Don King, a boxing legend, lends his name to 2K Games' Prizefighter, the company's attempt to create a boxing game from the ground up. What hops in the ring is decent, with a solid control scheme and a selection of classic and new boxers. However, despite these few attempts to innovate, it just never delivers the knockout blow to win us over.

The controls use a combination of analog stick movements and button presses. The stick motions control your fighter's defensive tactics, allowing him to block punches to the face, upper and lower body. As for the buttons, you can use them for straight punches and hooks or press a couple together to execute more complicated punches (such as a stiff uppercut). The gameplay is acceptable for the most part, except when you press a button and it takes as long as a second for it to affect your fighter. That may not sound like it makes much of a difference, but in the middle of a heated bout, it certainly does. Attribute meters that measure your stamina and overall strength are easy to keep an eye on over the course of each bout. It's especially helpful, when you need a second to breathe and can't wait for the bell.

There's a good reason boxers are given mouthguards... Click on image for more screenshots.

Venom Games also takes a "good but not great" approach to Prizefighter's presentation. The visuals, while far from disappointing, don't really go the extra mile on detail. Some of the boxers look good, especially after they've taken a pounding to the face and swell up over time. However, the camera angles don't really let you take a good, close look at the damage. The environments look all right, with a decent mixture of small boxing schools and huge elaborate venues with crowds sit stiffly in their seats, showing very little reaction.

Not much was done with the audio either. The announcer doesn't really say that much during a bout, the surrounding in-ring ambience is strangely quiet and most everyone you run into, outside of King himself, expresses little emotion. At least the entrance music you can come out to, including selections from Run DMC and Boston, keep chirping crickets at bay.

A couple of Prizefighter's features do deserve praise. First off, the Create-a-Fighter mode isn't bad. You're capable of building your dream fighter, changing everything from his appearance to his stance to the color of his trunks and gloves. From there, the mode takes a documentary-style approach. You're treated to video footage chronicling the steps of your career, featuring dialogue from King himself, along with other people such as boxing legend Larry Holmes and other less-famous faces. Career Mode also features a number of training mini-games, mostly made up of "tap-the-button" contests, as well as moral judgment decisions. Should you sacrifice training to get the media's attention by dating a hot girl? Should you take the bout where the opponent clearly has the judges on his side or choose something that pays less? It isn't bad, although the boxing action gets stale over the course of a few bouts. Someone knocks you down and, in return, you knock someone else down. Repeat.

"Knocked down again? Maybe you oughta try piano lessons instead, champ." Click on image for more screenshots.

Outside of that, Prizefighter doesn't have much to offer. You can take part in exhibition bouts, play around with a slew of new (Andrew Golota, Kelly Pavlik) and classic (Holmes, James Braddock, Joe Louis) fighters and try your luck with online bouts through Xbox Live. Unfortunately, the online play is so buggy and slow it's not even worth the effort. You're best off fighting locally against your buddies.

2K's first attempt at boxing glory falls short. There are some interesting ideas at work, such as the control scheme, the documentary-style approach and the presence of numerous boxing legends, including King himself. However, the game's underdevelopment shows in every aspect, from the average presentation to the slow gameplay to the almost-broken online play. Prizefighter hits hard, but not hard enough to make a critical impact.

Related Links

Don King's Prizefighter Game Guide

2K Sports

Our Final ScoreMediocre

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