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- Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing received poor reviews from critics due to its poor controls and graphics, resulting in a low score of 37 out of 100 on Metacritic.
- While visual reviews were mixed, the game's create-a-boxer mode received praise, but this did not drag down its overall rating.
- Other boxing games such as HBO Boxing and Showtime Championship Boxing have also been panned by gamers for similar issues with controls and graphics.
Video games featuring boxing superstars may attract fans and encourage them to buy, but they don't always live up to expectations. Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing.
First released in July 2002, the title featured 17 heavyweight boxers, including Tyson, fighting in 20 international arenas and was available on both the original Xbox and the PlayStation 2. However, critics said the Mike Tyson Boxing sequel didn't come anywhere close to living up to the same standard as Fight Night, which is considered by many gamers to be the best fighting game series.
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Why was this game considered bad?
Mike Tyson's heavyweight boxing score was 37 out of 100
- Critics panned the graphics and controls.
- GameSpot rated the title “Terrible”.
- Some gamers had positive opinions of Mike Tyson's heavyweight boxing.
On Metacritic, Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing has a rating of 37 out of 100 and is classified as “Generally Poor”. Most of the complaints were about the control system.
One critical review on the website stated, “From a simulation standpoint, the game suffers because there's no way to control the pace of the fight. Jabs and straight crosses have little effect on the computer, forcing you to get much closer and throw uppercuts and hooks.”
However, not only Metacritic but GameSpot also rated the Atomic Planet Entertainment-developed title at 2.5 out of 10, classifying it as “terrible.”
The worst thing about this game was the controls.
“This has got to be one of the worst control schemes I've ever played in a game,” said one unhappy buyer of the title.
“What the hell were they thinking? Clearly not the producers. Who would sell this rubbish and call it a game? Mike, why have you degraded yourself to this extent? This is a sad game that should just be embraced.”
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Mike Tyson's heavyweight boxing graphics divided critics
Some people thought it was a good look for the early 2000s.
Graphically, the reviews were mixed: some said it looked better than it did in the early 2000s, while others said they were used to high resolution and 4K and wouldn't play it now. So, for fighting fans, there are three big problems that could be a problem, in addition to movement and control:
However, a few reviewers did say some positive things about the game.
“The deep create-a-boxer mode is the only aspect in which the game truly excels, but one great feature alone can't balance a subpar title,” said a Metacritic reviewer, who gave the game a score of 40 out of 100.
At GameSpot, one reviewer gave it a 9.8 out of 10 rating. They said: “The game is well-balanced and the game is well-balanced. [it] The game takes very little time to play, but offers a perfect blend of graphics and a fast learning curve. With a ton of options to choose from, this game, or should I say experience, will not disappoint.”
Other Critically Criticized Boxing Games
One fight is rated even worse than Mike Tyson's heavyweight boxing
- HBO Boxing received a score of 26 out of 100.
- Showtime Championship Boxing and Facebreaker also received poor ratings.
- For fighting gamers, there aren't many new options to play right now.
But the game with Tyson on the cover isn't one of the worst boxing games ever released, with gamers slamming other titles on major review sites.
This includes HBO Boxing, which was available on the original PlayStation, which has a rating of 26 out of 100 on Metacritic, 11 points lower than Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing, with one gamer slamming the 2000 title for its terrible controls, animations, and collision detection.
“These damaging factors ultimately make HBO boxing a bigger waste of money than Tyson vs. Golata,” the angry review said.
Another title that was less well received was Showtime Championship Boxing, which was released for the Wii and Nintendo DS in December 2007. The game received a rating of 35 out of 100 on Metacritic.
Also worthy of a place on the list is FaceBreaker, made for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii, with a Metacritic rating of 54. This means it's not as terrible as the titles mentioned above, but a mediocre score probably won't entice most gamers to play it again for nostalgia's sake.
Fight Night Boxing Video Game Rankings
Fight Night is a boxing video game series that allows fans to compete against their favorite fighters.
Unfortunately, there aren't many new options for combat sports fans to play right now – the last boxing title was Fight Night Champion, which was released in 2011. Luckily, a new game called Undisputed is scheduled to release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 11, 2024. It's currently available in early access on Steam.
Sure, there's UFC 5, but MMA isn't for everyone, and until fall, boxing fans may need to stack their favorite Fight Night games to get through the next few months.