Fight Night Round 4 Review  

Tyson might not be able to chew off anyone’s ears but he sure can tear you a new one! 

Played on Xbox 360 

By Coxster 

I remember when Fight Night Round 3 first came out and really showed how amazing the graphics can be on the new generation of consoles.  The 360 version came first and was followed by the PS3 version about a year later and looked even more amazing.  Not only did it look breath-taking, but the boxing mechanics were exceptional and it ended up being quite possibly the most enjoyable boxing game ever made.  Well it’s been a long wait for Round 4, so now that it’s here will it stand up in the simply ring or throw in the towel? 

From the moment you fire up Round 4, you would think that it was made by the same guys who did Round 3 (and the more forgettable Def Jam Icon) but it wasn’t.  The reason why Round 4 probably took so long to finally show up is that there was a new team behind it’s creation and they probably had to start a lot of things from scratch because apart from the improved graphics, the mechanics aren’t that different from the previous Round…or so you would think until you get into the swing of things.  

Look at those crappy Atari 2600 graphics!

Boxer’s height and reaches now come into the strategy element of playing, smaller guys usually tend to have shorter reaches and are more effective on the inside, bigger guys are going to do more damage by throwing punches on the outside, or you can pick Mike Tyson and just slaughter everybody.   Admittedly the changes are subtle, but they are noticeable to boxing game veterans like me.    There is a bigger focus on counterpunching, it’s harder to counterpunch and, when you do, you get a split second to get off a haymaker which can actually knock the guy out.   It gives a lot more depth because in the last game you could spend a whole match just counterpunching always ending up in a win.  This time around, you’re going to have to have reflexes of a tiger to in a counterpunch, but when you do, the results are fiercely amazing.  The downside to the difficulty in counterpunching is that it allows button mashers far too many chances to get cheap jabs in. I’ll give you a tip right now, if you plan on taking this game online learn how to counterpunch, it will be the only thing that will save you.  

This is what ouch looks like

As far as the options go, you pretty much have exhibition, legacy mode which is the career mode, and of course training which runs you through the exercise mini-game to help your stats.  In legacy you pretty much have to build up your boxer (either created or with one of the boxing superstars) and take them throughout the years training and taking on a whole host of people, ranking up to become the champ and ultimately retire as The Greatest of All Time.  You know the score.   I hate the idea of retiring after working so hard through so many virtual years but I understand that all good things must come to an end.  Can’t stay young forever!  

There is a calendar that simulates all the days leading up to the fights you might have booked and you’ll also get the option to put in a training day or two before the big fight.  I auto trained most of it because by actually playing the training mini-games, I found them boring and actually a little bit tricky to learn all the nuances of the controls.  Auto-training only gives you half of the maximum benefit but that was ok because I maxed out my power stats virtually making me unstoppable anyways.   

I would have to say that the biggest problem with the game is the fact that the mini-games are just so boring.  They really are.  It’s always been a problem with sport simulations, but I found Round 4 to be really tedious and not a whole lot of fun to play.  I would rather spend my time in the ring than in the gym working out, make the mini-games fun to play and I wouldn’t mind it so much.  Plus the loading screens can be a little bit out of order as well.

This is before George Foreman needed to invent a fat free way of cooking meat

There are 48 licensed fighters in Round 4 (although I couldn’t find Evander Holyfield anywhere) and a few big names are in the roster, Tyson, Ali, hell we Australians even get Mundine.  There are heaps of boxers that you’ve probably never heard of if you’re not that into boxing, but there is enough talent in the roster to find someone who might agree with your tastes…a Holyfield – Tyson match would’ve been my wish though.  

There is a decent create a boxer option in here that actually supports the Xbox 360 camera, allowing the game to create a likeliness of you to take into the ring.  There are options and sliders to change facial features, weight and height – pretty much all the tools to re-create yourself or your favourite boxer.  It’s not the most robust creation system on the market, but it strikes a balance between creativity and functionality.  

Fights over Xbox Live work pretty darn nicely.  For a game that relies heavily upon precise counterpunches, flurries and weaving, the experience was very smooth.  When it lags, it lags magnificently but the majority of the time it works pretty smoothly.  Better than fight night round 3 did straight out the box.  My favourite feature was the instant replay mode that lets you save videos online where you can watch your favourite knockouts or show a friend.  The downside to this is that unlike Round 3, the knockouts look almost identical to each other and the lack of any noticeable blood makes Round 4 a little less exciting.  Still, it is great to finally save those memorable moments.  

Jones Jr...you're still the best in my book

You really can’t go wrong if you pick this up.  It doesn’t trump previous efforts in the series but it on equal footing with Round 3.  Where they go from here is anyone’s guess but let’s hope they keep giving us the same brilliant boxing experience from here on in.  Round 4 gets a well earned 4 out of 5.