Fight Night Round 3

Fight Night Round 3 became famous mainly for its Total Punch Control system, in which attacks and blocks were controlled by moving the right analog stick instead of pressing buttons – this feature gave boxing bouts on home consoles a smoother, more physical feel than the button-based controls of earlier entries in the series and forced players to think about the direction and speed of a punch just as much as its timing, while the career mode offered a fighter's gradual rise from lower weight classes to title bouts, with training minigames between fights and a steady unlocking of new opponents and gear.

However, the PlayStation Portable version had to rework this cornerstone of the gameplay, because the PSP had only one analog control and no second stick needed for full motion-based punch control. EA Chicago therefore moved the controls back to buttons and the screen's face buttons, which brought the combat closer to the traditional scheme of older boxing games than to the system that made Round 3 famous on home consoles. The graphics were adapted to the handheld's lower power, with simpler textures, fewer arena details, a smaller crowd, and more limited facial damage animation suited to the handheld's small screen.

In terms of content, this was a simplified version with a smaller selection of modes and boxers, without the full online multiplayer that the home consoles offered via Xbox Live, since the PSP's networking capabilities were considerably more modest by comparison and it wasn't possible to play against opponents on other platforms. Still, for players on the go it was a solid way to play boxing away from home, albeit knowing it was more of a lightweight variant than a portable equivalent of the PS3 or Xbox 360 version with the same control system and the same depth of career mode, if with noticeably more modest audiovisual presentation matching the handheld's small screen.

Why play it: For players on the go, it's a solid way to play boxing away from home, even though it's more of a lightweight variant without the home consoles' full online multiplayer.