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Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Review
Noel Brady
00/12/0000
That Ready 2 Rumble is endorsed by an announcer rather than an actual boxer underlines it's showbiz leanings.
Anyone who still believes boxing to be a noble art may be offended by Ready 2 Rumble's vision of the sport's future as a freakshow of WWF proportions. The carttonish cast of international fighters all boast catchphrases, insults and individual celebratory routines which make Prince Naseem's ignorant antics look like a game of chess.
A great deal of mirth can be generated from the mismatch of physiques obtained by pitting ex-sumo wrestler Salua Tua against Afro Thunder, who always looks more like to breakdnace than fight. There's also Big Willie Johnson, a 30's throwback with a none-too-stiff upper lip who likes to play by the Queensbury rules, and Lulu Valentine, the jumpsuited minx who insists she's more than a pretty face. The characters are drawn with careful attention to detail and a perceptive sense of humour that's quite rare in videogames. In your early, less glamorous fights, the pathetic crowd will reward your efforts with a clap while your coach does his nut in the corner.
Naturally, such a gloriously-warped bunch of boxers have little truc with the Queensbury rules that Big Willie likes so much. Each character has their own unique moves and combos-- they don't quite match Street Fighter levels of insanity, but they're rather more impressive than anything seen in a WWF 'Royal Rumble' fight. Butcher Brown even has a headbutt at his disposal, while one or two of the fighters can hit below the belt. Land six big punches and the letters at the bottom of the screen will spell out the word RUMBLE. A quick tap of the shoulder buttons will then activate Rumble mode. In which your fighter's gloves begin to glow with rage and a series of frenzied attacks are inflicted upon your opponent.
Essentially, Ready 2 Rumble is a pure arcade boxing game. It's easy to play, it's mostly an offense-based game, and very forgiving. I learned to block, but I also quickly learned to simply move around to avoid the opposition, too. I then realized that I'd never use block again. Having mastered my favorite player's moves (I chose Afro Thunder because he's quick and lithe), I built him up in Training, earned far too much easy cash in the Prize Fight mode, and then went 40-0 in only a few hours in Championship mode, earning first ranking in the Bronze, Silver and Gold classes. I simply danced around the opposition and timed my punches well.
If there's a flaw in Ready 2 Rumble, it's the fight mechanics. The controls are sluggish and unresponsive, which is a frustrating state of affairs in a game that relies heavily on speed. You need to be blocking and attacking one step ahead of your opponent, but this is often impossible as your fighter appears to dither before carrying out your command. What seemed like a lightning blow to the chin sometimes turns out to be nothing more than a drunken flail. With a little bit of tactical nous you will be able to use the unreactive controls to your advantage, but that's not the point.
If you're looking for an ingenious range of one-player options, Ready 2 Rumble isn't the game for you. The Championship mode requires you to rescue another teenager froma life of petty crime and turn them into a boxing champ, but this is a goal which can only really be obtained by continuously fighting the computer. There are training routines, but these aren't interesting or challenging enough to stand out as mini-games in their own right.
For all of its great looks and hilarious characters, Ready 2 Rumble is not for the hard-core gamer. It may take some time to open up all of the characters, but you may never want to get that far. Midway made this game too easy, and by doing so, it created a shallow game that never goes to the next level of competition. You can easily build up your character by clocking opponents in Prize Fights and earn tons of money by betting the top dollar. I never lost a fight after a few rounds of practice and even whipped some of the 'world's best fighters' in less than one round.
The Playstation version's graphics look surprisingly good. Characters are excellently textured, each with a texture-mapped skin that hides seams in joints, and their facial animations and falldown routines are exactly like those in the Dreamcast's. But like I said before, the framerates aren't as good, so the control is affected minimally, and if you've played the Dreamcast version you'd see and feel the difference. But it's solid stuff. All of the character detail is there, too, but they are clouded by the Playstation's RAM shortage and low resolution, creating slightly murky players and backgrounds. This is a subtle difference, but noticeable after about 10 minutes play.
Single-player satisfaction isn't really the function of Ready 2 Rumble. It's a game which expects you have to have your Rocky soundtrack album blaring and your mates ready for a good greasing. If you can put up with the Playstation version's apparent inferiority complex, Ready 2 Rumble is a great alternative to Knockout Kings 2000. It's definitely worth a few hours enjoyment no matter what the situation.
