Does anyone remember Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!? Anyone at all? Even years after its release, the game stands as one of the strongest testaments to the idea that good games are made by smart designers, not by technology. Thirteen years after that revolutionary title, we have boxing games that succeed in conjuring up fantastic visuals, breathtakingly realistic movement, and sound so authentic, you'd swear you were sitting front row at Caesars Palace. But nothing has come close to matching the flair and ingenuity with which Punch-Out!! was graced.After Nintendo released the Game Boy Color in 1998, and saw fit to release revamped versions of many of their 8-bit classics, I'll bet a fair share of NES-philes starting chomping at the bit for a brand new, pocket-sized Punch-Out!! Well, no such luck; at least, not as of 2000. Instead, third-party developers for the Game Boy continue to listen to their pocketbooks, and find the need to crank out poorly contrived handheld versions of their latest console hits.
Exhibit EA: Knockout Kings. Capitalizing on the name recognition of a celebrity is never necessarily a cardinal sin, especially in the video game industry. The original Knockout Kings for the PlayStation exhibited absolutely no remorse for showcasing not one, but about a dozen big-name heavyweight champions. And the game turned out to be the most successful boxing title of 1998, both financially and critically. But EA SPORTS has apparently forgotten everything about the original game that made it good. Knockout Kings for the Game Boy Color throws all playability right out the window. The ten different offensive moves listed in the instruction manual don't bear any distinction from each other, especially on the tiny screen. Which ends up balancing out in a way, since most of the more complicated maneuvers are just about impossible to execute in the split second you have to do them.
Compounding to the frustration is the perpetually meandering action all over the ring. Just when you think you've got a pattern down, your opponent starts floating in a roughly clockwise direction, making it so it's unforgivably hard to see what's actually happening between the two players.
While the game makes a heavy pretense of being a "simulation," precious little difference can be detected between the abilities and styles of each of the fighters, even though their individual statistics are proudly displayed by their on-screen portraits. Even the pointless training sessions between rounds in the Career mode do little to visibly improve your sim-fighter's capabilities against his look-alike competitors.
Knockout Kings has a mere two things going for it to keep it from falling into the deep sump of worthless Game Boy Color titles. First, there's its consistent sense of style, with its decent, pay-per-view presentation, complete with slinky girls holding up cards at the start of each round (and, yes, there are even digitized catcalls). It's also a trip to see referee-turned-TV judge Mills Lane making such a strong presence. He's got upwards of ten voice samples in the game, with standards declarations like "Fight's over!" and "Technical knockout!" You've got to admit, it's cooler than Referee Mario squeaking out, "Wop! Wop! Wop-wop."
Then, there's the "winner by default" factor. The fact is, there are precious few boxing games on the handheld; the only other one coming to mind being the equally unimpressive Ready 2 Rumble. So, it's probably true that Knockout Kings is actually the #1 offering for the Game Boy Color in its genre. If that sounds good enough to you to warrant the game's purchase, so be it. Meanwhile, some of us are still holding out for Punch-Out!! DX.
Super-deformed characters look good enough, but are ultimately too goofy to complement the game's simulation approach. Menu screens and fighter portraits are genuinely appealing.
Sound
Gobs of digitized sounds contribute realism to the game. The inclusion of samples by Mills Lane is a highlight.
Enjoyment
Casual fans of the genre might like it; hardcore fans might detest it.
Replay Value
There are countless types of characters you can create in Career mode, which makes for a surprsing amount of replay value.
Documentation
A complete list of the fighters to choose from would be nice.
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