When the Dreamcast launched on 9/9/99, the first game that I bought after Sonic was Ready 2 Rumble Boxing. Like many people, I had been waiting for an arcade boxing title with likable characters and over-the-top fighting moves in the vein of Punch Out! for some time, and R2R fit that bill perfectly despite being a bit light on depth. Now, nine years and one less memorable sequel later, Atari has dug through the wreckage of Midway to bring us Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution, a fist-swingin’ waggletastic party game made specifically for the Wii. I went hands-on with this reboot at NY Comic Con to see if this game will make the series a contender yet again.

Let’s get one thing out of the way immediately: Afro Thunder will most likely not be making an appearance in Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution, nor will any other characters from the original series. I was told by an Atari rep that Midway still owns the rights to them, so the only person who will be making a return is Michael Buffer to once again lend his voice, likeness and signature catchphrase to the pre and post-match festivities.

The development team at AKI has crafted 18 all new pugilists for you to trade knuckles with in Revolution, each a caricature of a popular celebrity. Semi-recognizable lookalikes for such stars as David Hasselhoff, Simon Cowell, Justin Timberlake, David Beckham and Brad Pitt are on display, each with their own strengths, weakness, statistics and move sets. I was able to try out the James Brown-esque bruiser in a match against a Shaun White stand-in, and the demo left my interest piqued.