Bush vs. Kerry Boxing Preview

Bush vs. Kerry Boxing marks mobile's foray into the fast-paced world of political satire. The game appears to use the same engine as Sorrent's previous boxing offering, Fox Sports Boxing--the only change being the addition of politicians as combatants.

As you might imagine, you can play the game as either Bush or Kerry. The game has two modes: main event mode, in which you duke it out with your presidential adversary, and campaign mode, in which you must defeat his political supporters, as well. As Kerry, this means you'll take on the Bush cabinet. As Dubya, you'll fight a slightly more eclectic group, composed of John Edwards, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, and Bill Clinton. The difficulty increases incrementally as you progress through this ladder, with the final "debate" being the most demanding. The game's overall difficulty level can be adjusted to any of three settings: intern, staffer, or candidate.

Each button on your phone's number pad corresponds to a specific punch. Obviously, you want to connect to an area of your opponent's head or body that he's left open. Having your punches blocked will drain your energy quickly and leave you open to a knockdown, should your opponent connect. You can perform a "special" punch by pressing the 8 key. It hasn't got a long reach, but it's devastating when it connects.

Upon its release, Bush vs. Kerry Boxing is likely to have wide appeal as a highly topical novelty game.