Tizoc
Member
In 1986 SNK released 2 arcade games with a rather interesting twist; their protagonist shared the same name, even being speculated to be the very same character, but their settings are quite different.
The first game was simply titled Athena
The game would get an NES release as well.
The character seemed to have been quite popular such that SNK made a 2nd game featuring her titled Psycho Soldier, some months after the release of Athena.
What makes this game so interesting is that when you start the first stage an actual honest to god song is playing in the background, lyrics and all. In the JP release it was sung by Kaori Shimizu-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqhZUwtSPL4
Gameplay-wise it was a 2D 'shooting' action game, and was the debut game for Kensou who merely served as player 2, and donning dat authentic 80s heroic Rambo crimson bandana.
Now I don't know how many arcade games during the 80s featured actual vocal songs in them, but this game had to stand out for the time at least.
In Crystalis, 2 of the sages are named after Athena and Kensou.
Personally...I couldn't care less about Athena, and what's weird is that she wouldn't make a comeback until 10ish years later in KoF 94 as part of team China, and then from then on to be known as the Psycho Soldier theme.
Regardless Athena does not necessarily pre-date Samus; Metroid released in 1986. However seeing as she, Nako, Terry and Kyo make up the mascots of SNK, I figure I'd shed some light on the fact that she's been around longer than any of us ever thought.
As Kensou, I gotta say I never cared for the dude until KoF XI, I really liked his changes in that game as well as his XII and XIII incarnation. Before that, he was the kid with the funky looking kick attacks, and that one unique intro with Robert in KoF 97 (both their VAs speak with a Kansai dialect).
The original Athena, now referred to as Princess Athena, would return in SNK vs. Capcom Chaos as a boss character, then be made playable in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.
Athena and Kensou have both been, for the most part, mainstays of the main KoF games and have had their fans enjoy playing as them ever since, and for decades more.
Did anyone here ever get the chance to play the games in arcades or consoles when they originally released? What're your memories from playing the original games at least?
The first game was simply titled Athena
Where you played as a bikini-clad warrior princess who goes about killing monsters and stuff to bring back peace to the world.
The game would get an NES release as well.
The character seemed to have been quite popular such that SNK made a 2nd game featuring her titled Psycho Soldier, some months after the release of Athena.
What makes this game so interesting is that when you start the first stage an actual honest to god song is playing in the background, lyrics and all. In the JP release it was sung by Kaori Shimizu-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqhZUwtSPL4
Gameplay-wise it was a 2D 'shooting' action game, and was the debut game for Kensou who merely served as player 2, and donning dat authentic 80s heroic Rambo crimson bandana.
Now I don't know how many arcade games during the 80s featured actual vocal songs in them, but this game had to stand out for the time at least.
In Crystalis, 2 of the sages are named after Athena and Kensou.
Personally...I couldn't care less about Athena, and what's weird is that she wouldn't make a comeback until 10ish years later in KoF 94 as part of team China, and then from then on to be known as the Psycho Soldier theme.
Regardless Athena does not necessarily pre-date Samus; Metroid released in 1986. However seeing as she, Nako, Terry and Kyo make up the mascots of SNK, I figure I'd shed some light on the fact that she's been around longer than any of us ever thought.
As Kensou, I gotta say I never cared for the dude until KoF XI, I really liked his changes in that game as well as his XII and XIII incarnation. Before that, he was the kid with the funky looking kick attacks, and that one unique intro with Robert in KoF 97 (both their VAs speak with a Kansai dialect).
The original Athena, now referred to as Princess Athena, would return in SNK vs. Capcom Chaos as a boss character, then be made playable in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.
Athena and Kensou have both been, for the most part, mainstays of the main KoF games and have had their fans enjoy playing as them ever since, and for decades more.
Did anyone here ever get the chance to play the games in arcades or consoles when they originally released? What're your memories from playing the original games at least?
and she loves to sing Momoe Yamaguchi at karaoke. The female descendants of the Asamiya family also have ESP power… 
