Fight Night Round 4

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 95 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 95
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 95
  3. Negative: 11 out of 95
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. bigsilverhotdog
    Aug 16, 2010
    3
    This is a boxing game for people that like Street Fighter, this is not a boxing game for fans of the Sweet Science. The problems here are far too numerous to mention, but I'll try:

    1) Tedious, extremely difficult minigames. Nobody in the world wants to play these, and if you auto-play them, you only get 50% training effectiveness, severely limiting your progress throughout your career.    This is a boxing game for people that like Street Fighter, this is not a boxing game for fans of the Sweet Science. The problems here are far too numerous to mention, but I'll try:

    1) Tedious, extremely difficult minigames. Nobody in the world wants to play these, and if you auto-play them, you only get 50% training effectiveness, severely limiting your progress throughout your career. They're boring, frustrating, and psychotically difficult. I have never actually gotten Champion once on a couple of them.

    2) Bad movement and collision detection. A lot was made about this game having real physics but you'll be hard pressed to find them. Even the knockdowns are canned animations, each one appearing based on what position the fighter was when he was hit with the KO punch.

    3) Cheating AI. Oh boy, this is a maddening one. The AI cheats on every level starting around Pro but becoming much, much worse as you get to Champion and especially Greatest of All Time (GOAT). The computer can take dozens of KO punches and stay on his feet, get up as many times as you can knock him down, has godlike statistics compared to yours, can easily knock you down with 1 punch (often no "ringing blow" stun punch beforehand), and has limitless stamina, health, and regeneration. With a created boxer with very high stats (I had painfully trained by repeating training via reset over and over) was on a 24-0 rampage with 24 KO's playing on Champion difficulty, I had no problem at all until I fought Tommy Morrison and I then lost to him 38 straight times (reset and retried again). Once I knocked him down 4 times in the 3rd round but he still came back the next round to knock me out. Did I mention my boxer was 6'8 260lbs with a humongous reach? Even sticking the jab and dancing wouldn't work, as the tactic of "boxing" simply doesn't work in Fight Night 4. Slugging is -always- the most effective. I eventually gave up in frustration and decided to retire both my boxer and the game.

    4) Unrealistic AI behavior. I put the AI on Champion and GOAT and watched a bunch of classic fights to see how they played out (or would have played out). Dumb. Ridiculous. Toney over Jones in 60 seconds with a KO in the 1st. Ali over Tyson in 90 seconds with a KO in the first. I thought Ali/Tyson was a fluke so I watched it 3 more times, Ali KO'd Tyson in 1st 2nd and 1st again. Riiiiight.

    5) Bad menus. It's absurd how many things you have to click through and navigate to do -anything- in FNR4. 6) Mind numbing, repetitive, totally useless commentary. They got the real ringside guys and only got 10 pre-recorded, totally canned lines for each one? And to make it worse, they use the wrong lines at the wrong times. I knocked down Ricky Hatton 3 times in 1 round and he stuns me once and next round they talk about how I got my bell rung. Right.

