Ludography
4-D Boxing cover

1991 · Distinctive Software · Boxing · Sports

4-D Boxing

4-D Boxing leaves behind any pretences of being a pure arcade game based on boxing, and aims to recreate the sport in full detail. The graphics engine allows for multiple camera angles and viewpoints, and considerably detailed visuals. These required more advanced hardware than was common at the time, but a stick-figure mode was included as a compromise. The moves on offer include all the uppercuts and hooks of a real fight, and the players are designed to move realistically to implement them.

Released
15 June 1991
Platforms
AmigaAtari STFM TownsFM Towns MartyLegacy ComputerMS-DOSPC-9800 SeriesmacOS
Genres
BoxingSports
Developers
Distinctive Software
Publishers
MindscapeElectronic Arts
Series
4D Sports series
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
First personThird person

About

4D Sports Boxing is a 3D boxing video game, with motion capture animation, developed by Distinctive Software and released in 1991 for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Macintosh. It is part of the 4D Sports series along with 4D Sports Driving and 4D Sports Tennis. An updated version was published by Electronic Arts in 1992, including an FM Towns Marty port.

Keywords

  • training
  • boxing
  • hand-to-hand combat
  • instant replay
  • customizable characters
  • polygonal 3d
  • cga graphics

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game features stylized boxers in polygon-based graphics, composed of triangles, some with names suggestive of non-fictional people. All opponent boxers have different fighting styles: some prefer to attack, some to counter-attack. Some (like Smokin' Joe Blow) have great punching power, some have amazing speed; The Champ has nearly perfect attributes. The game is regarded as one of earliest, and possibly first, 3D head-to-head fighting games.

The player can choose which attributes of the playable boxer's attributes to improve: speed, power or stamina. While fighting, different tactics and strategies can be used, like all-out attacks, counter-attacks, dodging, etc. Sometimes fights end in a unanimous decision, even 15 round fights. Draws and disqualifications are also possibilities.

Development

The game was published by Mindscape in June 1991 for IBM PC compatibles, Macintosh, Amiga, and FM Towns Marty. The Macintosh version has slightly better graphics with a smaller screen size.

An improved version was published in February 1992 by Electronic Arts. It has different music, introductions, and adds pupils to the boxers' eyes. The FM Towns Marty version is based on this version, but with higher quality sound.

Reception

Computer Gaming World wrote that the polygon graphics were strange-looking but very accurately modeled boxers' bodies and punches. The magazine concluded that "4D Boxing is an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable game with an effective representation of boxing skills ... a welcome and often-played addition to any sports game library". That year the magazine named it one of the year's best sports games.

In 1994, PC Gamer US named 4D Boxing the 47th best computer game ever.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Amiga15 June 1991Europe
MS-DOS15 June 1991North America · Europe 15 June 1991
Legacy Computer15 June 1991North America
macOS15 June 1991North America
FM Towns1 December 1992Japan
PC-9800 Series14 January 1993Japan

In the same series

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Collections1 collection

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.