4-D Boxing

The Good
The 3D engine in 4D Boxing was not a gimmick; at the time, it truly was a whole new way to simulate boxing in a computer game. The camera wasn't fixed--you could play through the eyes of your boxer, from ringside, from a fixed isometric view, overhead, whatever. You could even play through the eyes of your opponent. It's a real trip to stare yourself in the face as you beat "yourself" up.

The moves were rotoscoped fairly well, leading to life-like movements, swings, hooks, and uppercuts.

The Bad
Dialing down the detail to a ludicrously low level (stick figures without heads) was the game's idea of "running acceptably on an 8088". I had a 386, so I was fine, but it made playing the game against a friend difficult if your friend had a slow machine. The price we pay for innovation...

While most of the moves looked realistic, jabs were oddly unrealistic.

It was rediculously easy (although quite fun) to beat the computer in the first ten or so matches by swinging non-stop roundhouse right and left hooks to the face. (And disturbingly satisfying to hear each punch land. :-)

The Bottom Line
4D Boxing had a feel that no other computer boxing game has captured since, even 8 years after it's release. While there have been a few console boxing games that come close (including one for 3D0 that was heavily influenced by 4D Boxing), nothing satisfies the need to box like 4D Boxing.

And it runs great on modern machines, so try to pick up a copy.

The Good
This game came out in `91, but it still has not been surpassed as the best boxing game, beating out Sierra Championship Boxing. There hasn't exactly been a lot of competitors since then, but I doubt they could beat the sheer fun of this game. The graphics were pretty damn good for the time (except for on an 8086, in which they sucked royally), but the gameplay really makes this. The game is just sheerly FUN. You could play it many times, and it still would be fun. It is just a triumph of game design.

The Bad
Copy protection sucks, but it was virtually a requirement back then, so that can be overlooked. Also, you could beat the game hitting two buttons, but you didn't HAVE to. I truly cannot think of anything else.

The Bottom Line
Mah children, do not be scared off by the age of it; this is one of the best sports games ever made.

The Good
The movement was way ahead of its time and is still fluid and smooth by today's standards. It ran on a 386 and was fast action with a floating camera. I would love to see this game remade with better models and textures, but keep the gameplay identical.

The Bad
I still have it on 5.25" disks with a pristine manual but I cannot install it without dismantling my PC to temporarily install a drive. I think the copy protection would prevent it from being backed up on my hard drive. =)

The Bottom Line
Great. If you can find it, try it out.

The Good
The game has an incredible feeling of freedom because of the free-form nature of movements and controls. It sort of resembles the feeling of games like Die By the Sword. You can't control the direction and swing of your arms but you can put together combos very freely in a way that captures the feel of boxing, even though the animations are sort of odd.

To me, pure action games with characters that have the same abilities all through the game are not always that interesting. I usually have more interest in games that let me start out with a weak character and build him up, and this game is one of those. There are boxing skills that you can train and improve in between matches, so not only do you climb your way up in rank due to your skills as a player, your character also can grow to become more powerful in the way that you choose (feels like leveling up in an RPG).

The Bad
Many people complained about the graphics, but I thought they were simplistic in a charming way (a lot like Alone in the Dark). Still, anyone who plays this game now for the first time would probably be horrified by the boxy 35 polygon (I'm guessing) characters.

The Bottom Line
Overall this is a classic game that combines character building with an extremely addictive free-form style of action. It would be a shame to overlook this one.