Prizefighter is a new canvas for boxing games.Don King Presents: Prizefighter. Xbox 360. Rating 4/5.
DON KING Presents: Prizefighter is an experience worth fighting for. Sure, the game has a steep learning curve due to the lack of a proper training mode to teach boxing basics to newcomers and at times the collision detection model is questionable.
But if gamers persist, the core game is arguably the greatest simulation of the sport they’ll play.
While Prizefighter will inevitably be compared to Fight Night Round 3, it’s a far more tactical and therefore difficult to learn, game of virtual boxing.
Herein lies the game’s strength. Walk in to the ring, fists flying and a tumbling to the canvas ye will go.
But learn to guard and strike at the right time and you’ll feel immense satisfaction as you go a full 12 rounds against the best boxers in the world.
The game’s presentation is second to none with an atmospheric theme song and easy to navigate menu.
In the ring, the sounds of biffs, bells, grunts and thuds are all accurately recreated.
Fighters look real and while their animations can at times stutter, their skin, sweat, chest hair – any fine detail you can think of – all look uncannily true to life.
The Career Mode is where gamers will learn how to box because it allows them to build a fighter from scratch and take on very easy opponents before progressing to tougher competition.
The ease of the early levels allows gamers to experiment and not be harshly punished by a series of knockout blows as they earn their stripes in the ring.
In Career Mode, gamers will also have to deal with promoters, agents and other distractions. They have to decide whether it’s worth investing more time into their boxer’s public profile or the training room.
Train too much and you lose public profile and payments drop but if you spend too much time in the spotlight then your fitness is compromised.
The game offers online and offline multiplayer, unlockable boxing locations, superstars and music, and some novel Achievements on the Xbox 360.
If you’re still unsure, try renting before you buy or purchasing the game from a store that will allow for exchanges.
