M.U.S.C.L.E., known in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 as , is a NES

Nintendo Entertainment System

The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...

 wrestling game based on characters from the Yudetamago

Yudetamago

is the pen name of the Japanese manga artists duo consisting of story writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai. They are best known for the popular manga Kinnikuman, Ultimate Muscle , and Tatakae!! Ramenman...

's manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 and anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series Kinnikuman

Kinnikuman

is a manga created by the duo of Yudetamago , which is composed of Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada. The manga was published in Shueisha's Weekly Jump, and received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga in 1985...

. It has eight playable characters, each with his own special move. The game's full title is Tag Team Match M.U.S.C.L.E.. The game was followed by a 1987 Japan-only sequel for the Famicom Disk System

Famicom Disk System

The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer console in Japan. It was a unit that used proprietary floppy disks for data storage. It was announced, but never released, for the North American Nintendo Entertainment System...

 titled, .

Gameplay

Singles mode (one on one bout)
Two-on-Two tag team wrestling match.
One Player or Two Player Versus.
The A button jumps, and B punches or activates a special move after collecting an energy ball that is randomly thrown by the boy called "Meat".
Moves that can be done, punch, jump, drop kick, shove, shove into ropes, flying body attack (jump into ropes and rebound), lariat aka clothes line, shove enemy into ropes and then hit A, back drop aka suplex (press B close behind your enemy).

Characters

Kinnikuman

Suguru Kinniku

, real name , is the main protagonist of Yudetamago's slapstick wrestling manga Kinnikuman and a supporting character in the sequel manga and anime series Ultimate Muscle ....

/Muscleman

Finisher: Kinniku Driver, carries opponent and jumps off screen straight up and comes down. One of the if not the most damage inducing moves in the game.

Terryman

Terryman

' is a character in Yudetamago's manga and anime series Kinnikuman and its sequel Ultimate Muscle .-About:*Classification: Seigi Chojin*Homeland: Amarillo, Texas *Age: 20, 22 , 24 , 54...

Finisher: Bull Dog Headlock, basically a speedy version of the lariat move in the game without having to rebound off the ropes and can be done repeatedly.

Ramenman

Ramenman

', or ' as he was later known, is a fictional character in Yudetamago's manga and anime series' Kinnikuman, Tatakae!! Ramenman, and Kinnikuman Nisei.-About:*Classification: Zangyaku Choujin→ Seigi Choujin*Homeland: Henan, China...

Finisher: Leg Lariat, basically a faster longer version of the regular drop kick move.

Robin Mask

Robin Mask

' is a character from Yudetamago's manga and anime series Kinnikuman and its sequel Kinnikuman Nisei. He also appears in the Kinnikuman chapter of Super Kochikame.-About:*Classification: Seigi Choujin*Homeland: London, England...

Finisher: Tower Bridge, Argentine back breaker (Lex Luger's torture rack) from pro-wrestling

Buffaloman

Buffaloman

' is a character from Yudetamago's manga and anime series Kinnikuman and its sequel Kinnikuman Nisei.-About:*Classification: Akuma Choujin→ Seigi Choujin*Homeland: Spain / Soviet Union...

/Terri-bull

Finisher: Hurricane Mixer, for a short distance he can burst charge you with his horned head.

Warsman

Warsman

' is a character from Yudetamago's manga and anime series Kinnikuman and its sequel Kinnikuman Nisei. He is primarily voiced by Hideyuki Hori.-About:*English Name: Warsman...

Finisher: Bear Claw, covers longer distance than the hurrican mixer

Ashuraman

Finisher: Ashura Buster

Brocken Jr.

Brocken Jr.

', or Blocken Jr. as some fans prefer, is a character from Yudetamago's manga and anime series Kinnikuman and its sequel Kinnikuman Nisei...

 (Japanese version only) note that Brocken Jr. and Geronimo are the same in this game, just slightly different graphics.

Finisher: Nazi Gas Attack (That's most likely why he was censored in the States)

Geronimo

Geronimo (Kinnikuman)

' is a character from Yudetamago's manga and anime series Kinnikuman and its sequel Kinnikuman Nisei. The Ultimate Muscle dub renamed him "Beatlebomb" and his voice was based on Ringo Starr...

 (U.S. version only)

Finisher: Apache war cry

Reception

Seanbaby

Seanbaby

Sean Patrick Reiley , better known as Seanbaby, is an American writer best known for his comedy website and frequent contributions to video game media outlets Electronic Gaming Monthly and 1UP.com. He is also a regular contributor to the humor website Cracked.com...

reviewed M.U.S.C.L.E as one of the 20 worst games for the NES. Seanbaby gave the graphics a rating of zero and stated that the graphics are indescribable. "You can get all the excitement of this game without even inserting the cartridge" Seanbaby explains "Listen: Every now and then, a magic ball will fly out of the crowd and into the ring. If you grab it, your little guy starts to flash different colors. Then the M.U.S.C.L.E. sound engineers show off what they learned in college by simulating a crowd noise with nasty static."