Fight Night Round 4 officially announced

May 7, 2008 by pastapadre 

Though it was known to be in development, EA Sports has made official that Fight Night Round 4 will be coming to the 360 and PS3 in 2009. They’ve also revealed the first details on what to expect. This is the first time in nearly a decade that Mike Tyson will be featured in a boxing game. You can check out the full press release here. The important info from it can be found below.

Featuring a re-written gameplay engine, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will add a variety of fighting styles and boxer differentiation to authentically emulate the greatest fighters of all time. Pressure your opponent with the brawling inside style of young Mike Tyson, bobbing and weaving to set up powerful hooks and uppercuts. Capitalize on Muhammad Ali’s reach, hand speed and fleetness of foot to bewilder your opponent with lightning fast jabs and straights from the outside. For the first time in history, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 gives you the opportunity to pit these legendary heavyweights against one another and name a true champ.

No fight will be the same with an all-new physics-based animation system that recreates the full spectrum of true-to-life punch impacts, giving boxers a devastating arsenal of punches, blocks and ring movement. The new physics system allows for missed punches, glancing punches, knockout blows and for the first time ever, rough and tumble inside fighting. Fatigue, adrenaline, footwork and timing all come into play as you hammer away at your opponents.

Comments

36 Responses to “Fight Night Round 4 officially announced”

  1. a19monkeyband on May 7th, 2008 11:32 am Quote

    Finally inside fighting! And i hope “The new physics system allows for missed punches, glancing punches” means no more parry system.

  2. Eski on May 7th, 2008 11:35 am Quote

    Yes…Mike Tyson is back. I think everyone will agree the man today is nuts however when Tyson was in his prime he was a beast. The most feared man in boxing history.

    Honestly, with Tyson’s shaky history with sex-related convictions, I am shocked EA has stepped up to take his likeness on. I thought Tyson would have ended up in Don King’s game. Tyson, alone, is a reason I will buy this game.

  3. RAZORBACK2015 on May 7th, 2008 11:37 am Quote

    A ‘young’ Mike Tyson……that’s great news!!!!

  4. letsjustblaze on May 7th, 2008 11:45 am Quote

    one word. Tyson.

    ill just probaly play with him all day, and if their is an online which i dont reember if there was for round 3, you better be quick to pick him before the other person grabs him.

  5. Nick on May 7th, 2008 11:51 am Quote

    I actually can’t wait for this

  6. Darkheath on May 7th, 2008 11:55 am Quote

    I wonder which button I’ll have to push to bite someone’s ear off. Screw Mike Tyson and his baby voice. I’d be more excited to use some of the classic guys like Marciano and Sugar Ray Robinson. I wonder if it will have classic, nearly-uncushioned boxing gloves in it. And I don’t just mean a visual “skin” of them.

    I also like the idea of the glancing blows and misses.

  7. The Night Owl on May 7th, 2008 12:07 pm Quote

    EA always talks a good game but rarely seems to deliver the goods. We’ll see. It’ll be cool to see Tyson in a game though. I really thought 2K would sign Tyson for Prizefighter though. I’m surprised that EA and they’re squeaky clean image would go for a controversial figure like Tyson. 2K doesn’t care, after all they put O.J. Simpson in All Pro Football 2K8.

  8. freeg4 on May 7th, 2008 12:17 pm Quote

    I feel like they should do this with madden…just take a long time off to rewrite a whole new engine and basically a whole new game period.

  9. baumy300 on May 7th, 2008 12:38 pm Quote

    This is great news!

    EA has always done well with their boxing games. This one will be no different.

    If they don’t have alternate shorts it’s a failure though ;)

  10. shoeprint on May 7th, 2008 12:43 pm Quote

    When the list of names for APF 2K8 were released on the official website, one stood out and immediately created a stir. That person would be OJ Simpson. Is it right that someone who was found not guilty criminally but is still heavily suspected of committing double-murder by the majority of the public be featured in the game?

    Just recently Simpson was asked to leave a restaurant by the owner who simply didn’t want him there. The reaction from the rest of the patrons? Applause after he left. That goes to show the general feeling about him even now so many years after everything went down.

