K1 Grand Prix - PlayStation

Okay, the release of PlayStation gave developers the opportunity to exploit and populate what were previously ‘quiet’ genres. This chance was indeed taken, and boxing games weren’t the last thing on the software houses’ lists. Kick Boxing, however, remains only a 'brushed upon' genre that hasn’t been developed to a great extent. EON’s K-1 Grand Prix will hopefully change all that, and add another violent game to the video games library.

Those of you who do have knowledge of this sport can rest assured that there are as many as 32 actual K1 athletes to fight against or play as, originating from all over the globe. After choosing a character, you can begin one of the game’s four modes of play that include Tournament and Challenge amongst others. Attempts to make K1 as accurate as possible has forced a reasonably steep learning curve in gameplay. To combat this, an advisory training mode has been incorporated, giving you the chance to practice with your newly created characters and perfect combos and strategies. Completing the full inventory of moves is a mean feat, which if accomplished puts you in the master class of the game. Each of the four buttons on the pad corresponds to each limb of the character, and so executing combos is made much easier. Button bashing will not work here, since K1 is orientated strongly towards precise timing.

There isn’t a great back catalogue in the genre to compare K1 with, but it is a skilled game that with experience, becomes increasingly enjoyable to play.
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