Fight Night Round 3

The boxing videogame finally comes of age in Fight Night Round 3 on Xbox 360.

A boxing game… very fitting that it was the first game in quite some time to give me actual physical injuries. Certainly the blisters on my fingers are less impressive than the bone crunching knock downs present in the game, but during the course of playing I think I’ve figured out the whole video games causing violence issue once and for all. (Activists will have to wait a few paragraphs for my definitive explanation though I’m afraid.) So here we are… a couple of years after the first Fight Night (an outstanding piece of gameplay in my opinion) and probably my most anticipated game for the 360, if only from last year’s E3 hype.

Fight Night Round 3 is essentially just a boxing game, quite unrivalled by any other game series, understandably because of its definitive gameplay and now the outstanding graphics. This game contains the most realistic computer generated skin I have ever seen (yes, that includes the Final Fantasy movie), and all generated in real time with sweat beading off it, realistically represented with the lighting. If there was ever a game to sell the Xbox 360 on its graphical prowess, this is it.

The replays alone make it worth the entry fee. While the demo released over Xbox Live Marketplace showed off some of its wonder, the end of round replays were a little bit shoddy compared to knockouts. In the retail game, while knockouts do rule the roost, there is now no need to lay an egg over replays showing cameras swooping through solid flesh as per the demo. Now they seem a lot more sensible, and while the rippling skin of the knockdowns (which has to be seen to be believed) is not present in end of round replays, at least they don’t seem buggy.

But beauty doesn’t maketh the game. Ignoring the superb backdrops and unbelievably fantastic knockout replays, which is very difficult considering how re-watchable they are, the sound has an equally strong role. While the graphics could sell anyone a High Definition display, the sound should inspire gamers everywhere to pick up a home theatre kit; true surround sound bass boosting excellence. Plug one of those bad boys in and you can literally feel the sound of a painful counter punch hitting home, not to mention the rather decent range (even to my tastes) of music.

Commentary is much more useful in this version of the game, mainly because the HUD showing your health and stamina (i.e. how fast and hard you can hit) bars are by default not present. While you can turn them on, I have found my preference to be removing them, leaving my performance and statistics to be displayed (believe it or not) by the fighters’ facial expressions, poise and general movements and the comments of the commentator.

Unfortunately, all aspects of the sound suffer from a similar fate; that of being repetitive. While the musical tracks are all great choices for the game, there are too few, and it seems like the commentator can’t help but spout some of the more distinctive lines far too often. I certainly wouldn’t balk at being told that I my superb counter left hook has just hit home, hearing the advantage of a certain stance every time any boxer decides to use it seems like a bit of overkill.

The actual game takes place over a series of different game modes, of which the one you’ll need to play to unlock all of the achievements is Career Mode. In this, you create your own boxer, from his blocking style all the way down to how his nose looks. Face and body attributes are altered via an absolutely fantastic analogue stick system. Yes, I know it’s been done before in previous incarnations, but never has it felt so good as here. Once you’re happy with your appearance and basic skill-set, it is time to fight.

Starting in the amateur sector, the first port of call will be to sign a contract for a fight, where you are given up to three alternatives (sometimes just one choice) and after weighing up their… well… weight, abilities and the rewards you are likely to get from fighting/winning/performing special tasks, you must choose one. As if that was the difficult bit. Next comes training, and you have complete control over which skills are affected each time by hiring a trainer, again varying in cost and specialities, and choosing a type of training to boost some of your statistics to make you faster, stronger, harder or various other easily misunderstood statistics. Then after one of those normally easy, occasionally fun mini-games, it is time for the real thing.

Much the same as other incarnations of the series, and indeed the real thing, each boxer is introduced, unfortunately without any customisable factors, and then you’re fighting. Two basic styles are available and interchangeable, the first being a case of hitting a button to pull of a certain punch, with the second being the excellent total punch control, seen in the other Fight Night games. This has you using the left analogue stick to move your boxer, and your right stick controlling the type and power of each punch from a simple jab to a massive (and risky) impact punch that could theoretically knock down an opponent in one hit.

