14 DAY TRIAL // 
Whenever the movie Rocky is on TV, I just have to watch it. It is very probable that I will never experience what Balboa felt in the fights, thank God for that. That's why I started looking for a game that will provide that experience. Since arcade fighting didn't give me enough satisfaction, a boxing simulator is exactly what I need. Fight Night Round 3 delivers what a boxing fan needs: blood, sweat and lots of in-ring action.
Story I'm not about to tell you the history of boxing. I'm not even going to start telling Rocky Balboa's story. Everything you need to know about boxing is written on the glove that's heading for your face right now. Duck! Fight! Punch!
Concept There's quite a list of boxers to pick from, after you'll have selected the categories they fit in, choosing from light heavy, heavyweight, featherweight, lightweight, weltverweight or middleweight. I bet you've heard about some of these guys : Erik Morales, Arturo Gatti, Oscar de la Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson and watched a couple of them punching their way around on TV. If you don't like the idea of creating a new profile and starting out like the new guy in town, you may choose to reenact the carrier of a famous boxer or play the legend. You have the chance to repeat history by beating Joe Frazier with Muhammad Ali, or select the "Change history" option to play against Ali and defeat him.
Medals will be awarded after completing these tasks and they will unlock new gear, moves or arenas. Following the real events, the historic encounters will start with the most exciting round of the whole fight, when, for example, your character was gravely injured and pulled out some stunt to win the game. Some may want to feel that they are playing a real boxing game and perhaps, they'll activate the options regarding normal rules in boxing nowadays. Something like: 3 KO-s means it's a technical knockout, the maximum number or rounds is 15 and no illegal blows are allowed. All the hits that you know were implemented: straights, hooks, uppercuts and ducks. Although some may tend to use the directional pad to move around, they'll soon find out that this game is analog-based. D-pad has however a different purpose, as it's the key to some original moves like taunts or illegal blows. If you start from the bottom, you have the opportunity to increase your skills almost like in an RPG, by training and gaining points in categories such as power, chin, cuts, agility or heart condition.
Even the training has a cool name: sparring and it's practically a match where your health won't get depleted and the boxers wear head gear. It's shopping time boys! And the list goes like this: tattoos (on the arm, back, or chest), signature moves, trunks, gear, taunts, mouthguards, gloves. We all need somebody to.... blame. Building a career for an average boxer may seem boring, but if you get a rival from the start things will get bumpy later on. Your own personal rival and enemy to fight with, from the first round ever to the ultimate title battle is a pretty neat concept. The player may gain a rival as he progresses through his amateur career. He can continue to battle his rival as both boxers move up the ranks. It's all about pride!
Gameplay The game seems easy at first glance, but you'll use the tutorial, as I suppose it's not there just for the name. What boxing would this be without a beautiful lady to announce the rounds? There she is in the center of the ring wearing nothing but....almost nothing and a cardboard that says it's round one or two, because we won't get to see the next ones thanks to the heavy bleeding. Rocky was a southpaw. Rocky was a what? Southpaw means left handed boxer, while orthodox means right handed. How did they come up with that? Religion aside, you'll be able to set up even the slightest detail of your fighter by adding points to each characteristic he has. The character even has a heart meter that shows how much effort and pressure he can take before collapsing or having a heart attack.
You can also mess around with the boxers' looks and clothing. Your boy has to have proper clothing, tattoos on his back or arms selling the products of the rich sponsor that feeds you. After the bell rings, pick up the pieces of your face and get criticized by the man with the towel, who'll give you tips about your opponent's weaknesses. I thought I was good at this game, as maybe I was thinking about my victories in the arcade fighting games. Some boxers wanted to prove otherwise, so I soon tasted the bitter flavor of a KO. You can get out of the dizzy KO status by playing a minigame while the umpire (some sort of boxing referee) counts down. It's all basic: you have to align two circles to wake up and start punching again. Your health will be replenished, at least till the next KO. You are not alone in the boxing world and the cutman and trainer will be vital. Better trainer means better advices and more points gained in training while a better cutman will heal you faster and give you more health.
Video Those who have played this game on the Playstation 2 console will be surprised, those who haven't will be stunned, those who have never played a boxing game will be swept away and those who have never played a game will be kicked in the face. I've seen it all now, especially on the little PSP console. Each punch you take is visible due to the sweat drops that fly off your body, while saliva or blood fly in slow motion around the ring. The clothing looks real and the boxers follow the real characters, not a pixel more or less. Ali is the same Ali we know and Sugar Ray Leonard never looked better. The damage is easily noticed, when you see the player's face all cut and bleeding and there are even some bruises on the rest of the body. The menu is cool, designed to suit your needs and introducing a golden interface that is easy to use and has plenty of options to pick from. The arena where you'll fight is superbly designed and features famous places like the Staples Center or Viceroy Center.
Sound There's nothing cooler than a hip rap song to listen to while customizing the champ that will win the grand prize. The music is aggressive, but also relaxing at times, the tunes are for "big players" as some slang speakers would call them. The first thing that hit me in Fight Night Round 3 was the crowd. They cheer and react to the way you're handling the fight. The punches sound a bit unrealistic and the umpire's lines tend to be repetitive, but have the cool and alert sound we'd like to hear in a TV boxing commentary. Ea Pocket Trax already became a known feature of any EA game, the option that allows you to play all the in-game songs, make playlists and view a cool player that has a pretty nice skin.
Multiplayer Fight Night Round 3 allows you to play online and ad-hoc games, two players maximum. The two dollar fee is pretty OK for the online play, but the game tends to freeze sometimes and disappoint the eager boxers out there, ready to show some other guy who's the boss. You'll see online stats, a hall of fame, face other people's customized boxers and organize tournaments with your friends.
Conclusion Any phrase I could say about this game might sound like a punch line. And what a hit this game is! It has all the ingredients to make a perfect boxing simulator and a fun game to play, with fluid gameplay and consistent action. It gets a bit frustrating sometimes, but that's boxing. It's a sport for men that are not afraid to get their faces smashed for 15 minutes of fame. No guts, no glory, that's what they say, but Fight Night Round 3 has them both and a little extra ketchup, KO flavor.
