- Publisher: EA Sports
- Developer: EA Canada
- Also On: PS3
- ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
- Genre: Boxing
- Pros: Great presentation; decent gameplay; good create-a-fighter
- Cons: Moves too fast – almost arcadey; defense isn’t nearly as satisfying; gameplay overall isn’t as good as Round 3; punches lack impact
The first thing of note, and a definite reason why everything here is a little different from Round 3, is that there is a new developer at the helm and Round 4 was completely rebuilt instead of relying on assets from the last game. It is refreshing to see this approach, particularly in a sports game. With a new developer comes a bit of a different philosophy, and that is pretty darn clear in the gameplay.
There aren’t as big of changes in the features department, however. There is still a quick play option, career (Legacy) mode, online play – all that good stuff. And the roster of real world boxers is pretty darn amazing. You can play as Manny Pacquiao or Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson among an all-star cast of boxing’s best athletes of the past and present. The Legacy mode lets you either create a fighter or use a real boxer, and then train them and select fights and take them all the way to being the greatest of all time. Legacy mode is a step up from the bare bones career of Round 3, but the menus are clunky, the training minigames are unfairly difficult, and occasionally the game pits you against opponents you really have no shot of beating (like facing an 88 overall fighter while you’re in the 60’s range). Legacy is just merely okay instead of great.
Gameplay
All of these changes add up to creating a completely different experience from Round 3. It is still definitely fun and a heck of a lot better than Facebreaker or Prizefighter, but it just plain isn’t as good as RD3. It moves too fast and isn’t anywhere near realistic anymore. Throwing hundreds of punches per round is just insanity. Replacing parries with counter punches removes a pretty significant strategic element from the game as well. Also disappointing is that the punches overall just seem to lack impact. You just sort of flail around until someone goes down for no real rhyme or reason.
Graphics
The graphics are one area where Fight Night Round 4 is a definite step above its predecessor. The character models are just amazingly great looking and damage modeling and slow motion replays of knockout punches are crazy good. Comparing RD3 and RD4 is night and day with Round 4 the clear winner. The crowd and arena also look great as well.
Sound
The sound is also pretty good. The commentary is good and it is interesting to hear stories and stuff about the participating fighters alongside the normal play by play. The sound effects are merely okay. Like I said, the punches, other than big power shots, seem to lack impact. The music is all hip hop, but it has been specially selected and fits the game perfectly so even if you’re not a fan of the genre it is hard to complain.
Bottom Line
