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By Steve Boese on January 19th, 2006
Fight Night Round 3 has come a long way since the series first started out as Knockout Kings back on the original Playstation, way back in the distant land of 1998. So many things have been added, modified, or removed during this span of time that it would be a pain to list them all. Some of the biggest jumps in the series came from Fight Night 2004 to Fight Night Round 2, and it will be no different from Fight Night Round 2 to Fight Night Round 3. The game will leap forward into the next-gen market with its release on the Xbox 360 in February.
You probably have heard this all over the gaming world, on message boards, or maybe you have seen it yourself with the demo available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, but the graphics in this game are simply mind-blowing. I have stared at the game without realizing it was actual gameplay -- that’s how great the graphics are. This, of course, is not the smartest thing to do in a video game, let alone a video game where one second can change the resulting outcome. The faces of the boxers look so real with the reactions they have to giving and receiving punches, and the amount of sweat increases as the game goes on. Continuous work on a certain spot will result in the respective area being more cut up, bloody, and bruised. The shorts flow and move very realistically. It’s almost scary to think that this is just the beginning of the next-gen consoles.
Changes in the gameplay include the long overdue rival system, which will have your boxer go through different rival boxers in order to climb the ladder to the championship. You will also want to find out the best offensive and defensive styles that work best for how you fight. Each boxer has his own advantages and disadvantages, so finding what works best for you right away increases your chance for success. One noticeable difference in the demo of Fight Night Round 3, compared to the other games of the series, is that there is no sign of a HUD. You will have to look at your opponent and see his expressions to actually see how close he is to being knocked down. Missing the mark on your punches will have a physical toll on your boxer, which you can see with the emotion that the character displays. Landing a "Super Punch" (or a big punch, either way you want to look at it) will be doubly rewarding – you’ll see it again during a short, slow-mo replay that really captures the effect of the punch. One of the things that I feel is a great jump forward in the series is the use of first-person view. That is, if you get hurt with a certain punch by your opponent, it will send your screen into first person view as you feverously try to block off the punches that are, in essence, heading straight toward you.
I really feel like this can be the one game that gets more sports fans, or video game fans in general, into the next-gen mindset, if they haven’t been in it already. If you have an Xbox Live account, you should really consider downloading this game through the Marketplace. You won’t be disappointed. | 
