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Ready to Rumble ready to return
EA's Facebreaker K.O. Party doesn't seem to have met with the task of imitating Ready 2 Rumble Boxing. According to this new announcement, the next Wii game to attempt the feat may be ... oh, hey, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing! Ready 2 Rumble Revolution was first announced back in 2006, but that's too long ago to count. This time, however, the announcement from Atari is for real, with screens and everything. Unfortunately, those screens show off the new character designs, which are based on celebrities and also awful.Revolution is developed by the wrestling game company formerly known as AKI, and thus is actually quite likely to be good. Of course, it stands no chance of competing with Punch-Out!! in terms of sales or hype, but Ready 2 Rumble used to be decent fun.[Via NeoGAF]%Gallery-38364%
AT&T bringing De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao to U-verse HD PPV
Regardless of his age or win total, Oscar De La Hoya is a preeminent eminence grise in the sport of boxing. That said, we understand that not everyone will be able to jet off to Las Vegas to see his December 6th matchup with Manny Pacquia, but those with AT&T's U-verse will be treated to The Dream Match in glistening high-def. 'Course, the pricing is apt to make you consider just visiting a bar ($65 for the HD PPV, $55 for the SD PPV), but who knows how inflated that tab could be by the end of the night. Decisions, decisions.[Image courtesy of PFW, thanks Anthony]
Everlast boxing gloves: Float like a butterfly, look like a chump
Boxing manufacturer Everlast has revealed that it will be joining the burgeoning Wiimote/Nunchuk add-on market, starting with these $30 synthetic leather boxing gloves. Why? Because it's the end times, that's why.Still, The New York Times seems impressed. "The gloves give you some sense of being in the ring," lies the once-respected newspaper. Obviously, we don't have to tell Wii Fanboy readers that this is tat, but, y'know, inform your relatives/friends or something, before you find yourself wearing these Christmas morning.%Gallery-33381%[Via Go Nintendo]
Bob and weave through some Facebreaker K.O. Party videos
In case you haven't been keeping up with the news, EA's Facebreaker was a bomb on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Their last hope the game could sell at all is the Wii release, Facebreaker K.O. Party, due out this week. Above you'll find a video of the Punch-O-Matic, which is a slot-machine based affair. After the break, you'll find another video showing some one-on-one action. Think the game will fall flat on Wii or are we the perfect audience for this game?
Wii Warm Up: Opponents
There's a lot to be excited about from Nintendo's latest press conference. One of the things we've been extremely excited about is a new Punch-Out!! game. We can tell the game will include a couple of classic enemies, including King Hippo, Von Kaiser and Glass Joe. We were wondering, though, who you'd like to take on in the upcoming game. What boxers from the original Punch-Out!!, as well as Super Punch-Out!!, would you like to take on in the new game? What opponents do you want to topple in the upcoming Punch-Out!! for Wii?%Gallery-33381%
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Warriors of Time on Moon Guard hosts Bare Naked Boxing
Hagiel, the guild leader of Warriors of Time on the Moon Guard server, is having a birthday this week (happy birthday!), and to celebrate, they're hosting something that sounds awesome: bare naked boxing duels. This Thursday, October 9th, at 6:30pm server (which I believe will leave you enough time to still come out to our meetup later in the evening if you're in Anaheim), they're all meeting in front of Orgrimmar, and it's fight club time. To fuel the festivities, we hear there will be beer and treats also -- let me tell you, if you've never gotten drunk in game, taken off all of your clothes and weapons, and gotten in the ring with just your fists, you're missing out.Seems like it's always the Moon Guard folks holding all of these fun player-run events, seems like. If you're running an event or you know about one going down on your server, feel free to drop us a tip, and let us know also if you make it to these things. We're always interested in seeing pictures or videos of player-made events going down. And good luck to the fighters on Moon Guard Thursday night, because you know what they say: If this is your first time to bare naked boxing, you have to get naked and box.
Nintendo unveils new Punch-Out!! for Wii [update]
Update: Screen grab, courtesy of video from Nintendo's Japanese site here. It looks awesome!Yes, you read that correctly: Nintendo is reviving the old franchise in an all-new title for Wii. We have no more details than that at this point, other than oh my god it's a new Punch-Out!! But, as soon as more is revealed, we'll let you know.Maybe it'll be like our re-imagining of the game for Wii?
Victorious Boxers bobs, weaves, jumps to DS
The Hajime no Ippo games -- based on a manga of the same name, or the US-anime title, Fighting Spirit -- have been all over the place, system-wise, and now it's time for the DS to take a turn. There's even a teaser site if you're interested in taking a peek. Victorious Boxers DS is already dated; it'll be out December 4, in Japan.The last Hajime no Ippo game that was released for a Nintendo handheld (the GBA) came out of the revered corner of the industry known as Treasure, but this one, alas, comes from Grand Prix Games, developers of many a Victorious Boxers title. In fact, they're the folks behind the recent Wii game, which we enjoyed. Everyone else? Not quite as enthusiastic.
Born for Wii: Punch-Out!!
