Title: Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style (Video Game and Soundtrack)
Release Date: October 31, 1999
Producers: Activision / ???
Review: Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style is a video game for the first PlayStation console featuring all nine original Wu-Tang members. Each emcee is playable as a comic book / martial arts version of himself, using bare fists or bladed weapons in a unique fighting style to battle all types of enemies as he tries to rescue the Wu's mentor, Master Xin. Ol' Dirty Bastard uses drunken boxing (of course), Method Man wields an enormous mallet and RZA uses twin swords like Leonardo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There are original Wu-family songs and even several fatalities per fighter.
On paper, this could be the single best idea for a video game ever conceived.
In reality, it has enough shortcomings as to frustrate the modern gamer. For starters, Shaolin Style is essentially a re-skinned version of Paradox's previous effort, Thrill Kill. That it wasn't built from the ground up as a Wu-Tang title is concerning, and the control system and in-game interface do little to alleviate those fears. At times the game is downright frustrating despite its eclectic fighting styles and moves lists.
On the other hand, it does have some good things going for it even before we consider the involvement of the Wu. First, each fighter feels distinctly different. Raekwon fights like a boxer, GZA uses a hooked blade at the end of a long chain, etc. When the controls work, the combat looks and feels cool. There are simple and advanced moves, combos and more, and for the first time in a fighting game I can visually recognize the differences in the fighting styles. I remember in 2002 being impressed by how clearly I could identify Jacky Bryant fighting in Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do style in Virtua Fighter 4, and there are certainly precursors to that clarity in the animation of Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style (despite having different developers). The game also utilizes a "lives" feature - your character enters combat and he and his opponents all have different amounts of lives remaining in the fight. When his health bar reaches zero, he loses one life. It's a unique feature - almost as unique as the engine allowing four combatants simultaneously - and certainly adds to the standout nature of the game.
But all these pale in comparison to the fact that this is a video game built around the classic "martial arts meets New York hip-hop" conceit of the Wu-Tang Clan and that each of its playable characters correspond to an exaggerated version of a legendary rapper from the equally legendary group. The Wu are like folk heroes of pop culture, so I'm never surprised when I see someone turn into a little kid in front of the TV because they're controlling their favorite Wu member and beating down some fool with kung-fu. It starts when you select your fighter and see an illustrated version of their character menacingly posing with a bio next to them, name-dropping their albums and nicknames. It's like a friendly reminder: In case you forgot, you're selecting the man who released Liquid Swords.
Speaking of GZA, most of the members wear appropriate attire. GZA wears a grey hoodie with a yellow G on it, stylized to match his albums - a switched-up and rotated version of the Wu-Tang W. U-God - aka Golden Arms - wears solid gold gauntlets covering his forearms and a fisherman-style hat to match his usual getup. Ghostface's alternate costume predicts his later comic appearance on the cover of Wu Massacre a decade later.
When it comes to the combat in specific regard to each character, things make a lot more sense. If Ol' Dirty used any fighting style but drunken boxing, it wouldn't make sense. Inspectah Deck's fists have to move a mile a minute; just listen to any of his verses. This is amplified tenfold in each rapper's fatalities. ODB gets his opponent lying face-down before sitting on his back and pulling his head off, which he then stares at and yells "Don't mess with Big Baby Jesus!" RZA puts a curse on his swords, shouting "Bobby Digital in stereo, worldwide!" Subsequently his opponent tries to grab them and is killed by the swords themselves. Masta Killa, the most mysterious member of the group, sneaks up behind his opponent in the dark and pulls him into the shadows; the camera changes to show the unlucky foe face-down with MK's sword through his head.
And then there's the music.
In terms of proper songs, there are four on the disc. "Rumble" from U-God's Golden Arms Redemption returns here as a sort of theme song, and a quick look at that album's credits shows us that it features Letha Face, Inspectah Deck (who also produces) and Method Man. It's preceded by La the Darkman and RZA on "Wu World Order," which would sound at home on the Ghost Dog soundtrack and thus leads me to guess it's a RZA-produced song but it may not be (the credits are vague: see below). Then come Masta Killa's solo track "Shaolin Temple" and Tekitha's "Back to 36 (Take it Back)."
