Fight Night Round 3

"Considered as a fighting game, it's great game for casual play, but not for serious competition... yet."

A note: I am reviewing this game from the perspective of a fan of competitive fighting games. If I approached FN:R3 as merely a casual fighter or a simulation, the review would certainly have been different. Also, I'm reviewing this game on its own merits rather than in comparison with its prequels or other boxing games. Having said that, on with the review...

Fight Night Round 3 is a great game, but its controls and questionable gameplay elements prevent it from being a serious contender for any lasting competitive following.

Controls: Good responsive controls can make or break a fighting game. Unfortunately the control scheme for this game is disorganized and tedious. The main concern is around how you throw your punches. There are two general control schemes you can opt for: the Total Punch Control (TPC) using the right analog stick, and buttons. In the TPC scheme, tapping the stick at roughly 11 o'clock throws a jab, going from 9 to 12 o'clock swings a hooks, going from 8 to 12 o'clock throws up an uppercut, going from 9 to 8 then to 12 o'clock gives you a haymaker and so on. Obviously, stringing together a fast combination accurately and consistently is tiring even when you get over the learning curve. In other types of games this might be just a minor hassle but in a fighting game (where even a fraction of a second is crucial), this spells frustration. Using the optional button scheme solves the issue somewhat - you can jab/cross, hook, and uppercut with simple button presses. But you will still need to rely on the stick for blocking, feinting and throwing out heavy punches like haymakers and flashpunches, so even button users will have to go back and forth. Clinching and signature punches (which button scheme users will likely use as a substitute for haymakers) also has a separate button, which adds to the clunkiness. That's not to say that the whole control scheme is bad - the movement and leaning is tight and responsive.

Gameplay: I only have one gripe with the gameplay in FN:R3: the damage levels of various punches is messed up. Pretty much anything less than a 3 hit combo does little more than chipping damage. Even if it's a loud smacking two hit counter hook combo, it doesn't do enough damage to make it a threat. Meanwhile, a single haymaker does huge damage and the damage of the flash punch is ridiculous. The upshot is that if a player wants to pose any serious threat as a counterpuncher, he is strongly encouraged to parry in the philly blocking stance (which gives extra parry-stun time) and throw out a haymaker. On the positive side of things, the defensive options in this game are excellent. You can block or parry while moving in any direction or while leaning - the degree of body movement possible is fantastic.

Overall: I can't see this game being a platform for any long term competitive play mainly because of its tedious control schemes and its damage issues. Still, it is a fantastic game for anyone who's remotely interested in boxing or who just wants to have a good time with friends. The gameplay is mostly solid, the controls passable, the graphics are pretty and the presentation slick. Even to those who stick to tournament-worthy fighting games, it shows how fresh and varied fighting games can truly be, and how a great fighting game doesn't need ninjas, fireballs or 200-hit combos. And the potential is definitely there for a serious competitive game.

Miscellaneous Pros(+) and Cons(-):

+ The classic boxing rivalry matchups are great. The commentator gives a very brief introduction of the fighters in the beginning of round 1 which adds to the atmosphere. I think in the next game they should elaborate on this theme by adding some in depth historical background of the matchups that you can read.

+ The graphics are pretty and the sounds do its job well.

+ Despite the difficulties of signing on professional names, they did a good job including a fair number of well known fighters. There is an excellent create-a-boxer feature that you can use to recreate the fighters that arn't represented.

- The training mini-games are a nuissance after a while - unfortunately the auto-train option only yields half the maximum benefits.

- The AI is a bit lopsided. Most of the time the AI is very easy, since it is predictable - throw a couple of punches high and it's almost guaranteed that they will be wide open for a haymaker to the gut. But sometimes the AI turtles up and has an annoying tendency to mindread your jab, parry it, and smack you with a haymaker. This is not too big of an issue since the most interesting opponents are human anyway.

- The loading time of the menu screens (especially career mode pre/post-training screens) is long enough to be an annoyance.

- There are some graphics issues. Foot going through the mat, hands going through the opponent's body, etc. When a fighter gets knocked down, they will spew blood out of their face no matter what - it's amusing to knock out your opponent with a hook to the body and see him cough out blood as if their lungs have been punctured.

- The product placement is ridiculously overt. The burger king is one of your trainers, and dozens of BK logos are peppered everywhere.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/19/06