Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions Review

It's time to admit. I have never seen the Rocky or Creed movies. It's shameful, I know. This is a travesty in my life. I promise to make it right one day. However, I did practice Muay Thai for 2 years prior to the outbreak. I have always been interested in martial arts and boxing.

There is a lot of interest in a good boxing game, given the success of historical series like Fight Night and UFC. Big Rumble Boxing could be well-positioned to take advantage of that potential. It is based on the Rocky and Creed films and their associated background lore and has the potential to appeal to both older and more modern fans of boxing.

Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions fails to live up to the lofty expectations and doesn't deliver the killer hook that some may have hoped. However, it does land some solid shots.

Big Rumble offers three options: arcade, training and versus. Although the tutorial has 16 text boxes screens on the main menu, the mechanics are not particularly complex so even a novice can jump in and quickly get to know the game. Arcade mode, which is the default mode for solo play, will be where you spend most of your time.

The roster for Creed Champions has many familiar faces, including villains and characters from other franchises. Rocky, Drago's son and father, Apollo, Mr T’s massive human frame, and many others are all available, playable, and have their own arcade stories. You can unlock the second associated character by completing one of the 10 characters available. This gives you plenty of opportunities to prove your boxing skills.

However, the "story" of each famous face is extremely limited. Most dialogue is text-only. Every scene is delivered through a static backdrop that includes cardboard-cut expressions and grunts to create sound effects. The narrative is very basic and, from what I understand, refers to stories in the movies and the wider universe. It was very insignificant and did not add much to the overall experience. Rocky and Creed fans may be able to glean more. I think there are some great references that will allow you to live out your Rocky fantasies.

Completing the story of each character unlocks two additional outfits that you can use to personalize your icon.

Arcade runs consist of 6 fights. This is supposedly to increase in difficulty and spectacle, but it was actually quite variable. Between fights, there will be some text dialogue that provides context for your next bludgeoning match. Sometimes, you might even have the chance to play some of these, admittedly useless, minigame montages.

These mini-events are short and simple. You'll need to punch carcasses and punchbags using button sequences. Press L2 and R2 for a run on the treadmill. Then, practice your dodges and counteracts using R2 and square. These minigames can be described as basic, but that is an insult to the game mechanics. These minigames are not challenging and have no effect on your progress. Your score is 0 out of 3. This means that you have no chance to succeed as the game contributes nothing. They can be tolerated as a distraction, but it would mean that the game would not lose any of its content if they were removed entirely. Although it was cool to be able to create my own Rocky to Eye of The Tiger montage, it doesn't work. It's clearly meant to be an homage the epic training sequences in the film.

Creed Champions is slightly more resilient to heavy punches in the ring. There are three types of fighters: general, slugger and swarmer. Sluggers can hit hard, generals are good at all types of fighting and swarmers can get a lot of hits quickly. Although each class and character have their own heavy attacks and animations, the fighting mechanics work almost exactly the same. They are, therefore, extremely simple.

Triangle allows for heavier punches. Square is your lighter punch, while triangle can be used to make heavier punches. You can change the direction of your throw by using the analog stick direction or directional buttons. Circle allows you to grapple, which is an animation that hits your opponent once and does decent damage. Finally, you can activate a special move with L2. Your special meter increases as you accumulate hits. Your special meter reaches maximum and you can unleash your attack for serious damage. This is provided that you don't block or dodge the animation. This will be the same as any other fighting game.

You can make a lot of combos and some of the more powerful attacks (Drago’s backward Triangle move) are quite overpowered and abuseable against the AI. You have three options for defensive play: block, dodge, and slip counter. Your stamina gauge is your determining factor in blocking. If you block too often, you will become dazed and vulnerable. Slip countering is the perfect dodge mechanic. You need to press precisely when your opponent hits the ground.

There are few other things you need to pay attention to or account for, aside from timing your shots and choosing the right moment to launch your special move. While the CPU can provide a challenge to both rookie and pro players, champion will require more defensive capabilities. However, I found it difficult to be fully engaged with the mechanics. Basic barrages worked well on all difficulty levels.

Although the mechanics are fairly straightforward, there is some dubious input for starting blocks, and questionable hit boxes to allow special moves to land. This stifles game's core gameplay. Fighting quickly becomes monotonous, repetitive and boring. Each opponent must be knocked down at least three times. There is an obligatory recovery at nine on every count. After a few arcade runs and trying out each difficulty, you'll have little to test your resolve. This is a solid, well-rounded jab with little flair. There are plenty of dancing butterflies, but not many stinging bees.

Big Rumble Boxing's presentation is not able to save or improve the game. The characters only have two lines to introduce themselves and offer victory quips. The backgrounds to the fighting rings look less like actual people than low-poly Nintendo Miis. The title has a very sterile, lifeless appearance due to the lack of commentary during matches.

This is a shame because the art style has potential. Although they are cartoon-inspired and slightly cartoonish in appearance, the character models are quite good and accurately represent the characters. The animations and effects for fighting are vibrant and colorful, with some special moves having a lot of power. Some authentic references are found in between fights that even someone with a limited knowledge of the lore can tell were well placed.

After two hours of gameplay, I had seen and experienced everything Creed Champions has. Big Rumble is limited to two modes and has a very restricted combat system. It's not able to sustain multiple rounds. There is some arcadey fun here, and it's possible for film fans to enjoy a few drinks and fight each other as their favorite icons.

Although the price starts at PS34.99, I don't think there is enough depth or content to justify a purchase. This will allow you to enjoy a fun, easy time playing as your favorite characters, even if you are a die-hard fan. There's not much to recommend for anyone who is looking for an in-depth, replayable, or deep fighting game.