Knockout Kings 2001

by Playstation

Product Features

• PS2

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004YROX
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 6, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,798 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #69 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Sports

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

EA Sports has dressed up its bestselling boxing title for the new millennium and has kindly added enough new features to make this game a knockout on the PlayStation2... no pun intended.

The raft of changes that has been added to this version of Knockout Kings includes a new way to throw punches, aptly called Dynamic Punch Control. This feature allows you to control and put together punch combinations that will outwit the other fighters you face. The limitless combinations add a new level of replayability to the title that didn't exist in previous installments.

You can create dream bouts using some of the best boxers the world has ever seen. The lineup includes Smoking Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, and Julio Cesar Chavez. Better yet, put them up against some of boxing's current stars such as Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox Lewis, or Michael Grant.

EA Sports has left no stone unturned when it comes to the sweet science of boxing. New fighting styles now allow gamers to create boxers with attacks that mimic those of boxing's legends, such as Ken Norton's crab style or Rocky Marciano's slugger style. --Todd Mowatt

Pros:

• New haymaker punches
• Signature moves of famous boxers

Cons:

• Learning curve of this boxing simulation may turn off arcade gamers just looking to rabbit punch a couple of palookas

Amazon.com Product Description

Question: Who's a better fighter, Lennox Lewis or Joe Frazier? Answer: you. With Knockout Kings 2001, you can choose a champion from a long list of past and present greats--all with near-photo-realistic faces and signature moves. The game also includes today's top female boxers, including Mia St. John and Lucia Rijker, as well as in-game strategy from seasoned trainers and commentary from boxing experts Al Bernstein, Teddy Atlas, and Max Kellerman.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh yes, it was worth the wait, February 12, 2001

By 

punkviper (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Knockout Kings 2001 (Video Game)

I was anticipating this one for awhile, as the release date was pushed back multiple times, which initially caused me to worry, "Are they pushing it back because it's so awful they dare not release it?" Well, KK2k1 is finally here, and the wait was worth it.

This series always had so much potential in its earier incarnations. But the boxers were always too unresponsive, play was too slow, and sometimes the AI was a little too brutal to the point where what was meant to be a boxing sim turned into a Ready To Rumble style arcade slugfest. Well, fear not, as the control problems have been solved, and we are left to gaze upon the best modern console boxing game available.

KK2k1 has TONS of real guys in all 3 weight classes: Ali, Frazier, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Butterbean (!), Hagler, Camacho, De La Hoya, Spadifora, Julio Cesar Chavez, Hurricane Carter (from the movie "The Hurricane,") Jake LaMotta (from the Deniro film "Raging Bull,") Rocky Marciano, Frank Bruno, Alexis Arguello, Ike Quartey, Pernelll "Sweet Pea" Whitaker, Jack Dempsey, and even more that I can't remember right now. Not to mention the female boxers. The roster is almost perfect (Though no Tyson, he's got his own really awful boxing game on PS1, and no George Foreman.) There are even a few hidden characters, like Oakland A's slugger Jason Giambi.

There are several modes available to fit all tastes. Slugfest mode basically echos the Ready To Rumble series, you take 2 boxers, with a very close camera view, and you just wail on one another. Exhibition mode pits any two real boxers against one another (regardless of weight class.) Career mode is the best though. You create your own boxer, then put him through a series of fights, just like in the old Punch-Out for NES. The guys you fight in that mode are classics! An old gray-haired guy with the nickname of "Old Bones," and other colorful characters. The fights start out easy, against no-names in sleazy corner fight joints. Then they progress to longer bouts in more impressive venues against real opponents. You not only get to customize yor boxer, but you also get to choose your gym, and your training team, each of which gives you between-match points to build your character's ability levels. There are also training sessions between matches that supply you with more points to better yourself. Very realistic, and very fun. The last mode is a "Fantasy Fight" mode that pits real boxers (often of different time periods) against one another in "what might have been" scenarios.

As for the gameplay, it is top-rank. Each boxer will have punches that work for him. As far as traits go, some boxers are speedy, some have awesome stamina, or maybe great power, some have sturdy chins that take a beating, and some get cut very easily. The combinations make every fighter different, and you have to know what they do/don't do well so you can plan accordingly. Wailing away at the head of someone with a 99 rating for Chin will be like wailing away at a brick wall. Each fighter has strengths and weaknesses that must be found and exploited. This includes your champ as well.

There are 4 basic punches mapped to the four buttons: jab, cross, hook, and uppercut. Body punches are achieved by holding L2 and hitting those same buttons. There are many different punch combos to utilize, some work better than others depending on your boxer. The control is very easy to learn, yet takes time to master. It isn't nearly as difficult to dance around the ring as before, but if there is one problem with the game, it is the same one that has plagued this series from the beginning: getting out. It is easy to come in and land punches, but backing up to get out isn't always as responsive as you would like it to be, resulting sometimes in your opponent getting a parting shot that wouldn't have landed if the control had moved your guy when you told it to. But other than minor control stickiness like that, there is really nothing bad to be found.

There are real fight venues (Madison Square Garden, Caesar's Palace, Wembley UK) real referees (Mills Lane) real ring announcers and real commentators that make other EA Sports games sound ultra-lame in comparison .... No doubt about it, this game is the pinnacle of boxing titles. It has all the realism of a real fight and all the fun of the best console boxing games to come before it. Did I mention the great soundtrack from rappers that can actually rap? Well, it's got that too .... This game has everything going for it, and gamers like me that have been waiting for a good boxing game for ages will eat this up. 2001's first "must-have" PS2 title.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this instead of horrible KO Kings 2002, March 13, 2002

By 

Naz (New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Knockout Kings 2001 (Video Game)

Let me start off by saying that this is a FAR superior game to the newly released KO Kings 2002. The controls are great, you can actually choose to throw a punch to the body (unlike KO 2002)and the graphics are great. You really feel likwe you are boxing. KO Kings 2002 is nothing but a button mashing mess with no skill or control, plus a virtually non-existent career mode. The career mode in this game is one area that could have been improved (but thank goodness it is not half as bad as 2002) there is a very limited create a fighter feature, and only 17 contenders to face as you climb the ladder. There is also long and frequent loads. yet, again, after playing (and returning KO 2002) I am so grateful for what this game does have and really love the actual gameplay.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Graphics & Gameplay But Too much Loading Time, February 26, 2001

By 

Anthony De Rosa (New Rochelle, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knockout Kings 2001 (Video Game)

This game is visually and responsively pretty good, the graphics and gameplay are very good. However the major drawback of this game is all the loading time. It loads before the game, after the introductions, between rounds and after the fight when the decision is made. The Boxers come to the ring with no enterage and no robe. When you knock out someone in real life the ref doesn't take both boxers to the center of the ring for the decision (do the people who design these games even watch boxing??). Also you can't fight created boxers in exibition mode or against eachother. One last thing, the damage to your opponents is very limited. You can hardly see the cuts, there is no drippings of blood and very little swelling of the eyes or face. Overall the game is pretty disappointing, especially with the supposed enhancements of PS2. (Rent before you buy!!!!)