"Floats like a butterfly, hits like a moose"

Boxing games, they either go down in history as a revolutionary excite factor or horrible trash. Many games on the NES were overlooked and World Champ was one of them. I had never enjoyed a sports game to this level and even the modern incarnations of Boxing do not compare to this title. Quite simply if you were ever to come across a copy of World Champ, I would buy it without delay.

GRAPHICS: 8 out of 10

Only the higher-end development houses bothered to go past the NES standard for character animations. The amount of colors may be a little lacking as opposed to Super Mario Bros. 3 but this game features more detailed backgrounds for the gyms and arenas then the more plain sky of Mario. Even the crowds are animated, a referee is also featured as well as a cute little girl in a bunny suit to introduce each round.

CONTROL: 10 out of 10

There isn't much to be done wrong in a boxing game's controls. Romstar made World Champ as a game should be, easy to play on your first try and yet it gives you room to become an expert over time as well. Simply use B and a direction for dodges and ducks and the A button with a direction for a variety of punches.

SOUND/MUSIC: 7 out of 10

The music is constantly used and only a few tunes are played during the entire game. But the three or so of these are pleasant to listen to and do not get repetitive as some more annoying NES tunes might. The only thing that might drive you a little crazy is the almost robotic sound of the referee. Still with that minor flaw there is nothing warranting you to hit the mute button.

SURPRISES/ORIGINALITY: 9 out of 10

This game was never duplicated in any way or form. The gameplay is very original and I've seen nothing of its kind since the day it came out. A nice little surprise added in was the name record feature. Inputting your name, brings up a specific look for your fighter based on the spelling of your name. This gets fun as you name your fighter different things you can give him a new surprising look each time. Your statistics and power in each kind of punch are also protected via passwords that you can use later.

REPLAY VALUE: 8 out of 10

Your custom boxer can be used to fight your friends that can be from a different game pak or the same one you've been playing thanks to the always welcome password feature. The 2 player mode is a great way to test out your boxer and to give your friend one of those old fashioned wallops to remind him who is boss. Of course your boxer might have superior powers and could be invincible to your friend's new boxer if he hasn't played enough.

OVERALL: 8 out of 10

If you like boxing, and you like character building, multiplayer, decent sound, and a great engine to revive your NES then I can tell you with confidence that World Champ does not disappoint.

In short, if you plan on playing your NES for long periods of time in the future then you should DEFINITELY buy World Champ by RomStar. But seeing as most people won't get the chance to rent it anyway your only real choice is to buy it, it shouldn't set you back more than ten dollars.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/08/01, Updated 07/08/01