Rocky Legends (PS2)

Of all the boxing games that have been released the only recognisable ones have been produced by EA Sports. The 'Knockout Kings' series or now known as the 'Fight Night' series have all been crafted well together by EA to add to the feeling of realism and 'fun' that should been seen in a sport where you get points for knocking out your opponent.

Ubisoft first released 'Rocky' back in 2002 and the game became an instant hit. It allowed the gamer to play as their inspirational boxing hero and it allowed them to go one step closer to that feeling of becoming the 'Best' and winning with motivation under the influential 'Eye of the Tiger' drive.

The game it self was decent however it required some improvements to make it a knockout against tough competition from EA.

3 Years later and Ubisoft have released 'Rocky Legends' the sequel to the first. Ubisoft claimed that this game was bigger, better and allowed the player to achieve greatness in a more colourful and realistic fashion. But have they lived up to all the hype and produced a brilliant boxing sequel or have they produced the same boxing game they made 3 years ago?

Rocky legends has made some vast improvements since the first game was released.

The amount of characters there are has been stretched from 15 to 26 and the fighting venues / arenas have also been upgraded as well. It now allows you to play from places seen in the film such as the streets of Philadelphia to the more recognizable / more spectacular places like the MGM Arena in the glamorous Las Vegas. The Training mode is one of the things in the game that add to the realism we want from a Rocky game. All the activities seen in the movies such as Sit Ups , Bench Press and even skipping are seen in the game. The hard work required to complete the game from all the button bashing makes you feel as fit and healthy as a fighter who has trained for hours!!

One of the biggest changes made to the game is the 'Story Mode. It now allows you to play as either one of Rocky's three main opponents (Apollo Creed , Ivan Drago & Clubber Lang) and follow their story from street fighting to heavyweight championship. There are also a set of mini games which are to be unlocked as the game progresses further on depending on your current status in the Story Mode and how well you complete your training. Some of the mini games include chasing chickens and punching the life out of giant slabs of meat!

The story mode itself is very challenging and competitive and as the gamer there would be times where you have felt tired and frustrated if you do not succeed. However like with many things in the game this only adds to the realism and the 'No pain No gain' motto. The only real down side to this would be the swelling of your thumbs and fingers from playing constantly in order to prevail!

Fighting out with your friends in the multi player mode is really fun and keeps you wired and satisfied for a long time.

The only real let down to this game is the Graphics. The Graphics are decent however personally they could of been much more better, especially with the power the Playstation 2 possesses.

Nonetheless though it is still pretty decent.

Rocky Legends is a great game and now is definitely one of the best boxing games out there with the great 'Knockout Kings' series , however to make it even better like so there are some areas of improvement still needed.

As a big fan of the Rocky movies, the fact that I loved this game is a bit of a no-brainer. It's a great boxing simulation and you can use 40 different boxers, the best thing is though, all the combatants to appear in the Rocky films are there for your disposal. It's a great chance to recreate some classic punch-ups from the film itself.

There is a brilliant career mode to which unlocks the untold pasts of the pugilists before they hit the big time. This gives some great scenarios as we get to find out more of the back stories of Appolo, Rocky and co. There are some other great little features such as nice inclusions from the film like the use of locations such as the Vegas Casino. We also get to hear the inspirational Rocky soundtrack from the film which adds to the realism. This is a must own game for fight fans everywhere.