Fight Night Round 3

Format: Xbox 360
Genre: Sports

--- So what's it all about? ---
Fight Night Round 3 was one of the early titles for the Xbox 360 having been released back in February 2006. It follows on from Fight Night Round 2 which was arguably one of the best boxing simulations of it's time when it was released on the Xbox and PS2.

The game is a boxing simulation where you can take control of a large selection of well known champion boxers or as always you have the option to create your own boxer according to your preferences.

There is an exhibition mode which let you choose your fighter, opponent, and venue for a quick match. You choose any of the boxers to fight one another, regardless of weight class, which allows for some very unfair fights indeed! There is a career mode where you train your fighter and climb to the top by winning fights and gaining popularity. Finally there is the ESPN Classic mode which lets you recreate a lot of the biggest fights in boxing history.

A nice thing about Fight Night Round 3 is the introduction of online play via Xbox Live where you can now fight your friends online no matter where they are!

--- Gameplay ---
Fight Night Round 3 is very easy to control thanks to the continued use of "Total Punch Control." This is an ingenious control system where you use different combinations of analogue stick movements to either throw punches or dodge and weave rather than simply mashing buttons. At first I found this method of control a little difficult to pick up, however after a little while I settled in and found it a very comfortable way to play. Veterans of previous Fight Night games will feel right at home with the controls.

The in game fights are awesome to either watch or play as it looks and feels very realistic. I particularly like the knock outs where the camera on the replay slows right down taking you from 3rd person to a 1st person view and zooms in on the face of your opponent as you land that crippling blow. Watching the spit and blood fly along with the force of the knock out blow ripple through the other guys face always left me with a very satisfied grin on my face!

One of the downsides of the game is unfortuantely the career mode compared to the previous offerings. In Fight Night Round 3 you gain popularity as you win fights. Once your popularity gauge is full, you qualify for a special contract fights or a title fight. The main drawback I found was that there was no rank structure telling you where you are in comparison to other boxers. I like to know what rank I am so I have some idea how many fights I will need before a championship shot and try to plan for it.

The overall effect of removing the rank structure is that there aren't any goals or progress indicators other than your popularity meter. I ended up feeling like I was playing a lot of exhibition matches strung together rather than fighting my way up the ranks to become champ!

--- Graphics ---
The biggest thing going for Fight Night Round 3 is definitely the graphics. When I first played this game over 2 years ago I could not believe how detailed and realistic the boxers looked. Even by today's standards the graphics are good and really help to absorb you into the game.

Boxers receive life like damage such as cuts and bruises and as the fight draws on you begin to sweat profusely which begins to bead down you face and body in a very realistic way.

Unfortunately there is a limited number of venues where the fights take place and the crowd appear fake thanks to the over use of copied animations simply coloured differently. Overall though the graphics are superb with accurate modelling, excellent use of lighting and some really nice camera work.

--- Sound ---
The sounds are what you would expect. The punches sound realistic and the cometary of the fight was believable and not repetitive. There was also good use of ambient crowd noise which elevates once you land successful combos or a good knock out punch.

--- Value ---
I really enjoyed this game even though the career mode seemed somewhat pointless at times. I had a lot of good nights playing it with friends either on or off line. Also this is one of the only games where I managed to easily get the maximum 1000 Xbox gamer points for those of you that love G!

I must have got at least a solid months play out of Fight Night Round 3 which considering you can pick it up now for as little as £8 I think it's a steal. Also, Fight Night Round 4 was released on the 26/06/09 and for those of you who want to wait for the price to come down on the newer release, this may be a cheap alternative.

--- Overall ---
This is a fun, easy to control and graphically superb boxing games, one of the best I've played so far. Even though it's over 2 years old I still play it even today! For as little as £8 it is worth a try.