For me, Ready 2 Rumble, a boxing game for the Wii with dazzling graphics and backgrounds, was fun and had me working up a sweat but was just a little too…realistic for my liking (I generally don’t like conflict (much less whaling on someone’s face or torso)). So I turned to my son, Soapbox Guy (who loves these kinds of games) and his friends to help write the review.
Here’s the review:
Ready 2 Rumble (Wii) is a fun, invigorating game that is best described as an extremely buffed-up Wii Sports boxing. There are multiple moves, such as the uppercut, hook, jab, etc. There are also heavy versions of all the punches too, which makes it fun to really smash the opponent.
The characters can range from funny to seriously tough.
There are some real people– Shaun White, Jon Travolta– while there are some not real people that you create in championship mode. In championship mode you create your own boxer, but that guy starts out as the worst boxer possible– 1/100 strength, 1/100 punch speed, 1/100 agility, etc.
You build up your strength in training activities– hit the mitt, speed bag, medicine ball, jump rope, and others. The only downside to this championship mode is that many of the training levels do not read your movements with the Wii remote, and it is extremely tough to build up that level. Also, if you already have something built up, let’s say 98/100 strength, if you do something like jump rope that is very difficult, it lowers your strength, so you have to do a strength exercise again.
Also, beating the Gym level and the next cage are both fairly easy, but when you get to the next round, the game suddenly gets very tough.
That being said, multi-player is fun, because the other person, assuming they know how to play, should be better than a breeze or really tough match like the sporadic playing in championship mode. It is fun and sometimes even a brief workout to play someone else, especially if you’re playing in an advanced arena, for then you have roaring fans and spouts of fire next to you when you walk out of the entrance gate.
Overall, Ready 2 Rumble has an enjoyable multi-player boxing, but in the single player modes, it seems the game-makers just tried too hard.
RATING (10 being the best): 5.7/10
Keep in mind: Older teens (and those looking for more challenging boxing than that found in Wii Sports) might like the precision required by the various punches, but younger kids will likely become frustrated. Our rating is based on that notion. Modify it for your kids’ preferences.
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Here’s a video trailer. Check it:
http://blip.tv/play/AeyaOgA
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Special thanks to Romeo Corsi and the folks at RocketXL for giving us a review copy of the game.
