Knockout Kings 2002 Review
The game looks great, plays very well, and offers enough of a challenge to last a while, which adds up to make Knockout Kings 2002 a game that's a must-own for any fighting fan.
The Video Review
Check out the detailed video review of this years installment in EA's boxing game series.
While Knockout Kings 2001 for the PlayStation 2 was a decent game that had terrific graphics, the fighters' lack of mobility simply failed to re-create the excitement of a prizefight. Knockout Kings 2002, however, delivers the thrill of being in the ring with a totally new control scheme that offers players a greater degree of control over their fighters. Plus, the mobility of the fighters has been drastically increased and gives a much closer representation of what a real professional bout should be like.
Knockout Kings 2002 includes 45 fighters from the lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight divisions. Twenty-one are real fighters from the past and present, including the likes of "The Golden Boy" Oscar de la Hoya, Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, and Felix Trinidad. The other 24 fighters are fictional fighters you can play as or against. You can also create your own fighter in the game's 15-bout career mode. In all, the game features three modes of play: exhibition, career, and tournament.
The game simply strikes a very good balance between being an authentic boxing experience and being a very intuitive and fun game to play. The authenticity extends beyond the real fighters and venues. The boxers also deliver performances that are comparable to those in real life. Sure, you won't see Felix Trinidad throw 1,700 punches in a real fight, but the way he bounces around the ring and the damage his punches inflict seem just about right. The gameplay is intuitive, thanks to a great control scheme that is very similar to that of Ready 2 Rumble Boxing and Victorious Boxers. The buttons on the face of the controller deliver your fighter's four basic punches, which include left jab, right cross, left hook, and right hook. The left analog stick controls not only your fighter's movement in the ring, but also the position of his upper body. For example, if you slightly push your analog stick forward, your fighter will duck down. If you push the analog stick slightly to the left, your fighter will lean his upper torso to the left. Pushing the left analog stick all the way in any direction causes your fighter to move in that direction. The great thing about this control scheme is that it actually lets you bob and weave without giving up any mobility or the ability to fire off punches. Another benefit of this control scheme is that you can naturally duck down and throw punches to your opponent's body by using the same buttons you use to throw punches to their head. Even blocking punches has been improved since last year. You used to be able to effortlessly hold down the block button to cover up, which made it far too easy to recover health and stamina. In this version, you have to push the block button once for every punch you want to block, which forces you to become skilled at timing your opponent's punches and combinations.
The opponent AI in the game is quite good. The game features several levels of difficulty, ranging from extremely easy to ultrahard. The difference between the settings is simply the number of punches and combinations that the computer throws and blocks. On the easy setting, your opponent is little more than a moving punching bag. On the hardest setting, he blocks and evades a good majority of the punches you throw. Plus, he throws a heavy dose of well-placed punches and combinations. The game's pro setting is the sweet spot, since the fighters throw a reasonable number of punches and don't stop everything you send their way. The fighters pick up on your habits as the rounds progress, which means that while you may get away with a lot of body punches in the first round, your opponent will start to throw uppercuts to counter them in the second. The fighters even try to stay away when you have them in trouble, which is important since the game's default settings don't display any health or stamina meters. This makes watching your opponent's demeanor important.
Knockout Kings 2002 Quick Links
Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices
- GameSpot Scoregreat
Player Reviews
Critic Scores
- PSX Extreme 8.7 / 10
- IGN 8.9 / 10
- GameZone 8 / 10
- Gaming Age B-
- Electric Playground 9 / 10
- Game Vortex 89 / 100
- Game Blitz 90 / 100
- Future Gamez 85 / 100
*The links above will take you to other Web sites and are provided for your reference. GameSpot does not produce or endorse the content on these sites.
Games you may like…
-
Knockout Kings 2001
(PS2) -
Fight Night 2004
(PS2) -
Mike Tyson Boxing
(PS2) -
Boxing Champions
(PS2) -
Rocky: Legends
(PS2)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games
