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Showtime Championship Boxing Review for the Nintendo Wii

Showtime Championship Boxing Review for the Nintendo Wii

Down for the Count

Boxing has become somewhat of a pastime for many Americans over the last 50 years or so. From the great Muhammad Ali to modern fighters like De La Hoya and Trinidad, each combatant brings a particular technique, personality, fire, and passion to the table.

Showtime Championship Boxing screenshot

Some would call it an unorthodox way of fighting; I mean, come on, they wear padded gloves for goodness sake. Nevertheless, the entertainment you receive from watching two grown men pummel each other for up to two hours is worth it enough to remove any doubts. This now opens up another point; what good boxing games have been released over the last few years? Well, there are the under-the-radar arcade ones, EA’s Fight Night series and, of course, a bunch of broken, forgettable ones that wear out their welcome within the first ten minutes. Showtime Championship Boxing may sound like a contender, but even the Wii can’t save this one from being “KO’d.”

The game starts off with a rather bland introduction featuring a bunch of no-name boxers who get their kicks prancing around the ring awkwardly. And by no-name, I meant just that. Showtime Championship Boxing doesn’t give you a long list of established pros with individual attributes and move sets; no, the game gives you a handful of carbon cut-outs with nothing unique about them but their appearance. However, given the title’s poor graphical quality, poor saps like “Six-pack Sam” and “Lazy Lorenzo” don’t come across as very engaging. What is also disappointing is the fact that there aren’t any realistic or unique venues such as Madison Square Garden or the MGM Grand. Oh well, enough about the aesthetical functions of the game; let’s just get on to talking about boxing. I think that is what this game is about anyway.

As you delve into the single player portion of Showtime, you will find three unique game modes: Amateur, Contender, and of course, Showtime. Each one of these provides a set number of players to fight, with more being available as you move up the rankings. It is also important to mention that the difficulty isn’t very balanced, especially once you move up into Showtime; prepare to be knocked out over a dozen times each bout before you move on to the next round. This is all trackable through the U.I., which offers a round clock, health bar, and a fatigue bar. The first two are fairly self explanatory, but the fatigue bar is just for effect and shows how much power you are putting behind each shot. Of course, as you go through the round the power will continue to go down, at least until the initial round is over. Break out the spit bucket!

Showtime Championship Boxing screenshot

Now, you would think that since the game was created to take control of the Wii’s control scheme that would be its greatest strength, right? Well, how many times have we seen these types of games fail? I am fairly sure you know the answer to this one. Taking a nod from Wii Sports (Boxing), you use the Nunchuk to control the left arm and the Wii-mote to function the right. The control stick on the Nunchuk helps position your character, allowing him to get the best angle of attack. The problem is that the title offers little in the way of dodging or defending, meaning that you will be getting clobbered any time you let up on offense. Movements are a bit sluggish, and there were times when I would throw four or give jabs only to see two actually happen. It also doesn’t help that the computer abuses the defense option far too often, and there will be times when you go through a round without applying any effective damage. If the original game plan was for you to lose, then the creators of this game had the right idea.

Showtime Championship Boxing screenshot

Though that’s not to say that Showtime Championship Boxing doesn’t have a few fun moments where you won’t be pulling out your hair in frustration. The actual interactivity with the game is kind of fun and there are a lot of unlockable characters that can be unearthed if you conquer the challenges the game throws at you. It’s just that without any real difference between boxers other than appearance, there is no real incentive to actually go out and get them. And I’m pretty sure you can sleep well knowing that “Mad Martinez” or “Deadly Diaz” won’t have to get in on the action. Oh, the agony.

Showtime Championship Boxing screenshot

Visually, Showtime Championship Boxing is as bland and generic as the game-play. It isn’t abysmal, but it is pretty close, and I’m sure that the title could’ve been on the Dreamcast if it wanted to. The boxers look very silly and move around as if they were clay figurines. Pretty sure I’m not playing Clay Fighter 63 1/3, though even that game would probably be easier on the eyes. There are a couple of different ring locations, but there is virtually no difference between them. Hey, if they wanted to be imaginative, why not throw us on top of a mountain or underwater? If you are going to give us fictional boxers and fictional locations, the least you can do is use your imagination a little, though after playing through this game, it is obvious that little thought went into it at all. On another note, the audio is practically non-existent other than the traditional grunts, blow connections, and bell sounds. There is no worthwhile commentating or voice acting to speak of, and the music is a jumbled mess; un-mute the television at your own discretion.

After all that’s been said, one would really be stumped on how to sum up this game other than the following word: terrible. There is a split-screen multiplayer option, but I can’t imagine anyone who’d want to participate, and why would they? Sluggish controls, poor attention to detail, lack of customization, and unbalanced difficulty all makes Showtime Championship Boxing a dud. If you really want some good ol’ shoulder to shoulder boxing action, then reach no further than that Wii Sports copy you have somewhere in your closet. Fight Night from EA is also a solid option, though it is better on the 360 or Playstation 3. In fact, if I were you I’d go out and get a hold of Super Punch Out on the Super Nintendo. Nothing beats the classics.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.0 Graphics
Character detail is unimpressive, as is pretty much every aspect of the atmosphere. Lack of solid particle effects and lighting hurts the presentation further. 2.9 Control
The control setup is alright, but is plagued by sluggish motions and the occasional unresponsive action. 1.9 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Sound effects sound kind of cheap, but make a decent representation of a boxing match. No quality commentary, voice acting or music is disappointing and quite lazy. 2.4

Play Value
Unless you can find a friend, don’t look forward to anything more than 2 or 3 hours of game-play. After which the “why am I playing this again?” feeling will set in. Stick with Wii Sports.

2.2 Overall Rating – Poor
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Customize your character by changing their hair, shorts, gloves, and boots.
  • Compete in either one off bouts or take on a series in order to win those all important title belts.
  • Unlock more boxers, arenas, clothing, and gloves by winning matches and claiming titles.

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