outlet

Ok... I have played all boxing sim games through the years... and had more fun with them than most people it seems. Guess I'm a fan of the genre.

Anyhow... onto my review of Knockout Kings 2003.

Game Play: Controls take a bit of getting used to, but well worth it to learn. This isn't a toe-to-toe slug-fest game. You have to learn to stick-and-move, hone your defense skills, and put together combinations.

Graphics: Awesome. Hardly any noticeable clipping.

Sound: Acceptable. Game sound effects are good... but; commentators get damn annoying... more on that in the "Cons" section.

Price: I got mine for $20 through Amazon.com, .... worth the price. I wouldn't pay more for it.

Re-Playability: Poor. While the game tells you that each opponent has to be "learned" and defense/offense built around that... I have found that a single defense/offense strategy works against all boxers... making the game boring over time.

-----

PRO's:
Multi-Player: Slug-fest is fun... wish they incorporated more of its features into the career mode. Slug-fest has the classic Punch Meters... that unlock the super combinations that will floor a failing opponent. This is awesome. In career mode, they don't have this... and I can't understand why.
Graphics: Just Great. (I like the knockdown replays)

CON's:
Commentator's: Damn annoying. Very repetitive, and they don't say things at the correct time to accurately reflect the current situation in the ring. I went through one round where I knocked the opponent down twice... and outscored him on every level.. and at the end of the round the commentator says: " Pretty Good Round for Both Boxers". Excuse me? One boxer is half-dead... how is that a good round for him?
Realism: Ok.. lets be real. If you fight a guy over three rounds and knock him down twice in each round... how does he get back up? Six times on the mat is enough for any sane minded referee to stop a bout.
Boxers: The game has all the greats from each weight division.. but.. the boxers fight nothing like their real life counterparts. They all do exactly the same thing, with minimal variation. Because of this, you figure out one, and you've figured out them all. Holyfield fights with the same style, power, and fluidity as Ali. But that's not what Holyfield is known for... he's a cruiser-weight turned heavyweight champion with an Iron Chin and Iron Will to win. Whereas Ali is a Jab machine with incredible KO Power and great taunting skill
End Game: Ok.. so you make it up the ladder and you are 25-0-0 and just beat the heavyweight champion of the world. Where's the fanfare? Its super-weak to say the least. After you win... you just go through repetitive contender challenges until your age and skill begins to decline... at which point you can "retire" your boxer. Again.. no fanfare.. not even a spec. sheet that shows you your record, championship fights, championship defenses, etc., etc., etc.,.

I like this game only because I'm a fan of the genre. I can see why this game wouldn't be wildly popular with the non boxing sim fan. Why can't Nintendo work on a good Super Punch-Out sequel for the Game Cube?

Quid

This is much better then the PS2 version since the career mode is more traditional and the graphics are much better. The only reason I gave it less than 5 stars is because the body punching is very imprecise with you having to crouch your boxer before throwing the punch. It would have been much better to simply have a body blow butoon.

KO Kings is an intense, exciting boxer for the GameCube. Controls are simple and intuitive, and they map well onto the GameCube controller. The boxers' animations are things of beauty--the fighters move with fluidity and style. The crowd animations are weak, but you'll probably be too busy to notice them much. Offense is king, but defense (especially movement around the ring) is vital as well--a few fights into Career mode, you won't simply be able to stand toe to toe with your opponent and expect to win. While the in-game sounds are decent, the menu rap cuts range from fair to average in quality, and the in-game commentary is repetitive and ludicrously off on some occasions (as when Max Kellerman compliments both fighters after a two-knockdown round). Career mode isn't deep, but it's still entertaining. The points you assign to various attributes do seem to make at least some difference, and the points you lose due to age hurt performance. The game has three difficulty levels, with the medium (Pro) being just about right--a consistently fair challenge. Two-player mode is consistent in quality with the one-player mode. A slugfest (fight till you get eliminated) and exhibition mode round out the package.

If this game gets another version (and I hope it does), a number of improvements are in order: richer commentary, better crowd animations, more historic boxers, more boxing venues, more customization options for player-created boxers (body types, nicknames, etc.), better (or some!) in-game stats between rounds, corner commentary, better collision detection in replays, end-of-career stats, a better retirement cutscene, mini-games for increasing skill points (a la "Rocky"), and (dare I say it?) more than one card girl. The heart of the game is rock solid, but there's always room for improvement.

Don't let any of these quibbles keep you away from this game. It's a great pick-up-and-play game that also rewards practice and developed skill. Nice to see EA produce a GameCube-only update for the game--keep it up.