This is game that is a must own for boxing fans! Its the best around. It has its tough moments but overall its just a good game. Its one of EA's best titles on the market.

Amazing game. Has provided me with endless hours of play. Great for multiplayer. I love this game.

It's a pretty fun game, playing against the AI gets a little monotonous after a while, but playing with friends never gets old. Overall 4/5

Fight Night Round 3 was one of my first experiences with the Xbox 360 and next-gen gaming in general, and I was definitely impressed. Graphically speaking, this game is beautiful...the level of detail is superb; 2 years later it is still hard to find games that outshine this one in that regard. The controls were very intuitive with a low learning curve; within 1 or 2 practice rounds I was able to pull off some great combinations...pretty impressive since the last boxing game I played for more than 10 minutes was Mike Tyson's Punchout about a billion years ago. If you're looking for a button-masher then this is not the game for you...this game does well to encourage you to box strategically, through blocking and parrying to well-timed counter-punches. If you're the type to run out swinging, be aware that while you can bully your way through your first few fights, you will quickly be knocked down once your career starts to take off and you start fighting some real opponents. Fighting your way through career mode is very rewarding, and through the training mini-games you can really tailor your fighter to fit your style of playing, be it as a hulking powerhouse or a lightning fast counter-puncher.

However, there are some downsides...by far the most annoying thing is the fact that this game is one giant advertisement. While prominent placement of brands like ESPN and Under Armour is to be expected in a game of this nature, and the Dodge stuff is almost excusable, the ridiculous amount of Burger King flair detracts from this game quite a bit...I mean, c'mon, the Burger King himself is a trainer (whose specialty is "heart")...wonder how much EA made from that deal? Also, the repetitive nature of the ring-side commentary gets a little grating at times (you'll hear the same phrases over and over and over again). Another gripe is trainer interaction...you'll hear your corner-man bemoaning the amount of "blood in your eyes" or "swelling" quite often...regardless if there is cuts or swelling at all. All in all, a little more work could have been done on the AI in this respect.

Much more minor gripes: The customization level is really good in terms of shaping your fighter's face and body, but other areas leave something to be desired, such as hairstyles (both head and face). A little more variety would have gone a long way in this regard, and being able to change the color of your gear would have been a great addition (I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to wear all black :) The soundtrack is pretty limited...I love hip-hop as much as the next guy, but hearing the same tracks over and over again gets old also. Luckily, it's only between fights, but an import feature for music would have been great, or even a little more variety.

All in all, despite these flaws, this is still a great game. Since it's pretty much as cheap as 360 games get at this point, it's value is hard to deny. I can honestly say I'd recommend this to almost anyone.

Years after it has been out, I bought this game and still find it holds well against current titles of similar nature. This game is so realistic and relieves stress so well, it could have won the noble peace prize. The fighting mechanics and gameplay are so fluid and tight, that it is a true skills game. Novices will get massacred in one haymaker, so don't go blindly into hard modes thinking that it is just a button-mashing game. At the price you can get this game used, it gets a gold rating from me. Not perfect, but overall a benchmark for fighting games everywhere.