Fight Night Round 3 - Current Gen Review

There's only one franchise that springs to mind when it comes to the art of boxing, and that's Electronic Arts' Fight Night series. Born off the back of the publisher's Kings of Knockout series, which ended in 2003, Fight Night has established itself as the prime boxing franchise with a host of features including the Total Punch Control system making every iteration stand out.

In the run up this year's release it's perhaps inevitable that most of the footage and screens of the game have been taken from the Xbox 360 version, and for good reason. But for those gamers without Microsoft's next-gen console, what does Fight Night Round 3 offer on the likes of PlayStation2?

The long and short of it is this, pretty much everything that the game has on Xbox 360 makes its appearance on the current-gens. Obviously the graphical power of Microsoft's machine far out-weighs anything seen of the current-gen versions, which does affect key gameplay experiences, but the game modes and the boxers themselves make the cut.

Coming off the back of last year's solid effort, which introduced a multitude of new features such as the Haymaker punch, and Career Mode, Fight Night Round 3 marks a year of tweaking and adjusting so far as the current-gen versions are concerned. The Career Mode for instance now allows players to create their own fighter from a huge range of attributes from boxing styles through to physical characteristics such as cranium size; EA's implementation character creation continues. After creating your boxer, players then proceed to sign a contest contract and prepare for the fight by completing a series of training mini-games that help develop their attributes. Gamers also have the opportunity to once again take a legendary boxer and put them through their paces, rising through the ranks to become champion once more. That said, the mode does suffer from a repetitive structure of single bouts and training regimes, and it should feel more like a journey than it does in its present form.

A quick start 'Play Now' of course features in the game, as it does in any EA Sports title, allowing gamers to cross both weight categories and generations to pit the likes of Jeff Lacy with Muhammad Ali in the ring. Perhaps what's a tad disappointing is the lack of variety amongst the boxers; there's no Lennox Lewis along with several other big names, whilst some boxers (such as Evander Holyfield) appear in more than one weight category. EA's deal with ESPN also means that the brand makes its way into the game in the ESPN Classics mode, which sees some of boxing's biggest rivalries take to the ring once more. More of a preset 'Play Now' mode, ESPN Classics means that the likes of Ali vs Frazier and Robinson vs. La Motta rivalries can be renewed years after retirement.

Onto the fights themselves, and it has to be said that the current-gen character models do look good. The bout arenas are shared with the Xbox 360 version, including the Windy City Boxing Gym and Madison Square Gardens. The boxers themselves are more than decent on the current-gen systems, although anybody who plays the Xbox 360 version will undoubtedly feel spoiled on their return from the next-gen. This latest iteration of Fight Night also features the triple-whammy of Impact Punches seen in the Xbox 360 version, including Flash KOs. These punches can turn the tide of a match or just finish it quicker than it otherwise would. By using the Total Punch Control system, players can draw back an unleash health obliterating hits, and set up the follow-up killer blow. However much like it's next-gen big brother, they're particularly difficult to execute and also open up the boxer to a massive counter-attack. Further refinement of the system is perhaps required before it becomes more accepted as part of the control system since players will probably end up using the more established strategies and tactics to win bouts.

EA has been more than proud to show off its 'Super Punch' skin rippling effects on Xbox 360, and it's no surprise that the effect doesn't make it into the current-generation versions of Fight Night Round 3; other effects such as the torrent amounts of sweat are also omitted from the PlayStation2 and Xbox. But it's not the current-gen version's lack of lighting and other visual effects that mark down the experience offered by the game.

Where the current-gen version is found lacking is the distinct lack of impact from the punch. Despite mashing an opponent's face to a pulp, there's never a point where it feels like you're actually hitting someone. Obviously the system restrictions of the current-gen consoles have meant that the progressive degradation of the boxers' faces isn't up to the standards set on Xbox 360, leaving the sprays of blood and spit globular and over-emphasised. The blood is especially used more liberally in these versions that on Xbox 360. The developers have tried to inject a little of the camera reactions seen in the next-gen version, but these emerge very late in a bout when players are just a punch or two away from the so-called KO Moments.

The lack of system power also means that the health and stamina bars once again make their appearance on screen, but as in last year's effort, appear rather subtly at the bottom of interface. As a result of these aspects Fight Night Round 3 on the current-gen consoles remains just a videogame, never giving enough to almost duping players into the immersive qualities that the Xbox 360 version manages to pull of.

There's no doubt that the showcase version of Fight Night Round 3 appears on Xbox 360, but the fact is that for most gamers, the next-gen version won't be the version that they end up paying for. What EA has achieved with the current-gen version of the boxing game is nothing short of valiant and a brave effort that ticks nearly every box. It does trip up on the lack of impact that a connect punch delivers, and the obvious inclusion of health/stamina bars, but for gamers not yet tainted by the phenomenal experience of Round 3 on Xbox 360, this won't be something that they'll worry about.