Creed: Rise to Glory

Boxing seems like a natural fit for the world of virtual reality gaming, but the loose controls make this game more of an arcade contender than the true VR champ. Creed: Rise to Glory brings the boxing experience to the VR ring wrapped up in the cinematic universe of the Rocky Balboa franchise, specifically the most recent entry, Creed. The game loosely follows the plot of the film, but in terms of actual storytelling, it's fairly watered down. It's mainly used as a narrative framework for the training sessions, to set up bouts, and to add the recognizable faces of Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone to the experience. In that respect, it gets the job done.

Bringing a realistic boxing experience would be a daunting task, which is why it's emphasized that Creed: Rise to Glory is meant to be more of an arcade-style game. Either way you look at it, though, it's more than just swinging wildly and tiring yourself out. The game has a focus on timing your shots and not wearing yourself out. But fatigue in the game is represented with an odd sort of disconnect from your actions. This "desynchronization" causes delayed response to your motions. In a VR environment, this sort of delay can wreak havoc with your body's internal calibration. It almost feels like you're trying to brawl after a night out of heavy drinking. It doesn't help that even when your fighter is fresh and rested, the default controls are still just a bit loose in their responsiveness. Eventually (and especially after repeated work training) this is something you can adjust to and compensate for, but it's still a dizzying experience. Despite this, Creed: Rise to Glory is still fun for a few rounds at a time. And taking the fight to others online, where both fighters are on a level playing field, can be a blast to play. Creed: Rise to Glory might not win the Golden Gloves of the VR boxing arena, but it certainly earns a spot as a contender.