Fight Night Round 4

With "Don King Boxing" and "UFC 2009 Undisputed" recently being released, it's now time for the technically stunning "Fight Night Round 4" to enter the ring and knock out the competition. With spot-on visuals and animation that packs a punch, this boxing simulation is second to none. There are over 40 boxing greats to choose from, including legends Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Ricky Hatton, all with their own unique fighting styles. Unlike its predecessors, Fight Night Round 4 is more ferocious, realistic and powerful and with its new physics-based-animation, no game will ever be the same!

• Steven Bromley December 30, 2009 PS3

  ****

  10/10 - excellent and realistic game play. The graphics are phenomenal and there's a great choice of fighters, including a creation area and the chance to download new characters and community created fighters.

• Paul Martin July 07, 2009 360

  ****

  After EA Sports high standards of the previous title Fight Night Round 3 a lot of boxing fanatics were curious whether the next title Fight Night Round 4 would live up to expectations after returning to the drawing board to build the game from ground up once again. Let's start with the graphics, the game looks brilliant, in fact there's no doubt that Fight Night Round 4 has the most realistic graphics in any sports or possibly ANY game this year so far. The game includes all that is required in real life boxing blood, tears and sweat. The game actually even produces great physics throughout that actually make the above pour off the boxers face as he's beaten on throughout the fight. As each punch is landed your boxers damage is noticeable, it begins with a small amount of noticeable bruising to the boxers face, which then begins to swell, then perhaps produces a cut, which will open dramatically depending on how much your opponent continues to dish out damage on that specific part of your face. All this damage can be produced in many places throughout the face, whether it is above the eye, below the eye, the nose or even the mouth it is all determined on how and where your opponent is landing his punches throughout the fight. The physics of the game work really well, think of this scenario your boxer is hit on the left side of his face, his head with the force of the punch will then turn to the right and any sweat or blood on the boxers face will actually swing off in the right direction and in the manner of how hard the punch is hit. This all happens while there is emotion on both boxers faces, the one punching has the 'angry grunt' look or a 'snarl' as Rocky's trainer 'Mickey' would put it, meanwhile on the other end the boxer receiving the punches has the emotion of pain. You may think it's what is to be expected in a boxing game of this generation, but the amount of detail doesn't stop there! As a boxer throws a punch the muscles in his legs, arms and back actually move as they would in real life it's actually that detailed, BUT wait there's more. EA Sports have made the major negative of Fight Night Round 3 disappear in this series of the genre, the fault being an invisible wall that actually stopped the boxing game being realistic, let's be honest the idea of 2 opponents being obstructed by an invisible wall does not happen in real life and it doesn't happen in this game thanks to the brilliant physics engine. Each boxer can get so close to each other it brings a new meaning to a head to head. Another scenario the physics engine produces is.... if both boxers throw a punch at the same time there arms could collide or work around each other so they don't clip into each characters animation. That being said I have to be honest when I say I've never seen anything like it in terms of a computer game. If you look at any beat em up genres i.e the new UFC or WWE games on the market there major in game flaw is when each characters animation clips into the other character because they are to close. It's simply as realistic as it will get the arms can hook onto each other, you can break through a boxers block if the punch is connected in the correct manner, which would happen in real life boxing, you could even graze a boxers face with your glove if he tries to move away from the punch it's simply a remarkable job EA Sports have done in terms of physics and graphics throughout the game. Moving onto the controls, there is now no face button punching control, this is when you use A, B, X and Y to throw your punches (You can no longer change the layout of this either like previous fight night titles). These buttons are now used for pushing the opposing boxer away if needed, grabbing the opposing boxer for much needed rest if needed, a low blow or head butt, which is illegal and will score your boxer deduction points in a round and finally the signature punch. Each boxer's signature punch is different and can be deadly if timed to perfection; however there tends to be a delay where your boxer will be 'cocky' and dance around then throw the punch giving your opponent plenty of time to counter or move away. That being said all other punches are thrown with total control of the right thumbstick, for example you push the stick down to 6 o'clock position and swing it up anti clockwise (right) to the 12 noon position you will swing an right uppercut, if you push it up towards 11 o'clock you will swing a left jab (with 11 to 7 o'clock throwing left handed punches and 1 to 5 o'clock throwing right handed punches). If you push the right thumbstick down to the 5 o'clock position you will do a right handed body shot as anything in the lower region of the stick unless swung around (i.e uppercut procedure) will