Can everyone stop referring to boxing as the ‘sweet science’ please? And whilst you’re at it, there’s to be no more gushing that Tyson – or any other well established champ for that matter – is a ‘poet in the ring’. The suggestion that there’s anything sweet or poetic about reshaping your opponent’s face to the contours of your fists is like calling a street mugging a ‘lucrative outdoor pursuit’. It also fails to do justice to the massive amounts of ballistic, chest banging, nose-breaking fun to be had in the ring in Fight Night Round 4.

Three seconds into any bout, both you and your opponent will be drenched in sweat and spittle, which flies off by the bucket-load every time a punch is landed and sparkles in the arena lighting. Slightly less majestic is the noodle-like trail of drool that creeps from the mouth of a fighter before he unites himself with the mat, always played out in slow-mo glory to allow you to savour a welcome victory or rue a bitter defeat. Along with the soundtrack of grunts, puffs and ringside commentary – oh and the occasional terrible crunching sound when a particularly good punch finds it’s home – it’s clear to see that EA focused their efforts on the grisly details and the result is stunning.

But FN4 was always going to take the sleek and sexy approach, its forerunners were nothing if not polished, and it’s elsewhere that the more pleasant surprises lie. A boxer’s reach has finally become a factor, meaning that a long-limbed Ali can dish out a hefty beating without ever having to get up close and personal, whereas the more hands-on approach of Tyson is able to get firmly in the face of his opponent. It will take a handful of fights for a newcomer to spot the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them windows of opportunity your opponents leave for a good clean punch but the sense that this is worth the effort is immediate.

The best way to hone your skills is to create yourself a fighter and get into legacy mode. This allows to you play through a fighter’s career, competing for titles and honing various skills with some uninspired but solid training games, it’s all typical fare but well executed. Most will be left wishing they knew enough to make use of the impressive range of options at hand and will spend more time deciding whether to have satin or sequin shorts (definitely satin) but those who know their onions will be pleased. For the more fearless, online multiplayer is already ferociously competitive, and you can expect to feel like a noob for quite some time before finding your feet but it’s an effective option for those keen to raise their game fast.

Real boxing fans will appreciate the level of fine detail present, and when two experienced players face off the result could almost be mistaken for the real thing, which was never the case with FN3. Welcoming but unforgiving to the uninitiated, from the first screen shaking fist landed there’s little doubt that, whilst it might not be very sweet, here is one of the finest boxing titles your console is likely to see for some time.  

Words > Kate Bryant