The controls are fluid and become very natural and intuitive after a good bit of playing, but in career mode, the CPU opponents have a rather steep difficulty curve, starting out as fist-fodder and soon becoming the physical embodiment of torture. It is in this case that I feel the game let me down. Don’t get me wrong, in my first Fight Night experience on the PS2 I had a completely unbeaten career, so I don’t feel that my gameplaying skills are lacking, but in Round 3 I came across a fight that wasn’t optional, and got to a stage where I felt it was pushing the boundaries of being possible using my current fighter settings. You know the feeling, when the CPU indiscriminately blocks every single attack, countering each one with a dangerously powerful haymaker, and every counter you make is too slow to get through his defence, only to be countered itself.

I have not felt that frustrated at a game for a long time, and there it is… my cause for all video-game-violence blame. It is not the game, it is the frustration caused by playing it, and my girlfriend informs me that it’s not good for my health. (Of course it’s not, it’s boxing).

Knocking out an enemy is not the only way to win a fight, (I find turning off the Xbox and pretending I have won to be a good method with my aforementioned nemesis), but a cuts and bruises system, beautifully and grotesquely represented in game, can also be a factor. Needless to say, the more cuts and bruises you have, the more damage you take, but the invisible but omnipresent referee can sometimes stop the fight all too suddenly if either combatant’s bruises get too much, awarding instant victory to the other corner. Very frustrating, especially when getting used to the cuts system, or when you really want to see him hit the canvass rather than being whisked to safety, but fortunately it can be switched off in the menu.

After winning fights and claiming your prize money, your popularity meter raises, and once you have won enough fights you can take a pop at the next belt. Instead of a numerical ranking system, this method of progressing you through the career seems incredibly linear and personally falls to the canvas in comparison to even the first Fight Night’s offering, but still, it is an easy way of gaining some gamerpoints as achievements worth either 100 or 150 are won simply by defeating enemies in sponsored fights (to say the least – lets just say that after unlocking him, you can select the Burger King as your trainer).

All of your prize money can be spent on kitting out your pugilist with all of the latest fighting gear (equally as sponsored) which normally have statistical benefits, enhancing your stamina for example, but certainly with a boost to your vanity. The career mode is certainly fun, but fortunately is not the be all and end all to the game. ESPN Classic mode takes classic fights (Like Ali vs. Frasier), gives you a brief but informative introduction to the fight and lets you take part as one (or both if you have a friend – you know who I’m talking about) of the incredibly well realised representations and see if you could repeat/change the outcome.

It’s a little fun, especially if you just want a quick no-frills game, but it seems rather similar to the Play Now mode that I used just once to get a quick game with a fighter of your choosing. Then of course we come to Live gaming. A simplistic set up lets you get into a fight, and much like having a friend play you in your own room, there is nothing like having someone taunt you (yes folks, that does sometimes happen across the internet) only to stun punch them into the next fight. Minimal lag over the course of the game creates a better experience; maybe assisted by the fact that stamina loss in-game (not just on live) does have a seriously marked effect on your fighting speed, which gives the whole thing a slower feel. Finally, there seems to be a lot of discussion over cheap shots, specifically the impact punches making the game a very unbalanced product, but personally I find the long lead in time of the heavier punches makes them easier to parry and counter, so I have no beef what-so-ever with the player versus player system.

What I do have beef with is anyone that says that Fight Night isn’t a superb game. Unless boxing disgusts you, you do have to own this, and I’ll take anyone on in the ring if despite the single player frustrations (if anyone suggests turning down the difficulty I’ll slug them) they can’t see the beauty and polish that has gone into the gameplay. Oh, and for the record, any venue, any time. Except if I’ve still got those blisters.

This review comes courtesy of our friends at Boomtown.net .