Boxing. No, not putting things in cardboard squares, I mean the brutal one on one fist -> face variety. Would you go through all that pain and torture for the money they get? Yeah, me too. Probably. Anyway, seeing as it's a sport, EA has to do a game on it. What's next? EA Sports' Ferret Racing?

Gameplay:
On the whole, it's an EA game so the front end is familiar as your own house if you've played their titles before. If it is your first time then you'll be pleased to know that EA do a good job with their presentation and everything is easily accessed. There are a few game types such as exhibition, tournament and career andàerm that's it. It's all self-explanatory but there could have been a few more options. The career mode is equally as thin on the ground. You start off as a nobody and assign points to different areas of your fighter such as speed and power then select the look of your avatar and points are earned by beating other fighters so you can improve your stats as you make your way up the ladder to success. The costumes and character models are a bit limited so there's not much variation in the fighters. Once you actually get into the game though, it picks up and the fighting is great fun.

The buttons throw different jabs, uppercuts and are modified with the R trigger. It's all a bit samey after a while though and you'll resort to mashing the buttons soon enough without much thought to tactics. This is Knockout Kings 2002 major drawback and is very frustrating. I want to either be able to plan my attacks, with carefully thought out routines or play instinctively, knowing exactly what will land where and react when my opponent's guard is down. The game's speed and reactions aren't as quick as yours, which is a problem when you want to quickly retreat or change tactics. It just feels a bit muddy.

On the positive points though, you will notice a difference when controlling the boxers. Each has their own distinctive fighting style and special moves that are tailored to the character. The game is enjoyable to play but just leaves me feeling confused as to whether it is trying to be a simulation or arcade game.

Graphics:
I'm completely in two minds about the graphics. Yes, it looks good but it also looks a bit odd. The veins in the boxer's arms stand out a great deal more than the muscle structure but it all moves smoothly. It's fluid and is initially impressive but the collision detection is way off. Punches go through your opponent's heads or completely miss them, bad kung-fu-stylee. Damage modelling is done very well with the combatants looking fresh as a daisy at the start of the match but go through a couple of rounds and cuts, bruises, bloody noses etc. Start to appear. It's done very realistically and adds a good deal of visual depth and character. The animation also shows up different punches and makes them look as they would in real life. A jab looks different to an uppercut and it feels nice to be able to see what you are doing in the way of offence.

The camera is slightly annoying as sometimes you can press a direction on the pad and your boxer can move off in a completely different direction, even into your opponent. Not good. Of course, you can select a different camera angle but the default is so nearly the best and the others just don't immerse you as much. Punching your opponent to deplete the last of his energy triggers a slow-mo multi-angle replay which is initially cool to look at but you'll be skipping it or turning it off sooner rather than later. Another place where it can't make it's mind up whether to be an arcade or simulation game.

Sound:
The commentary is nice and is relevant to the action on screen, also not saying pointless things as a lot of games do is a bonus. It's not really a game that could be noted in the audio department and what it does, it does well. The crowds are good and believable and the Hip-Hop front end music comes compliments of Mr L L Cool J. Sweet.

Longevity:
It's difficult to say how long Knockout Kings 2002 will last. If you're deeply into boxing, you're either going to love the fact that you can control some of the greatest fighters ever and give it time to master the control system or find it frustrating that the punches seem a bit random. The career mode will last you but there's only so much that can be done and once you've finished it, it's unlikely that you'll be returning to it regularly unless it's fighting your mates in the two player modes.

Round Up:
Knockout Kings 2002 is a competent game but unfortunately suffers from a bit of schizophrenia that is ultimately its downfall. The longevity is also in question but will probably appeal to the more mainstream player than the seasoned hardcore. It could be improved with a much deeper career mode with multiple paths branching off, giving you oodles of options of who to fight, coupled with a much weighty roster as there aren't as many boxers as I would have liked to see. It will however, satisfy the quick fix of a button-bashing fighter, which is easy to pick up and play once in a while. Is ú44.99 a lot to pay for a 'once in a while' game? Up to you, dude.

Pros:

• Real life fighters such as Lennox Lewis and the man Ali
  
• Good for a short period of button bashing
  

  Cons:
  

  • Would have liked to see a larger roster
    
  • Limited longevity/replay value