The Main Rage Thread for Bulls and Bears !

Rocky returns with lots of 3-D punch
By Joseph Szadkowski
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

• Rocky, by Ubi-Soft, reviewed for Xbox, rated T: content suitable for players ages 13 and older, $49.99. Sylvester Stallone's legendary boxer once again returns to the ring to fight for a championship but skips the big screen and jumps directly to the home entertainment console. Although "Rocky VI" is reportedly in the works, fans of the Italian Stallion will be very content playing this unbelievable game in which they control the fate of the southpaw in a third-person, 3-D environment.
With Tom Conti's Academy Award-winning theme blaring from the television speakers, the simulation begins by pumping up the player with clips from all of the films. Players jumping directly to the movie mode — which I highly recommend after learning to box in a few sparring matches — will find themselves back in Philadelphia in 1975 taking on Spider Rico in that seedy Chapel venue.
Using some slight button mashing and left trigger-induced ducking strategies, the player has a boxer's full arsenal at his command, including body jabs, uppercuts, dodges and knockout blows, to take Rico down. Our humble hero starts in his white and red trunks and doesn't even have veteran trainer Mickey Goldmill at his side until he starts winning.
To ultimately succeed at Rocky, the player will take on 20 opponents and must beat all of the familiar film brutes, including Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago and Tommy Gunn, as well as slightly less-memorable thugs such as Dipper Brown (who took Rocky's locker in the first film), as he works through all five movie scenarios to display the heart of a champion.
Between fights, Stallion trains, with the help of the player, to increase his skill levels by punching a bag (speed), doing sit-ups (determination), skipping rope (stamina), pounding punch mitts (strength) and hitting that memorable side of beef to improve movement.
Overall, Hollywood and computer entertainment blur brilliantly in this simulation as the minutia of the Rocky mythology comes to life in every area of the action, from watching Apollo enter the Spectrum to curmudgeonly trainer Mickey giving advice between rounds to the Stallion's tendency to mimic the boxing style of Rocky Marciano.
Even better, the characters look eerily real, down to facial expression and smooth musculature, welts forming under eyes as the matches go on, spit flying out of their mouths after receiving a hard hit, and blood on the canvas during a knockdown.
In addition to the movie mode, players can enjoy a quick exhibition match, take on a friend as any boxer they have unlocked through game play or join a knockout tournament to win medals. Especially skilled gamers eventually can unlock 30 characters.
Yo Adrian, Rocky is one of the best games of the year.


Link courtesy of iii board