, (I watch too much anime, yes) and will die with a scream, and win with a giggle. Goro, from Double Dragon will mumble and rub his large stomach, whereas some players, who have a special relation in the anime (watch Fatal Fury, there are two parts) like Mai and Andy, will throw kisses and children at the other player. Sometimes, the gloating changes according to this, too. In the game SNK VS CAPCOM, dialogues are different as per every character.

Some things all these games have in common (separate NEO-Geo and Capcom)

1, Players like Andy, Mai, Joe, Terry, Blue Mary, Athena, Kim, Benimaru, Kensou, etc. are a major part of the story line in the anime, and feature in most games, like KoF, Crouching Tiger, Street Fighter, CAPCOM vs. SNK, etc.

2. There are always three rounds a match. A series, where 4 to 3 players need to be selected, these ‘matches can range from 3 matches (where 1 player defeats all 3 players) to up to 11 matches (3 into 4 minus 1)

3. Most FGs follow a story line.

4. Difficulty increases as the CPU players are defeated.

5. Women can range from 5 percent to 30 percent. I prefer playing with the women, who value speed and agility to brute strength and one move wins. I prefer to prance around and dodge attacks rather than attack only. This is why Mai, Blue Mary, Mature and Vice are my favorite players. Other female players include Yuri, Shermie, Athena, Leona, Mary Lee, Whip, Chunli, Hinako, Angel, Vanessa, Malin (Fal rom KoF)

6. Life is determined by a bar on the top. The CPU Player players on the right side and your player plays on the left

7. If you lose a game, you get options to make it easier to win the next fight. Standard options include reducing difficulty level, giving less life to the CPU Player, improving Stamina, keeping life maximum after the previous fight.

8. These games are very hard, however. It takes patience and skill to finish. After the third round, things get next to impossible. The game ends with a superhuman player playing against your player/s, which requires you to constantly lose.

9. These games were not made to play at home, but in an Arcade, where obsessed players would keep dropping in coins to continue game play/ if the player aced the game easily, he or she would lose interest. Therefore, these games are meant to be unbeatable.

10. The tag team matches allow you to switch between players, like Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter

11. In the marvel and capcom characters, you can also choose things like fighting style and speed of playing

So, having ‘briefed’ you about this topic, here is my rating of the games I posess from Winkawaks

SL. No	Title	Rating (on 5)	Characters (m/f)
1	ART OF FIGHTING	3	2	10
2	AGGRESSORS OF DARK COMBAT	3	1	8
3	BREAKERS REVENGE	3.5	2	8
4	CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON	4	10	40
5	DOUBLE DRAGON	4	2	10
6	FATAL FURY	2	2	12
7	FIGHT FEVER	1	1	8
8	GARAO- MARK OF THE WOLVES	3.5	2	10
9	KING OF GLADIATORS	3	5	30
10	KIZUNA ENCOUNTER SUPER TAG BATTLE	2.5	2	8
11	MERIMELLEE	2.5	2	10
12	RAGE OF DRAGONS	4	4	14
13	SAMURAI SHODOWN	3	5	15
14	SAVAGE REIGN	2	1	8
15	X MEN, CHILDREN OF ATOM	3	2	10
16	SNK VS. CAPCOM	3	5	15
17	KING OF FIGHTERS	4	7	40
18	THE LAST BLADE	4	2	10
19	VOLTAGE FIGHTERS	3	2	10
20	KABUKI KLASH: FAR EAST OF EDEN	3	3	8
21	OPERATION REGNAGARD	3	3	8
22	REAL BOUT FURY	2	2	16
23	HYPER STREET FIGHTER	2	2	10
24	MARVEL SUPER HEROES	3	1	8
25	MARVEL VS. STREET FIGHTER	3.2	1	16
26	VAMPIRE HUNTERS	2.8	3	16
27	NIGHT WARRIORS	2	2	10
28	STREET FIGHTER ALPHA, WARRIORS DREAMS	3	2	10
29	STREET FIGHTER ZERO	4	2	10
30	SUPER GEM STREET FIGHTER	4	3	10
31	VAMPIRE HUNTERS 2	4	6	25
32	MARVEL VS. CAPCOM	3.5	2	16
33	X-MEN VS. STREET FIGHTER	4	4	12

WHEW. That was more work than I thought I’d be. Hoping it helped.