Fight Night Round 3

Can the portable cousin of Fight Night Round 3 hang with the big boys, or does the PSP's limited capabilities leave it down for a 10 count?

Come out immediately swinging, and you're in for a treat. But if you linger in the later rounds, then you'll be bruised by the PSP's limitations. Such is the life of a boxer on the PSP.

Hip, Hip Haymaker
At first glance, Fight Night Round 3 is an obvious appeal to PSP owners. This pugilist offers a one-two punch of fast, immediate action. You can hop straight into a 12-round match against some of boxing's elite and fight in classic boxing moments throughout history.

When it comes to presentation, Fight Night fortunately doesn't depart from its console-related cousin of the same name. Watching slow-motion replays of bloodied knockouts and spleen-splitting hard hits is truly an invigorating ego booster. During actual gameplay, you're treated to a visually sharp dance of two warriors trying to dismantle the other with fluid-like motions of hard-hitting punches.

Not Going the Distance
Despite the pick-up-and-play allure, Fight Night Round 3 can quickly tire out of frustration. The PSP's limited number and close-proximity of its buttons don't do this boxer justice--fitting jabs, hooks, uppercuts, blocks, clinches, special moves, taunts, etc. for fast access just doesn't work well on the system. Your fingers will fumble more than your knuckles will rumble, and pretty soon, the computer opponents will out maneuver your every move. Not even a button-mashing tactic can save you from precise attacks your opponents will eventually pull.

The shoddy controls are accentuated even more during your career in Fight Night. Starting a career is simple enough. Create the usual customized pug, dress him up, sign fight contracts, and win each bout to move up in rank. But once you're ranked at around 30th in the world, the difficulty just gets unmanageable--even if your fighter has a higher attribute setting than the opponent. Again, straining your fingers to block a body blow or parry at just the right moment, while timing a counter or performing an uppercut (which requires pressing two buttons at once) will inevitably twist your fingers into a 10-count knockout. You should throw in the towel and just go back to an exhibition fight.

It Was Fun While It Lasted
In short spurts, playing Fight Night is an exceptional portable fighting game. Release that angst and go a few rounds with your favorite boxer--you won't be disappointed. But if you decide to make it a career in the hard-knock life, just remember that your fingers will be aching more than your fists.

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