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The first Rocky captured audiences over 25 years ago and the last Rocky captured fans 12 years ago. Even with all the time that has passed Rage has developed a new Rocky game which spans all five Rocky films. They have partnered with Ubi Soft to publish it in the states, but does the game do justice to the Rocky films? Or even boxing games?
Rocky has no shortage of features since you'll find several modes of play. You'll find Movie Mode, Sparring Mode, Knockout Tournament and plain Exhibition. The movie mode is where you'll spend most of your time though. You start off as Rocky from Rocky I and you'll play through Rocky I to Rocky V. Sparring mode is the game's training mode. You'll be able to practice your moves and skills. Knockout Tournament is only available once you complete the movie mode. Here you'll be able to set up a 16-player Tournament. Exhibition lets you play against the AI or a friend without following the story. You are able to play as any of the game's characters in any mode, if you unlocked them in movie mode first.
Movie mode is relatively simple and follows the film's story line. There are five segments and each is based on one of the Rocky films. In each segment you'll find four fights, three of them are against no-name-jabbers and the last one is whoever Rocky faced in that particular film. Rocky I's main fighter is Apollo Creed, Rocky II's is also Apollo Creed (Rocky fought him in the first two films), and Rocky III features Clubber Lang. Rocky IV's main fighter is Ivan Drago and Rocky V's segment lets you square off against Tommy Gunn. Successfully beating the five main fighters unlocks them, and successfully clearing a whole segment unlocks Rocky's look for that movie. In addition to unlocking characters, you will also unlock five cinemas for your efforts and the previously mentioned Tournament mode.
You can quickly tell that Rage put a lot of thought and work into Rocky's controls. The game closely mirrors real life boxing. You are able to jab, hook, and uppercut. You can also through a straight right and can target body parts successfully. You'll notice that the AI is a bit spotty and you can result to cheap combos in order to defeat your foe. You'll discover these cheap hits without trying for the most part. The game's animation is solid for the most part but you'll discover some faults rather quickly. You can defeat someone by simply hitting them and continuing to hit them as they recover from the previous punch. It works most of the time and takes away some realism from the game. You'll notice that as well in two-player matches. If you memorize the game's animations you can use it against your foe to defeat them with very little struggle. Eventually you'll notice that it comes down to who can pull off the cheap combos quicker. The game's training is a plus and will help your sharpen your skills. They, for the most part, consist of hit-this-at-the-right-time sessions and you'll gain points depending on how well you do.
Rocky's visuals are solid and do a decent job at representing the Rocky films. Character models are fairly simple but detailed enough so they don't have a 'bland' look to them. Character heads look bigger than they should and disproportioned the rest of the character model. The ring was nicely designed and the environments look decent, if not a bit nice. The characters animate solidly throughout the game. There are a few instances, as noted above where the shady collision detection will frustrate you, but you'll most likely enjoy the game. Visually, it doesn't quite stand up against flashier titles but does hold its own.
Sound wise Rocky is very strong. Most of the audio, including the music and voiceovers were taken from the movies. You'll hear the infamous Rocky theme song whenever you enter or exit the ring. Other music from the movie can be found in the game's cinematic opening and during matches. Cut scenes are done with dialogue taken right from the movies which adds to the game's authenticity. The sound effects are great as well. Punches have a nice impact and the characters groan with great authenticity. If you close your eyes and you'll think that you’re listening to a Rocky film.
For the most part, Rage has done a good job with the game. There are a few problems, mostly found in the game's collision detection which subtract from an otherwise great game. The game tries to be complex, but if you want it's possible to advance with very little actual skill. There is a few things to unlock as a reward for completing movie mode which till turn diehard Rocky fans nuts. Visually the game looks solid. Not splendid but certainly not bad. Sound wise the game is a dream. Connect it to a home-entertainment center and rejoice yourself. If you are a fan of the Rocky series you're going to want this. If you are looking for a solid boxing game on the Gamecube or PS2, you'll want this too. It took a while for a good Rocky game to come out and Rage's effort doesn't disappoint. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Dec 8, 2002
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