Barry McGuigan World Championship Boxing
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Barry McGuigan World Championship Boxing is a game where, with the help of training and strategy as well as keyboard bashing, you must build your boxing career from humble rookie to World Champion.
Contents
Inlay Text
Truly an historic day in computer sports. You're probably quite anxious for a shot at Barry and the title, but so are the other boxers on the circuit. Here are some names to keep an eye on as you move up the ranks:
- Sonny Robinson; the number one contender is a flamboyant fighter with a dangerous left jab. He's been training heavily for a rematch with McGuigan, so he won't be easy to beat.
- Thunder Thompson; a newcomer to the circuit. He picked up an easy gold in the Star Rank Games and joined the pro ranks with the medal still swinging around his neck. A tough fighter to hurt.
- Lucky Lou Lyndon; another newcomer to the circuit who has tremendous strength that most of Lucky Lou's opponents are still nursing their bruises from their fight with him. Supporters say he has flawless style and execution.
- Flash Fenwick; an extremely quick fighter. Likes to put the "magic" on his opponents. (Definite proof that the hand is quicker than the eye.)
- Bashin' Bill Snow; a powerful fighter with many years of experience in the ring. Weakens other fighters with his increadible body blows.
- BoomBoom Barnett; another powerhouse with a wicked right cross. BoomBoom is an imaginative fighter who often outwits better boxers - quite unusual for a powerhouse.
Boxing Styles
- Dancer; likes to "stick and move". Rarely goes inside.
- Boxer; sometimes moves inside, but prefers to keep his distance. An excellent style if you like to flurry.
- Mixed; very unpredictable. Hard for your opponents to "read".
- Slugger; no-nonsense style. Doesn't tire quite as easy because he doesn't do much dancing. Goes inside often.
- Bulldog; likes to slug it out toe-to-toe. Can sometimes trap a dancer against the ropes.
Ringside
As in real boxing, your goal in Barry McGuigan's World Championship Boxing is to outscore or knock out your opponent in 10 or 12 round bouts. Each round is 3 "minutes" in length.
Training Camp
The most important part of the game next to actually being in the ring. But before you train your fighter, study his attributes * and notice how they can affect the outcome of each fight:
Endurance
- weak
- erratic
- average
- tough
- mighty
Endurance is the key to knockdowns. When it's less than ten a knockdown will occur within the next few punches. Because of the TRIPLE KNOCKDOWN RULE, if your fighter winds up kissin' canvas three times in the same round the fight is over. (That's called a TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT). Endurance goes down when you are hit and when you miss! The scoreboard above the ring constantly displays both fighter's endurance registers. Watch these numbers carefully! Endurance is indicated in the corners of the fight screen.
Stamina
- sluggish
- slow
- average
- quick
- lightning
The "toughness" register. Stamina may be thought of as a persentage. When a boxer rests between rounds he gets back a percentage of the endurance he lost in the previous round. Also, when a boxer is knocked down (endurance is less than ten) his chances of getting back up are related to his stamina. If his stamina is very high he will always get up but the lower it gets the better chance he will be knocked out. Stamina goes down every time you are hit.
Strength
- feeble
- weak
- average
- strong
- awesome
This register reflects your fighter's power. A strong fighter's punches will do more damage. Every punch you throw - hit or miss - will drain your strength register.
Agility
- poor
- average
- good
- massive
Agility is the key to your boxer's punching speed. It too goes down with every punch.
You've chosen an opponen, studied his strengths and weaknesses, planned your strategy and now you have from 6-12 weeks to train for the big fight. There are five areas in which you can allocate your time. You don't have to spread your time between the five areas. You can capitalize on one of your strengths or compensate for one of your weaknesses. The choice is up to you! Here are the five training areas and the effect they have on your status registers:
- Road work; hitting the road has a tremendous impact on your endurance and helps build strength and agility.
- Light Bag; the light bag is an agility builder. It also helps produce stamina.
- Weights; pumping iron is a strength builder. A few weeks of hard work and you'll be amazed.
- Spar Time; practice in the ring will build all your registers but is especially good at boosting your stamina.
- Heavy Bag; punching the heavy bag is great for your strength but it's also helpful in "toning" your stamina and endurance.
To train your boxer simply move the glove to an area and press FIRE. Every time you push the button another week will be allocated to that area. You can move to any area and devote up to 9 weeks as long as you don't exceed the total number of weeks left until the fight. When you are finished move the glove to CONTINUE and press FIRE.
Fight Time
To be successful in the ring you'll have to become an effective puncher. Some punches are only effective INSIDE while others are only effective when the boxers are OUTSIDE. Most important is being in the right range. Study the following chart and the descriptions of the various punches.
