Reviewed: July 16, 2009
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Electronic Arts

Developer
EA Canada

Released: June 23, 2009
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-2

8
10
7
8
8.2

Supported Features

With so much time between the previous game and Fight Night Round 4 I, like most of us all, have very high expectations for this latest boxing simulation. With other sports titles the team is usually working on next year’s game while they are wrapping the current release, but this time EA Canada has had time to really put some effort into the design and the gameplay mechanics, but did it pay off?

Well, for started, the entire gameplay engine has been rewritten from the ground up with new styles, animations, blocking, footwork, and even a tighter counterpunch system. The controls have been refined (changed) for better or worse, so once again we have a substantial learning curve that even veteran boxers will have to contend with. And throw in boxing legends like Iron Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali and we all get to relive some of boxing’s greatest moments.

Behind the new fight engine lies an incredible physics-based animation system that powers every punch and results in dynamic and realistic impacts and calculated damage taking into account missed punches and glancing blows as well as an entirely new system dedicated to inside fighting where fatigue and adrenaline play just as much a role as your boxer’s stats.

But for all the work that has gone into the engine, somebody forgot to make a game that was fun and intuitive to actually play…well, sort of. While not entirely resistant to change I don’t like it when somebody screws around with something that worked so well already and EA Canada has gone and changed up all the controls I had mastered in Round 3. All of the swinging and punches are now handled with the right stick while the left stick is dedicated to some fancy footwork. They haymaker punch from the previous game is now regulated to RB while everything else is either a flick or a swirl of analog-right.

These changes in controls will change the way you play the game, perhaps making the game more realistic, but also adding to the steep learning curve and possible dissatisfaction with the new way to play. Blocking has been simplified to either high or low, and you no longer parry a punch to stun and throw a counter – you now have to actually dodge and if you are lucky, spot the microsecond opportunity to make your move for some serious damage.

Out of dozens of fights and thousands of punches, I can count my counter-moves on one hand. I suppose this might be closer to real boxing than the old way but the computer is far better at taking advantage of my missed punches than I am. Even in other areas of the gameplay, when fighting the computer in either the career or quick matches, the game favors the AI player in almost every way making Round 4 a game that is best played with another human.

Legacy mode is the new career offering, which is simply a revamped career mode with some yearly prizes that are awarded with sketchy parameters. The recipients for many of these rewards just don’t make any sense, and that’s not me talking as a disgruntled player, but merely analyzing the stats.

Also new to the Legacy mode are six new training games, most of which are nearly impossible to play and do well early in your career, at least the ones like Double End Bad and Maize Bag that require inflated stats, which you won’t have for several hours of gameplay. Stay On Your Feet and Open Sparring are much more approachable early on and even fun at times, but much like Round 3, the training gets boring and repetitive and I found myself using the auto-train option, even if it meant potentially less improvement as a result.

Legacy mode has some impressive stat tracking as well as a new popularity system that replaces the old ranking system from Round 3. Your career is now presented in calendar form allowing you the luxury of scheduling your fights and making the most of training opportunities before those fights.

Visually, Fight Night Round 4 builds on the gorgeous visuals of the last game and takes things to near perfection. You can now use your camera and the Game Face system to personalize your boxer and even share the image online with your friends. Personalization goes beyond the surface as you dictate your own style of boxing, which translates into cool animations, and in the tradition of WWE, you can now customize your own entrance, choosing visual special effects as well as custom soundtracks.

Boxers ripple with muscular detail and the various venues sparkle with detail whether you are fighting in a classic gym or a major sports arena. Sweat beads up and trickles down taut flesh then sprays out when a glove knocks someone’s head back. Clothing like trunks and robes animated with flowing fabric details and even the crowd has been given a serious overhaul with individual and realistic animations and response.

The replay system is awesome, allowing you to replay your fights from a totally free-floating camera that you can control. Create the perfect shot then record and edit your clips into your own classic footage you can save and share with friends. These relays allow you unparalleled access in viewing the extreme detail in the combat animation and physics system.

The audio is a mixed bag. I wasn’t a big fan of all the rap and hip-hop music from Round 3 and that’s pretty much the extent of what you will hear in Round 4 unless you exercise your right to use custom soundtracks or just turn the music down or off in the options. The commentary by Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas adds an extra level of reality and intensity to the matches, at least at first, but after about five or six fights you will have heard their entire repertoire and they will start to repeat and get annoying. The best sounds are still the punches, with short jabs and heavy blows sounding very different but equally painful.

Given the choice, I still prefer Round 3, but that may change if I can muster up the courage and dedication to actually master the new control scheme in Round 4. There are lots of things I miss; the fun training, the between-round healing mini-games, which are back but also different, but most of all the ease of controls and the ability to do what I want. Most of my time I spent with Fight Night Round 4 I was fighting the controls rather than the other guy in the ring.

But despite my own inflexibilities the simple fact is that Fight Night Round 4 is still the best boxing game available for next-gen gamers (which includes PS3 gamers this time), and with a fun online experience and the challenging World Championship mode, there is probably more fun to be had after the career than during. Sadly, I cannot score it higher than Fight Night Round 3 because I just don’t see three years’ worth of innovation, and many of the things that have changed aren’t necessarily for the better, at least for this up and coming heavy weight contender.