[singlepic id=1171 w=450 float=center]
The career mode, known as Legacy Mode, is also a lot deeper in FNR4 and is strikingly similar in structure to the recently released, critically and commercially successful UFC 2009: Undisputed. You start out as a rookie low on stats; he can either be your own created boxer or an existing pro from one of eight weight divisions. You can even import your own photograph and apply it to your boxer if you’d like to see it rearranged in super slow motion by a thundering Tyson uppercut.
A calendar system lets you schedule fights and training sessions; winning fights moves you up through the ranks, while training sessions are the only way to increase your stats. Training was one of the weak points of FNR3, and though here the training routines are different, the result is the same. You have 5-6 routines, with each increasing certain stats. But some are too difficult to earn enough points from and they all are too boring to want to play through. You’d much rather just simulate training and move on to the next fight, but the stats earned through simulating training sessions aren’t enough, meaning you’re just going to have to take the bit between the teeth (like in Tyson vs Holyfield) and suffer through them. And it’s strange that sparring only helps increase certain stats, when in fact, being a simulation of the real thing, it should affect all.
[singlepic id=1172 w=450 float=center]
Like in UFC 2009, your career lasts a fixed amount of time, and you’re given various objectives to achieve before it’s time to hang up the gloves. As you progress and perform well, you are given titles such as ‘Bum’ and ‘Prospect’ all the way up to ‘Greatest of All Time’ – your end objective. It’s certainly deeper than the event list career style from FNR3, but in real life, a major motivator for boxers is money, and that has been left out entirely. The ability to buy a more able coaching staff, better training equipment, and a more competent manager and promoter would have certainly added to the experience; maybe even remove some of the importance from the tiresome training sessions.
Legacy Mode matches last an exhausting 10 rounds and they can get even more competitive and tense when your boxer’s stats are low. You start to lose steam in the second half of the bout and you’re always made aware that one hard counter-punch from the opponent can knock you out and lose you the match even if you won all the rounds leading up to it through strategic boxing. The Legacy Mode format isn’t the most original, and yes, the training sessions could be more fun, but you spend most of your time through the career in the squared circle, where there isn’t too much to find fault with. While a lot of fun and a marked improvement over FNR3, there is lots of room for improvement in Legacy Mode, but EA is moving in the right direction.
[singlepic id=1184 w=450 float=center]
Online, there is the new World Championship mode, which is essentially a giant leaderboard where people from all over the world compete with one another using only their created boxers. But strangely, in order to ensure a level playing field, the skill level of all boxers is evened out to 85 points, which makes using created boxers pretty much pointless. Lag is also a factor, and while you won’t see stuttering and slowdown on account of it, responsiveness takes a major hit, with punches registering long after you throw them. In a game where timing is everything, the lag can be crippling, and playing online isn’t a lot of fun.
As I mentioned before, FNR3 set the visual benchmark for games in this console generation, and FNR4 has raised the bar. Boxers grimace in pain when hit and their muscles flex with each punch thrown. Sweat trickles down their bodies and light bounces of it impressively. If there is one complaint here, it’s that you don’t quite feel the impact of a knockout punch. In FNR3, you knew when a punch had earned you a knockdown by the sound it made and the way your opponent reacted to it. In FNR4, the exaggerated impact and crunching sounds are restricted to the super slow motion replays, which never cease to impress.
[singlepic id=1177 w=450 float=center]
One of the most notable additions to FNR4, however, is the inclusion of two of the most recognisable boxers of all time to the game’s already impressive roster. Cover stars Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson make for a dream face off and bolster a line-up of 60-plus boxers, including greats like Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Frasier alongside Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton and others from the current crop.
Blow-by-blow accounts from Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas are quite dull, especially Atlas’ weird analogies, where he compares boxing with everything from a rainy evening to pie-eating contests. It’s slightly better when there are two well-known boxers in the ring and the duo chimes in with some anecdotes about them, but it’s at its worst during Legacy Mode, where you’re playing with a created boxer. Like with FNR3, the soundtrack is mostly Hip-Hop-inspired and is pretty solid. In-ring sound effects are pretty spot-on too and the occasional piece of advice from your corner is quite welcome.
[singlepic id=1175 w=450 float=center]
Conclusion
FNR4 is pound-for-pound the most realistic representation of boxing ever seen in a video game, and it’s an improvement over its predecessor in almost every way. But while FNR3 created a fine balance between accessible and challenging gameplay, this time around, they’ve gone all out to mimic the real thing, which means that this is a more tactical and strategic game, without much of the pick-up-and-play appeal of FNR3. It’s a little harsh to fault EA for that, but the fact remains that many people who enjoyed FNR3, may feel differently about this one. But the trade-off is certainly worth it, because once you scratch the surface and take a few on the chin, Fight Night Round 4 reveals itself as the most rewarding boxing game you’ve ever played.
(+) More well-rounded gameplay; inside and outside approaches
(+) Spot-on physics and hit detection; glancing blows add a new dimension
(+) Unsurpassed visuals, realistic body animations and expressions
(+) Impressive boxers’ roster
(-) Not as accessible as FNR3
(-) Legacy Mode format and training routines need work
(-) Lag hinders online play
Title: Fight Night Round 4
Developer/Publisher: EA Vancouver/EA Sports
Genre: Sports/Fighting
Rating: 16+
Platforms: PlayStation 3 (Rs 2,499), Xbox 360 (Rs 2,499)
Join the discussion at the IndianVideoGamer Community forums
