Developer: Cavia Inc.
Publisher: Xceed Games
Genre: Fighting
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 16 Oct 07

User Rating
9 (1 vote)

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

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Overview

The Wii has been searching for some new innovative games that use their technology to its fullest extent. We saw when Wii Sports was released, the included Wii Boxing was in my opinion the weakest game of the bunch. So there was no doubt that there was room for another boxing game to make its way to the Wii. XSeed Games took up the opportunity, and has released Victorious Boxers: Revolution for the Wii, a game that hopes to bring motion control to the sport of boxing with more success then Wii Sports. How does the game do? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

I am a big boxing buff. I love boxing movies (Rocky 1-6, Raging Bull, Cinderella Man), I love boxing video games (Fight Night Round 3 from EA), and I love the sport in general. So when I heard that Victorious Boxers: Revolution was being developed, it seemed like it was right up my alley. But can this Wii boxing title live up to the hype?

So right out of the gate, I would highly recommend going through the game's tutorial mode, or else you're going to be lost. The game allows you to do a multitude of different control schemes, ranging from using both the nunchuck and the remote to using the classic controller or gamecube controller. The game is not shy on giving you the ability to choose a control scheme. In order to incorporate all of the different schemes, the game uses a Punch Out style approach except making your boxer nearly invisible. The game just shows your outline of sorts allowing a clear look at your opponent but getting you up and close to the action.

Let's start out with the nunchuck/remote combo, which is the default control scheme. The controls in this respect are a bit tough to grab a hold of, they take a lot of time to really to their fullest extent. I for one got extremely frustrated with the controls. They didn't seem to respond to your movements, I couldn't get the hooks to respond properly, and the upper cuts were real tough. I gave it a really good effort, and played through the story mode with it, but never felt like it was fully responding to my movements.

I actually liked playing the game with the classic controller, which was much more responsive. Although not necessarily utilizing the capabilities of the Wii, it made the experience in Victorious Boxers a much stronger one. The controls here are pretty standard, mapped on the face buttons, and keeping things relatively simple. I think for anyone who doesn't have the patience, they will probably end up using this control setting.

So the game has a full blown story mode (which I love), I wish more sports games went this route. Although the story is a bit on the corny side, the cartoony style in which the game uses is nicely integrated with the story. You're basically following the rise of a boxer's career, starting as a rookie and working your way to be the champ. The story all in all works though, as lame as it can be at times, it did motivate me to go all the way through.

There aren't many multiplayer options available, which is a shame because an online mode would have done wonders for the game's replay value. There will be no reason to really want to keep playing the game after the story, with the multiplayer being as sparse as it is. Overall though this is a good boxing effort, it has a lot of strong suits, and only sets itself up for future success, as long as the gameplay continues to grow and improve.

Graphics

I don't mind the anime style, it is not my favorite for a boxing game, but it works with Victorious Boxers: Revolution nonetheless. The character models are the best aspect of the game, bar none. They carry a good deal of detail and are all varied really well. The rings and environments are not as spectacular, they carry some good colors and details, but don't do anything spectacular. Overall the visuals work, but I think could have done a lot more.

Fun Factor

I have to say for being a boxing game, I did think that Victorious Boxers was going to be a bit more engaging. The overall story mode works really well, it has a lot of strong suits, the gameplay works, it also has a lot of strong areas, but the entire game as a whole does feel a bit short. This has a lot to do with replay value, because after the story mode Victorious Boxers really has no other modes to really delve into. With the story mode not being all that long, the game looses a bit of its edge rather quickly.

Overall

When everything is said and done, Victorious Boxers: Revolution is a fantastic game. It has a lot of great features, amazing number of control schemes, and good boxing mechanics. Overall Victorious Boxers: Revolution is a good game, worth a rental for sure, but more than that might not be the best choice.

Gameplay
7.0

Graphics
7.0

Fun Factor
7.0

Overall
7.0

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