Fight Night Round 3

Fight Night Round 3 built the boxing series around the Total Punch Control system, where punches and blocks were controlled by moving the right analog stick instead of pressing buttons, giving the game a smoother, more physical feel to its fights, with facial damage rendered in real time - swelling and cuts that stayed visible until the end of the match. Career mode took the player from lower weight classes up to title bouts, offering training minigames between fights to develop specific boxer attributes, alongside the gradual unlocking of new fighters and training equipment between matches.

The PlayStation 2 version launched alongside the original on Xbox 360 in early 2006, but due to the weaker performance of the older console it had to sacrifice a significant part of the visual presentation - textures were simpler, facial damage animation less detailed, and arena lighting considerably more modest than on the new generation of consoles. The Total Punch Control system was preserved, however, since the PlayStation 2 had both analog controllers needed for it to function, so gameplay didn't differ fundamentally between versions, and players switching from the new console back to the older one felt right at home with both the controls and the list of available punch combinations.

The roster of boxers and game modes stayed the same as on the new generation of consoles, but the game lacked online multiplayer on the scale offered by Xbox Live on Xbox 360, since the PlayStation 2's networking capabilities were noticeably more limited and playing online required an additional network adapter. For players who hadn't yet bought a new console, the PS2 version remained an accessible way to enjoy the series, albeit at the cost of significantly weaker graphics and a thinner online offering, while the career mode and boxer roster stayed the same as on the new generation of consoles, so the player didn't come away with a lesser experience of the core game content.

Why play it: For players who hadn't yet made the jump to the new console generation - the PS2 version offers the same boxer roster and career mode as on Xbox 360, just without full online multiplayer and with weaker graphics.