|
Title Bout Boxing Quiz
 by Thomas Gerbasi (February 20, 2003)
 Send this page to friend Give us your feedback
Let’s get this out of the way – I’m no fan of trivia, boxing or otherwise. So when presented with the opportunity to review .400 Software Studios’ Title Bout Boxing Quiz game for the PC, I was a bit skeptical despite the good things I had already heard about it. But, just like most of my fight picks, my initial impressions were wrong, as the game’s designers Jim and Tom Trunzo, have injected new life into a tired genre.
With over 1,000 questions ranging from the obvious to the obscure, the Trunzos (creators of boxing simulation games since the 70’s, and currently preparing their latest one – Title Bout Championship Boxing for release this year) take the usual question and answer format and have actually put the game into the context of a fight.
To explain this in a nutshell, you can schedule matches for 4, 8, 10, 12, or 15 rounds. Each round is three minutes, and you and your opponent will answer as many questions within that time as possible. A question’s difficulty is judged by the punch you or your opponent chooses to throw, be it a jab (1pt), cross (3), hook (4), uppercut (2) or combination (5). So you can pile up the points with a bunch of easy jabs, or go for the KO with some hooks and combinations, adding a different strategy element to the game.
After a punch is selected, a question is shown with four multiple-choice answers. You and your opponent now have a few seconds (represented by a countdown clock) in which to choose to answer the question. If you beat your opponent to the punch, you get to answer the question. If you answer incorrectly, your opponent gets to counterpunch by answering correctly and gaining the points.
The computer opponents you face range in ability from the trialhorse Kid Canvas (“If you can’t beat Kid Canvas, take up another sport – like maybe checkers”) to the 20-1 Tyro Gatling (“The near perfect fighter with the near perfect name”). You can jump in at the outset and take on any opponent at any time, but be prepared to fall behind quickly as the computer opponent dazzles you with rapid-fire questions and answers. You will actually find yourself nervously hitting the answer button without knowing the answer just to guess and hopefully keep yourself from getting KO’ed.
Bouts are scored by one judge on the 10-point must system, and there is also the opportunity to score knockdowns and knockouts, and have your killer instinct kick in where you get to answer a few unanswered questions. All in all the Trunzos have taken a concept that would bore most of today’s joystick jockeys and produced a thinking person’s game that young and old can enjoy. You can also add your own questions to the game, and a bonus question pack is expected to be offered for free download in a few months.
As far as the questions go, some are simple, but as you raise the difficulty, some would stump all but the heartiest boxing historian. And once you do find out the correct answer, you have the opportunity between rounds or between fights to see not only the answers, but also the history behind those answers, making this a mini-boxing encyclopedia and a great learning tool not only for the novice, but for the die-hard fan.
For fans of the Trunzos’ previous computer efforts, the quality of design is obviously there, but a great new addition is the inclusion of top-notch bells and whistles in the areas of graphics and sounds. The program is streamlined, easy to get around in, and pleasing to the eye. This is a by-product of their affiliation with .400 Software Studios, and a good omen for upcoming boxing products. If I have one beef with the product it is that the game must be displayed in 1024 x 768 resolution. This doesn’t really affect the way the game displays, but when I go back to my desktop I need a Seeing Eye dog to lead me around the screen. But that’s a minor quibble and maybe it’s time for a new monitor.
So if you’re looking to learn more about the sweet science, want a fun game with a boxing theme, or just want a time waster to knock a few bouts out with during work hours, Title Bout Boxing Quiz fits the bill. And hey, where else can you get a cool game for only $19.95?
For ordering information visit http://www.title-bout.com/
E-Mail Thomas Gerbasi at tgerbasi@mindspring.com
Thomas Gerbasi's Archives Click Here
|
