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Considering
that there is hardly a week goes by without some sort of boxing
title contended on TV, it is amazing that there hasn't been more
boxing games released for the Playstation. I tend to think that
many developers will wait and see how Victory Boxing, by JVC, is
received by the public. If it is perceived as a one round wonder,
then they will return to concentrate on the kicky-fighty karate
type beat-em-ups, but if it proves a knockout, then the flood
gates will open.
Lets get one thing straight immediately, if you expect to pick up
the control pad and perform a 16 hit combo or hit six buttons
rapidly and knock your opponent into the sixth row, then you are
going to be sadly disappointed. I am glad to say this is not
martial arts, Victory Boxing is the old school of fighting with a
jab, jab.....jab, jab.....jab, punch. Sounds boring? Nothing could
be further from the truth. In Tekken 2, you can select a character
and defeat all challengers in a dozen fights, well imagine being
able to select King as a young cub and groom him through the
ranks, building him YOURSELF into a champion fighter capable of
the skill, speed, stamina and special moves to make it to the top.
This provides the satisfaction and lastability that keeps you
playing Victory Boxing.
The opening intro shows two well formed boxers feeding each other
with bone crunching combinations, as the ectatic crowd roars their
approval, baying for blood.
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The
first Boxing simulation on the PSX. Presently only available on
PAL but NTSC distributers showing interest.
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The
motion captured technology used to create the boxers, is way ahead
of any other boxing game and the use of gouraud shading gives the
boxers a lifelike appearance. I took a heavyweight boxer from
bottom ranking to become Heavyweight Champion of the World and was
amazed as his body structure increased with each visit to the gym
during his rise to the top. When he was crowned King, he had
muscles on his muscles, they were bulging out all over his body
and he looked absolutely awesome. Watch your boxers body as he
take a hammering (and he will), and you will notice it becomes
bruised and bleeding as he is subjected to a good hiding.
All the ranking fights take place in a floodlit stadium, so you
can watch the crowds grow as you climb the ladder to success. Your
sparring and training rounds take place in a gym, on the streets
and even in a forest, all featuring brilliant graphics and
lighting effects.
After each fight you may wish to view a replay to study your
moves, well Victory Boxing includes an excellent facility, using a
floating camera to view all the action in fast or slow motion.
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The
music runs suitably alongside the training and the action, but I
feel as though an 'Eye of the Tiger' or 'Rocky Theme' should have
accompanied my World Title fight.
The sound effects are extremely realistic, with the special
punches in the higher ranking bouts making you jump if you are
caught unexpectedly. The small crowds create only a murmur in the
early bouts, but this grows to a deafening roar as they pack out
the top ranking fights, while a press of the jibe button provides
some amusing name calling alongside gloating actions.
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A
pick up and play game this isn't. The opening menu offers you two
ways to play the game, Exhibition, which is straight into an
arcade style fight against the CPU or a mate, or Main Event ,
which is the core of the game and is definately the place to begin
your career. The first thing you do is create your own gym, I
called mine Sweaties, but you will need to name your own gym and
save it on a memory card. Each gym contains up to 8 boxers, so the
next step is to create your first fighter by selecting the boxers
sex, left or right handed, and weight class from fly to
heavyweight. Next up is the boxers looks, height, weight and
shorts color. Now name your boxer and set their speed, power and
stamina. This is an important part of the set up as a fast boxer
will have less power and lower stamina so will probably struggle
to knock out an opponent in the earlier rounds, whereas if you
select a powerful boxer, he will floor most opponents in the first
round, but if he fails then he will probably run out of steam. I
suggest you play around with a few similar weighted boxers but
adjust their set ups and study the difference in their
performances.
It is time to meet your promoter, Edward King from Golden Ed's
Promotions, who bears a striking resemblance to a certain Don King
and rambles on in a similar fashion. He will help select your next
opponent and advise you on your sparring partners, which is
helpful at first, but I felt a skip button would be beneficial
after a couple of bouts as he does tend to go on, and on, and
on....
Seconds out, Round 1, Ding, Ding ! Now you will probably hit the
canvas within a minute or two, wondering what the hell hit you.
You are then sent packing off to the gym to adjust your training,
and as a penalty for your defeat, you must face a chosen sparring
partner in a one round bout to regain your fitness and then you
must suffer your promoter droning on and on. Now this will happen
over and over again unless you learn from your defeats, and don't
go charging in thrashing away at fresh air and as the fun does not
really begin until you win your first bout, I'll give you a little
tip on how to win your first fight. As soon as the bell sounds,
tap up twice and hold, which will charge you into your rival.
Attack him with a straight left then back off. Repeat this
manoeuver for about 1 minute, then move in and hit him
continuously about 10 times with a straight left to the BODY
followed by a right hook. Watch how much his damage meter falls,
now I'll leave the rest up to you. This worked perfectly with my
prize boxer 'Stew Pete Wat', who incidently went on to win the
crown and defend it 3 times but failed to win again because he
became too slow after 40 fights, stupid twat!
As you move up the ranking, you will be shown five lethal
combinations by your personal trainer, Snake, such as the V grind
burst, stealth knuckle and the lethal Corkscrew, which must be
seen to be believed, a crunching straight right that would fell an
oak tree. The ultimate objective is to win the championship and
defend it 5 times, which will allow you to face the special
opponents (see Cheats) and finally knock the stuffing out of your
promoter. If that is not reason enough to stick with Victory
Boxing, I don't know what is.
After each bout the statistics are shown for punches thrown and
connected and a report in the daily rag. When you finally win the
World Championship, the credits run over the action replay of the
final minutes of your bout, presented in a TV standard feature and
the Daily Placebo proclaims your fighter as the new champ on its
front page. If this does not satisfy you enough, your man is
entered into the hall of fame, but don't forget to defend your
crown for five fights for some special matches.
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A
first class boxing sim that differs from the normal crash, bang,
wallop of beat-em-ups. Accurate sounds and suitable music. Smooth
motion captured technology that allows you to watch your boxer
grow in stature. A gameplay that grows on you, rather than smacks
you straight between the eyes. A fighting game that requires
thought and tactics.
A thinking man's fighting game that gives much pleasure and many
disappointments on the road to the top, just like the real sport.
After winning the championship, the ambition to defend the title
will keep you enthralled. There is also the realism of building a
boxer that will never reach the top and having the courage to
retire him. If you are skilful enough to take a fighter right to
the top then the challenge remains to succeed with in a different
weight division. |
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MARTIN |
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GRAPHICS: |
Good |
This
has got to be the best beat-em-up I have played, requiring a great
amount of thought in selecting opponents and tactical fighting. If
you are struggling to make it to the top, then take this advise.
Ignore all the promoters recommendations and move up the rankings
one place at a time, as this will guarantee that you do not face a
stronger boxer too early in your career. It may seem a slow rise,
but you should eventually make it to the top. When you become
champ, check out the Exhibition boxers to reveal one of the six
secret characters (Jack in the box is amusing). When you find a
standard boxer is winning fights too easy, then try building a
fighter in the lowest weight division who is short and really
light. This should provide a challenge, as your boxers arms are
really short and just managing to land a punch on your opponent
will take a great 1 of skill. In addition to all this gameplay you
can invite a mate around to load up his best fighter from his
memory card, then enter the ring and sort out who really is the
champ at Victory Boxing. |
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SOUND: |
Good |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Brilliant |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
8.5/10 |
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JIM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Good |
At
last, a beat-em-up with brains. This is a great variation on a
theme that Namco should take a long hard look at. |
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SOUND: |
Good |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Brilliant |
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OVERALL
9/10 |
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