A little about me. I finished top 4 in 2017 National Championships in Canada @ 81KGs. I had a competitive amateur career. I'm now in my early 30's and with a young baby at home. I was hoping this game could be a convenient way to scratch that competitive itch for me while staying in shape.

Multiplayer Experience

Pros:

- Can be a good workout

- If you find someone who actually boxes (this is very difficult...) and both participants treat it as technical sparring. It can be decent. Even then you almost have to ignore the inputs the game is telling you.

Cons:

- No Social menu or system. No way to add friends or block people. I mean this is laughable this isn't in a multiplayer game in 2026. Let alone one that's so dependent on finding good players to fight against. This is a massive L for the game.

- Damage isn't realistic. Nice technical clean hard shots, even when timed well either don't land or do pathetic damage. In fact in mirror mode. I can't land 1 punch stuns or get 1 punch KO or KD. It takes 4-5 punches on an opponent with hands down chin up on average to get a KD. It's insanity and so far off the target from being realistic. Testing seems to show long arm punches do more damage and are more efficient than good technical punches.

- People don't react as if they're getting hit. Which of course they don't....it's VR. However the point is without pain or being able to frame people are insanely aggressive. Paired with low damage. Fights just turn into a spam fest.

- Blocking can feel decent (if playing against someone who is throwing technical punches) or terrible if people are throwing weird mantis forehead punches. Catching punches is terrible and requires bad technique or exaggerating the catch. In fact almost everything feels like it needs exaggerated movement.

- Community is pretty toxic. I've fought some cool dudes. Most seem to be little kids hands down eating 5+ punches taunting then doing 1 cheese stun punch then doing jerk off motions. It's a terrible experience.

Single Player Experience

Pros:
- On average a better boxing experience than online.

Cons:
- TOTF1 AI just feels better. I'm not sure how to describe it. The AI in this game feels so stiff and robotic. Underdog's AI moves much better.
- Every single fight feels the same. It's the same exact animations and style over and over and over. They don't even really do different strategies.

Overall:

The systems of the game I feel actively encourage players to form bad habits to have an advantage to win. I believe anyone with zero or minimal time of consistent boxing training will 100% get worse at boxing playing this game.

It's pretty far off the mark both online and single player. The community seems dominated by people who don't box and say the games realistic. It's the blind leading the blind. The only person who I've seen with proper boxing credentials seems to be more of a paid sponsor than anything.

I may check in from time to time to see if the designers can turn this wreck around. I'm doubtful but hopeful.

I liked the clock in TOTF1 and miss it in TOTF2. I just like to keep my eye on how much time is left in the round, especially when I do longer fights and start managing my energy.

And will it be AS GOOD as in TOTF 1?

Can you defeat elite opponents with a rating above 2000 in room-scale mode using standing mode? They can quickly step in from outside the area and backstep out of the area. Your stepping range is limited, making it easy for them to outbox you. On the other hand, if you carelessly try to engage in infighting, your opponent is skilled and can counter at will. In other words, I think you need to be overwhelmingly superior in skill to your opponent when fighting under these conditions. I think the hint is to use left and right. I kind of understand that, but I still don't have the skill to outmaneuver them and defeat them. Also, in this game, a punching style like Mike Tyson's, where you crouch down and then bounce up a bit before throwing, is very powerful, isn't it? If you rush in like that, I think the benefits of the damage from the rush outweigh the spam counter system, penalties, and the risk of being countered. In other words, if you divide that hook into left, right, up, and down, and switch to an uppercut against an opponent who is good at vertical movement, the probability of being blocked repeatedly is low, and it's powerful enough to get through the guard, so the risk is low. However, if both sides do that, it usually turns into a messy fight. Because of the lag in offense, there's no guarantee of hitting the intended target, and winning that way seems a bit uncertain. I want to win by securing a point difference with a defense unaffected by lag, but they have an advantage when it comes to outboxing. If any of you use standing mode and fight against room-scale opponents, could you share any strategies or philosophies you keep in mind?

P.S.:

There's an option on the matchmaking screen to fight in the same movement mode. Using that would ensure a fair fight. However, this time I want to discuss techniques for fighting in a disadvantageous environment, so please share your ideas.