Back in 2002, Rage brought ‘Rocky’ to the masses, well this time Rocky is back but under the guidance of Ubisoft and unlike the films it is not a sequel but a prequel. From first glances, ‘Legends’ seems to offer the gamers much more than the original. There are more fighters, venues, careers and the inclusion of a two player versus training mode game. All in all, the game sounds great on the surface but can ‘Rocky Legends’ deliver that knockout punch or will it be decided on points?

Gameplay::

The main feature in ‘Legends’ is the ability to take control of Rocky, Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago from their humble beginnings, right through to their professional careers. The only character from the films missing is Tommy (Rocky V) but that’s not surprising considering that fighter had the weakest storyline in all the films. The Career mode for each boxer starts your fighter at the bottom of the contender’s table and it is your job to make sure they climb as high as they can by selecting your fights and winning them. Simple!! Most of the fighters along the way have nothing really to do with the storyline as they are there for one simple reason, to build your own fighters abilities up so they might be able to survive a fight against their main adversaries. The controls haven’t changed from the first game with the top two buttons for head punches, the lower two for body punches and the right trigger for uppercuts. Variations of the punches can be achieved by pushing the d-pad in various directions and with the addition of a three-hit super combo and an all new push-off manoeuvre to keep that opponent away from you, these features can only enhanced the game play. Another new addition is the ‘audience bar’ that increases when the fight is flowing and when it peaks, allowing you to perform your three-hit combo. One last feature to be included within the fights is a mode called ‘Fury’. This can be best described as a last ditched attempt or a final adrenaline rush. The ‘Fury’ mode comes into effect when your fighter is down to their last 30% of health and runs the risk of being knocked out. Once ‘Fury’ comes into play, your fighter can throw punches twice as fast in the hope that the other fighter will back off and let you regain some of your energy or possibly knock your opponent down. Just like all the Rocky films, everyone likes a comeback.

To win the career mode, you must also master the technique of blocking and this is where the game falters. There seems to be a delay in the blocking from when you have initiated it to when it actually appears on the screen resulting in times an onslaught from your opponent. This delay can be most frustrating at times, but can be rectified by anticipating the opponents move or you take into account the delay. This doesn’t hamper the game too badly but considering the offensive moves are fluid, it’s a shame the defence is not of the same standard.

After every fight you have the chance of training your fighter in several areas - Speed, Power, Movement, Determination and Stamina. Each fighter have tailored training sessions which can be either be ‘Auto-trained’ for 5 points or played manually in the hope of achieving a better standard and receiving more points that are than added to your stats. Additional training games can be purchased further into the game with your bout winnings. These mini games are a nice interruption from the fights and are quite challenging.

The ‘Career Mode’ is only one of the features available in ‘Legends’. There is the ‘Exhibition Match’ where you can fight using any of the boxers you have unlocked against the AI or a friend. A ‘Knockout Tournament’ and a ‘Two player Training Contest’ are also available to play straight away unlike the ‘Survival Contest’ that has to be unlocked.

Graphics::

‘Rocky Legends’ has certainly improved over the original ‘Rocky’ with noticeable improvements with the boxer models and body damage. The definition and animation for each boxer is less blocky than before but could be improved considering the power of the Xbox. The textures of the boxers are much better detailed to show all the body damage that is inflicted during a fight with cuts and bruises getting bloodier and swollen as the rounds progress. Body damage is now featured with ribs and chest showing damage after continuing pounding. The facials are drawn more or less perfect to represent the main boxers and supporting cast (Tony, Mickey etc) During the fights, you can see blood and sweat flying off the boxers as well as objects being thrown into the ring by the crowd if they become bored. Each of the venues has been created nicely with an animated crowd, which only enhances the overall ambience of the game.

Sound::

Rocky fans are in for a treat with several of the original tunes found in the films being used in the game, from the ‘Training montage’ to ‘Living in America’. I personally like the way the music builds up during the last moments of a fight, bringing with it the anticipation of a knockout, just like you would hear in the films. The punches sound over the top but this game isn’t supposed to be that realistic but something you would hear in a film and it suits this game fine. The only down side to the sound in this game are the voice-overs. None of the voices are authentic and have been done by sound-a-likes which to be perfectly honest are bearable considering the only time you will get to hear the characters speak are in the cut scenes. It’s a small mark against the sound that is drowned out by the fantastic film soundtrack.

Longevity::

With so many venues, boxers, mini games and movie trailers to unlock and the fact that you only get three continues along the way to the championship, this game will last for some time. Also, the playability is simple enough to pick up and just fight without having to suss out the controls as well as the four different career paths you can choose from. The only feature that is missing from this game is Xbox LIVE. According to all the press releases whilst the game was in production, this game was supposed to be LIVE, so one wonders what has happened since, considering the game has now been released without LIVE. This one feature could have made this game the champ instead of a contender and will be surely missed.

Round Up:

Overall, this game is a fine boxing game that will thrill Rocky fans with its superb soundtrack and storylines for each of the four fighters. The fights are well balanced and won’t feel too easy to complete but with the loss of LIVE, the game life itself has been severely dented. Rent it out first before purchasing.

Pros:

• Four different storylines.
  
• Excellent Soundtrack.
  
• Tons of locked features to open.
  

  Cons:
  

  • No LIVE
    
  • Dodgy voice-overs.