Fight Night Round 3 Review - PSP

EA Sports continues to make strides in boxing games. After ditching the lame Knockout Kings series for its new prodigy Fight Night, things have gone nowhere but up. The series imminent next-gen bout has arrived, and even on a bigger stage the results are the same.

The Look of a Champion

Much of the pre-fight hype for Fight Night Round 3 was because of its amazing graphics. Not only do the pugilists look realistically ripped, sensibly sweaty, and float and/or sting like a butterfly and/or bee; they also hit really freaking hard. Haymakers will rattle skulls--literally--and you'll see the blood fly and whiplash ensue in gorgeously gory up-close slow motion. You can't help but wince at the chaos, yet smile from ear to ear at the same time.

Graphics are usually icing rather than cake; but with Fight Night, better reactions and facial damage are the whole reward behind punching in someone's face in the first place. It's a great payoff. There are a few hiccups--fighters gyrate on the ropes instead of hitting the canvas and spectators repeat--but Fight Night Round 3 definitely belongs on the 360.

Taking a page from Ubisoft's King Kong, Fight Night defaults to no heads-up display. There are no life bars, stamina bars, or timers. It's just you against the killer in the other corner. This minimalist approach goes a long way toward making things feel more real, and challenges you to observe body language and other cues to tell how the fighters are feeling. If you just have to know, though, it can be turned on. Wussy.

Move and Stick

The evolutionary Fight Night control is back. Though it doesn't seem to have evolved too much since previous iterations, it's still incredibly deep and well worth mastering. While using the right stick in conjunction with shoulder buttons for punches is difficult at first, there's truly no better way to play. It allows you to control your power easier and pull off smoother combos. There's a lot to think about--do you block or lean, go for the body or head--but that's what the sweet science is all about. Bust out your signature swing, bend the rules with an illegal hit, or clinch to smell your opponent's cologne. In bouts between legendary pugilists, the action is downright insane, and you've really got to be on your game to go the distance. If you want a simple button-masher, there are plenty of other fighting games on the market.

Bevy of Bouts

Fight Night Round 3 has more modes than George Foreman has grilling machines. Career mode will obviously be where you cut your teeth. Either pick an existing boxer or create your own to work up through the ranks. Sign contracts, train in different disciplines between bouts, and buy fresh gear to both look like a champ and boost your stats. Some things aren't perfect--attribute boosts should be based on fight performances not training minigames, the drama doesn't pick up until later, and it's sorely lacking in stats--but you'll still love going round after round with your boxer of choice.

Hard hit contests cater to those who think scorecards are for mini golf. With no timer or judges, each round lasts until a knockdown. In the ESPN classic option you pick your legend in some of the greatest rivalries of all time. Show Ali he's just a sissy punk as powerhouse Joe Frazer, or engage in Leonard vs. Duran or Jones Jr. vs. Toney. More get unlocked as you progress. Here's hoping we'll see Sonny Liston vs. the mob or Don King vs. the IRS.  Of course, Round 3 has Xbox Live support complete with all the stats that career mode should've had and a scrolling score ticker.

Biting your Ear Off

Complimenting the painfully accurate graphics is a sickening attention to detail in the audio department. Round 3 dishes out all the bone-shattering snaps, crackles, and pops of big hits. Once you've played this game, you'll never be able to enjoy a bowl of Rice Krispies without getting a severe migraine; but it's worth the tradeoff.

The commentary and coaches are never at a loss for words, though you may not always want to listen to them. As for music, Round 3 doesn't feature the most memorable selection of EA Trax songs out there, but as usual, you can pick and choose which ones to listen to.

Well-Placed Punch

Nobody's stepping up to challenge Fight Night's reign as boxing game champion, and for good reason. While there could have been more to advance the series in its first trip to the Xbox 360, the violent visuals more than make it worth a few rounds for any fight fans. Coupled with the deep gameplay and control, Fight Night Round 3 would be undisputed champion no matter how many challengers it had. Let's just hope it trains harder before the next round.