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I can promise that there is no trace of Ant and Dec to be found here as you get r-r-r-ready to rumblewith Afro Thunder and the gang one more time, with Michael Buffer trotting out the catchyannouncement at the opening of each fight.When the original Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was released, it impressed greatly and large crowdsgathered around the stands in your local gaming store. The detail on the characters was quiteastounding and it quickly persuaded punters to part with their cash. Just about all the original’scharacters return for a second bout including Boris “The Bear” Knokimov, Jet “Iron” Chin and LuluValentine. 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 dancesround the ring like a girl, even if he did tan my hide as I got to grips with the controls. You start witha 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 headamongst the ropes and beat seven bells out of your opponent. The Championship mode is morecomprehensive though. Train your boxer of choice in an extensive section on weights, skipping andeven 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 seriesof boxers of your choice.
When the fisticuffs begins it’s every man and woman for themselves. The more you hit the enemy, thestronger your power, the further the word “RUMBLE” builds up at the bottom of the screen, changingcolour each time it is completely spelled out as you progress. Make it three in a row and your nextpunch will land some serious damage.
The graphics use a process known as “soft-skinning” which essentially fills in the blanks between yourfighter’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 crowdgoes wild. What lets this outing down though is that once you’ve played one boxing game, you’veplayed 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.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.