Boxer's Road 2: The Real

In 1995, Boxer's Road was released on the Playstation and NCS was stuck with roughly 500 copies of the game. DOA. Although the boxing simulator was very detailed, the pace of the boxing action itself moved like molasses and buyers went on strike. After a couple of drastic discounts, we shifted all of our stock over the course of 6 months. Despite our experience, Boxer's Road sold nearly 400,000 copies in Japan.

Eleven years later, Ertain has apparently learned a thing or two about boxing as the sequel is magnificently detailed and moves faster than the original. After the ding of the bell, two boxers saunter to the center of the ring and knock gloves before the feinting and dancing begins. The action is viewed from the side as a default instead of the "behind the boxer" perspective of the original and boxers may duck, sway, bob, weave, and punch - all controlled through rudimentary tugs on the d-pad or analog nub and the face buttons. If the player so desires, the action may also be viewed from a behind the boxer view where the body of the fighter is semi-transparent to allow for viewing the opponent. The action runs fast and vicious as the boxers knock each other around with a flurry of punches.

The routine of a boxer in training may be managed through Meals, Training, Calendar, and Staff. There's also an Easy Set Up for scheduling the meals and training. When selecting meals, choices include a slice of cake, French fries, a burger, and other things that a boxer in training probably shouldn't be eating.