Virtual Reality Boxing

I was going to post this in the "what video game are you playin" thread, but wanted to have a broader discussion. It may not be obvious but I am a lover of boxing and all things pugilistic. My family recently bought me "Creed: Rise to Glory" and all I can say is wow. This is a game for me.

First, the realism is intense. Not only can you fight various figures throughout the whole Rocky movie saga, you can train in Mick's gym. We are talking VR heavy bag, speed bag, even treadmill. Loads of drills. And of course ring fights.

Having played and watched others, this game stands out as one that will make you sweat hard. The amount of movement and timing required is almost dead on. My wife almost hyperventilated fighting Clubber Lang. I took a priceless video of that. I fought Apollo Creed and was intimidated, and I got so into it I almost put my right through our HDTV. So, I had to learn to anchor my rear leg to the couch. Otherwise I'd have been flying all over the room.

Anybody who loves sparring or boxing should consider picking up this VR game. I don't think I've ever experienced something so similar to the real thing, minus getting hit. But everything else...the heart pump, adrenaline dump, breath control, movement, tactics...it's all there in this crazy adaptation.

Best part? Rocky himself is cornering me. Hearing Rock in my ear with a killer like Lang up in my grill...fantastic!!

 

I don't know which VR headset you're using but it's worth noting that the HTC Vive has known issues with water damage from sweat. If you've got that, and I suspect many Windows MR headsets have the same problem, you really need to be careful. Take some pauses, wipe down, don't let the sweat build up.

 

It's not that type, this is normal Sony Playstation VR headset. But I did notice that the eye lenses fog up quite a bit. It didn't really detract from the experience or make it hard to play. I'm not kidding about my wife almost passing out either, I had to start stroking her back and telling her to breathe, 3 rounds in. She started showing all the classic signs of getting ready for lights out, including dropping her hands in exhaustion and legs buckling.

The funny part is I was the one who wants to do the tutorial, warmup, and drill practice in the VR gym first, but no, they wanted to go right into 10 rounds with Clubber Lang. Fresh fish to the game, so to speak...I found it adorable and at the same time, admonished them for insufficient fight prep.

 

Holy crap you can go ten actual 3 minute rounds fighting in this game?

 

I'm still learning the ins and outs but so far the pickup fight and rounds are a little shorter than the real world, but there is also a PVP mode and custom fight settings I haven't explored, so I believe all that is available.

I have to shower after playing this game, and a lot of the game reviews report the same thing. Then I found this and almost died laughing, there is a whole industry of blogs related to how good of a workout different VR games are. Creed: Rise to Glory VR Game Review: Get Ready to Rumble - It's a Knockout! VRFI Final Fit Score 9/10

And this 20 Tips for Creed: Rise to Glory Boxing and Fitness Training

"Gloves up in yo face. When you step into training at Del-Phi make sure to practice your blocking. Safety wise, throwing up your gloves in real life has to be done farther from your face than you may think. Not practicing this will result in punching yourself in the face and the headset mid-round."

That is the first time ladies and gents that I've ever heard real boxing wisdom come out of a video game.

 

On afterthought here, this game is not for just a pickup fight. You almost want to consult your MD first before playing, it's that intense. IF you are out of shape you could really hurt yourself playing this. I know this is true because I am in the middle (not training a lot lately but still get a decent set of workout/drills done every week, even if its one day it's enough to maintain). My kids made fun of me for warming up before playing! But I know how it is, and I know what to do before I jump in the ring. These little brats were all "Dad it's not a real match". I don't think either one realizes how real it is from a physiological standpoint. When my wife was done fighting Clubber Lang I was there to catch her on my lap. I kid you not, I've seen it so many times. It took her 10 minutes to cool down from one match.
The game has a really amazing way of expressing the loss of consciousness, it's basically a tunnel vision effect where the worse off you are, the longer the tunnel gets until you just black out. Wow, amazingly accurate

 

It's really responsive. There's a noticeable lag but from my point of view I just boxed and it figured it out. The funniest part was the gym training. I got a visceral feel from hitting the heavy bag. It wasn't really there but when I "hit" it, something connected. Uncanny. It's more than a game to me now, I think I'm going to incorporate it into my weekly routine. What a weird concept, getting the mental satisfaction without all the physical. Definitely burning at least 1000 calories an hour playing this game. A workout outside my workout, as long as I keep a towel handy for the headset

 

Can you catch punches?

 

The guard mechanic allows full rotation of the wrists, so you can block, catch, parry, sort of. The end result is the same: not getting hit. Honestly, it's not always possible to tell what works vs. what doesn't. Sometimes you just get hit no matter what you just attempted as a defense, as in real life. I'm old so my reflexes and eyesight aren't what they used to, and obviously this game doesn't come close to being an outright simulator because the haptic feedback is only partially present. But something that separates this game from a lot of other boxing games is the reality of the fight. You have to maintain a solid guard and move defensively with your whole body to do well, or else Clubber Lang beats you unconscious.

 

I loved it. It was responsive.

 

Practically every single person who's played this game at my place is done after one or two rounds. I actually warm up before playing and cool down after and advise people with health conditions not to play.