K1 World Grand Prix looks sharp with all the elements put together. The player models are very detailed and look much like their human counter parts. The animations are fluid, with great collision detection, with little clipping noticeable. The many variety of punches, kicks, and movements look great and easily rival those seen in Knockout Kings or the UFC series. The arenas atmosphere has been captured with all the lights, crowds, and ring card girls to create the illusion of authenticity. The training areas also give a fresh look away from the standard in ring action. Presentation is top notch with all the bells and whistles to provide a riveting match.

Audio is standard for these types of games. Conventional punching, slaps, and kick sounds get you into the action. The ring announcer is average, but should’ve been better considering all the combatants are all scripted. The crowd and atmosphere sounds are fair, with all the booing and cheering you’d expect from this type of game. Throw in some garbage metal to try and produce a more exciting game, and you have a pretty typical showcase of sound.

The game play of K1 is thankfully the game’s strongest asset. Controls are easy to maneuver. A button to punch, one to kick, combine other buttons to hold, combo, and even try and score that KO blow. One issue is the way you get up from a knockdown, which requires a series of timed button presses. What’s more is that the A.I. is anything but predictable. Flash KO’s can happen in any round at any time. This gives the game a pure since of utilizing your defense, and not punching wildly. K1 requires a lot of patience and practice in order to succeed, which makes the game geared more for the hardcore fan.

K1 does offer a good amount of game modes and unlockables. Your typical modes are here with Exhibition and Grand Prix, but the meat of the game is the Champion’s Revolution. This mode is like a career mode that allows you to fight and train to make your way to the K1 World Grand Prix. Also offered is a Trial mode in which your try to break existing match records and times. Lastly you have the Revival mode that allows you to relive famous fights gone by. Beyond the mat you can unlock video footage of the greatest K1 matches. What K1 does lack is a create-a-mode. Fantasy fans, keep dreaming as this option was omitted and overlooked. You must chose from one of the over 20 guys to fight with, so making your dream fighter is out of the question. K1 does in the end bring a lot to the table, and will keep you mashing those buttons for some time to come.

All in all, as good as K1 looks and plays, I can’t recommend this to the casual gamer. In order to get any real enjoyment from this title you should have some sense of mixed martial arts knowledge. This game is for the hardcore fans, and they are the ones who will enjoy what K1 offers the most. It’s very real, very authentic.