Review: Fight Night Round 4By Locke on August 3rd, 2009
FN4 in essence has two modes for single player, either simple matches between you and a friend or CPU, featuring great contenders from all the weight classes, or, Legacy Mode, in which you rise through the ranks in the life of a boxer. Well, the career of one anyway. I played Legacy Mode through two weight classes, and I’m very impressed with it. You essentially schedule matches, and train your fighter in preparation for the actual bouts. The control scheme is pretty solid; the left stick controls your fighter’s movement, the right stick controls his mitts. Holding bumpers and/or triggers effect the way your boxer uses his fists. The left trigger is for weaving, and the right trigger turns your fists so that they can block. It’s a tough road learning how to do the specific punches, but you grow from it, and gradually learn as you win (or lose) matches. One grand improvement I found in the game is an emphasis on counter-punching. If you can block an opponent’s attack well, or dodge his punch and immediately attack, that resulting punch hurts alot more. It allows for realistic fights, as well as a reward for those who favor defense over offense. The Training Mini-games are notoriously hard in some segments however. Some of them I suspect were forged to scorch the patience of even the most humble of gamers, but it’s realistic in how you grow. Over train in one area, you grow weaknesses. Train too much in everything and you don’t have any strengths. I’ve learned that as you gradually learn what style you enjoy boxing with, you can curve your stats to suit them, regardless of how late in the game you started understanding the controls. My big issue with this game is the Online Mode, and not necessarily with the game in itself. My main problem is how the game allows you several cheap shots (headbutting, hitting below the belt) before you get disqualified. I’ve been hit five times below the belt in a single match, right as I had an opponent on the ropes, without the other player being disqualified. Also, you set up your stats for online play when you create your character long before you get to try him in multiplayer, leaving you with a fighter that doesn’t match your style when you’re finally confident enough to take the fight online. It’s also somewhat awkward setting up a match with a friend. Otherwise, the game plays just as well online as it does offline. Take care on your journey into the online division however, you will find that many of your opponents will either be celebrities, fictional characters, or have names dripping with innuendo. Bottom Line Pros: Great Fighting System, Long Replay Value, Great Graphics. Cons: Cheap Shots in Multiplayer, Legacy Mode lacking somewhat, Jack Dempsey/Rocky Marciano aren’t in the game. Fight Night Round 4 gets a 9/10; if you’re a fan of boxing, it’s a no-brainer buy. |
I played the second one, and it was great. It’s worth playing just for the awesome controls and the character building.