Product description
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Includes game, original case, and original manual. Also includes
bonus collector DVD case with reprint of original artwork to look
pretty on shelf next to current games! These items are in good
condition and complete but they are not like new. They may have
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"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... Let's Get Ready to
Rumble!" calls renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer to start
one of the most impressive boxing video games on the market.
Ready 2 Rumble takes full advantage of the Dreamcast's advanced
technology, and it shows. Each boxer, be it a gorgeous female
pugilist or a towering wall of muscle, is beautifully animated in
3-D: watch Tank Ther's enormous gut jiggle and bounce as he's
knocked to the mat, or see fighters wince when hit or smugly grin
when they land a hard punch. Or feel the action with the optional
Jump Pack as your controller shakes with each punch and
knockdown. The Dreamcast smoothly integrates all of these
enhancements while maintaining a high frame rate. The result:
Ready 2 Rumble is an incredibly fun game that delivers a knockout
punch.
By far, the best feature of the game is the variety of
boxers--20 in all--representing a range of personalities and
abilities. Afro Thunder, for example, is a t-talking, Chris
Rock-sounding fighter with a repertoire of ring speed, quick
jabs, and over-the-top hooks, while Butcher Brown is a
heavy-handed thug built like a dump truck. There's something for
everyone, with many nationalities, genders, and fighting styles
represented. Since each fighter has different speed, reach, and
moves, there is a pleasant a of depth to the game.
Ready 2 Rumble offers two different game modes: Arcade and
Championship. Arcade mode is for one or two players, and is
simply a series of boxing matches. The single-player option pits
you against a computer-controlled nent, while the two-player
format lets you and a buddy hammer it out. Championship mode puts
you in charge of your own boxing gym. You start the game with
three rookie fighters, facing off in second-rate gyms, and it's
your job to train them in hopes of reaching the championship
bout.
Championship mode also lets you access Ready 2 Rumble's most
innovative feature: the ability to pit your prized fighters
against boxers from a friend's gym through the Visual Memory
Unit. Just save your stable of boxers onto the VMU and then use
it in a buddy's Dreamcast, where you can fight an exhibition
match against one of his or her boxers, or arrange a trade. The
VMU also lets you save your progress. Without it, all your boxers
(and all the secret characters you've managed to unlock) are
erased when you turn off the console. But then again, if you've
got Ready 2 Rumble, it's unlikely that you'll turn off the
console anytime soon. --Mike Fehlauer
Pros:
* Impressive graphics and boxer animations
* Variety of personable, quirky, fun boxers
* Easy-to-learn controls
* Great use of peripherals (VMU and Jump Pack)
Cons:* Punch combinations can be slow
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Review
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Ready 2 Rumble, the game that everyone has called the Blitz
version of boxing, is the real deal. This over-the-top boxing
game is good in much the same way that Mike Tyson's Punch-Out was
good - both games have a quick, arcade style of play and both
feature wild boxers with very distinct styles. But the
similarities end there - Ready 2 Rumble's beautiful 3D graphics
and incredible gameplay are like nothing anyone has ever seen in
a boxing game.
The game has two modes of play. Arcade mode is a simple one- or
two-player mode in which you simply pick a fighter and fight.
Championship mode is a single-player mode that lets you take a
boxer from the bottom of the ranks to the top in pursuit of the
championship belt. To accomplish this goal, you must improve your
fighter's abilities by putting him through five different forms
of training: lifting weights, using the sway bag, taking
aerobics, and hitting the heavy bag and speed bag. Each of these
exercises is represented in a minigame that simulates in a fun
way the method of training used by real boxers. For instance,
aerobics is represented by a Parappa the Rapper-styled
push-the-correct-button-at-just-the-precise-moment type of game.
Most of the minigames are fun and challenging, and since your
attributes rise the better you do, it's in your best interest to
do well. However, after you take a few of the fighters all the
way through the championship mode, you'll begin to grow tired of
the time it takes to play the minigames. Instead, you can use the
auto-train feature, which is faster, though it doesn't give your
fighter as much of an ability boost as is possible.
Each minigame costs money, which you earn by betting on yourself
in a prizefight. The prizefights are separate from the bouts that
you take to climb the ranks in pursuit of the belt, in that
they're strictly about the cash. Your nent will fight harder
the more money you wager, but even when you bet the maximum
a possible, the computer nent is fairly easy to beat.
The computer AI in any single-player mode on any difficulty
setting is really easy to beat after spending some time with it.
