Game Details
Price
  • $39.99
Available on
Genre
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Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution (Wii)

common sense media says

Horrible controls + stereotyping = one big sucker punch.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this boxing game is an update of an old Midway game. While the game is supposed to be a satire with funny extreme caricatures of famous people from the music, acting, and sports industries, some of the portrayals could be interpreted as offensive stereotypes instead. It has poor controls, so players may become frustrated and discouraged.

Educational value: Not applicable.
Positive messages: The game has 18 cartoon boxers which are suppose to be extreme caricatures of famous people. Some seem more like stereotypes that appear to promote bigotry and racism, particularly the ones that show an African American
character's mother having 18 children and another character who looks like a pimp out of
grade D movie.
Violence: The violence is of a cartoon nature and there is no blood. Powerful punches do lift boxers high into the air, however.
Sex: Stereotypes for women include ring girls with too-tight outfits and giant, jiggly breasts.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: You'll see some of the boxers smoking cigars.

More on Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about satire in video games. Do you think there is a fine line between funny satire and offensive sterotyping? Are there any characters you like in game? Which ones promote negative stereotypes? How so?

What's the story?

What's the story?

READY 2 RUMBLE: REVOLUTION is Atari's attempt to revive a Midway boxing series, one which didn't understand the difference between hurtful racial stereotypes and honest satire. In career mode, you choose one of about a dozen fighters, some of whom look like Brad Pitt or Jack Black, to rise among the ranks to become the top boxer.

Using the Wii Remote and the nunchuk, you are supposed to be able to pull off a variety of moves from jabs to uppercuts to roundhouse punches for offense. For defense, you are able to block, bob and weave. In addition, there are some mini games which require precise target punching to complete.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

There is really very little to commend the game, unless you simply want to brawl. If you have a love for old arcade games like Punch Out, which approximates the sweet science of boxing and adds humor to the escapade, you'll be disappointed. If you love more simulation-like representations of fisticuffs like the recent Fight Night series, you'll go from disappointment to despair because the controls are rarely accurate. You end up flailing around a lot. Heck, the simple Wii Sports Boxing is more exact than this.

If you're at all sensitive about bigotry in games, Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution will raise some red flags. One African American character's mother had 18 children. Another character looks like a pimp out of grade D movie. This isn't funny: it's degrading. Plus, the so-called parodies of Jack Black as a kind of spoiled child and Brad Pitt circa Fight Club will cause some to raise eyebrows. Unfortunately, this boxing game is a debacle rife with bad taste at the least and racism at the worst.

 

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Nintendo Wii
Not available online
Genre: Sports
Developer: Atari
Released on: March 17, 2009
Price: 39.99
ESRB Rating: T for Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Tobacco Reference

This review was written by Harold Goldberg
 
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age