Showtime Championship Boxing

Showtime Championship Boxing, known in Japan as Jikkyo Pro Boxing USA, is a boxing game developed by Opus Corp. and published by ACS under their ACS Sports label. It is licensed by the American premium cable television network Showtime, and is based on their flagship television show of the same name. Released in 1999 for Dreamcast and Game Boy Color. The game was released as a launch title for the Dreamcast in both North America and Europe.

Gameplay
The game uses a simplified control scheme compared to most boxing simulation games at the time: the player is given four punch buttons, each corresponding to left jab, right jab, left hook and right hook, respectively, blocking is mapped to the left trigger, the right trigger acts as a modifier for body blows, while movement can be done with the d-pad or the analog stick. Pressing a direction alongside a punch button would oftentimes yield other types of punches. (e.g.: → + left jab for a left cross, ↓ + right hook for a right uppercut, etc.)

Pressing both left or right punch buttons together would perform their boxer's signature punches, with each fighter having at least two signature punches in their moveset. Players may also initiate a clinch by pressing both jab buttons together, while pressing both hook buttons together performs a push instead. By holding down both shoulder triggers and moving the analog stick, the player can control head movement and perform sways. Lastly, the player can perform a taunt by pressing all four face buttons at the same time.

Each players' HUD consists of the health meter, which goes down as the player recieves attacks, and the stamina meter which decreases quickly as the player performs attacks, replenishes while on neutral, and slows down movement and attacks when running low. When the player is knocked down after their health is depleted to 0, in order to stand up before the count of 10, the player must move the analog stick frantically in order to fill up their knockdown meter and continue the fight.

By default, each fight is contested via twelve 3-minute rounds that can be won either by knockout, technical knockout (after three consecutive knockdowns during the same round), or judge's decision. The player may adjust these settings in the Options Mode, with options for changing the amount of rounds, as well as the time limit for each round, or toggling rules such as the three knockdown rule or being saved by the bell.

As a North American and European launch title for the Dreamcast, the game takes advantage of the new console's power to provide the best graphics ever seen in a boxing game to date, boasting sharp, lifelike character models, accurate recreations of the featured venues and presentation which closely mimics that of the Showtime Championship Boxing program at the time. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Lennon_Jr. Jimmy Lennon Jr.] provides ring announcer duties for the game.

Game Modes
The available game modes are as follows: Exhibition, Career, Tournament, Profiles and Options.

Exhibition
In Exhibition mode, players can create a single match of their choice against the CPU or another player. The game allows players to pit boxers of different weight classes against each other.

Career
The game features a Career Mode, which allows players to take on the career of their own created boxer. Players start off by creating their own boxer. The game includes an extensive create-a-boxer feature, which allows the players to create their own boxer, allowing the player to alter their created boxer's appearance, profile, stats, taunts and signature punches. At the start of their career, players may select their gym, with each gym granting unique stat bonuses at the start.

In Career Mode, the player has to fight their way atop the top 30 rankings of their selected weight class, at first fighting generic created boxers at the lower levels before eventually reaching the top 10, where they have to contend with some of the in-game boxers. Before every match, the player has to select their training courses, in order to improve their stats (Power, Speed, Stamina, Heart and Chin), with each course specializing in improving certain stats. As the player progresses through their career, the player could unlock better courses.

Every win or loss affects the player's current rank, moving them up or down the top 30 rankings, with the game eventually ending once the player has defeated the current champion of their division, and in turn, becomes the new champion. Boxers created in Career Mode can be used in other modes, complete with their current stats, and the player can make as many boxers as they want to, as long as there is enough space on the VMU.

Tournament
Tournament mode, as its name suggests, allows players to set up an 8-way boxing tournament of their own against the CPU or other players. Tournament mode supports up to four players.

Profiles
The game features a Profiles mode which chronicles the careers and highlights of each of the 45 boxers in the game. Each profile is typically accompanied with at least one real-life image of the boxer in question, taken during their fights.

Heavyweight

 * Andrew Golota
 * David Tua
 * Donovan Ruddock
 * Earnie Shavers
 * Frank Bruno
 * Floyd Patterson
 * Jack Dempsey
 * James Toney
 * Joe Louis
 * Ken Norton
 * Larry Holmes
 * Lennox Lewis
 * Michael Moorer
 * Mike Tyson
 * Rocky Marciano
 * Sonny Liston
 * Virgil Hill

Middleweight

 * Bernard Hopkins
 * Bronco McKart
 * David Reid
 * Hector Camacho
 * Felix Trinidad
 * Fernando Vargas
 * Jake LaMotta
 * Julio Cesar Chavez
 * Marvin Hagler
 * Pernell Whitaker
 * Roberto Duran
 * Sugar Ray Robinson
 * Terry Norris
 * Thomas Hearns
 * Vinny Pazienza

Lightweight

 * Aaron Pryor
 * Angel Manfredy
 * Arturo Gatti
 * Danny Lopez
 * Ike Quartey
 * Johnny Tapia
 * Junior Jones
 * Kevin Kelley
 * Naseem Hamed
 * Paul Spadafora
 * Ray Mancini
 * Shane Mosley
 * Zab Judah

Arenas

 * Boxing Gym
 * Caesars Palace
 * Las Vegas Hilton
 * Madison Square Garden
 * MGM Grand Garden Arena
 * Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino
 * Wembley Arena

Ports
Besides being released for the Dreamcast, Showtime Championship Boxing was also ported to the Game Boy Color. Released the following year in 2000, the Game Boy Color version plays vastly different from its console counterpart, featuring only 10 fighters (Bernard Hopkins, Frank Bruno, Jake LaMotta, Julio Cesar Chavez, Lennox Lewis, Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson, Naseem Hamed, Roberto Duran, Rocky Marciano and Shane Mosley) and gameplay from an isometric perspective to compensate for the lack of 3D graphics. Only four modes are included in the Game Boy Color version: Exhibition, Career, Versus (via link cable) and Options, and the game omits the create-a-boxer feature entirely due to hardware limitations. The Game Boy Color port of Showtime Championship Boxing was developed by Crawfish Interactive.

Trivia

 * The game's cover features former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
 * This marks Mike Tyson's first appearance in a video game in 12 years, following Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, released in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
 * Various notable boxers were missing from the roster due to several contractual obligations. One notable example was Evander Holyfield, who had signed an exclusive contract with Electronic Arts around the time of the game's release.
 * Despite sharing a name and the Showtime license, the game has no relation to the 2007 game of the same name released for the Nintendo Wii and DS by Destination Software.