It's not bragging if you can back it up... and Fight Night Round 4 deserves all the bragging rights.
"It's not bragging if you can back it up." Just one of the many famous boxing quotes from Muhammad Ali, and it sums up arguably the best boxing game to date with EA's Fight Night Round 4. After EA Chicago closed its doors, many wondered what the fate of EA Sports' boxing franchise would be, especially since the game's prior influence has moved onto different projects and companies. Would the series go the way of the dodo? Would it, much like the sport of boxing, take a back seat to MMA and UFC? Or would someone step up and take the medicine ball and run with it? Well EA Canada has laced up the gloves and has delivered a first round KO with Fight Night Round 4.
It is also fair to mention that now there is no "invisible wall" between you and your opponent, which not only allows for such unpredictable shots, but will permit clinching and pushing when things get too hectic. What's more, FNR4's new A.I. system will learn on the go, so it is your job, much like in real life, to mix up your punches and keep your opponent guessing. If you become too predictable by trying a ton ofhaymakers , jab upstairs, or even blocking continuously, the A.I. will adapt and change strategies to counter your own. No other game to this point has allowed the CPU to be as aggressive as a human opponent and exploit your weaknesses to boot.
Let's not forget the corner game, which while not where it needs to be, is a huge step above just cleaning up a cut. Between rounds you use points you've earned throughout a fight from landing a percentage of blows, stunning or knocking down your opponent and whatnot, and utilize those to increase your stamina, health, or fix any damage your fighter has taken. You can divvy out the points between categories, or even skip using them all together and save them for a later round when you may be in trouble. Of course there is an auto feature that will take all the guess work out for you.
Fight Night Round 4 utilizes the analog punching system primarily in this year, so button mashers beware; you have to learn to fight now! While I'll admit that I was also a fan of the face buttons from versions past, I've quickly grown to not only appreciate the analog system, but prefer it as well as it has taught me more about the sweet science rather than hoping on that open opportunity for ahaymaker. Timing, counter punching, blocking, clinching, and even pushing are all tools of the trade. The new punching system does feel a bit more authentic than last year's effort as head shots are performed up, body shots down, doing a hook motion on the sticks will allow you to weave or perform an uppercut, etc. No longer can you be like Ivan Drago from Rocky and cock your arm back waiting for that open shot to lay your man out. You have to read your opponent and take advantage of missed opportunities to succeed. Yes, this involves more of a learning curve that some gamers may not agree with, but to them I say go back to playingTekken if you want to mash the buttons.
Like Ali himself, FNR4 game is oh so pretty! Each real life boxer is replicated beautifully (or horrendously depending on who we are speaking of) to the point of amazement by anyone who takes a look at the game for the first time. Watching moments like Tyson's ring walk where he is just calm, cool, and focused on the job at hand. Big George Foreman's "Old School" presence is fierce and menacing and quickly reminds gamers just why he was such a bad ass before he started selling grilling machines. Even Roy Jones Jr. and Muhammad Ali have their trademark cocky walks to the ring.
Of course the beauty doesn't end there as the game moves at a brilliant 60fps on both platforms, so you literally will feel every jaw wrenching shot. The in game punches, weaves, and even signature punching is rendered so realistically you get giddy when boxers like Ali does his little foot shuffle before laying out his opponent. Let's not forget the beautifully ugly when it comes to cuts, bruising, and bleeding which are also very lifelike in replication to the point where you can almost feel theBactine stinging your abrasions.
If you want to relive a great moment in the fight, Fight Night Round 4's instant replay feature not only allows you to do so, but capture the moment and save it into a highlightreell . Even a little video editing application is thrown in where you can mess with the color scheme and record a replay in black and whiteala Raging Bull, and upload it to EA Sports' website for all to see.
The game sounds just a sweet with all new commentary from Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore that will provide interesting history tidbits about legendary fighters, and will provide information on what your boxer lacks during the fight and needs to improve on. Your trainer will even yell out advise such as shots to take when a man is staggered or even when to clinch or take a breather. The punch effects are pounding and authentic as can be to the point where you swear you have a leather rash from the gloves after a fight. Even the create a boxer feature allows for you to provide your own entrance music from your custom soundtrack (Xbox 360 version only), so what more could you really want?
There is a wealth of depth to FNR4 which includes over 45 boxers from different weight classes, Online World Championships where there is one actual online gamer who will hold the belt until beaten for each weight class, a create a boxer mode where not only can you use a camera or upload your face from the EA website, but you can recreate boxers likeHolyfield who may not be in the game and share them or any of your created boxers online and beat them to a pulp. Let's not of course forget the game's Legacy Mode which is a far deeper career mode than seen in prior boxing games to this point. It is in the Legacy Mode where you will spend a great deal of your time. Here not only can you choose between a newly created boxer or a former great and go through a career, but you can even jump between weight classes (2 up or down) depending on how "great" you wanna be. This isn't just a pick a rival and try to fight the champ career like last year's game as you finally have a genuine ranking system where you start off number 50 and work your way up the ladder.
The game is set up in a real calendar year so not only do you have to train before a fight, but you will need to take months off before a fight to train and rest up after your last bout. The concept of age and retirement is also implemented, so make sure you don't dilly dally around trying to max out your stats. What's more, you can even become injured if you get caught the wrong way throwing a haymaker. While I'm happy to see finally an actual career mode that makes sense, the training modes between fights can be a blessing and a curse. To put it simply, they are very hard to master, but will make you a better fighter in the process. The only issue with this logic is that when you first start off, leveling up your boxer is harder, especially if you are unfamiliar or perform poorly during a training round. This is especially relevant when you only have one or two training sessions to better yourself before a big fight. Thankfully you can hone your training game skills by practicing outside the career mode so not to waste sessions in your career.
So there you have it, Fight Night Round 4 can honestly claim to be what Mike Tyson once quoted many years ago, "...I'm the best ever, my style's impetuous, my defense is impregnable, I wanna eat his children..." Well, okay, maybe not the last part, but damn if this isn't a great boxing game! If you are a fan, you are doing yourself a disservice not picking up a copy.
