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Electronic Arts licensed a whopping 38 pro
boxers for Knockout Kings, but the company
obviously didn't leave much of a budget for
the game's development.
The problems begin with the boxers
themselves; all of them are very wooden and
lack real expression. This may be traced back
to developer Press Start, who's previous
works were NASCAR and Andretti for the
Saturn. Worse than the boxers are the
hideous round card girls, who border on
mutant. These freaks of polygonal nature
should have been cut from the game.
While the motion capture animation makes for
some great knockdowns, the standard
punching moves and general controls have
been poorly integrated. Both lack grace, snap,
and fluidity, and even general movement in the ring is awkward and
unresponsive. But these are just symptoms of the game's deepest sickness:
you never really feel empowered as a boxer because the collision animations
are so ineffective, and hitting an opponent just isn't rewarding. Knockout
Kings sorely misses the excitement of the sport, and in turn, fails to
make it
fun.
Of the three modes of play, the arcade-style "Slugfest Mode" and full length
"Exhibition Mode" differ little. The third mode, a lackluster Career Mode,
lets
you create a boxer, and bring him up through the ranks. Our middleweight
climbed all twenty seats to take the championship before losing in his
second
defense against Hagler (read: easy). His career featured no knockouts,
and he
was only knocked down twice (read: uneventful).
Fortunately, the input from top talent such as pro referee Mills Lane,
commentators Al Albert and Sean O'Grady, and ring announcer Jimmy
Lennon Jr, keep the game afloat. Famous ring backgrounds such as Madison
Square Garden and the Great Western Forum also lend to the authenticity.
Ultimately, the game tries very hard to capture the feel of the sport,
and it is
noteworthy that it is the first to present multiple weight-classes. It's
fitting
that the only boxer other than Tyson that EA didn't license for Knockout
Kings was Marlon Brando's character from the film On The Waterfront. Like
Brando's character, this game "could've been a contender." Instead, this
rushed, sloppy excuse for a franchise launch not only leaves us with a
game
grasping to be mediocre, but also leaves us with no alternatives. Due to
EA's
monopoly on fighters, other publishers have backed away from boxing
projects.
EA is planning to bring development internally next year, and hopefully
the
N64 version underway at Black Ops will redeem this poor outing.
