Thrill of the Fight: VR Boxing Fighters Profiled
I’m usually the last to adopt pop trends. I rocked a flip phone until about five years ago. I resisted all facets of the Arrowverse until finally cracking and giving it a try last year. While the world is creaming over the new and improved PlayStation 5, I still have a PS3. I mean I’m trying to sell that ish on Mercari, but it’s still here and I just played it as recently as a few weeks ago. Well this all changed when I pre-ordered the Oculus Quest 2, the definitive virtual reality system.
The Oculus Quest 2 isn’t perfect, yet amazing just the same. I’ve logged mad hours on this thing since it touched down about a month ago. That time has mostly been split across two video games: DOOM (well, dozens of DOOM games), and Thrill of the Fight.
Developed by Ian Fitz, Thrill of the Fight aims to deliver a realistic boxing simulation, and it succeeds in virtually every facet. I break down a lot of the details in a pair of video reviews, so I’d like to focus on something I haven’t seen covered much, and that’s the roster.
Thrill of the Fight serves up a total of nine boxers, each with varying levels of skill, style and characteristics. In this textual expose’ (I always wanted to say!), I do my best to profile each individual fighter and what they bring to the table.
1. Melky
After brushing up on the fundamentals in the gym with your sparring partner, you move up to your first real match and opponent. He goes by the name Alexei Petroy, CKA Melky. Hailing from St. Petersburg, the young Russian is essentially in your very shoes as the up and coming fighter. He’s new to the game (of boxing) and aspiring to work his way up the ladder. This bodes well for you as he’s pretty much an easy win with a weak chin. I rolled through him on all three difficulty levels played thus far, including Endurance, which is Thrill’s equivalent of Hard. Keep training kid!
2. Ugly Joe
Next up is “Ugly” Joe Nasato. Joe is your grandpa’s favorite boxer, an old school, grizzled vet who prioritizes fundamentals over flash. Ugly Joe is a well-rounded fighter with a deceptively mean right hook. He’s a lot tougher than he looks, so take him lightly at your own peril.
3. The Raging Reverend
If there is any fighter on the roster teetering on unremarkable, it’s this guy. Boasting the worst nickname in the game, Gene “the Raging Reverend” Priest should be a fairly easy win for anyone who has run through a few rounds of this simulation. That’s not to say he doesn’t have his merits. The Rev is a cautious fighter, which he manages to roll into solid defense. This cat does quite a bit of ducking, and while he’s not very aggressive, he is an effective counter-puncher with admirable power. He knocked me the fuck out while I was taking my mental notes for this write-up. Lucky as hell, but a win is a win …
4. The Lightning
You should probably expect a fighter nicknamed “the Lightning” to be reasonably fast. Luis Felix is that and then some. In fact, he’s annoyingly quick, to the point of being elusive and tough to hit — especially if you’re fatigued from previous fights. Throw in the fact that he’s disciplined on defense, and you can find yourself very frustrated, very fast. While more known for his speed and elusiveness, lil Lightning here unleashes surprising power when showing off his patented move — a Superman punch-like charging haymaker that does serious damage if it lands. He also uses that quickness to dish out some effective combos.
Alright now, that’s enough ball washing! Although his style presents some problems, Felix is one of those fighters you can easily plan for. Dude is a literal lightweight, so a body-focused strategy will wear his frail ass down after a few rounds. He also bruises easily, and if your power game is on point, you can knock him smooth the fuck up outta there.
5. The Spider
I’ve had my challenges, but I more or less steam rolled my way through Thrill of the Fight’s roster. This includes conquering both Easy and Normal difficulty levels without losing a single fight. Yeah, ya boy was in Mayweather mode … until I ran up against Charong “The Spider” Kitsuwan. Should be named “The Plan Breaker” — err “The Spirit Taker” also works. SMH.
Honestly, I didn’t think much of him when playing the first two difficulty levels. Yet on Endurance, I notice he’s a tall, lanky fighter that towers over you and suddenly appears more menacing than the rest of the roster. It’s almost like they buffed him just for this level. Dude has that Ivan Drago thing going on strong.
Like most taller fighters, the Spider has tremendous reach. The height advantage makes him difficult to hit. I was frustrated to find myself swinging and missing at an alarming rate. Throw in remarkable punching power and you’ve got yourself a doozy of a fighter. Spider is all about the power game. In fact, you’ll rarely ever catch him throwing a jab.
This dude has been giving me the business over the past two weeks. That’s well over 10 fights. Among them, a first round knockout on the strength of a single knock down. That’s friggin’ unheard of! I managed to go the distance just once in a one-sided decision, and lost the rest via TKO.
I’ve tried a multitude of strategies, including getting up in his ass like a wedgie. Attacking from uncomfortably close range, staying low to nullify the height edge while unloading with a flurry to the mid-section. While it hasn’t resulted in victory, obviously, it does seem to have some merit as it increased my strike accuracy and allowed me to stay upright a tad longer.
Just have to figure out how to avoid that seemingly inevitable exhaustion. I tend to go all out when I know I don’t have a shot at winning, which unfortunately, leads to poor form and tiring myself out. For reals. It gets ugly!
6. The Artist
Next up is Thrill of the Fight’s spin on Shinsuke Nakamura. You know — the Artist? That might be a bad comparison considering that this dude is far from the king of anything, let alone strong style. Hoju Mizushima’s tendency to drop low can make him tough to hit, but that doesn’t exactly translate to great defense. In fact, he’s very undisciplined at guarding his grill, which sucks for him, because he bruises like a thin-skinned albino. In short, he’s a lackluster fighter. Maybe he has something in common with Nakamura after all …
7. The Duke
Every boxing game has a fighter that inspires thoughts of a ferocious young Mike Tyson. For Thrill of the Fight, it’s Duke “The Duke” Bell. This dude is a beast, and Endurance brings out his most terrifying attributes. The Duke has fearsome power, and relies on it to throw a number of body blows, which kinda surprised me. And while all that size and brawn means he’s slower to recover, he forms a solid guard when he does set back into defense.
That said, his greatest strength may be his patience. Duke Bell is a smart fighter who baits you in by simply waiting for you to open yourself up and make a mistake. In many instances, he won’t throw a single punch until you make a move. Coupled with his power and defense, this degree of discipline makes him an incredibly dangerous fighter.
8. Mateo
Luis is quick, but he isn’t Matty quick. Matty “Mateo” Vega is easily the fastest fighter on the roster. Dude is so swift and elusive that he’s almost impossible to hit. Really an annoying little fucker. Mateo couples that remarkable speed with a reasonably effective mesh of counter and combo punches.
Having said that, his speed comes at the cost of power, because he has little to none. I often get to a point where I’m running on fumes, my form is shit and my defense is practically non-existent. I’m a staggering punching bag, yet his weak ass punches still inflict very little damage. This is definitely something you can use to your advantage.
9. Moneymaker
Last but not least is the champ, Edward Price. As you might expect, he’s the best of the best. A well-balanced fighter with the strongest attributes of his roster counterparts rolled into one package. That means he has tremendous power, blazing speed, and near impenetrable defense. What really stands out, though, is his aggressiveness. While other fighters allow your attack strategy to dictate the pace, Price comes after you relentlessly with haymakers and combos, which can be intimidating on the heels of a patient Duke Bell and weak puncher in Matt Vega.
I still think the Spider is a bigger, tougher challenge, for me personally, but the Moneymaker is no walk in the park. Eddie certainly warrants his spot as Thrill of the Fight’s champion boxer.
Contel Bradford is a mystical and complex individual. You can attempt to unravel some of the mystery by visiting his author site at countkrewpublications.com.
