Fight Night Round 4

A real knockout

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When it comes to videogame pugilism, it's been a rather disappointing three years since Fight Night Round 3 set new standards for ring-based combat on gaming consoles. Indeed, while Nintendo's recent revamp of Punch-Out!!! may have provided something of an arcade distraction for easy-to-please and waggle-happy Wii owners, nothing else in the interim has come close to matching the genre-leading authenticity and excitement offered up by Round 3.

It's therefore fitting that Fight Night Round 4 from EA Sports steps boldly into the ring as a layered, in-depth, and worthy challenger that not only effortlessly matches the champion blow-for-blow, but also blends savagery with subtlety to convincingly knock Round 3 on its ass before deservedly slapping the heavyweight belt around its own muscular midriff.

Before unashamedly pouring on the critical acclaim, let's deal with the current idiotic contention surrounding the Total Punch Control system assigned to the controller's right analogue stick throughout Round 4. For all those supposed Fight Night purists bemoaning the lack of a 'traditional' button control layout and complaining about non-existent problems with Total Punch Control, the simple truth is as follows:

While I'll concede that it takes a little time to grasp the refined controls mapped to the right stick, once accustomed to the range of simple thumb movements that perform jabs, hooks, overhands, body shots, and uppercuts, Total Punch Control provides a staggering fluidity of movement hitherto unseen in a boxing title. And, when used in conjunction with the controller's shoulder button modifiers to bob and weave, guard and block, and execute powerful haymakers, players are drawn closer to the action than ever before.

Anyone choosing to throw in the towel with Total Punch Control in favour of pressuring Electronic Arts for a button control download - a pressure the publisher is evidently bowing to this coming September - is doing themselves a gross disservice and is, quite frankly, a borderline incompetent gamer.

The default analogue control method enables the dispatch of bone-crushing combinations at lightening fast speeds that actually feel significantly more intuitive than any button-based system could ever provide. Of course, choice is a great thing to have, and perhaps EA should have included a button-specific option from the outset. However, if you're struggling with Total Punch Control, the arbitrary Wii Remote and Nunchuk arm thrusts of Punch-Out!!! await your limited abilities. Enjoy.

Moving on... Given that Round 4 is an EA Sports production, its overall presentation is typically slick and 'EA-centric' insofar as menus are rich but easy to navigate, options are vast, gameplay modes are varied, the commentary is impressively reactive, intro sequences are pleasingly grandiose, and the whole thing is constantly accented by an annoyingly irresistible head-bobbing R&B and hip hop accompaniment.

In terms of content, Fight Now mode provides instant access to a wealth of famous boxers spread across every weight classification, enabling players to select a fighter and go toe-to-toe against legends of the sport such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Mike Tyson and many more. Then there's Training mode, which is separated from the main game, does not affect player stats, and allows budding brawlers to hone their moves through a selection of skill-specific mini games.

Of course, the core appeal of Round 4 is grounded firmly within its in-depth Legacy Mode, where players can create a basic boxer or opt for an established name before making a bid to become one of the greatest fighters of all time in a weight class of their choosing. Starting on the bottom rung, players first tackle the relatively easy amateur ranks, which then segue onto a much more challenging performance-based professional career ladder that builds from humble Prospect through to Contender, Champion, and even Greatest of All Time.

Frighteningly addictive and endlessly exhilarating, Legacy Mode will have players craving 'just one more fight' as they attempt to punch their way to glory while training intelligently between clashes in order to sculpt a better, faster, harder champion. And here's the kicker that separates great boxing games from the strictly mediocre and downright appalling: only a well applied combination of balanced training and appropriate tactics will give players access to said glory. Charging in fists flailing might successfully defeat amateur opponents, but a lack of adjustment for varying pro fight styles will only leave players watching helplessly as their pugilist has his bloodied face pummelled into the ring's canvas flooring - again, and again, and again.