Victorious Boxers: Revolution

We all know that the Wii is on a roll right now. It seems the slim, slick console from Nintendo is the unstoppable war machine bent on total domination of the non-gamer market. Nintendo took a gamble with the Wii by innovating the controls of the console, which so far has paid off. But what about the games? Have we started to hit a rut already with the Wii when it comes to actually playing the games? Victorious Boxers Revolution doesn’t try to solve that question but it does offer gamers several choices of how to play the game.

Immediately the best way I can describe Victorious Boxers Revolution is to call it a soap opera-heavy anime game. I know anime has several different genres for viewers to choose from but my previous anime knowledge was usually limited to science fiction. Even then I would try to stick with animes that focused on big freaking robots that blew stuff up (not a term created by me). The actual gameplay can almost be considered secondary to the story of the game. I spent more time watching the story unfold than I did actually competing in a boxing match.

The story of the game centers upon Ippo Makunouchi, a high school student who is constantly bullied by other classmates. One day a nearby jogger helps Ippo with the latest bully. Ippo soon learns that this generous person is actually a boxer belonging to the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. Ippo joins the gym in hopes of helping improving himself physically and mentally. The majority of the game centers upon the characters Ippo meet during the game and the development of Ippo. Now when I say development I should change that wording to mean typical anime style storyline.

If you’ve watched anime before than you can probably already guess what I mean by the above sentence. Ippo is a teenager, still in high school who starts out at the gym as a rookie and makes his way up the ranks in hopes of becoming a champion boxer. You have a teacher/mentor in the game that provides words of wisdom to you before and during your fights (and in the tutorial). Almost all of the characters you meet in the game speak with their own inner dialogue so you can hear their thoughts.  Oh and Ippo has an attraction to a girl that he has a hard time expressing. How many animes have you seen with plot developments similar to this? Probably more than a few. For some gamers the storyline will probably be a no issue since the game does play out similar to an anime. While other gamers will probably be pressing the skip button to get to the next fight. Thankfully the skip button works without any problems.

The gameplay of Victorious Boxers Evolution is thankfully much better than the story. For me the best part of the game was simply the number of options you have in controlling the game. Yes you can use the nunchuk and Wiimote to punch and move in the game, but that only touches the surface of the game. In fact, there are five control options you can use during the game. Swing Mode 1 is the standard control setup you would expect with a boxing game on the Wii. You move by tilting the nunchuk and Wiimote forward, backwards or to the left or right. Punching is by done by “pushing” the Wiimote or nunchuk towards the screen. Jabs are done by quickly hitting towards the screen while uppercuts are performed by completing a larger swing with you arms. Swing Mode 2 is very similar to Swing Mode 1 except movement is now controlled by the control stick on the Wiimote. Pointer Mode is a unique system since you point at the location you wish to punch. Pointer Mode 1 lets you move with the Wiimote while Pointer Mode 2 lets you move with the analog stick on the nunchuk. The last control option is for the old school; Classic Controller or Gamecube. Yep you can forgo the whole “get up and move” controls, sit back and button mash like we use to do years ago.

Playing the game with the regular Swing Mode 1 felt very similar to the boxing game included with Wii Sports. Sure it’s fun swinging away at the screen and hitting your opponenent but there never felt to be any true meaning playing the game this way. I found that I was just as successful swinging like a madman as I was when I tried to plot out all of my moves. The only difference I found between swinging crazy or playing it cool was my statistics at the end of the match. If I played it cool my stats were usually better but the matches seemed to last longer. If I would just swing away, my stats were always worse but I would always finish a match quicker. It wasn’t that the computer’s AI was terrible instead it just seemed that the computer wasn’t ready for an onslaught of non-stop punches.  

However, there is a catch to the whole control system and winning matches in just a couple of minutes. If the story of the game takes priority over your match than you’re going to lose no matter how well you fight. When I first ran across this situation I thought it was a mistake that I made so I decided to fight again. But the second fight ended the same way, me lying on the mat counting the lights on the ceiling. The game even gives you an option for a rematch even though you’re never going to win. Why put us through this torture?

Victorious Boxers Revolution is a solid game for the Wii but not because of the innovative motion sensing controls. Instead the ability to control the game five different ways is really the best part. If your arms get tired you can keep playing with the Classic Controller or GameCube controller. The top heavy, anime-style plot is definitely not for everyone.. After a few long scenes in the game I found myself just begging for the story to move along and do something else.  Unfortunately this wasn’t going to happen as the typical anime plot will continue to unfold during the game.

Gameplay: 7.0
The boxing gameplay is the typical affair we’ve seen in other boxing games. Nothing new or exciting that hasn’t been duplicated in other games. You have a hit meter that increases as you score more hits. When the meter is full you can perform a special move that will cause more damage than your regular punches. The multiple control options really help in determining the best way to play the game for you.

Graphics: 7.5
This might not be the best-looking game on the Wii but the game still looks like an anime you can watch on DVD. The boxing matches are presented in a quasi third-person viewpoint where you see the outline of your character as your boxing. The visuals in the matches never equaled the visuals in the scenes between matches.

Sound: 6.5
I thought all of the voice acting in the game was well done, considering the storyline they had to work with. Each match had a commentator that would describe the blow-by-blow action. Most of the commentary was able to keep up with the action in the game. But the commentator would always sound jerky when pronouncing Ippo’s name.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
You shouldn’t have a big problem getting through the game regardless if you’re swinging like a madman or plotting each throw.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Multiplayer is limited to the Sparring mode which allows you to play against another player in a match you’ve already completed in the game.

Concept; 5.5
The only saving grace regarding the premise of this game is the control schemes. The rest of the game is solid but still feels like a paint by numbers affair you’ve already played.

Overall: 6.5
If you’re looking for the next big title for the Wii, Victorious Boxers Revolution isn’t the game. If you’re looking for a solid title that offers some great control options, especially for the Wii, then this is your game.