Fight Night Round 3 attempts to pick up where its successor left off and does a fairly decent job in doing so. In many ways, the game plays much better than the previous installment but fans of the series will quickly notice the changes and will either love them or hate them.

The most noticeable adjustment is the speed at which fights play out. In Round 2, bouts tended to quickly degenerate into analog twisting, button jamming slugfests. The punches are now a little slower and it does a great job of toning down the pace of the round. However, it will take some time to adjust and those that loved the last game may feel like Round 3 is unresponsive. Thankfully the adjustment to the game's speed can be made pretty quickly because the control scheme is essentially the same. Total Punch Control, in which the direction and angle the analog sticks are pushed determines the type of punches thrown, returns. The haymaker punch that debuted last time around has been carried over, albeit in a slower and more balanced way. New impact punches have also been introduced but they feel very gimmicky and actually make for some clumsy gameplay.

Players are given a choice between exhibition, ESPN classic (which are essentially famous fights which are set up to be re-enacted by the player in exhibition gameplay) or career mode. Fans of last year's game will no doubt be eager to jump into the career to see what changes have been made. Unfortunately, this year seems like a step backwards from Round 2's somewhat awkward but promising set-up. What you are handed is basically a watered-down version minus the ranking system but convoluted with a rivalry opponent that does not really feel like a rival.

Although EA has improved up the AI a bit it's still not enough. Once you get a feel for the controls, you'll be able to amply defend yourself with only the occasional challenge. Cranking up the difficulty certainly will work for a while but once you pick up on the timing and rhythm required, the game is pretty good if the two boxers squaring off are of similar calibre. The roster boasts a decent cast of legends from the past and today's talent. What is somewhat perplexing is the absence of Rocky Marciano and Sonny Liston, two that EA Sports has traditionally worked in since the days of Knockout Kings. There are still plenty of names to choose from though and boxing fans will generally be happy which what's provided.

Visually the game manages to hold its own. Some minor improvements over last year's game. Boxers are recognizable as you would expect and there is still plenty of attention to the little details such as sweat and blood. The venues themselves look great while the crowd does not. This should come as no surprise though as Fight Night (or most sports games for that matter) has never been able to boast an authentic looking audience. The action in the ring masks this shortcoming pretty well though. Those who played Round 2 will notice that the game looks very much like its past editions though which means they should not expect to be wowed this year because it's likely that they will not.

EA Sports has come a long way with the Fight Night series. It has already made its impact on the way future boxing games will play but Fight Night Round 3 ultimately does not offer anything memorable. What it does do is maintain the reputation that it has created and attempts to refine some of its weaker points. Some of these weaker points may very well be fixable with the next-gen technology but Fight Night Round 3 just doesn't really accomplish that with the PS2. Is it a good boxing game? Yes. Is it anything groundbreaking? No. The game will satiate gamers looking for their boxing fix but leaves room for improvement in the future.