Fight Night Round 4

As a fan of non-violent sports such as lawn bowls and tiddlywinks, I’ve always abhorred the act of two sweaty men repeatedly punching each other in the head until one of them falls over - it’s a little too much like being in Nottingham city centre on a Saturday night, if you ask me.

However, as tree-hugging left-wing types try to stamp out all pastimes that involve any kind of aggressive behaviour, boxing remains the last bastion of respectable blood-letting for many excitable males.

EA is attempting to shrink down the pugilistic power of this sport with Fight Night Round 4. The first thing that hits you - not entirely unlike a gloved fist - is the sharp 3D visuals.

Granted, the participants look a little angular at times but they animate well, possessing a wide range of different gestures which are easily differentiated from one another.

This is a good job, because a large part of the gameplay is based on anticipating your opponent’s manoeuvres and performing the necessary counter-attack.

For example, if you notice your rival winding up a powerful uppercut then a quick tap ‘up’ on your phone’s keypad will perform a counter that leaves them hopelessly exposed and therefore allows you to stage your own offensive.

This is merely one aspect of a pleasingly robust control scheme. Punches are split between high and low attacks - to switch between the two stances you merely tap 'up' or 'down' on the keypad. Quick jabs and powerful hooks are also present, so you can keep your opponent guessing as you gleefully mix up your strategy.

Thankfully, there’s plenty of meat on the bone as far as gameplay modes are concerned. A streamlined tutorial transforms you from hopeless rookie to title contender in a few short minutes and the all-important Career mode allows you to create your own boxer and take him on the road to glory.

Although it could be argued that the action becomes a little stale after prolonged play, Fight Night Round 4 remains an excellent scrapper that will allow mobile gamers to unleash some of their pent-up aggression during those dull bus journeys.

Fight Night Round 4

With an accomplished control mechanism and a surprising degree of depth, Fight Night Round 4 lands a devastating sucker-punch on rival mobile fighting titles, with slight repetition being the only chink in its armour
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Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.