    The game is heavily centered on legends of the NFL, which he certainly is one. Should off the field issues keep someone out of a game that is based on what they did on the field? Thoughts on that are going to vary from individual to individual. It is certainly understandable why it would upset some people that he is included in this game. He fits in terms of what the game is about, yet the smart and respectful thing to do would have been not to include him.

    Leonard Little drove drunk and killed a woman. This isn’t just assumed as is in OJ’s case, but there is no question about it. Yet no one is outraged that he is in Madden. The difference here is that the game is representing the current NFL, of which he is a part of regardless of what he has done in the past. However 2K Sports specifically sought out OJ when they didn’t necessarily need to have him in the game. They made the decision to line his pockets with cash, which could be viewed as an insult to the family of the victims and anyone else who has had to deal with similar tragedy, or simply don’t like him or what he represents. This is a guy who was going to publish a (supposedly hypothetical) book titled “If I Did It”.

    It seems 2K has been ignoring the consumers with a lot of the recent news coming out about All-Pro Football 2K8. Putting OJ in the game is just one example to go along with others such as the lack of a franchise mode and the “play the game and shut up” comment. Given the position they are in, it seems to be a curious marketing strategy to say the least.

    Ultimately OJ Simpson being in APF 2K8 is unlikely to keep anyone from specifically purchasing it for that reason alone. I would not be surprised however if the topic is brought up sometime heading up to release. The question is whether 2K is actually seeking out the negative press this could present as a way to get the game some attention.

    ^^^You bashed OJ, now how will you discuss Mike Tyson on Fight Night 4 Telly?

    Peace to the fanboys of EA, you cats are silly.

  11. JUDA on May 7th, 2008 12:59 pm Quote

    i agree with freeg4. the only reason that EA is even making a boxing sim is because 2K has prizefighter coming out. it is a way for EA to try and take any of the wind left in the sails of 2K sports ( Take 2 ) for that matter. after all these years now they add tyson. what a marketing scheme. EA is really trying to out sell and even buy out the rights to Take 2. why do people buy madden every year? they hope for an improvement on the previous year game. when that doesnt happen whats next? a forum to express the way we feel about the new game and what needs to be improved. what does EA do after that? they jot down what they left out of the game to put it in for next year so that people will buy it in hopes of major improvements but they are minor with some added features that are shock value only. i only ask like other people that EA lives up to its motto “if its in the game its in the game”. its not too much to ask for chain gangs or refs on the field. so what if you cant release the game at the start of the season at least the game would actually be worth buying. the last question of the day is why would EA comply to all the demands the consumer makes if they are going to buy the game regardless of what EA puts out. EA has the only NFL game on the market with rights to the best sports news network on the market and everyone wants to play with there favorite team from the NFL.

  12. pastapadre on May 7th, 2008 1:00 pm Quote

    I’m certain it’ll be a topic of discussion, which I’ll address, just as I did the placement of steroid users onto EA Sports covers.

    In your comparison one difference though is I wouldn’t expect them to market the game or include aspects within it that exploit his criminal past, which is what made it more of an issue with APF.

  13. shoeprint on May 7th, 2008 1:08 pm Quote

    That comment right there^^^ im speechless bro.

    Mike Tyson lost to Holyfield & Lennox Lewis two of the best in his era… he only beat Spinks (a light heavyweight) and lost to my fellow Columbus native Buster Douglass (a bum LOL). What make Tyson a legend? a drug addict/convicted rapist/felon… He and OJ are like twins bro… Tyson was exciting but he beat who during his reign? Do you even know boxing Telly? Or is EA just telling you to pump this up? What makes Tyson a legend and different from OJ? OJ was a Heisman winner and one of the biggest stars in his era, what the different?

  14. pastapadre on May 7th, 2008 1:14 pm Quote

    shoeprint wrote:

    That comment right there^^^ im speechless bro.

