Fight Night Round 4 (PS3)

It's hard to forget the first time I landed an orbital-crushing haymaker in Fight Night Round 3: my vicious blow sent ripples across the opponent's cheeks and bodily fluids flying towards the canvas. No other boxing sim since has come close to recreating that amazing combination of visual brutality and gameplay finesse until now -- Fight Night Round 4 is finally here and while it may not have the same revolutionary impact of its predecessor, it's a major step up in nearly every imaginable way.

THE VERDICT by Tae K. Kim Tae K. Kim's Avatar I never played any of the other Fight Nights but Round 4 looks like it's a winner all around. I think UFC 2009 Undisputed stole a lot of the thunder but between that title, Fight Night 4 and the upcoming Marvel vs Capcom 2, you have a lot of different ways to kick some serious digital ass. And you can be sure we'll be holding a boot camp event around Fight Night 4 some time soon, so start practicing or you will have zero chance when you go up against me and the rest of the GamePro editors.

Stunning Punches

It's easy to think back on how great Round 3 looked for its time, but a lot has changed in the three years since its release. Luckily, Round 4 is no slouch: the fighters look better than ever, with increased detail and more lifelike animations, and the upgrade to 60 frames per second irons out the clunky movements and other hiccups from the last game. Fighters still show visual damage and fatigue over the course of a match, but unlike Round 3, the user interface (with health, stamina, and damage meters) is on by default, so you'll have to manually disable it if you're looking for a less intrusive on-screen experience. With or without the meters, the knockdown punches remain a highlight, with the action slowing down and the camera zooming in for that exact moment that your perfect punch reaches its destination.

Well worth noting is the increased emphasis on peripheral details outside the ring, which help create the sensation of fighting on the world stage. As you weave around the ring, you'll see photographers lining up their shots, judges keeping score, and even trainers shadowboxing near the corner. Also appreciated is the presence of Teddy Atlas who joins play-by-play man Joe Tessitore to offer compelling insight about the fighters and the current state of the sport. The dialogue gets recycled but it's worthwhile and interesting.

Fight Night Round 4

Comments [14]

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Puddles

If so much emphasis is supposedly claimed to be about user control how come the option to map the punch buttons on the face buttons is absent from this game, EA blew the whistle yet again... Ummmmm No thanks i'll pass!!!!

EJStrat

Gonna pick it up, wonder which system it plays better on. Do you editors play on PSN or XBL?

BLackdragon201

Got it. It's tight. Don't fall into that whole controls blah. I'll say it again. If you want to button mash go play Tekken.

Da_Real_Rebel_XD

Got it. It's tight. Don't fall into that whole controls blah. I'll say it again. If you want to button mash go play Tekken.
What? Wanna mash buttons play Tekken? Obviously don't know how to play Tekken. Those are the only Tekken player who'd mash buttons. The control layout for FN3 was perfect. The fact that all punches are done using the sticks don't even feel right and for that reason only I too will pass on getting this game. They shouldn't have tried to fix what wasn't broken to begin. Oh well, there's still FN3.
Da_Real_Rebel_XD

On a better note, the game looks better but that's not enough to out weigh the bad control choice. They should have at least made the way to play it be optional with control mapping, you know? Like almost every other new game under the sun. In this day and age, not having control button mapping should be illegal. What a waste, I was really looking forward to this game too.

Jebuslovesu

Dude, I bought the game, knowing it wouldn't have the button layout that I always used, and I'm regretting it bad! I feel F'N handicapped by TPC set up. EA F'D up the FN series for me man...and it looks like I'm not the only one:(

denveraic

Wow, this game has flop all over it. Only one page from the reviews? Anyways, I played it. It's okay. Not great. I'm actually disappointed. It's good, but not $60 good. To repetitive and bland.

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