(Bare with me here, first time reviewing anything)

First off, as soon as you place the disk in you will be greeted with some of the most amazing graphics showcase in gaming thus far. You can literally see the boxers muscles tensing with each punch, sweat dripping from the intense fight, spit from a perfectly placed punch. This game is gorgeous and running at a smooth 60fps!

But graphics aren't everything as we all know, What really matters is how the game plays. Fight Night Round 4 is a huge improvement for the series.. Yet a slight step back in some areas. Before the release EA were hyping this game up by explaining how reach and speed, power, and height truly effect each and every fight this time around. They have delivered upon this promise and changed the series for the better. But while improving the actual gameplay they neglected the rest.

Training has been a trademark of the series since the original, each sequel trying to expand on this. FNR4 has this aspect, but they just aren't up to standard. All new training games, all not fun or engaging at all, just a tool too help empower you through it's new legacy mode. I wish EA would go back to what made the original Fight Night so great with it's training.. They were fun, most of them anyway.

One other part of Fight Night Round 4 which was a surprise and took a while to get used to, the new controls. FNR4 got rid of the use of the face buttons and solely focused on using the analog stick in it's place. The “Total Punch Control” as it were. This was a good and bad thing. The good was the fact that you have more versatility to hit places on the torso/face. Bad thing is it has a bit of a learning curve until you can fully play the way you want to as it is not optional like past games.

Another positive is the new boxers(Mike Tyson finally!) and the all new career mode dubbed.. Legacy mode. Legacy mode is just an amazing upgrade from previous games. EA brought back the awards from the original as a bonus as well. Legacy mode is you either creating a boxer(Which this time around can't customize their face) from a selection of templates already made. Using a boxer from the roster(Mike Tyson, Ali, Foreman, etc) or using a camera connected to your Xbox and taking a picture of yourself, then having the game mold a face to your facial aspects, in other words, creating yourself to play as yourself in the game.

Legacy mode starts out in an amateur boxing tournament that if you win, you go pro. After that quick act is done your off to try and become the greatest of all.. Which consists off scheduling a fight, training for the fight, fighting the fight(Or simulating it). After you have a fight though you have recovery time as scheduling each fight has to be done after you recover. Time is of the essence in terms of.. Retirement. You age, and fast in this game, and the only way to move up the ranks is fighting, but recovery takes a few months off each year you take. Your 18 or 20 I can't remember when you start.

In the end this game has vastly improved in terms of gameplay. The lack of no button controls and the incredibly boring(And at times hard) training modes were a big let down. But the overall package that this game is makes it well worth the purchase for fans of boxing and just general fighting game fans.

I haven't played the online portion of this game and that is why I didn't comment on that. Hope this helps anyone with their purchase.

Fight Night Round 4 is by far the greatest boxing game to ever hit consoles. The graphics are amazing, from the glistening sweat beads to the blood and spit that flies out of the boxers' mouths when they get cracked in the face. The game play has also developed a lot from Fight Night Round 3. With far smoother hand movement and dodging techniques it loses that ‘blocky style’ repetition that Round 3 had. I can play this game for hours and never get sick of it. Beating up your mates in multiplayer or knocking out some fool on the other side of the country online is just awesome. The training games can be hard to get used to in the legacy mode but are still good fun. If you are a Fight Night Round 3 fan and are thinking about getting Round 4, the only thing that you may not like is the health, stamina and damage bars down the bottom. It takes out some of the realism that Round 3 had however once you have played Round 4 for a while you will soon see how much it helps, and even increases the intensity of the game play. Fight Night Round 4 is a definite buy for any Fight Night fan or boxing fan, it is absolutely not a game you can just hire for a week and kiss goodbye!

At the end of the day Fight Night Round 4 is, to put it plainly, a wonderful boxing game. There are certainly issues to be found in the new Legacy Mode, but it's much closer to what players want from a career mode. The online offering, while not hugely different from the previous Fight Night, still delivers where it counts. I didn't experience any lag in my fights and the World Championship mode will hopefully be something that fans cling to.