Many of you have probably noted an absence of sports games from "Media Gaming." It's not that we don't love sports games, but rather that we have our preferences just like anybody else. Therefore, we felt it would be best to avoid bias entirely and review only the occasional sports game. You're either into EA Sports, 989, Midway, or ESPN/Sega Sports. And that's cool, I guess.
When it comes to sports titles, EA Sports puts out some of the best titles around. With the Madden franchise still going strong, Tiger Woods on the golf series, and a full license for all NASCAR games, EA Sports is your basic 800-lb gorilla. Fight Night 2004 is not so much an extension as it is an evolution of Knockout Kings. I love boxing. It's like hockey without ice and crybaby Canadians.
One of the coolest features in Fight Night is the total punch control where you get unprecedented control of the fighter's jabs, hooks, and uppercuts, as well as dodges, blocks, and feints. So far, this is one of the best features I have ever seen released in a boxing game. This is coupled with the fact that you can play many of the world's leading boxers, including the greatest of the great, Muhammad Ali.
As far as boxing games go, this is the defining game of the genre. Bundled with online capabilities, Fight Night 2004 is a game that I've enjoyed going back to on several occasions, even as deadlines loomed and other games needed reviewing.