Move aside Logan Paul, it's time for the cinematic in-ring legends of Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions to capture the spotlight. It seems improbable that the Rocky movie series has continued to generate new interest since 1976, but stars Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan have weaved through the times to play out a story that resonates with generations of moviegoers. With the third movie in the Creed series on its way in 2022, it's the time for Rocky, Adonis, Clubber Lang and the rest to once again emerge in a video game landscape starved of the sweet science.
The Italian Stallion has a history in gaming that's longer than most would expect. The first release based on the boxing films is Rocky Super Action Boxing, a 1983 release for the ColecoVision. Following that and a Sega Master System release in 1987, the franchise took a seat in the corner and bided its time. That would come in the era of the original Xbox with a pair of well-received fighting games published by Ubisoft. While they didn't compare to Ready 2 Rumble Boxing in a ranking of the best best boxing games ever, both Rocky and Rocky Legends dug deep into the roster of fighters in the films and created the most comprehensive Rocky game possible at the time.
Following its work on the 2018 VR title Creed: Rise to Glory, developer Survios is ready to bring Rocky back to the gaming masses with Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions. The game includes the main characters fan expect from both the Rocky and Creed films, including Rocky himself, Adonis and Apollo Creed, Mr. T's impeccable Clubber Lang, and Ivan and Viktor Drago. Players can pick from those legends and experience unique stories in the arcade mode or challenge friends and family in local multiplayer matches.
Creed Champions is designed to be accessible to fans of boxing games and movie fans alike while keeping an arcade spirit and an animated look to the characters that match with the game's over-the-top source material. The game launches later this year on September 3 with versions on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Survios also strives to bring Rocky's iconic training montages into interactivity via thematic mini-games. There's no word on the music choices in those moments, but the team has created 13 different arenas for when the training's done. These will be a combination of locations from the films and original arenas to fill out the arcade mode.
It has been a long time since there was both a Rocky game and a regular number of boxing video games on the market. It's true that Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions likely won't satisfy those still upset that EA abandoned Fight Night years ago. However, even an arcade take on the sport is most welcome, especially when it comes from an established developer and features a roster of the most famous boxers in the world. Fictional or not, the story of Rocky has transcended the sport and continued to enthrall audiences year after year, and there's no reason why that magic can't translate into video game boxing.
Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions will be available for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 3, 2021.
Source: IGN