Knockout Kings 2002 never seems like it is trying to be a boxing simulation, and yet does not go to the arcade extreme of Midway's Ready 2 Rumble. It is more of a balance of the two, utilising a control scheme which is very easy to use but includes the functionality to extend your punching repetoire beyond that of just jabbing and hooking. The analog stick controls seemed a little strange at first, as no matter which angle your boxer is facing you need to push "up" to move him forward (similar in style to Resident Evil but without the slow turning effect). Also if you don't push the stick all the way up your boxer will duck instead of moving forward. This ducking and diving can be used to great effect, both avoiding your opponent's punches and setting up a few outside shots of your own.

The CPU-controlled opponents also show a great deal of intelligence in their fighting. If you button mash they can counter easily, or if you just use the same punch over and over again they learn your offense quickly and demolish you accordingly. If you do happen to get you opponent in trouble he will then back off and get against the ropes, adopting a defensive style. We discovered that if you found a good strategy that exploited the other fighter's style then you could exploit that weakness for an entire round, but any rounds after that he would have "learned by his mistakes" forcing you to find some other way to deck him to the canvas. Another important factor here is the lack of health meters, which forces you to be careful of avoiding punches throughout the whole fight instead of just when you're low on stamina.