Sometimes you just have a bad day. It happens to the best of us; even video game bloggers are not infallible. And after a rage-inducing, hair-pulling bad day, you can go home, curl up in a ball and listen to The Wallflowers in surrender, or vent some of that anger. By punching people.But hold up there, tiger. You can't punch real people. That's, like, illegal. Enter the Wii: the best simulation for punching people outside of the real thing. Unfortunately, Wii Sports Boxing does not offer the realistic experience of mashing in someone's face Stallone style. Worse, no other boxing game since the Wii's release has really delivered a solid boxing experience. That could change in the near future with Facebreaker K.O. Party, forcing me to eat my words like a knuckle sandwich from Rocky Marciano. But if its Xbox/PS3 counterpart is any indication, there's not much chance of that. The same goes for Don King Prizefighter. This shaky reliability just won't do. We need Punch-Out!! #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-31971% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Jet Set Radio, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Punch your way to fitness in Shape Boxing Wii de Enjoy Diet
Despite its toony appearance, Shape Boxing Wii de Enjoy Diet regards itself more seriously than the boxing in Wii Sports. There are no Miis to be found here, more technical details (such as different boxing stances) are taken into consideration across the title's 28 lessons, and the game will dole out nutritional advice in a bid to get/keep you toned. Less seriously, you can punch bears, which we don't recall seeing in Rocky IV. Anyway, the overall vibe seems to be self-improvement.This releases in Japan on October 30th, and will use the Balance Board in some way. We're betting it could actually improve your fitness, based on the fact that we were wheezing, crimson-faced wrecks after one and a half minutes of Wii Sports boxing.%Gallery-31258%[Via Siliconera]
Wii Sports Boxing workout equivalent to the real thing?
You know as well as we do that, with some games, you can really break a sweat while playing Wii. Some student researchers from Cleveland University have found out that, at least in Wii Sports Boxing, your workout with Wii is equivalent to that of real, traditional exercise (they aren't the first to conduct tests, though). The goal isn't to get anyone to ditch those traditional routines, mind you, but to get more people exercising. Still, the difference in calories burned is kind of small. They found that working the bag for 30 minutes only burned 28 more calories than a workout with Wii Sports Boxing over the same period of time. They hope that working out with the Wii will be a more inviting prospect. "One reason people don't exercise is because they feel like it is too strenuous. With the Wii, they get the workout, but there isn't that negative feeling," said CSU Associate Professor Ken Sparks. "Even if you can't get out and jog, you may be able to get the exercise on the Wii."[Via Go Nintendo] People have been using the Wii to exercise for awhile now. Aside from Manhattanites paying exuberant amounts of money to workout with the machine, you can also read about a Canadian gym using Wii Sports right here. Surgeons are even using it! The Wii is also a great tool for those in rehab. It can pretty much do anything.
Smack Kim Kardashian's giant butt in Facebreaker
We're just gonna go ahead and not call the game Buttbreaker. We know you want to. We want to. But we're all simply better than that. It doesn't mean the latest news about the boxing title is any less hilarious, though.Facebreaker K.O. Party already looked a little crazy, but it's about to get crazier -- reality-show, leopard-print, sex-tape kind of crazy, that is. In at least one version of the game (and probably all), Kardashian will appear as a playable character. We'd ask why, but it's so funny that we don't care. Maybe someone should add in Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Nicole Richie for a full set. The battles would be epic.%Gallery-27624%[Via Game|Life]
Facebreaker to allow breaking of Peter Moore's face
We're not exactly sure why anyone would want to punch EA Sports' charismatic figurehead, Peter Moore -- especially in his cherubesque face. Still, we guess it's nice to have that opportunity available, should you someday develop a strong Moore aversion. However, traveling to Pete's home and mercilessly pummeling him would likely be a costly and illegal venture -- luckily, EA's upcoming Facebreaker will reportedly allow you to perform a beatdown upon a digital representation of Moore's visage, free of travel expenses and assault charges.At their E3 booth, Electronic Arts revealed that Moore's face had been scanned and entered into the game using the title's boxer creation feature. EA mentioned to gaming blog ButtonMasher that Moore's face will make it into the final retail version of Facebreaker, perhaps as an unlockable character. We'll politely abstain from exercising our pugilistic prowess on the exec, though admittedly, we wouldn't mind seeing how the tattooed spokesman held up in the ring.
