Boxing games - what is it about them that has prevented any one title from achieving true pedigree? Golf has Tiger Woods, American Football has Madden, rallying has Colin McRae and our very own beautiful game is represented by the illustrious PES. Yet boxing hasn't really registered on anything like the same scale, not since Mike Tyson's Punch Out anyway. We had Rocky, which was great but not really a fully realised simulation of the sport. This has been left to EA's Knockout Kings series, which was a step in the right direction, but somehow didn't quite manage to do the business.

   

It seems that EA were more than aware of the deficiency however, because Fight Night 2004, according to my 'Bumper Book of Reviewer Cliches', floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee and delivers a sweet knockout punch that leaves all those other glass jawed bums sprawling on the canvas and out for the count. The developer, NuFX, were previously responsible for the NBA Street and NBA Live series of games on the EA Sports label and it certainly shows in the presentation. The name change is the very least of the additions that they have brought with them to Knockout Kings though; there's a certain little something called Total Punch Control that's been added to the formula and frankly, it's a revelation.

In order to demonstrate just how miraculous Total Punch Control really is, imagine if you will, the action of your arm as it performs a right hook, the arm moves out from the side and swings round in an arc to the left, if you trace the movement, it resembles a quarter circle - sort of. This has been implemented on the right analog stick. A straight right jab is performed by pushing the stick forward diagonally toward the right, a right uppercut by pulling the stick diagonally down to the right and then swinging up and round in an arc to the left. This is mirrored for all equivalent left-handed punches, again on the right stick.

   

The left stick is used for movement around the ring, stepping inside to probe your opponent's defence, or for stepping out of range to avoid a rumble. Holding the left trigger modifies the stance by making the boxer bob and weave; pivoting from the waist in accordance with relative movement of the left stick. Throw a punch with the right stick while holding the left trigger in an appropriate stance and he will perform a body punch, either straight to the solar plexus or a stamina-sapping blow to the side of the ribcage. Finally, and very importantly, use the right trigger to cover up, this can also be modified with the right stick for as long as it's held down.

Now, in order to really appreciate all of this, you need to understand that the default point of view is ringside, with your guy on the left, the other putz on the right. Now when you put it all together, the variation of punches and counter punches, the bobbing and weaving, the moving from defensive to offensive stance; well, with all this going on you've got a fighter who will undoubtedly end up on his arse inside the first round, and quite probably the second too (assuming he makes it that far). Because initially it just feels so utterly wrong - the concept seems so alien to the seasoned gamer that the brain simply rebels and stops signalling to the hands, which will likely have become useless, spasming, claw-like things. You won't like it - oh sure throwing an analog controlled punch feels great, but you'll be doing the same thing with the sticks as you would with the buttons - mashing, or in this case, stirring them around like you're making a cup of tea. Your guy will run out of stamina in about 30 seconds and any remaining punch power will be about as effective as an elderly Aunt's soft, whiskery kisses - say hello to Mr Canvas.

   

But persevere beyond the difficult early stages and you'll begin to forget all you knew about button control very quickly, because this system is simply the way forward. Give it 3 or 4 bouts and the level of synergy involved will start to blow you away, the sheer, flexibility of the thing will begin to make sense and you will suddenly realise that, by God yes, this really is what boxing is all about! The sensory feedback achieved is intensely gratifying and when those 5 or 6 punch combos start happening, you'll be very chuffed, because you planned every one of 'em. It just rocks!

The main mode of play in Fight Night allows you take a boxer through a long career, participating in any of the main weight divisions. The first task is to create your boxer's appearance. This works in the same way as Tiger Woods and the system is quite flexible. You could perhaps think of someone you think is really great (in my case this was myself) or hate (let's say, Ainsley Harriott) and with patience, you'll have a fair facsimile of your chosen subject. Kit him out with some snazzy gear from the free items initially available to you in the Fight Store, pick an appropriately hard sounding moniker from those available, such as 'El Loco', then you're set to start earning some serious dough, which you can spend later on unlocked items, such as new entrance music, confetti, fireworks, new members for your entourage and smarter gear.

When starting out you're ranked 50th/50 and will need to schedule a fight, from a selection of similarly lowly ranked boxers. The venues are pretty run-down affairs too and the purse on offer is reflective of the quality of match-up. As you progress, the options available will broaden, you might decide to take riskier fights for a bigger wedge and a substantial increase in your rank over the course of each year (around 4 fights), or do-an Audley "Audrey" Harrison and fight part time bus conductors instead. Be aware of the retirement limit and choose accordingly. There is a training facility, packaged in the form of mini games that become available before a fight, but you can't decide on a training regime yourself, which is a pity. You can choose to auto-train, though this only provides the minimum 4 points possible, to spend on the relevant ratings. They're fun to take part in and you might just learn something in the process. A limitation that soon becomes apparent is that your boxer cannot move up or down the divisions - if he's a middleweight, he'll end his career at the age of 40, as a middleweight. There's no going up to the heavyweight division to see out the twilight of those years you have left...

   

Of the 50 fighters you could face in each division, most are fictional and all of the 32 licensed boxers included are obviously top ranked. These include the good and the great, past and present, from Sugar Ray Leonard to Juan Manual Marquez, Lennox Lewis to Joe Frazier, James Toney to The Greatest, Muhammad Ali. You can fight any of them from the 'Play Now' exhibition mode and you'll be pleased, but probably not entirely surprised to see how accurately modelled they are - this is EA after all, they know all about this stuff.

Graphics are excellent, sweat flies as each punch connects, boxers visibly grimace either from sheer exertion or bone-shattering pain, and muscles flex and contort with strain and impact. Should the bout progress beyond an early knockout, the boxer's faces start to resemble roughly chopped liver. You'll get plenty of ghoulish opportunity to inspect the damage each time the boxers return to their corners for the end of the round, and it's a good indication of how well or badly the rounds are being scored. And hey, it's satisfying too. The venues themselves look great, with a lively and fully realised crowd baying for blood. And the knockdowns themselves have a fully-fledged physics system of their own, which means every KO is different in some way, and always very satisfying to watch during replays.

   

The only thing that really lets the overall package down, apart from some of the limits imposed in career mode, is in the sound department. I don't mind Hip Hop, but there's a relatively small rotation of tunes here that just don't seem all that appropriate to the grandeur of a title fight at Caesars Palace. And I don't care for the MC, Big Tigger either - he's alright for MTV, but I'll take the man in the tux to this guy any day. He repeats himself all to often, and most of what he does say during the fight is pretty irrelevant to the action anyway. However, all spot sound effects are excellent, from the meaty thwack and crunch of every connecting punch, to the grunt of pain and gasp for air. I also really liked the chatter from my corner men.

Fight Night 2004 is a little uneven then, there is no Xbox Live support as usual, but overall presentation is excellent, if a little 'urban'. And that control system is a sensation. I can forgive its few shortcomings, and let's be honest, what would EA have left to implement in the inevitable annual update if not for a few omissions here and there?…… Cynical? Me? With my reputation? - If you fancy getting a battering in the ring, there really is no better alternative available today.