‘Don King Boxing’ Review (Nintendo Wii)

In the short list of great boxing games, from Mike Tyson’s Punch Out to Ready 2 Rumble to Fight Night, Don King Boxing for the Wii is one that will struggle to be remembered. Lackluster graphics and a faulty motion sensing system will have you pulling out hairs from the moment you start playing.

The most ambitious feature to Don King Boxing is the career mode story presentation. You start your career as “The Kid.” Instead of going for the default CG story, 2K China decided to inter-mix actual footage of real boxers and actors who talk about your career as you progress. The documentary style presentation will have you wishing that the actual gameplay delivery was several notches above what you’re stuck with.

We’ve seen Wii based boxing games before, including the recently released Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout from Ubisoft and Wii Sports Boxing. Both games have taught us one thing: boxing with Wii motion just doesn’t work. Try as you may to execute jabs, hooks and the ever elusive uppercut and you will time and time again fail. The difficult part about playing boxing games is that you’ll be able to execute just enough punches to be fooled into thinking Wii motion works and it is really you who is doing something wrong.
Don King Boxing will prove that it’s not you who has the problem, but Wii Motion. Unfortunately for 2K Sports, Wii Motion Plus wasn’t around at the time of development for this title to give it an added boost of accuracy.

The game allows you to integrate the Wii Balance Board to handle your footwork. So, as you shift left and right to avoid a blow, the board will pick it up. The balance board is also used in the training mode. You also have your standard Wii-shake movements that you’ve probably come to dread over the past few years. So, when you get knocked out get ready to shake your wrist wildly to get up. Honestly, I would rather play this game with a standard two button control-pad than humor the Wii mechanics.

Graphically, I prefer Don King boxing on the DS to the Wii version. Seeing the pseudo-3D images on the DS is passable. But, watching poorly textured boxers on a large screen TV is painful. It looks as though no time was spent in really working on settings and boxers’ definition. Even the HUD is reduced to a simple health and stamina system that will toss you right back in the days of 8-bit gaming. Instead of a boxing game you feel more like you’re in a slap boxing fight. Everything is just boring to look at. I think the knockouts in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out are still way more entertaining AND realistic than what is featured in Don King Boxing on the Wii. Boxing is all about the reaction the crowd feels as each punch land, and each knockout goes down. But, when you play this game you’ll feel more like characters are fainting from heat exhaustion.

Overall, Don King Boxing for the Wii could have benefited from more research into the mechanics and overall feel for a boxing match. The problematic control system is indicative of why Nintendo is releasing Wii Motion Plus and why 2K China should have waited a few months before developing this title. The career mode is a cool addition, but is not enough to make you forget that uppercuts will never land when you want them to.