Seriously, I own Energy. That game's actually fun darnit, I don't care that most people hate it. But China Warrior is a complete disaster... that whole genre it's in, with stuff like Kung-Fu (NES/etc), Black Belt (SMS), Vigilante, etc. are mostly awful too, so that's part of the problem, but the difficulty level and repetition are also big problems in the game.
DISCLAIMER: Dude, I actually love reading your perspectives on games. Truly. You clearly explain your position, you provide evidence to support your claims, etc.
Sadly, however, you don't "get" China Warrior.
As I have said, the boss fights are broken/unsatisfying (not all of them, mind you, but many of them)...however, the ACTUAL GAME has solid mechanics and plays splendidly.
I have always championed China Warrior as a proto-rhythm game (I was the first to present this thesis) that shines when you "get in the zone" and, furthermore, that success does NOT require straight memorization. Like many games, there are KEY MOMENTS that must be memorized, yes—but these are brief moments. The game actually does a good job (aural and visual cues) to alert you/remind you about the next wave of opponents. If you have decent twitch-reflexes, you can get through most segments of the game (by the seat of your pants, granted, since you won't know when to catch your breath), but this is a game you play over and over to get a little bit further.
So, when you hear the TWANG! of an arrow launching off a bow, you know a high-speed arrow is gonna be headed for you—even if you are in brand new territory, there are a few ways to deal with an arrow, depending on the height of its trajectory. Twitch-reflexes can get you through this still-unfamiliar territory, as you slowly piece together a successful strategy (leap over arrow, then crouch and punch the wave of stones that follow).
You can build up A LOT of extra life early in the game—thereby allowing you to make mistakes, experiment with different strategies later in the unfamiliar territory. The fact that you can stockpile SO MUCH extra life makes China Warrior a rewarding/fun game instead of a ridiculously unfair game that requires Godlike Memorization. This buffer of life is a crucial aspect of the game—it allows me to sincerely defend it.
So, to repeat: the stages in China Warrior are awesome...the challenge and tension ramps up very nicely. I love the progression, the shifting time of day (dawn, day, sunset, evening) and steadily increasing intensity of the challenge all complement each other marvelously.
Unfortunately, the boss fights can be unsatisfying (turbo spam moves) or cheap. Figuring out a strategy for each boss encounter can be frustrating (especially the final boss!). That said, it's not a deal-breaker for me.
I can understand anyone's frustration with the game—until he or she pulls off a series of well-timed maneuvers swatting away wave-after-wave-after-wave of projectiles...then, THEN you realize how goddamn satisfying this game can be. HELL YES IT IS SATISFYING.
