Next Generation stated, "It's arguably the best 3D boxing game yet" and the versus mode offered "solid replay value". He is based on a fight in the manga when Takamura overdid his weight management.[11]. MobyGames™ Copyright © 1999-2020 Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory was produced by Entertainment Software Publishing and was adapted from the Fighting Spirit manga series, at a time when the publishing company was focusing on its licensed comic properties rather than original titles. His story is the most similar to the manga in that he is the only character in the series to have never lost a fight. The story switches again to Mamoru Takamura. For Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory on the PlayStation 2, GameFAQs has 3 guides and walkthroughs, 2 cheat codes and secrets, 16 reviews, 24 critic reviews, and 1 save game. [6], Victorious Boxers does not use a damage or life meter. [5] The initial setup uses the left analog stick for all the character's bodily movements; minor movements to the stick control the upper body movements, while larger movements control the lower body and movement within the ring. Masaru Aoki vs Katsutaka Imae Fight, Hajime no Ippo manga, Volume 50. The game features forty-four playable boxers—forty-two boxers and two duplicate characters that have handicapped abilities. [10] After winning, Ippo take his professional boxer exam to begin his boxing career. [34] Two titles were released on the PlayStation 2; Hajime no Ippo 2: Victorious Road and Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit. The game was released in Japan by Entertainment Software Publishing in December 2000 and in North America and Europe by Empire Interactive in 2001. [28], Many reviews commented on the graphics, citing there were other games with better graphics at the time.GamePro rated the overall graphics 3.5 out of 5. [16] In May 2001, British video game company Empire Interactive announced it would publish the game in Europe and North America. Characters can dash, bob and weave in all eight directions. After becoming the champion, Ippo then defends the title five times. Takamura begins a strict weight management program to drop to Hawk's weight class. PlayStation 2 Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory. [12] After Aoki's story arc, the game shifts again to another of Ippo's senpai, Tatsuya Kimura, who began boxing with Aoki. Home > ISOs > Sony PlayStation 2 > Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory (USA) PS2 ISO. Other locations include the mountainous area around Niigata, and an outdoor boxing ring set in post-World War II Tokyo, Japan. Through his training, he develops an "iron fist" technique. Story mode also unlocks more options in the versus mode as a player progresses through the story. [5], The game has two modes, a single player story mode and a multi-player versus mode. [2][6] Matt Helgeson of Game Informer described it as dramatically different from the "combo-intensive, somewhat sluggish feel" of Knockout Kings. [1] The game was released in Japan by Entertainment Software Publishing in December 2000 and in North America and Europe by Empire Interactive in 2001. After the main boxers have been played, Ippo visits his coach, Genji Kamogawa, at the mountain lodge. This version is based on when Ippo began boxing and was training to fight his rival, Ichiro Miyata. One day, Ralph Anderson, an American soldier stationed in their area, challenged and beat up the local boxers to show American dominance over Japanese boxers. The punches are divided into left and right jabs/hooks. The game keeps track of the fight records and saves it to the memory card, via an auto-save option. [4] The developers noted the capacities of the PlayStation 2 allowed them to reproduce the characters of the series accurately. New locations become available once a fight occurs there in the story mode. Victorious Boxers / Hajime no Ippo series, Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory - Wikipedia. [10] The weaker Takamura has less muscle mass and looks ill. Description. His story is very similar to Aoki's in that he also enters the Class A Tournament and loses. [7] While many critics complimented the control scheme, they also commented on its difficulty to master. [14] Development for the game was handled by New Corporation. He then enters the East Japan Rookie Champion Tournament, and after succeeding, he faces the West Japan Rookie Champ, Takeshi Sendo. [24] Though the graphics were not well received, the character animations were very well received. The game features most of the boxer up to the 53rd volume of the manga, including Ryuichi Hayami, Ryo Mashiba, Vorg Zangief, Kazuki Sanada, and Ryuhei Sawamura. [citation needed] Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit was originally released in Japan on December 22, 2004 as Hajime no Ippo: All-Stars (はじめの一歩 ALL☆STARS), and features gameplay similar to the first Victorious Boxers. After the war, they boxed in exhibition matches. [8][26][30], The gameplay received mixed reviews. [24] Other reviews rated the audio better, particularly the music and sound effects during the fights. Once a character has been played or a special technique learned, they become available in the versus mode. [15] The soundtrack of the game was composed by Takayuki Aihara, Shinji Hosoe and Naoki Tsuchiya. Victorious Boxers – Ippo’s Road to Glory (USA).iso After winning, Takamura and the others go to a lodge in the mountains to train. By combining upper body movements with punches, players can duck down and hit to the body or lean back and throw a quick punch to the head. GamePro rated both the controls and fun factor a 4.5 out of 5, and mentioned though the controls were very intuitive and precise, "they require a lot of brainwork and dexterity". [31][32] By September 2001, its sales in Japan alone surpassed 300,000 units. Kimura's story is also different than the manga in that he lost several of the fights and did not become the Junior Lightweight Champion.[13]. While boxing, Kamogawa severely injured Nekota, but Nekota hide it because of their friendship. [9] The protagonist is Ippo Makunouchi, but the story shifts to his friends and fellow contenders as well. During the fight, Anderson used an illegal punch on Nekota that worsened his condition. [1], Victorious Boxers was followed by sequels on other video game consoles. Aoki's story differs from the manga in that Aoki lost several of the fights, and achieved a draw in the Title bout. [5] Cut scenes are added in before and after matches as the main story telling device, and utilize the same character models as the fights. Victorious Boxers is set in Tokyo, Japan. The oldest, largest and most accurate video game database covering over 280 platforms from 1950 to date! Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory,[a] known as simply Victorious Boxers, is a boxing video game developed by New Corporation for the PlayStation 2 video game console.