Fresh ringtone offers: KO Legends

With a name like KO Legends for a boxing game, you think you’d find the greatest names ever to step into the ring. It’s a bit of a letdown instead to find out that all of the boxers present here are made up, but what it doesn’t deliver in names, it does deliver in action.

To climb your way to the top of the ladder, first you’re allowed to create a fighter in the spitting image of whomever you choose, right down to the color and style of boots. With a career underway, the manager begins to fill out a grueling monthly schedule that involves training, bouts and rest. Depending on the choice, your fighter’s energy is affected so you just need to plan it out accordingly.

By choosing to train, your fighter is able to strengthen three key attributes based on what exercise is selected. There are three types, played out in mini-games such as memorization or button matching. They build Power, Endurance and Agility by points and as these are increased, they can also be leveled up for greater effectiveness. (FYI, points are also gained when winning boxing matches.) Once you feel you have gained enough skill, it’s time to compete against the ranked fighters.

Boxing is a little tricky, so it’s best to check out the Tutorial before going in. The fighting system puts into use practically the entire keypad with more than 10 different moves, special attacks and super fast sequences. Learning it effectively to punch, dodge and tie up is of greatest importance because the opponents get tough very quickly. A Humiliation taunt is also accessible and this replenishes your in-fight stamina while at the same time diminishing that of the opponent. Using it at just the right moment can mean the difference between victory and defeat. In all, the game possesses a good deal of fight strategy.

When not wanting to work your way up the rankings, Quick Play and Exhibition Match are also available. Additionally, there are four other sub-modes that can be unlocked as well as arenas, managers and even boxers. (These new challengers subsequently open new stylings to customize your fighter with, and some of them can be very strange, and fun.)

KO Legends delivers a sizeable amount of boxing with deep features and lengthy game play. It looks great with some cool effects and moves smooth considering the large characters. Again, learning to box can be a bit tricky when wanting to put a string of moves together, and while you can get away with mashing for the early bouts, you’ll need the entire complement to get to the top. Sure it doesn’t have the big boxing names you’d like to have, but you’ll quickly realize that they weren’t needed to begin with to make this a fun game.