Creed Rise To Glory Championship Edition PSVR 2 Review. The ultimate test of fitness and technique on PSVR heads to the grander arena of PSVR 2 to try and knock you out with its brutal boxing ballet. Read on to discover if we have a two-time champion with PlayStation Universe’s Creed: Ride to Glory: Championship Edition Review for PSVR 2.
Creed Rise To Glory: Championship Edition Review (PSVR 2) – Boxing Clever
One of the more comforting things about the ports of PSVR games to PSVR 2 is that they have largely been better for more than a visual upgrade. The technological jump has also greatly benefited games restricted by relatively lowly hardware. But there’s been the opportunity to repackage some of these games with extra goodies to really flesh out the experience. Creed: Rise to Glory: Championship Edition is one such example.
The first-person boxing title features the combined might of the Creed and Rocky license. You can step into the virtual shorts and gloves of iconic boxers from the films as well as a selection of original fighters. This PSVR 2 version brings new modes to the table, and cross-platform play against Meta Quest 2 players.
But first, how does it play? Well, the short answer is…it plays hard.
All those lessons games such as Fight Night tried to gently teach me about composure and timing are aggressively beaten into you in Creed: Rise to Glory because you absolutely feel the consequences of gassing your fighter when you have control of their arms and upper body.
In the PSVR version, movement and hit detection were a tad more finicky. You couldn’t help but swing wildly at your opponent in the hope it would connect. In that sense, it’s perfectly in line with the Rocky ethos. But the Creed films have a different style that didn’t come across so well. As fine a game as the original PSVR version of Creed was, it really needed better hardware, and here we are.
Floating Like a Butterfly, Staggering Like a Drunk
Now you can move a lot more freely. The analog stick is a blessing in terms of righting yourself during a fight. Before there was a need to think well in advance of what you were doing because getting out of corners was a sluggish affair. Now the emphasis is much more on reaction and agility. Which in turn makes Creed: Rise to Glory even more physically punishing. So the tactical side of the game is more readily apparent now, and the thrill and tension of the fight are heightened.
The thing that elevates this version of Creed: Rise to Glory over its previous form is its shift in focus. Developer Survios has thrown in a whole lot of options to link real-world physicality to your play in the game. It’s a transformative move because Creed: Rise to Glory is now no longer just a boxing game, it’s closer to a physical boxing sim.
Endurance mode sees your boxer reflect your personal fitness. So if you start flagging and getting tired, it’ll be shown in their movement instead of being a predetermined set of stamina bars assigned to characters. I was genuinely surprised to feel the difference when trying this out. I’m in underwhelming physical shape these days, so I certainly felt the despair of physical helplessness. I sweated profusely and staggered about like Clubber Lang had caught me acting the fool. The stark line of realism had been drawn and I quickly found myself humbled and unworthy of donning the avatar of Adonis Creed.
The Comeback Trail
But Creed: Rise to Glory isn’t out to humiliate. The usual options are still there (as tough as they still are) and there’s new training-focused modes that encourage you to up your personal fitness with workout schedules. Even Endurance mode scales with your ability to allow positive physical progression to define your journey. It will probably up the need for daily showers though.
Rounding out the newness are some fresh cosmetic changes alongside eight new boxers and three extra arenas. The boxing feels different enough that the game could almost be a sequel. The extra gubbins really sells that idea.
One small grievance is that there still appears to be some inconsistency in how the game responds to your arm movement and speed. With a greater focus on precision, it’s genuinely distracting when your virtual arm turns into a caffeine-addled caterpillar. It’s a rarer issue than it once was, but it still crops up far too often. Disappointing given every other improvement on show.
Pain And Gain
Creed: Rise to Glory Championship Edition is probably the most significant PSVR to PSVR 2 upgrade I’ve played. Survios has essentially redesigned how the game feels to play compared to the original version. It’s a hard fight, but perhaps more than ever, it’s one that gives you a reason to fight harder.
Review copy kindly provided by publisher.
Creed Rise to Glory: Championship Edition is out now on PSVR 2.