Having never played the first two games in the series, I was a bit nervous about plunking down 3 Andrew Jacksons for this new entry. Of course I am talking about buying the Xbox 360 version. $60 puts a hole in the ole wallet, but boy am I glad I did!! "Amazing" is all my friends and I can mutter as we beat the sweat and blood out of and off of each other.
Now bear in mind I am playing on my 55" Sony Wega HDTV with my 360 set on 1080i. I haven't experienced the game on standard (480p) televisions. I know the other night when my friends and I set up to do our Fight Night tournament, a friend who had the game for the original Xbox just couldn't believe his eyes. He just sat there all slackjawed as I showed everyone the basics of playing the game. He said the mechanics of the gameplay may be the same but the visual immersion was on par with what he says is REAL Next-Gen.
The gameplay is not too shabby either. If anyone has played any of the previous entries in the series then you pretty much know what to expect. For the button mashers out there (you know who you are) this game may not be for you. Taking your time and setting up that one sweet combo that'll get your opponent all dizzy and ready for that match ending KO is pure nirvana. Not having patience and thinking EVERY punch you throw will knock your opponents lights out is the wrong way to go into this fight. With a learning curve of about an hour, most people will get the hang of it and be able to compete at a pretty competitive pace.
I found the career mode to be a little lacking. Bear in mind I've only won the beginner belt and am halfway to my first professional title fight. The three trainers either stink (the first guy who is free) or are waaaaayyy too expensive (the last two)!!!! While most of the training bits before bouts are pretty easy they do seem to help your fighter improve quite a bit. While not hard they do give you something to do pre-fight. Don't get me started on some of the items you can buy in the fight store to augment some of your boxer's stats. $300,000 for a pair of shorts??? No thanks. The boxer creation system is pretty lacking as well. Not much variety in the process you have to create your boxer so be prepared for that.
The game modes are pretty varied for a boxing game. While I haven't played this game on Xbox live, playing multiplayer against another human that's in the same room with you is priceless!! Beating the daylights out of their boxer and then rubbing it in with the awesome, OUCH inducing replay button just doesn't compare to things we've played in the past. Reliving ESPN classic fights and trying to alter the history of past classic bouts is really hard albiet fun. Most of the greats in the game like Ali, Frazier, Toney, etc. exhibit their real life tendencies and can be like trying to bet the crap out of a brick wall with no effect. I'll tell you, Evander Holyfield can take anything you throw at him and keep on coming. Watch out.
Overall, the Xbox 360 version is a MUST own for all 360 owners. It should be considered government mandated required playing. The sights and sounds please, the boxers react and box great, and reaching out and beating the crap out of your best friend has never been more awesome. Go buy this game NOW!!
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