I held off on praising "Rumble" last week on my Golden Arms Redemption discussion, so I'll say now it's completely solid. Inspectah Deck brings a throbbing bass, eerie piano loop and great guest spots from all the rappers appearing on U-God's album. If there's a complaint to be had, it's that the track is censored. If there's a code in the book to unlock the "full violence" mode and see fighters ripped apart at the joints 50 ways, who's really offended by curse words? "Wu-World Order" is another worthy theme song, with La the Darkman returning after his appearances on Inspectah Deck's Uncontrolled Substance and a track on the Ghost Dog soundtrack. RZA runs the second verse, proving again that he can pull out the classic Wu sound whenever he wants. Masta Killa gets just his second solo track with "Shaolin Temple" - unless you don't count his collaboration with Superb, "The Man," on the Ghost Dog soundtrack earlier that year, in which case this is the first 100% Masta Killa solo song...and it's one for the books. The idly-picked acoustic guitar loop is infectious beyond description and MK's smoky lyrics are on point. "Intruder alert, sound the cymbal / This be the war of the Shaolin Temple" is a great opener, as are the images of "splittin' your head with the chrome" (microphone) and stating "Sick venomous syndrome, studied many styles / But this tactic I've adapted and made it my own." I continue to find Masta Killa just fascinating, his style so bizarre and respectable that it's hard not to stop and listen. Tekitha's track is also good, even if it feels a minute too long. She sings over an engaging beat that's right at home on a fighting game.
The bad news is that the credits in the game booklet are so vague, I've yet to read a thoroughly convincing report of the responsible producer of the exclusive tracks, Wu-related or not. After those four songs come ten instrumental tracks (including "Rumble" and "Wu World Order"), most of which are such out-of-left-field electronica they don't fit anywhere in the Wu sound and are likely the product of one of the other score composers listed in the game. Yes, there are several. First, under the catch-all category of "In-Game Music," every member of Wu-Tang is listed. Second, "Original Music / Cutscenes" is credited to Howard Drossin, which deceptively implies any music heard during one of the game's pre-rendered cinematics must be his work. Why, then, do the four Wu tracks frequently play in those cutscenes as well? Finally, "Additional In-Game Music" is attributed to Keith Arem at PCB Studios. Who knows who did what, but my money is on Drossin and Arem doing tracks like "Earthman" (which has an admittedly infectious upright bass and skratching), "Deadly Beatdown" and "Flashing Fists." Since there's no clear accreditation to these tracks, it's hard to analyze them as much more than adequate background music during the game but nothing you'd need to buy a copy of the game for nor anything I expect to hear on a mixtape anytime soon.
Legacy: Usually the word on Shaolin Style is that the music is lukewarm and the game sucks. It's too bad, because Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style is one of the greatest opportunities for a music-inspired video game we've ever had, but that opportunity remains a missed one. Realistically, the game only has shaky legs to stand on - the unique tools fading into obscurity besides lousy controls. Unfortunately the music suffers the same fate: for a game about Wu-Tang that would surely need some kind of music in it somewhere, it's hard to ignore that we only get three properly new/exclusive tracks alongside the great - but already released - "Rumble." Of those three new tracks, only two have rhymes on them: "Wu World Order" and "Shaolin Temple." However, the entire project's brightest spots - "Shaolin Temple" on the music side, the varying fight styles and Wu-based IP in the software - aren't enough to elevate it too high above joke status for most. In all honesty, though, if we look at the fighting/music mechanics in Def Jam: Fight for NY (also featuring Ghostface and Method Man) and the graphics of next-gen consoles, maybe the world is ready for Shaolin Style 2?
Recommended Tracks: Shaolin Temple.
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