From the now-defunct developer Midway in America, this eye-catching boxing game mixed good old punching fun with a fun visual appeal. And it was belting.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing

This hit stores in late 1999 for the Dreamcast—we remember having a go on it in an HMV in the Reebok Stadium shopping complex of Bolton.

A console was set up with two controllers for people to try out. This older guy offered us a two-player shindig. And we wordlessly took each other on.

Where is that geezer now, we wonder? Abducted by aliens, no doubt, and living on Jupiter.

Anyway, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was an Arcade type experience. Sega was really pushing for that type of stuff on the Dreamcast, which is why we had the likes of Virtua Athlete 2000.

The aim of the game, as you might expect, is to punch people in the face.

With its Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! inspirations, it adapts the genre into something breezy and engaging. Great for multiplayer fun—and entertaining as a single-player option.

Now! An aside here about our thoughts on the console this title graced.

The Dreamcast was a good games system, but we still struggle to understand why so many gamers are now hailing it as a classic. One of the best ever!

Some underrated gem with a wealth of masterpieces tucked away from the limelight.

Shenmue (1999) in particular is treated with much reverence, like it’s some Shakespearian work of genius. Even though it’s aged horribly.

The major problem for the Dreamcast was its lack of killer titles. There just weren’t that many great games for it—although credit to Sega for the console’s innovative efforts.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was certainly one of the more happy-go-lucky games available. And it’s aged rather well.

Later in 1999, it did make the leap to the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation—plus the Game Boy Color in December of that year.

Reviews were positive, praising the graphics and real-time bruises that start appearing on a boxer’s face. Because if you do whack someone, stuff happens.

So that’s all good and we have fond memories of the whole experience.

When we think of the game, it reminds us of the Dreamcast and those sharp, colourful graphics.

Not an era-defining game by any means, but a reminder that Midway was capable of fun titles that hooked you in and punched your lights out.