Boxing

Well boxing fans, the wait is over, we finally got a boxing game. Was it worth it, read on. Knockout Kings, the first PlayStation boxing effort by any company. EA Sports new title hits the ring with 38 real boxers, real venues like Madison Square Garden and create a boxer/career mode. But lets dig into this offering by EA Sports.

Graphically, the game is excellent. The boxers look like their real-life counter-parts and are smoothly shaded, no boxy polygons here. When the fighter perform moves they are graphically smooth. However, you’ll have to watch closely to know if you landed some punches. Only the obvious blows are clearly illustrated. Land a straight, and watch the head snap, land a low blow and watch the opponent bend over in response. The knock down, staggered and climbing to the feet animations get cool points also. The venues look as they should. The crowd, however, leaves something to be desired. They look like paper cut-outs pasted into the game.

EA Sports has also been known for excellent presentation of their games, and Knockout Kings continues that tradition. The intro is worth watching again and menus are easily navigated.

So how’s the gameplay? Lets take it a mode at a time. Slugfest allows you to get in quick and throw some jabs or low blows with any boxer, created or included. Anything goes in these three round guaranteed knockout type of fights Exhibition allows you pit any of the boxers, again created or included but only if they are from the same weight class. This is your chance to set of that dream match-up and settle the disputes once and for all. Think Evander Holyfield would have stood a chance against Ali, prove it now. Career mode is where the game earns some serious points. Create your own slugger or boxer, train him, move up the ranks and challenge for the championship. After you win the championship, further etch your name in the history of Knockout Kings by taking challenges from every included fighter in your particular weight class. Won the belt from De La Hoya, well now prepare for Sugar Ray Leonard. Since we are talking about create a boxer, where did they get those nicknames. I would have preferred no introductions to being called Iron Claw. Creating a boxer is easy as pie, choose righty or southpaw, skin tone, hair style, trunk, glove and shoe color. One other beef about career mode is the jumping rope isn’t included as a training option. Every boxer jumps rope.

Now what about in the ring action? How does it control in the ring? EA gets no props for the control layout, also the way the boxers move around the ring seems robotic. It’s as if they are running on tracks. You don’t control where your boxer moves. For example, try to move diagonally, it simply doesn’t happen. Punching is a snap once you got the control scheme down. We have a button for jab, straights, uppercuts and body blows. We also get canned combinations. Press R2 and the appropriate button and your fighter whips out a three punch combo of which I’ve found ONE to be effective in landing. (Glad Capcom didn’t go that route with Street Fighter II) If you had plans on performing your own 1-2 combos, forget it as the response time between throwing individual punches is LONG. Every sports fan has probably heard something about Total Control, well this boxing game isn’t that. The only time you’ll see a hook is when you are close to your opponent, yet you can choose to throw a haymaker? Hello, EA sports are you reading this? Why can’t I throw a hook when I want to? Throw YOUR boxing strategy out because you are being forced to conform to a certain style of boxing. The bob/weave moves and the taunting works well even the control layout makes it frustrating to perform.

Overall, I like Knockout Kings. I can live with some of the problems I find with it until another company steps up and makes a superior product. Real Boxers is one thing, but it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if the in the ring action gives you the desire to break your controller in half. I don’t think Boxing is the type of sport that allows you to make the Knockout Kings 99, 2000 and so on. EA should have gotten this one right before releasing it. Many boxing games have came and went, but only one leaves me asking, where are you now? 4D Boxing, I miss you dearly, may other companies learn for your greatest accomplishments and failures.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Related posts on Knockout Kings
• KNOCKOUT KINGS FOR THE GBC
• KNOCKOUT KINGS 2002 REVIEW