Video games based on the sport of boxing have a certain pedigree to them - a legacy. Some of the best sports games ever made revolve around boxing. Ring Kings was one of the first titles where players gathered around the screen to duke it out, and it went on to gather a huge following. Sega brought Greatest Heavyweights to the Genesis to critical acclaim, often cited as the best boxing title of the 16-bit era. Electronic Arts added Fight Night, which spanned several console generations. And, of course, there is the classic boxing title Mike Tyson's Punch-Out. But back in the heyday of the PlayStation 2, a little known boxing title was quietly released, and it was called Victorious Boxers. It did relatively well, and was often cited for its great gameplay. After a few PS2 sequels, the latest iteration of the franchise crosses over to the Nintendo Wii for a whole new generation to experience.

Victorious Boxers: Revolution is based off a popular Japanese anime called Fighting Spirit. It follows the story of a teenager named Ippo who is picked on at school until one day a boxer from the local boxing gym sees him getting beat up and comes to his rescue. Ippo is taken back to the gym and told that he needs to stand up for himself. Upon punching a heavy bag, the onlookers at the gym realize that Ippo has amazing power, and he soon begins his career in boxing. Revolution follows the story of Ippo as he climbs the ranks of the lightweight boxing class.

The motion controls can take some getting used to, and probably aren't as precise as you would like.

The gameplay mechanic that will make Revolution stand out from the crowd is the Wii-enabled boxing controls. The boxing game included in Wii Sports will feel like a tech demo after you experience this game. There are six control schemes, and four of them are dedicated to the Wii-mote. The first is probably the most complicated as it fully utilizes the motion sensing in the controllers. Movement is handled by tilting the Wii-mote and nunchuck in the direction you want to move. Throwing punches is accomplished by thrusting either one of your fists with the corresponding Wii peripheral in hand. But blocking, oddly enough, is done by holding B and Z buttons simultaneously. Special punches are thrown by holding the A and B buttons on the Wii-mote, then swinging, or by holding the C and Z buttons on the nunchuck before firing off a punch. While it sounds complex, it is actually fairly easy to learn after some time. The second control setup is largely similar to the first, but instead of leaning the controls in the direction you want to walk, you use the analog stick.

The third and fourth methods are a little more off-the-wall, but available for those adventurous enough to try them. Movement is controlled by the pointer on the Wii-mote for the third method. Punching, guarding, and special moves are all performed with button combinations. And the fourth method of control has the pointer itself throwing punches while the boxer is moved around the ring by the analog stick. For the more traditional style of play, there is also the option to use the classic or GameCube gamepads. While so many controller options exist, once the appeal of them wears off, you will probably find yourself plugging in a gamepad. While the motion controls are much better than what was presented in Wii Sports boxing, they are still not the perfect one-to-one movement ratio that some might expect. It also becomes cumbersome to wield the two controller pieces in your hands for extended periods of gameplay. While the old-school setup isn't quite as sexy, it is by far the most responsive.

There are two primary modes to play the game in. The Story mode covers the single player experience while showing the background to Ippo's rise to the top. Most of the matches are over fairly quickly, but the 25 total bouts gives the game enough legs to last a few hours if all the cutscenes are skipped. Once the story mode is over, players can enjoy sparring. The sparring mode allows you to play against a computer controlled opponent or an actual person. There are a slew of options available that enable the player to tweak a match to their liking, such as how many rounds the fight will last, where the fight will take place, and even the background music that will be heard. When facing a human opponent, the screen splits down the middle so that each person is given a first-person perspective of the fight, similar to the split screen in Wii Sports boxing. This works surprisingly well. If you have friends willing to play, the sparring mode has a decent amount of fun to offer.

While the game has a strong story mode and a fun sparring mode that allows you to alter many of the match settings, the experience can still feel somewhat shallow. Once the game's story has been completed, there's not a lot more to do. There are no new boxers or venues to unlock. And with no online mode, there is not a lot of incentive to keep playing past the story mode unless you have friends that you can play against, which is unfortunate.

The graphics are not the strong point of this title. They would look about average on the PlayStation 2, so naturally, they look a bit worse here. In fact, it would not be surprising if the game was actually intended to be released for that console before making the jump to the Wii. The only action that looks decent takes place in the ring. The boxers look and animate fairly well, and the hard hits are dynamic and satisfying. However, once the game steps foot outside the ring, things get ugly quickly. Backgrounds are horribly plain and mostly barren. Textures are of a low resolution, and anything that is modeled from polygons looks incredibly basic. Even though the characters have a cel-shaded look, they have a strange plastic appearance during close ups. It's a strange combination that doesn't quite work and often calls attention to itself in a negative way. But, to be fair, the graphics are faithful to the show itself.

The visuals are nothing to write home about.

The sound in Revolutions is also hit or miss. The boxing effects and most of the dialog sounds good. When entering the ring, the announcers sum up the two fighters and it really sets the player up for the actual match. During the actual matches, Ippo will often talk to himself as well, adding to the dramatic effect of the boxing match. On the other hand, some of the voice acting is pretty horrible. Luckily, this is usually restricted to the supporting cast, as every once in a while some really goofy sounding voices can be heard from the crowd. Also, the announcers often repeat the same phrases over and over, especially when a fight has a lot of knockdowns. While this may not seem like such a bad thing, it gets old when a fight has 15 knockdowns and the same phrases are uttered every single time.

Victorious Boxers: Revolution is a fun game, and just what the Wii needed. It seems almost obvious to create a quality boxing title for the Wii, and Revolution fits that bill. While the meat of the game lies in the extensive story mode, some fun can be had with the multiplayer. And with six different control schemes, there will be something that fits nearly everyone's tastes. The game is not without its flaws though, and the control issues, shoddy presentation, and limited replay value greatly hinder what could have been an excellent title. Still, Revolution is a sleeper in a winter where lots of big name games are getting released. Don't let that hold you back from trying a truly fun boxing experience on the Wii.