E3: Fight Night Round 4 (360, PS3) Preview
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 06.09.2009
Hands-on: We get an updated look at FNR4 at E3. Has it improved from the last time we saw it? Read on to find out.
JC Superstar proved too much for Malignaggi
Having been demoed Fight Night Round 4 a few months back, I was left with a pretty good impression. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when the demo finally hit Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network giving players a chance to be either Ricky Hatton or Manny Pacquiao. Again, I was left with a good impression and now we had a chance to go hands-on with the E3 demo which included a large collection of fighters last week and once again, things are looking good.
Yeah the demo is all nice and dandy for going 3 rounds but I wanted to dive deep into a fight and luckily I was able to do just that this past Wednesday. To kick things off, I opted to use Julio Cesar Chavez – my favorite fighter all-time, against Paulie Malignaggi. For fight fans out there, you already know that Chavez is all about going right at you, pounding to the body and willing to take a punch to dish out two or three in return. Malignaggi for his part is slick, fast and feather-fisted though he too, can take a pretty good shot.
So to try and see how the game handles different styles, I made sure to fight with Chavez, just as he would in real life. I went right after Malignaggi who surprisingly backed away and tried to jab me and shoot straight left hands – something I would've expected out of the real ‘Magic Man'. I pounded away at the body and although Paulie tried to do the same, it was clear that Chavez' were having a much bigger impact. I'm told that the strengths of a particular fighter such as Chavez' body shots and Tyson's uppercuts; will have more of an effect than other fighters, regardless of power.
As in the XBL demo, the game felt smooth and pretty quick – quicker than FNR3 for sure while the game looked as exquisite as ever. Sweat flew off of the fighters' face and body when a blow connected and I was equally impressed with how the physics engine worked out. Sometimes I'd only partially land a body shot when Paulie moved his elbow down to his waist but he still showed some effects of what did land. Though I started to swell up near my right eye due to Paulie's consistent jabs, I pounded away at his face, which resulted in a bloody nose and swollen cheek. As with FNR3, you could play the game without any HUD and I was still able to tell when my opponent got hurt or was at least bothered by a punch. As promised, you can get pretty close on the inside though it's no guarantee that your punches will land as they can be deflected on the way in.
After 6 rounds, I had hurt Malignaggi pretty badly to the body and after a sizzling left hook put him down, the ‘Magic Man' couldn't beat the count. Good stuff.
I also got to toy around with Mike Tyson who has some explosive punches when he's on the inside but is susceptible to getting tagged on the outside by a fighter with a longer reach – and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The game releases later this month so stay tuned for a full review!
Is there an option you use the FNR3 controls? I don't get why they changed the right stick to do body blows without engaging the left trigger as well as why the haymaker modifier button is needed.
What about the Camera? The XBL demo was just the side view. I used either swing or overhead in FN, FN2, & 3.
Posted By: Byzdalmyt (Guest) on June 09, 2009 at 12:45 PM
I boxed with buttons and used the swing cam. Since both were removed I wont be buying this one.
Posted By: RedVexx (Guest) on June 09, 2009 at 02:38 PM
Byzdalmyt: This comes from Bryan Hayes, the Gameplay Producer for FNR4 -
Yes, there are FNR3 Total Punch Control configurations.
There are 4 camera angles available in game: Referee(default), Close, Wide and High. The high camera is probably the closest to the Swing/Overhead cameras in FNR3, but it is not the exact same thing.
Posted By: Mr. Ramon (Registered) on June 09, 2009 at 02:41 PM
