Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

Microsoft was busy shoving 360 hype down our throats last year, but most of it didn’t seem all that far ahead of the current gen. One of the exceptions was EA Sports’ screenshots of Fight Night Round 3 (X360/EA Sports, EA Chicago); this game not only sported some of most advanced character models ever seen in a game, but the animation looked frighteningly lifelike. Now that the title has finally hit the 360, it’s fair to say that it has lived up to expectations in terms of graphics and gameplay, but it’s in need, perhaps, of greater depth.

Boxing video games have seen their fair share of the digital canvas. But from Punch Out! to Toughman Contest to even Knockout Kings (EA’s old boxing licence), colourful graphics were marred by gameplay that simply could not properly reflect the complexity of the sweet science. It’s tempting to reduce a boxing game to mindless button tapping, so EA has done away with buttons altogether—the right analog stick controls not only punches, but is also used for blocking and evading. You can change from dodging punches to going on the offence fluidly. It also allows you to be creative with your fighting style, so Lennox Lewis wannabes can jab endlessly, while the ducking-and-weaving types can mimic the moves of Roy Jones Jr.

This is nothing new, as the Fight Night series has been using this control scheme successfully for some time. Because of that, fans may be somewhat disappointed by the current gen versions of Fight Night Round 3 (for the Xbox and PS2). But the 360 version manages to provide a heightened experience with jaw-dropping character models. The boxers are detailed to the point where you can see all their individual muscles at work. Sweat beads are continuously falling down your fighter’s face, and when taking a big punch you can see the sweat and a trail of spit fly from his jowl, all in theatrical slow motion. The best part is creating your own pugilist—you could spend hours manipulating every detail until you’ve completed your perfect clone.

The only place where the game falls flat slightly is in the career mode. While still fun, it merely involves a series of inconsequential fights without purpose. The training exercises are short and skip-worthy, but a real training regimen mode could have worked. There’s also not nearly enough trash talking, which could have made each fight feel slightly different (as opposed to just being a parade of asses for you to kick). Career mode also suffers from minimal presentation, and could have benefited from a more comprehensive trophy room.

Fight Night is at its best during the action, when you’re trading punches in a brutal contest with a duplicate Muhammad Ali. Between the ropes, this game has more depth than any strategy game. The photo-realistic graphics only help to draw you in more, but like the King Kong title I reviewed last month, the experience is more effective as a quick burst—meaning the fun will be over too quickly unless you enjoy its multiplayer mode.

DelayStation

So the PS3 launch has officially been pushed until this November. At this point there are too many problems to list, including whether or not they’ll force us to buy a hard-drive, what type of online services will be available, and if they’re serious about Blu-Ray.

The UMD format is already looking like Beta II, so Sony really needs Blu-Ray to win the HD-DVD wars or they could find themselves with a $1,000 machine for a dead format.