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Just played the demo

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: March 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I just put five dollars down to reserve the game and received a free demo disk. I have played the demo disk a total of 40 minutes and here are my observations.

First I cannot totally judge the game because the demo has inverted controls (move your stick to the right and the boxer moves left)and a close-up angle, plus it only allows a two round fight with double time. I am always perplexed as to why they screw you on a demo since ultimatley it will be the thing which may cause you to buy the game. I wish the options to change view as well as undo the invert were activated. I can see someone playing this demo for 5 minutes and giving up before truly understanding the game..just ridiculous.

That said, the mechanics of the new engine were my real area of interest. As someone who first got into videogames simply due to hoping for a great boxing game (I fell in love with 4D Boxing for the PC back in the early 90s, which is the best boxing game ever created), this game represented a hope for me after the horrid Knockout Kings 2002 in which EA produced a generic button masher with a career mode that resembles something you would find in Tecken.(I should add that Knockout Kings 2001 on PS2 is actually an awesome game that any boxing fan should purchase.)

Well, my first 10 or so rounds were spent trying to figure out the use of the total punch control. This uses one of the analog sticks as the means to throw all the punches (you can also use the buttons if you are traditional). Pushing the stick to the upper left throws a left jab. Pushing to the upper right throws a straight right. Throwing hooks, uppercuts and body blows are more complicated (the demo had no instructions)but as I played I found them to suddenly become more intuitive. The demo allows you to be either Roy Jones or James Toney with the other boxer being your opponent. I am not sure of the difficulty level, but I have not actually gotten the better of my opponent yet. But, as I have played I have begun doing better and that really gives you a sense of learning the game.

So what do I think of the new system? Well, the punching is so precise that you can bring back the ctick to throw a hook, hold the punch until your opponent throws a shot, and then time your counter. My timing still needs work, but it is very evident that this new engine will soon become so intuitive that you will truly feel like you have total control. This is the first boxing game in which counter punchers can win a fight. I am very interested in playing as Winky Wright as I feel this type of control is perfect for him.

I have to admit to being skeptical on the new total control system, thinking that not using any buttons would be awkward and less fluid. I was totally wrong. In fact, in one fight I went back to using the buttons (each is assigned a punch like in previous games)and felt much more awkward. It was simply amazing how fast the new control won me over.

So I am very happy to report (after the disastrous KO Kings 2002) EA is back in the boxing business. Rather that simply giving us a generic boxing game they have created a product which truly make beomce a landmark in boxing video games. I have to stress I have not played the final product, and do not know how good the career mode is, but based on my initial tests I would reccomend this game to anyone interested in a game in which you actually have to think and not button mash. Very impressive!

Finally...a real boxing game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: April 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is A+. By far, the best boxing game out and I've played them all. Don't be scared by the total punch control. It takes all but an hour or two to get a feel for it and it is so much more rewarding than button mashing your buttons so that you need a new controller every month.

Career mode is indepth. You start out with 4 fights a year, then down to 3 and so on until retirement. You have your choice of opponents and in some cases you will be presented the opportunity to schedule a fight against someone that is much higher ranked or lower ranked than you. Purses are realistic and increase as your ranking improves. The level of realistic difficulty is back and so is strategy. No more automatic first round KO's by going in and just punching non stop. If you try to do that here, you'll find yourself out of steam quick and needing to recharge and block punches to regain it. This game is not easily mastered overnight like Knockout Kings, or HBO boxing.

Use your money earned to buy different clothing, equipment, entrance gimmicks liky pyrotechnics, entourage (women in skimpy clothing that lead you into the ring). There is so much to this game. Before each fight, you will schedule a bout first. Next, you train. There are 4 different rotating training sessions.
1. Heavy Bag
2. Sparring
3. Combo Dummy
4. Hitting the Mitts

You will only be allowed to do one per fight and depending on your success...you will be given attribution points to improve your fighter. Note: Each session allows you to improve on 2 attribution categories. There are 8 total...IE. Power, speed, stamina, body, chin, heart, agility, cuts:

After training, you will go fight your fight. You can spend money on new attire, equipment etc in between fights. You can view your rankings, in depth rankings of other fighters. There are tons of unlockables that you will unlock as you win bigger fights opening up new sig punches, attires, entrance music, et in the fight store.

