What makes a boxing champion? The will to win? A gruelling training regime? The ability to block out pain and concentrate on dishing it out? Mental and physical fortitude? It's almost impossible to say unless you've been there in the ring, suffering at the hands of another for the benefit of the paying public. I do know what doesn't make a boxing champion, however, as with the help of Midas Interactive's latest fighter, I know all that is bad about the pugilistic art.

An introless game to me can only mean one of two things, either it's a fabulously sharp title whose opening can be dealt with in-game, or it's one of those cheap Japanese games that someone has thought could make a buck or two in the European market. Boxing Champions falls firmly into the latter category and is one of the most unrewarding titles I've played in a long while.

A paltry total of nine fighters is presented, along with two unlockable characters, who all perform identically - this is not a good start. They're split into lightweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight and each have what is laughably called a special move. Only one of these erroneously named 'specials' is worth pulling off and a majority of them seem like thoughtless annexes to an already poor title. The controls work well enough, with the face and right shoulder buttons performing aggressive maneouvers and the left shoulder buttons blocking. The whole game is more of a dull 3D beat 'em up affair than a boxing sim and has the feel of an early nineties shareware title.

Which is not something wholly without merit, as there are elements that shine through this mire of mediocrity like a diamond in pig poo. For anyone under a little stress at the moment, Boxing Champions offers a brief release of tension. The collision detection is generally good enough to avoid frustration and whilst the animation doesn't do the title any favours, it's pacey and furious enough to make you want to chuck it in your machine every now and again for a spot of stress relief. Pugilists' faces become swollen and red with enough punishment and pummelling a ridiculously named character (with an equally ridiculous face) until he is unable to stand up is just wonderful… for about ten minutes. This title has no create-a-fighter mode, no training, no stat increases, just boring boxing. The trouble isn't really the lack of options but the absence of anything offering even an inch of depth; once you've played through twice, that's it, you might as well take it back. Even the bouts don't present any challenge or reward, as it's a simple matter of who can get the most punches in.

The multiplayer mode offers a good deal of enjoyment however, as the simplicity of the gameplay means that as long as you have two thumbs and can wield a controller you've got an even 50/50 chance of beating your mate, even if they are well practiced. One of the main uses, I've found, is that arguments about the hoovering can be resolved quickly and fairly with the use of a quick versus match, but then again, the choice between doing household chores and playing this title is a difficult one - I'm not sure which is the least enjoyable of the two.

A few surprising touches have been thrown in the mix, such as a slight blurring effect when a hit connects and the boxers becoming visibly tired after a few rounds. The character modelling is brazen in its repetitiveness (as every character has the same torso), as is the animation, which is both bizarre and shoddy. The ring and crowd graphics are passable and the three camera views do the job well. The sound offers a slight pick up in quality, with some well placed grunts and thwacks adding to the pace of the fights. Reinforcing the feel of an aged beat 'em up is the speech sampling, which is as basic as "Ready?"… "Fight!", giving a dash of illegal-underground-boxing-club to the whole affair.

Don't buy Boxing Champions, it just isn't of sufficient quality to be worthwhile. Having a few high points is all well and good and the pace of the gameplay is pretty much unrivalled in the genre, but you'd have to be punch drunk to see anything other than a cheap money spinner in this title.

Reviewed by Tom Leclerc for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).