FaceBreaker K.O. Party, or 'FaceBroken' as I have come to refer to it as, is a title that I had been looking forward to for sometime. Ever since the NES release of the 1987 classic Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, arcade boxing has held a warm place in my stone cold heart. Who couldn't adore Little Mac and the fantastic cut scenes before each fight where he pounded the streets in a Rocky-esque fashion? Wonderful memories. No game has quite managed to reproduce the sheer satisfaction that Punch-Out!! had to offer and although we've seen notable challengers for the title since the 8-bit era, none have landed that knockout blow that it delivered. There was nothing more fulfilling than landing a solid punch to Von Kaiser's jaw and watching him writhe around in agony from left to right before landing on the canvas, only to be counted out by that ever versatile Mario. Boy, he's talented plumber!

Over a decade later, Midway released Ready 2 Rumble Boxing in 1999, which kept the memory of Punch-Out!! alive with its striking resemblance to the classic arcade boxing title. Boxing games have dried up since then somewhat, especially the arcade derivatives of the sport. The Fight Night series is regarded as the peak of boxing simulation but there is something very enjoyable about arcade style boxing games too. So, until Punch-Out!! makes its triumphant return to the Wii next year, arcade boxing will have to suffer a game that produces more pain than pleasure.

And when I say pain, I'm talking about physical pain; FaceBreaker's controls are so awful that in the immediate aftermath of my first venture into the game, my hand resembled a claw and I had the worst case of Wiimote elbow possible. In fact, FaceBreaker made me yearn for the simplicity and calm of Wii Sports' boxing effort, which although fairly active, doesn't leave me crippled after a half hour stint.

What makes the situation worse is the complete pointlessness of the control system, given that it doesn't actually work. As I flailed wildly, attempting to land punches on my opponent, I noticed that my physical energy wasn't transforming into its virtual equivalent - the controls feel completely detached. Maybe the sheer ferocity and speed of the game contributes to its downfall, as on many occasions while trying to defend myself and get a foothold in the contest, my attacks resulted in insane button-mashing, or whatever the Wii equivalent of this is [Wiimote waggling? Suggest-Ed]. It is a relief that the fights only last three rounds because it is pretty much all I can physically take - and once your opponent smells blood then your character is as good as dead, as he or she is continually pummelled into submission and all the flailing in the world has no effect or bearing on the game. If you want my advice, the best course of action is to slip the wristband off, place the Wiimote down, cross your arms and watch your opponent break your face - it's just less painful that way.

The idea behind FaceBreaker's control system is simple in essence. Using the nunchuk and Wiimote, you jab at your opponent from a third person perspective. The nunchuk's stick controls your movement whilst the Wiimote does the majority of the hard work. You tilt the Wiimote to launch a charge punch, which afflicts extra damage upon your fellow boxer, while the B button is used to crouch and the A button throws what is known as a Haybreaker. This is the first level of a power-up, which culminates in a devastating finishing move that's appropriately called the Facebreaker. As with other EA games such as FIFA Street, the game relies on combinations to boost the effectiveness of your attack. However, combinations are difficult to achieve as they have a tendency to be interrupted quite frequently by a swift clout around your face. Obviously, a control system that doesn't give you much in the way of control is very frustrating and altogether not much fun. It is difficult to blame the Wii controls for this fine mess, however - while many developers have failed to get to grips with the uniqueness that the Wiimote provides, FaceBreaker was released in a slightly different guise on PS3 and Xbox 360, with equally disastrous results.

Another criticism that can be levelled at FaceBreaker is that it doesn't know what it wants to be - an arcade boxing game or a beat 'em up. Everything about the game has a boxing theme, yet it performs more like a poor man's beat 'em up; it just can't make up its mind and does neither of them very well - both genres rely on good combat but FaceBreaker fails to provide it. Another equally poor element of the game is the sheer lack of gameplay options available. To be fair, this is a budget price title that will probably sell well as we enter the festive season for that very reason - but even at a penny shy of fifteen pounds, the game offers little to promote its longevity. You are better off taking a peek at the Virtual Console and picking a classic (or two) to see you through the wintery nights instead.

With only two single player options, FaceBreaker has a little more depth as a multiplayer title if you and a friend feel it necessary to punish yourselves. The single player modes include three rounds of slogging in an exhibition match, or you can play Brawl for it All, which allows you to unlock more characters as you compete for four title belts. This is as close to a career mode as you are going to get and it is extremely lightweight, with title fights that are so ridiculously unbalanced that one wrong move will see your opponent taking full advantage and, more often than not, the fight ending with a signature FaceBreaker move performed on your lifeless carcass. At least EA give you three attempts at winning each fight though, so you can relive the pasting you take again and again.

The multiplayer offers the chance for you and up to three friends to do battle in the ring. The first mode on offer is Punch-O-Matic, which is a machine that determines what type of fight you take part in, which fighters are involved and where the fight takes place. A neat design idea gives you the chance to power the Punch-O-Matic, which resembles the boxing equivalent of a fruit machine; by swinging a punch with the Wiimote, you connect with the onscreen punch target, which in turn starts the fruit machine ticking through its options. The Punch-O-Matic selects one of the very random minigames, such as dodging a snowflake that freezes you whilst you duck and weave around the ring, and the first to win the specified amount of matches is crowned the winner. TKO can also accommodate up to four players, asking you to choose three characters from the twelve available (once you have unlocked them all). Those three characters form a team to take on your opponent and the winner of TKO is determined by the best of three fights, as you pit a member of your team against your assembled adversaries. And that's it on the multiplayer front, so even in this respect the game is severely lightweight.

With so much criticism raised, I've been digging around for the slightest crumb of goodness on this plate of inedible waste and I've managed to find at least a couple of vaguely redeeming features. The visuals are pretty good, with twelve characters that are vibrant and memorable. As with FIFA Street, EA has elected to use elongated and freakishly built bodies again, with each character using their own signature moves. And while FaceBreaker is nowhere near as enjoyable as the SSX titles, it does have an SSX stylised feel to it, which initially excited me. It also has a good sense of humour, especially if you actually beat your opponent and get to see the fruits of your labour when you are presented with the sight of their brutally disfigured face after the fight. As always, EA's selection of songs bobs along inoffensively in the background, but it doesn't do enough to rouse your flagging spirits as you start to realise that all this game has going for it is decent cosmetics, mildly humorous cut scenes and reasonable audio.

And that just about sums the FaceBreaker K.O. Party experience up. How can the same team that produced the outstanding Fight Night Round 3 - which is arguably the best boxing simulation in videogame history - also associate its name with one of the poorest boxing titles every made? I honestly have no idea - and call me stuck in my ways, but I'm off to download Punch-Out!! from the Virtual Console and have myself some actual fun.

Reviewed by Mark Carlton for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).