Fight-Night-Round-3
Latest
EA pulling plug on older sports games' servers
It's a new year, and the hammer must fall once more on the EA games that the company has deemed "unfit" to play. But the server shutdowns (which are traditionally closer to the middle of the year) are earlier than ever this time (beginning February 2), so fans of Facebreaker, Fantasy Football 09, Fight Night Round 3 on PS2, and many other soon-to-be retired online sports games have little time to achieve their last feats of glory. We've got the full list of server shutdowns -- courtesy of MCV -- after the break. Let us know if you're still playing any of the games getting the axe.
Xbox 360 Platinum Hits are numerous, cheap, rebranded
This one's just about as confusing as it gets, folks, but here goes nothing. Microsoft is repackaging eight of its titles under a new moniker: "Greatness is Earned." Though these titles still fall into the Platinum Hits category (and as such, are priced at $19.99 and up), a number of them are receiving the treatment for the first time. And this is where things get confusing: We've seen the "Greatness is Earned" logo before, nearly a month ago now, on the repackaged Gears of War (Platinum Hits edition, mind you) seen above. At the time, Microsoft wouldn't comment on the images.Considering Viva Piñata and EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 are among them, we're doubting (and hoping) they won't all get the dark and brooding look. We've listed all eight titles after the break in for your perusal. We'd also like to point out that, while snooping around the Microsoft press site for images of these games, we noticed Halo 3 "Classics" in the "Upcoming Games" category -- the same note found next to all other Platinum Hits games. Interesting, hmm?Update: We've replaced the image above with shots of the new "Greatness is Earned" pack shots of Gears of War, Forza 2 and Mass Effect. For giant shots, peep the gallery below!%Gallery-63475%
Sony adds 10 titles to PSP Greatest Hits line
Sony is bulking up its Greatest Hits collection for the PSP, dropping the price on 10 select titles starting April 5. Available for the lowered price of $19.99, the majority of the new batch of Greatest Hits games are third party, though there are still some delicious first-party nuggets included, such as Chains of Olympus. Here's your next wave of Greatest Hits: Fight Night Round 3 God of War: Chains of Olympus Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Mortal Kombat: Unchained Patapon SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike Sonic Rivals 2 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter® 2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas
Hit the boxing ring with Wisin and Yandel
Fresh off a Latin Grammy Award nomination (or so says Xbox.com) the hip-hop and trendy Wisin and Yandel will be on Xbox Live and in the ring as part of Game with Fame. Wednesday, November 7th from 4-6:00PM eastern the duo will be online challenging gamers to a few boxing rounds in EA's Fight Night Round 3. The GWF folks also wanted to go out of their way to point out that Wisin and Yandel are so darn cool that they'll be gaming from high atop the Hugh Heffner suite at the Palms Casino in Vegas. But really, they don't have to impress us with their expensive Palms suite, they just had to remind us they have their own Wisin and Yandel branded Zune.
Xbox 360 Platinum Hits 'Round 2' whiffs on bargain knockout
A second wave of Xbox 360 Platinum Hits is scheduled to join last fall's elected throughout North America, Latin America, Japan, and the Asia Pacific region on March 16 -- select 'platinum' titles have already hit Europe. The lineups vary by region, but in the US, 8 games have been chosen, representing a respectable variety, albeit a predictably shooter-heavy roster. Oblivion is conspicuously absent from the list; and it should be noted that Battlefield 2, Burnout, Fight Night, GRAW, and Table Tennis are already available for $30 -- Call of Duty 2 and Top Spin 2 for $40. This leaves Dead or Alive 4 as the lone bargain of the bunch.
New Platinum Hits games coming in March
The Gamerscore Blog guys are confirming a few games that will be headed to the Xbox 360 Platinum Hits lineup on March 16th in North America. If you didn't know, the Platinum Hits program is a list of games that have been singled out to retail for $29.99, because they "supposedly" achieved greatness during their lifetime. We may not always agree with certain games that come to the Platinum Hits, but nobody can disagree with the cheaper pricetag. Below is a list of games that will become Platinum Hits in North America. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Burnout Revenge Call of Duty 2 Dead or Alive 4 Fight Night Round 3 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Top Spin 2 Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis
Fight Night producer ponders Wii version
If you've grown tired of furiously pummeling those smiling Miis in Wii Boxing, there's hope for you yet. Speaking to Gabriel Montoya of Doghouseboxing.com, the producer of Fight Night Round 3 explains that a Wii entry into the fisticuff franchise is currently being discussed within the towering offices of EA. "We're contemplating and we definitely feel there are some exciting things we can do with the Fight Night franchise and the Wii," says Michael Blank. "When you play Wii Boxing it is a very simple experience and I think that is what they designed it to be just to let you know that you can throw punches. With Fight Night we have an amazing simulation of Boxing and so we need to take those Wii controls and tailor it to what the Fight Night consumer might want to experience." Though nothing definitive has been announced, Fight Night Round Wii seems like an inevitability. With SSX Blur showing EA's willingness to embrace an alternative control set and Wii Boxing providing a solid, albeit simplistic boxing example, the way is paved. Even if it is with bloody teeth. [Via CVG]
In-game ads adapting
While in-game ads aren't new, Wired News explores recent additions to the trend. Some advertisements are becoming more overt, while other forms of product placement are more subtly placed in games. Adidas uses the product-placement route with frequent branding in NBA Live 07. Burger King takes the obvious, if comical approch in Fight Night Round 3, with an unlockable King mascot character who joins your ringside entourage. Acclaim plans a different approach with free, ad-supported MMO games; pop-up ads from corporate sponsors would let you know which real-world company just paid for your in-game sword. We're interested in seeing how gamers view that tradeoff, but clearly there's a line where too many ads will scare players away. See also: Grand Theft Auto: Coca-Cola City See also: The King is in your Xbox 360
PS3 gets upgraded FNR3
Let it be known that we don't ignore positive Sony news at 360Fanboy: Recall last week's announcement that EA will grace the PS3 with an upgraded version of Fight Night: Round 3 including a first-person mode, ESPN integration, and some minor graphical polish. When I first heard this, I was annoyed that there are no plans to release this stuff as downloadable content on XBLM. Then I realized, by the time Joe Average gets his hands on PS3, we'll likely be enjoying Fight Night Round 4. Still, it's nice that PS3 fanboys have something to cling to in their hour of need. Maybe EA should throw in some 1080p Burger King ads to really spread the cheer.
