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EA’s premiere boxing franchise is back for well, round 3. Fight Night Round 3 improves upon its already solid predecessor with a new career mode, a more customizable boxing style, and new impact punches. The changes don’t radically change the game but do add enough nuances to make it worthwhile to fans of the series.
Fight Night Round 3 includes a number of gameplay modes including Play Now, Career, ESPN Classic mode, and online. Play now should be fairly evident: it’s the game’s quick match mode. ESPN Classic mode lets you recreate some famous boxing matches from history courtesy of the ESPN Classic license. Though boxing purists may complain that the matches aren’t all that authentic (some don’t take place in the proper venue, for instance) everyone else should have a blast and catch up on some boxing history thanks to the brief history of fighters you get before the match.
The game’s career mode is a bit more interesting. You can still create a boxer or play as a boxing legend, though you’ll still begin as an amateur. The game doesn’t really rank your progress which makes it difficult to see whether you’re really progressing and removes some of the sense of accomplishment. Nonetheless, you are able to earn contract fights including title fights. You’re able to win the title for your weight class or change into another weight class if you wish. Rivalries are new to Fight Night Round 3. Essentially, you have a rival boxer that you’ll face a few times over the course of the career. The rival matches have a bit more oomph to them since they tend to fight a bit dirtier and the game has some new cutscenes for them.
The game’s create-a-boxer feature has seen some improvements. You can select a fighting style for the created boxer that will incorporate a block and punch style, as well as a base style. It’s possible to have a slower but stronger boxer, one that’s really quick on his feet, and a superb blocker. There’s plenty of variety to explore, and it’s possible to find a combination that will work really well for you. Of course, all of the physical characteristics can be changed as well.
At the core, you’ll find an incredibly competent fighting game. The game’s signature Total Punch Control system has returned in this installment. Fans of previous games in the series will have no problem adapting to round 3, and while newcomers may find the controls initially cumbersome, they quickly become second nature. To recap, you move your boxer with the left analog stick while the right analog stick handles the punches. You aren’t limited in the number of punches; you can still throw uppercuts, hooks, jabs, and the ever popular haymaker.
New to the series are the impact punches I mentioned above. These are essentially variations of the haymaker. The stun punch is a minigame of sorts where you see yourself through the eyes of your opponent. The flash KO is insanely powerful and drains the opponent boxer’s health easily. The impact punches are difficult to pull off, keeping the game firmly in simulation territory. This is not to say that defense doesn’t play an important role. You’ll still block with the right trigger (or button) and will use the analog stick to pick which part of your body you want to block. Like the punching system, it appears counterintuitive but you’ll quickly see just how instinctive it is.
Aside from actually boxing, you’ll also have to maintain your fighter. You can train before a match in one of three areas by playing minigames such as the heavy bag, combo dummy, or hitting the weights. The minigames aren’t particularly complex. In the ring, you’ll be able to reduce swelling and clean up cuts through another minigame. The in ring minigames are incredibly more important since having a face too swollen greatly reduces your visibility (and thus the ability to block well) and if you bleed too match, you’ll lose the fight.
The game includes an online mode. The online mode is pretty lag free on Xbox, and there is very little lag present in the PlayStation 2 version of the game. As with other EA Sports games, you’ll need an EA Online account to play on PS2, which costs $2 though you can have this fee waived by signing up for the ESPN newsletter.
The series’ graphics have always been impressive and Round 3 is no different. The boxers are incredibly realistic with an amazing amount of detail that is particularly present when they get beaten and bloody. The different boxers in the game look like their real-life counterparts. They animate very well, too, adding additional intensity and authenticity to the game. The different boxers look particularly great in the game’s replays which add some drama to the matches. Aside from the legends, the created players look great, too, thanks to the full-bodied engine. In addition to the numerous boxers, the game has a number of venues including Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center. Folks that are against product placement in games though will have to deal with quite a few ads for Dodge and Burger King, though they don’t really intrude on the matches.
The game’s audio is great. Joe Tessitore provides commentary, which follows the action well enough though he isn’t the most interesting person. The game’s soundtrack is a bit limited in size and scope, since there are only a few hip-hop songs included. The sound effects though make up for this with their excessive legitimacy. You’ll really hear someone take a jab to the mouth or an uppercut to the eye.
Fight Night round 3 doesn’t radically change the series but the gameplay is so incredibly solid that the game is still heavily recommended. The improved career mode, additional punches, and just added nuances make it well worth recommending.
-- Adam Nunez & -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Feb 25, 2006
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