Fight Night: Round 3 – Review

Regardless of well practised character anticipation and carefully executed attack combos, control methods in fighting games can often devolve into mindless button-mashing affairs when players face far superior opposition. Picture the gameplay opportunity afforded such games (and their players) if frantically hammering buttons was successfully replaced by a much simpler control system. But what? Well, how about moving all the central fight moves to the right analogue stick while reserving special moves and blocks for the shoulder buttons/triggers, and placing static and mobile evasion on the left analogue stick? Sounds interesting in its focused immediacy, yet concept is nothing but vivid imagination until its design becomes reality. Be prepared to feel the full, jaw-loosening reality of that control system as EA asks you to utilise its full range against a wealth of challenging opponents in Fight Night: Round 3.

Fight Night: Round 3’s main offering is an in-depth Career mode, which allows players to create their very own fighter through an impressive character-creation tool, and then take them on a quest for ring-bound glory. The created brawler can be tweaked physically until the player is thoroughly satisfied with all areas (though only 200 points of statistic allocation exist at the outset), and then weight discipline, fighting style, defensive style, etc., can also be added to better define performance once in the ring. When a fighter has been duly prepared, it’s off to the amateur ring where mettle must first be proven before steadily rising in notoriety toward the professional ranks—and that coveted world title shot. Before each fight, the player can send their fighter for a focused training session, which affects their statistics in both positive and negative ways. For example, though a Weightlifting session will improve strength and stamina, it was also damage speed and agility. Weightlifting, the Combo Dummy and Heavy Bag all offer different attribute boosts and detractions and should be chosen wisely. Ultimately, building a balanced fighter is at the player’s command during training assignments—should they so wish—but any number of statistics can be expanded to create specific fighting approaches.

Beyond Career mode, the game includes the interesting ESPN Classic mode, where players can re-enact famous bouts from the past through a large selection of some of history’s most-celebrated fighters: Ali vs. Frazier, Robinson vs. Lamotta, Leonard vs. Hagler…the list goes on. And, worthy fights from a player’s own career also find their way into the ESPN Classic file—which is a great way to revisit old rivalries and play through individual battles again. Finally there’s the regular Play Now mode, which gives players the opportunity to bypass the considering tweaking of Career mode and simply step straight into the ring with minimal fuss.

EA’s presentation is, quite expectedly, slick and easy on the eye. Game graphics are thoroughly impressive, and everything from the animation of the boxers, the design of the small seedy venues, to the different trainers and the likes of Madison Square Garden are created with a definite sense of style and swagger. Actual fighting is frighteningly convincing, and never more so than when landing one of EA’s new gameplay additions: The Impact Punch. Swinging every punch through differing movements of the right-analogue stick, while ducking and diving with the left, is phenomenally effective and, as a result, the player is immersed instantly into each fight. However, the jarring ferocity of an Impact Punch, Haymaker, or Stun Punch will momentarily rip attention back to the realms of reality as players may find themselves inadvertently laughing in abrupt shock at the on-screen destruction. Once an opponent is worn to the point of a possible knockout, a successfully landed crushing blow will suddenly send the game into slow motion as the camera captures every moment of the crucial connection. Blood, spittle, and sweat fizz into the air amid the exaggerated sounds of strained and cracking bones, and the battered fighter groans in pained defeat as his legs buckle pathetically and canvas rushes to meet his broken face. It really IS that brutal.

Game sound is also nothing short of authentic, and every punch resonates with the heavy thud of pounded flesh. Boxers short on stamina gasp desperately for air, while those on the edge of a knockdown flinch in agony with each slammed fist. Attending crowds whoop and holler for their favoured fighter, and even implore them to “Get up!” while they’re busy counting the ceiling lights. Smaller venues are typically subdued affairs, but the larger arenas positively pulse with atmosphere and tension—which sinks directly into the player. Trainers handily offer round-by-round advice on how best to approach fights based on performance, though occasionally their voice tracks disappear and this will leave the player staring at a bruised fighter receiving instruction they can’t hear. In-game commentary is perhaps a little repetitive, but certainly no less emotive than the on-screen battles, but the commentators soon fade into the aural background as the actual fights so often dictate attentions. Fight Night: Round 3’s soundtrack is crammed with hip-hop and R&B tracks, which all complement the style of the game with absolute ease, and are actually quite a decent selection of tracks.

Deaf gamers, or those suffering with hearing difficulties, are sadly deprived of some truly superb sound in Fight Night: Round 3. Furthermore, the advice doled out by the player’s trainer between rounds and during training sessions is also without subtitled accompaniment, which doesn’t help in offering guidance. However, the central gamplay remains largely unaffected by the loss and should still conjure up impressive levels of immersion.

Unfortunately, girl gamers must strap on the gloves as men in Fight Night: Round 3, as the game’s entire complement of fighters is male, male, male. As is becoming a repeated message of late, it must be noted that most sports often have professional branches for both men and women, and publishers are wasting a valuable opportunity by not offering the growing girl gamer demographic the chance to enjoy using their own gender—or even for guys to choose to play through a game as a woman. When will a publisher finally act on this and (…ahem) level the playing field? Oh, and in addition, the only women actually in the game are those bikini-clad ‘models’ holding up numbered boards between rounds; needless to say, the team behind Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball would be proud of the over-the-top animation.

Boxing as a ‘sport’ is openly opposed from many quarters; the staunchest of whom view it as little more than barbaric. Prior to receiving the promotional copy of EA’s latest pugilistic slugfest, this reviewer had little knowledge concerning the Fight Night series and was neither for nor against its hard-hitting—and contentious—subject material. Yet, Fight Night: Round 3 lands a flurry of positive body blows thanks to a sublime control system, enveloping gameplay, impressively smooth animation, crunching sound, and an involving Career mode. With its 3-hit combination of devastating Impact Punches, wince-inducing signature moves, and appallingly satisfying slow-motion replays, Fight Night: Round 3 scores a convincing knockout and leaves the ring as the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Review by Stevie