‘Fight Night’ packs a punch, introduces new features
Game: “Fight Night: Round 3”
Platform: PS2
Developer: EA Sports
Genre: Sports
Grade: B
Although “Fight Night” is one of the only boxing series available, the lack of competition can not be seen in the newest installment, “Fight Night: Round 3.”
New to the series are the impact-punches feature, a reworked career mode and a customizable boxy-style feature.
However, most of the improvements and updates found in the game are merely additions to old features, but they are still enough to get players to step into the ring for yet another fight.
Unsurprisingly, the best parts of “Round 3” are the parts that haven’t changed.
The total punch-control mechanics return allowing veteran fighters to jump right into the game and throw combos immediately.
However, for new fights, the controls take a little getting used to, but once the controls are figured out, button mashing will become a thing of the past.
Throwing a lot of punches is a fine strategy and simply flailing around will often win a match, but occasionally players actually have to use the defense mode in the game.
Players can block and parry punches, allowing them to wear down their opponent and save their body so they can finish the match strong.
But of course there is a lot more to boxing than throwing and absorbing punches.
In “Round 3,” players also have to maintain their fighter’s health, which is handled through training and mini-games.
The mini-games consist of the heavy bag, weights and the combo dummy.
While the game still plays like its predecessors, players are given a bit more control over how they fight, thanks to the inclusion of new fighting styles that can be assigned to fighters.
The one downfall to the game is the lack of continuity in “Career Mode.”
Players compete in a list of fights, but none of them seem to carry a storyline at all, so the fights just seem like many unrelated fights that lead to the same game.
Other than the small downfall of “Career Mode,” players may find “Round 3” to be a knockout.