Rocky Balboa review

It's not over 'til it's over. Or 'til your hands seize up

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Vast armory of punches

  • +

    Historical mode is great

  • +

    Perfect for short trips

Cons

  • -

    No career mode

  • -

    Fights can be unbalanced

  • -

    Not much depth

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Fittingly, given that Rocky Balboa is a boxing game, your hands will be killing you after just a few hectic rounds. It’s not the game’s fault, though; it’s more the fact that PSP requires you to have fully elastic thumbs.

Thankfully, the controls themselves are well laid out, and make the best use of the handheld’s somewhat awkward layout; after time, they become second nature. The face buttons are for your basic punching: Square and Triangle take care of left and right direct smacks, while X and Circle take care of left and right uppercuts. Simple enough. Combine these with the nubbin - which controls your boxer’s body movement, to alter the power and angle of your punches - and hit R at the same time to dodge any unfriendly blows.

More info

GenreSports
DescriptionProvided you don't expect a game that'll take you on an epic journey of the movies, you should get regular, punchy bursts of satisfaction out of it.
Platform"PSP"
US censor rating"Teen"
UK censor rating"16+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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