Boxing has always held a certain affection in people's hearts. Some attribute it to blood lust, others will tell you boxing is one of the purest forms of sport – just two men, and their natural ability, fighting it out to see who is the best. After all, it's how so many corners of the animal kingdom decide who is the dominant (or alpha) in their peer group. The love of a good boxing tale doesn't stop at ringside either though with Hollywood turning out a number of memorable films involving the 'sweet science' and of course the obligatory video games have also made their way in to many a collection.

EA raised the bar with the third instalment of the Fight Night series, a series which was arguable already the champion of digital boxing anyway. Fight Night Round 3 was, and still is, one of the best examples of 360 gaming. Beautifully crafted, strong gameplay and satisfying moments a plenty. But Electronic Arts has never been one to rest on its laurels, and so they bring to you Round 4 of their punch drunk party.

Such is the nature of the sport, game modes are essentially limited to three different types – Fight Now speaks for itself, a career dramatically entitled Legacy Mode and of course, online slugfests. But, such is the calibre of this instalment that even a simple series of Fight Now match-ups is enough to stop other 360 boxing games in the first round. The number of names, both past and present, from the boxing world is impressive. We see a number of familiar names returning to the fold such as Ali, Pacquiao and Lamotta, but we also see the addition of some pretty special faces from the past, including George Foreman, who put down his grill long enough to join us, Lennox Lewis and perhaps the most notable, young 'Iron' Mike Tyson. EA have certainly pushed the inclusion of the former 'Baddest Man on the Planet', using a Tyson vs. Ali fight as the promo ad on televisions everywhere with various names from the boxing and entertainment world giving their 'yahoos' on said match up. I must admit, there is some wicked desire to throw out the kinds of beatings Tyson used to in his heyday using the man himself, minus the infamous ear-biting of course.

Legacy Mode is once again your standard fair, but it's been given a bit of polish. While most aspects are purely surface work - such as being able to keep track of who is in contention for annual awards; which boxers hold the various belts in each weight class; and your own fight stats – they do add a nice touch, and provides a little more depth to the process. Being able to see where you are in the rankings and fighting higher placed fighters to move up accordingly also feels a little more organised than in the past when you just seemed to fight until you were popular enough to have a pop at the champ. The idea of fight scheduling and training has also been given some greater thought. No longer do you just sign up for a fight, train once then head off to meet your opponent. Schedule a match further in the future and you'll get more training sessions to work on your attributes and iron out the kinks. It all combines for a more 'real' experience, sure it's not 100% living the life of an up and coming star, but EA are on the right road!

The fights themselves are as polished as ever. Graphically we've seen a step up from FNR3, with fluid movement and an engine which not only helps make every fight different from the last, but also ensures areas such as the counter punch system are captured perfectly. Each opponent does feel different, even if it is only slightly, and while some just try and pound you, others are more 'in and out' fighters, using their feet to unleash a couple of quick punches before stepping back to avoid your retaliation attempts. There are still a few foibles and odd hit/miss scenarios, but many of these can be over looked because of the sheer enjoyment factor this game offers. The 'knock out' blow is as satisfying as ever, with full face rippling and spit splatters still intact, but also the option to view it from a different angle in the replay as well as record it for those of you with a more deviant sense of humour. The breaks between rounds have been given a shake up, with the 'cut man' mini-game thrown in the bin and a new quick and easy points system in place. It comes together to provide a more flowing experience from the introductions at the start right through to the winners hand being raised at the end.

Fight Night Round 4 had a great base to build from thanks to its predecessor. EA have taken what was a fine game and made it tighter, as well as applying their usual elbow grease to smarten it all up. Some of the changes might not be for everyone, but most alterations are small and don't really affect the 'meat' of the game. Other changes are purely for aesthetic value, but none the less make you give a little nod and think 'nice touch' – I never thought I'd be listening to true, live, real world ESPN news bulletins while planning my next career fight in Legacy Mode!

It's not often you get a game where faults are hard to find – it's even less often you find a game that makes Fight Night Round 3 look clunky and 'old'! OK, perhaps the second one is cheating a little, but FNR4 is one of the premier titles available now and a must for anyone with any kind of interest in the sport or gaming genre. Forget UFC, Don King and WWE, Fight Night has hammered home the point in the most spectacular way – it is king of the ring!