#boxing games

Felt That: Boxing

Official Trailer

You can apparently get sued for saying that one thing, so let’s just quietly prepare to play this boxing game.

Midway had begun to be rather out of sorts by the time they released Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - many of its biggest franchises had either declined in popularity (like Mortal Kombat), been lost to other publishers (like NBA Jam), or just ended completely. Ready 2 Rumble was a reasonable hit for them, especially on the Dreamcast, where it was a popular launch title. This sequel, which was released a year later, did little to change the formula, but was also a solid seller.

The two games are pretty similar - each has a varied and weird cast of characters, many of which play on cartoonish stereotypes, such as...well, these weirdos:

Yikes. You also know this guy is gonna be in there, too:

Please don’t sue me! Seriously, he sues everyone.

The gameplay of Round 2 and its predecessor are pretty similar. You have four punch buttons (high/low attacks with the left/right hands), a high block, and a low block. Each attack costs you stamina, which quickly refills but forces you to attack strategically. As with real boxing, it’s all about finding openings and exploiting your opponent’s mistakes. Each fighter also has a ‘RUMBLE’ meter that slowly fills up when landing or dodging attacks, which can then be spent to unleash a flurry of powerful attacks.

If you’re knocked down, you can button mash to get back up while the referee counts to 10. This gets increasingly difficult each time you’re knocked down, and by the third knockdown you’re likely down for good. That’s pretty much it - it’s a fairly simple but functional formula that’s employed to a solid effect by both games in the series.

The N64 version of the game, which is technically the subject of this week’s article, has an ‘arcade’ mode where you just fight guys until you lose, and an in-depth ‘career’-esque mode, where you train your character to boost their stats and compete for money, titles, and glory. That mode is pretty in depth and a cool way to play the game. There are modes that are missing in comparison to the other versions (more on that in a bit).

Realistically, the biggest thing that sets this one apart from its predecessor is its handful of guest characters. They’re weird. Before you scroll down, I want you to consider what you’d consider a weird “guest character” in an over-the-top boxing game. Maybe even note a guess or two. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Ready? Okay, cool. Here's one option:

Okay fine, this one’s honestly not that weird. These ones, however...

Now that’s more like it! I think the weirdest part about this to me is that Michael Jackson’s age is unknown. That just raises further questions. Also unlockable is a shirtless, beer-bellied Bill Clinton, and no one needs to see that. 

Just kidding! Here he is:

While I appreciate Ready 2 Rumble’s willingness to be weird, that can only do so much to cover up from the reality that the game isn’t especially deep, and its mechanics likely aren’t interesting enough to warrant a ton of repeated plays. It certainly isn’t bad, but if it weren’t for the wacky characters and presentation, I feel like there wouldn’t be a lot memorable about the experience.

Overall, I still feel like R2RR2 is still a passable boxing experience, and one that’s chock full of all of your favorite problematic stereotypes and former political figures. I’ll also note that the N64 version of the game is missing a handful of gameplay options and hidden characters, due to hardware restrictions. If you do want to check this series out, I recommend doing it on a different console - the Dreamcast is likely the best option.

PG. 101 - Super Punch-Out!! (1994)

Before Fight Night, EA had Knockout Kings, a boxing game that pitted the greats of each era against one another. You could even create your own boxer to go up against them.

Enjoy a time when Electronic Arts still had a soul.

Felt That: Boxing Official Trailer | Real-Time Puppet Boxing Game