Fight Night Round 4 is a boxing video game developed by EA Sports. It is the
sequel to Fight Night Round 3, released in 2006. It was released on June 25,
2009 in North America and on June 26, 2009 in Europe, for the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360. The game's featured boxers are Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. It
contains 48 licensed boxers as well as several new modes, such as Legacy mode.
Marketing = Demo=
On May 14, 2009, a demo of the game was made available to those that had
pre-ordered the game from GameStop, although it was made available for
everyone to download later that month via Xbox Live or PlayStation Network.
The demo features a three round exhibition match between Ricky Hatton
and Manny Pacquiao in the wake of their fight on May 2, 2009. A tutorial mode is
also accessible at the beginning of the demo, which is featured in the final
release. On August 27, 2009, a new updated demo
was released. It now features a ten round exhibition match between Muhammad
Ali and Mike Tyson, in addition to the previous Hatton vs. Pacquiao match. It
also features the return of the classic control scheme for the game where
players can use the controller buttons for most controls instead of the right
analog stick. This control scheme was originally in all previous Fight Night
games, and it was brought into Fight Night Round 4 after fans were
complaining about using the new control scheme and suffering from blisters.
= Downloadable Content= On July 27, 2009, the first piece of
downloadable content for Fight Night Round 4 was released. It is free of
charge, and includes a new training gym, new gameplay sliders, new equipment and
an alternate version of Sugar Ray Leonard.
Additional trunks, gloves and shorts were released along with face button
control support in a free update at the end of August. EA Sports have also
announced that the next piece of downloadable content, the 'Boxer Pack',
will contain Oscar De La Hoya, Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko, as
well as alternate versions of James Toney and George Foreman which became
available on 27 August and can be purchased through the PlayStation Store
and Xbox Live Marketplace. On November 2, 2009, EA announced its
newest DLC plans. In early December, a new pack including Bernard Hopkins,
Evander Holyfield, Sonny Liston and two new modes would be released for the
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. = PlayStation Home=
On July 16, 2009, EA Sports released a themed game space for Fight Night Round
4 as an expansion to the EA Sports Complex in the European and North
American versions of PlayStation Home. The game space is called "Club Fight
Night" and features a Club-DJ mini-game with rewards, two video screens and
seating for avatars. In an upcoming update, there will be a robot boxing
mini-game available to play. This space was released in the Japanese version on
October 9, 2009. On November 25, 2009, two producers of Fight Night Round 4,
Mike Mahar and Brian Hayes, were in the space for a live chat with the Home
community. Reception
Fight Night Round 4 garnered positive reaction from critics for its strategic
gameplay and strong multiplayer component. The PlayStation 3 version
received an 87.89% and an 88% from review aggregate websites GameRankings
and MetaCritic respectively. The Xbox 360 version garnered an 87.36% and an
87% from GameRankings and Metacritic respectively.
GameSpot's Justin Calvert praised the game's fast action and its online play.
1UP.com's David Ellis commented that the physics engine improved the gameplay,
and made punches feel more realistic. GameSpy's Will Tuttle noted the game's
"stunning visuals", and praised the online gameplay. GamePro's Andrew
Hayward thought that the gameplay flowed better as a result of the frame rate,
which ran at sixty frames per second. IGN's Nate Ahearn felt that the game
delivered "the best pure boxing ever seen in a video game."
Criticisms were mostly focused towards the single player aspects of the game.
IGN's Nate Ahearn commented that the minigames found in the legacy mode were
too difficult, a sentiment echoed by GameSpy and GameSpot. Giant Bomb's Jeff
Gerstmann criticized the legacy mode for being wrapped in "layers of unnecessary
menus". References
External links Fight Night Round 4 Official Game Page
EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4