Reviews - All

Story

Fight Night Round 4 is somewhat of a missed opportunity in terms of narrative, for the most part because IT DOESN’T EXIST. The game sticks to the tried and true structure for boxing games; win or lose a match/fight your rank goes up or down and you get to spend points/money on making your fighter suck less. So the only real story you are going to hear here is the story of your selected or created fighter rising through the ranks from “bum” all the way to “the greatest of all time”, with their fight stats going up and down a bit too.

The campaign is called Legacy Mode, which is a bit of a misnomer because the only legacy you will leave behind is a screen full of stats that only the most dedicated boxing fans will enjoy. These stats track your characters progression throughout his career and whilst it is an extremely comprehensive list of stats it is no replacement for a deep and enthralling tale. However this can be somewhat forgiven, as engrossing fables full of trials and tribulations are usually non-existent in the sporting genre. But wouldn’t it be great if a developer could break this trend and attempt to bring sporting games to life with tales of accomplishment and glory? For example Fight Night could have put you in the shoes of a retired ex-world heavy weight champion hailing from streets of Philadelphia, who is just begging for one more shot at dignity, redemption and of course glory! No wait… that’s Rocky! Even so a similar arch would have given it the little oomph it needs.

So sure, the single player campaign is basically just a bunch of statistics but what did you really expect with a sporting game? So don’t stop reading here as this is just a barely noticeable blemish on a game that looks and feels great.

Visuals

Being the successor of one of the first games to truly harness HD-graphics, it understandably had a lot to live up too. Fight Night round 4 has definitely achieved these expectations delivering some of the best eye-candy seen on any console. To sum up the visual quality of this game there is only one word... Amazing!… Brilliant!… Awe-inspiring!… Ok, so that is more than one word, in fact it is three words (calculator FTW) but these three words when brought together describe just how immaculately crafted Fight Night Round 4 truly is and how the series has once again set the bar for all boxing games and to a further degree the sporting genre in total.

Being a boxing game, the combatants here are at the centre of the visual spectacle and boy do they look awesome. These are some the most insanely detailed and highly rendered character models you will see this generation of games. Every movement the boxer makes is shown in stunning detail, from the ripped muscles flexing with every punch to the sweat flying off when you take a blow; everything inside the ring looks absolutely spectacular.

When you land a punch you can see the force of the impact rippling through their body (or even better, their face!) with the immediate area around the punch showing the force of the impact on the surrounding muscles and skin. This action/reaction has been reinforced with a quality looks both extremely realistic and aesthetically pleasing, meaning you will feel the impact of every hit and punch, as if you were beating the crap out of Mike Tyson yourself (and who doesn’t want to feel that!). Going toe to toe with a character model that is so unnervingly real will immerse you in the fight in ways that only its predecessor has managed to pull off.

EA’s hard hitter definitely knows where its strengths are and it harnesses them to the max, with a variety of visual effects that make you feel the fight. My favourite was the knockout camera, when you score a hit that depletes your competitions health bar it will switch to a close up slow-mo of the KO punch; where you can actually see the very skin on their face or body ripple with the impact, the sweat and sometimes blood streaking off the point of impact with a pained expression on their face to match. When these moments happen you can’t help but think… DAMN SON! But it’s not over! Just hit the replay button and watch your foe go down… over and over again.

The only real drawback with Finght Night 4 is with the aforementioned post-fight statistics. From a presentation point of view they are pretty much just numbers lumped everywhere, and it is enough to give you a headache. They are interesting to read and extremely comprehensive but it would be better it they were sorted into a graph of some type so you could get a quicker idea of how the fight went without having to decipher mountains of numerals. Overall though, the handling of the fight statistics is merely a small blemish on what are among the most beautiful and fully realised graphics this generation of console, and if you are looking for a title to showcase the power of your massive HD TV, then look no further!

Sound

The quality of sound in this game is definitely above average and for the most part does justice to the massive hits being dealt around the ring. The punches sound ‘punchy’ and convincing, with effects that let you experience the power of the punch. For example you will come to love the POW! Sound that comes when you score a counter-punch on your opponents face as you smack down their feeble attempts to attack you. These realistic effects combine with the vivid visuals at the right times to emphasise when you really damage the enemy, putting you in the fight. It is very satisfying to hear the strained breathing and groans of the characters as they get the living pulp beaten out of them, making you want to fight that much more, keeping you interested.

The cheering of the crowds creates a great atmosphere inside the ring, and recreates the tension of a real fight. The commentators that yap on during a round are great too, and will respond to your actions with appropriate comments and anecdotes, while providing useful tips on each player’s tactics. These commentators are a pleasure to listen to, that is until you play the game long enough to realise they are speaking from a limited list of phrases for each situation; it becomes painfully repetitive before you even reach the 3rd (out of 10) Legacy rank. Hearing the metaphor “These two are like my kids at dinner, they just keep coming back for more” 4 times in one match will grate on anybody.

There is also the great boxing oriented soundtrack with plenty of good catchy tunes to psyche you up for the big fight. However, like the commentating track it becomes repetitive and annoying after extended play. With only about 25 or so tracks on offer you will be hitting the mute button and queuing up iTunes quicker than you can land a right hook on your opponent. Fortunately this is broken up by real, live periodic ESPN sport radio updates delivered via Xbox Live; which are actually about real happenings in the sporting world.

Gameplay

If you somehow haven’t figured it out yet, Fight Night Round 4 is all about boxing. Two men with un-equal amounts of brains and brawn, face off in a punching match for ten 3 minute rounds in an attempt to either knock the other person out or win by decision, with the winner taking home their pride and often a large haul of cash. This game is about the closest you will get to fighting your way up the boxing ranks without actually doing it, and is by far the most comprehensive and entertaining boxing sim created thus far.