    Mike Tyson lost to Holyfield & Lennox Lewis two of the best in his era… he only beat Spinks (a light heavyweight) and lost to my fellow Columbus native Buster Douglass (a bum LOL). What make Tyson a legend? a drug addict/convicted rapist/felon… He and OJ are like twins bro… Tyson was exciting but he beat who during his reign? Do you even know boxing Telly? Or is EA just telling you to pump this up? What makes Tyson a legend and different from OJ? OJ was a Heisman winner and one of the biggest stars in his era, what the different?

    I hardly have to pump up Fight Night considering it is the third biggest franchise in EA’s stable of sports titles. Especially since I’ll be looking forward to Facebreaker more than Fight Night, it just isn’t my game. I didn’t even comment on it because it isn’t that interesting to me at this point, especially being about a year out.

    Just in the selection though, as I’ve seen from comments around the community, people are excited for Tyson being included. More than anything else mentioned that is what everyone is talking about. That is telling. When it came to OJ he was just one of a bunch of legends, and no one would’ve minded if he was left out.

    So I’m not saying they won’t take heat for the decision to push Tyson, but the two situations aren’t completely comparable.

  15. Timothy Daley on May 7th, 2008 1:21 pm Quote

    Great!!!!! now peeps can STFU and stop complaining about FaceBreaker. Everyone wins. Kudos for Peter Moore. He’s really hit the deckplates running. All he needs to do now is bring back SSX to next gen (PS3,360).

  16. Kenny on May 7th, 2008 1:22 pm Quote

    This great news. Even better news that Tyson will be in it.

    Pasta, any word yet if we’ll be able to fight real boxers in career mode unlike in Round 2 & 3?

  17. pastapadre on May 7th, 2008 1:25 pm Quote

    Kenny wrote:

    This great news. Even better news that Tyson will be in it.

    Pasta, any word yet if we’ll be able to fight real boxers in career mode unlike in Round 2 & 3?

    I don’t think they’re anywhere near releasing specific info like that.

  18. Sean on May 7th, 2008 1:25 pm Quote

    Tyson was never suspected of MURDER

  19. Michael on May 7th, 2008 2:01 pm Quote

    I liked fight night round 3 and just might by round 4 but we will see. I am more of a Football basketball game guy!

  20. letsjustblaze on May 7th, 2008 2:04 pm Quote

    Are you all kidding me, if Tyson didnt mess up his life he would of probaly continued to dominate people. You dont need to start mentioning who he didnt beat and who he did beat. You can look at any boxer and they all faced scrubs in their career. I bet you in floyds 38-0 (could be wrong) a good amount of them were scrubs. Even after tyson faced all those problems he still came back and dominated a bit. Anyway you look at it, tyson in his prime would wreck any boxer you can throw at them in their time. He was a beast, quick, power, an angry mother f…er. He ruined his life which is true, but it doesnt diminish his boxing career, the same with OJ.

  21. Dre on May 7th, 2008 2:50 pm Quote

    As stated in a biography Tyson suffers from some type of mental illness or he was abused one of the two or both I believe. If you go through something like that you are bound to be screwed up in the head.
    That being said I wonder when the next-gen will catch up to the current-gen in forms of presentation. I had FNR 3 before I traded it in on the PS3 and I played it on the PS2 but I liked the PS2 version for the simple reason they added a lot of things to the game.

    I was fighting some dude on the PS2 version and at the pre-fight weigh-in we got into a fight he beat me but its the little things like that that makes games with little to offer beside online fun. If you don’t have online service and just play by yourself it gets old fast.

  22. Eski on May 7th, 2008 4:09 pm Quote

    Not to be cold but OJ got away with a crime, Tyson didn’t. Tyson served his debt to society (again, I think he is nuts).

    Unfortunately, OJ has kept the light of negativity on himself especially with his book with contents describing “if” he had done it. That is a P.R. nightmare.

    Another thing with Tyson, most old school gamers remember Tyson’s Punchout on Nintendo so the video game nostalgia is there, so to speak.

    One other thing with 2K in regards to OJ was the somewhat sick slant if OJ played on the Assasin’s that the scoreboard made a stabbing animation.

    I doubt that there will be a “booty call” mod imbedded in FN 4 by EA….

