Black & Bruised

"A solid rental"

Graphics:8/10
This games graphics are pretty good. Even though they are sell shaded, it doesn't mean that the characters lack quality. They have many facial expressions and slowly get bumps and bruises as the fight goes on. The backgrounds could be better though. The graphics are cartoony also, much like Super Punch Out. The characters vary greatly in appearance, and keeps the game fresh instead of making 15 clones of the same character which happens many times in fighting game franchises.

Sound:5/10
Unfortunately, the game's sound isn't that great. The music is forgettable if not annoying at times, and the sound effects are poor. You don't really hear that satisfying smack sound that you would here in most boxing games today. Heck, the hits in Super Punchout sounded better in my opinion. You can tell that the designers didn't want the characters to lack a personality. So they applied pretty humorous voices for them and the voice acting is suprisingly good. This is probably the only thing this game has got going for it in the sound department.

Game-Play:7/10
Another thing that suprised me about this game was the gameplay. In one of the modes ''Boxers Life'' you assume the role of one of the 14+ characters. You have to complete unique tasks such as fighting one handed or settling personal vendettas. I like this mode because usually in a game of this nature, there is only a Tournament mode for 1 player play and I personally hate that option. Boxers Life, provides interesting challenges and a humorous story to complement the action. The fighting system could use some work though. It can be frustating to pull of some of the better combos in the middle of a match while the controls aren't responsive enough. Also, I was suprised that the developers didn't use a control scheme like Knockout Kings 2002 or Victorious Boxers. In those games, it was easier to dodge punches by using the left analog stick instead of a button. This winded up making the gameplay more intuitive. This game on the other hand uses a control scheme more like Ready to Rumble unfortunately. This causes the game's control suffer.

Overall:7/10 (NOT AN AVERAGE)

Although I wouldn't recommend buying it, This game is a definite rental. Its Boxer's Life Mode is a great surprise, and it has a good 2 player versus mode. The characters are over the top, the sound could use help, and the gameplay could use a few tweaks, but I am sure that if a sequel is made this game could only get better. Give this game a try, you might enjoy it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/03, Updated 02/17/03