Fight Night Round 4

While combat and fighting games mostly have been well-received for fictional formats, officially licensed boxing games tend to fizzle out as opposed to stay at the top for long. One game that tried very hard to break that issue, though, was Fight Night Round 4.

The game itself was released back in 2009 and was headlined by boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Boasting over 45 licensed fighters and a career mode, was Fight Night Round 4 a knockout hit or a 12-round slog?

The last quality boxing game?

With the rise of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and primarily the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), boxing games fell away drastically. Majorly developed MMA games became the go-to point for those looking for real-life boxing and fighting. As such, popular games like Fight Night started to fade away from popularity – over ten years since its release, many could argue that Fight Night Round 4 was the last quality boxing game.

The game received positive reviews upon release, seen as a high quality game that flowed well, looked good for its time, and made boxing feel genuinely exciting once again.

The undisputed boxing champion

While few games have come along since, it would be fair to say that FNR4 is the last quality boxing game that came out. It offers a high-intensity boxing experience that feels very much like the best of the MMA games that have come out since. While it was authentic, it contained some of the kind of fast-paced madness you might expect from a more arcade-y boxing game.

The fighting system was as developed as we got to see from a boxing game, really, and it became a common choice for not only boxing fans, but fighting game fans. For once, it was a boxing game with a deep enough fighting system to keep others involved and excited.

It looked great, albeit dated by 2021 standards, but it maintained a strong frame rate of 60 frames per second which keeps it well in-line with modern fighting games. The depth of the fighting system and its career was very impressive, but there were some pretty noted critiques as well.

For example, the game was quiet limited when it came to the new Legacy Mode, which was seen as needlessly difficult in the eyes of most players. Also, for a game about fighting, it was easy to spend far too long in the menu systems. Add in a career mode that suffered from strange spikes in difficulty, and it was hard to put up with the commentary after hearing each of the generic lines one time too many.

Pros:

• Great blend of fighters both (then) present and past
• Outstanding depth in the actual fighting itself, producing great fights
• Wonderful presentation of top level boxing in an authentic way

Cons:

• Career mode(s) could be somewhat arduous to play
• High difficulty spikes could make progress harder
• Loading times annoying, mixed with limited commentary

Fight Night Round 4 ups the ante in boxing simulations and shows off the sweet science of punching. Featuring dozens of real-world boxers, including legends like Muhammad Ali, you'll tumble with some of the greatest fighters known to man. An updated physics engine, the new Legacy story mode, and exciting online multiplayer keep the fights coming and with more customization than ever before. If you're a boxing lover, this is a game of blood, sweat, and victory that you will definitely want to play.

Main Game Features

• Realistic boxing gameplay
• 45+ real boxers to play as
• Legacy career mode

Story

Fight Night Round 4 contains normal modes like exhibition matches and online multiplayer, but most of the changes have been made to the story and career side of things. In the new Legacy mode, you start as a new boxer making their way onto the scene and must fight up through the ranks to become a boxing legend. To start, you'll create a character through the create-a-boxer system, which allows for huge amounts of customization. No matter how you want your boxer to look and feel, Fight Night Round 4's creation tools let you do it.

The Legacy mode in Fight Night Round 4 is similar to the career modes seen in games like NBA 2K12 and FIFA 10. Playing as your new fighter, you must battle through an entire schedule of fights, starting with low risk match ups and leading to title bouts. To strengthen your boxer, you can engage in training modes, upgrade your stats, and much more. The story is really what you make of it, but during your journey, you will likely make friends and enemies as you pursue the top of your weight class.

Gameplay

In comparison to the previous game, Fight Night Round 3, this sequel adds a lot of new mechanics while tweaking old ones that needed some work. The entire boxing experience is now based on a realistic physics system, which means that your punches and blocks should work how they would in real life. The graphics look amazing, but it's even more impressive to see the impact of devastating punches, especially when the game provides a slow-motion touch. The pure act of fighting has never felt better, thanks to the smooth 60 frames per second that Fight Night Round 4 has on display.

This paves the way for responsive controls and action that looks just as good as it feels. Even though Fight Night Round 3 is a very realistic looking game, it doesn't require a ton of practice to understand. During fights, you have three bars to track: health, stamina, and block. You can throw punches and haymakers to damage your opponent, but this costs stamina, as does blocking. Blocking has been simplified too, with high and low blocking as your only options. Dodging punches and countering with your own hits is super effective and always feels awesome to perform. With its easy controls and simplistic display, Fight Night Round 4 is a game that anyone can enjoy.

Conclusion

Whether you like watching real boxing or are just looking for a fun game to play, Fight Night Round 4 has what you need. Between the Legacy mode, dozens of iconic boxers, and the improved physics and fighting, this is a treat for all gamers.

Pros

• Great boxers like Tyson and Ali
• Lifelike physics system
• Legacy mode is

Cons

• Super slow loading
• Confusing menus
• Unfair mini-games