RealSports Boxing ATARI(C) 2600(TM) Game Manual RealSports(R) Series You've got incredible heart and a live right lead. Show 'em your staying power! Punch Iron Fists around the ring for the total seven rounds. Or rain blows on Macho Man 'til you've got him up against the ropes. A flurry of payoff punches puts away Jabbin' Jack. And Lefty O'Leary goes down with a body blow inside and low. It's a capacity crowd tonight - and you've got top billing! Take the Boxing title on a decision or go for the knock out. Duke it out! Getting Started 1. Plug the RealSports Boxing cartridge into your Atari 2600 or 7800(TM). For one player, connect a joystick to the left controller jack. For two players, connect a second joystick to the right controller jack. 2. In one-player games, use the left difficulty switch on your console. Move the switch to the "A" or left position to fight an opponent who's strong and challenging. Move the switch to the "B" or right position for an opponent who's weaker and easier to beat. 3. Turn on your TV, then press [Power] to turn on your console. The game screen appears and shows a demonstration fight. 4. Press [Select] to view your game options. ONE PLAYER appears at the top of the screen. Press [Select] again if you want to change to a TWO PLAYER game. In a one-player game, you play against the computer; in a two-player game, players fight each other. 5. Move the joystick handle to make different boxers blink, and press the joystick button to select a blinking boxer as your player. (If you're using a 7800 Pro-Line joystick, press either button. They both work the same way.) The selected boxer disappears. Now select another boxer as your opponent. In a two-player game, player 1 selects a boxer first, then player 2 selects a boxer. 6. Once the bosers are selected, the game begins automatically. During a match, press [Reset] to start a new match, or press [Select] to return to the options screen. Duke It Out! Action Joystick Control Cover Up Press button, move handle away from opponent. Jab Press button, move handle towards opponent. Body Blow Press button, pull handle back. Payoff Punch Press button, push handle forward. Playing the Game At the bell the match begins. Move your boxer out of his corner and around the ring by moving your joystick handle forward, back, left, and right. (Player 1 controls the boxer in the left corner; the computer or player 2 controls the boxer in the right corner.) Move your joystick handle and press the button to make your boxer jab, cover, land body blows, and throw payoff punches. Cover up to defend yourself. Blocking an opponent's punches scores points and minimizes your strength loss. When covering up, you're still in danger of a technical knock out if your opponent lands 12 successive punches before you can retaliate. Jabs are quick punches thrown with the leading arm that score points and weaken your opponent. Jabs can be thrown in a rapid "flurry." A jab scores least of all the punches and weakens your opponent least, but a flurry accumulates points and damage done to the opponent faster than any other punch. Jabs use little of your own strength and you can throw three times as many jabs as payoff punches in the same amount of time. Body blows are punches strategically placed to weaken your opponent. Though not as powerful as payoff punches, body blows can be flurried faster than payoffs. Landed body blows score higher than jabs and cost less strength than payoffs. Payoff punches are thrown with the non-leading arm in an attempt to knock out the opponent. Payoff punches take a lot of strength, so you can't throw successsive payoffs as fast as you can throw jabs. When landed, payoff punches score high. Boxers tire as they move around the ring and throw and take punches. The amount of yellow showing in a fighter's strength bar indicates the strength lead he has over the other boxer. Weakened boxers move slower, their punches are separated by longer delays, and their reaction to joystick commands are sluggish. Rounds are timed, and the time counts down in the lower center of the screen. When the time runs out the round is over. Boxers take their corners to rest and regain some strength. Between rounds the score boxes display total points earned in the round just fought. Knock Downs A boxer's strength bar starts blinking when he's gained a considerable strength lead over his opponent. A blinking bar is a boxer's cue to go for a knock down. To knock down his opponent, a boxer must land the correct punch from the correct position. At a knock down, the standing boxer goes to a neutral corner and the ten count begins. If the downed boxer has enough strength, he'll get up at the nine count. (In a two-player game, push you joystick forward to get your boxer up at the nine count.) Knock Outs The best way to knock out your opponent is to land as many payoff punches as possible, while protecting yourself from taking any blows. This increases your strength lead while weakening your opponent. When your strength bar starts blinking, give him the knockdown punch. Your opponent might get up after several knock downs but he gets weaker all the time. Finally, the right punch from the right position will put him away. [Picture shows the box which has the Round Time, Strength Bars, Score Boxes and Round Number] Technical Knock Outs To earn a technical knock out (TKO) a boxer must land 12 punches without his opponent landing a punch, getting away, or covering up. If the opponent retaliates in any of those three ways, the punch count returns to zero. Once the opponent covers up, if the aggressive boxer then lands another 12 punches without the opponent landing a punch or getting away, a TKO is called. And the Winner Is... When a boxer knocks out or TKOs his opponent, he wins the match and the fight is over. If a match goes seven rounds, a decision occurs and the boxer with the most points is declared the winner. (At the end of the seventh round, the score boxes show total points earned by both boxers during the match.) When a fight is over, the winner dances around the ring, then the game returns to demonstration play. Press the joystick button or [Reset] to start a new match, or press [Select] to return to the options screen. Strategy The best way to out-point your opponent is to land punches and run, so he can't retaliate by hitting you. If you can't run, throw a punch then immediately cover up. To punch effectively, get toe to toe with your opponent, a little above him but still within reach so your punch connects. The best time to flurry with payoffs is early in the fight when your reaction time is quickest. Be careful when blocking a flurry so you don't get TKO'd. To throw a flurry, press the joystick button, then immediately select the punch with the joystick handle. Release both the button and handle, then immediately repeat the sequence. Minimize the effect of your opponent's blows by covering up or countering with an equally effective punch to pass along the strength loss. Whenever you throw a punch you lose strength, so make your punches count. Running around the ring costs you strength. If you're weak, stay in one area and make your opponent come to you. Scoring Points are scored according to a boxer's strength, the type of punch landed, and the punch position. For instance, the highest scoring combination is a payoff punch thrown by a boxer in top strength and landed from an optimum position. The payoff punch is the highest scoring punch; the body blow is next highest, and the jab is the lowest scoring punch. Covering up earns a point value for defensive boxing. A boxer can earn 99 points maximum in any one fight. A match can last a total of seven rounds. A knock out or TKO anytime during a match wins the fight. If a match goes seven rounds, the high-point boxer wins. If the match ends in a draw, both boxers dance around the ring. The Contenders Each boxer has a weak spot. When your strength bar is blinking, use the correct punch in the right position to knock down your opponent. Iron Fists has tender ribs. A toe-to-toe body blow knocks him down. Jabbin' Jack has a glass jaw. Get above him, then knock him down with a payoff punch to the chin. Lefty O'Leary has a weak stomach. Get below him to knock him down with a low body blow. Macho Man is tough, but he'll go down with a toe-to-toe payoff punch. Atari Corporation is unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed information after the date of publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, and omissions. Reproduction of this document or any portion of its contents is not allowed without the specific written permission of Atari Corporation. ATARI, the ATARI logo, RealSports, 2600, and 7800 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. Copyright (C) 1988, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. All rights reserved. Printed in Hong Kong C300016-135 Rev. A M.W. 7. 1988 ATARI