Sound:  
The sound in this game is a mixed bag. While not as impressive as the graphics, it’s not all that bad. The punches have that typical “hitting two bricks together” that is so often heard in cartoons and movies. Blocked punches sound as if they are really being blocked, and the crowd cheers when a fighter gets knocked to the mat. The announcer makes some humorous comments on and off during the match, which made me chuckle a few times. It would have been nice, though, if the characters made reaction sounds when you hit them. An extra “oomph” or “ugh” would have made beating the living tar out of your opponent a bit more enjoyable.

The music in this game isn’t bad, but it isn’t all that good either. The opening music is good, and definitely portrays a boxing feel. Just like each character has a specific ring, he or she also has trademark music. Although this music is representative of its boxer, it loops after about 30 seconds, making it a bit monotonous. But the music can be turned off in the options menu, so it doesn’t present too much of a problem.

Gameplay:  
The gameplay in Boxing Fever isn’t all that hard to follow: hit opponent, avoid or block hits by opponent, knock out opponent, move on to next opponent, repeat. But Boxing Fever turns this simple formula into a strategic battle where your muscles need to be just as strong as your wits (hope that wasn’t too cliché). Boxing Fever gives you the choice of eight boxers, each with their own personality and combos. Each fighter also has three different looks (and some, names), which although wasn’t necessary, is welcome nonetheless. And as an added bonus, two hidden bosses await you, that is, if you are ready to take them on. There are five modes of gameplay:

Single Fight (take on one opponent)
Championship (battle a series of opponents to win the title)
Survival (keep on fighting until you lose)
2-Player Fight (knock out a friend without getting in trouble)
Training (hone your boxing skills to do a better job of the above)

Single Fight is simple enough to play, and helps you to understand a boxer’s personality and fighting method. The Championship option has five levels of difficulty, each appropriately named for the title you wish to earn (easiest = amateur, hardest = world title). Each level of difficulty also has a certain number of opponents, which adds to the difficulty. The real problem that I had with the fights dealt with getting up after being hit down. In Boxing Fever, the first time you knock down your opponent, they get up after the count reaches six. The second time, eight. The third time, they’re down for the full count. The same goes for your boxer. This really takes away from the intensity of the game, because you pretty much know when you (or your opponent) will get back up. I really would have preferred frantically pressing A and B to try to stand as opposed to just sitting there, waiting until the count reached a certain number. This also renders many of your stronger punches somewhat useless, seeing as though you can do the same thing with twelve weak punches that can be done with three strong ones.

The training mode is pretty in-depth, and instructs you how to do both regular moves and combos. The reflex training shows you how to land the power moves, such as uppercuts and hooks, and the combo training shows you how to link the moves together in lethal combos. Once you correctly land a combo on the training dummy, you move on to the next combo instruction. The only problem with that is that if you screw up too many times during the combo session, you have to start over from the beginning.

Multiplayer:
Unfortunately, with only one copy of the game, we were unable to try out the 2-player version of Boxing Fever. But if the 1-player modes are any indication, then duking it out with a friend should be just as fun. Two cartridges, two systems, and the game link cable are required for multiplayer.

Control:
The controls in Boxing Fever take some practice to get used to, but once you do get the hang of them, you’ll have no problems landing devastating combos to knock your opponent directly to the mat. The A button is for a right punch, B for a left punch, and the shoulder buttons are to dodge to the left and right. The directional pad is used to shift your weight left and right, and to raise your gloves up (for face hits) or down (for body blows). Blocking is done automatically. Holding either left or right and pressing A or B executes a power hit. Holding either left or right for an extended period of time will power up your punch, making your glove glow and your hit much more powerful. Odds are you won’t be using the powered-up punch, because while powering up, you let your guard down. And your opponent WILL take advantage of it.

The only problem with the controls deals with those of us who take less of a strategic approach for the game and more of a button-mashing approach. If you press the punch button quickly, say, three times and stop, you will have to wait until those three punches are finished before you can do anything else. This lapse in reaction time is is more of an annoyance rather than a major problem, but it does make the match a bit more difficult. But other than that, I had no problems K.O.'ing my opponent.

OVERALL:
Boxing Fever is a fun game that combines strategy and strength with pleasing graphics and smooth animation to create a fun game that definitely has replay potential. This game is a must-buy for boxing fans, but those of you who aren’t die-hard, be sure to give it a rent before shelling out the cash for it. Although this game has its problems (as all games do), it is still enjoyable. It’s just a shame that not one of the boxers has a special move in which they bite off their opponent’s ear. But, oh well.

 

The Lowdown on  Boxing Fever Aesthetics: Awesome Control: Above Average Gameplay: Very Good Multiplayer: Very Good Sound: Above Average Innovation: 4/6 Lasting Appeal: 5/6 Overall: Very Good! "A Must-Buy"