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Saturday, April 15, 2006 

Let's Make It a Fight Night

"You don't want it! You don't want it in "Fight Night!"

Ever since we got EA Sports' "Fight Night Rd. 3" for the 360, our nights have been spent trash-talking, bobbing, weaving, and screaming at the television in joy (or agony, depending on the outcome). If there was one game that made me feel better about spending $500 on a 360, it was this one. How good is this game? Let's just say that I got thumb blisters for the first time since the 16-bit era. It's THAT good.

Alright, let me stop jerking the game off and get to the details. What makes this game so good is the way the 360's graphical power is used to improve the basic boxing game formula that's been present since the 32-bit era's "Knockout Kings" debut. Sure, the fighters look really good and sport high poly counts, but the graphics do more than just improve the visual experience over previous boxing titles. The graphics add much-needed "oomph," to the boxing genre; drop a 5-hit combo on your opponent's jaw, and his face will actually LOOK like he just received a 5-piece (WITH a biscuit!!). And trust me, there's no joy greater than to see the results of the punishment inflicted on your virtual opponent. For example, If you've been effectively hitting your opponent's upper left side for a couple of rounds, he will actually wince as he begins to shift his weight to the other side of his body to minimize the pain. By observing your opponent's reactions, you can then adjust your strategy accordingly and keep working on his weak areas, until finally, you get him to the point where you can score a knockdown. And, man, oh man, this game's knockdowns are SERIOUS. Ever seen "Snatch?" Think of the scene where Brad Pitt's character is boxing, and the movie slows down to emphasize the punch that sends him to another planet (you know, right before he gets back up, and, well, if you haven't seen the movie, I'm not going to spoil it for you) The knockdowns are so serious, that you'll find yourself watching the replays over and over. You COULD press start to skip the replay, but with graphics like these, you'll find yourself not wanting to.

YEOUCH


I didn't get a chance to play the game on XBox Live. It's not that I didn't want to, but I never got a chance to; everytime I wanted to play "Fight Night," people always seemed to gather around me, waiting to challenge me in the game. Why play on Live when my competition comes right to the comfort of my own home? Hell, it'll happen to you, too. Just show this game off to a couple of your friends, and next thing you know, they'll never leave your house.

If you haven't played this game, I highly suggest you do. This is what next-gen gaming is all about, and quite frankly, I'm beginning to like what I see.

PROS:

1) The graphics are simply stunning in this game. If you're unsure about whether or not the 360 is truly, "next-gen", this is going to be the game that does it for you. (Well, besides "Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter" and "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" of course)



2) The "Total Punch Control" system works really well. Instead of punching with buttons, you use the right analog stick to direct your punches to specific points in your opponent's body. Which makes it all the better to drop the ill 2-piece to your foe's jaw.

CONS:

1) Music in the game gets rather repetitive. It's times like these that you're going to be bopping to your own music rather than the music that EA Sports provides for you.

2) Sometimes, the game's collision detection conks out. You could hit your opponent in the jaw, unopposed, and the game's engine fails to pick up on the hit. This can be extremely frustrating in close bouts, when every punch counts.

Wish List:

1) Better crowd animations and reactions

2) An actual career mode with a story line. Part of what makes boxing such an awesome sport are the storylines between each bout.

3) Cool new graphical touches, like cotton swabs getting bloody during corner visits.

4) Can we customize our own created characters' entrance music and style? Thanks! And hell, why not have the option to use the upcoming 360 camera to scan our faces onto custom boxers? That would be pretty damn cool.

SOOOO WAAAAAAAT :-D

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