    The graphics are great, there's a lot of famous fighters to choose from, and on the surface the prospects look bright. Still, this is a total failure as a boxing game, it does the sport no justice whatsoever and rewards button mashing, body punch spamming, and stupidity. It sucks in single player and it sucks online. I regret pre-ordering and purchasing it. If you are totally ignorant to boxing, you might like it, but for a hardcore boxing fan it's all flash and no heart.    … Expand
  2. CrayM.
    Jun 30, 2009
    3
    Now, I admit, it's early to say this. And I may come back and change this. But this is, without a doubt, the worst sequel I have ever seen in a game. And I played FN3 a lot; like every week since it's release. These knuckleheads took everything that made FN3 rule and tossed it out. Then! They took everything that blew about FN3 and made it worse. Yes. WORSE! If you like playing Now, I admit, it's early to say this. And I may come back and change this. But this is, without a doubt, the worst sequel I have ever seen in a game. And I played FN3 a lot; like every week since it's release. These knuckleheads took everything that made FN3 rule and tossed it out. Then! They took everything that blew about FN3 and made it worse. Yes. WORSE! If you like playing a twitchy fighting game where "button mashers" rule; this is for your. If you like spending as much time waiting for menus to transition as you do looking for an online game; this is the game for you. The mobility system took a nose dive. In FN3 more faster more agile players could move around the ring and pick apart opponents w/ quick hands. Now! Button mashers playing as Tyson force you into a corner and work your body until your insides turn to goo. If you have this have this game but have not opened it...STOP! Play the demo; you'll probably end up taking it back. If you've already opened it drop it off on a sucker on EBay, now! Before word gets around.… Expand
  3. CTucker
    Sep 1, 2009
    3
    Johns review looked like he's a developer from fight night or something. Graphics are better yes, but more time fighting and less time training or better yet re-vamp how to better your fighter. Boxing games can be soo much more fun, but this is the set bar for now. Rent b4 you buy.
  4. ErikR
    Jul 7, 2009
    4
    People need to stop using the term realistic when it comes to this game. The graphics are realistic, the game play is not. While this game is fun from time to time, the physics of multi-player is retarded in it's lack of actual strategy, making it useless to play anything but a knock out artist, and the computer randomly switches from brutally impossible to beat to never even guards People need to stop using the term realistic when it comes to this game. The graphics are realistic, the game play is not. While this game is fun from time to time, the physics of multi-player is retarded in it's lack of actual strategy, making it useless to play anything but a knock out artist, and the computer randomly switches from brutally impossible to beat to never even guards against a punch (on the same settings). The movement in the games is especially ridiculous, as both players are bound to one another so you can't properly move your character around the ring.… Expand
  5. andrewc
    Jul 24, 2009
    0
    Just want to even things out here. Graphics are an improvement. Otherwise, the game is of markedly lower quality than round 3 and, when originality is considered, round 2 also. I didn't think the creators could produce a game more unrealistic to the sport of boxing than it's predecessors. The differences in speed and power for the fighters seems negligible, and movement is Just want to even things out here. Graphics are an improvement. Otherwise, the game is of markedly lower quality than round 3 and, when originality is considered, round 2 also. I didn't think the creators could produce a game more unrealistic to the sport of boxing than it's predecessors. The differences in speed and power for the fighters seems negligible, and movement is constricted. The game is basically two men walking forward flailing their arms wildly with the grace of rock 'em sock 'em robots.… Expand
  6. Stardog
    Mar 30, 2011
    1
    Truly an awful boxing game. When you come up against difficult opponents, it becomes a counter-punching spamfest. Almost every decent punch you throw gets blocked and then you get whacked. The game also runs at 200mph making it impossible to judge your own counters. It's an unrealistic, cartoon boxing game.
  7. baddeadtaste
    Jun 2, 2011
    4
    What the heck happened?! After the on-line joy that was fight night 3 I was so psyched for this game, talk about a let down. The fact that the whole punch control stick flick setup was forced on us gamers before the patch was just absurd. I enjoyed the career mode but most of us play FN for the on-line challenge which is just gone now. They had a great control scheme in 3 but had toWhat the heck happened?! After the on-line joy that was fight night 3 I was so psyched for this game, talk about a let down. The fact that the whole punch control stick flick setup was forced on us gamers before the patch was just absurd. I enjoyed the career mode but most of us play FN for the on-line challenge which is just gone now. They had a great control scheme in 3 but had to go and mess with it and it really shows this time around on-line. Not only is the game clunky to play but the interface is awkward as well. The blocking has been completely ruined with it's instant timing or no dice counter method. How this game took such a giant leap backwards is beyond me, a text book example of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If you are looking for good on-line boxing FN3 is till the only game in town.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2009
29
#29 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2009
44
#44 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 76
  3. Negative: 0 out of 76
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    90
    Most realistic sport game to date. From graphics to physics – you can see and feel every punch given or taken. Best game with half-naked men on the market! [June 2009]
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    90
    Ironically, Fight Night Round 4 may be the best argument for banning boxing yet. After all, when a game can get this close to the fluid, organic technicality of the real thing, why does anyone need to get hit in the face?... Solid, satisfying and totally revolutionary. [July 2009, p.81]
    Read full review
  3. 1UP
    91
    Developed by an all-new team and re-built from the ground up Fight Night Round 4 is in good hands with the team at EA Canada; not only have they matched the quality of the original title, but in many ways they dramatically exceeded it.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »