David Haye's Knockout Review

David Haye's Knockout reminds me of games like the Punchout series. It's not quite as refined but it does make for a fun brawler and some ideal stress relief.

Players take the role of former World Heavyweight boxing champion, David "The Hayemaker" Haye as he is pitted against three opponents in the ring. The number of opponents is a little on the low side but each fighter offers a different challenge. First up is D. Boy who's relatively simple to defeat followed by increasingly tough Big Bro and Little Bro.

Combat is through tapping the boxing glove icons which represent different types of blows. Low and high punches are included here and should serve players well in their efforts. The key to true success isn't just to knock the other player down but to accumulate a long enough combo of blows to reach "Hayemaker" status. With each uninterrupted blow, letters appear on the top of the screen spelling out Haye's nickname. It'll take some quick but careful moves to achieve the best result. This is backed up with swipe controls to help Haye dodge and it gets pretty vital in the latter two battles. The screen going red to indicate that Haye has been hit is a useful way of adding feedback for a game so heavily focused on physicality.

Replayability mostly stems from the unlocking of trophies for completing certain tasks such as knocking the opponent out in a quick time or unleashing a decent combo. Scores and trophies are then transferred to Game Center to add to the competitive element.

David Haye's Knockout suffers slightly for its, on the surface, short length. While offering only three opponents sounds limited, there's a challenge here that should keep players happy David Haye's Knockout captures some of the strategy of the sport while keeping things light. The addition of Haye's voice encouraging the player as they box is a further nice touch to a decently designed title.