The jump in visuals shown by Fight Night Round 3 from the Xbox to the Xbox 360 was a real indicator of just what the new consoles are capable of. With an extra year of development time, EA Chicago has managed to squeeze even more detail into the fighters, with the PlayStation 3 version of the game featuring far more detailed skin texturing – you can even see the veins popping out of your fighters’ arms. The boxing arenas have more detail, especially with lighting, giving the sense of spectacle that some feel might have been lacking in the previous versions of the game. The game still runs at a solid frame rate with no noticeable slowdown present.
The other major feature that’s new in the PlayStation 3 version of the game is the Get in the Ring mode. The 360 version of Fight Night Round 3 featured a mini-game after the execution of a special punch – the punchee’s view would go into first person mode, and they would have to blow each blow that their opponent threw, or face eating the canvas. The PS3 version takes this a step further by allowing you to play a full match in first person view, and it adds almost feels like a whole new game. Players must now be more mindful of their ring position, and taking damage will now start to close your fighter’s eyes, making it harder to see blows coming from your opponent. It does seem to make defensive play a bit easier, which lead to our matches lasting a little longer than they had in the regular game mode. All game modes can be played in this feature, which is quite handy – a split screen mode is available for playing against your friends too.
They call this one 'The Fish.'
To be honest, those two features are all that the new version of Fight Night Round 3 has over the one we all played a year ago. All of the other features from the Xbox 360 version of the game are featured – classic matches, career mode, ESPN integration and online play, so nothing has been lost in translation. The PS3 version of the game does however features the same problems as the previous version, like the robotic, old-gen animation, crappy career mode progression, repetitive commentary, small selection of menu music and obtrusive in-game advertising – and then adds a few of its own.
Arguably the greatest problem with the PS3 version of Fight Night is the increased load times. Load times were not a problem in the 360 game, but now you’re looking at a minute just to get to the first menu. The time it takes from boot up to actually playing a game is closer to 3 minutes. EA has the option to allow for hard drive installations to reduce load times, but have not taken it, and the result is just absurd. The create-a-fighter mode is practically ruined by the sheer amount of time it takes one to create their pugilist, thanks to the game having to load up each and every piece of apparel.
DRAGO!!!
One of the many issues that arise when deciding between an Xbox 360 version of a game and the PS3 version of the game is rumble. For many games, it’s just a minor issue, but for Fight Night Round 3, rumble really adds to the experience – but it’s one of those things that you don’t notice until it’s gone. Playing the new Get in the Ring mode without rumble cheapens any attempt at immersion, and while playing regularly, it makes it harder to pick the timing for the stunner punches. Combined with the flimsy feeling of SIXAXIS, it really makes the Xbox 360 version seem more appealing.
Fight Night Round 3 is still a good game at heart, but the excessive loading times can be quite off putting. It might come across as a better game to someone who hasn’t played earlier games in the series or the 360 version last year. However, if you played the game last March, you’ll quickly discover all of the old problems, plus new ones that really can’t be offset the new features, regardless of how good they are.
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