Two games take a swing at boxing on the PlayStation

February 18, 1999
Web posted at: 10:00 AM EST

By CNN Interactive Associate Editor John Robinson

(CNN) -- Up until recently, there just wasn't a boxing game available for PlayStation owners. Now that the three-year drought is over, there are two very different titles to choose from with a third scheduled for release later this year. The two offerings that are currently available are "Knockout Kings" from EA Sports and "Contender" from Sony. "Knockout Kings" offers a more realistic approach to boxing while "Contender" goes for pure arcade-style action. Which one emerges with the upper hand? Well, it all depends on what you want out of a boxing game.

"Knockout Kings" sports clean graphics and 38 big-name fighters

With a decidedly realistic approach to boxing, "Knockout Kings" is a true simulation of the sport right down to the real venues and the voice of famous referee Mills Lane. This is a game that takes authenticity seriously and offers 38 of the world's most famous boxers of all time to choose from. Real fighters Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya were closely involved in the development of the game providing motion captured moves to help bring the boxers to life. Other fighters you can choose to fight with or against include Joe Louis, Larry Holmes, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Michael Moorer, and Leon Spinks to name a few.

Each of the real boxers has a variety of moves and combinations to learn and sticking with one fighter will really help you win fights. If you want to start a legacy of your own, the Career mode will let you build up a fighter from nothing and work your way up the ranks. A three round slugfest mode picks up the pace a little and allows for some down and dirty boxing action with no rules.

The controls in "Knockout Kings" seem a bit sluggish at first but after you play the game for a while it becomes more manageable. Unfortunately, the controls never become second nature because they're somewhat convoluted. Blocking a punch uses two separate buttons for high and low blocks and the shoulder buttons must be pushed in addition to the punch button for special punches. In addition to the difficult controls, the punching animations always seem to be a half-second behind so you have to think ahead in order to be effective.

Despite the slow action and lackluster controls, "Knockout Kings" is a very nice game to look at. The graphics are simple and clean and the boxers look like their real-life counterparts. Small details like cuts that appear on the faces of the boxers add a lot to the visual appeal. Sounds in the game are sparse but effective and the background music is different for each fighter providing some diversity. Playing against the computer can be a bit tedious and of course the game is much more fun with a human opponent in the two-player mode. Avid fans of boxing should get a lot of satisfaction out of "Knockout Kings" while others may find it a bit tiresome.

If over-the-top arcade-style boxing is what you're looking for then "Contender" from Sony Computer Entertainment might be the better choice. Sporting big punches and outrageous character design, "Contender" is a very straight- forward boxing game that is very easy to play. There are 40 different boxers and four gameplay options to choose from including tournament and Career modes.

"Contender" is colorful arcade boxing

"Contender's" graphics are colorful but blocky making the boxers look kind of like they're carved out of wood. On the other hand, the rings are very well designed and the crowds in the background give the illusion of a very large arena. Movement of the fighters is fluid and the camera keeps up with the action even when both fighters are moving. The punching animations are a bit slow and the knockdown and victory sequences are uninspiring. Sound effects are average quality and can be repetitive, but the overall sound package is not too bad.

Control is a little easier in "Contender" but like in "Knockout Kings", you still have to use two buttons for blocking and a shoulder button for special punches. The best part of the game is that fighters are rewarded for each knockdown with a point that can be used to throw a Super Punch. The Super Punch is great fun and an effective way to win a fight when you're losing. Without the inclusion of the Super Punch, "Contender" could have been a real dud. Once again, the game is much more fun with a human opponent in the two-player mode.

The good old "stick and move" strategy seems to work pretty well in this game and while going into the ring punching wildly is a heck of a lot of fun, it won't get you very far. The fighters have the ability to bob and weave to the left or right and in most cases this is a lot better than standing toe to toe and blocking. Each of the boxers has different strengths and weaknesses to learn or look out for and a nice feature is the inclusion of several women boxers. You might think that using a woman fighter would put you at a disadvantage but the women are easy to win with because they are usually faster than their male counterparts (at least when you use the good old "stick and move" strategy). The bottom line? "Contender" is a good arcade boxing game that will entertain but it doesn't really live up to its full potential.

While both "Knockout Kings" and "Contender" are good first efforts in the PlayStation boxing category, they both suffer from control problems and slow animations that keep either of them from being exceptional. If you really want to add a boxing game to your PlayStation collection, the only real question is: arcade or simulation?

"Knockout Kings" and "Contender" are both rated for Everyone by the ESRB. For more information on video game ratings, click on the ESRB link below.

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