The last time I played a game called Fight Night it was by a company called Accolade. I was also playing it on the Atari 7800 and the year was 1988. How very far the video game boxing genre has come since then. Electronic Arts shakes the foundations of video game boxing with Fight Night 2004 and the competition is K.O.ed! The innovative control scheme and overall presentation make it a no-brainer buy for anyone with an interest in boxing and definitely worth a look if you’re just searching for a unique video gaming challenge.

First off, I’ve got to gush a little about EA’s outstanding control scheme developed for Fight Night 2004. EA takes an iconoclastic approach to fighting control. With their “Total Punch Control” the player can easily pull off punches and put the whup on his opponents. The theory is simple. Using the right analog stick, the player controls his right or left fists: three basic punches for each fist. A right jab is executed by a simple up and right movement of the stick. A right hook is stick right and then rotate upward. A right uppercut is a down and right stick movement and then an upward rotation. Corresponding punches from the left start to the left on the stick. This mimics the movement of a real boxer’s hand as he goes through throwing these punches.

Defending against punches is just as easy. The right analog stick in combination with the right trigger moves the player’s hands and arms to block incoming punches. The left analog stick controls footwork, and in combination with the left trigger, movement of the upper body. Put all of this together and you have the best controlling boxing game ever. Mastery of this control scheme does not come immediately, but it is worth the time investment for some great boxing action. The game features an excellent training mode that will get players up to speed and giving a pretty good account of themselves in the ring.

And that fighting won’t be done against Accolade’s Fight Night dweebs like Dip Stick, Killer Diller or Bobby Socks. EA licensed 32 big names in boxing. Ever want to take on Muhammad Ali and see if he floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee? How about further back and box Rocky Marciano? Perhaps Sugar Ray Leonard? EA makes it possible.

On the Xbox there are two modes: Play Now and Career. Play Now is just a quick exhibition fight between one player and the computer or two players. Career lets the player take a fighter from the lowest ranks and fight him up the boxing ladder. Along the way the player will control training, opponent selection and even clothing purchasing. A fighter for career mode can either be one of the licensed fighters or the player may create his own with a really neat toolbox that covers everything from body size to facial features. You can get some really wild combinations ... and some faces I would not want to encounter in a dark alley.

Sadly, EA did not give the Xbox version of Fight Night 2004 the online support that is gave the PS2 version. In my opinion, that will really hurt its replay value. The whole package comes wrapped in some really outstanding graphics. Character models are great, animation fluid, lighting terrific and backgrounds well detailed. It is particularly nice to see boxers take realistic damage as they fight – faces get bruised and cut. This is without a doubt the best looking boxing game available.

The audio is pretty good too. Sound effects are well defined. The ring announcing is competently handled by BET’s Big Tigger. I would have liked to have had a few more music choices than just rap and hip-hop. Custom soundtrack loading is not supported either. Oh well, that’s why EA gave us three independent sliders to turn down the music, sound effects or announcing.

With Fight Night 2004 EA started from scratch and threw out the old conventions of video game boxing. What they created in its place is one of the best simulations of boxing ever seen on a console. It will immensely appeal to boxing fans. And even players who never considered boxing video games before should at least rent it to experience one of the most innovative sports control schemes to come along since the analog swing in golf games.