(INSTEAD of the usual game review, we asked hackenslash and GAME! contributor Kiven Codamon to recreate the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales rivalry in Fight Night Round 3 — on the Xbox 360 of course so that we could see this epic battle in all its next-gen glory. Here’s Kiven’s blow-by-blow account of Pacquiao-Morales 3–Ed.)
Hello, sports fans… and gamers everywhere. Electronic Arts’ Fight Night Round 3 has hit store shelves and once again it’s time to wear those old gloves for another round of console boxing.
When you first boot up the game, you’ll notice that the Xbox 360 loading screen is virtually the same as the PlayStation 2 version, apart from the 360 showing off its graphical prowess in a short intro movie. After selecting the Play Now option to create a match between two boxers, I naturally chose our very own Manny Pacquiao as my boxer and picked Erik Morales as his opponent.
If you look at their stats, you’ll see that Morales has a slight speed advantage while Manny has slightly better punching power and a tougher chin. The 360 version really looks next-gen, with great-looking fighters and detailed arenas, although the entrances were trimmed down this year compared to the somewhat customizable entrances in Fight Night Round 2.
Round 1: Both fighters try to establish their jabs, with Pacman landing a few body shots that I hope would slow down Morales in the later rounds. Trying to force some more combos, Pacman gets rocked by a couple of counterpunches to the face as Morales reminds you that in FNR3, you just can’t throw punch after punch.
