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The Xbox360 is home to many Sports titles. As any console,
the usual selection of FIFA, NHL and NBA titles
have arrived, alongside the fantastic MotoGP
’06, Amped 3 and Rockstar Games Presents: Table
Tennis and the so-so Top Spin 2. Fight Night Round 3
has a lot to prove if it’s to take pride of place as one of the
Xbox360’s top-ranking Sports Simulators – the definite target EA
are aiming for.
The goal of Sports Simulator is made immediately apparent by
the lack of window dressing. There is no on-screen furniture,
whatsoever; no Health Bars, no Clock, no High Score. The fighters
dominate the screen, as their Character Models are the most telling
sign of the Match’s progress. The Career Mode allows you to play
as either a boxing legend or create your own, working through Fight
Contracts and Training in order to rise through the ranks and become
the most famous boxer in history.
The system used throughout the Career Mode is well-balanced,
but inevitably suffers from a flawed presentation. While rising
through the ranks there is actually very little to denote any
achievement. More money is awarded and new Venues become available
to stage the fights, however both are limited and after only a
handful of Matches, all the Venues will be unlocked and the player
will have more money in their bankroll then both the Shop and
Trainers will be able to spend for you. Training before fights takes
the place of a series of Mini-Games – a small selection depending
on the Training you decide your fighter needs. While offering a
little distraction, there is little more than push/pull Analogue
Stick games or button-bashers, and after the first few tries the
player will most likely give-up and use the Auto-Train feature, even
though it invariably ends-up with less Points being added to your
fighters Attributes.
The Fighting System within the title is rewarding, if
confusing for beginners. Most attacks are controlled via the Right
Analogue Stick, and further punches can be thrown with a combination
of the Lean Manoeuvre – the L Trigger. The Block action is
difficult to perform, but with practice becomes essential and
Illegal Blows are easy enough to execute when needed, but just
out-of-reach in times when a player may be called-up for breaking
the rules.
The
title includes the generic options of Exhibition and Multi-Player,
as well as online play. XboxLIVE! offers some
brilliantly-paced, Lag-free scrapping shenanigans, but offers little
to increase the appeal.
The titles graphics are far above average. The uninspiring
presentation of previous EA Xbox360 releases have clearly been noted
through their backlash, and Fight Night Round 3 causes a
storm. The crisp visuals and splendid animation are never marred by
Frame-Rate issues or visual bugging as would be expected with a
title so seemingly rushed for release. The sound quality is also of
a high-standard, only let-down by the ridiculously repetitive
Commentary.
Fight Night Round 3 offers little in the way of
advancement of the Boxing Simulator genre, however, it does passably
secure the ideals of the previous generations. Detailing the
achievements of the Xbox360’s aesthetics maybe worthwhile for many
gamers – seemingly so with the title’s peak in the UK Sales
Chart – however, for videogames connoisseurs, there is little Fight
Night Round 3 has to offer over the SNES’s Boxing Legends
Of The Ring.
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