Best boxing game by far (Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox 360))

Member Name: underdog_78

Product:	Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox 360)
Date:	01/07/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Graphics, game play and the much improved single player Legacy

Disadvantages: Xbox live is not so good at the moment.

Fight Night Round 4 promised massive improvements from Round 3, but unlike a lot of EA's sequels this wasn't going to be graphical changes, it was going to be the game engine itself that would be changed to make each punch unique in how it lands, the effect it has and the force it lands with.

This was, according to EA, the closest thing to actual boxing you could get on a console, this was going to be about thinking yourself to a win and not just throwing wild punches.

On first play, compared to Fight night 3 this is a step back, you find yourself standing on the spot throwing 200 punches a round, but happily as you go through the much improved single player game it becomes obvious that those tactics won't get you far for long.

The new blocking system relies on perfecting timing to throw counter punches, throw too many punches and you get so weak you wont be standing for long. The better you get at the game the more it feels like the real thing. Playing as Tyson and getting in close throwing wild hooks to the body followed by a swift uppercut has never felt so good as it does here.

The graphics are fantastic, better than even FN3, in the replays you can see muscles flex in your characters back as they throw punches, your opponent grimace as he takes that punch square on the nose.

A lot has been changed on this game, and everything for the better. The system in between rounds, how you get up after a knock down, the blocking, the punching. If you like boxing you will love this game.

The fact you can download other people's created boxers is brilliant, also you can upload a photo to the EA web site and use that as your face in the game meaning you can put yourself, you mother or even Borat into the game. This feature means you can add in all the boxers missing from the game and import them into your one player game.

There are a few downsides, xbox live is very little fun with strangers at the moment due to a fault with stamina that means you usually end up in a slugfest until you win or lose. Though I am sure this will be resolved via a patch soon.

All in all a brilliant effort by EA and a huge step forward.

Summary: Best boxing game by far