be a body shot, which will reduce your opponent's stamina. This being said the control system is brilliant and it works well and fluid within the game it makes you feel like you're picking the punches rather than AI and it can be rewarding as if you get used to the system it will pay off as you could land punches when and where you need to at the right time in a fight. The stamina mentioned above is used to make you punches stronger and faster if you throw punches without connecting your stamina bar will reduce, eventually when you do connect to your opponent this would mean it will not as powerful... the higher the stamina bar means more speed and power when connecting punches land on your opponent. This adds a realism to the game that makes players stop throwing punches all the way through the fight and trying to conserve energy for when openings that do exist or wait until you have the upper hand to try and finish your opponent off. In round you gain points for accurate punches, causing damage, knockdowns and countering. Countering is used with a well timed block or lean which are both operated by the left and right triggers this combined with a well timed punch after a counter will cause a little amount of damage to your opponent. Countering is totally different than Round 3's system of counter then haymaker, its a lot more realistic now leaving a small window to throw a punch like a haymaker much like in real life boxing. The points gained as mentioned above will be spent in mid round where you can spend these point on health, (the amount of health you have before being knocked down) stamina and damage (face damage which would eventually cause the fight being stopped if a cut is bad enough). Fight Night Round 3 had a mini game type which stopped the fight for minutes while a gamer healed his boxer, this method allows you to spend or keep your points for later rounds for the strategic edge, but at the same keeps the game fluid in motion allowing the fight to continue within seconds of a round ending. That said I think I've covered the gameplay side of things. The create a boxer allows you to create your own unique boxer which you can then be posted online in the EA servers for other people to download, but wait there's more. You can now fully customise you boxer's attire with colour and type of material, but wait there's more. The entrance can also be fully customised you can even have your own custom soundtrack song, but wait there's more. You can now take a picture of yourself and place specific markers on your face in the picture (instructions will be on screen at the time to help you with this system) and the game will generate your face in the game to use on you created boxer! It's simply brilliant how much it can look like you and it's always good fun when your friends come round to try it out on them and then even dish out the pain on their boxers face! EA have really went the extra step introducing this idea and I am sure it will catch onto other games as it does add a sense of realism to the game. You can then take your customised boxer into Legacy mode or online. Legacy mode allows you to move up the rankings to compete with contenders to then become the champion. The mode is a lot more open than the career mode in Fight Night Round 3 and has a different set up for each division. The game has several divisions from Heavyweight where you will eventually collide with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis to Lightweight and Featherweight where you fight for different belts; you even have the amateur division where you start off to learn the ropes of the Legacy mode. Now also new in the career system is the ability to move up a division into to then compete to be the best pound for pound fighter of all time. The game really shines and makes you feel like you're taking control of your boxer's career. Before matches you also have training games that allow you to increase your stats to fight with the better fighters as you progress through the career. I would seriously say there is over 20 hours of fun to be had in this mode and any boxing fanatic would welcome it into the new game. Fight Night Round 4 has a long life span and plenty of replayablity as you can move up divisions to get a new set up on becoming a different division champion. The game features around 50 present and past boxers leaving a great roster for boxing fans. The roster varies from Ricky Hatton and Muhammad Ali to newcomers Joe Calazaghe and 'Iron' Mike Tyson. Fight Night Round 4 is great fun when you have your friends round to try out the fight now mode where you select a boxer and then go at it within seconds from being on the main menu. It really does have a lot to offer including an impressive new online set up where you can compete to take your created boxer online and fight it out for a championship, but unfortunately you will most likely not become the champion if you are not dedicated with some players having already logged over 700 fights. Fight Night Round 4 does a great job to simulate the boxing sport and is the most realistic sports game out there to date. It makes you feel like you're actually in the fight and taking punches. The only downside if you want to pick one would be the missing legends Evander Holyfield, Oscar Del La Hoya, Mayweather and a few others. That being said for the game overall I would still award it 9.7/10 due to the fact there's the option of download content and these fighters mentioned above could make and appearance in the months to come. I would even go as far as suggesting buying the game even if you're not a boxing fan. Well done EA!!!

• Fight Night Round 4 360PS3 | 00:45 Play Trailer