GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	Rage
	PUBLISHER
	Ubisoft
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
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Ubisoft and Rage’s attempt to convert the largest boxing movie license in history into a successful multi-platform videogame is a mixed bag, to say the least. However, fans of the franchise are likely to overlook the game’s sporadic (and sometimes nonsensical) shortcomings to enjoy a game that looks, feels, and plays like a title based on Rocky should.

Seeing how MGM just signed Stallone to write and star in Rocky VI, there isn’t any evidence that the aged classic has lost any clout as a powerful license. The tricky part as a consumer trying to figure out whether a game is worth buying is that the strength of the license is often-times inversely proportional to the quality of the game that’s put out.

visuals

Rocky’s visuals were obviously designed to draw the player into the universe of the movies. The character models look like one would expect them to. While they aren’t going to win any awards, they definitely convey the look and feel of the movies well enough to do the game justice.

The arena designs are generally exceptional. Environments and crowds are generally bland in real world-based fighting games of all kinds, but there is definite atmosphere presented during the intros. The inherit downside is that there aren’t as many arenas available as some other fighters out there; however everything from the movies is covered.

And with every title match comes a new era of Rocky, complete with new trunks and team jackets. Your training facilities also evolve as the game goes on. In the beginning all you have for a heavy bag is a carcass of meat. After you beat Apollo, you have the cash for a real heavy bag to train on. The attention of detail here is impressive and adds to the overall immersion factor.

The only real knocks on graphical quality are spotty polygon counts on non-character, non-arena objects. The visual fidelity also hurts a bit from the animation being more than a little jerky at times. The pre-rendered cut scenes in movie mode are laughable at times, and since they’re emulating the movies, it’s curious why they didn’t just insert movie clips as rewards. On the other hand, there’s really no chance of a pre-rendered animated cut scene living up to the motion pictures.

audio

There isn’t too much to be said in the category of audio. Both sound and music are about what you would expect for a Rocky licensed game. All that needs to be said is that you had best enjoy the Rocky soundtrack if you plan on playing. The actual audio quality isn’t stellar, and you’re definitely going to get sick of hearing the same sound tracks from the movies over and over again if you play movie mode all the way through to the end. It’s an incredibly powerful and pervasive soundtrack, which is why it was featured at the climax of the really powerful and emotional scenes of the films. Somehow, navigating menus and watching player intros doesn’t live up to the music’s strength. But if you’re a fan of the series, it probably won’t be an issue.

gameplay

Rage put a lot of effort into the gameplay of Rocky, and while it largely pays off, a few bugs can keep the experience from being entirely enjoyable. The heart of the game is Movie Mode, where you play through all the major fights in the five movies with two training sessions in-between. There are several other modes available as well, especially the highly enjoyable two-player and tournament modes.

Now, while it’s not perfect, Movie Mode certainly doesn’t fall apart under these bugs, but it doesn’t make good sense most of the time. There are five or so ways you can train your character between fights. Ironically, they vary drastically in difficulty, with strength being ridiculous and everything else being nearly tedious. The shameful part isn’t even in the design of the training exercises, it’s how the game scores them that makes it unfair while building a well-rounded character. Building a character with 100 Strength in your first four fights is not very difficult. The same can certainly not be said of the other training exercises—I still don’t get how to do the jump rope one. Pulling off combos on the heavy bag is really demanding as well.

Movie Mode is still a good deal of fun in spite of the nonsensical training patterns that are likely to follow from this revelation, but the AI can be really shoddy as well. It isn’t uncommon to find yourself pummeling your AI opponent with a self-designed cheap shot (nearly any one will do), repeated over and over again before he can recover. I managed to get through Rocky III without getting knocked out once, using only the X button. And that was on hard mode. Realizing that cheap shots are your best shot at victory is unsettling. But if you can try and not think about it, the game can still be plenty of fun.

The last serious game play note is specific to how Rage handled GameCube’s controller. One of the GameCube’s controller’s major innovations is the “digital click” available at the floor of each shoulder button. After you depress it completely, you can click it like a button. You knew that already. You probably also know that most third party developers have done a horrible job of porting games to GameCube with this in mind. Rocky commits this sin to worst degree imaginable. Many of your key punches involve the right shoulder button, but in order for the game to recognize that you have pressed the R button, you have to depress the digital click. This is especially annoying during training, when your reaction time is judged by how quickly you can hold the R button whilst pressing one of your punch buttons and giving the punch a direction. That wouldn’t be difficult, if you didn’t have to depress the button the whole way, which probably takes about 0.2 seconds on its own.

Overall, the gameplay is thought out and implemented well. It’s just the few unfortunate bugs here and there that make the experience less enjoyable than it otherwise could have been. Also, with such a solid GBA port available, why aren't there any significant GBA link-up abilities?

multiplayer

Ever want to see what would happen if Mr. T took on Ivan Drago? Every Rocky inspired match is possible in the Sparring mode. Setting up tourneys with all the characters vying for the top spot is also definitely entertaining. The game's longevity will certainly be found in its multiplayer modes. There really isn't much to say here, since they are very much like what you would expect for a Rocky-inspired multiplayer.

overall

Rocky isn’t perfect. It has its share of shortcomings, and that is a shame, because it is so obvious that Rage put an incredible amount of effort into the project. But rather than being an average game with its share of reasons not to like it, Rocky is a game whose shortcomings are why it isn’t a “great” game in its own right. That said, if you’re a fan of the movies, there’s little reason not to check out Rocky, as it definitely does the series justice.

If you don’t fancy yourself a fan of Stallone, then you’ll probably find the game average or slightly above average. That said, Rocky still manages to ultimately stand against the grain of movie-licensed game titles. Rage has made Rocky fun, and that's all that matters in the end. I myself am a fair-weather Rocky fan (something about that fifth movie killed it for me), but I’d say the game is definitely worthy of a rent for any gamer looking for some boxing fun on the GameCube.

I have to say that Justin's review is a bloody thorough and solid analysis of Rocky for the GameCube. In particular, the comments regarding the training mode hit home for me. During the matches, cheap shots and even about-facing the other player are way too frequent. Also, the lag on the reaction between hitting a punch in a combo and having it connect is sometimes frustrating. While Rocky has its flaws, I have to say that it's a fun and challenging boxing title. I'm not a huge Rocky or Stallone fan, but I can't think of a better boxing simulation since the unbelievably incredible Greatest Heavyweights for the Sega Genesis. Rocky doesn't meet that height, but it's a fun ride. I think the game needed more money and more time, but with the publisher merry-go-round the title went through, I'm sure Rage was happy to get it out. Period. Maybe a sequel would be a good time to improve the game? But until then, you should check this one out in the rental department and if it tickles your fancy, buy it. It's a great party game. -- Eric Mattei

7.4/10