  23. Eski on May 7th, 2008 4:16 pm Quote

    Oh, let’s hope that EA includes the following in FN4:

    1) Robes (or in Tyson’s case, a towel)
    2) Customized tracks that can be utilized when the fighters are on their way to the ring
    3) A much stronger career mode. If you fighter endures punishment early in his career it should play a role on how your created fighter deteriorates. There shouldn’t be a set number of fights before you are forced to retire.
    4) Gameface — Seeing my virtual self get beaten would be sweet.
    5) On-line….
    6) The “Cocoon of Horror” - Peter McNealy
    7) Pre-fight weigh-ins and scuffles 8) Tons of create-a-boxer options
    –Old school or new school trunks
    –Logos
    –More trainer options
    –Robe styles
    9) Hidden fictional boxers from old school boxing games

  24. Eski on May 7th, 2008 4:16 pm Quote

    Oh, and the ability to fight The Big Show in an exhibition match….

  25. Darkheath on May 7th, 2008 4:40 pm Quote

    Dre (and others)… we’re two years into it. Can we please start calling it “current-gen” (360/PS3, et al) and “last-gen” (Xbox/PS2) now. It’s about time… dontcha think?

    I’m sure there are people now working on true “next-gen” hardware somewhere (Xbox 720/PS4/Nintendo Virtual Babysitter).

  26. Badger Boy21 on May 7th, 2008 6:10 pm Quote

    I LOVE that Tyson is in it…but really for me…it BETTER include the following list…Delahoya…MAYWEATHER..cotto…hatton…AND Pavlik…if they all arent on there..it will be dissapointing for me im sure..

  27. Sean on May 7th, 2008 6:21 pm Quote

    Dont count on Kelly cause hes in PF, but the others should be in it. Round 3 had online

  28. The Saint on May 7th, 2008 6:27 pm Quote

    The Night Owl wrote:

    EA always talks a good game but rarely seems to deliver the goods. We’ll see. It’ll be cool to see Tyson in a game though. I really thought 2K would sign Tyson for Prizefighter though. I’m surprised that EA and they’re squeaky clean image would go for a controversial figure like Tyson. 2K doesn’t care, after all they put O.J. Simpson in All Pro Football 2K8.

    EA doesn’t have a “squeaky clean image,” lol. If anything they’re bloodsucking sharks. At any rate, everything in that press release sounds very, very promising. Without Kudo, the FN series is headed towards the right direction. The only thing I can complain about at this point is that EA should’ve hung a boulder around Kudo’s neck, stuffed his mouth with cyanide and pushed him off the Empire State Building. But yeah, glancing blows and in-fighting sounds awesome, hopefully EA can make it work. The next 12 months or so will be BIG for boxing fans. We’re finally getting attention from the gaming world. Prizefighter comes out next month, the arcade Facebreaker comes out later this year and I suspect that FNR4 comes out in Spring of 2009. Finally.

  29. Fort on May 7th, 2008 6:51 pm Quote

    lol, the hate for Tyson I’ve seen on here and other sites today is ridiculous. In his prime, he was the most dangerous boxer ever. The man was a straight up beast. A lack of management (and outright mismanagement) killed his career and put him on the track to the problems he had. Who knows what he could have been had he not been thrown to the wolves and abandoned by King. Yes, Tyson made mistakes. Big mistakes. He didn’t savagely murder two people and try to evade the police and lie about it, though. He has always had mental issues and when his first manager died, no one cared about Mike the Person. King saw $$$. His training suffered, his career suffered, and his life suffered.

  30. blackngoldfan on May 7th, 2008 7:34 pm Quote

    Eski wrote:

    Honestly, with Tyson’s shaky history with sex-related convictions, I am shocked EA has stepped up to take his likeness on. I thought Tyson would have ended up in Don King’s game. Tyson, alone, is a reason I will buy this game.

    With past lawsuits and such, there’s no way that Tyson would do anything to benefit King. They haven’t been on good terms since the Buster Douglas fight.

