Knockout Kings by EA is a high quality boxing game that allows you to play either as preconstructed versions of legendary prize fighters, or to create your own fighter and battle against the greats for the title.  The rap soundtrack and well-rendered graphics quickly get you pumped and ready to go.  It's a very pretty game, but the problems don't lay in the sound or graphics.

The gameplay suffers from several problems.  The first of which is the incredibly sensitive control needed to use the analog stick correctly.  All movement, dodges, ducks, body blows, require you to move the left analog to varying degrees.  It’s an awkward system but practice makes perfect...or at least better.  Once you've mastered the controls and can move like a butterfly (or in the earlier stages like a shell-less turtle), it's time to sting like a bee.  This is where another of the games flaws pops up.  Each fighter is gifted with a special combo, a signature move of sorts.  Some of these moves are way to powerful.  I was able to roll my way up to a championship using my special combo almost exclusively.  But after waltzing my way to the championship I noticed another flaw, forced retirement.  After defending my title 5 times my beloved boxer was rendered unusable.  I quickly lost interest.  After mustering the courage to create another boxer, (one who did not possess one of the many ridiculous combos) I realized that the contact system seemed buggy as well.  I often "hit" with punches that never actually hit on the screen.  This was especially obvious when the punch I threw happened to cause a knockdown and I got to see it three times in slow motion.

The game is full of features, multiple modes of play, adjustable cameras, and customizable boxers, however its gameplay flaws make sure Knockout Kings will never take the title.  

Gameplay: 7
Annoying forced retirement, overpowered combos, and invisible hits.

Graphics: 8.5 
Watching the dents in the guys face in slow motion as he falls to the matt is a thing of beauty

Sound: 8
Pumped up soundtrack, and effects, but the announcers were pretty stale. 

Difficulty: 9
Four difficulty levels allow anyone to play, but being unable to change them once the game loads is annoying.

Concept: 8 
Nothing particularly new here but its well executed.

Multiplayer: 7.5
It’s not as fun to be pummeled to death by a friend and a one-button combo, as it is to butcher a computer with it.

Overall: 8
A solid boxing game.  Several flaws in gameplay bring the rating down, but overall it was very well done.