Reviewed: April 12, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Developer
EA Canada
Released: February 20, 2006
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Teen
6
8
7
7
7.4
Supported Features
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
I had the luxury (or perhaps is was a curse) to review Fight Night Round 3 simultaneously on the PSP and the Xbox 360, which is akin to sitting down to dinner with a fine T-Bone and a tasty cheeseburger on the same plate. Both are delicious, but you cannot help to make what are admittedly unfair comparisons. I’ll do my best to keep this review all about the PSP.
Honestly, the PSP version of Fight Night Round 3 is surprisingly impressive, at least on paper, with a feature list that outshines its console brethren, yes, even the mighty 360. For starters, you have full online support for wireless Internet, then when you factor in ranked listings for boxers, contracts for your trainer and cutman, promoters, box office takes, and stat tracking that would make Jimmy the Greek envious, you have a pretty stunning package…until you get in the ring.
Ever since EA came up with the analog Total Punch control scheme no boxing game has ever been the same and I never dreamed of having to return to the days of button-mashing, but the lack of a second analog stick/pad on the PSP dooms us to relive those dark periods of boxing history.
Instead of fluid analog control and actually “drawing” your punches Fight Night Round 3 has us jamming on the face buttons, one and two at a time to pull off hooks, straight punches, and powerful uppercuts.
You cannot power-up those vicious haymakers with the absent analog stick. Instead, you must use the left trigger to instigate a body modifier then wait for a visual cue before throwing the punch when the icon appears. Essentially, the limitations of the PSP control scheme remove that sense of “style” we enjoy on the console versions.
The game devolves into working the controls and stacking up successive combos instead of artfully putting the smack down on your opponent. And when you factor in using the analog pad for defensive posturing, the controls can get a bit overly complicated at times. After a few especially hard bouts I thought I would have to untie my fingers.
Getting your boxer ready between matches is a bit easier on the PSP. Equipment is much more affordable than the console version, but not so much that you can get too much too fast. Training is also more cut and dry with the removal of the mini-games in favor of a menu-driven training system that allows you to pick the intensity of the training, risking stat boosts versus potential injury.
AI is pretty dismal for the most part, so your strategic mind won’t be taxed nearly as bad as your finger dexterity. There are a few key bouts that prove more challenging than others, but for the most part you are free to pound your way through the line-up of opponents.
The game supports multiplayer for up to two human boxers either via local wireless connection or through a wireless Internet connection. I had the chance to try a few bouts in each and while there wasn’t too much trouble with lag, I did have more than my fair share of dropped connections. I’ve heard similar reports from other gamers and fellow reviewers so I’m inclined to suspect the game rather than my hardware.
Another feature exclusive to the PSP is My History, a mode that tracks your progress through numerous ongoing challenges that are more akin to mini-games than anything else. They are really fun and their quickplay nature is perfectly suited to the gamer on the go looking for a quick boxing fix.
When you are tired of the solo modes and the online play you might want to check out the Rival Challenges, the PSP equivalent of the ESPN Classic mode on the big consoles. In Rival Challenges you can opt to Repeat History or Change History in any of numerous classic rivalries. This feature should prove very exciting for hardcore boxing fans.
Graphically, Fight Night Round 3 probably looks more like the Xbox version of Fight Night Round 2 than anything else. I never considered for a moment that it might approach the awe-inspiring glory of the 360, and it didn’t, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t the finest looking boxer on the PSP.
It all starts with the character creation screens that allow you unparallel control in sculpting your boxer’s head and facial features, before equipping him with all of the licensed equipment, gloves, shorts, shoes, etc.
While the PSP has meters to indicate your status during the fight the designers didn’t skimp on showing off real-time damage. Faces will swell and cuts will appear and bleed as damaged is stacked on.
The venues are a bit disappointing, at least if you’ve played the console version of Round 3. None of those made the PSP version and you are relegated to playing in the rings featured in last year’s Round 2. The camera seems to be a bit tighter on the PSP version, so you don’t see that much of the ring or outside the ring for that matter.
The PSP gets the same urban flavor soundtrack that you either love or hate on the console. There isn’t that much variety and it loops and repeats to the point of getting annoying – at least for me. I suppose if you like the genre or the artists showcased in this game it won’t be so bad.
The commentary is impressive and taken right from the console version of Round 3, but it too is lacking in quantity. I was already getting tired of the repeating ringside remarks on the 360 so it was way too familiar for me on the PSP, even with the first fight.
Fight Night Round 3 offers a solid career mode that is only mildly hampered by some idiot AI. Some of these boxers have taken one too many blows to the head. The My History mode offers a great selection of mini-game challenges and the online play will give you access to PSP boxers from all over the world.
Fight Night Round 3 is an adequate port of an outstanding console game. Once again, we have a game that is brought down by the lack of a second analog stick, but what are you going to do? If you play games on the PSP you just have to learn and adapt and that is what EA is doing their best to do.
While this game is a viable means to box on your PSP it is in no way a substitute for the console version. The painfully long load times and odd mix of Round 2 and Round 3 content hurt the overall presentation, but there is no denying that Fight Night Round 3 is still fun to play with some exclusive content that make it worth the purchase.