  31. angel on May 7th, 2008 7:34 pm Quote

    i hope it has felix trinidad,miguel cotto,floyd mayweather jr

  32. MattMVPStroehms on May 7th, 2008 11:06 pm Quote

    shoeprint wrote:

    When the list of names for APF 2K8 were released on the official website, one stood out and immediately created a stir. That person would be OJ Simpson. Is it right that someone who was found not guilty criminally but is still heavily suspected of committing double-murder by the majority of the public be featured in the game?

    Just recently Simpson was asked to leave a restaurant by the owner who simply didn’t want him there. The reaction from the rest of the patrons? Applause after he left. That goes to show the general feeling about him even now so many years after everything went down.

    The game is heavily centered on legends of the NFL, which he certainly is one. Should off the field issues keep someone out of a game that is based on what they did on the field? Thoughts on that are going to vary from individual to individual. It is certainly understandable why it would upset some people that he is included in this game. He fits in terms of what the game is about, yet the smart and respectful thing to do would have been not to include him.

    Leonard Little drove drunk and killed a woman. This isn’t just assumed as is in OJ’s case, but there is no question about it. Yet no one is outraged that he is in Madden. The difference here is that the game is representing the current NFL, of which he is a part of regardless of what he has done in the past. However 2K Sports specifically sought out OJ when they didn’t necessarily need to have him in the game. They made the decision to line his pockets with cash, which could be viewed as an insult to the family of the victims and anyone else who has had to deal with similar tragedy, or simply don’t like him or what he represents. This is a guy who was going to publish a (supposedly hypothetical) book titled “If I Did It”.

    It seems 2K has been ignoring the consumers with a lot of the recent news coming out about All-Pro Football 2K8. Putting OJ in the game is just one example to go along with others such as the lack of a franchise mode and the “play the game and shut up” comment. Given the position they are in, it seems to be a curious marketing strategy to say the least.

    Ultimately OJ Simpson being in APF 2K8 is unlikely to keep anyone from specifically purchasing it for that reason alone. I would not be surprised however if the topic is brought up sometime heading up to release. The question is whether 2K is actually seeking out the negative press this could present as a way to get the game some attention.

    ^^^You bashed OJ, now how will you discuss Mike Tyson on Fight Night 4 Telly?

    Peace to the fanboys of EA, you cats are silly.

    I wouldn’t compare OJ to Lenard Little. Lenard is a good guy. He made a bad decision and paid for it. He drives everyday past the spot where he killed her. He visits high schools and tells his story to send a message out to kids that not only drinking is bad but drinking and driving can be deadly. Does OJ go to high schools telling kids how he would have killed his wife? no. The city of St. Louis has forgiven Little.

  33. shoeprint on May 8th, 2008 9:46 am Quote

    letsjustblaze wrote:

    Are you all kidding me, if Tyson didnt mess up his life he would of probaly continued to dominate people. You dont need to start mentioning who he didnt beat and who he did beat. You can look at any boxer and they all faced scrubs in their career. I bet you in floyds 38-0 (could be wrong) a good amount of them were scrubs. Even after tyson faced all those problems he still came back and dominated a bit. Anyway you look at it, tyson in his prime would wreck any boxer you can throw at them in their time. He was a beast, quick, power, an angry mother f…er. He ruined his life which is true, but it doesnt diminish his boxing career, the same with OJ.

    Judah, Hatton, de La Hoya, Corrales, gatti, Baldomir, sharmba mitchell, castillo, and manfready (9 former champs) all got spanked by Mayweather bro. 9 former champs, he is the best in the biz…

    Name the former champs Tyson beat

  34. frtiz on May 8th, 2008 11:40 am Quote

    the glancing blows and infigting is the best this i saw. tyson? who cares. EA’s boxing games have notoriously thin line-ups. I’m sure 2k’s list of fighters will be better especially as far as current boxers and champions go.

  35. Chris Cox on May 9th, 2008 3:46 am Quote

    This game will beat Prizefighter’s rear end!

  36. Ronnie on May 9th, 2008 9:18 am Quote

    Is Mayweather and Cotto going to be in this game?

Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!





Comments that contain inappropriate language or content will be removed or blocked. Please be considerate in your comments. Thanks!