FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 AN EA SPORTS GAME

GSA OFFICIAL REVIEW OF FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4



Coming face to face with the self proclaimed ‘baddest man on the planet’ in all his fearsome glory is an experience few men on this earth can claim to have endured. However, thanks to EA Sports latest incarnation in the hugely popular Fight Night series we lucky gamers can get an insight into what those poor, misfortunate souls went through when locking horns with Iron Mike Tyson.

When I first heard the rumours that the legendary Brooklyn heavyweight was to be included on the roster for the forthcoming edition of Fight Night, I like so many other gamers of a certain vintage could barely contain my excitement. For years, right back to when the series was entitled Knockout Kings I have enjoyed EA Sports boxing titles, but always with the feeling that something was missing. Now that that something has arrived, in the guise of the most exciting fighter of my lifetime, it almost feels like I could ask no more from a boxing sim.

But whether I ask for no more or not EA seem determined to give it to me in FNR4. The first thing noticeable upon entering the ring is the animation of the fighters, and in particular the accuracy of each individual fighters idiosyncracities. From Tyson’s bustling come forward style to the slick mannerisms of Sugar Ray Robinson, its clear that each fighter has been lovingly constructed by someone with a real passion for the sweet science. In the case of FNR4 it seems that women were right and that size does matter, as your boxers physical stature will determine the kind of tactics needed to win each fight. Choose Ali and your best course of action is to work behind the jab and use his dancing feet to mesmerise your hapless opponent, or if you prefer the more abrasive style fighter in the mould of Hatton or Lamotta, then you are best served by staying true to these fighters ideals and getting up close and personal with your fellow combatant.

The mechanics of the actual art of fighting have improved immeasurably since FNR3 aswell. Whereas before it was simply a matter of waiting for your opponent to throw a punch, parry it and respond in kind things have become a lot more complex now. Landing clean blows has become a skill in itself and requires infinite timing and precision, defensively its no longer a matter of keeping your guard up and deflecting away even the most malicious of assaults with shots piercing even the most tight of guards and weakening your defence. You’d think these changes to the build of the game may take away from the fluidity of the action and make it less accessible to the first timer, you’d be wrong. Whether you wish to have an all out slugfest with each fighter going toe to toe from the first bell or you’re a purist who believes in fighting behind the jab, you will be catered for here. One huge difference which I welcome wholeheartedly is the average duration of fights, no longer does every fight end in a knockout victory with players now forced to wait nervously on the judges scorecards more often than not.

The main thrust of any sports simulator has to lie in its career mode, and after the one dimensional and frankly quite dull career mode offered in FNR3 it’s a welcome relief to encounter FNR4’s all new Legacy Mode. On beginning the Legacy Mode the first thing to take note of is the inclusion of the Photo Game Face familiar to players of the Tiger Woods PGA series among others. After lovingly creating your very own Frankenstein you get the usual array of options regarding fighting style, hometown, height and weight etc, etc. However there is a few small touches in the creation process which add to the authenticity of Legacy Mode. Firstly the option to have the commentators (more on them later) call you by your real name during fights is a big plus and adds that little bit more involvement to proceedings. Also gone are the default trunks, gloves and shoes and in their stead is the option to design your own ringwear in as garish a fashion as you desire. Once you have finished painstakingly amending your fighter it’s time to get down to the real business of Legacy Mode, the fighting.

After a cursory browse through the admittedly very accessible legacy central you start the process of turning your raw contender into a world champion. Contests are arranged through the in game calendar with the player given a choice of how many training sessions to partake in between fights. The training mini games are yet another area where there has been a massive improvement, they offer a suitable challenge whilst also enabling the player to focus on strengthening his fighter in the desired areas. As you progress through Legacy Mode your goals are continually changing depending on how well your fighter is doing, If you’re good enough you will eventually get the chance to fight for the world title and the change in atmosphere for these marquee fights is palpable from the off. All in all the Legacy Mode does exactly what is required of what is in essence the heartbeat of FNR4 and offers countless replay value due to the majority of the games achievements being tied into it.

The beauty of FNR4 is that it’s the small things that you end up appreciating more than anything else. Like for example the option to choose music from your own collection as your fighters entrance theme, you have no idea how much enjoyment I garnered from this feature with endless hours spent considering which would be my next battle hymn. Another great feature is the in game sports radio channel, alright so a lot of it is American sports news but there’s plenty of Eurocentric news to sate the appetite of those of us on this side of the Atlantic. For me though the jewel in the crown is the commentary of Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas, its unarguably the best commentary I’ve ever heard in a sports title and I often found myself on the wrong end of a barrage of punches due to being so engrossed in one of Atlas’ many anecdotes.

As with any game there is one minor thing that I would change given the opportunity, namely the method of recovering from knockdowns. I fully understand the concept of it but in all honesty I found it incredibly difficult to master, and frustratingly ended up losing several fights which I should have won due to its rather finicky nature.

Its almost impossible to quantify how much I love this game to be honest, rarely has a sports sequel bettered its predecessor in so many ways with virtually every minor quibble from FNR3 rectified here. EA Sports have somehow managed to create a game that will be adored by both the boxing alumni and the pick up and play brigade equally. With almost endless longevity provided by the online world championship mode and the endless supply of DLC, chances are I’ll still be playing this by the time Fight Night Round 5 comes around.


RATINGS

GRAPHICS 9

SOUND 10

GAMEPLAY 10

LONGEVITY 9

MULTIPLAYER 8.5


OVERALL 9.5

SimonB Demented wrote:... it seems that women were right and that size does matter...

I bloody knew it!

A seriously good review Simon. Seems like your passionate about boxing and that really comes through. And I thought it was just about smacking each other in the face.

But the way you describe the gameplay and the flexibilty of customisation makes the game itself sound a little attractive. I'm more of a female beach volleyball fan meself but even I'm tempted to play around with changing the shorts on heavily muscled sweaty men after reading your excellent review.

Lefty Redbeard wrote:I bloody knew it!

A seriously good review Simon. Seems like your passionate about boxing and that really comes through. And I thought it was just about smacking each other in the face.

But the way you describe the gameplay and the flexibilty of customisation makes the game itself sound a little attractive. I'm more of a female beach volleyball fan meself but even I'm tempted to play around with changing the shorts on heavily muscled sweaty men after reading your excellent review.

Cheers Lefty, if you think I'm passionate about boxing wait till you see my Pro Evo 2010 review!!

Maybe you should get hold of a copy of that ludicrous Dead or Alive beach volleyball game that came out a couple of years back, you can do all the customising you want then.

Great review mate.
Makes me want to buy this straight away!

nice one simon, if i didnt already own it i would go and get it

Always meant to get hold of FN3 and this review makes me want to take a close look at the genre. Nice.

When you've finished a career are you able to then advertise a handy lean mean grilling machine?