Editing Boxing Legends of the Ring

{{more citations needed|date=October 2017}}
{{Short description|1993 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Boxing Legends of the Ring <br> Chavez II <br> Final Knockout
|image = Boxing Legends of the Ring Coverart.png
|caption = North American cover art
|developer = [[Sculptured Software]]
|publisher = {{vgrelease|NA/EU|[[Electro Brain]]|JP|[[Pack-In-Video]]}}
|designer = Perry Rodgers<br>Ken Grant<br>Kenneth Moore
|composer = Mark Ganus <br> Dean Morrell
|released = '''Genesis:''' {{vgrelease|NA|October 1993<ref name=EGM51>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/14d7c864-42ba-40a4-8e4a-4164b8fd12db|title=Boxing Legends: An Instant Classic on SNES & Genesis|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=51|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=October 1993|pages=126-127}}</ref>}} '''Super NES:''' {{vgrelease|NA|October 1993<ref name=EGM51/>|EU|1993{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}|JP|November 5, 1993}} 
|genre = [[Fighting game|Fighting]], [[Sports game|sports]]
|modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] <br> [[multiplayer video game|multiplayer]]
|platforms = [[Sega Genesis]] <br> [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]]
}}

'''''Boxing Legends of the Ring''''' is a [[professional boxing|boxing]] video game for the [[Sega Genesis]] and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] consoles. The boxers are represented by 2D sprites seen from over the shoulder of one of the fighters. The title of the game refers to the famous boxing magazine, [[The Ring (magazine)|''The Ring'']], which the game is licensed to associate itself with. The following famous middleweight boxers are represented in the game: [[Sugar Ray Leonard]], [[Roberto Durán]], [[Thomas Hearns]], [[James Toney]], [[Marvelous Marvin Hagler|Marvin Hagler]], [[Jake LaMotta]], [[Sugar Ray Robinson]], and [[Rocky Graziano]].{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

All of the fights in the game take place in the [[Las Vegas Hilton]] casino in the North American version. There are also advertising banners for [[Home Box Office|HBO]] visible during fights that are not available in the Japanese version. In the Japanese version, the game takes place in a generic boxing ring using the publisher's name in place of the HBO advertisements found in the North American version.

A special version was released in Mexico and the [[American Southwest]] called '''''Chavez II'''''; the game exchanged the English language words for Spanish and omitted some vocals.

==Gameplay==
[[Image:Boxing Legends of the Ring076.png|thumb|left|The skills and attributes of the player]]
During fights, it is possible to keep track of the participating boxers' wellbeing by observing the small portraits of the fighters' faces at the top of the screen. As the fighters receive punishment, these portraits show injuries such as [[Bleeding|cuts]] and [[bruise]]s, the severity of which indicate the fighter's [[health]] (or lack of). There is also a [[boxing gloves|boxing glove]] shaped meter at the top of the screen, that indicates how much power a boxer has left in his [[Punch (strike)|punches]] (as in a real fight, the more punches boxers throw, the more tired they become, resulting in weaker punches).

The fighters' movement about the ring is limited to side-stepping left or right; it is impossible to step back or forward. A variety of punches can be thrown; left [[jab]]s, [[cross (boxing)|cross]]es to the head, [[hook (boxing)|hook]]s to the body, and [[uppercuts]] to the head (all punches except jabs can be thrown with either hand). It is also possible to throw a limited number of so-called 'super punches', that are essentially either a right cross or a right uppercut, but with extra power. At the start of each round, each boxer is capable of throwing one super-punch at any time, although it becomes possible to throw one more with each knockdown they score against their opponent. Defensive techniques consist of [[blocking (martial arts)|blocking]], [[dodging]], and [[clinching position|clinching]]. Each boxer has three attributes: 'power', 'stamina', and 'chin'.

[[Image:Boxing Legends of the Ring060.png|thumb|right|A scene of one of the boxing matches against Roberto Durán]]
There are three different modes: 'exhibition', 'career', and 'battle of the legends'. In 'exhibition' mode, a player can choose to fight as any boxer in the game, against any boxer in the game, against either the console or another player. In 'career' mode, a player creates their own boxer, and fights their way through all the boxers in the game, before fighting for the world title. If the player loses once in 'career' mode, he is given a warning that 'game over' would be given for the second loss; giving the player no alternative but to either use a password or start over again with a new boxer.

==Presentation==
Each fight is seen from behind and slightly to one side of one of the boxers, so that the player appears to be looking over their shoulder, in the direction of their opponent. In the North American version, the blood is colored red while the Japanese version uses [[sweat]] instead. This is contrary to Nintendo's then-current censorship policy that blood should never be used in their games. Between each round, girls in bikinis announce the next round by showing a number around the ring (and to the player).

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
|Fam=27/40<ref>NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ファイナルノックアウト. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.257. Pg.37. 12–19 November 1993.</ref>
|NGen={{rating|2|5}}<ref name="NG"/>
|NP=3.95/5{{efn|''Nintendo Power'' scored ''Rock n' Roll Racing'' 3.8/7 for graphics/sound, 3.7/5 for play control, 4/5 for challenge, and 4.3/5 for theme/fun.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-127-december-1999/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20052%20September%201993/page/105/mode/2up|title=Now Playing|date=September 1993|magazine=[[Nintendo Power]]|issue=52|pages=100–105|accessdate=April 16, 2021}}</ref>}}
}}
Reviewing the SNES release as ''Chavez II'', ''[[GamePro]]'' assessed that while it was not one of the best boxing games for the system, it was a surprisingly strong improvement from [[Chavez (Video Game)|the original]], with faster controls and sharper, bloodier graphics. They summarized it as "decent".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Chavez II Pulls Upset|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=67|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=February 1995|page=115}}</ref>

''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' stated that "other than the novely of Spanish text and Chavez on the box, you're just as well off picking up [...] ''Legends of the Ring''."<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine|title=Finals|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=7|publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]]|date=July 1995|page=78}}</ref> Super Gamer magazine gave the SNES version a review score of 81% stating: "Huge character graphics get you right into the bone-crunching action. Gameplay is somewhat limited, but there is always plenty of challenge and moves."<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 1994|title=Boxing Legends of the Ring Review|url=https://archive.org/details/super-gamer-02/page/122/mode/2up|journal=Super Gamer|location=[[United Kingdom]]|publisher=[[Paragon Publishing]]|issue=2|pages=122|access-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of fighting games]]

== Notes ==
{{noteslist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930160810/http://uk.gamespot.com/snes/sports/boxinglegendsofthering/video_player.html?id=KnUwxGfw5bsIuA Promo Video] at [[GameSpot]]

[[Category:1993 video games]]
[[Category:Boxing video games]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of boxers]]
[[Category:Electro Brain games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:The Ring (magazine)]]
[[Category:Sculptured Software games]]
[[Category:Sega Genesis games]]
[[Category:Sports video games with career mode]]
[[Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Video games based on real people]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]