Victorious Boxers: Revolution Review for the Nintendo Wii

System: Wii	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Grand Prix / Cavia	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: XSeed Games	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Oct. 16, 2007	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Truthfully, the graphics and sound could have afforded to be worse; don't get me wrong it is great that they are not, but in the end a game like this lives and dies with its controls. Fortunately, that seems to be a place where they concentrated quite a bit of their attention as Revolution gives the players three control styles to choose from.

Victorious Boxers: Revolution screenshot

Swing mode literally turns you into the boxer because you throw deadly combos with each hand, pointer mode makes the player point and drag the Wii-mote to prompt on screen beat downs, and lastly the classic controller is an option for the less adventurous boxing fans. Swing mode is definitely the best; it is the most responsive and gives you the best chance to win. Pointer mode is just too slow to keep up with the high-octane computer and despite having the benefit of a familiar feel the classic controller falls short too. Although Swing mode is the king of the mountain, it does have its own problems. It fails to pick up your punches a little more often then I would like. Fights can be intense fare, and you can ill afford for Ippo to let his guard down.

Overall Victorious Boxers: Revolution does a lot of things right. The main drawback is the lack of options it gives you. There just is not much to do, and because of that what little is offered wears thin. Engaging in pugilistic exploits with your friends can be fun, but it still fails to elevate this game above rental status.

By Tom Kelly
CCC Freelance Writer

Features:

Massive Story Mode with loads of in-game cut-scenes, voiced dialogue, and plenty of unlockable content including special abilities, stages, and boxers.

Sparring Mode with a variety of adjustable settings such as number of rounds and knockdown limits.

25 playable characters to choose from, each with their own unique special moves such as the Gazelle Punch, Shotgun, and Flicker Jab, and the ability to adjust their speed, power and strength parameters.

Three different control modes: Swing Mode allows the player to punch and maneuver using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as if they are wearing boxing gloves; Pointer Mode allows the player to point and place a cursor on their target on screen and execute the moves with a smaller movement of the Wii Remote; and Classic Controller Mode.

A variety of stages and venues to choose from, including Sydney City Arena, Las Vegas Palace and Korakuen Hall.

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.1

Graphics
Characters have a certain cartoon charm.

3.7

Control
Fall just short of creating a truly remarkable experience.

3.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Voice work is great, everything else is so-so.

1.5

Play Value
Shamefully light, a lot of untapped potential.

3.3