If you are a fan of arcade-style sports games, then odds are you have played Ready 2 Rumble. It’s been over 20 years since its sequel Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2’s release and I’d say it’s high time for a reboot. I would love nothing more than to go head-to-head against Butcher Brown as Afro Thunder again. Even though its developer Midway filed for bankruptcy in 2009, Warner Bros. owns the company’s assets, so nothing is impossible.
From its colourful roster to its out-of-ring knockouts, Ready 2 Rumble was a staple of the Dreamcast era. The game was full of personality, and before each match,the boxers would talk trash to each other while the legendary Michael Buffer introduced them.
What was cool was that each boxer shared a rivalry with another, and if they met in the ring they would each say something directed specifically at their opponent. During each match, players would build up letters to the word “Rumble” by landing certain types of punches or taunting their opponent. As the meter filled in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, it hit different levels, with each one unleashing a certain combo. If you got your Rumble meter up to the top level, you could unleash a special punch (each character had one) that worked as an automatic KO.
I am not talking about a punch that would put your opponent to sleep on the mat, no; this punch knocked them into the stratosphere and out of the ring. Both games had a cool list of characters, but Round 2 featured the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the late Michael Jackson (yes one of his gloves was sparkly). It may have been over 20 years since the last game, but this is the golden era of remakes – or even remakes or remasters – so why not bring back a golden oldie that had so much spirit?
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing may not match the likes of Killer Instinct or Street Fighter in terms of popularity, but the boxing game market is starved and there’s room to capitalize. Bring back Michael and Bruce Buffer to do the announcing, and the series could really add some life to the current generation.
If Warner Bros’ subsidiary NetherRealm (Mortal Kombat 11, Injustice 2) was put in charge of a reboot, these are some of the ideas I could see them implement, starting with the game’s roster. Afro Thunder, Butcher Brown, Boris “The Bear” Knokimov, Angel “Raging” Rivera, and Selene Strike all need to be back as they were the major characters of the series and part of the original 17. From there you can add new original fighters, and include some of the offspring of the original fighters. For example, Afro Thunder’s whole attitude and dialogue are very ‘1970s,’ and his rival and cousin G.C. had a very ’80s’ vibe (he was basically Prince), so why not make Afro’s kid based around the 90s or early 2000s?
In terms of unlockable characters, the game should include the Paul brothers (love ’em or hate ’em, they’re a perfect fit) and other pop culture figures. The game should also contain a story mode where you have a choice either to be an up-and-coming fighter or a boxer who has fallen from grace. The former comes with fewer experience points, stats, and moves, while the other has more experience and a wider move set but is older and can get knocked out easier. The reboot should, of course, also include new rivalries, and a new champion/boss to fight at the main event in the regular arcade mode.
Plus, you could also have rankings (towers) where you start at various ranks. Easy rank could be 12 fights, and hard could be a full roster,. You could even add an unlimited mode where beating 100 opponents unlocks a new fighter, arena, skin, and/or move set. There is a whole world of possibilities, but the most important thing is that the game remains absurd and arcadey. This is not Fight Night, this is a boxing game where one of the boxers was a robot with a speedbag for a head. That’s why I think NetherRealm would be perfect to make the game.
Now if Warner Bros. decided to have another studio make the game that would be fine, but why not have the studio known for making ridiculous (and awesome) fighting games revive Ready 2 Rumble Boxing?
