He goes down from that TREMENDOUS haymaker...
Story:
There isn't a story per se, it's a sports game. Your primary goal is to create a custom boxer and send him to the top, fighting a number of opponents on your way there. Aside from a few boxers who become "rivals" and provoke "big showdown" comments from the TV announcer, there isn't anything remotely storyliny about the game.
Graphics:
Probably the game's strongest asset, the character models are flat-out awesome. While some characters may be a bit weird in the eyes, most are exceptionally well made, if not amazing. The detail in the bodies is also jaw-dropping. Sweat starts pouring from their back and chest after their stamina begins to drop, slow motion sequences show ultra detail in knockdowns, the boxers' shorts are shiny with various creases and their expressions change during the fight, depending on their health and stamina. The trainers and the "next round" girls are also very well done, even though they are obviously not very detailed like the boxers.
Everything else though is flat-out ... mediocre. The audience and the ring clearly look last-gen, although that's understandable considering the amount of polygons the two boxers carry. One particular nitpick which is a bit of a turn off is the fact that the boxers do not have polygons for the area of their body that is covered by their shorts (probably for less polygons to chow down frame rate). While there is no problem in the fight, in a knockdown, if the fighter lands on his back you can actually see the canvas when looking inside his shorts.
Music / Sound Effects
You like rap? Yes? Well, you can hear 3-4 monotonous rap music themes in the menu and loading screens. You don't like rap? Tough. Sound effects are realistic and get the job done. The announcer is describing the game accurately, and he can give you the impression that this is a real fight. The trainers are the true power of the voices, though. They criticize (some times in a funny way) and they give tips (as also tips on your opponent tactic in the next round). The trainer who excels at speed training reminds me of Rocky's coach.
Gameplay:
I haven't played any recent boxing games to make comparisons, so I'll just share with you what I liked and disliked.
Controls work mostly through the analog sticks. Left is for moving and dodging, right is for attacks. While the controls are quite responsive, I have had some trouble with low attacks (sometimes the first punch after holding down the low attack button would still go up, giving my opponent a powerful edge). Most of the time though, the experience is nothing short of amazing. I found myself sweating like my boxer did during some hard fights. You can play as a dancer, as a brutal attacker, as a cautious adversary and so on. You can choose to wear out your opponent with weak punches in the face (causing cuts and swelling in the process), or you can go for the body, crushing him under his feet. Whatever path you choose to follow, there are ups and downs. You can get trapped between the ropes when dancing, you can get pummelled if you're too slow to move, you can get disqualified if you do too many dirty hits, and you can evade knock-outs by hugging your opponent.
OVERALL:
Fight Night Round 3 is an amazing boxing game, and a welcome addition to my PS3 library. I recommend it to any action fan, as well as boxing fans. A job well done, for EA Sports.