Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2

for Sega Dreamcast

Distributed by
Midway

When the original Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was released, it impressed greatly and large crowds gathered around the stands in your local gaming store. The detail on the characters was quite astounding and it quickly persuaded punters to part with their cash. Just about all the original's characters return for a second bout including Boris "The Bear" Knokimov, Jet "Iron" Chin and Lulu Valentine. Fresh blood rising to the challenge arrives in the form of Freedom Brock and Freak E. Deke, while shameless celebrities are never far away with basketball star Shaquille O'Neal and self-proclaimed King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Billie Jean may not be his lover but he certainly dances round the ring like a girl, even if he did tan my hide as I got to grips with the controls. You start with a choice of 12, but after winning rounds new opponents will be unlocked to make a total of 23.

There are many ways to play the game beginning with the standard Arcade mode. Go head to head amongst the ropes and beat seven bells out of your opponent. The Championship mode is more comprehensive though. Train your boxer of choice in an extensive section on weights, skipping and even Rumble Aerobics' - a glorified "Parappa the Rapper"-style addition which is quite a lot of fun, then enter him/her in title fight - to move up in the rankings - or a prize fight to bring in the moolah. You can also play a whole tournament or enter the Team Battle Mode which pits you against a series of boxers of your choice.

When the fisticuffs begins it's every man and woman for themselves. The more you hit the enemy, the stronger your power, the further the word "RUMBLE" builds up at the bottom of the screen, changing colour each time it is completely spelled out as you progress. Make it three in a row and your next punch will land some serious damage.

The graphics use a process known as "soft-skinning" which essentially fills in the blanks between your fighter's limbs and joints, smoothing them together to make them more realistic. The sound is quite emphatic as you leap around, thrusting your arm in the direction of another's face while the crowd goes wild. What lets this outing down though is that once you've played one boxing game, you've played them all and this should only be bought by those who don't have the original.

Overall: 2½/5

This review was on Freeloader.com before they closed.

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.