After each year, awards are given out and you will see a list of fighters that retired, which will be replaced obviously by fresh ones.

In between rounds, various stats will be shown, and they are different from round to round. Three judges score on the 10 point must system.

Last comment: Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but take my word for it, the soundtrack is not that annoying nor is the announcer. It gets old after awhile, but you would have to be nuts to not buy a great boxing game because you don't like hip hop. Trust me, neither do I! If you play any video game long enough the music gets old. Sorry If I jumped around a bit, but I wanted to give you as much detail as I could. If you are a die hard boxing fan, this is a must.

Beat someone without a civil law suit

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

You know...there IS something cathartic about beating the stew out of someone. One of the great things about this game is there's no threat of a civil suit!

EA Sports continues to dominate the sports sim genre with this entry. I'll confess I'm an "old" gamer (started with Pong and grew up on Defender & Asteroids--though Dig Dug was my masterpiece), but I really enjoyed the entirely new concept of joystick-only controls. I find it far more intuitive and is better than being out-mashed (as in "button mashing") by my son who's memorized the triangle/circle/triangle...etc. secret code.

My son & I get a great laugh out of beating one another without actually resorting to physical blows. We can talk thru an issue, taunt one another, knock each other out, and get up with nary a scratch or bruise. Some of you out there may not consider the Sweet Science to be father-and-son fodder...so don't buy it.

Highly recommended. While I agree with some other reviewers regarding the paucity of Big Name boxers, EA probably saved us each $5 by not having to pay hefty endorsement fees. If you don't like that Hector is missing, you can always make him yourself with 100's across the board.

Definitely a knockout!

The Champ of Boxing Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm a big fan of boxing games, and this by far is the best ever made. The graphics are great on the PS2. When I first played the game, I was shocked and awed by it's looks. This game looks next generation as far as graphic and detail go. The gameplay is also wonderful. EA took their boxing game toward more of a simulation than an arcade-style format. Technique (patience, energy conservation, wits) has replaced button smashing which, in my opinion, is what boxing games should be all about. If you're looking for a game that resembles "Punch Out," look elsewhere like EA's previous disaster, "Knockout Kings 2002." But there is a significant aspect of this game that you should be aware of. This game has a true hip/hop feel. Technically, the game is still true to regulation boxing (not from EA's BIG Games development i.e. this isn't street boxing), but the presentation is something that could come from BET. Even the BET personality, Big Tigger, is the announcer, which can be annoying at times. I personally would have preferred someone like Larry Michael. The game also features a soundtrack of hip/hop and rap.
Overall, the best boxing game I have ever played. But if you are considering to buy this title, be certain you are okay with the hip/hop presentation.

The game is great with a couple of hitches

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the best boxing game on the market, by far. Yes, there is a huge hip hop feel to the game that can be annoying (like our racist friend below me points out), however, in the boxing world today, that is the culture that dominates it. The trade off would be either salsa or mariachi music for the other culture that dominates the sport, so you pick it.
This game offers everything you would want out of a boxing game, the chance to move up in the rankings, training, different control configurations to make boxing more difficult or easy and the fact that it is fun. On top of that the major name boxers are exaxt replicas of themselves, so it is actually like you are fighting the real thing. It is difficult, which is a good thing, because there is no fun in something that you can dominate in a week. There are unlockables and endless upgrades that you can buy for your self with the prize money.
Overall, the game is solid. If the music and announcer bother you that much, turn on your stereo and turn down the volume on the tv. The only changes that I would make would be to make a customized soundtrack off of your xbox and having Michael Buffer be the ring announcer. Otherwise, I will take what I can get for a good boxing game.

Fight Night the best boxing game up to date?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

EA sports fight night 2004 is quite possibly the most enjoyable boxing game I have ever played, since Mke Tyson Punchout on the nintendo. The totat control punch system is simply stated awsome, the the graphics are unblievable and the KO's are extremely ugly. The one qualm I have with this game is that it lacks some of the best boxers of all time and up to date: Buster Duglas, Joe Louis, Oscar Dela Hoya, David Tua etc... Other than the lack of classic house hold names this game has everything you could ask for in a boxing game. The AI is smarter than most of my friends and adapts faster too. I think that I am going to have the marbles and answer my own question with a stone cold hell yeah!!!!

