Maybe boxers only have two fists, but that doesn't mean they've only got two moves once they’re in the ring. The first impression of Super K.O. Boxing 2 is not a particularly optimistic one, given that you've only got two attack buttons - low and high.
After the bell has rung just a couple of times, however, that first impression evaporates like a heavyweight champion’s brain cells. Super K.O. Boxing 2 has some surprising hidden depths, and although there might only be two buttons, the importance of good technique quickly becomes apparent.
You see, movement is every bit as important as punching. Your character can dodge left and right, with enough alacrity to avoid some pretty fast-moving attacks, but to also add vital combos to your arsenal.
Hitting the 'high attack' button while ducking to the side throws a reaching and devastating hook that can easily surprise your opponent and stun them into dropping their guard and making room for a powerful follow-up combination.
Although you can block, dodging is far more effective, and taunting your opponent is a more practical use of your time when you're not throwing punches.
Goading your opponent fills up an energy meter, which allows you to throw a special, more powerful attack. And given the impressively fast pace of Super K.O. Boxing 2’s action, these few moves actually give you a great range of offensive and defensive options.
The beautifully animated, vivid cartoon style also adds extra depth to the game, though it's a shame that the shape of the mobile screen means only the bottom half of the display is ever really in use. It's not a function we see very often, but Super K.O. Boxing 2 would benefit hugely if you could play it with your handset in landscape orientation.
Even so, this adds up to a game with more energy and raw, rampant action than we've seen in a mobile fighting game in a very long time. Beat-‘em-up fans shouldn't be put off by the sporting motif - this is a superbly visceral brawler guaranteed to get your blood pumping (probably out of your nose).
Super K.O. Boxing 2
Finally, a fighting game with plenty of depth, and which emphasises the importance of technique over button mashing right from the outset. With enough raw brawler action to genuinely get your heart pounding, this is the game mobile fighting fans have been waiting for
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.