Fight Night Round 3

"The sweet science revamped"

Introduction - Fight Night Round 3 is the third installment in what has been to date, one of the best boxing series. Fight Night Round 3 has been proclaimed as the best installment in the series, yet in my book, it doesn't live up to the billing.

Game play - 8/10

The game play is awesome. While actually in the ring, boxing is really fun. Fight Night made a few changes to game play for the better and a few for the worse.

Better-Hay makers now take longer to throw which now means that 100 hay makers can't, or at least shouldn't, be thrown in a fight. The also added to types of hay makers, the flash KO and the “Stun.” The flash KO will automatically put the opposing player in the period of time where he can be knocked out. The stun punch when landed places you in your opponents eyes. While this can be a little weird at first, it allows for some really sweet combos. Both of these punches are EXTREMELY hard to pull off.

Worse- There is now no rankings in career mode. You just progress through the promoter stages such as Under Armor and Dodge. A slew of boxers were taken out including Rocky Marciano and Lennix Lewis. Joe Louis makes no appearance in a heavy weight division that has 5 original fighters(more can be unlocked). Also, the pre fight planning is less extensive. You are only allowed to pick a manager, unlike FNR2 were you could choose your Show girl and song.

Story - 2/10

It's a boxing game so the obvious story is…fight your way up to become a great fighter. Not much substance…but then substance isn't expected. The way Fight Night Round 3 was promoted, it sounded as if there would be prefight conferences where you could smack talk your opponent. No such venue exist, which is a little sound.

Graphics 6/10

OK…the in the ring graphics are more like a 10. You can actually tell when your fighter has a broken nose! Yet, the background is really blotchy and individual cubes can be seen.

Sound - 10/10

The sounds in the ring are excruciating. Every blow is heard. Replays add in cracking noises that cause the player to grimace. The commentary is usually relevant and doesn't get too old. Also, the sound track is another pretty sweet rap mix as with previous entrees. I think FNR2 had better music, but then I am just being picky.

Play Time/Replayability - Average

This really depends on how much one likes boxing. If you love the sweet science then this game has endless replay ability. If not, then this game is just another good game in a slew of fighting games. The Play time is about a month IF you take your time.

Final Recommendation - This game is definitely worth at least a rent. I gave the game a low rating only because their was less improvement in the game play than there should have been. Yet, it is really fun. If you love the sweet science then this game is a definite buy. Definitely worth the price.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/16/06