PS2, Xbox (MSRP $49.99)
I was real excited to lace up my gloves and fire up the final cut of Fight
Night after playing the demo disc that EA had sent me. It didn t disappoint.
Fight Night comes out swinging for the TKO as a fantastic combination of the sports simulation and action genres and will satisfy fans of both with room to spare.
A lot of time went into the rich details of this game and each fight has a unique, gritty cinematic feel to it. No "same fighter, different head"
gameplay here, as each fighter has his own feel and special moves.
Fight Night includes lots of today's top contenders, like Roy Jones, Jr., and Lennox Lewis, plus all-time classic champions like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.
The new optional punch controls use the analog stick's movement rather than the buttons to decide what punch to throw, how hard to throw it, and where it lands.
The physics-based action provides incredible realism to the knockdowns and character movements - no two ever look exactly the same. Ultra detailed in-game fight effects like flying sweat droplets and real-time facial bruising are just stunning. Fight Night is simply the best boxer ever - pick it up!
Jake Jones
First Published May 8, 2004, 11:36 a.m.