Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2

"Alright so we rumble again but not like before"

INTRO

Ready 2 Rumble (Part 1- PSX) is probably the best boxing game ever made. Unfortunately when Midway decided to make a follow up game they came up a little short. This game is not really a simulator in the sense that it was intended to be 100% realistic but rather it was made in true ''Midway'' fashion which ties in fantasy moves along with the actual boxing moves. The concept is very unique and well thought out but unfortunately it did not achieve its full potential after a stellar first game.

GAMEPLAY 6/10

The first thing that you will notice is how your character is sometimes not as responsive to your commands. Combo's are much harder to execute this time around and often times you just get wailed on while you are pressing buttons like mad and throwing barely any punches. It becomes a bit frustrating when you attempt to build a boxers stats from scratch in Championship mode only to get beaten up repeatedly to the point that you have to start over again. The training is also much more complicated compared to ''R2R1'' in the sense that one item will always decrease some other strength so it seems nearly impossible to fully max out your players stats. As a follow up game ''R2R2'' brings back most of the old characters including a few new ones like Afro Thunder's cousin and Bill Clinton. Each character has several special moves and combo's and most notably there is a feature in the game that allows you to charge up a ''Rumble Meter'' by hitting your opponent with power punches. Once this meter is filled you can make your fighter's gloves glow and then unleash an unstoppable flurry of a beating that'll surely make for some exciting visuals. R2R2 improved this aspect in that you can now refill this meter three times in which case you can perform a KO punch that'll send your opponent flying out of the ring and into the stands. There are several modes in the game including an ''Arcade'' mode, ''2-Player'' capability as well as a ''Championship Circuit'' where you can train and build your career from scratch with any of the available characters. As you progress through this last mode you will be able to unlock additional characters and Gyms.

GRAPHICS 9/10

The graphics are very pleasing in every way considering it runs on the PSX. Every character is very well drawn and has a multitude of expressions along with a personalized style of fighting and taunting. There are several different Gyms that you can acquire as well as a wide variety of arena's in which you can fight. The fighter introductions are also very cool to watch.

CAMERA 10/10

There are quite a few different camera angles for you to choose from so everyone can find the right point of view for their tastes. Just the mere fact that this is the case makes me rate this section a perfect 10. There are also codes available to unlock an additional 15 camera angles which I though was a cool touch.

FMV's, MUSIC and SFX 8/10

The cutscenes in this game are really cool. Each character has a unique introductory clip as well as as 2 different victory FMV's. (These can be quite humorous to watch) Winning championships also treats you to a unique victory clip depending on which character you played with. The music is very catchy but will become a bit redundant after several hours. It is a Hip Hop type of song that is very repetitive without any type of verses in between. As far as SFX are concerned I think they were very well planned and executed. Each character has a variety of comments and your trainer has quite a few comments and jokes while you are going toe to toe in the ring. The introductions are done by Michael Buffer which is very cool and appropriate addition to overall feel of the game. It gives you the feeling of being at a real big time bout.

REPLAY VALUE 5/10

Ready 2 Rumble can provide you with countless hours of replay value if you don't mind the shortcomings. In order to master the game you have several championship classes to move through as well as a host of fighters that you can train and build their stats from scratch. You also have ''Arcade'' mode which allows you some fully maxed out game play. 2 Player mode obviously allows for endless replay value provided you have a friend to play with you. Unfortunately the control difficulties coupled with the difficulty of training a successful fighter make this game less enjoyable that its predecessor.

OVERALL 7/10

All in all I think that Ready 2 Rumble 2 is a good game yet nowhere close to the first installment of the game. If you have Ready 2 Rumble Part 1 then I would recommend you rent this game before you go out and buy it. It is not a bad game at all but rather a disappointment to anyone having played the first game. A sequel it is, an equal its not!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/03, Updated 01/12/03