This is an interesting preview from associate editor Chris Plante. I am going crazy waiting for Fight Night Round 4 to arrive, and with each new news item, my anticipation increases.

This preview is interesting because 1) Chris Plante isn't a ravenous boxing fan like I am, so his praise and optimism has amplified my own by 50%, 2) the reveal that the button control scheme is gone: This is huge, and has been the subject of a very public debate between me and Jeff "Finger" Buckland over at Atomicgamer.com.

I am a huge fan of EA's control scheme, and think more fighters can learn from EA's Fight Night scheme. It is efficient, brilliant, and once you master it, it provides more flexibility and control than any other fighting game (regardless of discipline) out there - maybe except the upcoming UFC game. That said, Jeff believes that the analog scheme is not as precise or accurate, and his tastes lean more towards "arcade boxing" than "boxing sim."

I am really curious to see where you all stand with this. Granted the Haymaker was spammed just as much by analog players online - turning matches into ridiculous haymaker vs. haymaker counter excercises. Thankfully, the new health/stamina/block system alleviates this.

Check out the preview and let us know what you think - is the analog only scheme a good thing or bad thing? Will it balance out multiplayer (in addition to the other tweaks) or should gamers have the freedom of choice? What if accomodating that freedom impacted other more important aspects of gameplay?

Three years after Fight Night Round 3’s release and the reigning champ of boxing games still looks damn sexy in 1080p. As one of the first titles to take advantage of next-gen horsepower, the title transcended the regular boxing game, becoming a must have for folks that love to show off their high-end home theaters.

Even today, put in the ring with most next-gen titles, the boxer delivers a graphical TKO, which might explain why EA’s been so slow to deliver a follow-up. But a new challenger is coming for the belt. The fitter, fresher Fight Night Round 4 looks to ante up, not just with the an eye-bleeding 60fps, but with realistic boxing game play.

So, does the young buck deliver?

Daigoji_Gai via gamesblog.ugo.com »