Underdog pugilist Rocky Balboa has been delivering knockouts to movie audiences ever since Sylvester Stallone donned his white and red trunks and took on heavyweight champion of the world Apollo Creed - played by Carl Weathers - in the Oscar-winning 1976 film 'Rocky', spawning a soon-to-be nine film franchise which is captivating fans to this day.
Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions
Of course, Rocky and his larger-than-life opponents are not restricted to the big screen, gamers have had the chance to recreate his bouts in several video games, beginning with 1983's 'Rocky Super Action Boxing' released on the ColecoVision console and inspired by the events of 'Rocky III', allowing players to battle it out in the ring as either Rocky or Clubber Lang - famously brought to life by Mr. T.
Sega's 'Rocky' followed in 1987 for the MasterSystem allowing gamers to take on, and play as, Apollo and Ivan Drago (portrayed by Dolph Lungdren), in order of the films released at the time, giving gamers the first full 'Rocky' experience. It was lauded for its graphics, gameplay and training modes, and started the evolution of boxing games on the 16-bit machines.
Fans then had to wait 15 years until 2002's acclaimed 'Rocky' for the PS2 and Xbox, which allowed you play a full career mode as The Italian Stallion, with all of his on-screen opponents included and iconic scenes from the films recreated. In 2004, sequel 'Rocky Legends' followed giving gamers the chance to fight out the early careers or Rocky, Apollo, Clubber and Drago, and then we had 2007's 'Rocky Balboa' - based on the sixth film of the same name - on the PSP.
Rocky and co then moved to mobile games, before it was time for spin-off franchise 'Creed' to take centre stage with 2018's virtual reality boxing simulation 'Creed: Rise to Glory' providing an immersive career mode slugging it out as Apollo's son Adonis Creed under the guidance of coach Balboa.
Which brings us to new game 'Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions', made by 'Rise To Glory' developers Survios.
The first thing that has to be said about 'Creed Champions' is that it is not trying to be a realistic boxing simulation, it is a fun, arcade-style punch-up which borrows a lot from Midway's 1999 title 'Ready 2 Rumble Boxing' and more recently wrestling release 'WWE 2K Battlegrounds'.
It has pick-up and play controls with just a few buttons required to punch, block and deliver special moves, meaning it is accessible to casual gamers and fans of the 'Rocky' series, although to master the multiple combos and win on the highest difficulty level is going to take a lot of practice.
Arcade mode delivers a heavy hit of fun nostalgia where you can play as the various movie fighters and some in-game creations, complete with cut scenes and text based storyline. Yes it is a shame there are no spoken cut scenes, but the style of presentation suits the style of gameplay.
One of the most fun aspects of Arcade mode are the mini-game training montages during which you have to complete training moments from the movies - always a highlight of the series. You can't help but have a big smile on your face as you punch a cow carcass whilst 'Eye of the Tiger' plays in the background. It has to be said the training mini-games owe a lot to Sega's 1987 'Rocky', a game still influencing the genre 34 years on!
Of all the story campaigns, Rocky's is definitely the most entertaining as it is seen through the eyes of Adonis who has been told about his mentor's career complete with street fights and the embellishment that one would expect from the former world heavyweight champion.
Fans will also get a lot out of Apollo's story, fighting their way as champion through to the Rocky bout and getting the chance to defeat Drago, instead of the sad end to that fight we see in 'Rocky IV'.
One disappointment is the lack of an online play. The price point of the game is very reasonable compared to the majority of modern releases, but not having the chance to battle other boxing fans from all around the world in a league or championship tournament seems like a missed opportunity and something 2021 gamers expect.
So the big question is, does 'Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions' deliver a knockout blow? Or does hit the canvas like Balboa falls to Clubber Lang in 'Rocky III'?
The answer is that the game does exactly what it sets out to do. It's big, bold, fun, easy to play - tough to master - and delivers 'Rocky' nostalgia for the millions of fans of Stallone's creation.
I dare anyone who loves the franchise not to play through the stories in Arcade mode as one of the iconic fighters from the first four films or as Adonis and not have a big smile on their face during many moments.
Obviously, a lot of the 'Rocky' references will be lost on anyone who has not seen the movies, but with the boxing video game genre starved of releases since EA Sports gave up on the 'Fight Night' series and no release date in sight for 'eSports Boxing Champions', this in-ring title will satisfy your pugilistic urges. You'll be shouting "Yo Adrian, I did it!" in no time.
Rating (reviewed on Xbox One): 4 / 5
By Philip Hamilton
Tagged in Sylvester Stallone Michael B. Jordan