EA's Sports Fight Night Round 4 is finally with us after a 2 1/2 year break and from a company that churns out new games on a yearly basis this is surprising, thankfully the extra time away really shows on this new and improved version.

 

Right from the off the game reeks of quality, rather than the sometimes overcomplicated EA Sports menu systems all modes are shown in the first screen. The main mode is Legacy, here you can either control one of the 40+ fighters from the roster including classics like Mike Tyson and Mohammed Ali and modern greats like Lennox Lewis and Ricky Hatton or you can create your own fighter. To make things interesting all of the fighter’s stats are leveled out, meaning you can't start as Tyson at the top of his game and steamroll through the opposition, you have to fight and train to earn stat points. These points are constantly changing, have a bad training session and it may reduce your stat rating rather than increase them. The calendar screen is familiar to anyone who has played an EA Sports game over the past few years, you pick a date for a fight and depending on how far in the future it will allocate you training days. The training is split into a handful of mini-games that you can play or simulate, though doing this will only allow up to 50% of the potential stat points. Each session is fun for a short while though eventually things like sparring and dodging punch bags do get tedious quickly and before you know it you are skipping this part entirely.

 

 

Once the big day arrives you are introduced to the ring and then the real fun begins. There are plenty of arenas to fight in and depending on your status you will be playing in quiet gyms or huge Pay Per View events with thousands of screaming fans chanting your name. The feel of the later big fights with the impressive 3D stadiums full to the rafters with people is amazing with a good surround sound system. During the fight you will have orders shouted at you from your corner, so if you’re taking a pasting they will suggest blocking more or using your long reach to hold your opponent at bay. On top of this you have a very realistic commentator who is constantly making remarks about the fights, referring to previous rounds and also spewing out some weird boxing terms. A large amount of the skill involved in Fight Night is not just in the throwing of punches but also of the close watching of your stamina and damage because if you go hell for leather, by the fifth round you won't be able to box your way out of a paper bag, setting you up for an embarrassing haymaker.

 

There are two winning parts to this title, the graphics and the controls. The look of each character and stadium is photorealistic on a HDTV. Connect with a real good hook and you are treated to a multi camera viewpoint of your opponents face or ribs as they collapse and wobble with the impact. If you get up in your opponents grill and start swinging, your arms will connect with theirs making for some impressive collision detection. The controls also allow for some truly amazing fights and they are well mapped onto the controllers. The tutorial is swift, taking you through basic moves but leaving you a bit confused with the subtlety of each stick command but after a few fights there is nothing better on the market. The right stick allows for punches whilst the left moves your player around. With combinations of the trigger buttons you can aim at the body, duck and weave and block. The Total Punch Control on the right stick makes it very easy for you to pull off combos, a few left hand jabs followed by a right hook is second nature with this setup.

 

As you play though the Legacy mode you will play larger venues and move up the ranks, I found the difficulty very satisfying with the first few fights in the amateur league being a walk through and then having real battles on my hands going the full 10 rounds on the title fights. As you progress you are able to pick and choose who to sign a contract to fight with, so it is always recommended to keep a close eye on their previous fight stats and who the title holders are, as who wants to lose on your way to the top.

 

 

As you play through the Legacy mode with your created character you can also take them online to upload and fight, be warned, there are already quite a few impressive looking Rocky Balboas out there. The online modes are just as easy to navigate, the quick fight let's you jump straight into the action plus you have a World Championship mode. In this mode you will have random fights against other ranked players, with an occasional title fight with one of the many holders over the numerous weight divisions. The online aspect still manages the same high finish as the single player and it is amazing that there are no framerate or lag issues, allowing for fast and brutal fights with your online chums.

 

The achievements and trophies also offer a real challenge, especially in the Legacy mode but you will find a few easy points if you have a little play with the options.

 

After Fight Night Round 3 not many boxing games came out as it was futile to compete with such greatness, Fight Night Round 4 somehow improves on all aspects of the previous title, making this a must have for your collection.