EA Sports has released yet another boxing title onto the masses. This year’s new installment has everything you could ask for. This game has all the great features from the last edition on the Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube, and then some; from intense boxing matches, fantastic online play, and even slugfests at the weigh ins. You can play as a number of professional boxers, or create your own, and utilize them to pummel the life out of friends, or enemies, on the same console or over Xbox Live.
The graphics look incredible. Playing this game was the first time I was amazed at the graphics on any 360 game. Visuals like these are the reason I shelled out a ton of money on a 360 and an HDTV. Boxers look amazing, they have dimples on there skin, and they sweat and bleed realistically. Over the course of the match, you can watch your boxer tire out and slump over. This is perfect, because EA has decided to do away with the HUD. You have to actually watch your boxer's mannerisms, and keep an eye on how heavy they are breathing. This brought the focus away from simply swinging away when the opponent's life bar was low. I felt that I was using more strategy this time around. On the other hand, if you don’t like this new feature, you can turn on the display in the options menu. The KO moments on this edition are amazing to say the least. You can see every little wrinkle on the faces, and see sweat flying off of the boxers when the gloves connect with an unprotected face. Eyes slam shut, and mouths hang open as the boxer falls to the mat in a wonderful display of rag doll physics. EA has decided to put in a lot of advertising, including Dodge, Burger King, and Everlast. This seems a little forced at times, with having Dodge gloves, and the Burger King walking you down to the ring. Simply put, this game looks amazing, but can graphics alone hold this game together?
The controls are tight and extremely responsive. You can use both of the analog thumb sticks to dodge and throw punches, dubbed Total Punch Control by EA. Using TPC, it actually felt like I was throwing a right hook and then leaning out of the way of my opponent’s counter punch. If you aren’t too keen on learning how to use the analog sticks, you can also choose another configuration, which allows you to utilize the A,B,X,Y buttons to attack. It takes about an hour to get the TPC controls down, but once you do you will find it hard to go back to the button setup. There are Flash KOs in this version, and basically these are hyper-haymakers, they are last resort punches that can change the momentum of a fight in an instant. However, if you miss or are blocked, you may as well get ready to take a nap, because you're going down. Again, the controls are responsive and feel as realistic as possible on a controller.
The gameplay is frantic and strategic. The matches can be anywhere from 30 second beat downs, to 12 round slugfests. The A.I. is extremely smart, and the computer watches how you play and reacts in a manner that creates memorable matches with close rounds and equal fights. That is, if you have the game on medium or hard difficulties, as easy is like Mike Tyson beating up a 5 year old paraplegic. The different difficulty levels are not that balanced, as it's either too easy or too hard, I'd stick it around medium, until you get your legs under you.
Online gameplay is fluid and enjoyable. In my many matches online, I only experienced minimal amounts of lag. The online lobbies are a little lackluster and there isn’t much going on, but once the game starts, none of that matters. Just like the main game, these matches are ultra-realistic and fun to play, and depending upon the players, can range from a few minutes to an hour-long grudge match.
Now, the downsides to Fight Night Round 3 on the Xbox 360. This game is basically the exact same game from last time, right down to the knock down and taunting animations. The mini games that are used to train your character in the career mode, are fun at first but get downright annoying after a while. The haymakers and the Flash KO punches are hard to pull off, but once you get them down, you may find it easy to throw them out at the onset of a round and end the fight early. And lastly, you can't actually play as the Burger King's King character. That would have been amazing.