Punches that are only affective INSIDE (Boxers are close together): FIRE pressed:
Uppercut
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Hook ------- Neutral------- Cross
for Auto-Defence
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Body
Punches that are only effective OUTSIDE (Boxers are farther apart): FIRE NOT pressed:
Coverup
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Jab ------- Neutral------- Cross
for Auto-Defence
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Body
Offence
- Jab; the jab is an effective point-scorer, a quick punch that doesn't do a lot of damage but isn't very tiring when you miss either.
- Hook; the hook is slightly more damaging than the jab. It too is a quick punch and is good for scoring points without tiring the boxer unnessarily.
- Uppercut; the uppercut is an explosive punch from the INSIDE, It's moderately tiring and is a good knockout punch.
- Cross; the cross is an explosive punch INSIDE and OUTSIDE. Crosses hit with tremendous impact but are also extremely tiring. Use them cautiously.
Head shots - Jab, Hook, Uppercut and Cross - will always connect unless blocked by coverup or because punches were not delivered from the right range.
Body Shots; the body punch is a power punch. It drains an opponent's endurance and his strength. Like a cross, it too is very tiring.
Defence
- Coverup; the coverup wards off all blows to the head. Your boxer WILL NOT move while he is covering up, so if you want to move you'll have to release the joystick/keys and go to AUTO-DEFENCE.
- Auto-Defence; leaving the joystick/keys in the neutral position will cause your fighter to go to AUTO-DEFENCE. This is an effective defence against the body shot.
Special Features
- 1. Barry McGuigan's World Championship Boxing is unique in that it focuses on the art of the sport. Style, training and strategy are emphasized over slugging ability.
- 2. Grab your gloves and take on 19 different circuit boxers, including the Champion himself. Barry McGuigan... personalized artificial intelligence makes each boxer uncannily lifelike.
- 3. Create your own boxer... choose race, style, look and image.
- 4. Take your boxer to training camp to fine-tune his skills... light bag, heavy bag, road work, and more.
- 5. Increadibly realistic animation, includes a full arsenal of punches, defensive moves and footwork.
- 6. Realistic ringside atmosphere... from the cheering crowd to the "thud" of a solid body shot. Plus, a specially composed musical score that captures the excitement of the game.
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Videos
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Ratings
Generally considered to be the best boxing game on the CPC at the time of release, Barry McGuigan was praised from pretty much all sources.
Amstrad Action enjoyed the game enough to make it a Rave and the reviewer enthused that he was so excited on winning his first match that he "roused the rest of the office from their cider induced torpor."
Amtix awarded the game it's Accolade status and stated that it had to be one of the best sports simulations on the Amstrad knocking the other boxing games available at that time for six.
ACU never got around to reviewing the game when it came out at first but they did pick it up as part of an overview of fighting games on the machine a year later - and showed that they were somewhat impressed with the game declaring it to be "still the best boxing game around".
| AA: | Issue 05 (Feb '86) | Page 54-55 | 86% |
| Amtix: | Issue 04 (Feb '86) | Page 16-17 | 93% |
| ACU: | Issue 24 (Nov '86) | Page 63 | No Rating |
Cheat Mode
Hints & Tips
- 1. So far we've discovered two good "overall" strategies. You can try to win the fight by hurting your opponent to the point of knockout. Or you can throw lots of jabs and hooks (which aren't tiring) and try to win by points. This strategy requires that you have an excellent defence or you won't make it to the end of the fight.
- 2. Notice the way your opponents throw punches. Some fighters throw more when they're INSIDE. Some hit more when they are OUTSIDE. You should be able to use this pattern to your best advantage.
- 3. A good defensive strategy, if you are INSIDE and in COVERUP is to push FIRE. Your boxer will throw an uppercut and go right back to COVERUP.
- 4. Use the jab as a distance gauge. If you're sure the fighters are in range but aren't sure that they are INSIDE throw a jab. If if misses (and it wasn't blocked) you need to push FIRE because the boxers are definately INSIDE.
- 5. If you see your opponent has a lot of STAMINA you'll have to hit him with crosses and body shots to bring it down.
- 6. Remember, points are scored every time you hit the other boxer. Often, the boxer who punches more hits more; so he scores more points. But he may also miss more and even get knocked out, so be careful because a KNOCKOUT always wins over points.
Prequels / Sequels
None
Compilations & Re-releases
- Re-released by Mastertronic Plus in 1989
- Appeared on the following Compilations
- Star Games One (1987)
- Game, Set and Match (1987)
- Big Box (1991)
Trivia
- Endorsed by former Featherweight World Champion Barry McGuigan.
Downloads & Materials
- Barry McGuigan World Championship Boxing
Original Release
Budget Re-Release
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ACU Review
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