The Sweet Science
Simply put, in Fight Night Round 3 you actually have to fight smart in order to win. Every opponent presents a different style and strategy and adjusting to the changes is the key to victory. Because of the incredible depth of the fighting in Fight Night Round 3, the game is extremely satisfying to play. Switching your lead hand to focus on a cut eye, jabbing a power puncher into submission, relentlessly working the body of a faster fighter and then knocking them out with a haymaker because they are too worn out to retaliate – every fight plays out differently and there are dozens of tactics for every single situation. Blocking and parries were important last year but thanks to the de-emphasis of haymakers in Round 3 a solid defense is absolutely necessary. Your ability to put together a complete fight – one that involves not only strategically planned offense but also smartly and accurately played defense – really has an impact on how satisfying the game is overall. If you just want to throw haymakers and not put in the effort to really learn everything, you won’t like Round 3 too much.
Career Mode
The main single player mode is the career mode and it is rather different from what we had last year. You still have the option of making a custom fighter or using one of the included real life boxers and then climbing up the ranks to a title, but the voyage from unknown amateur to world champion is a little different. Round 2 was a lot more realistic in the way you moved forward in your career – it had actual rankings and in order to move up you had to fight the next guy on the list. In Round 3 you instead progress by fighting seemingly random opponents until your popularity meter dictates you get a title shot or a sponsored fight. Also, rather than really focusing on the big picture Round 3 introduces rivals that you will fight several times throughout your career. You are still after the title but the little confrontations with rivals are more of a focus … kind of like pro wrestling. Whether or not these changes are better or worse than Round 2 is debatable. You seem to progress more quickly this year and having lots of big victories on your way to the title is a lot more satisfying overall, but it would have been nice if it represented real boxing a little better.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer is where Fight Night Round 3 really shows its quality, though. This is hands down one of the absolute best two-player games you will find and is a sheer joy to play. Because the game is so insanely balanced this year and since there are so many styles and stances and other options no two fights will ever be the same. You can’t just haymaker your way to victory anymore which is a good thing because fighting a real fight is so much more satisfying. And when someone finally is able to land a big punch the drama of the whole experience is just so much better than before. Once you experience en epic 12 round fight filled with knockdowns and strategy changes and amazing drama you will be sold on the greatness of Fight Night Round 3.
Playing online on Xbox Live is quick and easy and much more fun thanks to the more balanced gameplay. Having a friend sitting next to you is far more enjoyable, but if you are just looking for a fight Live is the way to go.
Bottom Line
Fight Night Round 3 is one of the best looking and best playing games on the Xbox 360 right now. It is a pretty bold statement to say that it is the best 360 game available, but Round 3 really is that unbelievably good. Gorgeous graphics, amazing gameplay, and fantastic multiplayer make Fight Night Round 3 a great experience that fighting game fans, boxing fans, and just gamers in general can all enjoy. It also has to be said that the Xbox 360 version is definitely the one to buy if you have a choice. Don’t be fooled by the $20 price difference (Xbox version is $40 while the 360 version is $60) you will get your moneys worth. Fight Night Round 3 will make you proud to own an Xbox 360 and an HDTV. Rent it if you must, but for most gamers Fight Night Round 3 for the Xbox 360 is a game that is worthy of a purchase.