The bulk of the game is contained in Legacy Mode where your goal is to rise from the lowest ranks of the boxing unknowns to greatest of all time by, you guessed it, fighting your way to the top. But before you can get started you can select an existing famous boxer, like Muhammad Ali or the ear-biting Mike Tyson, and take them back to the top. The option I recommend however is to create your very own boxer, using the extremely robust character creation tools. You can take a picture of your face either on the web or using your local camera, move a few dots to specific points on your face and the game will create an extremely accurate digital representation or you in-game. You will get a character head that looks much like yourself, which you can then put on a huge muscle bulging behemoth (Just like yourself in real life) should you so desire. The customisation options are impressive and too numerous to list, and range from the angle of your eyelids to the tiny inscription on your boxing mitts, you can create any boxer you can imagine.

Once you get into the ring things get interesting. The controls are for the most par comfortable, but are a little inaccurate in delivering the punch the player wants. You move your boxer with the left thumbstick and throw punches with the right thumbstick. RB is for slower, power punches. The punches relate to the direction you push the thumbstick in, for example pushing it diagonal down and right will throw a right handed body punch, or push it up and to the left will throw a leftie to the face. There are more complicated moves like the hook and the uppercut, where you have to rotate the thumbstick around a specific part of the circle. These moves often don’t go to plan though as the control scheme can be a little finicky. For example when you go to throw a high right hook and end up doing a low punch and then get smashed in the face by your opponent because the controls seem to be broken. This is only really an initial problem as the tutorial fails to explain the punches properly and you will likely spend the beginning of the game just randomly twirling the thumbstick around hoping for a hit, until you give up and do the tutorial again. An alternate control scheme will be available around September via in-game update, allowing you to map the punches to the face buttons. This control option was available in the last game, but I have no idea why EA decided to not include this option in the retail release. You can also practice in the horrible training mode, which is unfortunately the only way to increase your boxer’s stats. They are way too difficult, boring and you will find yourself skipping them as it actually nets more points than trying to do it yourself, and because they suck.

Another major part of the fighting is the counter-attacks, where you counter the enemies blow by either blocking or dodging at the right moment, leaving your opponent open to an attack that does extra damage. Blocking is handled well, controlled by pressing the R trigger and a combination of the left thumbstick, choosing to block either low or high, meaning you can’t just camp until your stamina gets back up. Dodging and moving your head around for better angles is done by pressing the L trigger and the left thumbstick. If you manage to dodge or get a perfect block on an opponent’s punch you get the opportunity for a counter punch. Overall the fighting controls work well once you get the hang of them but they will still stuff up by no fault of your own every now and then; and those moments will be especially annoying, like when I went to duck a hook in the title fight but ended up standing there and taking a clean one to the face.

Despite these forgivable control grievances the fights are a suspenseful blast to play from start to finish, with a focus on finding your opponents weakness and exploiting them by using your own unique style.

The A.I. is very good in this game and is smart enough to react to a certain style of play to make you change it up to avoid loss. For example if you continually use the signature punch the entire match, in my case a duck and then an uppercut, you will find the A.I. beating the day-lights out of you. You simply have to mix it up or face defeat.

All your strategies will revolve around lowering the opponent’s health or stamina whilst they are stunned, then knocking them out either temporarily or permanently, or with both players surviving the match, a judge decision.

Mid round you can spend points on reviving your health or stamina depending on how well you fought. This further ads to the enjoyment of the game, as the focus is less on remembering massive combos and more on developing strategies and combos on the fly. This with the impressive A.I. means the fights are dynamic and a thrill to play with all the different styles and types of fighters meaning no fight is the same.

If you tire of scheduling fights and trying to climb up the ranks you can go to the instant fight mode and fight any two of the extensive list of famous boxers by yourself or with a friend in split screen. The multiplayer is great fun either offline or online in the world championship mode, where you rank up by fighting players with similar ranks and hopefully eventually ranking up to the best in the world. Online bouts are great fun, and the competition and strategic boxing only gets better when you are up against real people.

Replay Value

Fight Night round 4 has a good level of replay-ability. If you manage to finish Legacy mode that is. Even with its great A.I. and punishing difficulty, you can replay it again as any number of different boxers, famous or created. The wealth of play styles, fighter weights, heights, block styles and statistics to pour over mean that Fight Night Round 4 could be replayed quite extensively as you attempt to master every style.

The replay-ability increases extensively with the multiplayer World Championship and is a great title to have around should you have a mate over for a few games and drinks. What more fun is there to be had than beating up a digital version of Mike Tyson? Or your mate? As long as you don’t get sick of boxing itself you probably will be coming back for more.

Overall

Fight Night Round 4 is the closest you will get to boxing without actually getting in the ring yourself. The visual execution of this title is brilliant and stands as one of the best examples of the graphical power in current-gen high definition, high fidelity gaming. The successful combination of the graphics and sound create one of the most immersive and realistic sporting experiences on any console, and will leave you reeling from every punch. This combined with the addictive and dynamic fighting system will keep you coming back for more, as you fight your way to the top.

The game is kept from reaching its true potential by not having a story of any kind, choosing instead to replace it with somewhat repetitive commenting and dialogue plus excessive amounts of unorganised statistics. The controls are ever so slightly off the mark, sometimes providing slightly inconsistent responses that interrupt gameplay and lead to major frustration.

Despite these niggling issues the franchise is as fun as ever, with great visuals, addictive gameplay, and is a must play for anyone with even a slight interest in fighting or sport games.