Anyone ever remember Nintendo’s Punch Out!! series? Fans of the series (like myself) have been waiting for its next incarnation almost as long as we’ve waited for a Super Metroid sequel. Developer Digital Faction has answered the prayers or many in a way, and their answer is Black & Bruised...

Game Summary:
Black & Bruised is an over-the-top arcade style boxing game that combines wacky cartoon humor with thumb twitching boxing action.

The cartoon look and feel of Black & Bruised combines humor and strategy to attract both young and mature audiences. The individual boxing characters are differentiated not only by their look, but more importantly, by their AI personalities. Detailed and humoristic facial animations are used to convey the boxer’s mood and reaction to a landed punch. The boxer’s body and face also deteriorate visually to indicate injuries.

Black & Bruised takes full advantage of proportional analog controls and buttons to give the player a puppeteer like sense of control over their boxer. Ex: When pressing the punch button, the pressure, speed and depth of the press is translated into the PC’s punch speed, power and completion. These feelings are visually enhanced by the use of skeletal motion and skin morphing technologies.

Game Storyline:
Enter the world of 18 colorful individuals who have, for one reason or another, been forced into the world of boxing to support their families and themselves. With each character, you will learn their life stories and how they plan to reap the benefits from winning bouts.

Key Game Features:
* 18 distinct cartoon-esque characters with colorful personalities and unique fighting styles;
* 18 different boxing rings and fighting arenas;
* Cel Shaded - High quality cartoon shader creates a Disney-esque feel and exaggerates gameplay;
* Enhanced AI engine - characters’ unique personalities react to a sequence of events that modify their subsequent reactions to circumvent repetitive player strategies;
* Extended facial animation - more than 30 unique and humorous facial animations convey boxer’s mood and reaction to punches;
* Pressure sensitive analog controls are easy to learn, hard to master;
* Five modes of play: Training, Single, Championship, Survival and 2-Player:
* Training - Refine your techniques by fighting the training robot.
* Single - Select your opponent and go one-on-one with the computer.
* Championship - Fight a list of opponents and go for the World Title.
* Survival - Fight as many opponents as you can knockout.
* Two-Player - Go head-to-head with a friend;
* 1st person or close-up 3rd person camera viewpoints let you fight where you’re most comfortable;
* Boxer’s Life mode - After your bout, the console’s Full Motion Video (FMV) updates to reflect the impact of the outcome on the character’s life. It will not only define the stakes, but also impact the way the boxer performs in the next bout;
* Special effects - Stars, perspiration, particle effects and explosions will indicate the effectiveness of a particular punch and add to the zany feel of the game.
* Super Punch - Every boxer has a "super punch" to destroy his/her opponent. Fire, electricity and explosion effects indicate super punches.

Black & Bruised will be released side by side for the Nintendo GameCube and PS2 in Fall 2002. Now, only if we had Mario as the referee...