The AI is Ready 2 Rumble's only real weakness - all the computer
nents fail to stop you from sticking and moving. The computer
nent will let you come in, deliver a punch, and get back out
again before he has a chance to land. Uppercuts thrown just
within range by most fighters will almost always land as well.
Each fighter is different, so of course some fighters will be
harder to beat, but it takes little time to discover what it
takes to beat each guy. Even though the AI is extremely weak, the
game is still quite fun to play. Unlocking more boxers by
completing the championship mode several times, along with the
game's great two-player mode, will keep you playing the game for
quite some time.
The control of Ready 2 Rumble is elegantly simple. You use the
analog stick to move your fighter freely around the ring. The
trigger buttons block high and low, but when held and used with
the analog stick, they also let you bob, weave, and evade. The
four buttons on the face of the controller are left punch high,
left punch low, right punch high, and right punch low. It's a
very simple, straightforward setup that lets you instantly jump
into the game and start landing halfway-realistic combos, like
the old one-two. There are different punches - like hooks,
uppercuts, and lunging jabs - that you can perform simply by
pressing a direction on the analog stick along with the
appropriate punch button. Each of the game's 20 fighters have
different strengths and weaknesses. Some fighters, like Jet Chin,
are fast and wiry, but they lack power and range; other fighters,
like Tank Ther, have tons of power and range, but they are
big and slow. Then you have fighters, like Butcher Brown, who
have it all and who can usually destroy all comers. In any event,
your control is drastically differently from one fighter to
another, and there are unique combos to uncover. If you land a
hard punch when your stamina is relatively full, your fighter
will earn a letter. If you do this six times before the end of a
round without getting knocked down, you spell out the word
rumble. This lets you unleash a barrage of punches without losing
any stamina for a brief period of time. Probably the single most
impressive thing about the control is how well it matches up with
the visuals. In games like this - where there is a lot of
animation - lag is common; normally you would execute a punch and
have to wait for the animation to complete before continuing. But
not in Ready 2 Rumble - the game moves so fast and smooth that
you have to play it to believe it.
Visually, Ready 2 Rumble is amazing. The animation of the
fighters is incredible. Whether they're collapsing to the mat,
delivering a blow to the face, or receiving one, all the fighters
move so smoothly and realistically that you really have to see it
to believe it. The pugilists themselves look fantastic - their
polygonal frames are nearly absent of any straight edge, giving
their bodies a naturally round and smooth look. All the boxers
blink, and their mouths move when they speak, almost perfectly in
synch with what they are saying. Each fighter has around 120
facial expressions ranging from an ecstatic "I just became
heavyweight champion of the world" look, to a "I am so hurt I am
about to lose consciousness" look. When fighters takes a punch,
you can see the wince of pain on their faces, and after a while
you can see s form and their skin change color. Even the
audience surrounding the ring is animated, and they actually look
like a crowd of people, as sed to the water-colored blur
we've seen in most sports games. The crowd stands up and sits
down, raises arms and holds up signs. The game runs at a
phenomenal 60 frames a second and really has to be seen to be
appreciated. The only visual flaws that you'll see are a bit of
slow down some clipping problems with some of the fighters'
clothing. Other than that, the game is just beautiful.
Besides Ready 2 Rumble's obvious visual qualities, the game's
infectious "Let's get ready to rumble" intro song and
accompanying sound really fit the game well. All the fighters'
speeches, in the form of taunts and catchy prefight one liners
(minus accents) sound crystal clear. One of the best one-liners
in the game is Afro Thunder's "It's time to dance! It's time to
dance! (dramatic pause) Dance, sucker!" The sound effects for
punches landing on the face and body vary, as do the groans and
grunts of the pugilist on the receiving end. This, along with the
comical comments from your corner about your performance, crowd
cheers and boos, and of course Michael Buffer's trademark "Let's
get ready to rumble" battle cry, all add up to a game that has
outstanding audio.
In the end, Ready 2 Rumble is a fantastic game in almost every
sense of the word. If the computer nents could adapt to your
style to stop one dimensional attacks, and force you to use your
head to box, this game would be almost perfect. Still, with its
incredible control and impressive overall presentation, it's the
best boxing game ever. I know I'll be playing the two-player mode
for a long time to come and will be looking forward to a sequel.
Ready 2 Rumble is one of the must-have launch games on the
Dreamcast. --Ryan Mac Donald
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot
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