Doesn't anyone at EA like boxing?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fight Night can be alot of fun, but it's certainly not the best boxing sim I have ever seen.

I actually still prefer KO Kings 2001, to this game. KO King 2001 had clinching, 4 types of cheat punches, realistic cuts, realistic fighter entrance music, realistic commentary(From Teddy Atlas and Max Kellerman), and realistic and fun special punches...

Fight Night just isn't a realistic boxing sim. Cuts open way too easy, there is no clinching, the commentary from Big Tiger is horrible. Whoever decided to hire Big Tigger instead of real boxing commentators should be beaten with a crowbar.

This game is overrated, but for good reason. EA's last 2 boxing games were horrible. Fight Night is certainly a step back in the right direction.

I sold my copy of Fight Night. It just gets boring after a while. I am going to wait for FN 2005. If EA doesn't have Big Tigger, I will probably purchase the game....

Graphics=4.5
Commentary and Music=2
Control=5
Fun Factor=4
Replay value=3.5

Total=3.8

great entretainment with friends

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm in afghanistan and belived or not this game is our real pay per view here, is a great game to enjoy with friends.

Amazing start..but needs enhancements for 2005

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: May 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Let me start off by saying that this game is the best boxing game you can buy. The new controls are awesome and I totally reccomend a purchase. That being said, there are enhancements very much needed for next years. They are:

1. Clinching - Amazingly, this was included in the game, but then foolishly taken out just before launch to keep the pace of the game fast. Why they did not just include an option to allow or not allow clinching is beyond me. Many reviews from prominent sites and mags complained about the lack of clinching so the last minute decision actually negatively affected the final review scores for this game. Quite simply no boxing simulation can be complete without clinching and I will absolutely not buy next year's version if this feature is again left out.

2. Add ability to back up and keep your guard up at the same time. A cardinal sin in boxing is to back up with your hands down (think Donald Curry versus Mike McCallum), yet the game does not allow you to back up and block at the same time. So if you are in an up close exchange and want to back up, you have to allow your opponent a free shot since you are wide open when backing up. An easy fix would be to make pressing down and back (or left or right) on the left analog stick (while pressing L1 to block) allow you to back up while blocking. In essence pressing the L3 button while blocking allows you to move and block at the same time.

3. Allow you to punch and move at the same time. Right now your boxer stops on a dime when he throws a punch. There is no stick and move strategy allowed. Like the NBA games eventually allowed you to pass while still running, this feature would greatly enhance the feeling of total control in a boxing game. It would have a tremendously positive effect on the fluidity of the game.

4. Stop the multiple knockdowns. I find I have to knock a guy down 5+ times in the course of a fight before he stays down. Also, do not allow the knocked down fighter to get up with more power then he went down with.

5. Have more flash knockdowns. Very rare right now. But make them only occurr for a perfect counter punch..and allow for the feature to be turned off if wanted.

6. Make the ring larger to allow for more movement.

7. Make the damage meters more realistic. Too much damage comes off for each punch. Make it much harder to score a KO and less like street fighter where a few solid shots puts a severe dent in your meter.

Seems like the game needs many improvements, but don't let that stop you from buying what is an awesome game.

EA has finally made a respectable boxing game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I rented this game, and I ended up buying it about 2 hours later. It's definately fantastic. My only complaints are that the game can be frustratingly hard at some points, and the soundtrack could stand to be a little more diverse. The endless string of hip-hop songs can become a little tiresome. The announcer is a little over the top as well. Other than that, this game is nearly perfect. The create-a-boxer feature is amazing. You can adjust every single aspect of your boxer's physical appearance. This game is definately worth picking up.

Pros:
1. Fantastic graphics
2. Good physics
3. Extensive career mode

Cons:
1. All hip-hop soundtrack
2. High difficulty
3. Annoying ring announcer

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