Fight Night Round 4

Fight Night 3 was, and possibly still is, one of the best looking games from the early releases of the current systems.  Graphically, it has been rarely bettered, and game play was pretty darn good.  This last incarnation of the Fight Night series has had it’s price held high for such a long time it was getting a bit of a joke, but now Fight Night 3 will be in the bargain bins, a new contender has stepped into the ring.  Thankfully, Fight Night Round 4 has not been rushed out to cash in, an unusual move these days, instead it has had some time and effort put into it to make a truly breathtaking sequel.

To get the big question out the way first, yes, it looks even better than before, the character models, animation everything is top notch.  Faces still wobble and crunch under punches, animation is fluid and everything moves a bit faster now.  If you load up and jump into the Fight Now option you’ll be placed in a fight between Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, you’re free to choose who to be and this first fight will draw you in to the game.  Most noticeable is the fact that EA have done away with the face buttons for punching, much to the annoyance of many, instead opting for the “Total Punch Control” method, which uses the right analogue stick to throw the punches.  At first I detested this option, I always used the buttons previously, but after a few bouts I really started to get into the control method, it really makes you think about what punches to throw instead of button mashing.  This has a knock on effect with how you play the game urging you to think more tactically with your offensive punching.  Yes, you can still pile in but you will more than likely get pummelled, if you bide your time, block, dodge then let loose you’ll have a greater chance of winning.  You can still throw in some illegal blows, clinches and signature punches as well as dodges, blocks and weaves all done with a button/stick combination, some are easier to achieve than others.  For the record I have played both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of the game and the Playstation 3 thumbsticks are infinitely better for total punch control.

Fight Night Round 4 isn’t lacking in game modes either, you can of course quickplay, go online, which for me was a bit laggy but good, and the main draw of the game Legacy mode.  In Legacy mode you start at the bottom of the rankings and attempt to fight up to number one spot over many years, you can do this with a created character of your own or with one of the many famous boxers in the game.  The character creation tools are up to EA’s usual standards with a bit of time giving you eerily accurate results, you can also scan your own face in with the camera to put on your boxer, strangely I looked like Tiger woods!  Once you have a boxer you start on your career using a calendar to schedule fights and training, the training games offer stat points for your fighter, but I found them quite tricky at times and opted for the auto train function.  As you progress you rise through the rankings earning more points and items of apparel for your boxer, you don’t even need to fight in the game, you could just set it to simulate and sit back.  I enjoyed the way the legacy mode is presented, you can go into it at depth and study stats and figures tracking opponents and weight divisions or you can press a few buttons an dget straight into a fight, very well done.

There are options a plenty in the game with almost all aspects being customisable from the usual EA Trax to ring entrances and difficulties.  You can see stats from your greatest fights, watch showreels from them, choose to re-enact a classic ESPN fight from your best fights, watch training videos the list goes on.  There was a real danger that Round 4 was going to be a quick re-hash of Fight Night 3, gladly EA seems to have thought about this and enhanced the game in as many ways possible, to the extent that it has completely trumped the previous game.