Have you ever felt like stepping into a boxing ring without actually receiving the big hits that go with it? How about slugging it out with a young Mike Tyson? Muhammad Ali perhaps?

If any of these tickle your fancy, EA Sport's 'Fight Night Round 4' is probably exactly what you are looking for.

Arguably the area of the series that needed the most improvement is the career mode. The drab single-player experience of its predecessor has been replaced in 'Fight Night Round 4' with a well thought through 'Legacy Mode'.

Instead of being asked to just beat a series of fighters in order to move up the ranks, 'Legacy Mode' contains a multitude of challenges, essentially asking you to not only become champion, but to create a lasting legacy in the sport.

As far as gameplay goes, 'FNR4' differs drastically from its predecessor. Whilst 'Round 3' might have been a button-basher's dream, 'FNR4' features the all new 'Total Punch Control' (TPA). No longer can the face buttons be used to throw punches — instead the right analogue stick is the only way to throw your jabs, hooks and uppercuts.

It is a drastic change to the way the game is played, and one that is sure to have the critics in uproar (especially since there isn't even the option to change the control settings).

The change, however, is a good one. The analogue control makes it far easier to throw combinations of punches and adds a more realistic feel to the controls. Admittedly, it doesn't quite allow for the speed and accuracy of digital button control though.

Apart from the 'TPA', 'FNR4' features a completely new game engine which requires you to fight strategically.

Instead of automatically picking a fighter with the most speed or power, you have to think of the style you like to fight with. Do you like to stay on the inside whilst working the body with uppercuts and hooks, or do you prefer the outside so that you can play a cat-and-mouse game? 'FNR4' even takes arm length into consideration and the effect it has on different types of punches. Which basically means your fighting style is dictated by the individual characteristics of your fighter. Pretty cool, hey!

Whilst the graphics in its predecessor were good already, the occasional goofy animation did slip through. That is no longer the case. From a visual perspective 'FNR4' is as close to reality as it gets. The fighting engine is now physics-based, meaning the fighters seem to actually make physical contact while they fight. Glancing blows now deflect off and cause less damage instead of causing the awkward clipping it had in 'FNR3'.

The graphics are generally incredibly realistic and you can even upload your own photos to use with your created fighters — another nice touch.

The pragmatic controls and fighter reactions, along with ultra-realistic graphics, make 'Fight Night Round 4' an incredibly accurate boxing simulator, but there are some criticisms.

The 'Create a boxer' feature is decent enough, but EA Sports can learn quite a bit from rivals THQ and its 'WWE' franchise. The loading times take far too long and there are frankly not that many options to choose from in the first place.

Also, the in-fight points system isn't always clear and it is often possible to earn less points, despite beating your opponent to a bloody pulp the round before.

The biggest criticism I have for the game, however, is the ridiculous difficulty of the training mini-games in between fights. Fortunately they can be simulated with just about the same result (your fighter 'levelling up'), but its difficulty is not proportionate to the rest of the game.

That being said, none of those criticisms influence the actual gameplay enjoyment in a negative way.

Unfortunately, the game's incredible realistic touch means it is unlikely to convert you to a boxing fanatic if you do not already have an interest in the sport.

However, 'Fight Night Round 4' is arguably the best fighting simulator on the market today and if that is what you are looking for, get it right now!

8.5/10

Buy this game: PS3 | Xbox 360

Review: Demigod A game based on a mod, based on a game, which was based on the two games before it.

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