Fight Night Round 4 has released in Europe under a great deal of anticipation. Highlighted early-on by many as the best Boxing videogame on the Current-Generation, Fight Night Round 3 may have a missed a few of its’ punches, but it’s pretty much had the ring all to itself. Electronic Arts’ own Facebreaker managed to achieve the same level of impact, despite its release on many more formats, and 2K Games’ Don King’s Boxing unfortunately failed to impress on many fronts. And with that, Fight Night Round 4’s only real challenge is to welcome the newcomers, without aggravating the fans.

            Fight Night Round 4 seems to have taken this task in its stride, making all others who have isolated either their followers or those treading the water appear ignorant in their disposition. There will always be those who would prefer pressing a button to the initially imprecise nature of the Right Analogue stick, but this audience is already well catered for with Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur IV and the forthcoming Tekken 6. To those looking at Fight Night Round 4 for an authentic Boxing simulation, there’s simply no better system for relation to on-screen movement and momentum.

The Total Punch Control system, as its known, has been revised dramatically, and is worthy of the rather gaudy tagline “New Total Punch Control”. Angular directional movements of the Right Analogue Stick simulate a variety of punches from both right and left hands, and each and every boxer and boxing style offers unique pacing that provides both variety and a challenge. Newcomers will undoubtedly find adapting to the New Total Punch Control system infuriating, even though EA SPORTS have clearly attempted to soften the initial blow. Perhaps taking a nod from Disney Interactive’s PURE, before even allowed access to a Menu Screen the player is shown the ropes. Taken through step-by-step, move-by-move, the player is taught the basics in a disjointed sparring match.

            Fight Night Round 4 is much less reliant on lucky strikes and effective use of haymakers than its predecessor, and is more successful within it’s single-player modes because of it. The meat of the game lies within Legacy Mode, in which a player fights through a boxer’s career in order to become the "Greatest of All Time". Utilising either one of the pre-built professionals or your own creation, Legacy Mode is a fast-paced take on the traditional career mode, which may not be as fleshed-out as Def Jam Icon’s delusional story or as detailed as FIFA’s Be A Pro gameplay option, but is rewarding and far more diverse than that seen in Fight Night Round 3.

            The game not only features an impressive line-up of professional boxers, but the Character Creation tool is also fairly generous. Allowing players to utilise the Xbox LIVE! Vision Camera to map their own face to a custom created boxer, the replays and their sound effects become particularly cringe worthy as you hear the crunch of bone and sinew upon the impact of that final blow to your own jaw. The presentation as a whole is remarkable, with easily the most detailed Character Models yet produced on the Current-Generation system, sweating and rippling with every swing and impact. The soundtrack is unsurprisingly comprised of EA Trax, though there are a few in particular that add value to the ambience as a distinction between fights in different types of venues.

            Fight Night Round 4 is simply without equal. Though the game is unashamedly tough to become familiar with, it pays in dividends to those who refine the art. Xbox LIVE! play is obviously a great attraction, and doesn’t disappoint. Rivalling UFC 2009 Undisputed as the most brutal way to get the edge on your friends online, lagging experiences are almost non-existent and being able to pit your custom characters against one another is remarkably satisfying. Fight Night Round 4 proves that it is possible to please the fans while remaining welcoming to newcomers, with a Boxing game that has just enough brain to match its’ brawn.

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