K-1 Grand Prix

"A Kick Boxing Game With Grand Prix At The End?"

When I got K-1 Grand Prix I was pretty excited. I’ve never played a Kick Boxing game before. When I popped it in my Playstation, however, I was immediately disappointed. The intro of the game is a bit rough around the edges. For example, there are many cut scenes in the intro and the overall picture isn't detailed at all.

After the intro, you’ll reach the main screen where you’ll find a number of options. You can play a one player game, two player game, tournament, create a wrestler, view a match or change the options of the game. The modes of play are pretty useless, though, as the game itself sucks.

First off, the graphics are horrible. I remember when I played first generation Playstation games they looked like this. The fighters are very boxy. They don't look real at all. Also, the characters all look the same. The only way I knew I was playing a different wrestler was by looking at the color of the guys hair. The crowd looks like a piece of cardboard. I couldn't believe how rushed the graphics felt.

Second, the control is horrible. If you press the punch button you have to wait over a second for your guy to actually punch. There’s no analog support, either, which would have at least alleviated some of the overall sluggish feel. You can use the back buttons to move your guy around the ring, but the fights are pretty much played out in a straight line.

Finally, the sound in the game is decent at best. There is little dialogue in the game. The only talking in this game is from the announcer at the beginning of the match. Other than that, there is no dialogue in the game. The music while fighting is enjoyable (I love the background midi for some reason). The sad thing is that none of the characters talk. I would love to hear some of these people talk.

Personally, I will never come back to this game. My friends might want to play it when they come over to see how it is but other than this it’ll sit on my shelf. You have the Create A Boxer mode, but that’s very limited. The career mode (or whatever it’s called) is disappointing. You may get to fight a lot of boxers, but it gets pretty old pretty quick. If you like kick boxing a lot you may want to give this a rent, but personally, I wouldn't pay over $30.00 for this game.

Overall Rating- 4.5
Graphics- 3.9
Sound- 4.1
Control- 3.7
Fresh Factor- 7.4
Game Life- 3.6

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/01, Updated 07/09/01