4-D Boxing

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Description

4-D Boxing leaves behind any pretences of being a pure arcade game based on boxing, and aims to recreate the sport in full detail. The graphics engine allows for multiple camera angles and viewpoints, and considerably detailed visuals. These required more advanced hardware than was common at the time, but a stick-figure mode was included as a compromise. The moves on offer include all the uppercuts and hooks of a real fight, and the players are designed to move realistically to implement them.

You progress through the game by taking on a succession of increasingly difficult fighters, and get to train your boxer in between. Advanced action replays are included as well, so you can review all that happened.

Screenshots

Promo Images

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Alternate Titles

• "4D Sports Boxing" -- European title
• "4Dボクシング" -- Japanese spelling

Part of the Following Group

• Distinctive Software 4D series

User Reviews

A simple, classic free-form action game with skill-building elements	DOS	John Lucas (13)
Talk about a great game for its time!	DOS	emerging_lurker (178)
No other PC game has captured the feel of boxing as well as 4D Boxing.	DOS	Trixter (9110)
Wow! This game was and still is great	DOS	sean squier (1)

Critic Reviews

The Retro Spirit	DOS	Dec 20, 2008	6 out of 6	100
Polski Portal Amigowy	Amiga	Sep 11, 2010	95 out of 100	95
All Game Guide	Macintosh	1998		90
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)	DOS	Jan, 1991	900 out of 1000	90
Amiga Computing	Amiga	Feb, 1992	80 out of 100	80
Amiga Format	Amiga	Jan, 1992	79 out of 100	79
Power Play	Amiga	Feb, 1992	64 out of 100	64
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)	Amiga	Jan, 1992	6 out of 12	50
PC-Spiele '92	DOS	1991	4 out of 10	40
Amiga Power	Amiga	Jan, 1992	40 out of 100	40

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Trivia

Humour

The game didn't take itself very seriously. For example, the game package stated that the (low-polygon) boxers had "faces only a mother could love", and some examples of the boxers' names are "Duster Bugreport", "Biggus 'Stinky' Bonus", "Ugotabe Kidding", "Sadie Mazo-Chisholm", "Ivan Orrible Attitude", "Mohamed Ali Baba" or "Phlatulent 'Ffft' Phil".

References

On the Create a Boxer feature, there was a good selection of different heads to choose. Two of them were directly inspired by the two main characters on Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" music video, which also featured tridimensional computerized characters.

Rotoscoping

"Rotoscoping" means that the moves for the boxers were taken from real footage of boxing moves. The resulting movements are fairly lifelike.

Sound

4D Boxing used the digital channel of the Sound Blaster to play the drum track of all the music passages (the remaining 9 FM channels were used for notes). A unique concept that DSI used in a few more games before they were absorbed into EA.

Taunt

One of the actions in the game was "taunt", which includes waving a first in the air, making the "come get me" gesture, even a backflip. It's really funny to look at.

Awards

• ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)
  • March 1991 (issue #42) - Included in the list Greatest Games of all Time in category Sports Simulations (editorial staff choice)

Additional information contributed by Daniel Saner, Jiguryo and Kasey Chang

Related Web Sites

• Luke's 4D Sports Pages (Covers Boxing and Racing (Stunts).)
• Steve Robinette's 4D Boxing page (1 of 2) (Steve has two pages on the subject, evidently.)
• Steve Robinette's 4D Boxing Page (2 of 2) (More from Steve.)