Tongue of the Fatman

Tongue of the Fatman is a science-fiction fighting game set in the year 2550. You enter an intergalactic gladiatorial arena ruled by Mondu the Fat and must defeat ten alien champions to face him. Before each match, you can wager money on yourself, with winnings used to purchase weapons and upgrades. The game features ten playable races including Humanoid, CyberDroid, Cryoplast, Amazoid, Bi-Husker, Rayzor, Mammath, Puftian, Colonoid, and Mondu himself. Each character has 15 basic moves and one unique special ability, though special attacks become weaker the more they are used to balance gameplay . The game includes a three-bar status system: blue for hit points, green for crowd favor, and red for technique effectiveness . Two-player simultaneous mode is supported.

MS-DOS

Released in 1988/1989 in North America by Activision, this is the original version of the game . Requires MS-DOS 3.0, a 286 CPU, 512K RAM, and supports CGA, EGA, VGA, or Tandy graphics . Originally shipped with both 5.25" and 3.5" disks; the 5.25" version features digitized sound samples and additional background scenery, while the 3.5" version omits samples to fit on a single disk . The DOS version is infamous for having one of the worst video game box covers of all time, according to PC Gamer . Controls have been described as "clunky", with keyboard controls using the number pad for movement . Supports Sound Blaster digitized samples (on default settings) with Mondu saying "Mondu welcomes you to the fight palace!" . All music is in pure MIDI format. The game is also known as Fatman in Japan . A contest in the manual allowed players to submit character ideas, hinting at a planned sequel that never materialized . Game Player's PC Strategy Guide gave it the 1989 "Best PC Arcade/Action Game" award .