Human Killing Machine

Tiertex

Industry	Video game development
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Video games, including Human Killing Machine

Human Killing Machine—also known unofficially as Street Fighter 2: Human Killing Machine or simply H.K.M.'—is a two-dimensional fighting game created by the British developer Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold in March 1989. The visual design was handled by an external group called Blue Turtle, consisting of Nick Pavis and Leigh Christian. Promoted as a follow-up to Tiertex's home computer adaptation of Street Fighter, it launched on several platforms including the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, and Atari ST, catering to both 8-bit and 16-bit home computer audiences.

Gameplay

Players participate in head-to-head bouts against AI-controlled fighters from around the world, structured in rounds. Utilizing the underlying engine from each system's version of Street Fighter, this title eliminates the traditional time limit and adds a feature allowing health regeneration.

Characters

The main playable character is Kwon (권), a martial artist from Korea striving to claim the world champion title. The roster of adversaries comprises:

Template:Country data USSRTemplate:Namespace detect showall	Igor (Игорь): A Soviet combatant wielding a hunting rifle as a close-range weapon, set against the backdrop of Saint Basil's Cathedral.
	Shepski: Igor’s black canine companion.
	Maria: A blonde sex worker dressed in a bikini, originating from Amsterdam’s De Wallen red-light district.
	Helga: A larger, more robust counterpart to Maria, clad in a dress.
	Miguel: A traditional Spanish bullfighter.
	Brutus: A Spanish bull.
	Franz: A German waiter who attacks by throwing wine bottles.
	Hans: A German fighter outfitted in lederhosen.
Template:Country data LebanonTemplate:Namespace detect showall	Sagan (سـَجـَن): An Arab terrorist from Beirut wearing a keffiyeh.
	Merkeva (מירכבה): The final boss; a tall, muscular terrorist equipped with a missile strapped to his back.

Reception

Upon its release, the ZX Spectrum edition received generally positive feedback. Your Sinclair awarded it 9 out of 10 for graphics, praising its "excellent background graphics and large sprites," although noting that the move set was somewhat limited. Sinclair User scored it 78%, commending the detailed environments and fluid animations, even suggesting its visuals could rival those of Street Fighter. Meanwhile, Crash gave it a 73%, appreciating the attractive backgrounds and well-animated characters while describing it as "addictive despite lacking originality."

Versions on other platforms garnered less favorable evaluations. The Commodore releases were rated poorly by Zzap!64, which gave them 31%, criticizing their repetitive gameplay with minimal skill required and labeling them "among the worst fighting games" reviewed. Amstrad Action included it in their list of "the most dreadful arcade conversions on the CPC."

Spanish magazine Microhobby assigned these scores: Originality 40%, Graphics 90%, Motion 80%, Sound 50%, Difficulty 70%, Addiction 80%.

Later assessments were more critical. In his series Terrible Old Games You’ve Probably Never Heard Of, YouTuber Stuart Ashen reviewed the Atari ST variant, condemning its flawed mechanics, choppy controls, low frame rate, unfair challenge level, subpar graphics and audio, stereotypical character portrayals, and minimal advancements over Tiertex’s earlier Street Fighter adaptation.