Fight Night 2004

A modern classic of knockout proportions, says Ben Parfitt

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Sometimes it can be very hard to figure EA out. On the one hand they're a company that offer us mediocre license-driven titles such as Everything or Nothing and tedious annual updates like the Fifa franchise. That's the ugly side of the company. Their other personality is far more pleasing. When they put their mind to it EA are capable of not just releasing fantastic titles but even transforming genres altogether. The last time EA did this was with the release of Tiger Woods PGA Tour, a title that thanks to its ingenious analogue swing control system single-handedly transformed the very concept of console golfing. Perhaps eager to prove that Tiger Woods wasn't a flash in the pan, EA are at it again. Tired of flogging the somewhat dead horse that was Knockout Kings, EA have totally reinvented the boxing genre with the release of Fight Night 2004.

Not since Super Punch Out on the SNES have I had such endless fun with a boxing title. Although the two titles are in reality worlds apart, the one thing they do share is the triumph of strategy and skill over mindless button bashing. Turning again to the beauty of the analogue stick, EA have crafted a control method that is both fun and rewarding, skilful yet accessible. Whilst the left stick controls the movement of your boxer in the traditional fashion, punching is controlled solely by the right analogue stick.

It's a wonderfully simple system. A quick flick diagonally forward and right produces a right-handed jab, a left diagonal push produces a left hand jab. Swing the stick to the side and up to throw a hook, pull it back and round for an uppercut. Holding L1 cements your feet in place and allows you to duck, weave and throw body punches. If you hold R1 you're able to block punches from any direction. It's brilliantly simply, yet also amazingly intuitive and surprisingly deep. In another nice touch, when your fighter is floored a blurred image of the ref appears on screen. Line up all three images and you're ready to go. If however the image is still blurred after the ten count then it's all over - great fun, and certainly more rewarding than frantically pummelling a button.

Fight Night doesn't try to sell the game to you by dressing it up with dozens of play modes and countless options. Like all of the best sporting titles, the joy of Fight Night comes from the play itself. It's possible to pass many evenings simply playing random arcade bouts against an assortment of fighters. So fantastic are the controls that the precision it affords you is a joy unto itself. Soften your opponent up with a few jabs and maybe a quick hook to the gut if they're hiding behind their guard. Lure them into throwing a couple of hopeful shots. Parry a couple of jabs, weave out of the way of a left hook and launch an uppercut right through their chin - magic! Much like Pro Evolution Soccer, the fun comes from the game itself; the dressing is somewhat inconsequential.

That's not to say that there isn't much to offer. Mode-wise there isn't a huge assortment, but the Career mode itself is tremendous fun and will get most players hooked very quickly. You can pick an existing boxer if you like, and you may well be tempted. An interesting assortment of old and new populate the roster, meaning that any career will have you squaring off against modern fighters like Roy Jones Junior or Lennox Lewis one minute and then fighting legends such as Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali the next. More rewarding though is using the impressive Create-A-Boxer options to sculpt a fighter in your own, or anyone else's image.

The boxer's are animated superbly and come very close to seeming completely life-like. Lighting is very convincing, as is the movement of the boxers around the ring. Ducking and weaving blends seamlessly into slickly flowing combos whilst the full might of a crunching uppercut is portrayed superbly, often leaving you wincing in your seat. Boxer's faces bruise, swell and cut according to the pounding they receive and whilst the crowd are noticeably less detailed the vast majority of them are still fully animated in 3D. Once an opponent is knocked down rag-doll physics are used effectively as they crumple in a heap to the floor, often bouncing off ropes and turnbuckles on the way down.

The Career mode uses a simple formula. Schedule a fight against whoever is available at the time - normally a few boxers around your own world rating and one or two somewhat ahead of you. Once a bout is scheduled, it's down to the gym to toughen up. There are four training events available (punch bag, target mitts, sparring and combo dummy) and your success in each determines the amount of points you're given to build up your fighter. These can be shared around stats such as power, agility, resistance to cuts and your ability to withstand punches.

From there onwards it's down to you to fight your way to the top. Certain opponents will present different challenges - sometimes you'll be battling to break someone's tight guard whilst other times you'll be trying to survive the vicious onslaught of a more boisterous opponent. It's unfortunate that for many gamers these early stages may prove far too easy and even for those who struggle the opportunity to stat up before each bout means you stand a good chance of beating someone who previously floored you the next time you meet. Despite this it's unlikely you'll tire of the action. Even streams of hopeless opponents are still hugely satisfying to knock down because the boxing itself is so fantastic.

The road to the world championship is fairly long but it's only once you're crowned champion that the heat is really turned up. Title defences quickly become epic, strategic affairs. Trying to break the determined guard of Lennox Lewis is an encounter that I'll never forget, as was my marathon thirteen-rounder with unknown Tony someone; after being knocked down a hefty four times I was still able to hang on by the skin of my teeth and claim victory with a superb right jab, left uppercut combo. I was absolutely exhausted afterwards due to the intensity of the encounter! Whilst you are punished for mistakes a fight is rarely a lost cause. Even after a couple of knock downs you know that if you're patient, take time to discover your opponent's weaknesses and have the skill to pull it off victory is always possible. Conversely, even if you're all over the unlucky chap you're pummelling, let your concentration slip and fail to work your defence and the tables can turn very quickly.

As with all things in life, there are of course minor niggles. The career mode is such great fun that you'll probably be world champion within a week or two, though this isn't a huge issue since you're always free to start all over again in another weight division (the hard-hitting heavy weights present a very different challenge to the nimble feather weights) or of course defend your title against increasingly tough opponents. Other minor niggles are noticeable though never aggravating. CPU opponents will never get up on the count of nine, so if they stay down past eight you know you've won. Also, though the rag doll physics used in a knockout are extremely effective it's not too uncommon for a fighter to snag rope on the way down resulting in an awkward flickering as neither boxer nor rope can come to rest. Despite the nicely rendered 3D crowd the lack of detail surrounding the ring is highlighted only because of the tremendous detail within it.

It would have also been nice to see the career mode undergo a little more development. Short of being crowned world champion there is little else to focus on - some intermediate titles or tournaments would have spiced things up a little and offered some more variety. Still, knowing EA I guess they chose to hold some features back to justify next year's inevitable sequel. Until that unavoidable moment however we can take great pleasure in what is on offer here. A love of boxing is a definite plus when playing Fight Night 2004 though not in the slightest bit necessary as a love of gaming is more than sufficient. Cemented in the hall of sporting classics alongside titles like Pro Evolution Soccer and Tiger Woods, Fight Night is a true modern classic.

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By Ben Parfitt