- Dec 16, 2003
- 985
- 14
I keep sleeping on this thread, forgetting to post some of the game stuff I do for Sporting News. Just posted our review today of Prizefighter. Very mixed feelings. A good thing to hold you over until Fight Night Round4, but not a replacement. Also, this chick is in the game (Heather Vandeven):
Monday, June 23, 2008
Posted By Chris Littmann 3:40 PMhttp://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/delete/8638
Don King Presents: Prizefighter, 2K Sports' counterpunch to EA Sports' popular Fight Night series, takes on an unenviable task as a new boxing franchise. Either do what Fight Night does, only better, or find a way to do it that EA hasn't thought of yet.
Fight Night Round 3 was lavished with critical praise, so 2K went the mockumentary route when telling the story of Prizefighter in order to distinguish itself. The presentation is pretty, but the fight system can be hit-or-miss.
You can jump straight into exhibition fights across three weight classes, but the real fun in Prizefighter comes in the career mode, so new fighters will want to head to the Fighter Factory to create their own custom heavyweight. Once you've run through the seemingly endless options -- and really, they do go on forever, proving one thing 2K did well was the shiny little distractions in this game -- you can start your rags-to-riches story.
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So here we are at Frank's gym. When you start your heavyweight career, you'll get used to this screen. It's where you book fights, train and take calls on your fancy PDA phone.
Before you ever fight, you'll hit the floor at Frank's Gym and choose from five different training exercises -- focus mitts, heavy bag, jump rope, shuttle run and speed bag.
Each of the five exercises will help you improve two of your four skill categories -- dexterity, agility, stamina and power. The speed bag and jump rope could be particularly difficult. At times, it felt like playing Guitar Hero, watching the colored buttons fly by. On the other hand, the heavy bag and focus mitts were incredibly easy, so I tended to stick with those in order to get more pop out of my training sessions. The shuttle run was easy, but honestly boring and I was more interested in creating a fighter who could unhinge a few jaws, not win a 100 meter dash.
But eventually, you make your way to the ring and here's where my love for all things detail-oriented is somewhat tarnished by a really hit-and-miss fighting system. Everything on the controller is in play on the Xbox 360 edition. You'll use the face buttons as well as the triggers and thumb sticks to throw punches, defend and dodge.
The hit detection is off at times. I noticed numerous instances where I'd land a body shot to knock a person down, but blood and spit sprayed from the mouth as if I'd landed a shot directly to the head. Seemed odd.
Big punches also felt a little slow to develop, and quicker opponents will punish you with jabs to the face, stopping you before you ever complete your big haymaker. Technically, it feels frustrating, and while I can't speak to why they made it this why, it probably serves a purpose. If big sweeping hooks came just as quickly as jabs, there'd be no motivation to mix your game up, and there'd no real deterrent that stops the player from constantly going for big head shots. Then again, maybe I'm giving 2K too much credit.
The other somewhat bothersome element I discovered through about the first seven or eight bouts was an almost Punchout! weakness system in your opponents. Much like you'd beat each one of those cartoony characters with a certain attack, I always found one certain punch style that the opponent seemed unable to stop.
One other note about the in-fight action: When you progress to a larger bout, Jim Lampley and Emmanuel Stewart do the color and play-by-play. 2K would've been wise to just leave Stewart out. His comments are about as insightful as someone who has taken one too many shots to the dome. It sounds like he had a frontal lobotomy.
As you progress through your career, you'll be treated to various cutscenes in the mockumentary of your life. Your cutman, your manager, your train, ex-girlfriends (and there seem to be a lot of 'em, so kudos to you, imaginary fighter!) ... they've all got something to say about your journey to the top.
In addition, Frank, your trainer, schools you on history as you pass through big bouts. You're throw into fights of historic significance and then given a brief history lesson on what actually happened.
Between fights, in addition to the classic fights and the training exercises, you've got distractions. Speaking of distractions ... Hey look, it's 2007 Penthouse Pet of the Year Heather Vandeven! (Note: Do not Google image search her at work if you're interested in keeping your job.)
The distractions come in the forms of women, endorsement opportunities and various other things floated by your agent that will keep you away from training. Your time between bouts is precious, so you have to choose between raising your media profile, which gets the crowd behind you and adds to your in-fight adrenaline, or working on your skills. In some instances, you'll be offered the ability to go work with a specialist, but it takes you out of the public eye and diminishes your media profile.
The specialist training was one place I thought 2K missed a golden opportunity. It would've been a way to expand beyond the five training exercises. (For example, you work with a martial arts specialist, but you only see a cutscene of you walking into a gym, not the actual workout.)
The game has gotten mixed reviews from many because it comes up short in areas where the Fight Night franchise delivers stronger punches. Most frustrating of all for me was the slow punch delivery, even if it had its reasons. Fight Night Round 4 isn't due out until 2009, so Prizefighter serves as a suitable stand-in while you wait, but I can't see many EA diehards defecting for good.
Prizefighter is in stores now for the Xbox 360 and will be available for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS on Sept. 8.
