99 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
99 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
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TKO
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TKO is a boxing simulation from Mike Lorenzen and Accolade Entertainment. The
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salient feature separating TKO from similar games is its first-person
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perspective. Other features include eight computer-controlled fighters,
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user-controlled boxing abilities, statistical records, an overhead view of the
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ring, joystick control, and a 2-player option. The Commodore 64/128 version is
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the basis of this review.
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TKO's first-person perspective adds the dose of realism usually missing from
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boxing simulations: You're in the ring as opposed to watching from on high as a
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spectator. On the down side, TKO is not at all humorous, as was FIGHT NIGHT
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(also from Accolade). The bouts in TKO are as serious as Mike Tyson's mug during
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a title contest.
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On starting a 1-player game, the computer randomly selects a champion and four
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contenders from the eight permanent fighters. There are four unranked fighters
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whose abilities you set and whose destinies you control in a quest for the
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Accolade Heavyweight Championship title.
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From the Options Screen, you can begin a Title Quest, or Resume a Previous
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Title Quest: The statistics, names, and abilities of your fighters, as well as
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the statistics of the permanent fighters, are saved on the game disk. (All
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records can be reset to zero.) Selecting Title Quest sends you to the Gym.
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In the Gym, you select one fighter from the four unranked fighters, name him,
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and manipulate his abilities by way of slider bars: Give him a left- or
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right-handed stance, adjust the relative power of his hands, set him for power
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punches to head or body. The Strength slider sets the speed of a punch (fast but
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not powerful) or the power behind it (less punches thrown, but each is highly
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effective). The final slider selection is Weakness. This determines a boxer's
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tendencies to either tire or suffer cuts.
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Once your fighter's abilities have been set, it's off to the ring for a
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3-round, 5-round, or 10-round match. At the end of each round, a scoreboard
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reveals the following information about each fighter's performance: total
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punches thrown, head and body punches thrown, head and body hits taken, punches
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blocked, damage caused to your opponent, and points scored.
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At the conclusion of a bout, the referee (accompanied by musical fanfare)
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raises the winner's arm and announces his victory. Statistics are updated and
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saved to the game disk.
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The C64 screen display consists of boxing windows; the overhead view of the
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ring and its fighters; and time, round, and energy indicators. The face and
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upper body of your fighter appears in the upper main window; your opponent
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appears in the lower main window. Throwing a punch causes your fighter's gloved
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hand to appear in your opponent's window, and connecting a punch to his face
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causes his head to snap back. Of course, your opponent's fists appear in your
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window, too.
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To the right of the two main windows is another window, within which the
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fighters move about the ring. Their arms extend to throw punches; you can stand
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toe to toe or force your opponent against the ropes.
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Each 3-minute round is ticked off on a digital clock. Each round is indicated
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by a highlighted number. At the top right of the screen is the name of your
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fighter and his energy bar, which shrinks as he absorbs punches.
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The Scoreboard screen features mug shots of the combatants, declares the winner
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of the round, and gives the Statistics of the round along with the current
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totals.
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Except for using the keyboard to enter a fighter's name, TKO is
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joystick-controlled. There are five defensive hand positions, used to protect
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your fighter's head, chin, throat, chest, or stomach: This is accomplished by
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moving the joystick up or down. You throw punches from a defensive posture, and
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the current posture will remain until you reset it in the same manner.
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The nine joystick positions correspond to nine different targets on your
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opponent: both his eyes, both sides of his jaw, his nose, mouth, solar plexus,
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and both sides of his body. Throwing a punch to any of these areas is
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accomplished by moving the joystick to one of the designated positions, then
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pushing the button.
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Although you cannot technically move your fighter around the ring, he and his
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opponent shuffle about in response to the punches thrown. Forcing your opponent
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against the ropes or into a corner increases the effects of your punches.
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Were it not for the first-person perspective, TKO would be (more or less) just
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another boxing simulation. But from this unique perspective, you'll get to see
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exactly what Rocky Balboa saw: burning eyes and very large gloved fists. If
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you're not paying attention, those fists will land on your jaw, and your head
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will know it instantly. What's more, the fighters in TKO really take punches:
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Bruises and cuts appear, and a smart fighter will exploit these for a technical
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knockout.
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The game has a smooth, logical design. Roseann Mitchell's graphics are beefy
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and colorful, the music of Ed Bogas is appropriately intermittent, and the
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joystick controls work without a hitch. Accolade offers a line-up of solid and
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well-executed software, and TKO is no exception. If you're a boxing fan, TKO is
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a great way to get in a few punches of your own.
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TKO is published and distributed by Accolade Entertainment.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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