Fight Night 2004

"Best boxing game ever."

Fight Night 2004 is the latest in Electronic Arts Knockout Kings boxing series.

Boxing games have been around for decades, but most of them were average at best. Most of them just had the boxers meeting at the center of the ring and all you would have to do is button mash. Boxing games started getting repetitive after awhile but only the most hardcore of gamers would actually play a boxing game. Now does Fight Night 2004 break the trend of repetitive gameplay? Read on.
Fight Night 2004 at first glance seems like a typical boxing game. Its got the standard modes: Online play, versus, career, create, and options. there is quite a few boxers in this game from every weight class so boxing fans shouldnt have any trouble finding there favorite boxers. Each boxer in the game has stats for every category so you can see what you are up against in the match. You can tell a lot of effort went to this game as each boxer accurately represents the real boxer. From how fast the boxer moves to how well they can evade punches. Boxing fanatics should be pleased with this aspect of the game.

Fight Night 2004 does not control like any other boxing game out there. Now the right stick allows you to throw all sorts of punches while the buttons are used for taunting and signature punches. This new control scheme really works out and for the first time you feel like you are the boxer. It may take awhile to get used to the stick that is why the option of changing the control scheme was put into the game. Once you do master using the right analog stick you will be knocking out your opponents easily.

Fight Night 2004 is one of the best looking boxing game to ever be created. The boxers themselves look absolutely stunning from the facial hair to the hair on their chest. The arenas look really good as well and that does help the game look more realistic. Boxers bruise in real time as you bash them around the ring with hooks. Sweat pours off their face in between rounds and sweat pours off their face when they hit. Knockouts in this game are really detailed and realistic. You will watch as the boxer;s legs crumble under his weight and bounce on the mat. You can even hit them while they are falling to the mat! Fight Night 2004 could be the most realistic boxing game ever made. Everything you like about boxing is in this game and that is a good thing.

The sound in Fight Night 2004 is pretty decent. Big Tigger of BETs Rap city The Basement supplies the games commentary. He does a pretty good job but his phrases tend to get repetitive. You might hear the same phrase twice in the same match, but it is not that annoying. Their isnt any music in this game except on the menu screens. You can listen to big names like P. Diddy, David Banner, and more as you browse through the games menu screens. All of the sound effects like body shots, hooks, jabs sound exactly like it does when you watch boxing on T.V. Aside from the games commentary Fight Night 2004 does great with the sound.

Fight Night 2004 has plenty for you to unlock as you go through the games career mode. Career mode allows you to take a created boxer or one already in the game to the top of the boxing world. You start out at the very bottom and you must battle your way to the top to become the WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World. Along the way you can purchase things with the money you win in each fight. You can purchase things from entrance props, pants, mouth pieces, etc. Once you reach the top you must keep defending your title until you are retired. The only bad thing about Career mode is that is makes you retire your boxer when he is 40 years old. There is a possibility you may not have unlocked everything in the game and that might turn a few players off. For me it made me take another boxer to the top to unlock the rest of the unlockables. With this said Fight Night 2004 is the best boxing game ever made and it definitely worth a purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/12/04