EA Sport’s Fight Night series has progressed over time to become one of the best boxing franchises ever. The series has slowly been transforming in to the best boxing experience without having to step in a ring. This year EA brings the series to new heights with Fight Night Round 3 as it becomes the first boxing game to make the next-gen leap to the Xbox 360. Of course there is also a Playstation 2 and Xbox version of the game. But you will quickly find out that the Xbox 360 version far and away is the best of the group, as it should be. Unlike previous EA Sports games on the 360 that because of the need to get them out for the systems launch gameplay elements and game modes were left out, this next-generation game has all the features of it’s Xbox and Playstation 2 bretheren; but with every bit the power of the Xbox 360 behind it.
I usually save the talk about graphics for the end of my reviews, but with Fight Night Round 3, I am going to come right out of the gate with the graphics. The reason for this will become clear the minute you turn the game on and being playing. Fight Night Round 3 is easily the best looking Xbox 360 game to date. EA is billing the graphics as Film-Quality Graphics in EA/HD. In the Xbox 360 version, there is no HUD in the game to show damage to the fighters. Instead, you can gauge your opponent’s health by their facial expressions and body language. The detail is so amazing that you will be able to see the pain and anguish in your opponent’s face, as well as any swelling and bleeding the boxers do. And when crack your opponent’s face you’ll see it contort around the glove in a way that makes your mouth drop. You’ll even see blood trickling down the boxers face in real-time as rounds go on, and as you’re sitting in the corner with your cutman. You will also notice when your opponent is becoming fatigued by his body language so that you can prepare to go in for the kill. Now because the Xbox and PS2 simply don’t have the power to show this level of detail, they still have the standard health and fatigue meters.
Back to the Xbox 360. The game looks absolutely amazing, and this is what you would expect a next-gen game to look like. The boxers are extremely detailed and look real. The effects are what will blow you way. The way a boxer’s face reacts to getting hit, and the spit and blood that occasionally flies when you take a hard shot makes the game look very realistic. The default camera angle is zoomed in to put you right in the middle of action, and the environments are photo realistic. The crowd is awesome looking, and if you look at our videos and you see a closeup of people at ringside, you’ll see they are total and complete polygon models. You can even see that when the boxers are introduced at the beginning of the bout. When the boxers enter the ring, you’ll see fans at ringside that just look great.
The Xbox and Playstation 2 versions to their own merits look great as well. It’s hard to go back after playing the Xbox 360 version and play the current-gen versions. But boxers look exactly like their real-life counterparts. Their faces are perfect, and their body styles are equally impressive. While you’re taking punches, you’ll see the damage done on the boxer’s faces, including swelling and blood. You’ll see blood spit out of the boxer’s mouth when a hot blow is landed. You just don’t get the neat facial contortions, but you will still get a very VERY good visual presentation out of the game.
