Pugilistic Preview
At A Glance
- EA SPORTS™ tosses their hat into the next-gen boxing ring.
- Sweet visuals, more moves, and a HUD-free interface put you in the action.
To the untrained eye, the sport of boxing appears to be nothing more than two brutish characters knocking the living crap out of each other in a carnival-esque setting on pay-per-view. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes readily apparent that the sport has a layer of depth sitting below all the fanfare, glitz, and drama.
Likewise, early attempts at boxing games were usually nothing more than timed slugfests where you and an opponent would simply button mash your way to eventual victory. It wasn't until Electronic Arts unleashed Fight Night 2004 on original Xbox® that the true nature of the sport was accurately represented on consoles.
Step into the ring.
The series reinvented the genre's gameplay mechanics and moved punching controls from the face buttons to the analog sticks, giving armchair sluggers increased control for movement, ducking, dodging, and offensive maneuvers.
With the advent of Xbox 360™, the talented team at EA Chicago, headed by General Manager and Executive Producer Kudo Tsunoda, seek to take the series in bold new directions with EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3. Read on for a sneak peek at this promising Xbox 360 boxing game.
Brutal Visuals, New Moves
Like Fight Night 2004, the visuals in Fight Night Round 3 are a quantum leap ahead of anything before it. The virtual fighters are represented in stunning detail and often take up large portions of the widescreen display. Subtle details like skin pores, beads of sweat, and swollen cuts showcase the graphical muscle of Xbox 360 in new ways. Likewise, the natural movements of each of the game's boxers are fluid and realistic, putting you directly into the ring.
The action is so convincingly portrayed you'll
find yourself ducking and blocking in your seat
while you avoid the deadly haymaker.
Rather than opt for the traditionally permanent side view, Tsunoda's team took the action one step further. As the fight rages on and punches are landed, the camera bobs and weaves to match the movements of the characters.
When a particularly devastating hit lands and stuns a boxer, the camera switches to a first-person mini-game view, where the dazed player must survive the brutal assaults of his opponent. The action is so convincingly portrayed you'll find yourself ducking and blocking in your seat while you avoid the deadly haymaker.
In addition to maxed-out graphics, Fight Night Round 3 sports a few new moves. The haymaker added in Fight Night Round 2 makes a return, but is accompanied by two more knucklers. The KO punch lets you wind up and unleash a crippling blow upon your opponent. As expected, it takes you extra critical moments to prepare for it, and if you miss the mark you're left open to attack for a brief stitch in time. The Stun Punch is similarly vicious, though landing one initiates the first-person mode mentioned above.
In the Moment
Aside from the obvious changes in graphics, EA has taken the immersion factor of the previous games and cranked it up to 11. Like Activision's Call of Duty® 2, there is no onscreen heads-up-display to let you know your health status. Instead, you are forced to rely on the same things a real-life boxing coach would to monitor the well-being of your pugilist.
Blocking and dodging is as important as punching.
At the start of the round, both boxers are fast on their feet and quick to react; their faces reflect intense concentration and subtle expressions of emotion. As the fight rages on, each character shows signs of wear—cuts and bruises appear wherever the athletes are struck, and, as more damage is sustained, you witness behavioral changes like slumped shoulders, dazed expressions, and "knock out eyes" on each athlete.
Not only does all this this serve to keep the screen uncluttered, but it creates tense moments as you're never quite sure exactly how far away from defeat you or your opponent really are.
The Main Event
Fight Night Round 3 is due to hit later this spring, but already the game is shaping up to be one of the most impressive sports games to hit Xbox 360 since launch. Keep checking back for more coverage on this intense brawler as we examine the features that set it apart from its current-gen cousins.
Article by Franklin Beans
