Fight Night Round 4
Fast paced action with a great roster of past and present boxers and a career mode that really draws you in. Pugilistic perfection, almost.
There are more than 40 instantly recognizable professional pugilists on the Round 4 roster, and that number is growing thanks to users who are taking the time to create them as custom fighters and share them online. Evander Holyfield, Danny Williams, and Floyd Mayweather are just a few of the fighters who have been brilliantly re-created using photos uploaded to the EA Sports Web site, along with all manner of celebrities.
Almost nothing about the fighters’ movements feels scripted.
When you flick or rotate the right analog stick to throw a punch, any number of things can happen. Your punch might catch your opponent off guard and stun him temporarily or it might glance off the side of his head, doing very little damage.
Your arm might become entangled with your opponent as he tries to throw a punch.You might miss completely and leave yourself open.
If your opponent manages to perfectly time a block or dodge a punch, the action will slow down for a moment as he’s given the opportunity to land a powerful counterattack.
You have to place as much importance on defense as you do on offense.
In Legacy mode, your chosen fighter starts out as a “bum” at the bottom of his weight class. Your goal, of course, is to work your way up to number one and claim the title belt. 50 fighters in a weight class.
After winning your chosen division and earning the rank of champion, you’re halfway to achieving your full potential.
In addition to defending your title, there are other belts in other weight classes up for grabs.
Maintain a win percentage of over 95 percent across dozens of fights, defend a title successfully as many as eight times, and hold three championship belts simultaneously and you could retire as a Hall of Famer, a ring legend, or the greatest of all time.
Online fights pit you against opponents who can fight just as unrealistically as you can and because the fights rarely suffer from noticeable lag, it’s here that Round 4 really makes it’s mark.
Fight Night Round 4’s greatest strength is that while it’s accessible and relatively easy, it can also be challenging and rewarding.
In addition to one-off fights, which can include licensed fighters as well as custom creations, Round 4 features an Online World Championship mode that ranks you against every other player in the world on weight-specific leaderboards.
The fighters, the audiences, and the arenas that they’re packed into all look great, and the slow-motion replays of knockout punches are superb.
The real star of the show is the audio. Punches sound satisfying, crowds shout specific chants, corner men can be heard yelling instructions and the commentary is great. The guys on the mics not only call the fight accurately, but also offer anecdotes and analogies with a good amount of boxer knowledge. In Legacy mode, they also refer to your custom fighter’s career record.
Stepping into Fight Night Round 4’s ring is definitely recommended.
