rom the moment you hear Sean Biggs and Co. sing, “I know you like my swagger/ Oh, oh,” upon loading up Fight Night Round 3 on PlayStation 3, you might think you’re in for the exact same game you fought through last year. For the most part, you’d be right. Everything from the menus to the lengthy career mode returns with few changes. But thankfully EA Canada made a few minor tweaks here and there when porting EA Chicago’s boxing breakthrough.
Skin textures on the in-game character models are among the most realistic in all of video gaming. The 360 fighters may have looked really good, but these guys look damn good. Wrinkles on their foreheads, moles and chest hairs on their torsos, and bulging veins in their arms had me admiring the male form way more than any hetero guy should admit (which obligates me to mention that the ring girls are noticeably hotter this time around). The pugilistic sweat shine looks so good that you’ll be dabbing off your television screen between rounds. The only graphical element that’s taken a step back is the shiny shorts. They’re more like stiff stove pipes than the flowing fabric of the 360 iteration.
The biggest addition to the Fight Night formula is the Get in the Ring mode, which allows you to punch out chumps from a first-person perspective. Analog fighting controls remain almost exactly the same, outside of the obvious adjustments to movement around the ring. It’s quite satisfying (not to mention intimidating) to look your opponent in the eye while you’re trying to knock his teeth out. The sim effect is slightly diminished by the fact that you’re fighting with two disembodied, floating arms. But I guess it’s a more effective solution than see-through, green-grid Little Mac from the arcade version of Nintendo’s Punch-Out!!. As cool as it is to see your blood blurring up the screen and a violent shake every time you get rocked, this mode just doesn’t have that certain something from the traditional camera angle. Most people will mess around with this mode, but probably won’t keep it turned on during their career.
It’s tough to tell if the PS3 version’s graphical pizazz is due to superior hardware power or simply more development time. Round 4 will have to be the true next-gen test.
[Some minor changes have been made to this review since the magazine version was printed. Due to late changes in the game code, the new first-person camera is now available in the career mode via the Options menu. This online review reflects that new information.]