NewImageJordan Mechner, creator of the classic Prince of Persia game, recently remade his Apple II game Karateka for iOS. To celebrate, he released a video (found by TUAW) comparing the delivery methods for the Apple II version of Karateka and the iOS version.

The video highlights how software prices are dropped, how delivery methods have improved and how the actual software has gotten more advanced in the last 30 years. The game was released yesterday and our sister-site TouchArcade has posted a lengthy review.

Karateka. 30 years later. Does the magic stand the test of time? As I have so subtly implied, I am a bit of a fan of Mechner's original masterpiece, and was skeptical upon seeing the the first sketches and screenshots of this re-invisioning. For fellow fans of the original, I am happy to say that my concerns were allayed just minutes into playing the Xbox 360 version on launch day -- and the iOS version should treat players the same. I found that, while this modern console title appears quite different than the Apple II original -- in a lavish sort of way -- it, at the same time, feels very much the same.

Karateka is available for $2.99 on the App Store. It requires at least an iPhone 4S, the iPad 2, or a 5th-generation iPod touch. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Arcady Avatar
161 months ago
I still play this on my Apple //e. Funny that it works on my 30 year old hardware, but it won't run on my iPhone 4 from 2 years ago.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
161 months ago
Carra-teka?

I played this game on the Apple ][+ when it was called Karate-ka!

BOOM!

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aarond12 Avatar
161 months ago
YouTube: video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=CjocmhoH5q4)
Thank you for posting that video. When I first heard Jordan say "care-uh-take-uh", I wanted to punch my screen. からてか or カラテカ! How can you write a game with a Japanese subtext and not use the Japanese vowel sounds!?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
161 months ago
1GB downloads in 2 to 3 minutes... right. :rolleyes:

I bet most people would need around 30 minutes to download 1GB.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blairwillis Avatar
161 months ago
Wizardry, please?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ikir Avatar
161 months ago
Very nice video :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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