Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit is the latest in the series based off the anime Hajime no Ippo ( Also known as Victorious Boxers). In my opinion, it is one of the most overlooked anime series and manga for that matter. It spans all the way to Volume 70 in the manga (the anime only goes to volume 35 ) Gameplay (9/10): This is the aspect where the game really shines. It goes to show you how much a game can pull off without flashy graphics and all that sugarcoating. The default controls of the boxer is with the control stick. Tilting the stick sways the boxers torso while completely moving the stick moves the body around the ring. The shoulder buttons control the auxillary actions such as blocking, techniques, & signature moves. The face buttons control the punch according to the hands & punches. (Hook, jab, straight). Now this is where the beauty of it comes in. There is no energy bar. Unlike the Fight Night Series (which depends on haymakers) , what determines the outcome of a KO is the type of combination & what kind of punch lands where. Now combining this depth with the other aspects such as weaving, blocking, and parrying, it comes together hamoniously into an in-depth collage of offense and defense. Each character has their own distinct boxing style and characteristics. This is also what seperates this game from Fight Night is that it doesn't rely soley on haymakers and power,however you must observe and fight according to the opponent's style. For example, adjusting to out-fighters would require moving it to an in-fight and keep pressuring them to prevent them picking you apart. Graphics (8/10): The graphics are nothing commendable but they get the point across and they try not to stray too far from the anime. The colors are nice and bright to help keep the player's attention. The animations are fluid and realistic according to real-life motions. The bodies are smooth,shiny, and crisp. There are also little things in this game that are pretty neat such as both fists hitting each other at the same time, hitting somebody on the way down from a knockout. The boxers stances show fatigue later on during the match and the faces show the most painful animations once a KO punch lands.
Sound (7/10): The sounds are nothing to be given an award over. However, the original in-fight music is catchy and a nice touch is added as different mixes of the background changes as the rounds progress. It has the same touch of Tekken music (that catchy, jazzy, techno-y,rock touch). On the other hand, it still would have been a bit nice if they ported the music from the anime.The punching and landing sounds are all there. The knockout sounds are rather satisfying for us of the violent ilk.
Value (8/10): The story mode has most of the replay value in it where it lies time trials and doing it would subconsciously help the player to improver his/her skills. It loosely covers the anime and gets the main points down, yet it leaves out the real essence of the anime. It consists of long cut-scenes with slow moving texts which doesn't hold your attention for long. There are still reasons to play the season though, there is a plethora of characters and venues spanning all the way from the beginning of the series.
Conclusion (8.5-10): If you're not a fan of the anime series, it's still guaranteed that you'll be satisfied with the gameplay. If you're a fan of Fight Night, then you can witness how much more that Fight Night can improve on. If you are a fan of the anime/manga, than this game is a must buy.
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Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit is a boxing game that’s based on the great manga/anime Hajime no Ippo (known as Fighting Spirit in North America). Although it’s the second game to have been released in the West, th... Read Full Review
Meet Ippo Makunouchi. He was once a shy and quiet high school student, the kind of kid that bullies love to pick on. One day, a gang of such bullies cornered Ippo and beat the hell out of him. But just when things were a... Read Full Review
