Title: Don King Presents: Prizefighter
Platform: Xbox 360 (review platform), Wii
Publisher: 2K Sports
Developer: Venom Games
ESRB Rating: M for Mature

Boxing games will always have a special place in my little gaming heart. I always get a surge of excitement every time I hear of a new boxing game being developed, although half the time they're not worth spending more than an hour with. Perhaps it's just nostalgia, but I really miss some of the great boxing games, even those that launched during the rise of the original consoles and PCs. Back then, action reigned supreme over realism, while today we typically see attempted realism more than anything else. Perhaps it was because of the limitations of hardware back then, but who really knows. Realism or action: there's just something fun about punching someone else.

When I first saw Prizefighter's ritzy announcement by 2K and learned of Don King's association with it, I really became excited because I thought that Don King of all people would pressure the studio to make the game as entertaining as possible. After all, Don King himself is renowned for his dedication to entertaining people. I figured that if something went wrong, Don King would just send a fighter over and have him set things straight.

Prior to Prizefighter's launch, all that remained of boxing titles were the Fight Night series and Wii Boxing, while the studio that developed Fight Night, EA Chicago, closed down in late 2007. My initial assumption was that Prizefighter would aim to be different from what was out there, and that it would function more as an action-based boxer with a light emphasis on realism. As more details were revealed, though, it became clear that Prizefighter went for realism with a twist. Instead of a Fight Night style campaign, Prizefighter aimed to present a dramatic story of a boxer fresh to the scene and his journey to the top. He was to be called "The Kid" and ultimately he would find himself working with master promoter Don King himself.

It definitely sounds cool on paper, and to be honest the development team actually did do a good job of bringing forth a good story. All of the boxing elements are there too, with the jabs, uppercuts, endurance drain, power hits and just about everything else you'd expect in a modern boxer. Multiplayer waits for those who finish the single-player campaign and want to test their skills against others, and a slew of unlockable content waits to be found. Unfortunately, Prizefighter has so many elements that should make it successful, but in the end nearly everything falls short.

Don King Presents: Prizefighter uses hi-res full-motion video sequences to tell the boxer's story.

It is also sad to note that Prizefighter really is a game that you can tell the developers put a lot of effort into. I have no doubts that the entire team behind the game intended nothing more than to make a top-notch boxing game that could spawn off several sequels down the road. I also have no doubt that at first, most who start playing Prizefighter will find themselves impressed with the style of the game.

This is the first fighting game that I know of that actually has a ton of high-definition quality video footage, typically consisting of interviews with various people, some of whom are well known in the boxing industry. In these cinematics, you'll experience interviews where it sounds as if those speaking know you and your struggles well and how you and others dealt with events during the rise of your career. Since Prizefighter throws you into the cinematics right away, it's hard not to immediately become interested in the game. After all, you're obviously going to be playing as a boxing legend. But unfortunately, the cinematics set the bar high, and all you see beyond a movie clip by this time is the extensive character creation system, which almost gives Oblivion a run for its money. The honeymoon abruptly ends at this point, and it quickly becomes clear that Prizefighter must have left the studio to be mass produced as a relatively unfinished game.

I have an almost love-hate relationship with Prizefighter, and I was just overall perplexed as to what went wrong in the development process. Whenever I reached a point where Prizefighter was really beginning to stand out as a good game worthy of a decent review score, my excitement was quickly kicked back a couple of notches just minutes later. I'm not sure if it's the fault of the developers and their own management of the schedule, or of the publisher and pressure to get the game out the door as quickly and cheaply as possible. The only thing that's evident is that Prizefighter really had a ton of potential, and could have easily been so much more than a poor-to-average boxer.

What I can say is Prizefighter does a good job of introducing you to the methods of throwing punches, and how to lay into your opponent. Before you know it, you'll be knee deep in boxing matches, training and high-quality cinematics. Prizefighter's personal boxer stats system also reveals itself quite early on, and you're then essentially given the keys to the castle in terms of how you want your character to progress.

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