TGS 06: K-1 World GP 2006 Hands-On

TOKYO--One of the main attractions at D3's Tokyo Game Show booth this year, at least from our perspective, is the PlayStation 2 game K-1 World GP 2006. This one-on-one fighting game boasts a roster of at least 25 real K-1 fighters and, based on the time we spent with it today, it offers a fighting experience that's easy to get to grips with but certainly doesn't reward mindless button mashing.

Among the fighters that we noted on the game's roster were Hong Man Choi, Ray Sefo, Jerome Le Banner, Ernesto Hoost, Remy Bonjaski, Mighty Mo, and Cyril Abidi. Just as in real life, these instantly recognizable fighters come in a wide selection of shapes and sizes, ranging from athletic giants to guys who wouldn't look out of place in a sumo ring. The fighters all control similarly (each of the face buttons controls a different limb, while shoulder buttons are used to block and sway), but their different sizes and fighting styles make them feel quite different.

The matches that we fought comprised three three-minute rounds each, and it's no exaggeration to say that they were quite tactical affairs. In K-1 World GP 2006, your fighter will lose energy every time he throws a punch or a kick, so you need to make every move count. Your health isn't indicated onscreen by a health bar; rather, a small picture of what looks like a mannequin at the bottom of the screen changes color to highlight the areas where you've taken a lot of damage. In our first fight, our mannequin's head was bright red by the end of the second round, and our CPU-controlled opponent was intelligent enough to target it for the duration of the final round--beating us with three knockdowns.

We had a lot of fun with K-1 World GP 2006 today, and we were impressed by the quality of its presentation, as well as by its gameplay. We look forward to bringing you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.