Rumor: Punch-Out!! Wii to be unveiled at E3
Ding Ding! Some potentially huuuuge news this morning from the pages of Brit magazine NGamer -- apparently, E3 will see Nintendo uppercutting its competition with a new edition of Punch-Out!! for the Wii. Not only that, but the mag reckons Punch Out!! Wii will ship with Balance Board support to let us float like a butterfly dodge and weave, and that we'll be using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to sting like a bee punch.Is this the hardcore-pleasing title that Reggie has previously referenced? It could well be, because we're the hardcore, and we're pleased by this![Via Go Nintendo]
Cats, penguins, and rhinos in Animal Boxing, oh my! [update]
Want to beat up on animals, but PETA's been getting on your case? We don't know about you, but we've been dying to punch a penguin in the face. (Sorry for the tasteless jokes -- feel better in knowing that we hate ourselves for going there.) If you are heartless souls like us, though, don't worry; Animal Boxing has you covered, with fifty different characters to beat up on. We originally thought the game would involve animals fighting animals, but the latest screens indicate that the game also entails man (and woman) versus beast. In case you haven't been keeping up with Animal Boxing details, it's worth mentioning again that the developer behind this endeavor is making the equally weird (and cool sounding) Zombie BBQ as well. There's also the crazy aspect of holding the DS upside-down so that the animal's torso and face cover the touchscreen, which warrants repeating.Yet those of you who have been keeping up might notice some improvement in the screens when compared to the ones below. We didn't add them to our gallery because they're on the smallish side, but they're still worth a look anyway. Just click on the "Source" link below or the picture above to get a better taste of what's to come later this year.Update: Fresh screens were released today, so check back in with the gallery for twenty new shots of those cute, violent animals! Gallery: Animal Boxing
FaceBreaker details make the game sound like a knock-out [update 2]
When EA changed the title of the Wii's FaceBreaker to FaceBreaker K.O. Party, we couldn't help but moan, groan, grumble, and sneer. Not every Wii game needs to have the word "party" in it, and we do enjoy things that aren't party games from time to time (shock, gasp!). While the video above does ease our fears a bit, it's clear that the focus of K.O. Party is on the multiplayer. Then again, it's a fighting game, so that's okay. Producer Trey Smith talks up the Wii version a bit, and hints at some of the features exclusive to K.O. Party. The part that caught our ears was the "one-to-one" responsiveness, which would be amazing if true. As much as we enjoy Wii Sports: Boxing, flailing around like idiots does not make a good fighter. Smith also boasts about the visual style, which does look nice (although obviously not as nice as its HD counterparts), as well as the multiplayer, of which there will be two different modes.As for the exclusive unlockable character, that's a neat bonus but won't make or break the game -- unless, of course, it happens to be Little Mac, which is unlikely but would make us die happy.[Update: For unknown reasons, GameTrailers no longer has the video up! We summarized most of what happened above, but if the video shows up again, we'll put it in.][Update 2: The video is back up! And well worth watching.]
Facebreaker enters the ring this September
Cunning old EA. The company's decision to create a rubbery-faced boxing game in the style of Midway's Ready 2 Rumble titles has proved surprisingly effective at turning the heads of Dreamcast obsessives such as ourselves. Come September 5th, we'll be able to see if EA pulled it off, when Facebreaker hits both North America and Europe.After the break, there's two more of those character profiles that we featured last month, this time starring too-cool-for-school senior citizen and Oprah fan Ice, and the uniquely irritating Kiriko, whose face we want to break already. Good job, EA.
FaceBreaker to pummel retail shelves September 5
Living room pugilists can finally circle a date on their calender, provided they can hold a pen while wearing gloves, as GameSpot reports that Electronic Arts plans to ship its arcadey boxing title FaceBreaker for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii on September 5. As the first title to emerge from EA's newly launched Freestyle brand, the game promises over-the-top ringside heroics. FaceBreaker is a game that continues to remain on our radar as one of our more anticipated games at next month's E3, though honestly we're conflicted if this has more to do with the title's tooned-out gameplay or simply the opportunity to uppercut Peter Moore.
Seen @ NYC: Women bar fight over Wii
Click for high-resolution version This may seem like a raunchy story -- the kind of catfight tale ending with broken nails and torn clothing. We were sort of expecting such scuffles to happen as seven beautiful ladies tussled this past Thursday night over at a Manhattan bar & restaurant called Sutton Place. Alas, we didn't get to see anything underlyingly lewd, but there were certainly enough sweaty bods to drive the male crowd into a frenzy.Taking part in a Nintendo publicity stunt called "Wii Box in the City," these women tested out their gaming aptitude and fighting skills in a Wii Sports boxing tourney to win a Wii system. The night was wild all night as crowds of supporters cheered and jeered. It came down to Mari (in blue) and Regina (in yellow) for the championship. We caught up with Mari before the big fight; she told us about her Wii experience: "I've played Wii before. It's like a workout." Regina on the other hand had never played the Wii before, while both ladies never had any gaming experience beyond that. Soon, it was time for the final fight. The two fought bravely, but in the end Regina won with a knock out. "Oh my god, you won!" exclaimed May, Regina's best friend, whose excitement was like that of a kid on Christmas morning. Regina gave her winning prize over to May who continued to laud her bestest friend: "She really killed it! She's the bestest friend ever!" Who knew that gaming and bar fights could bring friends closer together?%Gallery-25113%
A tour through the new Tabula Rasa arena
The newest Tabula Rasa PvP arena, named the C.E.L.L.A.R. (Coalition of Enlistees Likely Looking for Aggressive Retaliation), has been gaining some attention since its introduction in Deployment 8 this week. This arena is set up as a boxing ring, complete with suitable equipment, colored corners and the whole nine yards. Earlier this week, the members of the TR MOG clan held a tournament in this arena, and we were lucky enough to attend. We figured we would take this opportunity with the tournament in play to snap some screenshots and create a handy guide to the arena for those who aren't familiar with it just yet.%Gallery-9822%
