THIS is a punch in the face that few will see coming, but FaceBreaker is not a boxing game.

It is not even a fighting game, even if it does involve some slick moves done with boxing gloves in a boxing ring.

What this game actually serves is a great way to see how you'll look after a few rounds in the ring with Rocky.

When used with the PlayStation Eye camera (sold separately) for the PlayStation 3, the game takes a front and side picture of your face and creates a 3D model of your head.

Combine it with pre-set hair and body type profiles listed and the game can cough out a boxer that looks just like you.

If you win a fight, your muscle-bound body will grace the game records, but what you really want is to lose.

Picture yourself with cauliflower lips, a bruised eye and a face not even your mother would recognise and you can begin to see the fun in losing fights.

Better yet, create your own celebrity death matches with, say, a fight between American vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her lookalike comedian Tina Fey.

The software works with a full face image or photo, but the addition of a profile gives the rendered model more depth.

Alas, depth - in gameplay - is what this game lacks. FaceBreaker is essentially a 2D fighting game with some boxing steps thrown in.

The characters are not well-balanced in terms of abilities.

Parrying requires a push of the button once your opponent starts a punch, but players won't get it right all the time. The computer-controlled opponent, however, does not falter and can parry your punches with ridiculous ease.

One of the moves of a female character is to stun you each time she parries an attack so you can imagine the frustration of trying to take her out.

If it wasn't the novelty of creating your own boxers with faces you know, this game would leave a battered taste in your mouth.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on 5 November 2008.

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