Fight Night Round 3 to punch PS3 gamers in the face
It was announced today that the successful next-gen boxing sim Fight Night Round 3 will hop from the 360 ring and into the PlayStation 3 squared-circle. However, for this round EA Chicago is handing off the port duties to EA Canada. And, instead of just a straight transition, a first-person mode called "Get in the Ring" will be added. Also included in the PS3 version will be EA's ESPN ticker integration that has updated news and sports info. The game is scheduled to be released this holiday season. This all makes us wonder when Fight Night Round 4 will be released for both consoles. Is EA going to hold that back until Round 3 has collected enough prize money?
Little Mac vs. King Hippo revisited in FNR3
Team Xbox forum member Xpoc decided to make the most mismatched fight he could in Fight Night Round 3. Using the character creation tool, he managed to create the scene pictured to the left; a sort of next-gen variation of Punch Out's diminutive Little Mac going mano a mano with King Hippo. The image to the right, of Russian giant Nikolai Valuev getting annoyed with John Ruiz, is a reminder that life often imitates art. Who booked that fight anyways... Doc Louis?
Joystiq Review: Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox 360)
Fight Night Round 3 (FNR3) for the Xbox 360 is the truth. Is it perfect? No. But a lethal combination of arresting visuals and fine-tuned gameplay make FNR3 an early contender for Xbox 360 game of the year. And while it's difficult to imagine EA's boxing sim holding the crown throughout the course of 2006, it's certainly no stretch to herald FNR3 as a critical leap forward in the next-gen era.
FNR3: Let's Get Rrrready To Rrrretail!
Boxing fans looking to re-enact Shane Mosley's Saturday night beat down of formerly "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas were likely disappointed to learn (or at least be reminded) that Sugar Shane failed to make the Fight Night Round 3 roster after lacing up virtual leather in the two previous games. Then again, Vargas hasn't shown his battered mug in any of the Fight Nights, leading one to wonder: just how badly does a man's face have to get pummeled before the video game gods throw him a bone? (For those who didn't shell out for the pay-per-view, Mosley won a hard-fought TKO that left Fernando looking like the Mexican Elephant Man). Granted, create-a-boxer can go a long away in patient hands, as evidenced by this home-brew ear-chewer. Sure, the financially shady nature of the sport makes licensing difficult and numerous omissions inevitable. Mosley could be missing due to his own greed and fading marquee. That said, when an otherwise quality title's "coolest" unlockable is a...Burger King ad, every unrendered tomato-can grates on the nerves. Hey EA, Don King belongs in a boxing game. The Burger King does not. Oh, and if you suddenly felt the urge to "Grab Life By The Horns" while pitting Hagler against Hearns, credit the smooth 30 DLPS (That's Dodge Logos Per Second) for delivering a subliminal knock-out. I understand the economics at play here. Maybe we could have had George Foreman if they stuck a Meineke muffler up his ass to off-set costs. But boxing is one of my favorite sports and Fight Night Round 3 is thus far my favorite 360 game. Here's to the irrational dream that the next $60 installment includes more pugilists and less plastic-head product placements.
Bill Gates vs. Steve Ballmer in Fight Night Round 3
In this corner, playing as boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Bill "640kb ought to be enough for anybody" Gates! And in this corner, playing as Joe Frazier, Steve "Developers, developers, developers" Ballmer! Following Bill Gates' speech at CES last week, famed boxing announcer Al Bernstein introduced Microsoft's top brass before they duked it out in EA's Fight Night Round 3 on the Xbox 360. It's a cute enough video but, though the game does look great, the gushing grates on you after a while. Who wins? Gates Ali of course! (Link directs to Gamespot's video player) [Via Amanda Murphy's Xbox...]
