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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.
HDTV Game of the Week: Fight Night Round 3
This is a game I've been waiting for since the impressive demo Sony used to advertise their PS3 at E3 last year, and EA's Fight Night Round 3 has not failed to impress. Every bone cracking punch, every drop of sweat and blood, almost every boxer you could ever want to fight is ready in glistening 720p. If you were waiting for the "next generation" feeling to hit you, put your gloves on and find your mouthguard because it is here.
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...]
Fight Night Round 2 hands-on/review wrap-up
It looks like Fight Night Round 2 will deliver. The two reviews out there say that it improves on the original in almost every way. The Game Informer writer even admits he's not a big boxing fan, and he still walked away impressed. As a boxing fan that gives me pause, but if the title is anything like the first one it's going to get my 50. IGN Game Informer Game Rankings (with scores from print and online resources)
New Fight Night Round 2 shots
Since I've been in the mood to kick some fanny recently (but, predictably, don't have the guts to pick a fight with anyone) I've been waiting for Fight Night Round 2. Hey, some people get out their aggression in blog comments, and some need a good boxing game. The screenies show off the improved graphics engine and the toned-down sweat sheen. The last game in the series went a little overboard with the oil look. Now the guys look like fighters, not massage victims.
Fight Night Round 2: cast of characters
It may be "lights out" for Roy Jones' career, but Fight Night is coming back with Round 2. Continue on for a list of this year's roster... Note: 3 fighters have yet to be announced. Also, Lennox Lewis & Felix Trinidad will not be featured in the game.
Fight Night Round 2: excitement without the pain
EA has announced that a sequel to the well-received boxing title, Fight Night, is under development. With Roy Jones Jr.'s career in question, EA has selected Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins [not "Hawkins"] to grace the cover. Hopkins is an ideal choice, having recently defeated (in September) Oscar De La Hoya to become the Middleweight Champion of the World. When asked about his most recent victory-that is, becoming Fight Night's coverman-Hopkins replied: "It's great to be immortalized in an EA Sports video game and even a greater honor to be an EA Sports cover athlete... Fight Night Round 2 really captures the intensity and excitement of the sport, but without the pain." Be sure to check out IGN's interview with Kudo Tsunoda, Round 2's producer.
